In reality, the news was quite upsetting to Analissia. Privately, she had the strong urge to go on snapping her tongue and screaming all sorts of invective, but she was not so foolish as to risk losing the trust of such an important pawn.
Analissia had made a bargain to obtain nothing less than the salvation of the ancient bloodline. If she couldn’t deliver on her end, however, her life would be forfeit. The pains she had taken to dominate the kingdom of Estoll hadn’t been for her own benefit either. According to what Izuna had told her, the seal was already broken and the maiden long gone.
Well, then... she wondered. Who could possibly have broken the hero’s seal? Or did it simply degrade naturally over time? It isn’t a seal one could break easily, and it would be quite dangerous if it were broken improperly. But be that as it may, I must find where our tomboy of a Sleeping Beauty has wandered off to...
News of the Battle of the Dragon had reached Estoll. People had been gossiping about an ancient demon in the modern world for weeks now. But it shouldn’t have been possible for mere humans to defeat an ancient demon. The tale was likely exaggerated. Perhaps they had attacked the Sleeping Beauty when she had just woken up and was still disoriented.
It was difficult to guess where she would be now. If she’d left Sindoria, she might have made for the Heptarchy, or perhaps the Empire. It was also possible that she’d made a beeline for the Holy Land, but Analissia certainly hoped she would not be so foolish as to attack an opponent who had defeated her once already without any semblance of a plan. If they did a search of the area, it shouldn’t be too hard to find her. The real problem was what to do if she wouldn’t listen to reason. She could be quite a difficult child sometimes. With the war having only just begun, Analissia’s life shouldn’t be in too much danger.
Izuna had quietly nibbled away at her macarons until they were finished and was now fidgeting restlessly in her seat.
“Thank you, Izuna,” Analissia said. “I’m sorry to have sent you on such a long journey. Why don’t you go say hello to your mother and father? I’m sure they’re eager to dote on you.”
“Okay...” Izuna said as she made her way out of the room. “Thank you... Goodbye...”
Analissia kept a smile on her face until Izuna was gone, but the second she was out of sight, her expression changed back to the haughty, condescending look she had worn before. “No thought of what she is doing...or what is being done to her...” Of course, it was she who had groomed Izuna to be that way, but hearing her say “thank you,” of all things, she couldn’t help but think it. “Ah... What a truly idiotic girl.”
~ ‡ ~
“Wha-ha... Wha-ha-ha-ha-ha!” Aisha cried as they soared through the sky at top speed. “Don’t drop me! Please, please, please, please don’t drop me!”
“I would never!” said Nacht. “That was just a bit of teasing.”
“Teasing?! I could have died!”
“Thank you again for choosing to ride the high-speed Nacht Express today,” Nacht joked. “Get ready for an even more thrilling journey through the sky as we approach our destination, Estoll.”
“If you keep this up, I’m going to lose my temper for real!”
Nacht and Aisha flew along as they had their back-and-forth, passing over the Leegh mountain range that separated Sindoria from Estoll. The kingdoms were linked by the Great Tunnel of Leegh, said to have been excavated by the ancient demons. No matter how it was made, it had remained in pristine condition until the present.
The tunnel was the main land route to Estoll, but now, there was a company of royal soldiers stationed at the entrance, limiting traffic. Nacht could see a few scouting parties, but by the looks of things, Sindoria did not intend to hold their ground at the tunnel. Rather, their plan must have been to allow Estoll’s forces to enter Sindorian territory before attacking.
“Going by air was the right choice,” Nacht said. “It doesn’t look like they’re letting carriages through.”
“I wish we could have gone by carriage...” Aisha sobbed. “It would have been a much more relaxing journey...”
“Don’t be like that, Aisha! Look, we’re almost past the mountains!”
“They keep getting taller and taller...” Aisha said.
Indeed, before their eyes was a spire of stone that seemed to reach up into the heavens. Beyond it, more and more tall mountains jutted out through the cloud tops. Nacht flew deftly between them, using wind magic to carry Aisha along as she enjoyed the beauty of nature—the deep blues and greens of the mountains. Here and there, she spotted roc nests or wyverns flying around making a clamor. To Nacht, these monsters were nothing more than parts of the scenery.
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”
“Wh-What was that?” Aisha flinched. “It sounded like a roar!”
“There’s all kinds of monsters fighting over territory in the Leegh mountains!” said Nacht. “Wyverns and lightning tigers and black serpents... It’s a high-level area, you know. Even veteran adventurers usually keep clear of it.”
“You sound so cheerful when you say that...” Aisha mumbled.
That was why, for ordinary people, the only way to get to Estoll was through the ancient tunnel. There was also the option of going all the way around through the Heptarchy, but that would take far, far too much time. Boats went to Estoll from the eastern sea as well, but in a time of war, any boats headed that way would almost certainly be destroyed.
“Only you would try to cross the border in the middle of a war, Mistress,” Aisha sighed at Nacht’s explanation.
“Ha ha ha! The petty machinations of mere humans aren’t about to stop me!” Nacht laughed.
“Sometimes it’s important to wait, though, Mistress...” Aisha grumbled. But Nacht had no desire to wait where she was and stagnate—even more so if that stagnation was imposed by outside forces. It was Nacht’s nature to press forward. Taking the time to gaze at Aisha’s sleeping face was all the waiting around she needed.