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CHAPTER 291: A SMALL UNEASE

 

—Aun’s POV—

The airship pushed forward as if it were slicing through the sea of clouds, leaving the kingdom’s territory behind and slowly turning its helm toward the imperial capital of Ibrand.

Maybe it was being carried in from the distant mountain range—every so often, a strong gust blew across the deck, cool against the skin, and a peculiar scent tickled my nose like a sign that the seasons were about to change.

「Kyuu! Kyuaa!」

Yurai, who’d been tearing around the deck a moment ago, had planted her forepaws on the railing. Now she was completely transfixed by the flow of clouds swaying in the wind.

Those eyes—so straightforward in their curiosity—looked like they were greedily trying to swallow this new world whole.

And every time she leaned too far, Kinu’s hand grabbed Yurai’s body and tugged her back.

「Hey, Yurai. Don’t lean out that far.」

「Kyui…」

She drooped her shoulders for a second, but the very next moment she found something new and went scampering off again.

「She’s got energy to burn.」

Deep inside that small body, I could feel an immeasurable ‘something’ breathing—yet both her body and heart were still that of a child. She obeyed her curiosity without question, bouncing around without thinking about what came next.

I’d thought this peaceful journey through the skies would continue all the way until we reached Ibrand.

But a few minutes later, the calm in my chest was suddenly scraped the wrong way.

…What is this feeling?

A presence mixed into the wind—no, something denser. A lump of killing intent, crawling through the sky. The sensation was disgusting enough that I immediately activated my 【Detection】 skill.

「…Kinu.」

「Mhm. Monsters… and a lot of them.」

Kinu’s voice tightened the air.

The moment our gazes were pulled toward the far side of the cloud sea, the clouds swelled unnaturally—then tore open with a hateful roar.

「「「GYARURRUUAAAH!!」」」

「Wyverns…!? No, there’s way too many!」

This wasn’t a dozen or so.

Twenty. Thirty… no, more than that.

As if they were spilling out of the crack in the clouds, the wyverns filled the sky, spraying madness in every direction. Their eyes were bloodshot, their breathing ragged, and there was a frantic edge to them—like they’d been driven into a corner.

「Wyverns aren’t monsters that form packs… right?」

「Yeah. Something’s off.」

The instant my hand went to Shiranuemaru’s hilt—

Click.

A dry sound echoed at my fingertips.

…Huh?

Was it the blade? The scabbard?

I couldn’t tell which, but it felt like Shiranuemaru had faintly… creaked. In the palm gripping the hilt, a tiny roughness brushed my skin.

Like somewhere along the steel had built up fatigue—

An odd, unsettling sensation.

Before I could dig into it, the wyverns’ roar split the sky again.

「They’re coming!!」

One dove at the airship, its shadow dropping over the deck.

I drew Shiranuemaru on reflex—and it felt, compared to usual… just a little heavier.

Something… feels like it’s not sliding out cleanly.

The discomfort lasted only a heartbeat.

My blade flashed, and the wyvern was bisected before it could even hit the deck.

But they kept coming, one after another.

Seeing that, Yurai cried out and leapt onto the deck.

「Kyuaaah!!」

「Hey—Yurai! Get back!!」

「Kyan!!」

It wasn’t a ‘reply’ so much as intent carried in her cry.

As Yurai’s fur bristled, the air around us began to charge.

—BZZT!!

The moment a yellow light snapped into existence, the smell of scorched air spread—and the wyvern that took the lightning head-on screamed as it fell into the cloud sea below.

Yurai jumped again, spat a fireball, and lightning and flame tangled together—blasting two wyverns away at once.

「…That’s not the firepower of a cub.」

And then—

Every single wyvern’s gaze snapped to Yurai.

The one that had been facing me. The one roaring at Kinu. Even the ones that had been tracking fleeing crewmen with their eyes.

All of their attention converged on Yurai.

「Hey, hey. What the hell is this…」

There was no way I could come up with a reason.

But that look in their eyes—it carried the color of obsession, like they’d finally found what they were searching for.

「Kyu…?」

As Yurai let out an anxious little sound, several wyverns lunged for her at once, fighting to be first.

But—

「Don’t scare our girl.」

The blue flame Kinu released landed on every wyvern charging Yurai, and in an instant, it reaped their lives.

I dove into the wyverns’ swarm with 【Sky Dance】, and poured mana into Shiranuemaru.

For a brief moment, the blade trembled—then the strange discomfort slipped away like a feather.

「If you want Yurai, the least you can do is greet me first, you bastards!!!」

I sliced five wyverns that were lingering around the ship out of the air in one sweep, then sheathed Shiranuemaru again. From here on, responding with magic made it easier to protect everything.

Kinu kept shooting them down with flame. Yurai kept striking them down with lightning.

The sky filled with roars as blue fire and thunder burst around the airship. Once their numbers thinned, it turned into little more than picking off the ones that charged in, one by one.

—The fight ended almost as quickly as it began.

All that remained was the stench of scorched flesh… and an unnatural silence.

「…Is it over?」

「Nothing’s left in range for Detection.」

「Kyuu…」

Yurai trembled faintly in Kinu’s arms.

It was nothing like the fearless valor she’d shown a moment ago—she’d regained the age-appropriate fragility of a young cub.

Come to think of it, this had been Yurai’s first real battle.

And even so, she hadn’t buckled beneath the clear killing intent and madness aimed straight at her—she’d repelled it all. It was enough to make me feel proud.

「You were scared, huh… You did great.」

When I stroked her slowly, Yurai pressed her face into Kinu’s chest and swished her tail.

The crew still stood there, staring up at the sky in a daze.

「…What is it, this feeling.」

Even with the battle over, the unease in my chest wouldn’t fade.

And in Shiranuemaru’s hilt… that faint, lingering wrongness was still there.