Chapter 147
Pastel was able to choose the Demon World Airship after agonizing deliberation.
Actually, it wasn't an agonizing deliberation. Chancellor Horace had frugally saved up the academy budget and purchased a large warship befitting the protocol of the Governor-General.
"Woah! A warship!"
Like a civilian airship, the white warship modeled after a massive Sky Whale filled the docking bay all on its own, boasting a hull twice as high.
The size difference was so vast that the civilian airships and the warship felt like a pod of baby whales and a mother whale.
Aside from its magnificent size, there was a distinct difference from civilian airships. Originally, airships were made of wood, so the visible material was naturally wood. The colors might have been flashy depending on the dyeing, but wood was wood.
However, even at a glance, the outer shell of this warship was not wood. It had no wood grain, and its smooth, solid surface was a familiar material, if one could call it that.
Pastel stood at the edge of the Docking Bay and poked the side of the hull with a sword. The flashy His Imperial Majesty's Sword, a magic sword, poked it.
It made a ting, ting sound.
Not thud, thud, but ting, ting?
Gasp, a ting-ting friend!
"The Wooden Whale evolved into an Ironclad Whale…!"
An Ironclad Whale?
Woah!
Ironclad, ironclad!
So cooool!
Pastel pressed her cheek flat against the smooth, cold surface. The distinct chill of iron made her feel the cold of early winter.
"Woah! Woah!"
It felt like icicles would form on her cheek!
"Hahaha!"
Head Horace chuckled in satisfaction and slapped the warship with his palm.
"Wherever you go, you can ride this comfortably!"
It was somewhere between formal and informal speech, but that wasn't important. Pastel just wanted to be the junior of this wonderful Senior.
"Seniooor!"
She clasped her hands tightly together, her eyes sparkling.
Touched.
To think she could drag around such an incredibly expensive-looking warship without spending a single penny!
Is this what it feels like to have my own company car?!
"How did you know I liked things like this!"
"Isn't it a Senior's duty to take care of his or her junior!"
Head Horace laughed leisurely. It was an action that seemed to show off his relationship with the Governor-General to the employees who had come out.
Pastel shouted enthusiastically.
"This junior will live trusting only you, Senior!"
With this level of competence, it seemed fine to leave him as the Acting Governor-General of Sky Island and leave for the Demon Realm!
Following that judgment, Pastel packed her bags as soon as the schedule for the Demon Realm was set.
After handling urgent and important matters, consulting with the Kraft Merchant Guild, and finishing the personnel distribution, it was already departure day.
Lord Demon coming along was a given.
Since it was the Demon Realm, Princess Ellie was also a given.
As for Melissa…
"Wanna go on the business trip together?"
"I did want to visit the Demon Realm at least once to broaden my horizons. If not during my school days like now, it would be hard to find the time."
Then together, together!
Renard would naturally make his move.
Dustin was just Dustin!
Yep, yep!
Alcier had returned to the Ducal Family, so departure preparations were complete!
So now.
"Departure! Departure!"
Pastel shouted from the warship's deck.
The personnel who were former knights and had become craft merchants moved busily. The white warship flapped its fins and began to leave the docking bay.
Pastel hurriedly ran to the deck railing and waved both arms.
"Goodbye, friends! Even if you miss me, it won't be a long parting, so don't cry!"
The friends who came out to the Docking Bay for the seeing off waved their arms in return.
Among them, Dustin pointed at himself with a dumbfounded face, unable to grasp reality. It was a gesture asking if he was really the only one left behind, but it wasn't particularly important.
Perhaps Melissa thought the same, as she held onto the railing and watched the docking bay with sentimental eyes. Her golden hair rippled in the wind.
"This is almost my first time leaving the Empire."
Her words paused then continued.
"I feel a bit confused and excited. I wonder if this is the knightly training Mother used to talk about."
Oing.
Pastel replied while still waving both arms.
"Sky Island isn't the Empire either, you know?"
"Hmm. That's true, but..."
Melissa swept her earlobe with her finger. Her somewhat excessively fluttering side hair was neatly arranged.
As she did so, Melissa gave a light one-handed wave to the ladies who had come out for the Seeing Off. It was a level of composure completely different from Pastel's undignified waving of both arms.
Gasp, a total noble move.
There's a certain elegance to it.
I should do that too!
Pastel first swept her earlobe with her finger.
Her fluttering pink hair gathered and was about to be arranged, but the small pigtails tied as her hairstyle were nudged. The ribbon string tangled with her finger, got pulled, and smoothly untied.
Oing.
Pastel stared blankly down at the white string caught in her hand. At that moment, a gust of wind blew. Her untied hair whipped and slapped against her face.
"Waaaah!"
Save Pastel!
A skein of pink thread went into her mouth yum-yum.
"Waaaack!"
Pastel flailed and waved both hands around.
A massive bird's nest crisis!
Uwaaah!
"Lord Demon! Lord Demon!"
Save me…!
Melissa, who had plenty of experience getting hit by hair while standing next to Pastel, already took a step back to watch and looked dumbfounded.
"What are you doing…?"
The warship gradually moved away from the Docking Bay. By the time the people turned into dots and the buildings felt smaller than clouds, the seeing off greetings were over.
Phew.
"That was the greatest crisis in my life as a popular person."
Pastel lowered her arms with a slightly exhausted face. The hair tie that Melissa had hurriedly tied after blocking the wind with Magic swayed.
