Chapter 87
"Mother whale at the edge of visible range ahead!"
A sailor looking through binoculars shouted. Personnel like the veterinarian caring for the pink baby whale simultaneously looked far beyond.
A noticeable pink pink sky whale was swimming amidst scenery where clouds spread like white paint on a blue canvas. As the enormous body swam, clouds scattered just from the shockwaves.
Same species.
Obviously a parent to anyone looking.
Pastel trembled tremble tremble.
Uwaa.
Mother whale.
Fluffy fluffy whale whale.
Huk.
Fluffy fluffy is making whale whale sounds?!
A completely sky-falling event!
Rumble boom boom!
Uwaa!
But separate from her confused heart, she commanded as calmly as possible since she was the person in overall charge.
"Everyone calm down! Just follow the plan! Stop navigation! Stand by at your positions! Professor, where's the whale research ship?"
"It's over there!"
A department airship painted in white and blue camouflage was observing the sky whale while maintaining an appropriate distance.
"It's further than usual. Seems the mother whale is in a more ferocious state than expected."
Uwee, bad news.
"But it'll be fine! It's within expected range!"
Though this was Sky Island's legal airspace, it was quite far from human residential areas.
There's almost no possibility the naturally gentle sky whale would ignore the baby whale it brought and needlessly fly to distant Sky Island to vent anger on innocent people.
Pastel alternately looked at the baby whale sprawled on deck receiving grilled shrimp and the mother whale angrily breaking clouds.
Somehow neither is reacting.
It was a fact acknowledged by relevant department professors including demon that parent and child could communicate from when the baby whale was trapped in the iron container. They even verified by examining the iron container's magic circles.
The mother whale wasn't unable to rescue, but not rescuing.
If the baby whale was really in mortal danger it would be different, but sky whales are cheating animals from birth so they don't die just from starving and cracked skin.
Even so, it's perplexing there's no change when they've come right in front of each other.
Are you originally such a cold family relationship?
It's exactly like our family where dad sold even one family asset and ran away.
Pastel approached the baby whale lying down.
"How's its condition?"
The veterinarian marveled while rubbing the whale's pink skin.
"It's fine. I've never cared for a sky whale so I just referenced cases, but I didn't know it would have this much recovery power. To think its body recovered from just eating a few magic stones."
Though we flew right after rescuing it, the baby whale really became perfectly healthy without a single wound in that time.
『Sky whales are certainly amazing. I heard they can become giant adults just by absorbing atmospheric demon energy in a relatively very small baby state, but to think it would recover so quickly even if fed magic stones.』
Heeh.
The baby whale stretched out its long pink tongue pointing at grilled shrimp. An upperclassman who came as a worker poured a basket of shrimp into its mouth.
Gush.
Munch munch.
It certainly looks super fine.
"I'm glad you're better!"
Pastel whose tension slightly loosened picked up grilled shrimp from another basket.
The baby whale rolled its eyes and glanced. Then it quickly munched its mouth as if to hurry and eat to receive more.
Munch munch munch munch.
Pastel peeled the grilled shrimp shell and sprinkled tok tok magic stone powder. She bit into the large shrimp in one mouthful.
Nom.
The plain flesh filled her mouth. Though there was no salt seasoning at all, the subtle umami was excellent.
Huk.
Delicious!
The baby whale's eyes widened. It stopped munching and stared intently at Pastel.
It was an expression like a cat shocked seeing its butler eating cat food.
Pastel's eyes went round along with it. She hurriedly ate and swallowed the shrimp.
"Whale friend, what's wrong? Do you have something to tell me? Maybe maybe family matters. Like why your relationship with your parents became like this."
Realizing it was quite a rude question after speaking, she quickly shook her head.
"I'm not curious!"
Meow!
The baby whale didn't answer. As if the shock of seeing a human eat feed passed, it just pointed at the next basket with its tongue.
Gush.
Munch munch.
Eeyee.
Glutton, glutton.
『Why are you trying to converse with a whale. Whales don't know how to speak human language.』
But but I communicated just fine with the baby birds I met on the sky whale's back!
『If you really want to talk, ask questions possible to answer in short responses. Though it differs by individual, they should be able to understand human will depending on the case.』
Huk.
Is demon a genius?
First easy questions.
"Whale friend! I'll ask questions so answer! You can answer by moving your wing fins!"
She pointed at the pink wing fins with her finger.
"If you understand, flap flap!"
The baby whale glanced.
Silence fell.
Ah.
Does it not know what flap flap means?
"Spread both arms and like this like this."
Pastel personally demonstrated flap flap.
"Flap flap flap flap."
The baby whale blankly looked at the pink girl flapping enthusiastically.
After quietly watching the strange behavior, it stuck out its tongue.
Ah, tongue communication?
Is that more comfortable from a whale's perspective?
The tongue pointed at the shrimp basket.
It was urging to hurry and give food, never mind that.
Uwang!
Pastel who was ignored made a tearful face.
Bad whale!
Totally bad whale!
I believed you were my friend!
Sniff.
She muttered dejectedly.
"At this condition, we can take it straight to the mother whale without aerial treatment as originally planned..."
Surrounding people watching were startled. They seemed to regain their senses after being confused by Marquis Your Excellency's eccentricity.
"Yes yes! That's right."
