Chapter 200 : Stigma Liberation (3)
Stigma Liberation (3)
Normally, it's common sense that humanity needs rockets to venture into space.
One can only imagine how many years, budgets, and, above all, how much blood humanity sacrificed to develop such rockets.
Development is not something that can be achieved just by wracking one's brains.
It can only be accomplished after countless trials and errors and through desperate struggles for survival.
In the beginning, people attempt development to kill or be killed.
Without such fierce processes, spaceships would never have been born.
'But what the hell is this?'
That was why Louis was now staring blankly into the void with a dumbfounded expression.
Actually, there wasn't even a true "void" where he was.
It was because he had managed, by himself, something that required humanity's sweat and blood and still was all but impossible—space travel, and he had done it alone.
"Yo, young master!! Just where did we fly to?!"
"Weren't we just supposed to go to the capital? Why did we come so far?"
"This isn't just far away! This is another world!"
"Another world? So we're dead?"
"Kyaaaa!! I've never even heard of this! I've never even seen scenery like this!!"
The team members all screamed desperately, protesting to Louis.
Their original destination was the capital, but now they'd flown to an end of the sky as good as the next world.
At this point, it was less akin to motion sickness and more like being on the verge of losing their souls, so Louis apologized deeply.
"Guys, I'm sorry. This is really my first time flying."
"Even if it's your first time, who flies to the end of the sky like this?"
"Young master!! I'm really scared! Please let me down!!"
"This is outside the planet. Won't we die from lack of oxygen?"
"Then we have to turn back quickly!"
"If it weren't for Pram's barrier, who knows what would have happened!"
Exactly. If Pram hadn't set up a defensive magic safety precaution in advance, a disaster would have occurred.
"Young master, can you please fly properly now?"
"Don't fly too rashly."
"Alright, I got it."
Louis said he understood, but inside he was extremely anxious.
It was his first time actually flying in his dragon form, so he couldn't get a clear sense of things.
All he'd done was apply a bit of strength, but they'd flown up to a height of 2,000 km.
And all in just 20 seconds.
'Guess we don't need spaceships anymore.'
The momentary flight speed of a Chaos Dragon made modern spaceships look like junk from a hardware store.
That was the problem. It would take quite some time to adapt to this insane speed.
Could he control that speed while carrying the team and fly properly?
'I don't even have a pilot's license.'
In his previous life, he had failed the driving portion of the driver's license test five times before barely passing, so how much harder would flying be?
"Young master, we believe in you."
Rio, sitting on his back, pleaded with him desperately, looking like she would be sick at any moment.
The other members were the same, and Louis understood how they felt.
It was an even worse situation than taking a trip to Jeju and suddenly crash-landing in war-torn Afghanistan.
"Alright, everyone. Here we go."
As Louis spoke, all the team members collectively held their breath.
In a space without gravity, Louis looked down at the blue planet beneath him.
There was no concept of up and down in space, so he could barely even turn his head.
Barely capable of driving a car, and with no pilot's license, Louis forced himself upright.
"Let's gooooooo!!!"
The moment he shouted his rally, Louis dove toward Earth.
The instant his wings flapped, his body rocketed toward the blue backdrop at a maddening speed.
After just 10 seconds—
Paaaaaang!!―
Louis's body crashed into the water's surface, causing a massive underwater explosion.
The shockwave was so great that the ocean split apart for an instant, turning into a flat expanse.
"Waaah! You crazy young master!!"
"Drive straight!!"
The team members collectively yelled at Louis, who had caused a major crash.
After pulling his head out of the water and barely lifting it up, Louis could see that the seawater within dozens of kilometers had evaporated around him.
"Oh, wow..."
He could only marvel for a moment at the scale of that insane crash before pulling himself up again.
"What kind of coachman drives a carriage this badly!"
"Young master! Please, can't we just change the coachman?"
They were now, at least, openly demanding a change of driver.
Given his failure to control the speed and the collision, such a reaction was only natural—but unfortunately, it was impossible to grant their wish.
"Who here could possibly drive in my place?!"
Nobody could.
There might be people who could drive a carriage, but nobody in this world could drive a dragon.
"I'm flying again! Hold on tight!"
On the outside, Louis shouted confidently, but inside he was feeling sorry as he took off again.
This time, he flew at a moderate altitude—not too high and not too low—floating right at the level to be hidden by the clouds.
In that state, he flew straight in a direction he assumed to be the West Continent.
This time, he was starting to get the hang of it.
By flapping his wings smoothly, he could finally avoid being swept up by the speed!
Bang!―
Just then, Louis suddenly felt something hit his head and stopped for a moment.
It felt like a huge boulder had struck the top of his head.
"What was that?"
He was flying at an altitude of 2,000 metres, so what could possibly hit him?
For a moment, he wondered, but soon realized what kind of terrain this was.
"It's a mountain."
It was a massive mountain range.
Mountains that soared so high the clouds gathered around their peaks.
What Louis had just destroyed with his headbutt was a boulder atop those mountains.
And then...
"Kyaaaaa!!"
He heard a human scream coming from the mountains.
With senses surpassing those of a human, Louis instantly figured out where he was and was alarmed.
"Shit!"
It was a village built right atop a mountain's summit.
Wait, there's a human village at over 2,000m elevation? Wouldn't they all die of altitude sickness?
But the village was undeniably there.
It wasn't a village for "normal people."
He could see that the people here all had wings on their backs.
"I-it's a dragon!!"
"Hiiiik!!"
