[Castle in the Sky]

　Eira didn't move, stunned by the images on the screen in the control room.

　I looked at the figure headed towards us, caught by the robots, and opened my mouth.

'He's dressed more flamboyantly than the others, and I'm sure he's a great guy, but...'

　I muttered and crossed my arms.

　Can they negotiate the treatment of the princess? It's hard to imagine what it's like to be called royalty, but we were able to interrupt the war. If so, they might see us as a threat, at least to some extent.

　As I was looking at the screen with that thought in mind, another robot grabbed a person at the edge of the screen.

'Alright. Well then, let's go downstairs and meet him.

'What? Ah, ha, yes!

　I stepped into the elevator with Eira running beside me as she answered in a hurry.

　When I walked out of the castle, I was found by Maea and the others. Apparently, they were cutting weeds around the castle. Eira and I stopped in front of the castle gates with A1 in tow.

''Ah, Taiki-sama.''

　Trainee stands up and bows her head.

'I'll have a visitor soon, please take care of him.

　When I told them that, Trainee and the others huffed and looked at each other.

''Finally, a great magician other than Taiki-sama...?''

Hey, don't be nervous.

Oh, my God, is it too late for me to cook...

　I chuckle at the misunderstandings of Trainee and the others, and I shake my head from side to side.

''No, he's a soldier from the Atul Kingdom.

　Runt and Schnee's faces stiffened as they answered that.

''A soldier, is it........''

If anything goes wrong...

　The two of them started a discussion with some kind of grim face. Trayne also seemed to be thinking about something in silence, but only Maea was looking at us with the same face as in normal times.

''Why are the soldiers of the Atul Kingdom coming?''

　Maea asks, and Eira's body shakes with a jolt next to her. While pretending not to notice it, she answers Maea's question.

'Ah, there's something I'd like to negotiate with the people of the Atul Kingdom. It seems that they were just in trouble after being attacked by the Blau Empire, so I decided to join them. It's easy to do when you feel grateful.

　As he says this, Maia twitches her cat ears.

''The Blau Empire?'' Additions?

　Maea, who wouldn't have thought that a battle was taking place on the ground, muttered that with a curious look on her face, tilting her head in a small way.

　At that moment, two black shadows came into view as they approached us.

　When I turned my head in that direction, they all turned around as well.

　Each was caught on the back of a robot, and two men in fine armor landed on the land of the flight island.

　At the sight of them, Traine and the others bowed quietly. Eira hid behind me in an unexpected manner.

　The two who had been looking up at the castle also noticed me and bowed.

　The one who looked up first was a middle-aged man who was wearing the most flashy armor near the walls of the royal capital.

''I'm Dukel Klein, who is the general of the Atul Kingdom.

　When the middle-aged man introduced himself as such, a man who looked a little younger than Dukel opened his mouth.

I am Heilert Iruka, also a general of the Atul Kingdom. I thank you for your assistance to my army.

　When the man named Heilert said that, one eyebrow of Dukel raised.

''Well since General Heilert is here, I thought that if General Heilert is here, I didn't think that the Imperial Army of Falve would be here too...''

You mean King's Landing as well?

　Heilert nodded shallowly at Dukel's muttering and said so.

　I smiled and bowed my head as I looked at the two of them.

''Nice to meet you, my name is Daiki Shiihara. At the risk of sounding rude, I have invited the two of you here.

　As I greeted them, they looked at me observantly and noticed Eira hiding behind my back.

　They both opened their eyes and opened their mouths.

''Le, Princess Lettiezia!

Why is the princess...

　At their words, Runt, Schnee and Maer also looked surprised. The only one who didn't change her expression was Trainee.

　Eira, who looked at Maea and the others' faces sadly, quietly stepped forward from behind me.

''.........Dukel-sama, Heilert-sama......it's been a long time.

　Dukel and the others look at Eira, who bowed her head deeply as she said that, showing great confusion.

　I softly let out a sigh and put my hand on Eira's shoulder.

