Chapter 50
"The cult?"
『Yes.』
The demon who was examining items in the airship's storage dusted off his hands. His hands pointed at processed medicinal ingredients and powders in glass bottles.
『These are intermediate products of magic stone stimulants. They're maintained in a near-complete state considering ease of preservation and distribution. If you transport these as is and reprocess them, they become magic stone stimulants.』
Pastel's expression became serious.
"I thought they were a suspicious mercenary group but they're actually the suspicious cult."
She made a gesture of stabbing the air with her sword.
Stab stab stab!
She vowed with the loudest voice possible within whispering range:
"I don't know why they boarded the sky whale, but now that I've caught them I'll do my best to interfere!"
Judging by how they're capturing monster birds, the cult would be really happy if I release the captured monster bird friends, right?
Pastel walked to the baby bird cage.
"Baby bird friends!"
―Peep.
The baby birds looked up at her with round eyes.
"A very important mission has arisen for you!"
That's right, saving your kind!
"Can you do it well?"
Pastel had a deep conversation with the baby birds then released them from confinement. The bars were locked with a padlock but fortunately the key was placed nearby.
A difficulty level Pastel could easily open anytime, unlike the caged birds.
The baby birds spread their wings as if stretching. They cried out refreshingly with their freed beaks.
―Peep!
Pastel hurriedly put her index finger to her lips.
"Shh! Shh! It's an infiltration mission!"
As if understanding, the baby birds closed their beaks. Instead they swayed their bodies side to side waddling.
"That's right that's right!"
Pastel waddled along in response.
"It's an infiltration mission! You're smart, aren't you?"
Totally Pastel-level in intelligence ranking among baby birds!
―Peep?
Suddenly footsteps were heard from outside the storage room.
Uwa?
The startled Pastel turned to the demon. The demon changed into a sword and was grasped in her hand. She shoved the baby bird friends back into the cage then quickly hid between wooden boxes. Darkness subtly covered her body.
The door opened and light illuminated the deep storage room. A person's silhouette entered.
"Putting baby birds in the hold will obviously make them fierce, why put them here so troublesomely."
The cult member approached near the boxes where she was hiding.
Pastel gripped the sword tightly. Her heart pounded and her eyes spun.
Uwa uwa.
Is this a situation where I need to kill?
Murder with a sane mind?
Well yeah they're the cult, and if they discover the baby birds' cage is open there'll be an uproar immediately, and I should deal with it before then...
Hormone friend? This is a situation where you can rampage freely. Come out quickly.
Pastel gripped the sword tightly and prayed. But hormone friend didn't respond at all. If she really wanted to call it out, it seemed she'd need to break infiltration mode and throw herself into danger.
Uwaa.
It's troublesome if you come out like this~
Really troublesome!
Her heart beat violently. It felt like her heartbeat was shaking her light body. Her mind tangled and breathing quickened.
The cult member passed by the box where she was hiding. He went in front of the baby bird cage and reached out as if to move it but paused.
"Huh?"
A reaction to discovering the cage was open.
Pastel hesitated violently while gripping the sword then hurriedly looked around.
She found a rock pressing down a wooden lid. It was a suitable size to hold in one hand.
She grabbed the rock.
"Why is this open?"
She quickly pounced from behind.
Ancestors of the family!
I'm sorry for criticizing you as wicked all this time! Please bless this unworthy descendant just once!
She raised the rock high.
I will manifest your know-how and experience here!
The rock seemed to sparkle.
Traditional game passed down through generations in the Craft family!
Hitting the back of the head-!
"Heyah!"
The family's secret technique was implemented by the rightful successor. The elegantly moving rock accurately struck the back of the head. A heavy impact sound rang out.
"Ugh!"
A short death cry rang out and a few drops of blood splattered. The cult member collapsed with a thud.
Pastel breathed heavily while holding the bloodied rock. Her shoulders heaved with each inhale and exhale. Her heart beat relentlessly.
Hah hah.
Is this the Craft family's traditional game?
Blood drops flowed down the rock.
Pastel's pupils shook aimlessly. She looked down at the collapsed cult member. The member bleeding from his head didn't move at all.
"A-a-are you d-dead~?"
Uwaa.
Don't do this~!
Please live~!
Uwang!
A calm voice was heard.
『He's unconscious. You controlled your strength very well.』
Ah.
I see.
Pastel let out a sigh of relief. She rubbed her trembling body to calm down then examined the cult member again.
When she roughly shook the body to see if he was really not dead, the cult member opened his eyes as if coming to his senses.
"Uh, what..."
The cult member raised his upper body while pressing his head.
Pastel's eyes went round.
I didn't mean to wake him up!
Uwaa.
"Don't do this~!"
Pastel hit him with the rock again.
Thwack-!
"Ugh!"
The cult member collapsed again with a thud.
『No...』
The demon was flustered.
Pastel was surprised and hit him reflexively, but she was shocked looking at the collapsed cult member anyway. He didn't move at all like a corpse.
Uwang!
"A-a-are you d-dead?!"
Uwaa.
Don't do this~!
Please live~!
Tremble tremble tremble.
『...He's unconscious. Though he'll need a long recovery.』
Ah.
I see.
Phew.
Pastel stroked her chest. She slowly calmed her startled heart.
Then she looked back and forth between the not-corpse and the rock.
"Could this be a situation of obtaining a rare item...?"
『What are you talking about?』
Pastel looked at the rock then raised it high with both hands.
"Rock!"
The non-lethal weapon everyone wanted.
It's a means of dialogue for pacifists!
The rock friend spoke:
Rock: I don't kill anyone.
Reliable statement.
Pastel was filled with courage.
