episode_0188

I thought we were going straight to the nearest beach, but Polaris went straight into the sea and then suddenly turned left.

Draw a map of the kingdom in your head. Based on where we are now, the sea is to the west. If you turn left from there, you’ll be in the south.

Bern City is slightly to the southeast of here, so if you just look at the direction, you won’t be heading to Bern City.

I was curious as to why she was going in this direction, but I didn’t bother asking and just followed Polaris. There was no point in going to Bern City alone anyway.

Crunch!

A beast that looked like a mix of a reptile and a tiger that was just running towards us got hit by a rock and had its head blown off.

It wasn’t until I saw Polaris suddenly grab a rock from the ground and throw it at me like he was throwing a baseball that I realized a wild animal was coming.

huh.

First of all, unlike many works, I know there are hardly any beasts that hunt while screaming, so it’s really quiet.

I didn’t even know Polaris existed until I threw the rock.

“Bell is.”

What will happen if I just follow Polaris? As I was thinking that, Polaris hesitated strangely and called my name.

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you scared of the current situation, Bell?”

Yeah.

Look at a girl who is about my height. She looks like a child to anyone. No matter how strong she is, she still has a few years left before she becomes an adult.

Suddenly, a girl sees people being murdered, and even realizes that a group of people are moving to kill her.

In fact, it’s not strange to be so scared that you cry and can’t do anything.

Polaris needs someone to empathize with and share their feelings with, someone who has been in the same situation. But that person is the wrong person.

“Yes. I’m not scared.”

I wanted to avoid causing panic until I could get to a safe place, so I chose to be a little more pushy.

Polaris, with her generous personality, thought she would swallow her fears.

“Okay. Follow along.”

Huh?

It’s strange. Why does he look so relieved? I can’t look at his expression anymore because he’s walking forward again.

We’re the same height and age, but I feel like I’m being treated like a child. Are you perhaps looking at me like a child?

If you have that kind of illusion, then whatever you do is fine.

It’s so convenient that it thinks and moves for me.

If you let your guard down like that, it will be easier when you make different choices later.

I followed Polaris, who occasionally appeared and slaughtered wild animals. At one point, the trees disappeared and a wide grassland appeared.

I went through the forest.

And far beyond the meadows you can see the ruined city of Bern.

Polaris seemed to be heading in that direction. After walking for a short while, a long line appeared across the meadow.

These are fresh tire marks.

It looks like the marks left by the vehicle that attacked the airship earlier. Judging by this, it looks like the vehicle passed through here.

Polaris stands in front of the mark, looking back and forth between Bern City and the direction the car was headed.

And instead of heading towards Bern City, I started walking along the ruts.

“Aren’t you going to Bern City?”

I guess I have to ask this. There’s a city ahead of you, so why are you going somewhere else?

“That’s not okay. That place is a problem whether there are no people or not. As far as I know, there’s a small village nearby. We’re going to head there. If we’re lucky, we can catch a boat there and go back to the capital.”

Yeah, that’s right.

For Polaris, finding Victoria is no longer a problem to be solved. Getting out of this place alive is what matters.

Considering Victoria is now on board, there’s a higher chance of meeting her if she follows Polaris wherever it goes.

“Sing.”

“Yeah.”

When I told him to go, he looked at me with a subtle expression and started walking along the tire tracks.

But if we follow these tracks, won’t we end up meeting those on an airship?

Isn’t it rather dangerous?

I have a small doubt, but I will follow Polaris. There is no need to ask that far. If it is a human threat, it can be resolved anyway.

If they fight, and Polaris gets badly injured, they might be able to turn him into a harvester.

Hehehe.

I follow her down the road, thinking of a bright future.

***

After walking for a while, we arrived at a place where we could see a village where the river and the sea meet.

The town itself is quite small. The last time I took a boat to Bern City, this was the port I stopped at before going to Bern City.

“Hold on a sec.”

“What’s going on?”

Now, we’re just a short walk away from the village, but Polaris is blocking it.

I looked at Polaris to see what was going on, and he pointed to one side of the village. There was a huge vehicle with eight wheels, four on each side.