''Well, shall we talk about this from another place?





[Dukel]

　An island high in the sky, far up in the sky that reaches the clouds.

　I thought I had wandered into a fairy tale, but it seems to be real.

　 It was lined with lush nature and beautiful houses, and in the middle was a majestic castle that looked as if a god lived there. It's a gorgeous, gorgeous castle that I've never seen before.

　And there were a few beastmen and a strangely dressed young man there. And then there's Princess Letizia, who had been missing for some time.

　A look of confusion and astonishment was also evident on Heilert's face as he made eye contact with me.

''Well, let's talk from one place to another, shall we?

　With that said, the young man who called himself Shiihara Taiki walked into the castle with that golem in tow.

　I was taken aback by how easily he showed his back to us, but it was understandable if he was a sorcerer who single-handedly ran one of those golems.

　I nodded silently to Heilert and followed him.

　I entered the castle without loosening my vigilance, but the moment I stepped inside, that feeling was blown away.

　It was a splendid hall. It is much larger than I had seen from the outside, and it is a gorgeous structure. I've never seen a castle as magnificent as this one.

''Gosh, golem........''

"M

　When I turned around at the sound of Heilert's voice, I saw a golem standing behind the castle gate. Dressed as if he was only there to open the gate, the golem had his hands on the gate.

　How many golems on earth could there be?

　And how many hundreds of sorcerers are there?

　I walked through the castle with an unbelievable feeling and entered the huge pillar. The inside of the giant pillar was large, and the view changed every time the door that opened and closed on its own opened.

　Even Heilert couldn't even utter a word anymore.

''Shall we go here?''

　With that, Taiki let us through to the most luxurious hall. It's a magnificent hall that can be used as a ballroom. There were several long windows, so we could see the view outside.

　The fact that no one else has come out yet, despite being such a large and splendid castle, was terribly eerie.




[Taiki]


　With Dukel and the others in tow, I moved to the fourth floor hall. I set up a table and chairs and sat down.

　I don't know why I was the only one who sat on a chair, so I asked Dukel and his friends to sit down as well.

　I had Trainee and his friends prepare the meal upstairs, so there were only me, Eira, Dukel and Heilert in the hall.

　No, A1 is standing next to me, so the four of us are together.

　I look up at Dukel and the others with a nervous expression on their faces and exhale.

''Well, what should we talk about first?''

　As she said this, Eira, standing on the opposite side of A1, opened her mouth.

''Well first of all, it would be better to tell you why I'm here.

　The eyes of Dukel and the others narrowed at that line.

''Well I was only told that you disappeared on your way to marry into the Empire, so I was slightly surprised.

　When Heilert muttered this, Dukel gave him a look of dismay.

''It's not even trivial. Over here, it was said that the Empire killed the princess to give them an excuse to attack the kingdom. I don't mean to speak in front of Princess Letizia, but it's impossible for a princess who even received a slave mark to escape under the eyes of Imperial soldiers.

　At Dukel's words, Eira turned over with a raised eyebrow. While looking at Eira at the side, Heilert replied with a blaming tone.

''I have heard that rumor. However, in Falbe, where there are also peddlers from the Empire, there was also a strong rumor that our country hid the princess, but...''

Our King has no such balls.

　Dukel, who denied it in a way that had no reservations at all, frowned at Heilert.

　Eira, who was listening to the exchange between the two, nodded her head with a sorrowful face.

''........Your father did not help me. I have voluntarily thrown away my duties as a royalty.

　At those words, Dukel and Heilert gave Eira a stern look. Eira looked into their eyes and was frightened for a moment, but she managed to step back and opened her mouth.

''There was a moment at an inn in a town on the way, when the guards happened to be gone.

　Eira says that she was able to flee out of the town in a fit of selflessness and was given a ride in a carriage of moving guards who happened to be passing by, faking her identity.

　But along the way, he was tormented by guilt for abandoning his responsibilities as royalty and tried to turn back.

