Chapter 209 - <16>
Before the three of them could even process the pain in Taisha's heart as his home went up in a fierce pillar of fire, they were hit with an emergency of their own. Fueled by Sara-chan’s desperate flames, the flying ship was ascending into the sky at a terrifying speed.
The scenery on the ground shrank in an instant, the earth becoming impossibly distant. The horizon, which should have been a straight line parallel to their vision, now appeared curved, as if its ends were being pulled downward. It was a sight unlike anything they had ever seen.
At the same time, the cloudless blue sky above them deepened into a frighteningly dark azure. The higher reaches were less blue and more navy.
On top of that, the ship was buffeted by the strong winds that flowed from the sea to the mountains, and a frigid gale blowing from almost due north chilled them to the bone.
The wind howled violently, lashing their cheeks with a cold that felt like a sharp pain. Franz’s hair, which had grown a little long, was whipped about fiercely, slapping against his cheeks, forehead, and ears until it stung.
The gas bags attached to both sides of the ship were being thrashed by the wind, swaying so violently that it was clear just how severe the situation was.
Franz grew unbearably anxious, wondering if they were going to be blown off to some inhuman land.
He had never flown before in his life. At this rate, they seemed destined to end up above the sky. The mere thought of what lay up there filled him with dread. What’s more, the higher they went, the colder it became—so cold he felt like he was freezing.
His body began to tremble, his thoughts of Taisha quickly replaced by the chattering of his own teeth. Soon, a cold so intense that his jaw clenched uncontrollably washed over him. It was supposed to be summer, so why was it this cold? He was so cold he couldn't even speak.
Perhaps taking pity on him, someone threw a blanket at him. Shivering, Franz looked up to see the person who had thrown it shouting over the wind. It was Ritz.
"Wrap yourself in that!"
"Yeah."
With numb hands, Franz struggled against the fierce wind to wrap the uncooperative blanket around himself. He finally managed it and let out a breath. Just blocking the wind eased the cold considerably. Huddled in the blanket, he watched Ritz, who, though only in a long-sleeved shirt, was enduring the cold with a pale face.
"Thanks."
He finally managed to get the word out, but his voice was lost in the wind. So, instead of a simple thank you, he raised his voice.
"Are you okay, Ritz?"
"Not even close!"
Ritz, who had snapped back gruffly, was wearing gloves. They weren't for warmth, but for operating the ship.
"What about a blanket?"
"Don't need one. It'll just get in the way."
After that curt refusal, Ritz turned his gaze from Franz back toward the rear of the ship. His hands gripped a massive handle connected to the large fin at the stern. It was the ship's rudder.
Ritz and Edward had left Franz in charge of watching the fire while they desperately tried to figure out how to keep from being swept away in this gale.
"Ed, has the direction changed?!"
"Slightly. You can go for it."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. It’s worth a shot."
They were saying terrifying things. In reality, they were looking at Taisha's instruction manual on how to operate the ship, so he didn't think it would turn into anything too outrageous. But then he remembered—Taisha had never flown this ship himself.
That meant the manual was based purely on Taisha's theories, with no practical experience. That, too, was terrifying.
The ship suddenly lurched. With a loud creak, the floor tilted, the angle steadily increasing.
"Whoaaaaa!"
Huddled inside the blanket, Franz had become like a ball. Unable to brace his feet or even get his hands out, he simply rolled.
At the end of his roll was the edge of the ship, where the scenery of Zeum spread out, now looking no bigger than a bean. A few stray wood shavings that had been left on the ship fell off.
"I'm gonna fall!"
He let out a pathetic scream. Then, the ship listed in the opposite direction.
"Waaaaah!"
This time he rolled the other way. He was terrified of heights, so he desperately tried to stop himself, but the more he panicked, the more he tumbled.
"Grab onto something!" Ritz yelled while wrestling with the rudder. Franz knew that, but he was tangled in the blanket and couldn't get his hands free.
"It's over if you fall!"
"I know!"
Knowing and being able to do something were two different things.
After a great deal of struggling, Franz finally managed to free a hand and grab the rope they had used to pull him up from Taisha's garden. As a safety measure, the rope had been tied to the metal frame connecting the ship to the large bag in the center.
