Chapter 47
On the whale's back, larger and wider than most islands, various huge geographical features were situated.
Among them was a rocky mountain that rose steeply as if piercing the sky. Some monster birds flew around building nests and living there.
In one nest, three huge baby birds huddled together. Larger than humans, they repeatedly chirped their beaks waiting for the mother bird to bring food.
Food was delivered again today. The mother bird quickly left to be busy all day thanks to finding Sky Island as a new hunting ground, but the baby birds weren't disappointed. They were too busy pecking at the strange pink prey.
The baby birds surrounding the pink prey moved their beaks frantically.
Peep, peep, peep!
"Uwaa!"
Giant beaks pecked at Pastel. Her pink hair was messed up and tangled randomly.
"Don't bully me~!"
Pastel flailed her arms tearfully.
Beaks poked her head poke poke.
Uwaa.
"Just look, don't eat!"
The fluffy baby birds stopped pecking. Then they tilted their heads with bodies as big as Pastel. Though huge, they were like chicks.
"Huah."
The disheveled Pastel fixed her clothes and hair. After looking around at the giant baby birds surrounding her, she flapped her arms.
"Now you understand?! Pastel isn't food! I'm clearly an intelligent being!"
―Peep?
A baby bird tilted its head.
Finally understanding?
Phew, thank goodness.
The baby bird moved its beak. The beak pecked at Pastel. The other baby birds joined in.
Peep, peep, peep!
Uwaa!
Pastel flailed surrounded. Her newly fixed hair was messed up again.
Feels like I've really become a cherry blossom tree...!
Save Pastel~!
Pastel with a magpie nest head panicked and fled to a corner of the nest. When the baby birds chased, she drew her sword and pointed it.
"If you keep this up I won't stay still! I'll call hormone friend!"
Hormone friend ready?
The fluffy baby birds paused.
The lead baby bird tilted its head.
―Pee~?
Pastel flinched.
Uwat, cute.
The sword tip wavered.
Waver waver waver.
"Y-you understand? If you keep this up fierce Pastel will arrive. A Pastel who doesn't even consider you cute!"
Pastel made her fiercest expression with all her might.
"Graar-!"
Totally scary.
Terror that makes the world tremble.
―Peep.
A baby bird slowly approached. Its careful movements conveyed an apologetic attitude.
Pastel's expression brightened.
Did my sincerity finally get through?
Friendliness that works even on animals that can't communicate.
Is this popular Pastel?
The three baby birds surrounded Pastel.
―Peep!
When one cried out, all their beaks moved at once.
Peep, peep, peep!
The beaks pecked at Pastel.
Uwaak!
Unable to bring herself to swing her sword, Pastel flailed. Her pink hair was randomly plucked out.
Save Pastel~!
#
Pastel sat exhausted on the edge of the nest. In her hand were a few strands of plucked out hair. The pink threads swayed in the wind.
"Is this the life of a popular person..."
Sniff.
A calm voice was heard.
『It's the life of a castaway.』
Wow, a zero empathy answer.
After several rounds of difficult conversation and flailing, she was finally able to gain recognition as not being food.
She made baby bird friends.
It was really hard.
Is making friends normally this difficult? Do gloomy people like demon live this kind of life?
Huah.
How do they live like that?
Respect.
Pastel swung her legs while sitting on the edge of the nest.
The nest was on a dizzying slope close to vertical. The colorful rocky mountain was visible below. Beyond the white rocky mountain spread a dense forest.
"Is this on the whale's back? It just looks like land?"
『It's easier to think of it as an island.』
Heeh.
I'll really become a castaway.
"Should I have immediately caught the monster bird and returned to the airship instead of being obediently swallowed?"
Since they're not man-eating monster birds and just mistook me for food, I hesitated to kill them and was obediently caught, but...
―Pee?
A baby bird turned around.
Pastel flailed her arms in panic.
"It's nothing, baby bird friends!"
I didn't have any wicked thoughts about how I should have killed your parents!
If I did, it was bad hormone friend who thought it!
Nod nod.
『Though it would be a very dangerous castaway situation for an ordinary girl, there's no big problem for you. You have good stamina and food isn't an immediate issue since you consume magic stones anyway. You just need to quickly move to where there are traces of civilization.』
Pastel put her hand to her eyebrow. She narrowed her eyes as if examining the scenery.
Rock rock, forest forest.
"I don't see any traces of civilization?"
『You'll find them soon if you go. Though it looks like pure nature, this place has been touched by humans for quite a long time.』
"Really?"
It doesn't look like it at all.
『Before long-distance airship navigation technology developed, Sky Island was a holy land for the demon race. It was possible because they visited Sky Island riding this very whale. People have been coming and going here for at least several hundred years.』
"Then does demon perhaps know the geography of this place?"
『That's right.』
"Wow!"
Pastel with demon navigation won't become a castaway.
Pastel hummed then stood up from the edge of the nest. She turned to look at the baby birds.
"Baby bird friends!"
―Pee?
The fluffy baby birds looked at her.
Pastel made a regretful expression. She put her hands on her sides.
"Though the time we spent together was short, the depth of our emotions was deeper than any relationship."
As deep as the number of plucked pink hairs.
"But all karmic connections have their beginnings and ends. Now we've reached the time for us to part."
Pastel wiped her eyes.
"Don't be sad, friends."
