GalaxyTL
“Well then, it’s a promise, Meg!”
“Okay! I’ll send you a letter as soon as I get back!”
And so, after finishing lunch, we exited Annulus to get ready to leave. Rune and Goot, and even Diega-san, had come to see us off, and Rune and I were firmly shaking hands, saying our goodbyes.
“Goot too… Is it okay for me to send you a letter?”
“Eh, i-is it okay for me as well…?”
“Of course! I want to get to know you.”
And then I also said this to Goot, who was being awkward until the very end. I gently held out my hand, asking for a handshake, and smiled. Goot’s face turned bright red, maybe he really is at that difficult age, isn’t he? Maybe it’s embarrassing to casually touch a girl. Just as I was about to pull my hand back, he grabbed it tightly.
“O-o-of course I-I want to be… f-friends… with you… Meg!”
He said that, even though he was bright red. Geez, how cute is he!? I was so happy that I put my other hand over his.
“Yeah! I’m happy!”
“Uu…!”
He didn’t say anything else, but those feelings were conveyed through that firm grip. I unexpectedly got two new friends—a lively and cute girl, and a shy boy!
“Thanks for lunch. We’ll come visit again soon.”
“You say that, but it’ll be a few decades before I see you again, won’t it? Well, I’ll wait, without getting my hopes up. …And.”
“And?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing. Take care.”
“Yeah, thanks. Well then.”
It seemed like the adults were done with their greetings. I was waving vigorously, as I was being pulled along by Ludo-sensei.
I had to reluctantly turn around and continue walking with Ludo-sensei, because I was going to trip if I kept walking backwards. I’m not crying!
“I’m glad you made good friends. It was a good thing we stopped by Annulus.”
“Yeah, I’m so happy! I need to tell Gil-san when we get back!”
“Gil? Hmm… I’m sure it’ll be fine. Probably.”
I was excitedly thinking about telling him all about it, when I noticed Ludo-sensei smiling wryly. I wonder why? He patted my head, saying, “Don’t worry about it,” when he saw my puzzled look. I do want to worry about it? But that’s his “I’m not going to talk about it” face. I won’t be able to get it out of him. Hmm, I have no choice but to give up.
“Well, we’re at the beast carriage branch. I’m going to go rent the beast we reserved, so wait here for a bit.”
“Okay!”
We arrived at the branch, to continue our journey with another beast carriage. We’ll be flying to our destination from here. Apparently, we’ll be using the same beast on the way back too. It’s a bit more expensive, but it’s easier to just keep it.
Diega-san had arranged for a beast with stamina. We’ve been indebted to them for everything. I wonder what kind of beast it is. Probably a bird? As I was waiting, thinking about that, Ludo-sensei came back.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we go?”
“O-Okay…!?”
The beast I saw was more than I could have ever imagined. I was speechless and just stood there, frozen. I mean, wouldn’t you?
It’s an elephant. There’s an elephant right before my eyes…! Though it’s smaller than the elephants I know. Like a baby elephant, maybe? But it’s white, and its physique’s round.
“Is this your first time seeing a baluffa?”
“A baluffa… yes, it’s my first time.”
Apparently, this beast is called a baluffa. The color and physique’s a bit different, but based on the size of its ears and the length of its trunk, it’s definitely an elephant. But it’s a flying beast, right? I vaguely remember seeing a movie about a flying elephant a long time ago, does it fly like that?
“They’re very gentle and intelligent beasts. They’re not that fast, but they’re incredibly stable.”
Ludo-sensei, saying that, was carrying a basket in one arm. It’s a large square basket, but… could it be…
“Come on, get in this.”
So we’re riding in it! Is it stork style, like when Gil-san carries us?
“H-How does it fly…?”
“It’ll be a surprise. Just wait and see.”
Ludo-sensei chuckled mischievously. I’m so curious…! I’ll understand once I get in. I boarded the basket as instructed. There wasn’t an entrance, so Fuu-chan helped me out, and I was lifted inside.
“Alright, all set. Let’s go.”
