Heavenly Castle

I stand between the thick arbour and watch the blue sky that spreads endlessly.

As a gentle wind caresses my cheeks, I stretched my body and exclaimed.

「…… A pleasant wind is blowing today」

When I said that, Ayla nods while arranging her hair.

「Yes. It feels good.」

The beautiful red hair of Ayla, who replied to me, swayed in the wind. Today, Ayla isn’t in her usual light brown plain dress, but wears a stunning white dress as if she’s shedding light.

Honestly, I was often fascinated by her appearance like a natural princess.

No, I wonder if it’s natural for a real princess to look good? Anyway, A1 also stands diagonally in her back and is looking attentively like a bodyguard.

No, that’s good, but isn’t it natural for you to stand at my back?

When I’m observing Ayla and A1 while thinking such things, I heard a voice of protest from behind.

「…… Mother, Taiki-sama is looking at Ayla-sama again.」

「Hmm, this is troubling… though, it’s okay if Mea and Schnee can join as a concubine somehow.」

「Me too!?」

「That’s a big pressure for Schnee who’s an old maid….. Guhah!」

「Even you Rant is single.」

I look back while smiling wryly at their topic with lively voices and turned to Torraine and the others.

Today, the girls are wearing costumes like a dancer with high skin exposures unlike usual. Maybe they matched it with their blue hair, because they have chosen colors such as light blue or bluish purple. At first glance, they looked like a dancer or belly dancer.

All of it were bought from yesterday’s merchant, but certainly there was a lot of unique and interesting things just as the merchant have boasted. Maybe it matched their cat beastman’s sensitivity, because Torraine and the others have immediately picked up their clothes.

Mea, who is wearing her clothes and whirling around, is very adorable.

When I look at Mea while thinking such things, she’s also looking at me with a somewhat shy appearance. Her tail is swaying anxiously downwards. Maybe because she was nervous when my face turned at her, Schnee also became stiff in a similar manner with Mae.

「Both Mea-chan and Schnee-san are cute.」

When I said that, Mea smiled sweetly in delight and Schnee raised a weird voice and became surprised.

「Cu, cute?! That can’t be……」

She’s waving her hand, but her tail is swaying greatly just like with Mea. Schnee has a dignified atmosphere, but she might have a surprisingly cute personality.

While watching their swaying tail, I open my mouth.

「A mysterious great country that stopped the war between the Kingdom and the Empire, huh? The people who live here are only five people except the King, though.」

When I said that, Torraine and the others laughed as if in trouble. Only Ayla is smiling wryly. By the way, I liked and recommended the dress of Ayla. It seems to be quite plain than the fashion in the Royal Capital, but I personally like it.

Ayla in such a beautiful dress watched the vast sky and opened her mouth.

「…… So, where are we heading?」

When Ayla turned around to me while saying that, Mea was drawn and also turned towards me.

「Where are we going?」

Mea looks at me with sparkling eyes. She looks like a child expecting her first outing.

「I think I would like to see the country called Imperial Country of Fleida.」

「Imperial Country of Fleida?」

Mea tilted her head to my words. Then Ayla talked before I answered.

「It’s a neighboring country of the Empire and the Kingdom. The southernmost is being ruled side by side by the Azul Kingdom and the Imperial Country of Fleida, so it’s a country with similar status, both in terms of national strength and standpoint with Azul Kingdom to an extent.」

Ayla talked about the status of each country and was explaining it with her point of view as royalty, but as an ordinary person, I have more interest in other details.

It’s townscape, culture, rare foods and so on. To put it bluntly, there’s nothing better than feeling like traveling abroad.

It feels that the Azul Kingdom and Blau Empire have an atmosphere of medieval Europe, but I wonder if it’s also the same in the Imperial Country of Fleida?

「Anyway, I’d like to walk around the city.」

I want to feel the atmosphere of the foreign country.

It was words that I said casually, but the eyes of Rant and Schnee, who were behind Mea, shone dimly.

「Please leave it to us. We will protect Taiki-sama.」

「We will accompany you.」

While watching the two who are overflowing with motivation, I laugh and shake my head from side to side.

「No no, I’m just kidding. Thank you for your concern.」

Well, there’s also Ayla who is knowledgeable to some extent, so I should ask her by the time we reached the more distant country.

Although I refrained from thinking about such things, Rant and Schnee seems to regret it for some reason.

「Well then, I’m going to check where’s our location now. Dinner is also near, do you want to go to the castle too?」

I said that in order to change the topic.

Since Torraine and the others have only arrived for the first time in the Control Room on the 5th floor of the castle, they look around very curiously.

In the screen, a vast forest and mountain that rises high is being showed as if it is approaching us.

「As expected, that mountains are big, isn’t it.」

When I said that, Ayla, who’s next to me, nods.

「The Reelabras Mountain Range is the biggest mountain in the south, so it is frequently compared with the Zwanzig Mountain Range in the north which is the biggest in the world.」

「Areh? That’s something I heard for the first time. Is there such a mountain?」

「Yes. Both are mountains that reaches as far as the sky, so I can’t tell which of them is better.」

「Hee. That’s amazing, isn’t it.」

I wonder if it is similar to the Everest of the Earth? And I wonder if there are also people like mountain climbers?

When I look back while thinking such things, Ayla is standing alone with A1 and there were no Torraine and the others who should have been there earlier.

Immediately after, I saw everyone kneeling side by side in line for some reason. Four people who’s kneeling on their knees and putting together their both hands in front of their face.

「Eh? What’s wrong with you guys?」

When I become surprised and asked that, Torraine looked at me with unusual solemn face.

「…… For us, the Reelabras Mountain Range is the land of gods. We must bow our heads when we can see the mountains.」

「Oh? I see. Do you usually pray in the morning or in the noon?」

I was a bit surprised, but it is convincing if they are the people who protected the dense forest that spreads in the foot of the mountain range.

When I asked a question, Torraine nodded lightly and narrows her eyes.

「Yes. The mountains are usually misty and I have never seen it so clearly.」

When she said that, a trickle of tears overflowed from Torraine’s eyes.

I stared at the figure of the majestic Reelabras Mountain Range which showed in the screen and smile.

「…… As expected, the land where the gods resides is beautiful, isn’t it.」

The summit which dyed in white is pointed like a knife and the other mountains are forming a line as if to surround the biggest mountain. Luckily, there are few clouds this time, so the scenery is amazing.

A mountain range coated of snow that seems to support the blue sky.

Certainly, I feel like it isn’t strange assuming that there are gods living there.

「…… I was thinking that I should pass over the mountain, but maybe I should make a detour」

I should pay respect to this mountain.

There was also a reason that I should not stride over the mountains which worshiped by Torraine and the others, but honestly, I also felt the respect to the mountain.

「Yes. I think that’s a good idea.」

Ayla expressed a gentle smile and agreed to me.