―Peep.
The baby birds stared blankly then ignored her and did their own thing. They poked and groomed the nest with their beaks. It looked a million times more important than seeing off a departing friend.
A baby bird mixed pink threads from who knows where into the nest. Pink threads decorated the nest made of wood and straw.
The pink threads swayed in the wind.
Pastel's mouth fell open.
Uwaa.
My hair...!
They're decorating their home with my hair...!
You call yourselves friends after doing this?!
Pastel was shocked then barely regained her senses. Maybe baby birds had a culture of plucking departing friends' hair for decoration.
She did her best to look away from the hair.
"A-anyway it's time to part. If you have nothing else to say, I'll be going now, bye."
Pastel honestly didn't expect a send-off.
These guys don't seem like friends.
But whether plucking hair for decoration was just cultural or not, the baby birds approached as if seeing her off.
―Peep! Peep!
It was urgent movement and pitiful crying.
The fluffy baby birds gathered around.
Oing.
Such a heartfelt send-off?
Pastel choked up.
It really was just a misunderstanding from cultural differences!
We really were friends!
Moved.
Pastel looked around at the baby birds clinging pitifully.
Then she noticed some quadrupedal beasts approaching on the rocky path on the other side of the nest.
Jaguars with sleek bodies skillfully climbed the rocky mountain toward the nest. Yellow eyes stared and white fangs were bared. Saliva dripped from the fangs.
―Peep! Peeep!
The baby birds cried pitifully. They grabbed Pastel's clothes with their beaks and pulled.
Pastel was dragged along bewildered. Beaks pushed her back. The girl was pushed to block between the baby birds and jaguar pack.
―Peeep!
The baby birds cried pitifully looking at Pastel.
Pastel turned her head with a dumbfounded face. She looked at the pink hair decorating the nest, then the fierce jaguar pack, then back at the baby birds.
―Peeep!
The baby birds cried pitifully.
You guys are a bit lacking in conscience...
The lead jaguar bared its teeth. The jaguars jumped into the nest.
Hut.
Pastel drew her sword for the baby birds who seemed like they would have gone extinct long ago if not for looking cute.
"Jaguar friends, let's talk-"
A jaguar pounced.
The girl stepped half a step sideways. The beast's form brushed past and the sword blade flashed. The beast was cut and blood sprayed.
The jaguar pack attacked simultaneously. Knives flew from her chest. Silver trajectories pierced the jaguars pouncing on the girl and baby birds. Blood streamed from pierced heads and forms collapsed. The corpses made sounds.
Pastel dusted off her hands. She shook the blood off the knives in the air and put them in her chest.
She put her hands on her sides and turned to the baby birds.
"You guys! Now you know a friend's value?"
Ahem.
The fluffy baby birds approached. Then they just pushed past Pastel.
Squish, huk!
Thud.
The baby birds picked up the jaguar corpses with their beaks and threw them out of the nest.
Whoosh whoosh.
The fallen Pastel made a tearful face.
"Aren't you guys being too much?!"
Those bad kids would have gone extinct long ago if not for looking cute!
Hormone friend would have taught them a lesson!
A baby bird approached. It roughly pushed Pastel aside then threw away a nearby jaguar corpse.
Pastel fell again and became more tearful.
Uwang.
"Demon! Please scold them! They're bad kids! Totally bad kids!"
The girl peeped.
It was crying that would have gone extinct long ago if not for being cute.
『Hah.』
The demon muttered as if feeling somewhat self-loathing.
『Why am I doing this?』
#
After parting with the bad kids, Pastel descended the rocky mountain and ran through the forest.
When undergrowth blocked the way, sword blades flashed. A path opened and a pink form sprinted. When rocks blocked the way, jump sounds rang out. Pink hair fluttered and her body rotated. She spun in the air then landed lightly and kicked off the ground.
She walked streams and cut down beasts.
Before long she found traces of people.
The girl found shoe prints in mud and swung her sword once. The beast blood on the blade was shaken off.
『The castaway situation is over. You can just join up like this.』
"I suppose so."
Marquis Craft vaguely agreed with a subtle expression.
『Why?』
"No, just..."
Since I was stranded anyway, is there really a need to join up through the regular route?
Wouldn't it be more effective to pop out somewhere completely different from the original airship entry route and secretly examine areas the trading companies aren't prepared for?
Marquis Craft smiled deliberately.
"Since it's come to this, let's conduct a secret audit instead of joining up!"
『Audit? You were seriously planning to do it rather than just making an excuse for sky whale harvesting?』
The demon was puzzled.
"Come on, demon. How many positions do I hold to only pursue personal gain?"
Even if it's survival corruption.
『Positions come with responsibilities, that's an excellent thought. Coincidentally, sky whales are a lawless area so there's plenty of need for auditing with various illegal acts being committed.』
"That's right."
Vaguely agreeing, she bent down and spread mud. Then she poured it over her pink hair. The mud covered the pink color.
『Young Craft?』
She thoroughly dirtied the color. The white and pink-tinged fabric was stained with dull colors.
"Shall we start by examining the largest Fregie Trading Company first? I look forward to how many violations there will be."
Whether they're the cult's pawns or whatever, just catch one.
It didn't matter even if there were only traces and circumstantial evidence left after hiding and manipulating.
Because charges can be applied as needed.
Marquis Craft began the secret audit.