A putrid stench mixed with a thick fishy odor is spreading a horrific smell.
After running for quite a while, dodging raindrops falling from the pitch-black sea in the sky, I finally crossed the line.
Victoria has already crossed over and kept moving eastward.
However, she doesn’t know the exact location, so she’s looking at the address written in the letter, which is why she’s heading somewhere far from the actual spot.
Following the numbers means I have to go a bit further and loop around. But if I try to guess the middle and just casually dive in, I end up at a completely different address, making it even harder.
The roads are a mess, and the numbers are all over the place.
Considering that Victoria might lose her way and get lost, I’d probably arrive there first.
And then it happened.
“Hey, there’s a runaway!”
While I was holding Polaris’s hand and running, someone far away shouted at us. Polaris’s gaze landed on it faster than mine.
Two soldiers in uniform. One mechanical puppet that resembles a person.
Compared to the mechanical device that killed someone on the airship, this one looks way more powerful. But the one that killed was unmanned, while this has a person inside.
And that thing comes rushing towards us, emitting light. It’s fascinating how the light rises above while the propulsion goes back.
Maybe because I’m used to rockets, it feels more comforting that the propulsion would go in the opposite direction of the light.
Polaris clicked her tongue softly and grabbed me tighter. Then she crouched down and jumped.
In one leap, we reached the vicinity of a two-story house.
Wait, isn’t that a bit much for ignoring gravity?
But before I could say anything, a ring of light came flying towards us. Polaris slapped the wall that blocked our escape route with her palm.
KWAAM!
Super strength?
No, it’s not just brute strength; there’s no impact on Polaris’s arm. This is the result of using magic power.
Creatures living in this world use magic power for their physical abilities, so a lot of them move in a way that resembles magic.
From what I recall, creatures that use too much magic power as fuel for their movements adapt to the magical environment of their habitat, becoming strong in that particular setting, but as a trade-off, their bodies can’t handle the magic from other areas, leading to reduced habitats.
And if there’s a catastrophic change in their habitat, they can’t survive and disappear, which shows there are pros and cons.
Interestingly, one of the most successful species is the rabbit-like creatures that breed infinitely without using any magic power.
Creatures that can survive in various environments tend to be abundant and widely spread, so, for the most part, ecosystems feature creatures that use flesh or plants for fuel.
Therefore, it’s not that there are disabled individuals who can’t use magic; rather, there are those who can use magic, like magicians.
Anyway.
It means that someone born with inherent strength, using magic as well, can truly wield an incredible amount of power.
“Ugh!”
But that was before high-level magic existed.
The surrounding air solidifies and hinders movement. Meanwhile, the mechanical puppet comes flying towards us, as if it’s out of the targeted spell.
“Type 1 entity!”
“It’s the Twilight Association! It’s presumed not to be type 2, so let’s restrain and interrogate them!”
A soldier shouted from behind.
Uh-huh, that’s right.
Two young girls.
Most harvesting machines left in Bern City belong to the Twilight Association. Type 1 entities probably refer to those with purple hair or unusually pale-skinned harvesting types. From the way he spoke, it seems like type 2 uses psychic abilities.
So, if they see purple hair, it wouldn’t be strange to think it’s the Twilight Association. Moreover, the direction Polaris and I came from is the west.
It actually seems more odd not to think that way.
“Polaris.”
“What?”
I suggested a different way to Polaris, who seemed to be moving through sticky jelly.
“Leave me behind.”
“What?”
She looked back at me in surprise. I leaned in closer to her ear and whispered softly.
“This is 39. If you go up this alley, the numbers will increase. Remember the house number?”
And I mentioned it was number 91 earlier. Polaris nodded slightly, seeming to remember.
“Don’t worry about me, just go ahead.”
“I refuse.”
Uh-huh. She’s resolute.
Considering her actions so far, it’s not strange, but right now, it’s a hindrance.
Since I heard talk about restraining and interrogating, I won’t be turning to dust right away. In other words, it’s a space where I can move more freely.
Polaris tightened her grip around me.
She views me as someone she has to protect, which is why she’s acting this way. So, let’s turn that relationship around.
“Polaris. If this continues, you’ll become the hostage.”
I intentionally trimmed several words. It sounds like: “You become the hostage, and I get uncomfortable.”
Realizing this immediately, Polaris looked at me with a wounded expression, but honestly, it’s tough for an ordinary schoolgirl to defeat a magically-armed soldier.