Bird's nest Pastel wasn't something she could show just anyone, but she almost showed it to everyone.
"I also worry every morning about whether it's okay to show my unkempt appearance to the maids, even though it's right not to worry about it."
Melissa covered her mouth and giggled.
"Why is it right not to worry?"
"Because that is their duty, and also my duty. It would be a bad thing to refuse just because I'm a little embarrassed."
"Heh."
I have absolutely no idea what she's talking about.
Trudge, trudge. She walked across the deck and headed into the ship interior.
Pastel listened closely to find where Lord Demon was, and realizing he was in the conference room with Ellie instead of the kitchen, she walked in that direction.
Lord Demon together with Ellie, huh.
I don't know what kind of combination this is.
I don't know since I haven't properly looked into the reasons, but from Demonkind's perspective, Lord Demon is a traitor…
Eee, eee.
"The train miniature you prepared is cute. It brings back joyful memories of when Mother taught me military science."
Melissa reached for the Conference Room door.
"Ah, wait a second."
Pastel stopped her and grabbed the doorknob herself. Without opening it, she carefully pressed her ear against the door. The quiet sounds of the interior could be heard.
Melissa gave her a peculiar look.
"What are you doing?"
Pastel hurriedly made a shushing gesture.
"To observe how those two are doing."
"observation, is it."
Pastel listened closely.
Using the Auditory Visualization that Lord Demon had taught her, she grasped the situation inside.
Lord Demon was sitting in a chair, reading a book.
Ellie was adjusting the railroad miniature on the table from a position not too far away.
No conversation?
It was a face-to-face meeting between the Demon Realm Princess and a demon realm traitor holding the title of Archdemon, yet there was no reaction.
But Ellie's actions in adjusting the miniature felt somewhat awkward, as if she was pointlessly making work for herself to lessen the awkward atmosphere despite having nothing to do.
I could know for sure if I saw it with my own eyes.
Pastel smoothed out her winter dress and crouched down slightly. After checking if there was a keyhole in the door, she carefully peeked inside.
Twisting her body bit by bit to check the interior, she saw the black-haired girl. She had her eyes fixed on the miniature with an expression that anyone could tell was truly awkward.
It really was awkward.
When one looked at Lord Demon this time, he was just sitting in the chair with his legs crossed, reading a book.
Lord Demon seemed to just be existing.
Aha, aha.
So this relationship has this kind of vibe?
While Pastel was feeling satisfied, she felt an intense gaze on the back of her head.
When she sneaked a glance back, Melissa was staring at her with the eyes of someone looking at a sly Kraft.
Oing.
Melissa spoke in an appropriately lowered voice to match the situation.
"I have something I'm curious about. May I ask a question?"
Pastel hurriedly shook her head.
No, no.
Melissa ignored the sly Kraft and asked her question.
"Do you normally do this?"
Gasp.
As if!
Pastel wasn't some sneaky mouse trying to snatch cheese from a safe!
There were often times I was curious about what they were talking about without me, so I didn't go in and just listened to the sounds from outside the door.
And there were a few times I created a situation to check if they were getting along well without me, pretended to go out, and pressed my ear against the door.
It was a valid action as a popular person worrying about her friends!
Originally, a group gathered because of a single popular person is prone to subtle conflicts when the popular person isn't around—don't fight over meee!—and if those aren't resolved in time, it leads to a catastrophe that even the popular person can't fix later!
Catastrophe! Catastrophe!
Hwaaah.
Except for Melissa, all the Student Council members were gathered because of power, so there was no way the organization would collapse over an unprofitable discord, but a battle for Second-in-Command without harmony was a problem in its own right.
You could say there was a reason why Melissa was always firmly 1st in the Friend Ranking, and why I usually pushed Ellie as the unwavering Second-in-Command.
Sniff.
Pitiful Pastel is just living diligently today as well.
Doo-roo-doo-doo~.
I am working today as well.
However, unable to explain all of this in the current situation, and having no intention of doing so to Melissa anyway, Pastel just put on an aggrieved expression.
It's unfair!
Believe me!
Melissa smiled softly.
"Is that so."
She made an expression that said she already knew well that I was a Kraft, so it wasn't particularly surprising.
Her hand gesture pointed to the keyhole. It was a gesture telling me not to mind her and to keep peeking through the keyhole as I was doing. Somehow, it was accompanied by the subtle look she used to give Alcier.
Oh my goodness.
Not a look I particularly want to receive!
How should I put this…
Aha, The North is underdeveloped, so culturally, Bellamont doesn't change clothes (not true). I should understand as a friend.
From that.
Aha, Krafts are inherently sly, so by nature, Pastel does things like this. I should understand as a friend.
Uwaaang!
This is too much in its own way!
The feeling of being confirmed from a suspect to a culprit…!
The feeling of being understood as having a thief's bloodline even though I committed theft…!
But unfairness was unfairness, and Pastel, who did what she had to do, peeked through the keyhole.
Just then, Lord Demon closed his book, crossed his arms, and fell into thought. Ellie's flinching at the sound of the book and sneaking a glance back was exactly the prelude to a conversation.
Oing, it is an interesting moment.
Thump-thump, Pit-a-pat.
As her cheeks flushed red, Melissa looked dumbfounded.
"What on earth is so unfair?"
Gasp, it's troublesome if you ask things like that.