Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter6 - MTL
Chapter Six: Sortie
The end of the year, first week of Wynn's moon, Man's day of the week became a day that was imprinted in the history of Halkeginia.
The next day of the void, when two moons that hang in the sky overlap, during this day when Albion continent will be at the closest point to Halkeginia, a large fleet of Tristania and Germania united army of 60,000 soldiers for the Albion invasion will sail off from La Rochelle.
Tristania, and more or less Germania, have 500 ships. Only sixty of them are battleships while the rest carries soldiers and supplies.
Queen Henrietta and Cardinal Mazarini were in La Rochelle port, standing on the top of the worldwide tree pier, watching the fleet sail off.
All ships going up into the sky at the same time was surely an amazing spectacle to behold.
“It is as if they all are seeds carried away by the wind” Cardinal shared his thoughts.
“Seeds that will repaint the continent.”
“There’s no such seed that would repaint a white country into blue.”
The flag of Tristain’s royal family - white lily on the blue background.
“It’s possible that we will be defeated.” Mazarini muttered.
“I do not intend to be defeated.”
General De Poitiers is a great commander who has both boldness and carefulness. He is likely to do it.” Henrietta knew that calling him a great commander was stretching a lot, but there were no other generals with more talent than him. Generals who were superior to him existed only on the other side of the history.
“I wonder why we have to fight though.”
Mazarini muttered in a barely audible voice.
“Why are you saying such thing?”
“We could have made an Albion’s blockade to make them starve. With careful planning it could be a very successful idea.”
“We will march.”
Henrietta muttered without changing the expression
“Don’t say so. Courage is not necessary to settle it once and for all. Well maybe I am just getting old.”
Mazarini patted his whitening beard.
“If we were to be losing, would you use ‘void’ in this war, Your Majesty?”
It was a highly secret matter to discuss. Only a few pople knew that Louise was a ‘void’. Henrietta, Cardinal… and a few royal generals.
“I should be burned... with pleasure I would burn as a retribution for my sins.”
Henrietta muttered silently staring into the emptiness.
“Calm down. Your Majesty won't go there alone. Hopefully my old bones are good enough for that.”
Henrietta entrusted generals of the ‘void’ knowledge only as the last resort.
After hearing about Louise’s ‘Void’ General De Poitiers did not even try to believe it in the beginning. But it is not impossible either. Just because ‘Void’ is considered to be legend, he could not believe in its existence.
However, after being reminded about military results in Tarbes, with much effort, the general believed in it.
Obtaining the legendary element of Void, redoubled his courage and he promised Henrietta a sure victory.
Henrietta to ensure the victory in the firs battle, gave him a permission to control the ‘Void’.
Henrietta sighed about her own sinfulness.
This war…against country, people.
It was nothing more than letting one's personal grievance out on them.
The war was only a mean to calm down lover's enmity.
How many humans did I send away to death for this?
It even included her childhood and best friend, too.
In such war, there is no victory or defeat, it cannot make one’s crimes to disappear, Henrietta thought.
Despite knowing this, I still declare the patriotism for the sailing off troops, I will burn in hell for this, she thought.
A trickle of blood ran down the edge of her lips as Henrietta bit them, screaming out
“Viva Tristain!”
The sounds of queen’s cheers sounded in the sky.
Officers line up on the upper deck, saluting to Henrietta, who was seeing them off, and shouted following the queen.
“Viva Tristain! Viva Henrietta!”
These shouts, accompanied with a chorus of the rest of 60,000 men that joined in, roared the sky.
“Viva Tristain! Viva Henrietta!”
The chest piercing repetitive cheers only intensified Henrietta’s awareness of her crime…
At that time, in the academy of magic…
To use ‘flame’ by himself peacefully, Colbert finally reached the ‘power’ at last. The power of the heat…that is converted into the movement power somehow.
Though steam based mechanisms made up for it in some measure, it wasn’t enough for Colbert, who wanted to change it into the Zero fighter’s engine ‘power’.
Colbert concentrated on the analysis of this ‘enjin’.
Though he wanted to assemble something close to it by repeating trial and error method… but it was impossible to learn to assemble the internal combustion ‘enjin’ of the equal accuracy.
First of all, the metallurgy technologies were low in Halkeginia.
Iron that composes the ‘enjin’ cannot be manufactured. Even with square class spell ‘Alchemy’ it would be difficult to create such advanced iron manufacture. Peron’s magic technique mixes with impurities anyway.
Secondary, the processing technology.
To assemble a high quality ‘enjin’, you would need to make a lot of identical parts. Considering the technology of Halkeginia it was nearly impossible.
In Halkeginia, the conception of an entirely identical thing doesn't exist.
For instance, even the gun, which is mostly made from advanced craft goods, there still aren’t two completely identical ones. Bullets and the form of a gun looks identical, but the details are different. Even parts are not really compatible.
