Chapter 49
The airship of the suspicious mercenary group arrived in a deep, secluded mountain area. An artificial clearing covered in temporary tents came into view.
When the faint campfires of the clearing entered her sight, Pastel moved. She pulled out the sword she had been dangling from and leaped towards a tall tree on the ground.
Safe landing~!
The trees rapidly drew closer. Her feet touched a tree. Large branches swayed.
Uwak.
As she endured while maintaining balance, the tree gradually stabilized.
Pastel brushed off twigs and leaves from her body and poked her head out between branches.
The airship continued flying and landed on an airship landing pad prepared at one end of the clearing. Armed mercenary members came out from the clearing's tents to greet the airship.
"Totally suspicious, right?"
Unidentified beings flying at an inconspicuous low altitude to arrive at a hidden retreat?
It would be disappointing if there wasn't something going on.
『Though suspicious, since it's trading company business it could be an organization for tax evasion. It's common to reduce the organization on paper and hide some of the harvest to pay less taxes.』
"No no."
Pastel shook her head and made a serious expression.
"The king of tax evasion is smuggling, right? As someone qualified to be called the king of kings, I can tell that's not tax evasion! I don't smell money at all!"
She took a deep breath. The clear air unique to mountains was sensed.
"Rather, this is the scent of wicked crime!"
Clear air = Somehow wicked scent
Uwaa, totally wicked.
It's obvious there must be crimes hidden that even smuggler Pastel couldn't imagine.
The demon was dumbfounded.
『I don't know how to respond. More importantly, don't proudly introduce your smuggling experience. Just when did you start calling yourself king of kings?』
Pastel let the nagging go in one ear and out the other as she headed to the edge of a branch. She hopped and moved to the opposite tree. She repeated this several times moving toward the clearing.
Hop hop.
Rabbit Pastel...!
When she got close to the clearing, she stopped moving and gathered branches. After amply covering herself with leaves, she examined the somehow ominous clearing.
Besides the lined up temporary lodging tents, monster birds tied with leashes or caged occupied one side of the clearing.
The caged monster birds were fierce, but the leashed monster birds curled up and slept without much fuss.
『Hooh, they tamed them. How did they do it? Only ancient demon races who visited Sky Island's holy land riding sky whales for generations should know how.』
"Demon race?"
Pastel tilted her head.
"Are those suspicious people demon race?"
Their ears that should be slightly pointed like Ellie's are ordinary.
『The personnel visible right now aren't, but judging by how they tamed monster birds, some must be demon race or have a cooperative relationship with demon race. Monster bird breeding is that rare a skill.』
A suspicious group possessing rare skills?
Eeng, really totally suspicious.
"As the king of tax evasion, I evaluate that those people are absolutely not there for tax evasion! Honest tax evaders would never act like that! I know!"
『I really don't know how to respond.』
"It means there's a very suspicious conspiracy! This won't do! Let's carefully infiltrate!"
Pastel jumped down from the tall tree branch. She landed on a branch midway then hopped to the ground. Her pink hair stretched long then the girl landed lightly.
She moved quickly while hiding in undergrowth and shadows. She hid her body behind a tree right next to the clearing.
She whispered very softly.
"The monster birds will bark if I get close, right?"
『Hmm.』
The demon spoke calmly.
『Birds aren't dogs.』
I see.
Pastel seriously accepted it then paused.
Ing, was I just treated like a fool?
Did I become foolish Pastel...?!
Uwaa?!
『Though they will become noisy. Approach cautiously being careful not to get too close to monster birds that aren't asleep.』
Though Pastel became very suspicious at the usual voice as if not treating her like a fool at all, she didn't particularly question it.
She glanced at the magic sword meoong~ then infiltrated the clearing.
She moved carefully or quickly using the monster bird cages as blind spots. She planned to get close enough to hear the conversation of two people who seemed to be monster bird supervisors. If she eavesdropped on their conversation, wouldn't she be able to tell what kind of group they were?
But perhaps because it was conversation next to sleeping monster birds, their voices were small so she couldn't hear the conversation even when approaching considerably.
Pastel approached as close to a nearby cage as possible without being discovered, then hid using the monster bird as a blind spot before listening carefully.
I can't hear...
This makes it difficult to determine if they're really a bad group or not.
I can imagine hormone friend going hiiing~ in disappointment.
She firmly declared in her imagination.
Don't be disappointed!
What if you kill an innocent person!
No no, no!
Hiiing~
Still no!
The world is cold and ruthless!
I can't give you everything just because you throw a tantrum!
Ahem.
After firmly suppressing hormone friend, she tapped the magic sword.
Demon, demon can't you hear anything?
Like wicked evidence that would make hormone friend go kraaang-!
If even the demon doesn't know, she'll have to infiltrate the airship or noticeably approach the tents.
『Though it might be my imagination, didn't we see those young birds a few days ago? The nest you were carried to.』
That's not what I asked~
The telepathy didn't work at all.
