Toaru Hikuushi e no Seiyaku:V5Part8

Part 14 (Part 7 of Volume 5)

Imperial Year 1349, July, Urano Royal Capital, Pleiades──

"Done! Deluxe cheeseburger!!" Mio, wearing an apron, proudly placed her culinary masterpiece on the plate in the kitchen of the Lamia Palace.

"Is that okay, Mio? You’re off duty today..." Nina Viento, also in an apron, asked apologetically beside her.

Mio waved her hand in front of her face with a sheepish smile.

"Even when I have time off, I don’t have much to do. I like cooking, and I figured I’d treat myself to something I really want to eat. Here, this one’s for you, Nina! I’ll even put a little flag on it!"

She placed another massive burger on the counter, sticking a flag decorated with the crest of Saint Aldista into the bun. The burger was a sight to behold—crispy brown buns, fresh lettuce, mayonnaise, cheese, and a thick patty dripping with juices. Mio’s special sauce overflowed from the bun onto the plate.

"It looks delicious…" Nina’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at the meal Mio had prepared. After removing her apron, Mio poured orange juice into a glass and smiled at Nina.

"The weather’s great today. Let’s eat on the rooftop!"

"Yes! Oh, I’ll carry mine…" Nina said, smiling as she picked up her tray with the burger, fries, and juice. Mio nodded, grabbing her own tray with both hands.

Side by side, they left the kitchen, crossed the courtyard, entered the tower where Nina’s room was located, and climbed the spiral staircase. As they ascended, they encountered a knight descending.

"Oh, Ignacio? What are you doing?" Mio called out. Ignacio, with his usual stern expression, responded curtly.

"Don’t take Nina without permission."

"Seriously? Do I need your permission to have lunch with Nina?"

"You don’t need permission, but inform me in advance. It’s unsettling otherwise."

"That's basically permission, but fine. We’re heading to the rooftop. Want some fries? I’ll give you some."

Mio playfully held up a fry above Ignacio’s head as if offering it to a dog.

"…I don’t need it. But the Urano fleet from Kai Andros is returning to Pleiades. It might be worth watching."

"Really? You should’ve told me earlier. I could have made something for you too. Oh well, let’s head to the roof before the food gets cold!"

The three of them entered Nina’s room at the top of the tower, then climbed the exterior stairs to reach the rooftop. The dome-shaped rooftop was designed for defence and observation. Mio placed her tray on a bench and stretched, taking in the view with a smile.

"What a great view and beautiful weather. This is my favorited spot in the entire palace."

"I feel the same. It’s so liberating," Nina agreed, nodding as she admired the majestic view of Pleiades.

From the Lamia Palace, perched on the mountainside of the Petra Range, they could see the vast expanse of the left bank of Pleiades. The vibrant green olive groves stretched out, and the streets of the Evangelis district shimmered in the sunlight.

"Let’s eat!"

"Yes, let’s."

The two sat down side by side on the dome-shaped structure and took big bites of their deluxe cheeseburgers.

"Mmm…! So delicious!!"

"It’s incredible…!"

The rich cheese, the juices from the meat, the crisp lettuce, and the special sauce-soaked bun all blended perfectly in their mouths. Both Mio and Nina couldn’t help but smile at the taste.

"Mio, you're really an amazing cook!" Nina said, genuinely impressed. Gone was her usual calm demeanour as she eagerly took another big bite.

Meanwhile, Ignacio stood alone by the stone railing, gazing out at the summer sky in the distance.

"Ignacio, have you eaten lunch yet?"

"I’ll eat later."

"Here, take some fries. You should eat."

Mio offered him a small plate of fries. Ignacio reluctantly took the plate, popping one fry into his mouth as he continued to watch the sky, barely interested.

"I was worried I wouldn’t be able to finish it, but I did…" Nina looked down at her empty plate in disbelief. Mio had also finished her meal.

"Food tastes even better when you eat in a place like this. It feels like a picnic!" Mio said, smiling brightly as she leaned back against the curve of the dome, looking up at the deep blue July sky. Fluffy white clouds lazily drifted by, and the sound of birds chirping among the trees on the mountainside was soothing.

It had been about two weeks since their pool outing and meal of Arimen.

Slowly, the distance between Mio and Nina had shrunk, and their conversations had become more frequent. Despite their differences in status, they were both girls of the same age, with similar sensibilities, and as time passed, their exchanges became more casual.

Mio genuinely liked Nina's personality.

She was quiet, but surprisingly strong-willed. It seemed that Nina carried a deep sense of duty within her, and though she made efforts to hide it, Mio could sense it. Over the past two weeks, Mio had come to realize that Nina wasn’t the apathetic, exhausted girl that others in the palace worried about.