Unless Polaris is exceptionally strong, looking back at Kanna’s memories, there’s no mention of such a thing.
So, that means she’s a regular student. One-on-one might work, but there are three professionals here. One against three is dangerous regardless of similar levels.
And if there’s a significant skill difference, it’s a guaranteed loss.
“Are you really okay?”
I nodded while watching the approaching mechanical puppet. I subtly relaxed my strength and then pushed back to break free from Polaris’s hold.
And I deliberately stepped into the grasp of the extended steel hand.
GEEEK!
Wait, isn’t that a bit of an overly tight grip?
For now, I’ll provoke it to buy time for Polaris to escape.
“Are you planning to rebel against the royal family?”
“What?”
“My name is Bell. I’m under the royal family’s protection and came to investigate the odd occurrences happening in Bern City. You humans, what are you doing here?”
It’s true that I’m under the royal family’s protection.
It’s also true that I mentioned I felt some inconsistency regarding the events happening in Bern City.
But by combining the two like this, it sounds as though I’ve come from the royal family to investigate.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’ve been mentioned several times in the press. I came out with a member of the royal family, are you saying you don’t recognize me? Just who is it that’s backing you?”
As I confidently questioned, the man atop the mechanical puppet halted his movements.
“Let go of her.”
While I was at it, I gave the order. However, they didn’t let go. I could sense the rider’s dilemma through the brass mask over the mechanical structure.
In the meantime, Polaris had left.
As she gazed up at the sea in the sky, it seems she’s calculated that she might join Victoria to come looking for me.
That’s fine on either side.
Then, two other soldiers arrived here.
“Marquis Gaston is already dead. So guide us to the commanding officer right below him.”
Honestly, they probably won’t guide me. Would they believe that a little girl would say something like that? They’d likely just overlook it as random chatter or settle for whatever.
Even if it’s true, if nobody knows the truth, it’s still an accident, isn’t it?
Now, I’m contemplating how I might be torn apart, and one of the soldiers approaching me gulped.
“Bell, m’lady?”
Oh no.
He knows me, but I don’t know him. It’s not like I have any relatives among the harvesting machines, did he remember my face from a news report?
“Soldier. Do you know who this girl is?”
“Yes! That person who treated everyone’s wounds during the tragedy in Bern City, right? So she was directly brought by the royal family!”
Ah, so ordinary folks know about it that way.
I can roughly figure out the rank of the person in front of me. The slightly older man seems to have the highest rank, beneath him is the person on the mechanical puppet, and then the soldier.
Hmm?
It seems like it’s going to end too ordinarily.
“Why is someone like her here?”
I heard the highest-ranking individual murmur as he asked me. It wasn’t a direct question to me.
But I want to test it out, so let’s toss reason out the window here.
“Because the royal airship was shot down. Inside, a mechanical puppet killed people, and someone hijacked the airship to crash it. They attacked me on the ground. I barely escaped and made it to Bern City.”
I stopped by Nantes Port and witnessed the entire scene where Gaston, the practical owner of this army, was murdered. But I won’t mention that. I’ll throw in a twist for when someone tries to verify my whereabouts later.
Since the airship automatically flew toward the sea, it’s plausible to think I miraculously reached the coast after escaping from the sea.
The reason I’m doing this?
Simple harassment.
“Where’s the one responsible?”
By the way, this statement means to call up the highest-ranked person. If a surviving soldier relayed the news to the army, they’d know that Marquis Gaston is already dead. If not, then they wouldn’t know anything.
“Captain, what do we do?”
The man who recognized me looked anxious as he hurriedly asked his superior. Seems the person riding the mechanical puppet has the lower rank.
“First….”
The captain sighed heavily.
Well then.
What choice will you make?
“We’ll take her back to the base. Until we can confirm she’s a royal, keep a close watch on her.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
The young man and the person riding the mechanical puppet saluted. The words were softened, but basically, it means that if it’s a lie, they should catch her and torture her, so keep an eye on her.
Well, that’s more aggressive than I expected! I thought if it’s rebellion, they’d try to bury the evidence like crazy.
The experiment will have to be delayed. Well, I suppose I can do that over there.
Thus, I was led by them under a sky that dripped seawater instead of rain to a place the captain called a base.
By the way, being dragged along by the mechanical puppet wasn’t exactly a pleasant ride.
