chapter 52
<fall>
It’s been over 30 years since the first airship appeared. In fact, it first appeared in this world around the time I was born, so it was not a very mature technology.
However, it was around the time I was in my early teens that this rapidly developed.
It originated from the passion of an old man who had great enthusiasm for the development of airships at the time.
「Wrong, Count. An engine like that won’t last in the air. Because the ground and sky have different temperatures.”
The father of aviation technology, who did not dismiss the ‘advice’ of a reincarnated orphan who had miscellaneous knowledge from the earth as nonsense, but devoted himself to technology development. Count Zeppelin.
More than 20 years later, his legacy has spread all over the world, and most airships are not too different from the count’s designs.
‘That’s why when a hole is drilled, the fatal parts are all the same.’
[Damn Pietro! If the Count is the father of creation, then you are the devil of destruction!]
“Kyaaa!!”
A falling non-collinear ship. In addition to Osman and Aris’s dying voices, the panicking voices of the beastmen can be heard.
Improvised explosives couldn’t make a big hole in the ship, so I just pinpointed the vulnerability, but thanks to that, the power is weakened and it is going down gently.
“Pietro! Pietro Ohh!!”
“Ah~ A noisy guy has come.”
Cromwell’s lieutenant Leonardo came down to the warehouse where we were kept under deck. He glared at me with an angry expression.
“What have you done!”
“Oops… Leo. What am I supposed to do here? It’s a bad habit to start with doubts about everything.”
“Busssing! So what’s that hole over there?”
“A rat ate it. I saw it.”
“You f*cking bastard!”
Unable to overcome his anger, Leonardo tried to attack me, but inside the sinking ship, even a prisoner was not enough.
“Someone said, Life either goes down or up!”
“Sa, save people! Mir! Mir! Mireu… I, can’t let go of me!”
“Okay, so don’t scream…”
Aside from that, Aris was screaming in the turbulent airship while holding Mir’s handcuffed hands.
“Miss Mir, come this way!”
“······I beg your pardon?”
“Throw your body. Hurry up and fall into this wide embrace.”
“I don’t want to die.”
Behaving harshly.
“Shouldn’t it be quicker? My shadow won’t reach you.”
“······!!”
Only then did Mir understand what he meant and embrace Aris. Aris looked up at her with a bewildered gaze.
“What, what? What are you going to do?”
“Hold tight.”
“What? Now, wait! Do you want to sleep?!”
Mir kicks the hull wall with all his might. That was the moment she jumped towards where I was.
“Zach Pietro Ohhhhh!”
Leonardo grabbed the tilting hull and jumped at me. Fortunately, before he could reach me, Mir was held in my arms along with Aris.
“How nice it would be if you came quietly.”
“It’s okay, so hurry up…!”
Leonardo’s ferocious expression reflected in Mir’s eyes. I’m afraid of appearing in my dreams.
After a while, a shadow enveloped us and our vision reversed.
* * * *
When planning this time, I even counted the possibility of being kidnapped by the Brotherhood.
No wonder. I brought in an extremist terrorist group with a grudge against me, and they won’t leave me alone.
Of course, at the point of stealing their boss’s wife and child, he may become an enemy, but he is an opponent that cannot be touched carelessly.
‘If I kidnap you and torture you to tell you, I’ll tell you right away.’
[That’s great… that’s a lot of credit.]
‘The older you get, the more you realize it. When I was young, I was confident that I was invincible, but in the end, humans can’t overcome torture. Everyone does. It’s better to quickly surrender and seek the light than to see yourself in pain.’
[·······.]
It wasn’t something Osman didn’t know either. Before the catastrophe of the stars, Osman’s comrades were captured one after another.
[so? Why did you choose this outback jungle?]
Habitually grasp the surrounding terrain. However, the background that came into view threw only fragmentary information.
Shun and the sea.
By the time the power of the Umyeongseok barely touches the ground, the place they move to is an uninhabited island somewhere along the route from west to north.
“Uh… aren’t there bugs?”
“Of course there will be.”
And me and the Mayer girls, who are standing in the middle of such a forest.
“Miss Mir, Miss Aris. I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”
At my words, Aris pursed her lips before carefully conveying her answer.
“Good news?”
“The first is that we survived safely. Considering that the survival rate of ordinary people from air accidents is less than 1%, it is very fortunate.”
It would have been impossible without the space-shifting Umyeongseok.
“What about the bad news?”
Alice’s uneasy eyes. But I answered indifferently, as if not to worry.