Even if Colbert tried to make zero fighter’s machine gun’s ‘bullets’, he knew that it was impossible. Though one can create a brass frame, but it still had too many identical details for ‘Alchemy’ to deal with. Even though it was hard to create brass frames, the production of the liquid ‘gasoline’ was entirely different matter.
Thus Colbert finished ‘New liquid container’ putting the technologies to use.
In front of the laboratory in Academy of Magic, Colbert, who with much effort finished obtaining all the equipment for the zero fighter, with a deep sigh, watched his single-handed work.
During half of a year, though the new weapon was finished, he wanted to accomplish more wonderful technologies, but his research results were settled there.
Seeing Saito, who showed up in front of the laboratory, Colbert spread his hands.
“Ooh, Saito-kun, you are leaving?”
Saito just finished preparing for the journey ahead. He carried goggles, which were Siesta's grandfather's keepsake, on his neck. Derflinger was tied on his back, and a leather porch attached to his waist. Various livelihood tackle were placed in there.
“Yes” Saito nodded.
“Very well. Will you head directly to the ship? Can you land this thing on the ship safely?
This morning, the fleet sailed towards the Albion.
The ship that should have taken zero fighter with, already sailed with other ships, and waited for them ahead. It was a special warship built to carry wind dragons, now will carry zero fighter as well.
The new and powerful ship, which belonged to the newly found ‘Dragon Carrier‘ class, was named ‘Vusentaar’.
Not only that, but Colbert, using the Earth element magic, placed gasoline enough for five flights within the ship as well.
So Saito only needed take Louise into the zero fighter and land on that ship.
“Well, with a lot…One cannot be completely safe, right?
Saito said while turning around. Louise has not appeared yet.
“Because of this haste, I didn’t had the time to explain you how the new weapon works.”
“Is that so…”
Saito found an iron pipe hanging under the zero fighter’s wing. What on earth is that tube for? But, there was no time for the detailed explanations now.
“But before you go, here is the manual I wrote for you.”
Colbert handed Saito a small notebook. Though Saito cannot read it, Louise can. Will read it later, he thought.
“Thank you.”
Then Colbert, looking hesitant weather to say or not, opened his mouth.
“To tell the truth…”
“Eh?”
“To tell the truth, I do not want my student to ride a vehicle used for war.”
He said bitterly.
“Student?”
“Aah, how to say, well, though you are not a noble I still think of you as one of my students. You don’t mind, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t mind that…”
Saito felt shy.
“I do not want to use ‘flame’ power for the murder. I…”
Colbert declared clearly.
“Why? Everyone is saying that flame element is the most suited for the war. Oh well, I do not know the magic so well.”
“That’s right… flame is the element of destruction. Flame user’s are of a great value… However, I do not think so. I think that the using flame ‘Destruction’ is lonely. “
Reminiscing the words, Saito hung his head, embarrassed.
“Oh yes, this flying machine is called ‘Phoenix’ by royal army, right?
“Yes, when I was attacking Tarbes battleships with it, someone said ‘This is the legendary Phoenix!’…”
“I see! That Phoenix!”
Colbert shouted delighted.
“Teacher?”
“Phoenix is a legendary being. Phoenix… firebird god, a symbol of destruction…and a symbol of ‘Rebirth’.”
“Rebirth?”
“It's a reincarnation.”
Saito wondered why Colbert looked so pleased. Then, Colbert entered into the world of his own.
“That’s right… Rebirth… indeed…it’s a symbol right?.. Really?”
Then, Colbert noticed Saito who was watching him in amazement.
“Ah, aah! Sorry!” he bowed his head.
“No, it’s all right. I’m used.”
Colbert put on a serious look.
“Hey, Saito-kun… By the way, that…”
“What?”
At that moment, Louise showed up.
“At last.” Saito muttered.
“It can’t be helped! Girl has lots of preparations to do!”
“We are going to war. What kind of girl preparations are there.”
“Hmph!” Louise turned her face way, and ignoring Saito, climbed up the wing and entered the cockpit. One month passed after they had returned running away from Louise's family.
Since then, things were like this.
Lifting up a rear bulletproof plane glass Louise sat down in the seat.
“Well, errr, teacher, what were you saying just now?
“N-no…it’s nothing. Yes.”
Saito boarded the zero fighter.
Then Colbert’s magic cranked the propeller, starting up the engine.
As it was a second time, it was possible to operate calmly.
Colbert helping again, created a strong wind.
Saito put on the goggles and rolled the muffler around his neck.
Colbert shouted through the roaring noise of engine.
“Saito-kun! Miss Valliere!
Saito waved.
“Do not die! Do not die! Even if it is hopeless! Even if you’ll be called a coward, do not die! Never die! Return safe and sound!”
Through the roaring of the engine the voice was not heard. However, Colbert's words reached somehow. Even though he could not hear them, they reached his heart.
“Ok!” Saito shouted opening the throttle.
The zero fighter starts sliding and bit by bit it started lifting.
Gradually it grew smaller, until it faded in the sky.
Even though the zero fighter disappeared in the sky, Colbert quietly kept on watching.
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