I feel like I can judge the cult even without hormone friend!
She pocketed the rock and saved the baby birds from the cage again.
"Baby bird friends! Pacifist Pastel is ready! Let's go save your kind!"
Aja aja!
#
Pastel carefully walked through the airship's interior. The baby birds followed in a line.
『The orthodox way to capture an airship is to seize control of navigation itself. You should go to the bridge.』
"I'll save the baby bird friends' kind first. If a fight breaks out they could get caught up in it while still caged."
Whisper whisper.
『Hmm, do as you please. You'll kill everyone when swept up by hormones anyway, so it doesn't matter if you seize the bridge or not.』
"What?"
Anyone listening would mistakenly think pink is a faded color from washing out bloodstains.
She sometimes avoided and sometimes knocked out cult members.
Rock friend!
"Ugh!"
"Ugh!"
"Ugh!"
Death cries rang out at every passage. For the people she knocked out, she completely restrained them by tying their clothes as the demon taught, then dragged them to hide in corners before moving on repeatedly.
Pastel eventually reached the deck. The sunset was visible. Night had passed and it was dawn.
Most cult members must have fallen asleep in their cabins after midnight cargo transport, as not many were visible so she could easily come out to the deck.
She carefully approached the few nodding off on deck and made them not-corpses one by one.
Tiptoe tiptoe.
Quickly quickly.
Craft family's traditional game!
Thwack-!
Thud.
Before she knew it, she was able to completely conquer the deck.
"Good!"
Pastel cheered.
For some reason it feels like hitting the back of the head suits me?
She opened the monster bird cages with keys obtained from knocking out cult members on deck.
The monster birds flew into the sky.
"Don't get caught again~!"
Pastel waved her hand and hummed.
She felt completely refreshed making the cult's hard-earned results into bubbles.
Uwa uwa, I might get addicted and my personality will worsen at this rate.
"Why did they capture and tame monster birds?"
『Though flight methods are necessary, monster birds are useful for places like ruins that are difficult for airships to enter. Since people can ride them.』
"Heeh."
Pastel looked at monster birds tied with leashes instead of cages. They were monster birds tamed by the cult. There were definitely saddles on their backs.
Uwang.
I want to ride one sometime.
"What should we do with these? Since they're cult property I'd like them to fly away freely."
They didn't particularly try to escape even when she untied their leashes.
『Just kill them.』
"Ah."
As expected.
She subtly looked back at the baby bird friends.
―Peep?
"Let's send these guys first! Can you fly? Are your wings too short to fly yet?"
A baby bird tilted its head.
"Can you flap flap?"
Pastel flapped both arms.
Flap flap.
A baby bird tilted its head more then met eyes with another baby bird before crying out long toward the sky.
―Peep-!
The sharp cry spread to the far sky.
The baby bird looked triumphantly.
Ing?
『It called its parents. No need to worry now.』
The baby birds became relaxed knowing their parents were coming.
Heeh.
Parents come with just one cry?
Pastel looked beyond the sky. Amidst the released monster birds flying away, a familiar monster bird came flying against the flow.
A huge bird shadow split the sunset.
They're really coming.
"How nice."
Pastel muttered softly then crossed her arms.
She turned to the baby birds smiling.
"I'm glad you weren't hurt! Don't get caught in bad places like this again since your parents worry!"
―Peep!
Two baby birds nodded.
"Three brothers? Three sisters? Anyway get along well with each other!"
Pastel paused while speaking.
Ing.
She counted the number of baby birds.
"One, two."
There were only two in total.
Oing.
"There were originally three of you!"
The two baby birds looked at each other then their beaks opened.
Shock.
"Demon, where did the remaining one go?! It seems one disappeared in the middle?!"
『Hmm, sorry. I didn't look properly since I wasn't very interested.』
Uwee?
Pastel looked around the deck but still couldn't find one.
Instead the airship slowly began accelerating. Then it gradually tilted upward and started ascending vertically.
"Eh eh?!"
Pastel grabbed the railing.
―Peeeyak!
The two baby birds fell.
Uwak!
"Kids!"
A huge bird instantly flew over and caught the baby birds.
Phew.
Pastel sighed in relief and clung to the railing.
The airship continued soaring into the sky tilted vertically. Pressure wrapped around her body. Clouds were pierced and cold water droplets swept over her skin.
"Was I discovered?!"
The demon was silent for a moment as if examining the situation.
『This isn't normal acceleration. This is engine malfunction. When the engine accelerated on its own, they adjusted the flight direction upward to avoid colliding with the ground. Did something happen in the engine room?』
"What?"
A series of explosion sounds rang out from inside the airship. The impact shook the airship.
The demon spoke calmly.
『Not good.』
"I know that too~!"
Pastel clung tightly to the railing in a panicked state. As explosions continued, the unabated impact gradually cracked the airship.
A large explosion occurred. The airship's cracks widened and it shattered into several large fragments. Dozens of cult members were revealed among the airship fragments.
The airship's rush stopped and a momentary feeling of floating came.
"We're under attack!"
Someone declared and gazes trying to grasp the cause wandered. Gazes immediately focused on the pink girl.
Uwee?
Pastel was dumbfounded while somehow still gripping the broken railing.
The floating ended and falling began.
All the airship debris began falling.
"Uwaa!"
Gravity pulled her body and wind whirled. Her white clothes and pink hair fluttered wildly.
Whistling sounds were heard. The tamed monster birds flew and caught cult personnel. Cult members skillfully mounted the monster birds' backs.
"Eliminate the intruder first!"
A group riding monster birds flew over.
Weapons and magic targeted the falling girl.
Uwaa.
Hormone friend!