“We’re trapped on an island. An island with over a hundred terrorists.”
* * * *
“There are quite a few unsanctioned areas on the way from the west to the north of the empire. For example, an uninhabited island in the middle of the area where the territorial waters of the Albion Tribal Union, the Bahamut Empire, and the Kaplan Kingdom overlap.”
Each other claims to be each other’s territorial sea, but there is nothing to gain from eating.
That’s why they don’t usually patrol, and it’s just their land for the cause, and it’s an uninhabited island that doesn’t belong anywhere.
“So this is… Duelgundo?”
“Did they say Karam Island in Kaplan Kingdom?”
“I think Albion called it the Kelune Islands.”
They call each other by their own names, but they have no particular interest in it.
“It’s small, and it’s full of mud to make a port, so it’s literally a gyereuk with nothing special except shells.”
There is no patrol line going through this place. It is only to provoke the other country and give an excuse for invading the territorial waters.
“And the Brotherhood ship crashed on such a small uninhabited island. At least, it’s an ambiguous place for the Empire to land or send an airship.”
“Well, then the rescue team…”
“It will take some time for my men to arrive.”
Alice’s complexion turned white. At most, they managed to escape by blowing up the boat, but they were trapped on an island with extremist terrorists on an uninhabited island.
“Aris, let’s go.”
“Huh? Where?”
After understanding the situation, Mir dragged Aris out and tried to head in the opposite direction.
“Where are you going?”
“I want to get away from you.”
“In a situation like this? Would it be wise to cooperate?”
Mir turned her head away and gave her a cold gaze.
“The Brotherhood kidnapped us for ransom. But you have a grudge against the Brotherhood.”
“Your priority is me. But so? Do you think the Brotherhood won’t catch you two if they run into each other?”
“We’ll hide inside the island. Until you’re captured.”
[You rolled your head well.]
Yes, I’ve provided safe passage, but the Brotherhood is messing around in the West.
The Imperials will be chasing the Brotherhood from all sides, so we can’t waste our time trying to take hostages.
“Miss Mir’s judgment is generally correct. But that judgment is wrong.”
“What are you talking about?
“Don’t you think it’s strange? The Brotherhood attacked Kralles Fleet HQ. Why? It’s because I uncovered what was going on there.”
The commander of the human trafficking Imperial Army who sells out his own people. He lured in stories about Heisenberg and his associates.
In addition, to Poongrimok. Now, as I intended, the Brotherhood assaulted the headquarters and turned the Krales headquarters into a mess.
“He went to catch Heisenberg, who had fled with me. It was killing two birds with one stone, as he could get his hands on the human trafficker and Terra Knight.”
However, in the midst of this, they raided the hotel where the Mayers were and kidnapped them.
“Isn’t it strange? They had to rush out anyway, so they deliberately diverted their power to kidnap you.”
“Do you mean that there is an intention…?”
“You must know which direction Miss Mir’s auspicious fortune is pointing to, right?”
I am the way for you It’s the only one.
In an instant, Mir’s pupils widened in surprise. It was a natural reaction since I knew of her magical powers, which were known only to a very small number within the Mayer family.
“What the hell do you know—”
“Shall we get some drinking water first? I have to take off Miss Mir’s handcuffs too.”
After roughly crushing Mir’s question, he smirkingly changed the topic.
“Uh, what are you going to do? Follow me? You can’t even use magic right now…”
The nephew looked full of anxiety knowing that his aunt was not in a condition to rely on.
At this point, Mir was Chairman Mayer’s illegitimate son, and in fact was a bodyguard and secretary to Aris.
At this point where the relationship between the two has not gone to the worst yet, the relationship is still quite good.
“For now, why don’t we cooperate until we’re safe? My conscience pricks me too much to leave two pretty girls alone in this ferocious wild world.”
[Conscience? you?]
Hey, it’s not like it’s a lie.
These two are the flowers in the greenhouse that grew up in a conglomerate family only seeing all sorts of precious things.
Even Mir, who is treated harshly by the family as an illegitimate child, is the same.
When are those two people left unattended on the beach where the Brotherhood’s beast warriors may appear?
Leaving children at the water’s edge would be more reassuring than this.
[Just be honest? I’m worried.]
‘It’s only effective when an ordinary person says it. Considering my notoriety, it’s not even going to work.’
[but.]
The notoriety of the villain Jacques Pietro spread throughout the Empire.
Even Mir knows that I am her mother’s enemy and hates me as much as Elysia.
If you release the handcuffs that sealed Mir’s magical power right away, it’s fortunate that he doesn’t attack me.
