The cat ran smoothly through the airship. Having been with Emma the whole time, it couldn’t possibly know about the interior of the ship and must have been running randomly, but it seemed as if it had a destination in mind.
Emma desperately chased after it. Garnets and the others must all have been busy, as she didn’t encounter anyone.
“Emma-sama, please wait!”
A voice called from behind. That female soldier had lost sight of Emma, but she was a knight with high physical abilities. If Emma didn’t hide somewhere quickly, she might be found.
However, the cat continued advancing on its own.
(Where is it going?)
Just as Emma was becoming anxious, the cat stopped abruptly in front of a certain door.
“You want me to open this?”
The cat nodded again.
When she fearfully opened the door, there was sky everywhere.
The airship’s deck. The scene spread out there was different from what could be seen through the windows.
From here, the outside scenery could be viewed panoramically, but because of the strong winds that raged at high altitude, no one ever came here.
In the first place, Garnets and his people were operating the airship with a small crew, so they didn’t have the luxury of posting anyone in a place like this.
Looking around the deck, Emma could see that metal ladder-like structures were attached to the hull, making it possible to climb to the very top of the airship. It might not be a bad place to hide. Though it would be quite dangerous.
For now, Emma sat down near the ladder, crouching to make herself smaller. The cat immediately slipped into the space between Emma’s knees and chest. It was warm, and its presence was precious to her.
It was extremely cold here. The air was frigid, and strong winds blew constantly.
Emma was disappointed, thinking this was what the heavens were like. She had somehow imagined it would be like heaven where gods and angels lived.
(Maybe there’s no ideal world anywhere in this world)
Touching the endlessly spreading blue and turbulent sky, Emma felt this way.
After a while, her tension eased, and Emma began to doze. The cat was also drowsing along with her.
Then, hurried footsteps approached.
The female soldier, having finished searching all the empty rooms in the airship, had finally made it to the deck.
Noticing this, Emma snapped awake, pushed the cat inside her clothes, and hurriedly began climbing the ladder.
She didn’t intend to climb all the way to the top of the airship. If she could avoid the female soldier’s gaze, that would be sufficient.
After climbing to a certain height, Emma was peering down at the deck when the door was violently thrown open and the pursuing female soldier appeared.
With fierce intensity, she was busily turning her head and looking around.
(Just go back inside the ship!)
Emma prayed. But her prayers had never once been answered.
The female soldier, noticing the existence of the ladder, moved her gaze upward and finally discovered Emma’s figure.
“It’s dangerous, come down from there immediately!”
The usually calm female soldier shouted.
Of course, since Emma had been trying to hide, she had no intention of obediently complying.
She continued climbing up and up. The wind was strong, and her hands gripping the ladder trembled.
From below, she could hear the sound of someone climbing the ladder with tremendous force. She thought there was no longer any way to escape, but she could only continue going up.
Then, she heard a whooshing sound, and her body was buffeted by an exceptionally strong wind.
Her hands, numb from the cold, slipped from the ladder, and a moment of weightlessness struck Emma.
(This is the second time)
Emma felt this as if it were someone else’s affair. Just like when she had fallen from the tower where she had been imprisoned.
That time, Siegfried had saved her. This time—
While Emma was vaguely thinking such thoughts, the female soldier firmly caught her body in her arms. She had kicked off from the ship’s hull and leaped toward Emma without hesitation.
After remaining airborne briefly, she spun around and gently landed on the deck. Despite the considerable height, Emma felt almost no impact. However, the female soldier’s arms holding her body were filled with strong force, and she couldn’t move.
“……I understand”
The female soldier spoke words as if squeezing them out. Emma felt something trickling down her arm.
“No matter what beautiful words we may say, in the end we have no choice but to use the power of ancient civilization. That may not be a good method. In fact, we are trying to use you for that purpose. Even my saving Emma-sama just now might have been for that purpose. But I don’t want you to die. I swear that’s the truth. In the end, we might take your life. It might be contradictory. Even so……”
Emma thought it was selfish, but she couldn’t voice it. There was probably something struggling within this person. So,
“I’m sorry”
was all she could put into words. The cat poked its head out from her chest, looking cramped.
