The high sky was filled with wind.
Pastel sneezed.
“Ah-choo!”
Sniff.
Stepping on the knife with her foot, she rubbed her arms and looked around at the wide-open sky. Giving her cheeks a couple of taps, the dull sensations of her hormones faded away.
“Devil! Devil! I’m flying in the sky!”
She flapped her arms like wings.
Flap flap.
Tasting the cold air to her heart’s content, her mind woke up even faster.
『Right. It would be better to go down for now. While regaining your senses.』
“Okay!”
Pastel repeatedly lowered and raised her palms.
“Down! Down!”
The knife slowly descended in accordance with her gestures.
“Whoosh~!”
Whoosh whoosh.
“I love my knife friend, but it’s a shame that one hand is tied up for control. It lacks independence.”
Pastel manipulated the knife with just her fingers.
“It should be independent like me!”
『Oh? Where are you independent?』
Pastel boldly shouted.
“I walk alone and run alone!”
The devil was impressed.
『That’s surprising.』
Not at all surprised voice.
『More importantly, check the knife’s fuel. You’ve been using it roughly and charging it for the last few days, so isn’t it about time it runs low?』
“Just a moment.”
Pastel bent down. Since she was stepping on the knife, she couldn’t see it at all.
Hmm.
How can you check a knife when you’re stepping on it?
She became more dazed while thinking blankly.
Huh?
She casually spoke towards the knife.
“How much fuel do you have left?”
There was no answer.
Gasp.
Of course, right?!
Ugh.
“Devil! Devil! I take back what I just said! I’m not independent at all!”
『Oh? What great realization did you get while checking the knife’s fuel?』
“The realization that I need the devil!”
Pastel held up her magic sword. She bent down and lowered the sword just below her feet, where the knife she was stepping on could be seen.
“Please keep an eye on it for me!”
『If you want independence, you have to fall and check the condition of the knife, then get back on it again. You can do it.』
“That sounds scary, so please just keep an eye on it for me!”
『You have no intention of being independent at all.』
The devil checked the knife’s fuel.
『Hmm? It’s all gone. It’s going to fall soon.』
“What?”
『You’ve been leaping through the air repeatedly, so it’s only natural to run out. Hurry and recharge it. Even if the essence of existence is piled up in the fuel tank, it will be enough to reach the ground.』
Pastel fumbled around in her pockets.
Magic stones, magic stones.
Even though they’re the same volume as gold bars and expensive, she always kept emergency magic stones on hand since she survived on magic stones instead of food. Especially after getting the magic knife.
However, Pastel was flustered as she searched.
“Huh.”
There are no magic stones.
She took out a mini pepper shaker to check the remaining magic stone powder.
Empty.
She must have eaten it all during her days of survival and secret inspection.
But that’s okay!
Thanks to regularly consuming enough magic stone energy, she wouldn’t die from a few days of hunger!
『Is there none?』
Pastel replied cheerfully.
“Yes!”
『Hmm.』
The devil thought for a moment.
『You’re going to fall.』
“Yes!”
Pastel responded cheerfully again. Then she paused and contemplated her response.
Fall.
Fall?
She looked down at the ground. From the high altitude, it looked like a miniature world.
Am I falling?
Pastel’s eyes widened. She clutched her head.
Ugh!
“Please save meee!”
Shiver shiver.
The devil spoke calmly.
『First, strap the sword back to your waist.』
It was a completely trustworthy voice.
She hurriedly strapped the magic sword to her waist.
“All done! And then?”
『Pray to die without pain.』
“What?!”
The answer was completely unexpected!
“Devil?!”
『I’m sorry.』
It was a calm voice that seemed to mock her.
Ugh!
“I’m going to be flat Pastel! Flat Pastel! Flattish Pastel!”
Gasp.
Flat, flattish Pastel…!
How did I end up with such a lame evolution?!
Ugh!
Suddenly, the knife she was stepping on lost its strength.
“Eek.”
She looked down at her feet.
The knife was hissing as it fell.
Hiss…
“Ugh!”
Floatation engulfed her body as the wind rushed through.
“Save me, Pastel!”
The pink girl fell. She grabbed the falling knife friend and spun aimlessly.
“I’ll be good! I’ll be good! I’ll be super good! Please let me live just one more time!”
A long scream erupted.
A giant bird appeared, flapping its wings and snatching the hem of the girl’s clothes.
“Ahhh!”
Pastel was carried away. The fall stopped, and flight began.
Hanging by the beak, she shivered. She gasped for breath.
“Hah! Hah! Hah!”
That was close!
After calming down a bit, she regained her composure. The giant bird was flying away with her in its beak.
Huh?
This felt extremely familiar. The aura of the beak she felt through the fabric of her clothes created a sense of déjà vu.
“Uh, have we met before?”
There was no response, but the giant bird flew towards a familiar place. It was a rock mountain visible far away.
A place she was mistaken for food and carried away!
It seems like we have met!
As she got closer to the familiar nest on the rock mountain, a large crowd came into view. Leonard and his friends along with merchants and mercenaries were there.
Huh?
Why is everyone here?
『Since it was officially a rescue, they probably came to save you.』
“Ah!”
She had caused too much worry.
She placed both hands around her mouth and shouted.
“I’m sorry, friends!”
As if in response, her friends waved their arms.
“Please land in the nest! My friends are here!”
The bird adjusted its speed while flapping its wings and then landed in the nest.
#
“Did you surround the Skywhale?”
After a quick shower in the nearby rock lake, Pastel had changed into lighter clothing. She dried her wet pink hair with a towel.
