GalaxyTL
* * *
“What in the world… is going on?”
Yuuhi, the red-skinned, horned giant, muttered, with a bored snort.
But at the same time, he was truly puzzled.
“…………”
Ijokis, on the other hand, was vigilantly looking around, searching for any clues that might explain how this situation came to be.
“It’s true that… we had it easy. That’s a good thing…”
Takataka, although making an optimistic remark, shuddered.
Each of them reacted differently, but their thoughts were the same.
In other words, confusion.
Why are Takataka and his group confused?
What had happened to them?
To put it simply…
…Nothing had happened.
* * *
Just a few minutes ago, under Ijokis’ guidance, they were advancing through the labyrinth at an incredible speed, reaching a point just a step away from the Trial Rooms where the Three Knights of the Royal Guard should be waiting.
The Three Knights of the Royal Guard.
The three heroes of the Sky Kingdom.
To Takataka, who is just a pilot of a small cargo ship, these three are people from another world.
Until a few months ago, he didn’t even think he’d ever see them in person.
And yet…
…He never thought the day would come when he’d have to fight them!
Takataka’s innate cowardice reared its ugly head, and his heart was filled with anxiety.
(But…!)
He can’t run away!
Takataka thought of Air, smiling like the sun.
Air.
Takataka’s precious friend.
A bright, tomboyish… and noble princess.
To save Takataka, who was threatened with a knife, she agreed to be a sacrifice, and was taken back to the palace…
The girl Takataka loves.
(I have to save her… I have to save Air!)
Takataka held that determination in his heart, but suppressing his impatience, he was cautiously advancing through the labyrinth.
And soon, Takataka and his group reached the Trial Room.
But…
“The door… is destroyed…?”
What awaited them there was an abnormal sight, the heavy and sturdy door of the Trial Room, completely destroyed.
Furthermore, behind that… at the back of the Trial Room, the first of the Three Knights of the Royal Guard, ‘Byun of the Wind Bow’… was already defeated, a shocking situation.
And as they went further in, they found ‘Shito-Shitorin of the Rain Staff’, and even ‘Nikkor of the Sun Sword’, the strongest knight captain, lying there, powerless.
* * *
“…Confirmation complete. It seems that all three of them are alive. They’re just unconscious.”
Takataka and the others are currently in the last Trial Room… the room that should have been guarded by ‘Nikkor of the Sun Sword’.
Ijokis, after searching here and there, finally checked the condition of the three knights, and concluded that.
“They were all hit with a very strong impact, around the abdomen… Their armor is shattered. But the rest of their armor is intact, so that means…”
“They were all taken out with a single blow to the stomach? …Haaa… pathetic! The current Three Knights of the Royal Guard have really gone downhill!”
Hearing Ijokis’s analysis, Yuuhi clicked his tongue and said that.
But he immediately smiled broadly.
“But… whoever did that must be quite skilled! How amusing…!”
I described it as a broad smile, but.
Yuuhi’s face is covered in scars.
To him, those scars are like medals, symbolizing his life spent fighting, but they make his already frightening face even more so.
And he’s smiling while emitting mana that intimidates those around him… his appearance is nothing short of ferocious.
“It’s not amusing!”
But Takataka, without hesitation, lightly slapped Yuuhi.
“This is serious! In other words, whoever defeated the Three Knights of the Royal Guard is… further in… heading towards where Air is, right!?”
“…That’s right.”
Ijokis nodded silently, confirming his words.
There were holes in the labyrinth they had just passed through, opened by someone.
The culprit who made those holes is probably the something that defeated the Three Knights of the Royal Guard.
It must be someone they can’t underestimate.
“Let’s hurry and move forward. A crisis other than the Princess Sacrifice Ritual may be approaching Air.”
After quietly letting out a sigh, Takataka looked around and said that.
Yuuhi, Ijokis, Nui, Lusa, and Litto also agreed with Takataka’s words and nodded.
“Then, as before, I’ll take the lead. Everyone, have you rested enough?”
Ijokis, saying that, started walking without waiting for a reply, advancing through the corridor beyond the Trial Room.
She is Air’s personal maid.
And more than that… she’s practically the one who raised and protected Air, who was neglected by her father, King Sekiran. She has motherly feelings for Air.
Therefore, she’s also anxious.
“Ah!”
“Wait!”
“You’re too fast!”
Takataka and the others hurriedly followed Ijokis.
Yuuhi is the rearguard.
* * *
(To slap me… You’ve gotten quite bold.)
Yuuhi, walking at the back, was reflecting on the fact that Takataka, who used to just cower in fear, had slapped him, stopping his intimidating smile.
When they first met, this boy was just a ‘Small Mouse’ who only talked big, pretending to be a ‘Wolf’.
He was so weak that he’d collapse and be unable to move if he intimidated him a little.
And look at him now.
He’s now a fine ‘Strong Small Mouse’.
(You’ve grown, brat.)
Perhaps this boy…
…Might grow even more.
He might even become what you would call a ‘King of Mice’.
He has that much potential.
Yuuhi felt that.
(But for that… he needs to shed his skin… a few times…)
Thinking that… Yuuhi suddenly tilted his head.
In this Princess Air rescue mission.
There was no trouble with the Air Force.
And no battle with the Three Knights of the Royal Guard.
Despite both being situations that could have easily happened.
Somehow…
(Huh? Wait, wasn’t Takataka robbed of his chance to grow?)
Of course, it’s a good thing that the mission is going smoothly.
It’s a good thing, but…
Somehow, that thought crossed Yuuhi’s mind.
Well, it’s just a random thought.
That thought quickly sank deep into the recesses of his other thoughts, and was forgotten, never to be recalled again.