Volume 6 Chapter 7 A Journey Through The Duke Girard Territory
Peach Bun is looking at us with its big, round eyes.
It's big, but seems calm.
Ms. Famine and Eir-Eir, who are seeing a big swan for the first time, are trying to protect me. They are scaring Peach Bun by saying, "Tarte Tatin!" and "Pumpkin pudding!"
"Hey, you two, this one is a bit big, but it's a swan. It's an animal."
"Yeah, exactly. Don't be scared. The big swan is a special kind from the Elgard Kingdom, and it's raised to be used as a ride. Well, it's big, so not many people keep them as pets, and Peach Bun is raised by the Elgard royal family."
"By the Elgard royal family... Peach Bun?"
"Yep. This one is Peach Bun. And there are also shrimp dumplings, shumai, chimaki, and xiao long baos..."
"Food..."
"That's the name of the big swan, right?"
"It sounds like delicious food names..."
As Elder Brother Chrisrain explained, I pictured the shumai in a steamer in my head.
It looks tasty. I want to eat shumai. I also want to eat xiao long baos.
The recipes for chimaki, xiao long baos, and shumais were in the Elgard cookbook Elder Brother Chrisrain's.
I made shrimp ramen with the shrimp I got for New Year, and it was really popular with the people in town.
"Alright, hop on. Peach Bun is a riding swan, so it has magic to keep you from being blown off its back. As long as you don't try to fall off, you'll be fine."
"Peach Bun sounds great. Everyone has a way to fly. I need to think about that too."
"Doesn't Duke Girard's family have an airship?"
Sir Rail and Sir Stefan are talking while looking up at Peach Bun.
"They do, but airships are for many people... Riding an airship feels a bit different."
Peach Bun lowers its body. From its lowered back, a rainbow-colored staircase appears.
I don't know how it works, but from Elder Brother Chrisrain's explanation, it seems like Peach Bun has magic on it.
"I'll lead the way on Fafnir. If 4 big guys get on, it might get cramped."
"Mr. Lucian, please be careful."
"Thanks, Lydia. It's my first time flying alongside a big swan, so I'm a bit excited."
After saying goodbye to Mr. Lucian, I climbed onto Peach Bun's back.
Sir Stefan, holding my dad with one hand, helped me up the rainbow staircase.
Sir Rail jumped onto Peach Bun's back without using the stairs and said, "It's spacious and high up...!" happily.
The top of Peach Bun's back felt as soft as a fluffy carpet.
Elder Brother Chrisrain, who gracefully climbed the stairs after me, arrived on its back, and the rainbow staircase disappeared.
Elder Brother Chrisrain sat near Peach Bun's neck and gently patted the base of its neck.
"Shall we take off, Peach Bun? I don't know where Duke Girard's land is, so I guess I'll just follow Lucian."
"Yeah, that should be fine. If you get lost, I'll give directions."
Elder Brother Chrisrain nodded at Sir Rail's words.
Peach Bun looked at Elder Brother Chrisrain with its big black eyes and lightly shook its head.
"Okay, Peach Bun. Let's go."
Mr. Lucian got on Fafnir, a floating magic stone vehicle that looks like a black, inorganic dragon, and took off.
Peach Bun slowly flapped its big wings and lifted into the sky.
For a moment, I felt a light floating sensation, but that was it.
There was no shock or strong wind pressure. I just felt my body floating up into the air. That was all.
In no time, Peach Bun rose high enough to see the holy city below.
Then, it followed Mr. Lucian.
This was my first time looking down at the familiar streets of the holy city and leaving the town.
The holy city is round, with a castle in the center, and different areas spread out in all directions.
In the noble town, there are many fancy mansions, and the south district with Lobelia has a lot of low buildings.
But when you look down from the sky, everything looks small and similar.
"...I think it's..."
Sir Rail, who is sitting next to me with his legs stretched out, said seriously.
"...manta."
"It's a flying vehicle. Ciel has smart and cool teleportation magic. Lucian has a boy's dream, a dragon-shaped one-person flying magic device. Chrisrain is a big swan, and His Highness has an airship. Is flying the new standard? Everyone can fly, right?"
Sir Rail said while spinning one finger around.
Then he lay back on the peach bun and looked up at the sky, saying, "Princess, can I use your lap as a pillow?"
So, I let him rest his head on my lap.
Sir Rail is always full of energy, so he complained about not being pampered.
He probably wants to be spoiled.
I stroked Sir Rail's silky white hair, which turned white because of his White Moon disease.
"Rail, I envy... no, I mean, the royal family owns the airship, but it takes a lot of magic power to make it float. So, they don't use it often."
Sir Stefan, who is sitting next to me with perfect posture, said.
Elder Brother Chrisrain also came over from the peach bun, and he made a fancy red sofa appear out of nowhere and sat down elegantly.
"What powers the airship?"
"Magic stones. Wind magic stones. When you put magic into them, they can make things float."
"Really? We don't have magic stones in Elgard. I want to ride an airship."
"Definitely, next time."
"Airships are really big. It's a bit too big for a hero to show up from the sky... it's not very flexible. Plus, I don't want to be like Lucian. I think a hero needs to be original."
"So, manta... I don't think mantas can fly..."
"The world is big, princess. If you look hard enough, there might be flying mantas. Me, a hero riding a manta in the sky. Cool. The best."
"...Is a manta really cool?"
"If Lydia wishes for it, I could become a flying manta, but mantas aren't cute."
Before I knew it, my dad was sitting on the fancy sofa where Elder Brother Chrisrain was. Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine were also clinging to him.
Both of them hit my dad lightly, looking annoyed.
"The kids don't like mantas either."
"Yeah... I'd prefer a dog if I could. It would be a bit scary to have a manta sleeping by my pillow..."
And it's big. It probably feels slimy too.
"Mantas are no good... What do you think, princess? My vehicle."
Sir Rail asked me, and I thought really hard.
I need to be original. Original. Something that doesn't look like it can fly but can fly, a cute vehicle.
I can't think of anything. Maybe I lack originality.
"...How about a flying fish?"
"A flying fish."
"I can't stop thinking about seafood...! How about a cicada, a dragonfly, or a butterfly?"
"Haha... princess, it's cute that you're thinking so seriously."
"Sir Rail, were you not that serious...?"
"I was serious, but it was cute to see you thinking hard, so I couldn't help but laugh. Sorry."
"...Rail. I think a pegasus would be good. The Bernard royal family's emblem is a pegasus, so it must be somewhere in this world. A horse that can fly."
Sir Stefan said seriously. He had been looking down during our conversation, but it seems he was thinking hard.
"Your Highness, do you know the legend of the pegasus? They say it only lets pure maidens ride on its back."
"...Pure maidens?"
I tilted my head, wondering what Sir Rail meant, and Elder Brother Chrisrain smiled at me.
"Lydia, a pure maiden is..."
"Chrisrain...! Don't corrupt Lydia...!"
Sir Stefan interrupted Elder Brother Chrisrain's words, his face turning red and looking flustered.
In the end, I didn't get to learn what a pure maiden really meant.
Elder Brother Chrisrain sighed and said, "...Seriously, being overprotective is too much. Of course, I understand wanting to be protective because Lydia is cute."
Sir Stefan is overprotective.
I had a feeling, but now I really see it.
I need to be careful. Being around Sir Stefan is so nice because he treats me kindly, I might not even notice I'm being spoiled.
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