Leonard explained the situation while avoiding eye contact, somewhat hesitantly.
“You might think it’s excessive, but it was necessary to surround it. If we can’t find the lost viscount properly, it means someone has ulterior motives.”
“Is that so?”
Pastel, who wasn’t fully conscious of her status, vaguely nodded.
Anyway, it was necessary to ensure that the key members of the Prism Upper Realms, who were definitely connected to the cult, wouldn’t escape.
They responded proactively without being told.
“Good job! Good job!”
She patted Leonard’s shoulders enthusiastically.
Honorary labor organization!
Wonderful! Wonderful!
Leonard looked down with a somewhat displeased expression.
“Are you just going to let it go with a few words? After what you’ve been through, you won’t still be unpaid, right?”
“Uwah~!”
She gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.
“So harsh!”
Pastel said that and burst into laughter.
“Haha!”
She neatly folded the towel.
Clean Pastel neatly puts away the used towel~.
It’s because of the devil’s nagging~.
Flap flap.
“Hey! Don’t just gloss over it!”
She held up the neatly folded towel proudly.
Leonard raised an eyebrow. Pastel started humming, clutching the towel tightly, and locked eyes with him.
“Even if you say so…”
Wet pink hair draped over the girl’s shoulders.
“You were worried about me, right?”
Leonard hesitated.
Pastel smiled gently.
“Thank you.”
Her voice melted into the air.
The girl continued to gaze at him for a moment before turning to walk away.
“Let’s go, friend! We need to sort out the situation and gather the Skywhale! Time is money!”
Leonard glanced at her and followed behind. A small grumble could be heard.
“Geez, still unpaid.”
Oh.
Pastel just laughed happily.
“Hey! Don’t laugh!”
“What’s wrong, friend friend!”
“Who’s friend friend!”
“Haha!”
They returned to the nest where the rescue team had gathered. It seemed they were halfway organized as they were preparing to move. Everyone who had scattered here and there searching for Pastel would gather together to leave.
Pastel looked around as if to say goodbye to the bird. As she approached the nest, she saw the giant bird with three chicks.
“Ah!”
The chicks!
“Hey there!”
The baby birds turned to look.
―Peep!
They flapped their wings excitedly.
Pastel flapped her arms in response.
“A joyful greeting!”
Flap flap together.
Flap flap all around.
Instead of conversation, only wings and arms flapped. The mother bird looked at them oddly. Then it turned back to the flapping chicks and smacked them with its wings. It seemed to say, “What are you doing, you silly things?”
―Peep!
The chicks that got hit toppled over.
Huh.
Pastel was stunned.
Ugh?
Was she too silly in the bird culture?!
She carefully lowered her flapping arms and approached casually. The struggling chicks looked up at her.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re all safe! Besides, all three have come back!”
Pastel counted them one by one.
“One, two, three!”
Wow, three of them!
The one that had been missing had returned!
Though they all looked quite similar, making it difficult to distinguish who was who, it was evident who had gone missing. One of the chicks had its feathers completely singed and looked pitch black.
Pastel frowned at the black chick with her arms crossed.
“You?”
―Peep.
The missing chick replied as if nothing happened.
What a brazen troublemaker!
Or rather, Pastel’s chick…!
Gasp?
That was an inadvertent thought!
She shook her head in her mind and inspected the missing chick.
It was completely charred; one could tell it had caused trouble.
“What were you doing to get burned like this?”
What could have happened with an engine failure on the flying ship that would cause burns?
Suddenly, a solution flashed in Detective Pastel’s mind.
That’s right, that’s it!
She pointed at the black chick.
“You are the culprit behind the flying ship crash! You snuck into the engine room and caused chaos!”
Dun dun.
The other chicks were stunned by a deduction they never imagined and looked at the black chick.
The black chick opened its beak wide in shock. A look of disbelief that it was caught red-handed.
In front of a super intelligent detective, there is no mystery.
The perfect crime, unraveled.
“If you didn’t have proper means of escape, that’s one thing, but to have escaped just fine and cause such an accident, that’s not okay! It drags in innocent lives too!”
―Peeaaak…
The black chick apologized.
At least it was apologizing willingly.
Footsteps were heard.
“Pastel, we’re ready to go back.”
Leonard pointed to the people.
“Ah, just a moment.”
She looked back at the chicks.
“Friends! I’m going back now! This isn’t a forever goodbye! Really, literally! I’ll be wandering around for a while since I plan to gather Skywhales! Until we meet again!”
―Peep!
She bid farewell to the baby birds.
She descended the rock mountain with the rescue team.
“Was the guild encircled properly?”
“We mobilized soldiers, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Good job, Leonard!”
Leonard frowned.
“If you’re thankful, give me money, you cheeky little thing.”
“Haha!”
They smoothly returned to the guild camping site near the docking station.
The military ship surrounded the Skywhale, while troops encircled the traders.
Sinclair, as the representative of the merchants, rushed over.
“What’s going on?! No matter how noble you are, this is a serious infringement of property rights!”
Pastel flashed a sly smile.
She pointed at Sinclair.
“I will arrest you and the Prism Upper Realms for conspiracy to commit murder against Viscount Craft.”
Here’s the evidence.
“Con, conspiracy to commit murder?!”
Sinclair’s eyes widened.
“Take him away!”
Soldiers seized the guild master’s arm.
“This is a frame-up!”
The guild master, who was truly framed, was dragged away.
I don’t know.
Break down, break down, disintegrate!
