The Black Sky Pirate Laughs Beneath the Moon. The Crimson Mage Howls at the Stars (53)

Even though it was night, the Empire's citizens had come out of their homes to stare up at the sky. Numerous searchlights pursued the Moonlit Beauty, and many airships raced through the sky as well.

Then, nine pillars of light rose into the sky.

The pillars of light stood tall at equal intervals, forming a complete circle around the Empire.

Faced with such an utterly unreal sight, people wondered if it might be some kind of show.

"...Why can't I see the stars...?"

I had climbed to a place with a good view of the sky—the rooftop of the tallest building nearby. For some reason, the rooftop of the five-story building had been turned into a storage area, with tables, chairs, tools, lumber, and all sorts of other things scattered around.

Squinting up at the sky, I saw one Moonlit Beauty, which had passed directly over my head earlier, making an astonishingly speedy escape, with about five airships in pursuit. The remaining airships had spread out to either side. It looked as though they were either holding out the faint hope that they might catch the Moonlit Beauty if it happened to turn, or had all but given up on the pursuit.

But what caught my attention was the sky. Right before I entered the royal's room, I had been able to see a beautiful starry sky, but now the night sky had been painted pitch-black. Even the moon's light had dimmed, as though veiled in mist. The streets below were brightly lit by lamps, but the rooftop where I stood had sunk into darkness.

(Had clouds appeared? But this place is supposed to get almost no rain outside the rainy season, despite that being the case all year round.)

As I pondered the eeriness of the sky, black as if it had been painted, that blackness seemed to begin swirling. I thought it was an optical illusion, but then I heard people on the ground shouting, "The sky!"...