Above, a long cannon barrel rises, billowing with azure. The sound of this weapon being used had been heard several times before the village came into view.

That means it wasn’t a vehicle that was originally standing. In other words, it’s the vehicle used to attack the airship. The person chasing us will be riding it.

I asked Polaris.

“The enemy. What are you going to do?”

At least that means there are an unknown number of enemies hiding in that town. Of course, it’s possible that this car is the only one that came, but it’s also possible that this place is being used as a forward base.

But Polaris doesn’t answer. When I get closer, I see her with a serious expression on her face.

“If I go in, no. If it’s just me, I don’t know, but what if Bell is in danger? It’s better to stay here. No. Then, if someone finds out, there’s no excuse.”

As I approach Polaris, I hear muttering.

The pros and cons of going inside.

The pros and cons of being outside.

Polaris, who weighed it on both sides of the scale and thought hard about it, eventually made his choice.

“Let’s go in. We also need to find out who attacked the royal airship.”

Judging by the fierce expression that appeared and disappeared for a moment, it seems that he may be thinking of revenge.

I found the situation fun no matter what, so I nodded my head as she said.

And then go into the village.

It’s a city with a strong fishy smell typical of port cities. Surprisingly, there are a lot of people passing by. There are surprisingly many people who are not from port cities.

And soon, I found out why.

Most of the people here originally had business in Bern City, because there were people protesting with picket signs, demanding to be allowed into Bern City.

In front of it is a space occupied by what appears to be soldiers. There is barbed wire around a building and a banner that says that entry is prohibited until the riots in Bern City are quelled.

Some people shout that they have to go to their company in Bern City for an important deal, while others shout that they have family living there and need to bring them.

It’s a messy space like a market.

But I think it would be difficult to recognize that we are survivors who escaped from the airship.

When two girls of noble birth enter an empty port, they stand out, but they are forgotten in a place where nobles, rich people, and commoners alike are all protesting to be allowed into Bern City.

Considering that this is the final port, everyone heading to Bern City will come here.

While I was checking my surroundings, Polaris stood behind the person shouting with a very nervous expression. Then she whispered to me in a small voice.

“We’ll be standing here for a while. We have to give the impression that we came from outside, not from an airship. Some people will give up and go home in the afternoon, so we’ll go back to the capital with them.”

Not bad.

Even if you did get inside the airship, it would be difficult to find out who was inside. And since it was a royal direct airship, you would have to contact the royal family, not an airline or something, to find out who was inside.

It would be difficult to find any other airship passengers who may have escaped.

And on the way there, there was a sound like when an airship was shot from a distance, so it’s possible that the airship was destroyed.

As I nod, Polaris slowly releases the strength from her body.

And the end of that limp arm. The fingers are trembling faintly.

Yeah, it’s scary. I almost got murdered all of a sudden. And it’s still going on, and I don’t have anyone I can rely on.

No matter how talented a girl is, there aren’t many who would be okay in a situation like this.

I know Victoria’s situation is very unique.

If Victoria is someone who is determined to finish what she has to do no matter what happens, Polaris is someone who pretends everything is okay and moves forward even when things are difficult because she is there.

A considerate person would probably hold Polaris’ hand here, but I don’t do that.

Instead, I waited for time to pass.

As the number of protesters increases, the number of soldiers in local headquarters also increases proportionally.

I saw Polaris standing there with a tired expression, then I turned my gaze to the other side.

Victoria will be arriving soon.

This town is visible to Victoria, who is now on the ship.

Paaang!

The ship’s horn sounds.

At the same time, a smile appears on Polaris’ face as if a flower has bloomed. It’s an expression full of hope that she can now return.

But how long will that last?

Victoria will definitely try to get into Bern City.

Now what happens when these two people meet?

Victoria is heading to Bern City, and Polaris is heading back to the capital.

Whether to stick to one side or break up.

You’ll know when you meet me.

I pretended not to notice the ominous atmosphere of the protest and stayed next to Polaris, who muttered that she would be back soon.