And here is a second chapter. And also, it is the final chapter of the fourth volume. Yay! Please enjoy.

The Sky is Blue

「Now then, set sail!」

The airs.h.i.+p, the Black Rose, was floating very close to the surface of the sea. The anchor was unloaded and was making it stay, and if the anchor were to be raised, it would start to float off as it was.

「Black Hair, raise the anchor!」

Angelica shouted while moving the helm that was on the deck of the s.h.i.+p.

「Aye aye, toh.」

With that yell, the tall lanky guy and the shorty rolled up the anchor's chain, and I pulled it up and fixated it on the airs.h.i.+p.
When I did, *fuwah*, together with a floating sensation peculiar to airs.h.i.+ps, the airs.h.i.+p floated up.

「Wawah, we're floating up! We're floating up, Yas.h.i.+ro-san!」

「The above balloon-looking thing is carrying out the duty of being an air sac. Though the floating power is small since it's being filled with air and wind instead of gas.」

「Heehー……」

There's no mistake that 80% of the people that display their knowledge are a race that get delighted when these words of admiration are leaked out.
At the very least, I am that way.

「Mu? ……Come to think of it, Kuon isn't here. Where did she go?」

I looked around the vicinity thinking that I would try and teach this to Kuon as well, but I didn't see Kuon's figure. Since we should be embarking right now, did she go inside the s.h.i.+p?

「Anikiーー!!」

「Kuon? ……Hey, what are you doing in a place like that!」

When I looked up following Kuon's voice, Kuon was just coming down from the top of the airs.h.i.+p's air sac.

「Weell, the sea breeze just felt so good, ya see. ……That's not it, this isn't the time for that, Yas.h.i.+ro-aniki!」

Saying that, Kuon jumped onto the prow of the s.h.i.+p, and pointed in the 11 o'clock direction looking from the front of the s.h.i.+p.

「They're still pretty distant, but Dragoons are coming!」

Both of her ears erect, and the fur of her tail standing on end, Kuon shouted.
When I looked in the direction that Kuon pointed to, ……Certainly, I could see several grain-looking but small figures. Those are probably the Dragoons.

「Did you say Dragoons!? F, full speed ahead! We're running awayー!!」

「Nowah! They're still quite a distance away, don't panic!」

My posture was broken due to the sudden acceleration and the sudden raising, but I gripped the deck's hand railing and supported myself.

「Wawah!?」

「Bernadette!」

Not having any support, I extended my arm out to Bernadette whose posture was broken and caught her in my arms.

「っ, Th, thank you very much.」

「Don't worry about it. Jeez, just how much of a trauma are they for her.」

I wanted for at least the departure to proceed calmly, but I guess it won't go that smoothly.

「Kiki, this is quite a pleasant setting sail, isn't it, my master.」

While making a snickering laugh, Paimon appeared from within my shadow.
The loli state Paimon was holding an opened black parasol.

「With our start being this flashy, it looks like the journey is going to be pretty noisy.」

「Kiki. It is good to see that it does not seem like it will be tedious, is it not.」

Saying that, Paimon smiled. Why you little, thinking that it's just somebody else's problem.

「But, Yas.h.i.+ro-san, unexpectedly different from his character, prefers quiet journeys.」

「Bernadette, just now, did you inadvertently spoke ill of me? You spoke ill of me, didn't you?」

「Fufu, I did not speak ill of you at aーll!」

Smiling with a grin, Bernadette separated from my hand.

「……Well, I guess this is fine every once in a while.」

I didn't hate things being noisy from the start.

「Aniki! It looks like they've noticed us! They're headed this way!」

「Come on, come on! What're ya doin', Black Hair! It's your time ta s.h.i.+ne!」

「Like I said, they're still completely in the distance!」

Noisily, we started our journey on the sky route.

「……We'll be going. Fiona.」

Turing towards the direction of a comrade in arms that I once fought together with, I muttered to myself.

Fiona was looking up at the sky.

The sky was blue and cleared up to the point that it was hard to believe that there was bad weather just a few days ago.
An airs.h.i.+p was flying through that sky.

In that deep blue sky, it was flying off.

Did she want to accompany Yuu? Nay, there were already new companions beside him.

「『Want to be by his side』……huh.」

What she remembered was the words of the black haired nun. The woman that said that with strong eyes.