"Let's send it back right away. Though it looks extremely comfortable being here, it'll be better under the mother whale."
The baby whale flinched.
It was a surprised expression, but slightly sulky Pastel didn't bother asking.
It's probably an expression protesting that the shrimp shell it was eating wasn't peeled properly anyway.
They executed the plan to take the baby whale. They turned the department's whale research ship to remove it from the scene and rechecked the baby whale's condition.
"It really doesn't have a single injury!"
"Good!"
Pastel put the white broom between her legs. She had the craftsman ride the airship and repair the broom in the meantime.
Authority figure Pastel, competent.
"Up up broom!"
Bwoong~
The broom floated up. As the rope connected to the broom end rose, the baby whale tied to the rope was pulled.
It wasn't tightly bound, but a rope tied to pull. The original plan was a scenario of the treated baby whale flying to its parent on its own, but it seemed to have no intention of going so they're forcibly moving it.
The pink baby whale clung splat to the deck floor and resisted. The rope became taut.
Stubborn attitude.
Oing.
"What's wrong? Are you perhaps unable to fly because your insides are injured?"
Is it injured in a place difficult to examine?
Duchess Elsior approached the whale curiously.
"It flew briefly earlier to eat shrimp. Like changing to a comfortable eating posture."
"Really?"
Pastel tilted her head. She raised the broom output a bit more.
Then the resisting baby whale started flying reluctantly. Though its attitude was extremely unwilling to go, it moved anyway.
Pastel finally examined the magic stone sack to use as broom fuel in emergencies.
No problems.
She tightly gripped the broom handle with trembling hands.
She looked down at the people on deck with a calm expression.
"When I fly, turn the airship to the designated position. And prepare to flee anytime."
"Yes!"
She met gazes with a mid-level professor.
"If by any chance I die, please take command. And give my regards to Professor Horace."
"...Yes, Your Excellency."
The professor nodded with a complex face.
Pastel turned to the mother whale still venting anger breaking clouds.
"I'm going!"
She raised the broom output. The baby whale flew along reluctantly. As the airship also turned, the deck quickly receded.
The wide open sky welcomed her. Wind gusted making pink hair flutter.
"No problems!"
Except for the fact that I might die alone from anger venting if I make a mistake.
"Uwaang!"
As there were no more people watching, Pastel abandoned responsible mode and made a tearful face to her heart's content.
"Life, my life...!"
Her body trembled tremble tremble.
If the whale friend flew on its own, there'd be no need to risk taking it!
But but it's too much to force such a thing on the victim!
The demon snickered.
『Young Craft, you can be proud. As you said, now that you have money and power, it would have been enough to order others, but you didn't.』
It was a voice like recent worries were relieved.
Actually Pastel wasn't happy at all with demon's words.
"I want to do that right now!"
Someone please do it instead!
『But you didn't. That's how it is.』
Uwaa!
Why did I do that! Why did I do that!
If I just lifted a finger, several people would ride an airship and take the baby whale!
Surely surely has Pastel really become a fool?
Surely surely is foolish foolish Pastel now an established fact?!
Is that it?!
Is that it?!
Uwaa!
At this rate it's foolish foolish foolish Pastel!
Beyond help!
The broom sped rapidly.
As they approached considerably, the mother whale breaking clouds by striking with tail fin shockwaves stopped its behavior. Though far away, whale eyes large enough to be visible stared blankly.
Pastel's spine chilled shiver.
"A-a-are you the parent? Of whale friend."
She swallowed dryly.
"I wonder if my voice can be heard from this distance~"
Ahaha...
The mother whale moved its enormous body. As it approached, the atmosphere was pushed away creating gale winds.
Pastel could barely open her eyes in the intense headwind.
"Don't do this! Don't do this!"
I don't want to die...!
She trembled tremble tremble gripping the broom.
Meanwhile the demon calmly examined the situation.
『Hmm. Its gaze isn't directed at you. Not at the airship or Sky Island direction either.』
The demon was interested.
『Oh, I see. Look carefully at the whale's eyes. Don't you feel parental anger?』
"I feel it! I feel it!"
Demon's attitude enjoying alone not matching the situation!
But Pastel who listens well at times like this examined the still distant mother whale.
Though the atmosphere was murderous, as demon said, somehow it didn't seem like killing intent directed at Pastel.
Oing.
What's going on?
"Whale friend! Do you know what's going on..."
Pastel who turned around opened her mouth.
The baby whale was fleeing at full speed as if it knew this would happen. The wing fins that didn't even flap flap were flapping violently and the tail fin was undulating at light speed.
Oiing.
Why are you running away?
One thought flashed.
"D-don't tell me you ran away from home?!"
Was it reluctant because it's a runaway teenager who didn't want to go home?!
Even though they can communicate over ultra-long distances, the mother whale didn't rescue until now because it meant go suffer a bit after leaving home?!
But actually the runaway child was properly rescued and just eating shrimp with a good life so she couldn't calm her anger?!
Suddenly intense light covered the world. The light breath fired by the mother whale deliberately missed Pastel and aimed at the baby whale.
Roars and gale winds raged. The aftermath hit Pastel. The broom caught in the gale winds spun frantically.
"Uwaang!"
A shrimp's back bursts in a whale fight!
Save the shrimp...!