Chapter 188

I thought Polaris would head straight to the nearest coast, but she dashed toward the sea and suddenly turned left.

Draw a mental map of the kingdom. Based on our current position, the sea is to the west. Turning left from there would be south.

Bern City is slightly to the southeast from here, so judging by the direction, it doesn’t seem like we’re heading there.

I was curious why we were going this way, but I didn’t ask and just followed Polaris. Besides, even if I went to Bern City alone, it wouldn’t mean anything anyway.

Pwaaah!

Just now, some kind of beast that looked like a mix between a reptile and a tiger came charging at us, and its head flew off after getting hit by a rock.

Only after Polaris grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it like a baseball did I realize a wild animal had been charging at us.

Hmm.

Unlike in most stories, hunting beasts rarely make loud noises—and wow, this one was super quiet. I didn’t even know it was there until Polaris threw the rock.

“Bell.”

I was wondering what would happen if I kept following Polaris when she hesitated strangely and called my name.

“Yeah?”

“Bell, aren’t you scared of what’s happening right now?”

Uh-huh.

Look at her—she’s about the same height as me, clearly still a kid. No matter how strong she might be, she’s years away from being an adult.

And yet, this girl just saw someone get killed and learned that someone is out to kill her.

It’s honestly the kind of situation where breaking down in tears and freezing up wouldn’t be strange at all.

Looks like Polaris needs someone who can empathize with her and share her feelings about this tough situation—but she picked the wrong person.

“No, I’m not scared.”

I chose my words carefully because I’d rather not have a panic attack before we reach safety. I figured Polaris, with her tough personality, would swallow her fear.

“Good. Keep following me.”

Huh?

That’s weird. Why does she look so reassured? Before I could analyze it further, she turned forward again, making it impossible to read her expression.

We’re about the same height and age, but for some reason, she’s treating me like a little kid. Honestly, let her keep thinking that—it works to my advantage.

If she acts based on that misconception, it’ll only make things easier for me later when I make a different choice.

So, I followed Polaris as she kept smashing wild animals along the way. At some point, the trees disappeared, revealing a vast plain.

We’ve passed through the forest.

In the distance, across the plain, I can see the ruins of Bern City.

Looks like Polaris is heading there. After walking a bit more, a long line cutting across the plain appeared.

It’s fresh tire tracks. They probably belong to the vehicle that attacked the airship earlier. Judging by this, the vehicle must’ve passed through here.

Polaris stops in front of the tracks, glancing back and forth between them and the direction of Bern City.

Then, instead of heading toward Bern City, she starts walking along the tire tracks.

“Aren’t we going to Bern City?”

There’s no way I could not ask this. There’s a city right there, and yet she’s going somewhere else?

“I can’t go there. Places like that are problematic whether they’re empty or full of people. From what I know, there’s a small village nearby. We’re heading there. If we’re lucky, we can take a boat from there back to the capital.”

Ah, makes sense.

Finding Victoria isn’t really a priority for Polaris anymore. Surviving and escaping this place safely is what matters.

If Victoria is really on that ship, following Polaris increases our chances of meeting her.

“Let’s go then.”

“Alright.”

When I suggested moving forward, she glanced at me with a subtle expression before starting to walk along the tracks.

But…won’t following these tracks lead us straight to whoever was aboard that vehicle?

Isn’t that dangerous?

A small doubt crept into my mind, but I decided to keep following Polaris. It’s unnecessary to question her decisions since I can handle any human threats anyway.

If it comes to a fight and Polaris gets seriously injured, I could always turn her into a harvester too.

Hehehe.

With those pleasant thoughts in mind, I happily followed her down the path.

***

After walking for a while, we reached a spot where we could see a small village located where the river meets the ocean.

The village itself is pretty tiny. It was the last port we stopped at before arriving in Bern City during our previous trip.

“Hold up.”

“What’s wrong?”

We were almost at the village when Polaris stopped us. Curious, I looked over and saw what she was pointing at—a massive vehicle with eight wheels parked near the village.