"I thought I was going to die…"
Finally free from the fear of falling, he let out a huge sigh and looked up. He was at Edward's feet. Edward was positioned at the bow, directly opposite Ritz.
"Are you all right?"
Edward asked calmly. His long hair, tied back in a single tail, whipped violently in the wind. The breath he exhaled was white. It had gotten even colder.
"I'm fi—"
Before he could answer, the ship listed again. Edward steadied himself by grabbing onto a console at the bow with one hand, but Franz nearly started rolling again and desperately clung to the rope.
"You're moving it too drastically! Have some restraint!"
As Edward yelled toward the stern, Ritz shouted back.
"You're the one who told me to go for it, Ed!"
"You fool! Within reason!"
"Don't tell me that! It's impossible to control this thing in this wind!"
As soon as he finished, the ship tilted the other way. This time, Franz managed to hold on without rolling.
"Dammit! If I could just do something about this wind!"
Ritz roared at the wind.
"It certainly did get stronger all of a sudden when it got colder…" Edward muttered, then stroked his chin as if he'd had an idea.
"Could it be…"
Despite the violent rocking, Edward fell silent, deep in thought. Franz watched him intently. Worried by the sudden silence, Ritz shouted out.
"What's wrong, Ed? Did something happen?!"
"Was this gale blowing when the ship took off?"
"Huh? Can't hear you!"
"Do you remember when this strong wind started blowing?"
"What?! Why?"
Franz tilted his head, just as confused as the frowning Ritz. Edward looked from Franz to Ritz.
"I recall it starting after we had climbed quite high. Franz, what about you?"
"Umm…"
He thought back. He was certain there hadn't been such a fierce wind when he could still see the pillar of fire from Taisha's house.
"I think it was around the time we couldn't see Taisha's forest anymore!"
He yelled his answer so it would carry over the wind, and Edward nodded.
"And you?! When did you first feel the strong wind?"
In response to the clear question, Ritz shouted back from the stern.
"I think it was after we got pretty high up, too."
"Right. In that case, don't you think we should lower the ship a little?"
The unexpected suggestion left him speechless. Until now, all they had been thinking about was getting the ship higher and higher.
"But… won't we fall if we do that?"
He asked timidly, but in a loud voice. Edward shrugged.
"I do not know. After all, we are the first on this continent to fly."
"No way…"
"Ritz, what do you think?"
Edward turned his gaze from the bewildered Franz to the stern and asked.
"I'm with you. There's no way we can go where we want like this!"
The two of them nodded in agreement. Franz let out a small sigh and nodded as well. It certainly seemed like their only option. Besides, Taisha had told him how to lower the flying ship's altitude.
"Then first, please stop Sara-chan."
"Yes, sir."
He replied, but in the swaying ship and strong wind, he couldn't get to the brazier right away. With Ritz's reckless steering gone, it was easier to move than before. Following the rope, he finally made it to the center.
There, happily spewing flames for her first big job in a while, was Sara-chan.
"Sara-chan, time for a break."
"Kii?"
"Please stop breathing fire for a little while."
"Kii…"
Sara-chan chirped disappointedly, but she stopped breathing fire and curled up. Only the burning charcoal fire continued to flicker. It was dangerous to let this go out. Taisha's instructions had said to keep the charcoal fire going in case of an emergency.
But just having Sara-chan stop breathing fire wouldn't lower the ship's altitude. To do that, he had to pull the cords attached to the central bag, exposing the holes they covered to let the warm air inside escape.
There were four such holes—left, right, front, and back—covered by cloth flaps connected to ropes. Exposing one of them while the fire was lit could also be used to change direction, but right now, they just needed to descend.
"Ritz, that rope."
Knowing he couldn't do it himself, Franz kept a firm grip on his lifeline and pointed to the rope tied to a metal fitting, which was connected to the flap over one of the holes.
"Right. This one."
As if it were nothing, Ritz moved nimbly through the wind-tossed ship and grabbed the rope.
"Four of them… Ed, which direction?"
"Considering the danger, it would be best to align with the wind's direction."
