Chapter 90
"The ruins are in Sky Island's belly."
Pastel held a Sky Island-shaped toy and tapped the bottom part tok tok.
The discovered ruins existed beyond Sky Island's underground, at the very bottom. Rather than digging down from the ground, you have to ride an airship to fly under Sky Island, find the entrance on the ground floor, then enter.
It was a headache-inducing location that made it understandable why it wasn't discovered until now, given Sky Island's enormous width.
"It verified a possibility only heard in words."
Melissa, second place in written exams, smiled.
"Exploration of Sky Island's underside wasn't done until now because the expected results were too small compared to the cost. The academy that had no new students last year ended up with a lot of leftover budget, so we could finally explore. Though the actual exploration was done this year."
"Ah Melissa!"
Pastel brightened.
"Do you perhaps have a very great interest in these ruins?"
Can I perhaps leave ruins exploration to Melissa and just lala la?
"What? Not particularly. It's an area I studied to become first in written exams for the entrance exam. I thought it could come out as a question since it's Sky Island's latest situation."
"Aha! You worked hard! But I was first in written exams!"
Ahem.
Melissa paused then stared blankly.
Then she became slightly dejected.
"My effort was lacking..."
Elsior opened the steering room door and entered.
"Food check is done. Can we depart now?"
"Yes! Everyone to your positions!"
"Positions?"
Melissa was flustered then carefully sat in an appropriate assistant's chair. Elsior did the same.
"That's it!"
Pastel hurriedly ran to the front of the steering wheel. She grabbed the wooden steering wheel and raised one arm high.
"Captain Pastel! I declare departure!"
She turned the steering wheel with all her might.
"Depart! Depart! Depart!"
The steering wheel spun spin spin.
"Depart! Depart!"
Pastel turned it hard then became puzzled.
Why isn't the airship moving?
Could this be that?
Huhu.
Only those qualified can move me.
You're not a captain yet!
Huk, how could this be.
I wasn't a captain yet?!
Pastel's mouth fell open in shock.
『...The steering wheel is for emergencies. It's usually decoration. You have to operate the control device in front of it to move.』
Huk, that's right.
That's how it was.
She felt strange gazes from the two girls.
"Hehe."
Pastel twisted her body embarrassedly. She needlessly turned the steering wheel once more then walked to the control device and took her position again.
『First pull the lever on the right.』
Okay.
Pastel was about to pull then paused. She looked back at the steering wheel then examined the latest control device composed of gears and magic circles.
Eeng.
Somehow it seems too new.
This isn't the super duper navigation feeling I wanted.
She pondered then had a realization.
"Melissa! No! This doesn't suit gentle Melissa!"
"What?"
She turned her head.
"Elsior! Go to the front of the steering wheel! It's a very important job! Very very important job!"
Quickly quickly!
When she urged waving her hands, positions quickly changed. Elsior looked puzzled in front of the steering wheel.
"What's so important?"
Pastel pointed at the steering wheel chuk.
"Turn it."
Nod nod.
Elsior looked at the steering wheel then rotated it once. The wooden steering wheel spun spin then stopped.
"Keep going! Keep going!"
"Keep going...?"
Elsior kept turning the steering wheel.
Spin spin spin spin.
This is it!
Pastel was extremely satisfied.
"Why am I turning this?"
"It makes me feel good!"
Assa assa.
Elsior kept turning while tilting her head.
"Not really."
Huk.
How could this be.
She looked at the steering wheel with trembling eyes.
"Steering wheel friend, I'm sorry! To think Elsior doesn't feel good even turning you hard! She didn't mean you're a useless decorative waste of budget and she's only sorry to the wood!"
"I didn't say that much."
Elsior was perplexed.
"Poor steering wheel! Hurry and apologize as a friend!"
Apologize! Apologize!
Elsior was dazed.
The steering wheel stopped.
The silver-haired girl hesitated then muttered while patting steering wheel friend.
"I'm sorry."
Melissa was dumbfounded.
"What are you two doing...?"
#
Pastel pulled the lever. The device's gears turned and started navigation preparations.
The navigation device's noise mixed with the sound of the continuously turning steering wheel behind.
Spin spin spin spin.
The navigation atmosphere was strong.
Melissa subtly stood up from the assistant's chair then approached.
"Do you really know how to operate an airship? I heard that though it looks easy since it's semi-automatic navigation, massive foundational knowledge is needed to avoid accidents. Wouldn't it be better to recruit a navigator even now?"
"Just trust the captain!"
Pastel put on an intelligent expression.
Then she tapped the magic sword at her waist with one hand.
Demon! Demon!
『If you follow properly, you should be able to navigate without problems. First examine the magic circles in front.』
Huhu.
