The time flew by and the fateful day arrived.
The weather had been fine lately, but today, unfortunately, there were thick clouds in the sky. It was not a good day for flying.
Most of the preparations were in order. The others - Telm, Kecak Chakka, and Krus - all seemed to be ready.

Franz-san was standing in front of me. A blue streak appeared on his forehead, and his eyebrows twitched as he said.

'...... Did I mishear you?

'............ I'm really sorry.'

The only problem is that the ghost bandit I asked for hasn't come back yet.

I had asked her to go back to the Imperial Capital and bring back a certain item.
I thought she would be able to make it in time, but I was wrong. Speaking of misjudgments, I also misjudged that we would be leaving early in the morning. However, if we think about it calmly, we should have expected that Franz-san would want to leave the city as soon as possible, since we had postponed our departure for three days.

The Emperor was preparing to leave and was not there. There was no one to help him.
Krus, who had given me so much trouble in the past few days, was now very tired and turned his head away when I looked at him. The kilnite version of Alpha was still standing there, unmoving.

I'm not sure what to do. I've complied with your request long enough. I've postponed our departure by three days, and I've repaired the ship from the ground up to make sure there's nothing wrong with it! I've even loaded all the supplies you've gathered! We've made concessions up to this point, and you're asking for more! We've made so many concessions, and you're asking for more!

'Such ......'

You're acting like you're ready to slash me right now. I don't want to say anything like this either. I knew it would make him angry.
But if I didn't do anything, it would be a pity if Liz, who had worked so hard for me, came back and I hadn't been there.

But I've never heard of the emperor being pleased with my work. ...... I haven't done anything, but it's too mysterious.

'I'm not ...... expecting it either. Yeah, I don't know. You could leave first and I could catch up with you later. ......'

My plan worked. The rambunctious carpet boy is in a very good mood. Apparently, he really likes the blue carpet I bought him.
I always thought he was a male, but maybe he is a female. Do carpets have no gender? Well, yes, they do. .......

She's doing very well in practice. I'm sure she'll be able to chase the airship that's carrying me now.

'No! I hate to break it to you, but you're His Majesty's chosen guard! You can't do this on your own! We leave in an hour! It's your fault for not being ready after giving us three days!

You've got a problem. ...... You're too right, I can't say anything. I'm not sure what to say.
At that time, the door that Mr. Franz was about to open opened with a bang.

'!

'...... Oh'.

What came in was a bandit ghost wearing a tattered bed sheet. The reason why I can determine that it's a bandit ghost is because it's holding something in its hand that I asked for.

'? '

' '

'What?'

The bandit ghost walked past Franz-san, who was completely frozen in shock, ignored the astonished Krus and Telm, and came right in front of me.
I took what he brought.

The thing the ghost bandit brought. It was a staff as big as I was.
It was made of metal, unlike the wooden staff that Krus carried, and a large, perfect circle of treasure hovered in the center of the spiral head of the staff. The metal looked like gold from its luster, but it was not. This staff is a treasure trove.

It seems that even the ghost of a thief was too far from the Imperial Capital. But good timing.
I hugged the wobbly bandit ghost and patted him on the back. The thief ghost leaned on me for a moment, but kept his position as a ghost and left in silence. It's a ghost that does things when it has to.

The door closes. Everything we need is now in place. The carpet is applauding. I said hard-boiled.

'Come on, everything's ready. Let's go.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell was that?

'...... It's the spirit of the sheets I'm using.'

I'm not sure what to do with it.

Franz's face is drawn. Krus is looking at me with an expression that says, 'Look at me.
But I'll push through. I'll push through, I'll push through. That's a spirit of the sheets, nothing more, nothing less. I'm not going to interfere with the guards, so what the hell!

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for and how you can get it.

Finally, ...... now I can finally understand the language of Kecak Chakka!





'The weather's not great,' he said.

'It should be fine for this level. We've operated in heavy storms before without incident. The ship will never fall. Ever.'

'...... I'm not worried about that.'

The Emperor is frowning at Franz's stubbornness.
The Zebrudia Empire's most advanced airship. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.
The upper part of the hull, which resembled a giant balloon, was the most noticeable feature, but the boarding area was also quite large. It was large enough to show the prestige of the Empire.