The winged people freaked out and began to flee en masse.
It was the obvious reaction to a monster like a dragon showing up.
But why did those people have wings? And how could they live at such elevations?
Just as these questions formed in his mind, Victor spoke up.
"Young master. Those people must be the Skywing Tribe."
"The Skywing Tribe?"
"When I looked up monster entries in my bestiary, I also checked entries about other races. I saw them in that book."
Victor further explained that they were a race living in the highest mountains of the East Continent.
Just like there were elves in the West, the East had this winged race.
Unlike ordinary humans, they didn't succumb to altitude sickness.
"Huh? Wait a minute."
A race that existed only on the East Continent?
"So does that mean this is...?"
"Correct."
The direction they thought was toward the West Continent had actually led them to the East Continent.
Louis's mind reeled once again at this realization.
"Young master, do you know the direction to the West Continent?"
"No."
Lost again.
Ultimately, realizing there was no way around it, Victor got down from Louis's back and approached the villagers.
"Excuse me! Do you possibly have a compass...?"
"Waaah!!"
"It's a dragon!!"
"Call the warriors!!"
No one listened to what Victor was saying.
"The dragon destroyed our sacred tombstone!!"
"It must be eradicated immediately!!"
What? The sacred tombstone?
"Kill that evil dragon that destroyed our ancestors' graves!!"
Ah, so the rock he destroyed a moment ago with his headbutt was a grave.
"Young master. This won't work."
"... Pram, set up the safety barrier on Victor again."
Turning from the team, Louis flapped his wings once more.
"The dragon is running away!"
The Skywing villagers fired arrows at him, but they couldn't hurt Louis.
At most, it made him feel slightly ticklish, so he ignored them and took flight again.
"Everyone, hold on tight again!!"
"Yes..."
"Okay..."
To Louis's enthusiastic shout, the team replied weakly.
At this point, they no longer even had expectations.
And so, the sonic boom roared again.
****
Meanwhile, the capital of the Imperial Court in the West Continent was in an uproar.
There was talk about the dragon that appeared in Woodrock and how that dragon was in fact a young boy.
This commotion was because more than a few people had witnessed the boy.
Naturally so, as the boy in question was the child of Lord Seifert, famous for his good nature.
Fortunately, only a select few nobles knew the truth, and the regular citizens had no idea.
Therefore, only those in the know had gathered in the Imperial Castle for a meeting.
"Let me get straight to the point. Your Majesty, did you already know the true identity of that boy?"
The prominent nobles of the empire gathered, their eyes suspiciously fixed on the Emperor.
The boy's identity was none other than Louis, the squad leader of the special task force.
How could the Emperor, commander of the special task force, not know?
"Yes, I did."
At the Emperor's frank reply, the nobles recoiled collectively.
"You mean you knowingly let such calamity run loose?"
"He should have been dealt with immediately, if not sooner."
As always, the opportunistic nobles tried to use this chance for an aggressive attack on the Emperor.
"Dealt with? Puhahaha!!"
At the nobles' vehement outcry, the Emperor burst into laughter.
"If a monster more powerful than a Swordmaster appeared before you, could you really speak so easily of 'dealing with' him?"
"What do you mean by that...?"
"I mean exactly what I said. Even aside from that, I had no intention of 'dealing with' that boy."
The Emperor's inexplicable statement made the nobles scowl.
How could they tolerate leaving alive a monster in human skin?
"This works out well. There is something I'd like to bring up at this opportunity."
A male noble raised his hand.
It was Peria, head of the Hartmon family, once a branch of the extinct Refilica house but now a thriving duke.
"Speak."
Upon the Emperor's permission, peria Hartmon smiled and asked:
"The Demon King who wields the Blood Sword Technique, a magic user with the power of monsters, and a dark mage who wields the power of the great devil."
"....!"
"Do you have no suspicions about any of them?"
At this unexpected question, the Emperor's heart beat faster.
Noticing this, peria smiled once again.
"You already know it was the Demon King who started the demonkin war, and I shouldn't have to explain what dark magic is. Even the prophecy says who they are, does it not?"
The prophecy said: A Demon King wielding a blood-sword appears to end the world, but one who wields the holy sword shall appear to save it.
Everyone knew this prophecy, but the Emperor's face always clouded over whenever it was mentioned.
Moreover, he was doubly shocked that the secret, unknown to anyone, had been leaked to a high-ranking noble.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I want to know everything about the special task force."
All the nobles' eyes were on the Emperor.
Once respected, the Emperor now became the sole target of distrustful stares.
Peria's gaze was especially pointed, as if to say he came knowing all this.
"Let me ask you, Lord Peria: Whom did you hear that from?"
"I can't tell you. I, myself, only received the information from someone else."
"So you're pressing me like this over information from some anonymous person?"
"Normally, such a thing might have been a serious offense, but given the doubts surrounding the special task force, I believe it is fully justifiable to ask now."
Up until now, the special task force—representatives of the royal family—was suspected of being made up of beings who should never have existed.
In this situation, the information Peria held drew immense attention.
The nobles all began harboring their own resentments.
They'd lost family during the demonkin war sparked by the Demon King.
"That is..."
Just as the Emperor was about to reply honestly—
Kuuuuuuung!!―
At that moment, a massive earthquake rumbled from the eastern outskirts of the capital.
As the knights on security duty opened the east window to check, they recoiled in terror.
"We finally arrived!!!!"
It was a dragon—raising its head with a triumphant roar—who had crashed through a mountain, causing its collapse.