Pastel turned her head slightly grumpily. It was toward where the demon indicated.
A familiar sight was visible in a cage about two cages away.
It was three baby birds with beaks locked by leather muzzles woven with chains. The baby birds about Pastel's height sent round-eyed gazes. They looked like giant chicks.
Oing.
Pastel's eyes went round. She opened her mouth in a triangle along with the baby birds and met their gaze.
Silence fell.
She subtly checked the supervisors then crossed the cages. When she reached in front of the baby bird cage, the baby birds looked at her pitifully.
Why are you guys here?
What about your nest? Mother bird?
A baby bird tried to open its beak as if to answer but the leather muzzle woven with chains was tight.
Only a suppressed cry came out.
―Peep...
A pitiful gaze came.
Pastel's heart stung.
How did you end up like this?
You were in a cozy nest just days ago!
We even made good memories when I was stranded...
Faint memories came to mind.
Being suddenly carried off going uwang~! by the mother bird from the airship deck.
Falling into the nest and being surrounded by three baby birds pecking with their beaks.
Becoming friends after resolving the misunderstanding, but having pink hair plucked and decorated in the nest instead of being sent off.
When a jaguar pack came, being asked for help and driving them away only to immediately become old news.
Eeng?
They're all bad memories?!
Pastel was shocked then her expression instantly became subtle.
We're not friends, are we?
Even popular Pastel is clearly someone who can get angry.
Like a celebrity who's firm with paparazzi and stalkers.
Perhaps sensing her suddenly changed mood, the baby birds cried piyo piyo with their suppressed beaks. Then they avoided her gaze as if intimidated and shrank down.
Pastel crossed her arms and sighed deeply.
Is this what it feels like to see troublemakers in crisis?
A calm voice was heard.
『It's coming.』
What?
I was definitely carried off by a bird after hearing that sound from demon...
Pastel startled and looked at the sky, but of course it wasn't a bird. Human footsteps and conversation were heard.
"How are we supposed to move all this before sunrise."
"Guess we're not sleeping today."
Uwaa?
They're coming, coming~
Pastel frantically looked for a hiding place. There was nowhere suitable in the area of cages just holding monster birds.
Uwaat!
Super crisis!
Major crisis!
Super major crisis!
A baby bird looked at her.
―Peep!
The baby birds waddled and made space inside the cage. It was a blind spot surrounded by fluffy baby birds.
Oing.
Pastel's eyes went round.
Could you guys...?
―Peep!
A baby bird's eyes shone.
Baby bird friends...!
Moved!
Pastel jumped into the cage. The monster bird iron bars were ample for a girl to enter.
When she settled in between the gaps of the three baby birds, the birds waddled to completely surround her. Feathers that weren't quite feathers yet wrapped around the girl softly and fluffily.
However, it was a bit excessive so Pastel was almost crushed.
Uwak!
Compressed Pastel...!
Footsteps approached right in front of the cage.
Uwaa.
Tremble tremble tremble.
"Didn't these guys just cry? Did their beaks come loose?"
"If their beaks were loose, would our ears be intact?"
Oing.
They showed no sign of noticing the surrounded girl.
Is this the triangle position?!
It's the triangle of friendship...!
Pastel overcame the situation with the power of friendship.
Oh yeah.
Though it was a perfect result, the situation didn't completely improve.
The two people stopped in front of the cage and continued conversing. It was trivial chatter about the number of cages to move or how excessive the workload was having to deal with this at night.
Moving at night?
Anyone would find it suspicious.
But I still don't know what kind of group they are~
After a while the two people's conversation ended, but the situation still didn't improve at all.
As if the talk of moving was true, people bustled around the cages and began work. The cages were moved one by one making noise.
The baby bird cage was the same. They pushed it out on wheels under the cage then tied ropes and lifted it with something like a crane.
Uwee?
Pastel felt floating and opened her eyes wide.
What's happening?
The cage was lowered onto the airship deck with a dull noise. People approached.
―Peep! Peep!
The baby birds cried pitifully.
"Shut up!"
The cage was kicked. The baby bird cage shook and became noisy.
Uwak.
"Put the babies in the hold in case they cry and the mother comes flying!"
The cage was pushed. The cage wheels made a long noise passing the deck and moving into the airship interior.
Oing.
When they entered storage, darkness came. The storage noisily opened and closed repeatedly, then after a few hours or so it became quiet.
A floating sensation came as if the airship was taking off then settled. It was a sign of starting flight.
Pastel examined the atmosphere then subtly poked her head out from between the baby birds. A dark storage room was visible. No one was there.
Oiing.
She came completely out of the cage and looked around.
Is there really no one?
She raised both arms high.
Pastel, infiltration success!
A trumpet sounded in her imagination.
Ta-da~!
Pastel danced toonchi toonchi then spun around once. Then she covered her mouth and was shocked alone.
To think it would be this easy!
Could I be an infiltration genius?
Huk.
I was an infiltration genius...!
Amazing fact!