She recalled that three years ago, among the members of the troupe that Yuu started off with, Olivia was the only one that said that she didn't want to stand up lined beside him, but wanted to support him.

Fiona stretched out her hand towards the airs.h.i.+p that was steadily going further off into the distance, then lowered her arm.

「Take care, Yuu. ……Do your best going down your regretless path.」

Towards the comrade in arms she had once fought together with, towards the boy that she once held fleeting feelings for, Fiona muttered to herself.

◇
Free City Galarie.
Referred to as the Metropolis of Water, that town that was erected on the sea was displaying a prosperity to the point that people were overflowing on the days before the martial arts tournament that was held once a year.

Food carts were lined up on the streets, ferryboats were coming and going on the ca.n.a.ls, and even now, s.h.i.+ps with tourists and merchants riding on them were arriving at the ports.

However, right now, the eyes of the tourists that were enjoying such a festival were all turned towards the sky.

「Incredible……It's a large airs.h.i.+p!」

There was a shadow that was big enough to completely cover the fields of vision that were turned towards the sky.
It took a moment of time before they could understand that it was an airs.h.i.+p.

「Wh, where is the s.h.i.+p from?」

「That crest of three swords and a wing……It's Leezelion's airs.h.i.+p!!」

Seeing the crest that was printed on the air sac and flags, someone shouted out.

「So that's Leezelion's newest large wars.h.i.+p 『Queen Sylvia』!!」

It was an airs.h.i.+p that made it feasible to fly even outside of the established Sky s.p.a.ce Region through the use of new technology.
With that latest technology, the country that owned the only airs.h.i.+p up until now brought together the s.h.i.+pbuilding techniques that had been piled up and made that completed airs.h.i.+p.
The 『Queen Sylvia』.

「……To have my own name attached to a s.h.i.+p, this is quite embarra.s.sing.」

On the bridge of the large airs.h.i.+p 『Queen Sylvia』, a silver haired young lady was making a small smile as if out of self-derision.

「For all of us present, flying through the sky together with your Majesty's name is our greatest honor.」

A middle-aged man wearing a military cap low over his eyes reverentially expressed his grat.i.tude to the young lady.

「I see……I guess it is fine if you all are pleased with it.」

Wearing a sky-blue dress, the young lady turned her emerald eyes from the middle-aged man to the young man standing next to him.

「Leo, circulate several of your subordinates to the airs.h.i.+p's escort. You alone are enough for my protection.」

「At your will……」

When she saw the young man place his hand on his chest and nod, the young lady once again turned her gaze forward.
A broad blue without a single cloud.
The young lady……Sylvia Loto Sheriotto Leezelion looked at the sky that could be seen from that bridge and breathed out a small sigh.

「Even though my heart is so cloudy……How could it be such a detestable sky-blue color.」

The sky was blue to its furthest reaches.

There were ashen eyes looking up at the sky that didn't have a single cloud.

Purpose could not be felt within those eyes, however, they weren't eyes that had lost sight of the future or had lost their heat and light and had become muddily disconnected.
They were like the eyes of an innocent child, as if they had a light tinged with a pure light.

It couldn't be told if she just found the sky to be something rare, or if she had just turned her eyes towards some pa.s.sing birds.
However, those eyes showed no sign of ceasing to look at the sky, and she continued to look up and stare at the sky without moving.

「Eru? ……Is something wrong?」

Being called out to, the owner of those ashen eyes slowly turned their head.

「The sky……」

The one called Eru was an ashen little girl. A little girl whose hair, eyes, even clothes were a single ashen color.
Although her skin certainly wasn't an ashen color, she was a single ashen color to the point of making one feel like even the atmosphere around her felt ashen.

「The sky huh……」

A young boy lined up next to Eru. Receiving the sea breeze, that black hair of his fluttered.

「It's been a while since I've taken a proper look at the sky.」

There were few times where he could rest his spirit, and could only look forward instead of upwards.
The young boy made a wry smile.

「…………」

The ashen little girl looked up at the sky.
As if, there was something beyond it.

「『Bearer』」

The little girl looked up at the young boy beside her.

「Nn?」

「『Bearer』……Is there, something beyond the sky?」

The young boy, Amagi Kaito, answered the words of the ashen little girl while making a wry smile.

「The stars are there.」

That pair of eyes reflected the little girl that looked up at the sky.