Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 13: Windea, Where Water and Wind Sleep
“The destination is Windea. The mana in the air is unstable there. Will that be a problem?”
Windea, where dense water- and wind-aspected mana gathered, could be troublesome for mana-powered vehicles like magic ships. Their controls could become unstable in flight.
Even so, they needed a magic ship for this trip.
“That’s fine! But in Windea, it’s better not to fly too high.”
“Because of the concentration of mana in the air?”
“Yeah. Lemuria can handle it, but it was only just repaired. I want to fly cautiously and see how it performs. Is that all right with you?”
Ragna pondered with his arms crossed.
“Ren, what do you think?”
“It’s fine. Once we reach the rocky terrain around the middle of Windea, we can handle the rest ourselves. I’m confident in our stamina.”
“Alright, then. I’m fine with it.”
“But Ragna-san, are you sure you’re okay with going to a place where monsters might appear?”
“What’s with the strange question?”
With a snap of his fingers, chains emerged from spatial distortions and wrapped around Ren’s right hand. It was evident that some kind of special magic was being employed.
“…Come to think of it, a Bag Traveler should be able to fight too, right?”
Ren lightly gripped the chains with his left hand and applied some force, shattering them. His refined Enchantment, honed even further than before, once again showed its strength.
Ragna whistled cheerfully.
“These chains were meant to completely immobilize a C-rank monster, but…”
“…Please don’t use that kind of power suddenly.”
“Sorry. It was quicker to show you that I can fight. Still, as ever, Sword Saints really are monsters among swordsmen.”
Ragna was still astonished that Ren had broken free so easily.
“As you can see, I can fight, so there’s no problem. After we park Lemuria near the rocky terrain in Windea, it’s just a matter of camping out there.”
“All right then, Werlich-san, can you handle Lemuria’s controls?”
With a loud “Leave it to me!” Werlich slapped his broad chest, only to choke out a violent “Cough!”
The sight was so worrying that Ren felt his confidence waver.
Several days later, on a morning when the academy was off, Ren brought Licia and Fiona to the same dock. They were not going to Windea; instead, they had come to ride Lemuria for the first time.
The upper section of the ship, shaped like a bullet, spread its wings and began to move gracefully as Lemuria soared into the sky. After slowly leaving the open dock and climbing to a comfortable altitude, they could step out onto the deck and enjoy the scenery.
The only other person aboard besides the three of them was Werlich, who was in the cockpit.
Once the ascent had stabilized and Lemuria was flying smoothly, the girls excitedly took in the view.
“Wow… it’s so beautiful!”
“Hey Ren! Come here! The Imperial Capital looks so small from up here!”
Ren joined the excited girls and looked out at the scenery with them.
“Was it really all right for just the three of us to come?”
They had talked about letting Licia and Fiona enjoy a ride now that Lemuria had finally been repaired. The adults, however, had decided that Ren and the girls should enjoy themselves without them this time.
“…Father and the others said it was fine this time.”
“Yeah… I was told to enjoy the trip with you, Ren.”
“…They seem to be considering our feelings, so let’s enjoy it on their behalf.”
Ren accepted the adults’ thoughtfulness and decided to enjoy the flight.
White birds were flying nearby. As they passed right by Licia, her hair fluttered in the wind, and she held it down with her hand.
Fiona, standing beside Ren, held her skirt lightly with her hand and began to talk to him.
“If it’s just this height, I can stay on the deck without any problems.”
It was not a fear of heights, only the strength of the wind. Lemuria also had several safeguards to keep people from falling overboard. As they continued enjoying the scenery, the two began talking about Windea.
“I really wanted to go with you…”
Fiona looked disappointed.
“But I have to prioritize my exam.”
“That’s right.”
“Besides, I accepted this Emblem Contract personally.”
“Mm.”
“Umm…huh? Why are you staring at me like that with those eyes?”
Fiona had entered her fourth year, so she had exams even during the holiday. And since Ren had personally accepted the Emblem Contract, there had never been any need for Fiona to help.
Even so, her maiden’s heart still made her wish she could help Ren.
“…Even if only for a little while, I wish you had felt some regret…”
She whispered so quietly that Ren could not hear her.
But Fiona could hardly skip such an important exam.
Moreover, Licia had an important appointment at the academy: she was to meet Chronois and have the condition of her Sacred Magic examined. Estelle had also offered to make the long weekend worthwhile by giving her sword training.
