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 airship, the ck 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.


    「ck Hair, raise the anchor!」


    Angelica shouted while moving the helm that was on the deck of the ship.


    「Aye aye, toh.」


    With that yell, the tallnky guy and the shorty rolled up the anchor’s chain, and I pulled it up and fixated it on the airship.


    When I did, *fuwah*, together with a floating sensation peculiar to airships, the airship floated up.


    「Wawah, we’re floating up! We’re floating up, Yashiro-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 disy 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 ship?


    「Anikiーー!!」


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


    When I looked up following Kuon’s voice, Kuon was justing down from the top of the airship’s air sac.


    「Weell, the sea breeze just felt so good, ya see. ……That’s not it, this isn’t the time for that, Yashiro-aniki!」


    Saying that, Kuon jumped onto the prow of the ship, and pointed in the 11 o’clock direction looking from the front of the ship.


    「They’re still pretty distant, but Dragoons areing!」


    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 eleration 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 snickeringugh, Paimon appeared from within my shadow.


    The loli state Paimon was holding an opened ck parasol.


    「With our start being this shy, 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, Yashiro-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,e on! What’re ya doin’, ck Hair! It’s your time ta shine!」


    「Like I said, they’re stillpletely in the distance!」


    Noisily, we started our journey on the sky route.


    「……We’ll be going. Fiona.」


    Turing towards the direction of arade 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 airship was flying through that sky.


    In that deep blue sky, it was flying off.


    Did she want to apany Yuu? Nay, there were already newpanions beside him.


    「『Want to be by his side』……huh.」


    What she remembered was the words of the ck 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 airship 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 therade in arms she had once fought together with, towards the boy that she once held fleeting feelings for, Fiona muttered to herself.


    ◇


    Free City Grie.


    Referred to as the Metropolis of Water, that town that was erected on the sea was disying 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 wereing and going on the canals, and even now, ships 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 arge airship!」


    There was a shadow that was big enough topletely 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 airship.


    「Wh, where is the ship from?」


    「That crest of three swords and a wing……It’s Leezelion’s airship!!」


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


    「So that’s Leezelion’s newestrge warship 『Queen Sylvia』!!」


    It was an airship that made it feasible to fly even outside of the established Sky Space Region through the use of new technology.


    With thattest technology, the country that owned the only airship up until now brought together the shipbuilding techniques that had been piled up and made thatpleted airship.


    The 『Queen Sylvia』.


    「……To have my own name attached to a ship, this is quite embarrassing.」


    On the bridge of therge airship 『Queen Sylvia』, a silver haired youngdy 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 gratitude to the youngdy.


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


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


    「Leo, circte several of your subordinates to the airship’s escort. You alone are enough for my protection.」


    「At your will……」


    When she saw the young man ce his hand on his chest and nod, the youngdy once again turned her gaze forward.


    A broad blue without a single cloud.


    The youngdy……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 be 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 passing 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 ck 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.