'But then the guards told me that because of my escape, the Imperial soldiers who were on guard that night were suspected of being spies of the kingdom and were executed, and I was now being hunted down by both the Empire and the kingdom.

　As Eira explained what had happened so far, their expressions became grim.

''Wait, wait a minute!''

　Dukel shouted, interrupting Eira's halting dialogue. Not caring that Eira was surprised, Dukel raised his voice.

''Princess, is what you just said true?''

　He asked that in a strong tone, and Eira nodded fearfully. Then Dukel turned his head to Heilert.

'Funny. There's a lot of discomfort.'

''...Yes. Even if we were to marry a princess from another country to a prince in our own country, we would be traveling with a princess from another country. You would not escape so easily....

'No, that's another thing that's odd, but so are those who call themselves the guards. Why would they lie about it? They wouldn't go through such a roundabout way if it was to create an excuse for those in the Empire to invade the kingdom.

　Eira looks up at their conversation.

''........Lies?''

　Eira spoke up, and Heilert nodded.

''Yes. The Empire announced that Princess Letizia's custody was hidden by the kingdom. There are rumors that the kingdom's military moved at that time, but I have never heard of any imperial soldiers being executed.

Oh no...

　Dukel clicks his tongue at the astonished Eira.

The first thing you can do is to have a look around. It's a bit of a stretch to try to kill a princess by tricking both the empire and the kingdom.

　As soon as Dukel uttered that, they all fell silent. I look at the three faces in turn and open my mouth.

Do you have a minute?

　As I said that, they all turned around to look at me.

''On a different note, is Eira... no, Princess, can you go back to the Atul Kingdom?

　Hylert's expression clouded over as he asked the question. Eira, too, pulled her chin back and fell silent, but Dukel was different.

'You can't,'

　Saying so clearly, Heilert looks down.

''........The princess of a country has been sent out with a slave seal and treated as no more than a side room. This is tantamount to declaring the Atul Kingdom to be a vassal state of the Blau Empire. I don't think Princess Letizia, who was supposed to be presented to the empire under such circumstances, can live a decent daily life within the kingdom.

　At Dukel's harsh words, Eira couldn't hold back and let out a sob. Although Heilert also shows a stern expression, he does not seem to deny Dukel's words.

　Looking at Eira, who looks down and quietly cries, she shifts her gaze to Dukel.

''........Is it okay if I receive the princess here? If going to the Empire is out of the question, and I can't go back to my kingdom, I thought it would be better to live in this castle.

　When I asked that, Dukel snorted with a troubled look on his face.

''It's... no, there's nothing we can do if it was taken away by force, but if you ask me if it's good... well, let's be honest, if I'm going to be honest with you, it's not like I'm going to be able to change the point of the Empire's contradiction. If you can do it, it's not a problem.

''But we can't avoid war even if the Princess heads to the Empire now. Then pretend we didn't see it....

　Seeing Dukel and Heilert having such a discussion with a complicated expression on their faces, I groaned as if it was still difficult.

　Maybe it could be solved by taking the side of the kingdom every time and sending robots, but it would be troublesome. It would be best if the Empire would back off from the Kingdom.

''........If some other country or something else kidnapped Eira or something, I don't think the Empire can blame the kingdom for that.

　When he somehow uttered that, they opened their eyes.

''........The princess kidnapped you?''

'The princess was kidnapped while the imperial soldiers were escorting her away... Surely it's not right to complain to the kingdom because it would be a blunder on the part of the empire.

　They uttered that and looked at me at the same time.

''Lord Taiki!''

'Can't you just say that you kidnapped Princess Letizia?

　I blink my eyes when he asks me such a ridiculous request with a big serious face.

　Become a kidnapper.

　To put it simply, that's what I was asked to do, right?

''.......Heh?''

　I couldn't help but hear such a goofy voice coming out of my mouth. If I look next to her, Eira is also rolling her eyes with tears in her eyes.