After that, naturally, the surveillance of Emma became stricter, and as if nothing had happened, the airship reached its destination, the Kingdom of Tates, in just three days. By horse, it would have taken many times longer to cover that distance.
“We’ll be arriving soon”
The female soldier who conveyed this information also had an “unbelievable” expression on her face.
Emma also thought it might be a lie, but the airship gradually descended, and the ground that had appeared small steadily drew closer.
Through the window, the sight of her homeland appeared for the first time in a while. As Garnets had said, the castle had become a pile of tile rubble, but the surrounding town was almost unchanged, which relieved Emma.
People were rushing out of the houses in the town, all pointing at the airship in amazement.
“Where will we land?”
“That plain, apparently”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
The place the female soldier pointed to was a large field a little distance from the town. Indeed, there seemed to be no place near the castle where such a massive thing could land.
When the airship came over the plain, it slowly descended. Several extensible metal rods extended from beneath the hull, and these touched the ground first, serving as cushions. Thanks to this, the landing was gentler than Emma had expected.
A staircase, also made of metal, was lowered to the ground, and Emma, escorted by the female soldiers, descended from the airship and was able to walk on solid ground for the first time in a while.
It had only been three days, but Emma felt happiness in simply walking normally on the ground.
However, that happiness lasted only until she saw the figures of Garnets and the Black Knight. While on the airship, these two had not shown themselves before Emma, and thanks to that, she had been spared from too many unpleasant experiences.
For Emma, these men were unpleasant reality itself.
“Now then, Princess, let us go”
While the strong wind smoothed back his silver hair, Garnets said.
“……Where to? The castle has been smashed to pieces, hasn’t it? We can’t go underground anymore, can we?”
Emma spoke in a hard voice. The Castle of Canaan that had been underground beneath the castle could be reached through a secret passage known only to royalty, but in that devastating state, the passage itself must have been buried. She couldn’t believe it would be possible to go underground.
“What, there are other paths leading to Canaan. There’s no need to worry”
Garnets smiled. The Black Knight didn’t even look at Emma, instead gazing in a completely different direction. When Emma followed his line of sight, she could see the royal tomb in the distance.
The sacred ground of the Kingdom of Tates, shaped like a small mountain. The interior was a space covered with stone, a place where only successive kings were permitted to rest.
“Surely not……”
“That’s right. The successive kings of Tates wished to go to Canaan, their homeland, after death. That is another entrance to Canaan. It’s also our destination.”
“Why do you know such a thing? I didn’t even know about it myself”
Emma had never entered the tomb, and this was the first time she had learned that it served as an entrance to the underground. This meant it was a royal state secret of the highest order. She wondered why Garnets, who had no connection to the royal family, would know about it.
“Since it’s a secret known only to the king and his successor, it’s no wonder you didn’t know. I know because I heard it from your brother”
“From Onii-sama?”
“Your brother Sid was my friend. My only one.”
Saying this, Garnets turned his face away from Emma. His profile looked lonely.
“That’s a lie! Onii-sama wasn’t the kind of person who would become friends with someone like you! He was always someone who did the right thing!”
The brother Sid who remained in Emma’s memories was a young man who was strong, wise, and had a strong sense of justice. He treated people without discrimination and was always kind to her, despite having a different mother. He wasn’t the kind of person who would deepen friendships with such a mysterious character.
“……Let us go, Princess. Last royalty of the Kingdom of Tates. You must fulfill that role”
Garnets didn’t answer Emma’s accusation and began walking toward the royal tomb. The Black Knight and the death gods surrounded him. Emma was also urged forward by the female soldiers.
While feeling something unsettling.
TLNOTE
While waiting for the next chapter, I encourage you, dear readers, to explore other masterpieces written by Daken-sensei :
- Monster Meat Led Me to the Throne
- Who killed the Hero?
- The Wicked Princess and 12 Eyes – The Strongest Squires and the Legendary Evil Woman, the Second Time in Her Life
- The Suspects of Necromancy
- The Exiled Merchant Saves the World with the Power of Gold (translated by my friend meerkat)
- The Last Magic (translated by my friend narwhal)
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
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