Ludo-sensei, having finished connecting the basket to the baluffa, nimbly boarded too, and then lightly whipped the baluffa’s hind legs three times with a short whip. I was shocked! The baluffa suddenly started inflating!
“Eh? Eh? Baluffa, are you going to explode!?”
I was incredibly anxious watching the baluffa inflating. Its originally round silhouette was getting rounder and bigger! Isn’t it already the size of an adult elephant?
“Fuwaahh, it’s floating!”
Even more surprisingly, it started to float! It kept rising, and then even the basket we were in was floating too. D-Don’t tell me… this is a hot air balloon—!?
“Hahaha, Meg, you always have such interesting reactions. It’s not going to explode. Baluffas are creatures that travel long distances by flying like this. They migrate to warmer areas in the colder seasons. You could say the baluffa migration is a seasonal tradition when it gets cold. You can’t see them near Ortus, though.”
So they’re migratory elephants, not birds…! I’m sure it’s a magnificent sight, seeing a herd of these large, round elephants floating through the sky. I want to see it someday!
“I can give them instructions on which way to go by lightly whipping them with this. Twice on the right hind leg if we want to go right, three times to increase altitude, stroking to decrease, and so on. And the baluffa will automatically avoid obstacles and dangerous areas.”
“Baluffa, sho amajing.”
I accidentally slurred. Th-That’s how surprised I am! I don’t normally slur anymore! But it really makes me realize how much I still don’t know about this world, even though I’ve been here for so long. I’m sure there are still a lot of creatures, plants, and other things I don’t know about.
But I won’t rush. My life is very long, after all. I think it would be nice to slowly learn about these things. When I’m older, stronger, I want to travel the world. Like Dad. …Though Dad has to travel all over for work!
The leisurely journey through the sky continued. It’s a different kind of comfort from traveling with Gil-san. Both have magic tools for the wind and temperature changes, but the way it sways is different. It feels as comfortable as being in a cradle. Ah, I’m getting sleepy…
“You can sleep. Good night, Meg.”
Ludo-sensei said this, his gentle voice like a finishing blow, as he patted my head! Defeat is confirmed. Good night…
“We’re almost there, Meg.”
“Fu-nya…”
By the time I woke up, the sun had already started to set. I folded the blanket he’d placed over me and stood up to look outside. I could just barely see it, if I stretched.
“W-Whoa…!”
What spread out before me was an ocean view! We were flying over the sea. And I could see a continent in the distance. That’s probably Nanrei, the country in the south, our destination this time.
“Can you see that lighthouse? The grave’s near there.”
I looked towards where Ludo-sensei was pointing, and there was definitely a lighthouse. And a bit further than that, I could see something that looked like a field of white flowers. And further in… many stone structures, like graves. Dr. Ludo’s mate is sleeping there…
“There’s a building where we can leave the beast near the lighthouse. We’ll head to the grave once we’ve left it there. Okay?”
“Okay.”
His tone was quiet, so even my usually energetic reply was a bit subdued. My motto is to be cheerful with my greetings and replies, but I’m a girl who can change depending on the time, place, and situation!
The baluffa slowly decreased altitude. The lighthouse got bigger and bigger. We’re about to land. Since this baluffa’s been trained to be a beast carriage, it gently lowered the basket we were in before it landed. The baluffa then also landed softly, and then started deflating. It’s kind of funny.
“Alright, we’re here. Shall we?”
“…Okay.”
I got out of the basket, following after Ludo-sensei, and as I was praising the baluffa, he gently held out his hand. So I took it. Ludo-sensei then pulled the baluffa with his other hand, took it to the building, and left it there. Someone immediately came out of the building and led the baluffa away. This might be like a drop off point for beasts.
He handed a card to the person, who then used magic to scan it, and then returned it. Apparently, we can rent the same one again tomorrow. Ludo-sensei then put the card back in his storage magic tool and started walking down the path to the grave.
Slowly. As if savoring every step.
Ludo-sensei’s profile looked a bit sad, but his eyes were incredibly gentle.