I just need to listen well to demon~
An easier task than anything for Pastel who usually listens well.
『It may be hard to see since they're not arranged in a line, but I'll call the leftmost one Magic Circle 1. This airship has up to Magic Circle 11 in total.』
Oho oho
11 magic circles is easy.
I just need to use both hands and one more toe!
『Try lowering the left lever one notch. Well done. The arrangement of magic stone powder changed and the forms of 11 magic circles changed. But if you look closely, only the positions changed while the types of magic circles are the same.』
Okay.
Totally easy.
『The total number of these arrangements is 39,916,800. It's also the number of chain magic circles you need to consider.』
Uweh.
Suddenly too difficult.
Pastel examined the magic circle arrangement with trembling eyes.
To think there are 11 magic circles!
Why are there so many of you!
Then she glanced to the side.
The future archmage who already earnestly advised it was difficult sent a slightly expectant gaze.
As Pastel's expression became pitiful, the expectation gradually decreased then anxiety filled its place.
"Don't tell me you have no experience?"
Pastel put on an intelligent expression again.
"Just trust the captain!"
Melissa became more anxious.
"You've done this before, right?"
『Airship technology is somewhat unstable, so if you manipulate magic circles wrongly, navigation can stop midway. In the sky.』
Pastel put on a doubly intelligent expression.
"Just trust the captain...!"
Melissa's lips trembled.
"You're not doing this after just studying theory, right? I like studying theory too, but I know well you shouldn't overestimate practice with just knowledge. You know that well too, right...?"
"Of course!"
She tapped her chest thump thump.
"What kind of person do you think Pastel is!"
I didn't study theory either!
Melissa who couldn't hear her inner thoughts felt relieved.
"Well that's true. You're not someone who can't take care of yourself. I apologize for being rude."
"It's okay! It's okay! Broad-minded me will understand!"
Ahem.
Silence fell.
Melissa watched expectantly again.
Pastel was about to become pitiful then gathered her wits and put on a 100x more intelligent expression.
A whole 100x.
Then she hurriedly tapped the magic sword.
Demon! Demon!
Time passed clatter clatter.
Pwuru pwu ping ping pong pong~!
The airship rose smoothly.
Melissa marveled.
"As expected of you."
Smug smug overflow.
Fun atmosphere.
The silver-haired girl blankly kept turning the steering wheel.
Doubly fun atmosphere!
Spin spin spin spin.
#
They arrived at Sky Island's underside. The airship deck was covered in shadow and darkened.
"Uwaa!"
Pastel's mouth fell open.
Sky Island's underside wasn't excessively huge like a glacier. It looked like a glacier grabbed and pulled wide horizontally.
But instead of ice, soil piles and rocky ground mixed to precariously form the shape. Between some soil piles, unknown giant vine stems escaped and hung down.
"Uwaa!"
It's practically the academy's front yard but I never saw it until now!
Melissa looked up at Sky Island.
"We'll need to navigate more to the center for the ruins we're going to, but there will be many Knight Order patrols in this edge part. Is it okay to enter so openly?"
Her finger pointed at a docking area made by carving the underside rock.
"That place right there is probably Knight Order property too. It seems like a docking area made for military use during the demon realm conquest."
"There won't be Knight Order patrols on the route we're going! I'm saying I checked all the patrol routines!"
This is what it means to strike before the Knight Order fully develops hostility. If they were in a state of completely opposing the academy, they probably wouldn't have shown the patrol routines.
"Is that enough?"
Melissa was doubtful.
"The reason patrol details should be hidden is because hostile forces can dig into weak parts. By assassinating personnel in weak links. You're not thinking of assassinating Knight Order personnel, are you?"
A valid question from the southern warlord.
Pastel became triumphant.
"That's why the Knight Order is incompetent and suspicious! There are precisely gaps in the patrol routines! Though they take a lot of budget, there are patrol gaps that shouldn't originally exist all the way to the ruins!"
This must be a gap for spies with decision-making power to facilitate cult infiltration of the ruins.
Rather than the Knight Order itself cooperating, it's a state of spies just leaving back doors open and maintaining an incompetent state.
Perhaps their silence during the terrorism saying internal problems occurred was a conflict between the existing normal faction and spy faction.
It's also an internal problem very difficult to actually reveal even if the academy legitimately asks.
Nod nod.
The airship really navigated without obstacles. They were able to arrive at a temporary docking area prepared at the ruins, and one without a single person at that.
"Arrived!"
Now I should tell Elsior she can stop turning the steering wheel!
I left her alone wondering how long she'd keep going since she kept turning when I didn't tell her to stop, but I didn't know she'd really keep turning.
Surely she didn't think it was an order?
Nod nod!
There's no way between friends~!