The high sky was filled with wind.
Pastel sneezed.
“Achoo!”
Hiccup.
Standing on the knife, she rubbed her arms and glanced around the clear sky. She tapped her cheeks, shaking off the daze of hormones.
“Demon Lord! Demon Lord! I’m flying in the sky!”
She flapped her arms like wings.
Flap flap.
As she savored the cold air, her senses sharpened.
“Right. It’s better to come down for now. Get your head together while you’re at it.”
“Yup!”
Pastel repeatedly lowered and raised her palms.
“Down! Down!”
Following the hand gestures, the Knife slowly descended.
“Whoosh~!”
Whoosh whoosh.
“I love Knife Friend, but it’s a bummer that one hand is tied up while piloting. It’s lacking in independence.”
Pastel wiggled her fingers to control the knife.
“It should be independent like me!”
“Oh? Where are you independent?”
Pastel confidently exclaimed.
“I walk and run all by myself!”
The Demon was impressed.
“That’s surprising.”
Not at all surprising tone.
“More importantly, check the knife’s fuel. You’ve used it roughly and charged it a lot these past few days, so isn’t it about time it ran low?”
“Just a sec.”
Pastel bent down. With her foot on the knife, she couldn’t see it at all.
Hmm.
How to check the knife while standing on it?
Lost in thought, she became even more dazed.
Whoa.
She sneaked a glance at the knife.
“How much fuel do you have left?”
There was no answer.
Of course, right?!
Ahhh.
“Demon Lord! Demon Lord! I take back what I just said! I’m not independent at all!”
“Oh? What great realization did you have while checking the knife’s fuel?”
“I realized that I need the Demon Lord!”
Pastel picked up the Demon Sword. She bent down and subtly lowered the sword to where the knife could be seen under her foot.
“Can you check it for me instead?”
“If you want independence, you should fall, check the knife’s status, and then get back on. You could do that.”
“That sounds scary, so just please check it for me!”
“You have no desire to be independent at all.”
The Demon checked the knife’s fuel.
“Hmm? It’s empty. It’s about to fall any moment now.”
“What?!”
“Having jumped in the air so many times, it was bound to run out eventually. Hurry and recharge it. Though it has filled my existence, there’s enough fuel to get down to the ground.”
Pastel frantically rummaged through her pockets.
Gem, gem.
Even if they were priced the same as gold bars of the same volume, she survived on gems instead of food, so she always carried emergency gems. Especially since she’d been using the gem knife.
But Pastel panicked while searching.
“Eh.”
No gem.
She pulled out a mini pepper shaker to check the remaining gem powder.
Empty.
She must have eaten it all during the few days of surviving and secret inspections.
Well, it’s okay!
Thanks to having had plenty of gem energy beforehand, she wouldn’t die even after a few days without food!
“Nothing, huh?”
Pastel brightly replied.
“Yup!”
“Hmm.”
The Demon thought for a moment.
“We’re going to fall.”
“Yup!”
Pastel cheerfully responded and then paused to reflect on her answer.
Fall.
Fall?
She looked down at the ground. From the heights, the ground looked like a tiny model world.
Am I really going to fall?
Pastel’s eyes widened. She held her head.
Ahhh!
“Save me!”
Shivering.
The Demon calmly spoke.
“First, put the sword back at your waist.”
Such a trustworthy voice.
Fumbling, she strapped the Demon Sword back to her waist.
“Done! So what now?”
“Pray to not die painfully.”
“Eh?!”
An answer she never expected!
“Demon Lord?!”
“Sorry.”
A voice that seemed to mock her, so calm all on its own.
Ahhh!
“I’m going to become Flat Pastel! Flat Pastel! Flat-flat Pastel!”
Gasp.
Flat-flat Pastel……!
How did it come to this pathetic evolution?!
Ahhh!
Suddenly, the knife under her foot lost power.
“Eh.”
She checked her feet.
The knife was going “hee hee~~” as it fell.
Hee hee.
“Ahhh!”
Weightlessness swept over her body, and the wind rushed past.
“Save Pastel!”
The pink girl fell. In a panic, she reached for the falling knife friend and spun aimlessly.
“I’ll be good! I’ll be good! I’ll be completely good! Please let me live just this once!”
A long scream echoed.
A giant bird flew in. Its wings flapped and its beak caught the hem of the girl’s clothes.
“Ahhh!”
Pastel was lifted and the fall stopped, now flying.
Hanging by the beak, she trembled her body. Gasping for breath.
“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”
So close to death!
Once she calmed down a bit, she gathered the situation. The giant bird was flying, holding her with its beak.
Hmm.
This feels strangely familiar. The aura of the beak felt familiar beyond the fabric of her clothes.
“Uh, are we perhaps acquaintances?”
No answer came, but the giant bird flew toward a familiar place. A rocky mountain visible in the distance.
I got caught thinking I was food!
Seems we are acquaintances!
As the familiar nest of the rocky mountain came into view, a large crowd could also be seen. Leonard, friends, along with merchants and mercenaries.
Hmm.
Why is everyone here?
“Officially, since it was a rescue operation, they must be here to help.”
“Oh no!”
She felt bad for worrying them.
She cupped her hands by her mouth and shouted.
“I’m sorry, friends!”
In response, her friends waved their arms.
“Please land us at the nest! My friends are over there!”
The bird adjusted its speed with flap flaps and landed at the nest.
“Did you encircle the Sky Whale?”
After a light shower in the nearby rocky lake, Pastel dressed lightly. She dried her wet pink hair with a towel.
