Those Who Fled the Sun (3)
Number Five stared blankly at Kenis. How many years had she spent hiding among humans? She knew well enough that a princess was supposed to be kept in the safest position possible.
"...There's no way. There must be some kind of mistake."
It couldn't be. It was something that should never have happened.
Kenis shook her head, her expression heavy with dread. She had already searched every place Friga could possibly be. What weighed on her mind was the look Friga had worn throughout the entire evacuation — a smoldering rage and hatred, trapped deep inside despair with nowhere to go. It was the gaze of someone on the verge of doing something drastic.
Kenis had seen eyes like that before.
The eyes of someone who lost a person they cherished — unfairly, unjustly...
People like that tended to end up the same way. She couldn't know what Friga was feeling or what plan she had in mind when she turned back. But Princess Friga had returned to Montegras. Of that, Kenis was certain.
"Probably — no. I'm sure of it. Her Highness has gone back to Montegras."
"...Surely the Hero isn't saying she intends to go there as well—"
"I have to bring her back."
Friga and Kenis were not of equal value. It sounded cold and ruthless, but to Number Five, that was simply the truth. A princess and a Hero could not be placed on the same level.
"Please let me go. I have to bring Her Highness back."
"...If I tried to stop you, would you listen?"
"No."
Number Five looked into Kenis's eyes and gave up almost immediately. If she didn't take her, Kenis looked ready to run the whole way on foot. Better to cooperate, then.
"...We don't have much time. We'll go at once. Hold your breath."
"Hup!"
Once decided, the course of action was clear. Number Five seized Kenis's hand and flung them both into the shadows. In the fleeting instant they were swallowed by darkness, the sky seemed to fall and the ground to surge upward. Then Kenis opened her eyes in a back alley of Montegras.
The shadows cast over the empty alley only deepened its desolation. Number Five melted into the alley's darkness and looked back at Kenis.
"...I'll move separately and search for Her Highness."
"Ah — yes! Please do!"
"...And if the avalanche gets too close, I'll fire a signal flare. When you see it, shoot this one into the sky as well. I'll come straight to you."
She handed Kenis a signal flare as she spoke.
"...Don't push yourself too hard. And don't forget where you are."
With that brief warning, Number Five vanished. Kenis immediately kicked off the alley wall and shot straight upward. She had no intention of dragging this out either.
Tak— tatat!
Kenis soared high into the sky. With her red hair streaming in the wind, from a distance she would have looked like a torch flung high into the air.
"Huuuup!"
She drew in a great breath.
"Your Highness—!! Where are you—!!!"
Kenis's booming cry rolled through every corner of Montegras. Simple, but the most reliable method of all.
The Gate to the Holy Land.
The colossal door that had become a symbol of the Holy City of Civitas itself. It always stood firmly shut, opening only on rare occasions — and every time it did, something truly extraordinary occurred. A dragon would burst forth. Someone bearing a divine mandate to revive the five ancient races would appear. Beastfolk and elves, members of those long-forgotten five races, would step into the world.
And so the holy knights and soldiers always kept a vigilant watch on the Gate of the Holy Land. Day and night, through snow and rain, they stood steadfast, eyes fixed on the door. Of course, holy knights and soldiers were still human, and as time wore on, they grew weary.
"Yaaawn. I'm bored out of my mind. Hey, when does the next shift get here?"
"We just came on duty, sir. We've still got a long way to go."
"Ugh, seriously. Time crawls like a damn snail."
"Tell me about it."
"Hey, got any good stories?"
"Hmm... something I heard last time I was out on leave. The second daughter of the restaurant at the crossroads and the eldest son of the fabric shop..."
The soldiers bantered and killed time among themselves. The holy knight, understanding their feelings, didn't scold them too harshly. After all, if that enormous door ever opened, there was no way anyone could miss it.
It's only been so long since it last opened. No way it opens again this soon, right?
He had his own calculations. The Gate of the Holy Land wasn't some tavern door — it wasn't as if it swung open every other day.
Creeeeak—
"Huh...?"
The sound of the rusted door laboriously shifting its bulk filled the entire area. The soldiers mid-gossip turned like wooden dolls, staring at the Gate of the Holy Land.
...It was opening.
The Gate of the Holy Land was opening.
Krrrrrrrr—!
The massive, weighty door moved, shaking the ground beneath them.
"Th-the Gate of the Holy Land is open—!!"
Chaos erupted among the soldiers at once. Bells clanged wildly as soldiers and holy knights scrambled in every direction. What would emerge from the Gate this time? Servants of the god never before seen? A great dragon? An elf? Or would someone chosen by the divine pass through into the Holy Land?
Every gaze locked onto the Gate. Through the slightly parted crack, only black darkness was visible. The broad plaza fell into silence.
Flap—!
The sound of wings. The sound of vast wings of thin membrane beating the air.
"Gulp..."
"I-it's coming out!"
Just as someone cried out, something was forcing its way through the door!
《——— ———!!》
A dragon.
With a tremendous roar, a blue-radiant dragon soared high into the sky. In the blink of an eye it had burst through the Gate, beating its wings and loosing a single mighty cry.
"Waaaaaah!! A d-dragon! It's a dragon again!"
"Good heavens, an actual dragon appeared!"
The blue-shimmering dragon climbed skyward in an instant, then shrank until it was too small to see. The whole thing had happened in a heartbeat. Those who had just witnessed an ancient creature with their own eyes began chattering excitedly, sharing their impressions — most of them marveling at the dragon's majesty and appearance.
"...Wasn't it a lot bigger last time?"
A holy knight who had seen a dragon before muttered, tilting his head. It did look quite similar to the blue dragon from last time, but the size... seemed remarkably small.