"In that case… this one."
Ritz grabbed the flap on the side from which the wind was battering them. But all four were tied together, and it looked like it would be a hassle to get just one free.
"Can I open it?"
Ritz asked casually. Edward crouched down and nodded. It seemed best to keep a low profile, not knowing what would happen. Franz silently followed his lead.
"Here goes."
The moment Ritz undid the rope with his usual carefree call, the flying ship was instantly swept up by the wind and began moving sideways at incredible speed.
Huddled down as he was, the sheer velocity knocked Franz over, pressing him hard against the ship's wall. It felt like something was pushing him, though there was nothing there, and he couldn't even cry out.
"Whoa!"
The next instant, with a shout, Ritz vanished from sight. It seemed he had been caught off guard while holding the rope and had fallen.
"Ritz!"
Franz screamed from his crouched position, but there was nothing he could do. He closed his eyes, imagining the worst, when the gale suddenly died down with a startling abruptness. Frightened, he opened his eyes to see what had happened and peered over the ship's edge. The flying ship was now considerably lower than before.
But there was no sign of Ritz anywhere on the ship.
"Your Majesty, what about Ritz?!"
He asked Edward, who was looking down from the ship just as he was. Edward sighed, looked up, and shrugged.
"From that height, he wouldn't have survived."
His nonchalant tone made Franz turn pale.
"Your Majesty! How can you be so calm?!"
He couldn't help but shout, but Edward just smiled.
"That is, if he had fallen."
"Huh?"
Edward gestured with his chin. Franz looked in the direction Edward had been watching and saw the four ropes Ritz had been holding, pulled taut and dangling over the far side of the ship. The ropes that covered the holes were sewn very securely to the central cloth bag so that the holes could be opened and closed.
"You don't mean…"
As he muttered in disbelief, a hand gripped the edge of the ship. From there, Ritz's face appeared.
"Man, that seriously freaked me out."
"Ritz…"
Ritz, climbing the rope like an acrobat, hopped back onto the ship. Letting out a deep sigh of relief, Franz sank to the floor, speechless. In his place, Edward looked at Ritz with a wry smile.
"Don't scare us like that."
"I was the one who was scared."
"I'm sure. But the result was excellent."
"Yeah. Now I know what to do when we need to descend quickly."
The ropes in Ritz's hands, which he held as he laughed, were still pulled taut. When he let go, the ropes sprang back to their original position, dangling near the central fitting.
"What just happened?"
Franz, the only one who didn't understand, asked. Ritz just laughed as he tied the ropes.
"I tried to get just one, but they were all tangled up. So I just untied the whole lot of 'em."
"So…"
"Yup. I opened all the holes, not just one. Man, I didn't think we'd get swept away like that. But hey, thanks to that, we dropped down in a flash, the wind died down, it's not cold anymore—all's well that ends well, right?"
As Ritz rattled on, Franz noticed something unusual in his tone. What's more, for someone as deft and skilled as Ritz, he was having trouble tying the four ropes. Realizing something, Franz couldn't help but interject.
"Could it be…"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Were you genuinely scared?"
"…"
Ritz stopped what he was doing and turned around, the corner of his mouth twitching. At the same time, Edward burst out laughing.
"Well noticed, Franz. I believe it's not a matter of 'could it be'—Ritz was scared out of his mind."
It seemed Ritz really had been terrified. For the usually fearless, reckless Ritz to have his hands trembling so much he couldn't tie a rope was beyond Franz's imagination.
"How unexpected…"
He muttered involuntarily, and Edward laughed.
"It certainly was. I never thought I'd see you like this since we reunited."
At the teasing words, Ritz's face turned red, whether from embarrassment or anger. This was the first time Franz had ever seen such an expression on him.
"Shut up, shut up! We're in the sky! There's no ground beneath us! No lifeline! Who wouldn't be freaked out in this situation?!"
As Ritz yelled, Edward roared with laughter.
"Ritz, you've reverted to how you were forty years ago."
"None of your business!"
"That was your old catchphrase, too."
"I said it's none of your… Agh, just stop looking at me!"
Ritz spat out, then fell silent, sulking as he flopped onto his back.
