Vol 5: Chapter 35
While leaving Queen of the Night and returning to Lulusha-san’s tent, I was swarmed with a barrage of questions about Lady Eva by Silver Balance.
I had told them about everything that happened in the Kruvan Holy Kingdom previously and also that the young lady was an extremely beautiful person, but they seem to have taken it with a grain of salt and thought I was simply talking about my employer in a favorable light.
「I finally understand what you had to go through…」
Dante-san sympathized with me for reasons I didn’t fully grasp.
「Hah, I guess the noble ladies you read about in books really do exist.」
Mimino-san sighed in an unusual manner.
「Reiji-kun, the more the obstacles, the more brightly it(love) will burn! You have my support!」
Non-san said passionately, seeming to misunderstand something.
「Uhmm… the young lady was my employer.」I said to Non-san.
「Indeed. And now you have quit your escort job, Reiji-kun… Which means, you two are on equal footing now!」
「…………」
Non-san’s eyes were gleaming for some reason.
The young lady will most likely become the next head of House Sillys. I think that must be why she wants me to be with her all the time, because she needs an “excellent escort”. Though, I do feel slightly embarrassed to praise my own self as an “excellent escort”.
(I wonder if there has been any exceptional man who has sneaked under the watchful eyes of Earl Sillys and captured the young lady’s heart?)
No, that’s impossible.
That person has a troublesome ability which can detect lies, after all.
In that case, would the young lady be wed in a political marriage? Hmm…
(Well, no point in worrying about that right now. She is still 12 years old, after all.)
I decided to think about other things.
Lulusha-san was nowhere to be found when we returned to her tent. She seems to have stepped out on work related matters.
「As Abba-san said, Reiji’s identification will be ready by tomorrow. So let’s get ready to leave.」Dante-san said.
「Where should we even begin the search?」Mimino-san asked.
「Reiji, do you have any idea?」Dante-san asked.
「Hmm, let’s see…」
I put my hand on my chin and thought about it. I have asked Abba-san to check if there was any sighting of Lark, but where should we go if there has been no sighting?
Non-san brought out a simple map.
To the north from here lies the “Undeveloped Land Canion”, so it is unlikely that Lark and her companions would head there. To the south east lies the Kruvan Holy Kingdom, and to the west lies the Saint Knight Kingdom.
The Keith Gran Federation was connected to the south of Saint Knight Kingdom. The ocean extends to the west of Saint Knight Kingdom and to the north of the Keith Gran Federation.
(Which reminds me, I have to let Border Earl Mule know that I am leaving the Empire.)
I requested him to accept the people from the “Back World”, so, by all rights, I should return to the Border Earl’s territory again, but I want to prioritize searching for Lark at the moment.
(If I extract Lark’s skill orb, her condition shouldn’t get any worse. And I should do it as soon as possible.)
Lark was aware of her condition.
And then, she came to the Empire and stole the “Queen of the Night”.
「Come to think of it… Why did Lark steal the Queen of the Night?」I mumbled to myself.
「Hmm… you wouldn’t be able to find a buyer even if you had a mind to sell it. Was it something she wanted to do as a sky pirate? It seems that she has a few companions, so maybe she wanted to guarantee their livelihood…」Mimino-san chipped in from the side.
「It doesn’t feel very Lark-ish. I don’t think she’d steal a weapon just to guarantee food on the table. Though, I’m not too certain.」I said.
「Your knowledge is the only thing we can rely on right now, Reiji-kun. So I don’t think it’s necessary to confirm it.」Mimino-san said.
「Okay… Then, if she stole Queen of the Night for another purpose… What would it be?」
「Thinking in simple terms, maybe as a means of transportation?」Mimino-san added.
「A place you can only reach by flying through the sky? Is there even such a place?」I thought out loud.
Non-san, who had been listening to our conversation so far, suddenly reached for the map.
「The sea that extends to the west of the Saint Knight Kingdom. I have heard that there are many uninhabited islands around here.」
Non-san circled around the sea area on the map with her index finger.
「Apparently, there are many reefs and the tides are fast, so you cannot reach that place by boat. However, there is a story that a “Sage” lives on one of the uninhabited islands.」
「A Sage?」
「He is said to be an exceptional doctor who has cured all kinds of incurable diseases. However, he was persecuted by the Keith Gran Federation and fled to the sea with his disciples.」
I was taken aback hearing that.
He was persecuted by the Keith Gran Federation just like me.
I reflexively rubbed my wrist that once had the slave tattoo on it.
Is it possible that he is… a Japanese reincarnated person with black hair and black eyes?
I want to say it is not possible, but… is that truly impossible?
If that person possesses medical knowledge that does not exist in this world, it would not be strange that he would come to be called a “Sage”.
「I have heard about that story too. Though, in my version the sage fled alone.」Dante-san continued.
「I see, so it’s a fairly famous story. Which means, it’s highly likely that Lark knows it too.」I said.
「Yes, that is possible. Or maybe the guys who were with her are trying to take her there.」Dante-san said.
「Lark’s companions?」
「I only saw them on the battlefield for a short while. Those guys seemed to be somewhat devoted to your sister. So it means they could be the ones who are trying to take your sister to the sage.」
「I see.」
Everything makes sense if that’s the case.
At first, I wondered whether Lark would really steal an airship to save her own life. Rather, I would be more convinced if it was for a reason like, “I stole it because it looked interesting.”
However, if her companions wanted to steal it to save her life, Lark must have reluctantly agreed.
「Well, then, I know we are waiting for Abba-san to contact us, but for now, our immediate policy is to go to the Saint Knight Kingdom—」
Just as I was about to finish my sentence,
「—Are you looking for the whereabouts of the Black Sky Pirate? I have some good information…」
I heard a voice from the entrance of the tent.
