Chapter 223
Chapter 223
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 223
Chapter Title: Memories of Galliante (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Isn't it too late? You said it only stays for about ten minutes?”
“That's why I told you we needed to get up early. I was so busy taking care of you guys that I forgot. I only realized because the tourists weren't thinning out even though it's night.”
“Oh, for goodness' sake.”
The water dragon, Kaios, was known to travel across the three oceans spanning the equator over a decade.
It would settle near Galliante Island for about ten minutes, and the number of tourists who came just to see the dragon reached a staggering two thousand.
When they arrived at the port, it was so packed with people there wasn't even room to squeeze through. It seemed impossible to walk to the dock.
Someone shouted that there were ten minutes left.
Canis, who had been gauging the proportion of darkness in the surrounding space, grabbed Arin's hand.
“Well then, excuse us.”
The two of them vanished into the shadows. By casting Dark Port, they could reach their destination without being seen.
Shirone's group was dumbfounded. Amy, in particular, trembled with clenched fists and cursed Canis's appearance. Judging by the names and parts of the animals she was describing, she must have been quite furious.
“What do we do? Is there no way to get inside?”
“I'll go talk to the people at the port. Wait here.”
Amy grabbed Jis as he was about to run to the management office.
“It's already too late for that. I guess we have no choice but to watch from here?”
Someone shouted that there were five minutes left.
At that moment, flashes of light shot up from the edge of the crowd, beginning to embroider the night sky. They were mages from the continent who had come to see Kaios.
Shirone and Amy looked at each other and grinned.
“Alright! Let's go!”
Shirone's group teleported into the air and naturally blended in with the flashes of light. In a situation like this, who could tell who was a student and who was a mage?
Contrary to their expectation that the breakwater would be the most crowded, most people were gathered outside the boundary of the dock.
Although Kaios had never harmed anyone on Galliante Island, it seemed the dragon was still a fearsome creature.
On the other hand, mages and swordsmen accustomed to life-or-death battles were gathered inside the dock.
The population density of trained individuals, the kind you'd only see in the capital's mercenary market, made them realize just how popular the dragon was.
“Hey, I saved you a spot.”
Canis, who had arrived first, greeted his friends without a change in expression. Amy rolled up her sleeves and approached him.
“You traitor! Did you run off to save yourself?”
“Is there a need to bring up life and death? You're here now, so just watch.”
At that moment, a roar erupted from the crowd.
Realizing what had happened without even looking, Shirone's group immediately turned and ran to the end of the dock.
A massive wall of water was rushing in from the distant sea. Judging by its size and speed, it was large enough to submerge the entire port.
“Whoa? Whoa, whoa, whoa?”
Shirone's group was utterly stunned. As the tidal wave approached within 200 meters, their breath caught in their throats.
Just as they thought they'd be swept away for sure, a colossal object rose vertically from the water.
The form of the water collapsed, and a massive torrent amounting to thousands of tons surged upward, drawn by Kaios.
“Aaaah! Aaaah!”
Shirone's group screamed as if they'd been electrocuted. The dragon had lifted the entire sea. It was a display of truly immeasurable magical power.
The rising torrent spread out like a fountain 300 meters in the air, creating dozens of arches.
Encasing itself within arches spanning over a kilometer in radius, Kaios showed off its overwhelming form.
Kkiiiooooooooo!
A sorrowful and beautiful cry embroidered the sea.
At that moment, a light flashed behind Shirone. People were aiming cylindrical devices at the water dragon and shooting flashes of light.
“What are they doing? Are they attacking it?”
Jis laughed at Shirone's naive words.
“No, that's an optical camera. I heard it's a device that can capture light as it is, and it's incredibly expensive. But on a day like today, they sell like hotcakes. There are even professional photographers who travel the world just to take pictures of Kaios.”
As Kaios performed a graceful flight, as if swimming through the air, large fireworks prepared by the Galliante autonomous government filled the sky.
According to Jis, the tourism revenue was so immense that they didn't spare any expense.
Watching the dragon swim through the arches of water, infused with the sparks of fireworks, was the sweetest delicacy one could taste with their eyes.
Amy turned to Jis, her eyes sparkling.
“Jis, thank you. This alone made coming to the island worthwhile.”
“Hehe, I made a promise, didn't I? That I'd give you a proper tour.”
Tess was spurred on by the sight of Canis and Arin affectionately holding hands. Thinking she couldn't miss such a good opportunity, she stealthily hugged Rian's arm.
“W-what is this? What are you doing all of a sudden?”
Rian recoiled as if a bug had landed on him, and Tess's eyes widened in disbelief.
“Hey, isn't that a bit much? No matter how hideous I am, can I be worse than your arm?”
“N-no, that's not it. You just really surprised me.”
Normally, she would have been upset with disappointment, but the spectacle on the sea was so magnificent and beautiful that it made her forget even those feelings.
The water dragon turned to the audience as if to say goodbye. The arches spread out toward the distant sea at high speed, and a 12-shot firework burst against the silver-platter-like moon.
Tess began to tear up.
“Hic, I don't know...”
Her friends turned to look at her with surprised expressions. Rian, feeling particularly guilty, couldn't hide his bewilderment.
“W-what's wrong? I told you, it's not because I hate it. It was just so sudden...”
“Be quiet, you idiot. I've grown attached. What am I supposed to do now?”
Her friends' hearts were no different from Tess's.
“We have to go back tomorrow. I don't want to leave. Maybe I should just change my class to a mage? Then I could see you all at the academy all the time.”
“What are you talking about? Of course, you should become a swordsman, Tess. We can meet anytime after we graduate.”