The laughter finally subsided, and Edward took a deep breath, looking up at the sky. The sky Edward was gazing at was no longer that terrifying navy blue, but the clear summer sky of Zeum.
He was glad to have somehow returned from that upper atmosphere battered by fierce winds and cold. Looking down below the ship, the ground was still far away, but he could now see the small shadow the ship cast upon it.
With a heavy sigh, he leaned against the back wall, slid sideways, and looked up at the sky. Despite all the commotion, for some reason, he felt a warmth in his heart. Perhaps it was because it was amusing to have seen Ritz's almost completely raw emotions for the first time.
Maybe his companions were no longer just others, but a part of himself. The thought came to him suddenly. He knew now that he could never, ever think of them as strangers who had nothing to do with him.
It was strange.
On the day Franz began his journey, everything around him had rejected him, and he, in turn, had accepted that rejection and withdrawn into his shell. He didn't want to accept a world that wouldn't accept him, nor did he want to see it. His world had been dark and narrow.
But by learning to trust people, it was as if a heavy curtain was gradually being raised, and the whole world was slowly revealing itself before his eyes.
His gaze shifted to the still-sprawled Ritz and to Edward, who was closing his eyes against the gentle breeze.
The most striking example of this change was his companions. At first, he hadn't truly trusted them and journeyed with them from the heart. He knew they were different from the people he'd been around before, but he had only wanted to know what that difference was. He wanted to know what he himself was, through them.
His own eyes were still turned inward; he had no desire to know them. To Franz, when they first met, they were nothing but strange beings.
Ritz was an abnormally cheerful, overbearing, and shady former mercenary, while Edward was a noble, strict, and terrifying person from another world entirely. And Anna, who wasn't here now, was a selfish, gluttonous demon who caused trouble under the guise of helping people.
But as he spent time with them, he came to want to know them. And that, in turn, led to knowing himself and trusting others.
Now, they were all precious companions to him, and he understood that each of them was a person who thought, worried, and lived. He felt that this was a great happiness. Franz was sure that his world would continue to expand like this from now on. And that made him happy.
But the one who had given him that opportunity was none other than Orphe.
As he thought of Orphe, the image of Taisha appeared before his eyes.
Unlike Franz, who had walked the path pointed out by Orphe and grasped a worldview that could be called happy, was Taisha—the man who had dedicated his life to the word of the god, a man who was like an older apprentice to him—truly happy?
He wondered what had become of Taisha's forest. He looked back, but he couldn't see anything anymore. He didn't even know which direction Taisha's forest was in. He'd hoped to see at least the tip of the smoke plume, but that was impossible. They must have been carried quite a distance by the wind.
Taisha's words came back to him.
If seeking knowledge is a sin, then I will gladly fall into that sin, Taisha had said. But is seeking knowledge truly a sin? If people stopped seeking knowledge, wouldn't they have no choice but to stand still?
In fact, Franz himself was traveling in order to know. That was why he continued to press forward. If he stopped seeking knowledge and ceased his journey, the journey would end there.
But he desperately wanted to know. The identity of Orphe. The person who had given him the chance to start walking as himself.
And that had inadvertently become a journey to learn about his companions' origins, and by extension, the gods themselves. Now, Franz hoped to obtain both the knowledge he had sought and the truths his companions desired.
After a while, Ritz stirred and sat up.
"How about some grub?"
At the usual carefree suggestion, Franz looked at Ritz, exasperated. Ritz then muttered, as if to no one in particular.
"Usually, this is when a certain precise stomach clock would agree with me…"
Ritz was likely picturing a cheerfully energetic Anna. In Franz's mind, too, an image of Anna appeared—an Anna who, if she were here, would be having the time of her life on the flying ship.
"This is no time for sentimentality. Once we've eaten, we head for the Great Temple."
Edward's powerful declaration seemed to encourage the downcast pair.
"You have a good plan in mind?"
Ritz asked, looking up at Edward as if to shake off his melancholy.
"Yes. If we maintain this altitude and follow the roads on the map, we should be able to reach it."
"Right… The wind is weaker than it was up there, after all."
Franz nodded in agreement with Ritz.