“Okay, but I won’t let you do anything nonsense.”
“Aren’t we going to turn Fleet HQ together? Trust me.”
“What do you believe…”
Mir narrowed her eyes and averted her gaze, perhaps recalling the memory of that time. Aris from the side opened her mouth with wide eyes.
“Muh, what are you talking about? Robbing the fleet headquarters?”
“You don’t have to know.”
“Really?! What are you doing with that criminal?”
There was a little commotion, but as I shrugged and headed towards the island, the two naturally followed behind me.
In any case, it is isolated on an uninhabited island. Aris looked like she wanted to argue more, but she seemed lost, as if she didn’t have the energy to do so, and she seemed to be procrastinating.
In this situation, I, as an adult, have no choice but to guide you faithfully.
‘But I’m relieved.’
[what?]
‘Seeing how mentally shaken, good food and good clothes. It’s because I realize that I’ve had only good sleeps my whole life.’
In short, should I say that I grew up well as a lady of a noble family?
[Is the point of reassurance strange?]
Ordinarily, in situations like this, shouldn’t we be lamenting that they are helpless immature girls? Osman asks back.
‘What are you going to do? Rich boy?’
[I miss my mother all of a sudden.]
Osman turned his head slightly. What are heroes anyway? With the exception of Ulfric, all of them were young ladies from noble houses, so wouldn’t they be beaten by a villain like me?
Anyway, I took the lead and headed deep into the forest. It is not a lie that the vegetation is abundant, so the whole area is full of grass and trees.
“Uh… Burr, I think there might be bugs or something.”
“Of course there will be.”
“Oops! Don’t keep making me anxious!”
Aris, who is still full of energy, and Mir follow after without saying anything.
How long had it been since he made his way inward, wading through the overgrown bushes with a twig he picked up roughly?
“Ugh… it’s hot.”
The sweaty Aris let out a light sigh and flapped her shirt. The hair that kept sticking to the neck was annoying, so I tied it up with a string and fixed it.
[Still, you’re following me better than I thought. I thought I would cry soon.]
‘A surprisingly tough type. Is it because of ballet?’
I’m used to running with my body in the backcountry, and Mir is also in a state where his magic has been sealed, but he’s a strict prisoner.
On the other hand, Aris is an extremely ordinary person except for the fact that she is protected by the golden castle.
Even though walking recklessly through an unpaved forest would be several times more tiring than a paved road.
“Uh… can we just go inside like this? If the rescue team comes, they won’t find us…”
“Worry about the rescue team later. We just have to hold out until the Brotherhood can escape the Imperial pursuers.”
“Is that, is it grung?”
Aris seems to understand. At that time, a strange sound came from Mir’s side.
“oh······.”
A short, light moan. It’s Mir’s voice.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s no big deal. It’s just scratched by the grass.”
As Mir said, there was a slight scar on her calf exposed under her skirt.
“The ladies didn’t pay attention to this.”
I took off my suit and approached Mir.
“What are you doing…”
“Stay still.”
Saying that, he widened his suit and tied it around her waist. The exposed calves were covered by my suit.
“Miss Aris, cover your legs with your outerwear. It’s a vegetation we don’t know about. It might be poisonous.”
“Ah…!”
Upon hearing that there might be poison, Aris quickly covered her legs with her outerwear. This lady has a quick side to herself from the beginning.
Then, when I wanted to continue exploring the island again——
-Growl!
A protest demonstration demanding food from Mir’s belly button took place. Mir’s face reddened as if he was ashamed to have exposed the secrets of the union inside his body.
“This is… a physiological phenomenon.”
“Everyone does. Would you like to eat this?”
“A protein block? When did you get this?”
“Isn’t it the basic qualifications of a soldier to explore military supplies?”
It is an emergency ration obtained by searching the Brotherhood’s airship warehouse. It was natural to prepare this much because I had planned to crash it in the first place.
“But I couldn’t find water.”
“This… if you eat it as it is, it will be soggy that you’ll choke.”
Protein blocks are preserved food in this era when neither canning nor processing technology have been developed yet.
Aside from the lack of taste, it was bland and quickly quenched my thirst. Even in the military, they teach you to soak protein blocks in water before eating.
“Fortunately, the climate we are in is a subtropical region. Besides, it is an island.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Mir and Aris looked at me with a smile, but I responded by pointing my finger upward.
“There are palm trees on uninhabited islands in a tropical climate.”
Palm trees were hanging from the trees at the fingertips.