{1}
"Con~gra~tu~la~tiooooon on your discharge, Sheltis!"
Eleventh story of Tenketsu Palace <Sophia>, dormitory of the cadet guards.
The grand sounds of the trumpets as well as a round of applause were waiting for him when he opened the door.
"............"
He froze for a good while with one of his feet stepping into the room—
"Huh......?"
The young man in his black jacket crossed his arms and blinked in confusion.
He's in his teenage years with a slender face and limbs, as well as a stern expression with a hint of childishness in them. And then there's the head of tea-red colored hair that easily stands out.
"Ah— geez, what a poor reaction, Sheltis! On the rare occasion when there's actually someone who's celebrating with you, it won't do if you don't use your entire body to express your joy. For example, you should yell out 'Banzai!'."
Eyriey lifted both of her arms up happily while holding onto a toy trumpet.
Fluffy orange hair and oil-stained overalls. Despite being in the prime age of sixteen, this girl here hardly needs to doll herself up or put on any make-up.
"Banzai?"
"Hey— you've been living in the hospital for the past two weeks, right? It will be a huge waste if you don't celebrate it with a more jovial mood!"
With one of her hands placed on her waist, she swung the other hand with the trumpet together in the air.
While facing the girl, the young man, Sheltis, sighed as he continued to hug onto his luggage from his time in the hospital.
"No...... what I'm more curious of is how Eyriey is here when I locked my room?"
Everything began two weeks ago.
After receiving the secret order from the Queen, Sheltis headed off to the Floating Archipelagos <Lagoon> to carry out his mission. Not only did they discover the secret facility that was hidden there, he also fought with a cultured Yuugenshu, which lead to him suffering from serious injuries on his head. One full month was required for a complete recovery from his injuries.
And so, Sheltis had been staying in the tower's hospital located on the twenty-second story for the past two weeks......
"...... Could it be that Ilis did something to allow you to get into my room?"
"You're right!"
Eyriey blew on the trumpet yet again.
"It was Ilis who got me here. She said, 'Sheltis is not around, and I am really lonely'."
The girl pointed towards the direction of the bed. The machine crystal <Ilis>, which looked like the crystallization of lapis lazuli, was flashing repeatedly in short intervals on the white bed.
"That's right, Eyriey. That's the way to do it. Put in a few more words for me!"
"...... So it is indeed Ilis."
"What do you mean by 'indeed'!? I was so bored, I have calculated pi all the way to its forty seven quadrillion, two hundred and nineteen trillion, eighty four billion, two hundred million, forty two thousand and twenty seventh decimal digit!"
I am really angry right now — the machine crystal <Ilis> was giving up a bright red brilliance, as though she was emphasizing that.
"That sounds very interesting."
"Not at all! Sheltis you big idiot! Even machines will die of boredom if there is no one by their side!"
"...... But you're the one who was chased out of the hospital because you were so noisy, no?"
Though she was initially staying in the hospital with Sheltis, she began to constantly complain about things like:"Hey Sheltis, I am about to die from boredom!" or "Hey hey, come play with me—". After the protests from the doctor who could no longer put a blind eye to what she was doing, he had no choice but to leave her alone in his room.
"Putting that aside, what are your thoughts about the hospitalization?"
"Incredibly painful. I spent nearly everyday sleeping. Even the doctor was stunned and asked me, 'Just what exactly did you do to get an injury like this?'."
"Geez...... Fractures to your skull coupled with bruises all over your body? Your head was bleeding profusely, and the fractured skull would have pierced its way into your brain if you had moved about carelessly. Just what were you doing?" — that was what the female doctor who was in charge of him said.
Special equipment and machines were used to administer various treatment cycles to his head, in tandem with medication to increase his rate of healing and to keep the inflammation under control.
He had undergone two consecutive weeks of the above mentioned treatment by the doctor who was in charge of him. Despite recommendations from the doctor to stay in the hospital for a week longer, he was discharged today as he insisted on recuperating in his own home.
"The doctor said that it's just a superficial recovery for now, so I am strictly barred from training temporarily. The wounds may crack open if I do any overly-strenuous exercise."
"As a machine, I think human beings are really fragile when it comes to this. If it is a machine, all that it need is a replacement of its parts, and it will be good as new. Sheltis, why don't you try replacing your whole body with mechanical parts?"
"That sounds too scary. No thanks."
"Eh— It's not bad being a machine, you know?"
After rejecting the machine crystal <Ilis>'s suggestion, Sheltis placed the luggage on his bed.
"Right. How're things going on your side?"
"Very enjoyable. I have heard plenty of things from Ilis for the past two to three days. Ah, though she's not here today, Yuto had always been together with us as well."
Eyriey hummed a tune as she poured some hot water from the teapot to a cup.
"Oh right, did you know this? Back when I was hacking into the main computers of Tenketsu Palace <Sophia>, it was actually Ilis who helped me decode Daibo Shinsuu. At that time, I thought it was really strange that I had suddenly managed to decipher the encryption just like that."
"Is that so?"
That was the first time he heard about it. Then again, it is not like the machine crystal <Ilis> will tell him anything if he does not take the initiative to ask.
"Mhmm. After chatting with Eyriey, the world suddenly feels much smaller."
And with a relaxed tone, the machine crystal <Ilis> continued,
"Back then, I was purely interested in the technical abilities of the hacker. The person definitely must have possessed a certain level of relative knowledge as well as talent. He would be incredibly outstanding if he was in his thirties, and can be considered to be a genius in the floating continent if he was in his twenties. However, I never expected the hacker to be a girl as young as you."
"That's embarrassing. I was just fooling about."
"No, you are really outstanding. Sheltis should learn from her hardworking qualities as well— Mmm!"