Nina had her reasons for keeping a low profile. As someone known as the "heir of Urano," any significant move she made could provoke reactions from opposing factions. Nina’s decision to remain isolated in the palace and refrain from political involvement seemed to be part of a larger plan.

──It must be tough, carrying such a heavy burden…

──Yet she never complains, always thinking of others…

──She’s amazing. She’s my age, but she’s far more mature…

Mio’s respect for Nina grew with each passing day. At the same time, Mio couldn’t help but wonder what inner strength was holding Nina together.

"…They’re here."

Ignacio’s sudden statement interrupted Mio's thoughts as he continued munching on a fry.

"What's that? The Uranos fleet?"

"There."

Ignacio pointed towards the offshore horizon on the left bank with the tip of his potato wedge.

"Stop pointing with food, it's rude. Where, exactly...?"

Mio stood up and lined up next to Ignacio on his right, staring in the direction he indicated.

The midsection of the sky to the southwest was grey and hazy. If you looked closely, you could see dense, black shapes emerging like a school of fish across the summer sky.

"Are those planes...?"

"No, it's the air fleet."

Holding an empty plate in hand, Ignacio squinted his eyes and continued to observe. Nina stood up, walked to Ignacio's left side, and extended her own plate of fries.

"Ignacio, I couldn’t finish mine. Would you like some of mine...?"

"Sure."

Still focusing on the distance, Ignacio took the plate and resumed eating fries.

"He sure likes those," Mio muttered quietly, but it didn’t seem to reach Ignacio's ears as he kept gazing at the air fleet, continuing to munch on his fries.

"...It's coming this way. Feels just like a fleet review. The number of ships is massive..."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, that's bad manners."

Scolding him, Mio also looked in the same direction. What had appeared as a large formation of planes gradually sharpened into clearer outlines, revealing that they were indeed ship silhouettes.

A colossal number of vessels cruised through the summer sky, reminiscent of a school of sardines. Airships, requiring lift devices, took considerably more money, time, and materials to construct compared to seafaring vessels. In the St Vault Navy, an airship fleet typically consists of about 30 to 40 ships, but the Uranos fleet they were witnessing now looked to have nearly 300 ships assembled.

"What... that many? I've never seen anything like it."

"...The wars in other sea regions must have settled down. If the entire Kai-Andros fleet is returning to the capital, this is no trivial matter..."

Seemingly unable to stop eating fries, Ignacio furrowed his brow while speaking. His fries looked so appealing that Mio pinched one from his plate, while also keeping an eye on the impressive Uranos air fleet that was drawing closer.

"Eleven super dreadnoughts... sixteen air battleships... eighteen carriers... twenty-five escort carriers... twenty-seven heavy cruisers... I can't even count the number of light cruisers and smaller ships, but I estimate over two hundred in total."

Staring at the airship fleet, Ignacio accurately identified the types and number of ships. Mio tried to do the same, but keeping track of the moving vessels proved difficult. After attempting to count just the aircraft carriers, she realized that Ignacio's count was indeed accurate.

"This one fleet alone is larger than the entire navy of the Balesteros Republic. I can't even imagine how many more there are across the world. If you add in the twelve air fortresses, world domination wouldn't be out of reach..."

Mio nodded in agreement. Uranos' power was truly unfathomable. Even the St Vault Navy wouldn't stand a chance against them.

Eventually...

"It's completely a victory parade. It seems like they're also aiming to boost the morale of the people of Pleiades."

Ignacio, having finished his fries, looked up at the air fleet dominating the skies over Pleiades and spoke with a slightly raised voice.

"What is this... it's incredible!!"

Mio looked up at the zenith and couldn't help but shout.

The sky over Pleiades was blanketed by airships.

In the distant Evangelis District, a festival seemed to be in full swing, with fireworks being launched. The entire population of Pleiades was likely cheering towards the sky, celebrating the grand return of their mighty air fleet.

Gigantic warships, the likes of which Mio had never seen, sailed overhead one after another. They were much larger than the super dreadnought airships Riviere and Red Deer owned by the St Vault Empire. Their lift devices, apparently state-of-the-art, emitted an unfamiliar low, quiet hum, oppressing the ground beneath them.

The massive air fleet of over 300 ships formed six columns as they soared across the sky, endlessly passing over the three onlookers’ heads toward Evangelis District. The lead ships had already shrunk to tiny specks in the distance, but more ships of varying sizes kept flying by, with no end in sight. It was a majestic sight, impossible not to stir one’s soul.

"With something like this... no one could possibly win..."

Mio muttered without thinking. Just this one air fleet alone could destroy any advanced nation. Airships possess capabilities for air superiority, sea control, and ground attack, making them versatile combat vessels. If more than 300 of these advanced airships advanced together, nothing could stand in their way.