I've flown on Lucia's broom, and I've been caught by a rampaging dragon, but this is the first time I've ridden in such a huge vehicle. If it's just size, it's bigger than an ordinary dragon.


The principle of flight is said to be based on a combination of magic and science, but I can't imagine how something so large can fly.

After watching the Emperor board the ship, Mr. Franz came close to me and said, baring his teeth.

'There is a weight limit. We've reduced our numbers to accommodate your cargo. If you're useless, you'll get away with it.'

'That ...... is just a precaution. But it looks pretty fragile. ...... It's like a balloon.

'...... Even if it breaks, a professional mage can repair it with magic, no problem. It's a good idea to have a little help from a mage. The real thing is said to fly without the aid of a mage, but that's just a rumor.

That's what I heard beforehand. It is common for things to be created by trial and error based on a treasure trove. You should be satisfied with that.
However, it would have been better to reduce the luggage. ...... It seems that the instructions I gave to Sitri were too complicated.

'...... If a dragon attacked us, we'd be in trouble.

'Hey! I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'll let you guys deal with the foreign enemies. It should be easy for a mage.'

'Yes, yes, yes.

It looks like I made the right decision in getting the mages together. It's more accurate to say that I've got them all, but Therum should be able to kill the dragon from inside the ship.
Franz-san looked at me as if he was looking at something fishy.









I see. ...... It's a magnificent ship. Thermu Apokris roared at the majesty of the Black Star as he saw it for the first time.


This state-of-the-art airship owned by the Empire is reserved for nobles, and basically ordinary people and hunters are not allowed to board.
Among the arts that mages control is the art of flight. Thelum had flown before, but even with that in mind, this airship was revolutionary.

As a non-specialist, Telm had no idea how it flew or what the principles were, but the magical mechanism engraved on the hull was undoubtedly first-rate. A first-rate magician has taken the time to carve the magic into the hull with the utmost care and calculation.

The magic that protects the hull is intricately engraved, ranging from defensive magic to increase strength, reduce weight, and repair the hull as needed. Measures were also taken against natural disasters such as fire, lightning, and cold air.

This is truly a ship created with the best of modern technology, the opposite of a treasure trove that is the embodiment of the old.
The sky is not a place for humans to live. Humans don't have wings, but there are many magical beasts that fly. However, if they had taken such measures, it was understandable why the ship had never fallen down in all the many times it had been operated.

It would be quite difficult for even the most "watertight" therem to drop it from the outside. It would take a swarm of the best dragons to attack it ....... However, you can't specify the type of dragon Kecak Chakka calls in. I have to say it is difficult.

But that's if you drop them from the outside. Wards are resistant to attacks from the outside, but they can be dropped from the inside.


Therum understood the mysterious actions and intentions of the "Thousand Transformations".


The Empire has no idea that this ship will fall. And in fact, this ship is not designed to fall in a simple assault.
In that sense, the Black Star was a symbol of the Empire. An ironclad aerial fortress. It only looks fragile on the outside.

That's why it's worth bringing down. If this airship were to fall, even if the escort failed and the emperor died, it would be an accident. With the help of the fox, you can certainly make that argument.
The honor of Thousands of Changes will be damaged a little, but there is nothing better than this to show the power of the fox.


This is the idea behind ............ the thirteenth one, huh?


Telm's plan was perfect. I still think so, and if you are planning to assassinate the emperor, Telm's plan is much faster.
However, this "Thirteenth" plan had a much different outcome. His eyes were looking beyond the goal of the therem. With such an overwhelming difference, it was hard to even feel jealousy.

There are still a few things about the Thirteenth's actions that I don't understand, but I suppose they have some meaning.

But I can't just sit here and watch.

The Thirteenth said to leave all the preparations for the attack to him. I suppose he means to give her flowers.
Commander Franz and his Kingsguard, the Zero Knights, are quite powerful. They can overwhelm Therum, but they are more numerous.

There was no way he could fail. Thelum pulled himself together and boarded the Black Star.