"Must be my imagination."
Before, it had definitely been the size of a large hill.
"...Sniff."
Just as Kenis had predicted, Friga was in Montegras.
The emptied city held nothing but a lonely cold. Thinking that this was the final fate of the city she had loved, the hollow despair and rage festered inside her with nowhere to go. Uncharacteristically for someone always so full of vigor, her eyes were slightly swollen and her nose red. Dabbing at the tears that kept welling up, Friga sank down before a single gravestone.
It was her late mother's grave. Well tended, the surroundings neatly kept.
With trembling hands she slowly traced the cold stone. Once the avalanche passed, she would never be able to come here again.
Kuuuurrrrrrr—
The rumble of the avalanche had grown distinctly louder than before.
"...I'm going now, Mom."
There was so much she wanted to say, but time was gone.
《M-maiden! Is it truly finished now?! Quickly, mount my back! We must leave this place at once.》
The Unicorn, who had been fretting beside her like a foal desperate to relieve itself, stepped forward in a single bound. He had reluctantly agreed to carry her under Friga's insistence, but he clearly wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Yeah. Let's go..."
Regret shackled her feet, but she forced herself to move. The moment she climbed onto the Unicorn's back, a great voice rang through every corner of Montegras.
— "Your Highness—!! Where are you—!!!"
"Kenis?"
《Hmm?》
Both the Unicorn and Friga looked up. High in the sky, Kenis was visible — red hair streaming like a flaming arrow shot into the heavens.
Why was Kenis, who should have been with the refugees, searching for her here? Countless question marks bloomed around Friga.
Pruk—
《Maiden, it would seem the Hero is searching for you. Should we not go to her?》
"Uh, yeah. Right. Let's go for now."
At Friga's agreement, the Unicorn set off in Kenis's direction. They had barely walked any distance when he began gliding through the air as if stepping on empty space, and in an instant they arrived before Kenis.
"Your High—"
"Kenis, what are you doing here?"
"Ah! Your Highness!"
Spotting Friga, Kenis came running in a flurry. Her eyes were those of a parent who had just recovered a lost child.
"Your Highness! Why did you come back here?!"
"Huh?"
Kenis launched straight into a scolding.
"What on earth were you thinking?! We don't have much time. If I fire this signal flare, Number Five will come straight here — so let's go back right now!"
"Uh, uh?"
"Honestly, it's a good thing I noticed you were missing so quickly!"
"Umm...?"
Piyuuung— bang!
A signal flare shot up with a small trail of smoke and burst open with a pop! Number Five would see it and come here, so all that remained was to get back safely. Only then did Kenis let out a breath of relief.
"Uh, um... hey. Kenis?"
"What is it!"
Kenis glared at her sharply — the reproachful look one might give a runaway girl who didn't know better. Friga flinched despite herself, but part of her felt wronged.
"You're treating me like I came here out of pure despair, ready to throw everything away... I just wanted to say goodbye to my mom one last—"
Whoooooosh—!
The rest of Friga's words were drowned by a massive rush of wind. A sudden gale whipped Friga's and Kenis's hair into wild disarray.
"Ugh!"
《Heeheeheeing—! Maidens, get behind me! Quickly!》
The Unicorn stepped forward to block the wind, and it subsided somewhat.
Flap flap—!
The sound of great wings filled the space the wind had left. Friga's hand closed around her axe of its own accord. She knew that sound.
Grit.
"You damn lizard!"
Friga still remembered the time the dragon had toyed with her for sport and then casually flown off. How could she forget that humiliation?
A lizard with scales that shimmered an icy blue was circling leisurely through the sky, acknowledging Friga with casual familiarity.
《Oh, my nemesis. We meet again.》
"Just die already!"
Friga's middle finger shot up at Iver with full force.
Kuuuurrrrrrr—!
The cloud of the approaching avalanche was becoming visible. Once it entered sight, it would swallow the city in the blink of an eye. There truly was no time left.
Swoosh!
"...Hero! Your Highness! Over here, quickly!"
《Pruk! Maidens! It is truly dangerous now! We must leave at once!》
Number Five, emerging from the shadows, and the Unicorn both urged them on. Hesitate any longer and they would be buried in snow along with the city.
Flap flap—
Iver watched the scene with lofty composure. Only then did Friga notice something off about her.
Her appearance was very similar to before — blue-radiant scales, a long trailing tail, sharp claws, and those amphibian-like eyes. But the six proud horns that had once stretched out so impressively were gone; only two remained, as if the rest had been sold off somewhere.
And most decisively—
"Hey, you... why are you so small?"
The dragon who had once been so vast that one had to crane one's neck for ages just to look up at her had shrunk dramatically. Barely the size of a single house, maybe?
At Friga's observation, Iver's face crumpled. She seemed quite self-conscious about that particular point herself.
《Ahem. There were various circumstances.》
Kuuuuurrrrrrrrrr—!
The avalanche was coming. Number Five and the Unicorn were practically having fits as they shouted.
"Hero! Hurry — and Your Highness too!"
《M-maidens! Mount my back at once! Quickly!! I may survive being swept away, but I cannot guarantee the safety of you maidens!》
《Hmm...》
Iver gazed steadily at the avalanche, as if gauging something. Then she spoke to Friga.
《Nemesis. Would you care to join forces with me?》
"...What? Ha! Please. Why would I join forces with you?"
《Do you not wish to protect this city?》
"You—!"
Iver's words carried weight. Did that mean she could stop the avalanche?
《I am not saying we should never fight. Bickering with you is rather entertaining, after all. Call it...》
Iver paused, searching for the right word.
《Yes. A temporary alliance. A temporary alliance, that is.》