Its long cannon barrel wavered in the heat haze above it. I’d heard the sound of this weapon firing several times before we could even see the village.

This wasn’t something that had been there originally—it must be the same vehicle that attacked the airship earlier. The person chasing us is likely inside.

I asked Polaris.

“It’s the enemy. What do we do?”

At the very least, this means there’s an unknown number of enemies hiding somewhere in the village. Of course, it’s possible the vehicle came alone, but there’s also a chance this place is being used as a forward base.

But Polaris doesn’t answer. When I sneak closer, I notice she’s deep in thought, her expression serious.

“If we go in, well…maybe it wouldn’t matter if it was just me, but Bell could be in danger. Should we stay here instead? No, that leaves us exposed with no excuses if we’re discovered.”

Leaning closer to Polaris, I hear her muttering under her breath.

The pros and cons of going inside.

The pros and cons of staying outside.

After weighing both sides carefully, Polaris finally made her decision.

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

Her fierce expression flickered briefly before disappearing, hinting she might be thinking about revenge.

Since I find the whole situation amusing either way, I nodded in agreement.

And so, we entered the village.

The salty smell typical of a port city fills the air. Surprisingly, there are quite a lot of people walking around. Even more surprisingly, many of them don’t appear to be locals.

Soon, I figured out why. Most of these people originally intended to visit Bern City. There were protesters holding signs demanding entry into Bern City.

In front of them stood what looked like soldiers guarding an area surrounded by barbed wire. A banner declared that no one could enter Bern City until the riots were resolved.

Some shouted about important business requiring them to meet companies in Bern City. Others yelled about needing to retrieve family members trapped inside.

It’s a chaotic scene, like a bustling marketplace.

But amidst this chaos, it’ll be hard for anyone to notice us as survivors of the airship escape.

If two noble girls dressed in fine clothes walked into an empty harbor, we’d definitely stand out. But in this crowd of nobles, rich merchants, and commoners all protesting together to gain access to Bern City, we blend right in.

Considering this is the final port leading to Bern City, everyone trying to get there will eventually pass through here.

While observing the surroundings, Polaris stood behind one of the shouting protesters, her body tense. She whispered to me softly.

“We’ll stay here for a while. We need to give off the impression we came from outside, not from the airship. By late afternoon, some people will give up and head home. We’ll slip in with them and return to the capital.”

Not bad.

Even if we managed to sneak onto the airship, finding out who was on board would be nearly impossible. Since it’s a direct royal airship, figuring out the passenger list would require contacting the palace—not some airline company.

Trying to track down any potential escapees from the airship using other methods would be difficult too.

And considering we heard explosions from far away when the airship was attacked, it’s possible the airship has already been destroyed.

As I nod in agreement, Polaris slowly relaxes her body.

But her fingers at the end of her limp arms tremble faintly.

Yeah, she must be scared. Someone just tried to kill her, and the threat hasn’t ended yet. There’s no one she can rely on.

No matter how talented a girl she is, there aren’t many people who could remain perfectly calm in such a situation.

Even I know Victoria is in an exceptionally unusual situation.

If Victoria is someone determined to complete her mission no matter what happens, then Polaris is someone enduring this tough situation while pretending to be okay because I’m here.

A considerate person might have held her hand at this moment, but I didn’t.

Instead, I waited for time to pass.

The number of protesters grew, and proportionally, the number of soldiers guarding the local headquarters increased too.

Watching Polaris standing tiredly among the crowd, I shifted my gaze elsewhere.

Soon, Victoria arrived.

Because Victoria’s eyes on the ship can currently see this village.

Braaap!

The ship’s horn sounds.

At the same time, Polaris’ face lights up with a smile, like a flower blooming. Her expression radiates hope—hope that she can finally return.

But how long will that last?

Victoria will undoubtedly try to enter Bern City.

What will happen when the two meet?

Will Victoria, aiming for Bern City, and Polaris, wanting to return to the capital, choose sides? Or will they part ways?

We’ll find out once they meet.

For now, I stood beside Polaris, ignoring the increasingly tense protest scene, as she muttered to herself about soon returning home.

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