At Shirone's comfort, Tess nodded repeatedly. Then she called over Amy and Arin and held their hands.
“Let's write letters to each other and stuff. Okay? We have to keep in touch.”
Arin pointed to herself.
“M-me too?”
“Of course! You're a member of the Paradise Squad! Is there any stronger friendship in the world?”
Amy recalled the day she first met Tess.
There were awkward times, but now she loved doing things with her. There was probably no one in the world who wouldn't love the just and warm-hearted Tess.
“Yeah. We'll definitely see each other again. Just the girls next time.”
“Alright! With this, the Paradise Squad is formed!”
Shirone's group headed for home.
Since it was a special day, the shops were open 24 hours, but they wanted to spend the last day of their vacation cozily with their friends.
Arriving home, Jis found a letter in the mailbox.
“Huh? It's a letter from the Captain. It's for you.”
“From Marsha?”
On the day they arrived in Paradise, his body hadn't been in good condition, so he couldn't even say a proper goodbye. By the time he woke from a deep sleep, the Parrot Mercenary Corps had already left the island.
Shirone unfolded the letter and read it for a long while.
“Haha! That's just like Marsha!”
Amy's eyes narrowed coyly.
“What? What's it about that's so funny?”
“Huh? Oh, it's nothing.”
“Hey! Hand it over, now! What, is it a love letter or something?”
As Amy threw herself at him to snatch it away, Shirone obediently placed the letter in her hand.
At that, it was Amy who was flustered.
“W-what? What am I supposed to do if you actually give it to me? If it's important, I don't have to look...”
“No. It'll be fine. Probably.”
What did he mean, 'probably'? Grumbling, Amy read the letter and tilted her head.
There was nothing written on the paper.
“What is this? It's just a blank page.”
“That's right. But she left a letter.”
Tess smiled with a look of understanding.
“I see. She left a letter.”
Shirone gazed at the distant sky. The blank page contained all the words she wanted to convey.
This was Marsha. They would surely meet again someday.
‘I should write a letter when I get back.’
He wished Marsha the best for her future.
2. Waiting for the Semester to Start (1)
After returning home, Shirone spent a pleasant time with his parents, and whenever he had a spare moment, he wrote letters to his friends.
Marsha had conveyed her feelings with a blank page, but he couldn't match her wit. So, he filled his letters with even more care and sincerity.
“All done. Now I just need to send them.”
He planned to go to the city tomorrow to mail the letters. By the time the letters reached his friends, the vacation would be nearly over. After returning from Paradise, he had realized the preciousness of daily life. He wanted to return to the academy and see his friends as soon as possible.
“Shirone, come down and eat.”
“Okay, I'm coming.”
Hearing his mother's voice calling from the first floor, Shirone blew out the candle and left his room.
The capital, Vashka.
The Mercodine private residence, located in the Royal Castle Administrative District.
On a shabby dining table, unfitting for a first-class noble, sat side dishes of nameless greens that an ascetic might chew on.
Iruki's mother was appalled, but the Mercodine father and son enjoyed the simple meal. They disliked how the feeling of fullness after eating meat dulled their thoughts.
Iruki ate the rice with a fork, occasionally chewing on the greens.
Across from him sat a man who looked exactly like Iruki, just with a few more wrinkles, eating his meal.
Mercodine Albino, Iruki's father and the head of Yongroe. While not a Savant, he was a man so knowledgeable in all things that it was said what he didn't know, no one in the world knew.
Albino asked at an odd moment.
“How is the entropy problem coming along?”
“I think I've more or less solved it.”
Iruki answered without even lifting his head. The two of them were not on bad terms, but he believed that one only needed ears and a mouth to hear a question and give an answer.
Having finished his meal, Albino set down his utensils and asked.
“Iruki, what is 1 plus 1?”
“2.”
“No. It's 3.”
For the first time, Iruki looked up. This was the kind of situation that required eyes.
“No, it's 2.”
“Then make it 3.”
“Why?”
Albino shrugged.
“Does it matter?”
“Is that so?”
“Prove it and bring it to me. If you can do this, you will be closer to the answer you seek. This is your last homework assignment for the break.”
“It will take at least six days.”
Albino's eyes lit up.
“Oh? You already have a feeling for it?”
“No. You're leaving on a business trip in five days.”
Iruki went back to consuming rice. One grain at a time. As long as he had the minimum energy to operate his brain, fullness was the enemy. He had been working his mind without a second's rest throughout the break, and it felt like even a Savant's brain was overloading.
Albino spoke after a moment.
“I won't check. I'll just leave believing you've done it.”
“This is the first I've heard of you trusting me.”
Albino smiled. It didn't matter if his son couldn't solve the Akashic Records in six days. He was simply proud of the son who had calculated his business trip schedule first.
“Knowledge can never overcome wisdom. Let's say you've won.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
Iruki bowed his head and cleared the dishes. While Albino drank tea and read the newspaper, Iruki finished the dishes and was about to turn away when the head butler entered.
“Young Master, a letter has arrived. It's from someone named Arian Shirone.”
“Huh? Shirone?”
As Iruki's face lit up and he ran over, Albino pretended to read the newspaper while stealthily observing his son.
Arian Shirone. The name that had come out of his son's mouth most frequently—a total of 3,742 times—since he returned after finishing the semester.
In his opinion, Iruki was a fine prospect. He possessed the capabilities of a genius and was also rich in human emotion.
He had struggled because of that tendency when he was younger, but the son who returned after this semester was different.
He no longer feared his own talent, and a boy named Shirone must have played an important role in that.