The machine crystal <Ilis> finally toned down after being stuffed into Sheltis' bag.
"...... Geez. To think I finally managed to return after much difficulty."
"She must have been really lonely. Also, while I did manage to bring Yuto to Tenketsu Palace <Sophia> to play, Chef has been missing you as well. Though she could not make it down here due to work."
Eyriey said that as she brought the tea cup to her lips.
"Chef?"
For the two years following his exile from Tenketsu Palace <Sophia>, it was the young female shopkeeper of The Two Swans <Albiero> who took him in while he was at the living sector, and allowed him to live in and help out at the shop.
It has been a month since he returned to Tenketsu Palace <Sophia>, so it was about time for him to visit.
"Did Chef say anything?"
"Mmm. She said, 'Sheltis has been working in the shop for two years, and the shop feels a little empty without him around'."
"...... Is that so."
With one less male, the work load of The Two Swans <Albiero> would definitely increase. Back when he said that he would be going to Tenketsu Palace <Sophia>, she had sent him off with a smile that he never thought she would be that depressed about it now.
"She will occasionally lean her face against the table and mumble to herself while looking at the ceiling."
"You mean Chef?"
It was hard for him to imagine that the listless person was the incredibly cheerful and energetic Chef whom he knew.
"What did she talk about?"
"Things like 'What a problem I have here...... I really hope someone as strong as Sheltis will fall off from the sky, so that he can help me with the testing of poison' and etc."
"She's not depressed at all!"
"No no, she really was? And she also said, 'Ahh, I do really need a guy like Sheltis who can work for forty-eight hours straight without food or water. Where on earth do I find someone like that?'."
"...... Well, I am relieved to hear how well she's doing - help me tell her that. Also, no one will drop from the sky to the ground without rhyme or reason."
"Alright~ But you know, she does seem really lonely."
Maybe that was really the case.
Despite her relaxed voice, Eyriey's eyes were giving off a really serious look.
"Well I guess. I'll only need to rest at home for a week. After that, I'll take some time off to pay her a visit."
{2}
The lights replicating the illumination of the sun were illuminating the corridor brightly.
The speakers installed in the ceiling were playing out the cries of the birds as well as the rustling of plants. The sounds were not artificially synthesized, but recorded straight from the nature sector on the floating continent.
The singing of the wild birds, the foams of the waterfall, the flowing water of the streams as well as the cries of the insects. All of them interwove together to form a majestic sound.
Two hundred and eighty seventh story of Tenketsu Palace <Sophia> — the floor which was designated to the fourth and fifth Priestess was filled with the refreshing sounds of nature.
"............ Mm~~mm...... What should I do......"
Ymy Ele Soufflenictole — a girl with golden hair, jade-colored eyes and a pure white vestment. Her looks leave a deep impression to anyone who sees her.
Her left hand was holding onto a small notebook, while her right was holding a pencil. On her adorable face was an expression deep in thought. Ymy was writing and erasing on the notebook repeatedly.
"..... Let's see...... 'Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for gathering here despite your busy schedules'...... sounds a little too stiff. Then how about 'Everyone, thanks for gathering here today!'............ that is easy for me, but it sounds a little too casual............ Ah— geez! Someone please help me with this!"
Upon confirming that there was no one else in the corridor, she let out a cry.
"...... What a headache. It will be tomorrow soon."
The handover ceremony of Hyouketsu Kyoukai, an important monthly ceremony to the Priestesses, will be held tomorrow. The Priestesses will temporarily replace the Queen and shoulder the huge responsibility of maintaining Hyouketsu Kyoukai.
The person in charge of maintaining the barrier this time round is her senior, Priestess Meimel. Meimel is the second ranked Priestesses of the five, and is also the Priestess who is most well-versed in the arts of barrier-types shinryoku. Nothing will go wrong with the ceremony. Even if something happen, Ymy and Syun-rei will be around to assist immediately...... that's right, there was no need for her to worry.
— However, it was different for the residents in the living sector, as well as the guards of Tenketsu Palace <Sophia>.
A large-scale invasion of the Yuugenshu occurred a month ago. The Yuugenshu set their sights at the instant when the Queen was about to handover the barrier to the Priestesses, and used the opportunity to break through Hyouketsu Kyoukai.
"That was our responsibility, so it is inevitable for the people to feel uneasy...... they are afraid that the barrier will be breached once more."
Of course, the Priestesses were not planning to repeat the same mistakes as well.
New rites had been added into the barrier spell, and the shinryoku waves of the barrier had been modified and strengthened as well. Even if the Yuugenshu were to try to break through the barrier yet again, it is highly unlikely that they will succeed with the same methods.
However, it is difficult for the residents of the living sector to understand such technical terms. They had to use some other methods to remove the uneasiness in the civilians.
"But still, to convey the message of 'please do not worry, everyone' via a speech...... that is just exaggerating."
She walked listlessly in the corridor.
She had no idea who was the person to suggest it, but it must surely be one of the directors of the tower. In order to stress the fact that the handover of Hyouketsu Kyoukai is successful, they had made a last-minute decision to have a Priestess announcing it to the public while doing so in front of everyone in Tenketsu Palace <Sophia>.
Since Meimel has to take part in the handover of the barrier, Ymy was the only one left to deliver the speech to the public. Also, it seemed like the upper brass were expecting a grand speech instead of something simple.
"— embarrassing than yours— Gyu!"
The notebook thrown by Ymy had landed accurately on the the temples of the senior Priestess.
"Y-Ymy...... you've indeed grown. That is a surprise attack that came out of the blue."
"Meimel! Will you stop teaching Syun-rei these strange things!?"
Ymy ran between the two of them and shielded Syun-rei from Meimel, who was putting on a strange smile.
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