Leonard awkwardly avoided her gaze while explaining the situation.
“You might think it’s an overreaction, but it was needed. If we don’t find the missing marquis properly, it suggests someone is plotting something.”
“Is that so?”
Pastel, not fully aware of her status, agreed half-heartedly.
Since they definitely needed to ensure the main members of the Freji Merchant House who are linked to the cult couldn’t escape.
Even without being told, they took preemptive action.
“Good job! Good job!”
She playfully patted Leonard’s tall shoulder.
Honorary labor contractor!
Wonderful! Wonderful!
Leonard glanced down, slightly frowning.
“So you think a mere word will let me slide this hardship? After all this, you’re not seriously suggesting I’m unpaid, right?”
“Oh wow!”
She gasped with surprise.
“Such a stingy one!”
Pastel burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
She neatly folded the towel.
A clean Pastel folded the used towel away~.
All thanks to the Demon Lord’s nagging~.
Fold fold.
“Hey! Don’t brush it off so easily!”
She proudly held up the neatly folded towel.
Leonard raised an eyebrow. Pastel hummed to herself and met Leonard’s gaze while hugging the towel tightly.
“Even if you say that…”
The damp pink hair spilled over her shoulders.
“You were worried about me, right?”
Leonard paused.
Pastel smiled sweetly.
“Thank you.”
Her voice blended into the air.
The girl held their gaze for a moment longer before moving on.
“Let’s go, friend! We need to sort out the situation and collect the Sky Whale! Time is money!”
Leonard followed her, muttering softly.
“Ugh, still unpaid.”
Oh.
Pastel just laughed it off.
“Hey! Don’t laugh!”
“What’s wrong, friend-friend!”
“Who’s a friend-friend?!”
“Hahaha!”
They returned to the nest where the rescue team had gathered. Seems they were almost ready for departure, forming a somewhat orderly assembly. The group that had scattered looking for Pastel now gathered for the move.
Pastel looked around, wanting to at least say goodbye to the bird. Approaching the nest, she saw the giant bird and three baby birds.
“Ah!”
Baby birds!
“Hey there!”
The baby birds looked back.
—Peep!
They fluttered their wings happily.
Pastel joined in flapping her arms.
“A joyful greeting!”
Flap flap together.
They all flapped together.
Instead of talking, only wings and arms flapped. The mother bird looked on with a peculiar gaze. Then, turning back to the flapping baby birds, she swatted them with her wings, as if to say this was a foolish act.
—Peep!
The baby birds tumbled over.
Eh.
Pastel was taken aback.
Ahh?
Was their bird culture too foolish?
Carefully lowering her flapping arms, she approached normally. The baby birds that were squirming to stand looked up.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re all safe! Plus, all three of you are back!”
Pastel counted each one.
“One, two, three!”
Wow, three of them!
One baby bird that had been missing had returned!
All three looked quite similar, so it was impossible to tell them apart, but it was clear who had been missing. One little bird was completely covered in soot, looking pitch black.
Pastel crossed her arms and glared at the black one.
“Was it you?”
—Peep.
The lost one answered nonchalantly, as if nothing happened.
Such a brazen troublemaker!
Or rather, Pastel’s baby bird…!
Gasp?
That slip of thoughts was a mistake!
Shaking her head internally, she observed the lost one.
Just look at how much trouble it got into, all its feathers blackened.
“What were you doing that got yourself all burned?”
What kind of thing could happen on a broken airship to get singed?
Suddenly, the mind of Detective Pastel sparked with a revelation.
That’s right!
She pointed at the black baby bird.
“You’re the culprit behind the airship crash! You snuck into the engine room and caused a ruckus!”
Dun dun.
The other baby birds, hearing a reasoning they never expected, looked shocked and turned to the black baby bird.
The black baby bird opened its beak in utter disbelief. It couldn’t believe it would get caught for a perfect crime.
With a super intelligence, there were no mysteries.
The perfect crime, unraveled.
“If you didn’t have many escape options, that’s one thing. But you were safely escaping and still causing such trouble! That’s not okay! Innocent lives got swept up in it!”
—Pee-yak…….
The black baby bird apologized.
At least it was willing to apologize.
Footsteps could be heard.
“Pastel, are you ready to go back?”
Leonard pointed to the crowd.
“Oh, just a moment.”
Pastel looked back at the baby birds.
“Friends! I’m heading back now! It’s not a forever goodbye! I mean it! I plan to be around for a while to collect Sky Whales anyway! See you again!”
—Peep!
She bid farewell to the baby birds.
Then she led the rescue team down the rocky mountain.
“Was the encirclement of the merchant house done properly?”
“We gathered soldiers, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Good job, Leonard!”
Leonard frowned.
“If you’re thankful, pay me with money, you shameless one.”
“Hahaha!”
They smoothly returned to the merchant camp near the dock.
Military airships surrounded the Sky Whale while soldiers encircled the merchants.
Sinclair High Merchant hurriedly approached, seemingly taking the representative seat of the merchants.
“What is the meaning of this?! No matter how noble you are, this is excessive infringement on property rights!”
Pastel smiled mischievously.
She pointed at Sinclair.
“I’m arresting you and the Freji merchants on charges of conspiracy to commit murder against Marquis Craft.”
I have proof.
“Conspiracy to commit murder?!”
Sinclair’s eyes widened.
“Take me away!”
The soldiers seized Sinclair’s arm.
“This is slander!”
The genuinely slandered merchant was dragged away.
Don’t know.
Dismantle, dismantle, disintegrate!
