A mysterious land floating in the sky.
—I had a vague idea of what it might be.
“Don’t tell me… a floating island?”
A floating island. Just as the name suggests—an island that drifts through the sky. I heard rumors of such things even back in my previous life, but I had never seen one with my own eyes before I died.
After all, they say it never stays in one place, forever moving across the vast sky. Tracking one down, is no simple task.
『That seems to be the case.』
Lindwurm replied with a nod.
(Huh? Don’t tell me, you’ve seen one before?)
『Indeed. Back when I still roamed freely through the skies, I encountered them a few times. As far as I know, only a handful of such islands exist in the world. To cross paths with one like this is truly rare.』
Well, that made sense.
Lindwurm was once a legendary ancient dragon, known as the Radiant Dragon.
“How does something like that even stay afloat?”
“Magic, maybe?”
“I don’t think it’s magic. I can’t feel any trace of magical power from it.”
Some say the very bedrock that forms those islands possesses an innate ability to float—an impossible mineral that defies gravity itself.
“Well, whatever the reason, it looks interesting. Let’s go take a closer look.”
The Seno Grande Kai flew higher, rising to an altitude where we could peer down upon the drifting island.
“It’s huge! At least several times the size of Onigashima!”
The island stretched long and narrow across the sky. Its long axis is probably about 50 kilometers, and its short axis is about 20 kilometers.
We descended slowly, setting down upon its surface.
“C-cold!?”
“Master, the air—it’s thin! It’s hard to breathe!”
“That’s because we’re at an incredibly high altitude. It’s still bearable since it’s a warm season right now, but come winter, this place would be far harsher.”
There was barely any vegetation. A barren landscape of endless rocky terrain stretched out before us. The mountains were bald, and there were surely no animals or monsters in this environment.
Naturally, there was no way people could live—
“Uwaaaaaah!”
—Was that someone screaming?
“Let’s take a look.”
We headed in the direction of the voice.
“It’s a man-made object.”
Lying on the ground was a clearly man-made object. It was about the size of a carriage, but its appearance was more streamlined, giving it a vaguely ship-like impression. But whatever it once was, it had clearly suffered a violent impact. The hull lay in ruins, shattered beyond repair.
“What in the world is something like this doing here…?”
Even more shocking, however, was the figure nearby—
a human, clutching her head and screaming in frustration.
“Uwaaaaaaah! I failed again! Why can’t I ever get it right!?”
She a young, tall woman. She has messy hair, no makeup on her face, and is dressed in what looks like shabby work clothes. She’s far from fashionable, but she’s a beautiful woman with fairly well-proportioned features.
And, above all else—she has large boobs!
(Alright, decision made. I’m getting a hug from her.)
『What do you mean, “alright”? This is hardly the time for that. Something’s approaching from above.』
“Eh?”
After Lindwurm pointed it out, I looked up at the sky and saw a dragon gliding toward me at breakneck speed. It was likely one of the beasts that made its lair somewhere within the Great Mountain Range.
“Guruaaaaaah!!”
“W–what!? A d-dragon!? Waaaaaah!!”
Realizing the danger too late, the mysterious woman turned to flee in a panic.
But the dragon was far too fast. In the blink of an eye, it caught up with her, claws outstretched to seize its prey—
Zhang!
The dragon’s head flew into the air, spinning before crashing to the ground. Its massive body followed soon after, slamming into the ground with a loud impact.
“Eh…? I–I’m alive? You… saved me?”
“Mm. You’re safe now.”
It was Fana who had severed the dragon’s neck in a single, fluid motion.
“Y-you did that…?”
“Mm. I cut it.”
“To… to kill a dragon in one strike…”
The woman stood frozen in disbelief, her voice trembling.
I stepped forward and greeted her casually.
“Hello, Oneechan. Can I have a little taste of your milk?”
『Master, that’s the kind of line that gets you arrested on sight.』
The woman finally noticed me—and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Gyaaaaaaah!? A b-baby’s floating in the air!?”
“Haha, you’re funny! Most people freak out that I’m talking, but you’re more shocked that I’m floating!”
“W–what!? The baby’s talking too!?”
She pinched her own cheek hard.
“D-don’t tell me… my experiment failed and I died? No—! I can still feel pain! So this isn’t a dream…?”
“You’re just making things more complicated. Stay out of the way for a bit.”
Anje sighed, stepping forward. She grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and unceremoniously tossed me backward.
Wuu-, so cruel.
“I’m Anje. You live on this flying island?”
“M-my name is Dana. And of course I live here! It’s not as though one can simply come and go from the island as they please!”
So, her name was Dana.
I sent a message to Anje and the others through telepathy.
『Hmm… maybe it’s best not to mention that we came from outside the island. We have no idea what kind of culture or customs they have here. 』
If we weren’t careful, they might decide to capture us or even kill us.
Not that we’d have any trouble turning the tables if it came to that though.
Anje’s voice came through,
『…In that case, you—who draw the most attention—should just keep pretending to be a baby.』
Easier said than done. When there’s a woman with a chest like that, talking to her just happens instinctively. Some impulses are simply part of human nature.
“W-wait a minute—”
Dana gasped, eyes widening as realization struck.
“—y-you mean… you came from outside the island!?”
Panicking, I quickly tried to cover it up.
『Actually, we all, uh… kinda lost our memories! Total group amnesia. Can’t remember much of anything!』
『Master, I must protest—there’s no way an entire group having amnesia sounds believable.』
“Oh… I see. That must be rough.”
Dana said with a sympathetic nod.
『…She believed that instantly!? This one is…. remarkably gullible….』
Apparently, she was just as easy to fool like Karen.
“Anyway, you mentioned you were running some kind of experiment earlier. Would that have anything to do with that ship-looking thing lying over there?”
“Ah—well, that’s… uh… a secret. Or rather, something I can’t really talk about…”
So it was something she wasn’t supposed to reveal.
“A-anyways, I owe you my life! There’s a town nearby—please, come with me! Let me repay you properly!”
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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