“The Chief never takes a day off.” That was something the knights of the Lion’s Holy Office often said.
The knights of the Lion’s Holy Office had apparently volunteered to join the training as well.
“Still, I think it would have been reassuring to have you there, Fiona-sama.”
“R-Really!?”
Her mood had changed dramatically in only a few seconds. Ren had not expected that.
On the day Ren departed, Fiona came to the dock and saw him off with Licia until Lemuria disappeared from view.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
On the first day of the long weekend, a magic ship departed from the Imperial Capital.
Jointly operated by the Hero Houses, it was an imposing white magic ship called Deus.
Although the newly repaired Lemuria was also classed as a medium-sized magic ship, Deus was larger and could carry roughly twice as many people. Its comfortable living quarters were also noteworthy.
In Legend of the Seven Heroes, it served as an important means of air travel and appeared in many events.
Deus had just arrived at Windea, the place where water and wind sleep. Windea rose higher and higher toward its center, its layers of jagged rock resembling the tip of a sword thrust into the sky.
Looking up, they could see the upper reaches of Windea piercing the clouds.
The magic ship was anchored on rocky terrain people could traverse, a little over ten mel below the summit. A gangway extended by magic tool, and Vayne and the others disembarked onto Windea.
Looking down, they could see water springing from various places and turning to mist as it fell, along with glimpses of animals and monsters living in the wilderness.
Looking up, everyone found themselves wondering just how far away the temple at the summit really was.
“Fufufu. As expected of Nemu’s driving, it’s perfect!”
Nemu called out to the backs of Vayne and the others, who had disembarked ahead of her. There was no separate pilot at the controls; Nemu Altia herself had flown the ship.
She smiled proudly, as if emphasizing her prominent chest.
Despite her age, she could pilot a magic ship perfectly.
“Hey, Nemu, is there any chance we could have parked higher?”
Kaito asked while looking up at Windea. The winding paths around them were complex but led upward; what concerned him was the distance to the temple they were trying to reach.
It would have been much better if they could have parked higher up…
“I’d like to, but it would be difficult. Above this point, the wind- and water-aspected mana in the air is too dense, making flight unstable.”
A magic ship’s operation could be unpredictably affected by magical materials from creatures used in its construction and by magic ore in the terrain. That was also one reason they had not been able to come to Windea until now.
“There’s still some crystal ice left too, so it’s better to stay around here!”
Crystal ice, unique to Windea, formed almost all at once around the end of every summer. It covered the entire mountain, making a climb tantamount to suicide. Because it was ice created from the mana of the land rather than ordinary ice, magic did not melt it easily, and the heavy accumulation made climbing extremely difficult.
The route Vayne and the others planned to take had been almost completely covered in crystal ice. The powerful winds also could not be ignored, especially in winter.
Even with thorough preparations, they would have had to wait until spring to set out. Even now, patches of ice still remained here and there.
“Of course, if Kaito-kun wants to be reckless and end up in an accident, I’ll help him.”
“Well, field training gets rough sometimes.”
“Exactly! If you think of it as training, it’ll be good experience for us too.”
Even so, thanks to Nemu’s efforts, the ship was anchored quite high.
Vayne looked toward the summit, where the temple was said to stand, and said, “All right.”
“Everyone, please don’t push yourselves too hard. I’d feel bad if you got injured for my sake.”
He turned to his companions.
“You idiot. We came because we wanted to, so don’t worry about it.”
At Sera’s words, Charlotte nodded, and Nemu and Kaito followed suit. Five of them were here, but they were still missing one person. The last member appeared at the magic ship’s entrance and began crossing the gangway.
It was Lizred, wielding a large staff.
“You can relax, Vayne! With me here, there’s nothing to fear from any monsters that show up!”
Vayne knew how reliable her magic was and genuinely felt reassured. But as Lizred walked down the gangway:
“Huh?”
She slipped and stumbled. Vayne rushed forward and caught her in time, but the large staff slipped from her grasp, rolled down the gangway, and struck a rock with a hard thud. Lizred gasped, her lips trembling.
“Aaaah! My, my staff that I saved up three years and two months of allowance to buy!”
“D-Don’t worry. It should be fine, it didn’t break or anything.”
Vayne let go of Lizred, picked up the fallen staff, and examined it carefully. There was no visible crack or bend. He assured her it was fine, but when he pointed out a small scratch near the top, she gasped and dropped to her knees.
“As expected of Windea…”
Windea itself would probably object to being blamed for someone else’s mistake.