Uwaaaack.
Uwaaaack.
Mother Whale!
Super huge Mother Whale!
Sky Whale beam~!
Fwoosh! Bang! Boom!
Powerful Pastel is really something.
Uuaaah.
“First, calm down.”
Pastel, whose mind was spinning, composed herself after hearing the demon’s calm voice.
Huhh.
Right, I’m the one in charge; I need to stabilize the situation.
She rubbed her cheeks to regain her composure.
What should I do first?
Is this an issue that requires a swift response? Or does it need a delicate approach?
The professor, whose hair was tangled by the wind, shouted.
“We need to hurry and evacuate the subjects and respond with the Knight Order!”
A swift response it is.
Pastel stood up with a determined face.
“Then—”
“That’s wrong.”
The demon dismissed the professor’s opinion.
“Wonders and fears can blind you and distract you from the essence. The fact that the Mother Whale still hasn’t arrived indicates the situation is unusual. We need to grasp the situation first. We have plenty of time.”
I see.
Pastel’s expression relaxed slightly. She looked around at the soldiers, including the professor.
“I will focus on controlling the chaos and forming a response team first. Control the docks and block rumors. Gather all personnel related to the Sky Whale. And get medical staff, as I will heal the injured whale.”
She waved her arms.
“Move out!”
The personnel scattered quickly.
Once the surroundings calmed down, Pastel looked at the Baby Whale alone. Its pink skin looked split and pained.
“What do you mean by having plenty of time? I can’t help but imagine an angry Mother Whale flying here at any moment.”
“It hasn’t flown here yet.”
The demon took out a paralysis potion from her pocket. She smeared some of the yellow liquid on the whale’s skin.
“In the folklore of the Demon Realm, there are many stories about the Sky Whale. Back in the days when airships were not yet well-developed, demons rode whales to travel between the Demon Realm and Sky Island, so it makes sense.”
The demon paused for a moment.
“You can use the potion without hesitation. Even if it’s a baby, a Sky Whale is still a Sky Whale.”
“Ah, okay.”
The liquid gushed onto the Baby Whale’s pink skin without vaporizing. The yellow liquid covered its top and dripped down to its white belly.
Squish squish.
“So, what’s the reason we have plenty of time?”
“In Demon Realm folklore, there’s a story about a Mother Whale that destroyed one of the islands after her child was abducted.”
“Uwaaah.”
A completely identical situation.
The Sky Island is at risk of falling.
Pastel’s hands grew extra careful as she cared for the Baby Whale. The Baby Whale turned slightly and looked at her.
Flinch.
Whale friend.
Is it suddenly going to shoot laser beams from its mouth or something?
There was no such thing. The Baby Whale seemed tired and completely lay down again.
Squish squish.
“But that folklore is a made-up story. Due to the characteristics of Sky Whales, such things do not happen.”
“Oh, really?”
Was the Sky Whale that came by last time just exceptionally big?
After all, it’s absurd for a living creature to easily destroy an entire island.
Even a luminous dragon can’t do that.
“Imagining that you could abduct a child from that powerful Sky Whale is a mistake.”
Ugh.
“It’s not something you see often, but you might forget—it lives in the sky. Think about it. How can a human approach a Sky Whale?”
“With an airship?”
“In the open sky, without any obstacles blocking the view, the whale wouldn’t miss someone approaching on an easily noticeable airship to abduct its child.”
Ugh.
Now that I think about it, it’s impossible.
How could an airship escape from a super duper strong whale that can blow water breath from its mouth?
“That’s why this whale has a reason to be here. I don’t know what that reason is, but if the Mother Whale hasn’t come yet, it likely won’t for a while.”
Pastel racked her brain.
“Although I don’t know how the abduction happened, if we assume it was successful, could it be that the reason it hasn’t come is that it doesn’t know where its child is?”
The metal cage that the Baby Whale was trapped in was inscribed with magical patterns. Wouldn’t that be to prevent tracking?
“Depending on the species and individual, while it differs, it’s speculated that some older Sky Whales can communicate over the distance from the Demon Realm to the Human Realm. It’s not something that can be blocked by a mere human’s magic.”
Uwaang.
Pastel’s jaw dropped.
Thinking about it, common whales living in the ocean can communicate with others hundreds of kilometers away with ultrasound, right?
She gazed down at the exhausted Baby Whale.
“You’re really amazing!”
Let’s be friends! Friends!
I’ll nurse you back to health with no ulterior motives!
Pastel treated the Baby Whale without any selfish thoughts. There was no intention to stick beside such a strong child.
#
Emergency meeting.
“Everyone, please calm down.”
Pastel spoke calmly as those who had been in a panic turned to her.
“This is an incomplete act of terrorism. The radical demons blindly believing in the folklore of the Demon Realm had impossible expectations.”
She gestured to her side.
Elly moved her gaze calmly.