"And there are no enemies…"
"That's the biggest advantage."
Ritz stood up as he said this, perhaps to change the somber mood.
"Alright, let's review the map while we eat."
With that, Ritz took out the food and the map. It was impossible for the clumsy Franz to stand up and move, so he crawled over. Edward, walking over nimbly, also sat down and placed the compass Taisha had given him on the map.
"We must head southwest."
Edward tapped the location of the Great Temple with his finger. It was situated at the foot of the great mountain range that stretched along Zeum's southern wall. The great mountain range lay to the south of Zeum, and on the other side of this impassable range was their home, the Yuresla Kingdom.
The Great Temple was located west of the center of the mountain range.
"To get there, we should be able to follow one of the highways that radiate outwards."
As Edward spoke, Ritz nodded while slicing a hard loaf of bread. Franz studied the map closely.
Indeed, several highways extended out from the Great Temple in a roughly radial pattern, though not perfectly straight. They led to different destinations—some toward the sea to the north, some deeper into Zeum, and others in the direction of Tarnien—but they all eventually led to the Great Temple.
From these highways, smaller roads branched out like the roots of a tree. On these roads were towns, marked by circles. There wasn't a single town that wasn't connected to a road.
"There are roads running through every town."
He muttered, and Edward smiled.
"It's logical. If one strays from the highway, one encounters ferocious beasts. And by following the highway, one must inevitably enter a town. The towns are protected by barriers, which can detect intruders. It's impossible to bypass the towns and highways to attack the center, but all the towns have sturdy walls and would be difficult to conquer. It seems this country is designed to prevent any outside invader from ever reaching the Great Temple."
"…Is that so?"
Franz didn't fully grasp the meaning of Edward's words, but he nodded. All he understood was that the country was built in such a way that it would be impossible for just the four of them to reach the Great Temple.
Noticing Franz's confusion, Edward gave a wry smile.
"Though they lack castle walls, many towns in our own country are built this way."
"Really?"
"Indeed. Saradio and Sears are examples."
"Ah…"
Now that he mentioned it, that was true. But Saradio was built that way to welcome many merchants and encourage free trade, so he hadn't made the connection.
"You're getting sidetracked. So, what's the plan?"
As he said this, Ritz tossed a piece of bread to Edward. Without even looking, Edward expertly caught it with one hand and took a bite.
"For now, our first priority is to find a highway by looking down below. Until then, master how to use that rudder."
"Yeah, yeah."
Ritz nodded and brought the piece of bread he had cut to his mouth. Franz took a slice of bread that Ritz had cut and took a bite. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as the bread they'd had in Tarnien. He wondered if it was due to a difference in ingredients.
"I will search for the highway. Franz."
"Yes."
"You will watch the altitude. Memorize our current height, and if we get too low, have Sara-chan use her flame to adjust it."
"Understood."
Franz slowly backed up to the wall and looked outside. A narrow road passed below, with a horse-drawn carriage moving along it. The flying ship easily overtook the carriage. It seemed they were flying at a considerable speed.
"But we can't go in the direction we want without any wind, can we?"
Ritz, who had been looking down just like Franz, turned to Edward. Edward shot him a mischievous grin.
"If that happens, we will have no choice but to ask for Franz and Sara-chan's cooperation. Using those ropes you fell with."
"…Don't bring that up again."
With a thoroughly displeased scowl, Ritz looked away. Edward shifted his gaze to Franz and smiled gently.
"In other words, while Sara-chan is breathing a large flame, we will keep the hole opposite the direction we want to go open. I will watch our direction. Can I count on you?"
"Yes, sir."
This was a great responsibility.
After finishing lunch and dividing up the roles, the flying ship began to make steady progress toward its destination.
At first, the rudder was unsteady and the ship meandered aimlessly, but by nightfall, it had finally begun to head in the right direction. At the same time, they became adept at adjusting their altitude.
Taking turns keeping watch, they greeted the next morning. Unlike when they had departed from Taisha's, the flying ship now proceeded calmly but steadily toward its destination, the Great Temple.
Believing that Kuchiba was there.
…And believing that the path led to the god, to Orphe.