"The scale of this far exceeds anything we could imagine. A select few Uranos people, living in the sky, subjugated the nations of the earth, sucked their wealth dry, and built this fleet. I wonder how many nations on the ground have been exploited by Uranos..."

Ignacio's words made Mio nod once more. The wealth generated by Pleiades and the twelve air fortresses alone wouldn’t be enough to build a fleet like this. There must be puppet states, like the Hydrabard Allied Commonwealth or the Harmonia Empire, in other unseen continents, funnelling their wealth to Uranos to sustain this military force. The overwhelming presence of the Uranos air fleet demonstrated to the world who its true ruler was.

At that moment—

"Huh...?"

Nina let out a breath and touched the pendant she always wore around her neck, muttering softly.

"...Kal...?"

Was that someone's name? Mio had never heard it before, but Ignacio reacted immediately.

"...Is he contacting you...!?"

He asked Nina, unusually surprised.

"...Be quiet. Let me concentrate."

Nina, with a serious expression, grasped the pendant tightly with both hands and closed her eyes.

It was clear she was more tense than Mio had ever seen her before. Mio remained silent, watching Nina closely.

After holding the pendant for a while, Nina's hair gently lifted. A soft breeze swirled around her, forming a mysterious vortex.

With her eyes still closed, Nina nodded several times towards the pendant.

"Kal... the sky is so blue here, do you remember when we first met?"

It was as if she was seeing something that wasn't there, hearing words that couldn't be heard in the present moment. Her lips parted.

"Kal, do you remember our promise?"

Nina was speaking to the pendant, as if she were communicating with someone far away. Was it some foreign communication device? Or was this part of Nina’s magical powers?

Nina, still with her eyes closed, held the pendant tightly and nodded twice. She seemed to be listening to someone's voice through the pendant.

"Yes. Thank you. I'm so happy."

Tears glistened at the corners of Nina’s eyes.

It felt to Mio as if she was seeing Nina’s true smile for the first time. A radiant smile, full of joy.

"I’ve been waiting for you, always."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Nina whispered those words with a gentle smile.

—Could he be her lover?

Mio instinctively thought so.

Perhaps Nina had been waiting in this palace for someone named Kal to come and get her.

Nina’s hair, which had been floating, quietly settled, and the swirling wind around her gradually subsided.

For a while, Nina pressed the pendant to her forehead, murmuring what seemed like a prayer. Then she opened her eyes and looked at Ignacio.

"Kal is leading a fleet. He’s left Balesteros. He’s coming to Pleiades to take me back."

Ignacio quietly received the report, his gaze drifting toward the distant sky.

"That idiot... He's too late."

He cursed toward the distance, but for once, there was an unmistakable warmth hidden behind Ignacio's words.

Mio stood silently beside the two. She could sense that Nina and Ignacio were quietly rejoicing, so she refrained from asking unnecessary questions that might disrupt their moment. Though they weren't holding hands or jumping for joy, they were clearly basking in a deep sense of happiness.

—Nina’s lover and Ignacio’s close friend... Could that be this Kal person?

As Mio pondered this, she remained silent, careful not to interrupt their emotions, while gazing at the Uranos fleet overhead.

Eventually, Ignacio looked up at the sky and asked Nina softly.

"Leading a fleet... Does that mean he's preparing for battle?"

"He seemed prepared to do so if necessary. It’s an allied fleet from Balesteros, the Saeno Nation, and Benares. It's commanded by Admiral Luis, and they call it the Second Isla Fleet."

Ignacio nodded, his expression darkening as he glanced upward.

"Can that Isla Fleet... defeat this Uranos fleet?"

Nina tightened her lips and looked up at the sky.

Through the pendant, she had glimpsed the might of the Second Isla Fleet, and now she was comparing it with the overwhelming presence of the Uranos Air Fleet hovering over Pleiades.

"...In terms of size... they are evenly matched."

After a moment of contemplation, Nina responded.

"If they are evenly matched, they can't win."

Ignacio answered immediately, pointing toward the sky.

"This is only one of the Uranos regional fleets. There are at least two more of the same size, and they also have twelve air fortresses. Without air superiority, without resupply, what do you think will happen if a single fleet plunges into an airspace with such a vast disparity in strength?"

Nina, her face tense, had no response.

Ignacio glared at the sky, presenting his harsh conclusion.

"And as a result, the foolish prince will sink to the bottom of the sea before ever reaching Pleiades."

Nina offered no rebuttal, silently taking in Ignacio's words. Mio noticed that Nina's elegant legs were trembling.

Ignacio, still glaring at the Uranos Air Fleet, spoke the grim future aloud.

"The Second Isla Fleet will be completely annihilated."

END VOL 5