It seems she’s only done paperwork as a student council officer since entering, but she actually enrolled with a major in the mythology and legends of the Demon Realm, specifically the legend of the Demon King.
The intense gazes from the human attendees focused on the demon girl, who looked nervous.
An explanation of the context to understand the terrorist’s intent continued.
“Recently, the stories of the Sky Whale have been oversimplified among the radicals. It’s a wicked and primitive trend trying to quench the thirst for the birth of the Demon King with the power of a whale.”
The attendees nodded.
“This is likely a messy act of terrorism combining impulsive thinking and confirmation bias.”
The birth of the Demon King, huh.
Just hearing about it evokes a sense of danger and wicked desire.
Oh?
Pastel’s eyes widened.
In fact, that Demon King was me.
So the theory that the talkative terrorist Trimaut was diligently asserting was not entirely wrong!
Oh my!
Pastel rolled her eyes and pretended not to hear.
Total coincidence.
As the meeting continued, rational analysis piled up.
The ecology professor spoke up.
“Recently, one Sky Whale has been repeatedly displaying strange behavior, raiding the habitats of Sky Mackerel near Sky Island. Considering it seemed to be the same kind as the Baby Whale…”
“It must be the Mother Whale!”
Pastel’s face brightened.
The professor nodded.
“The unusual behavior around Sky Island has prompted me to send the academic airship to constantly monitor its location and condition. If it comes by, we’ll receive immediate news.”
Oh yeah!
The specialists, who usually just lazed around, were not slouching!
Is this the system administration that doesn’t rely solely on individual improvisation? And at its peak is the powerful Pastel.
Huhh, powerful.
Plans were quickly set.
They decided to treat the Baby Whale and take it to the Mother Whale in pristine condition. Since the Mother Whale could fly in unexpectedly, they’d have it treated in an airship over nearby heights.
It seemed simple yet genuinely trivial—after all, that’s how obligations often are.
Pastel moved towards the airship’s medical room.
“If I hadn’t rushed to evacuate against the Demon Lord’s advice, it would have become complete chaos.”
Countless evacuees would have led to a crumbling market economy and falling authority.
The situation kept becoming uncontrollable, leaving them with no choice but to pour all administrative efforts into handling the evacuations…
Uwaaah.
At this rate, even if the Mother Whale didn’t show up, the terrorism would have succeeded.
Now if they announced that the Mother Whale wasn’t coming, I can just imagine the people in high positions not believing it, thinking they’d just want to escape.
Ugh!
Pastel wiped her cold sweat.
“Phew.”
It’s a relief that the quick-witted media, including the Newspaper Club, cooperated without any conditions.
They just sent soldiers with a public document, and they volunteered to help. Truly kind people!
Powerful Pastel once again feels that power is made from everyone’s goodwill.
Yup.
Pastel approached the medical room.
There lay the Baby Whale wrapped in bandages.
It was definitely a baby, but it was so big that its tail fin extended beyond the bed.
The pink Baby Whale opened its mouth. A veterinarian peeled a shrimp shell larger than their palm and placed it in its mouth.
Nom nom.
What a fortunate scene.
“How’s its condition?”
“As you can see.”
The Baby Whale opened its mouth again. This time, the veterinarian picked up a black gem from a basket and placed it in its mouth.
Huhh.
A gem as valuable as gold is a snack for the Baby Whale!
Steam rose from the pink skin. When the veterinarian lifted the bandages, the sight of the split and wrecked skin being healed presented itself.
Recovery is super fast.
Feels like something is fundamentally different.
Pastel cleared her throat.
“Whale friend, on behalf of humanity, I apologize. Even though it wasn’t us, human greed and desires harmed you.”
She bowed her head.
The Baby Whale opened its mouth.
“What do you mean?”
When she continued to stare, the Baby Whale pointed its tongue towards the shrimp basket. The veterinarian hesitated but peeled another shrimp shell and put it in its mouth.
Nom nom.
“Can’t Sky Whales eat shrimp shells?”
“It seems it just refuses them because they taste bad.”
Hee.
Pastel felt her emotions were complicated. The injured party was nonchalantly unfazed, leaving her unsure of what to do. But isn’t it better than suffering?
“But hey, whale friend, how did you get abducted? Is that your mom, or is it really your mom? I mean, should I treat you appropriately and take you to your parents right away?”
The Baby Whale opened its mouth.
Whoa!
What does that mean this time?!
The whale’s tongue pointed toward the gem basket. The veterinarian placed a gem in its mouth.
I’ve been ignored…
Pastel’s face fell.
The demon seemed flabbergasted.
“Why are you trying to converse with a whale? Just because you call any creature a friend doesn’t make you one.”
Huhh.
Is that how it is?!
Pastel’s eyes widened.
A shocking revelation.
Just because you call them a friend doesn’t mean they actually are.
Could it really be true that Pastel, the popular one, was throwing around friend-flirting like a bunch of useless checks?!
Shock.
Total shock.
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