by Takehaya
The time to leave had finally come. It was the moment they’d been waiting for since they first arrived, but they were still somewhat reluctant to go. Saying goodbye is never easy.
For Koutarou and Clan to be able to sleep for two thousand years, they’d need to find a place that wouldn’t be disturbed for that long. There weren’t many such places, but fortunately Clan had an idea.
Alaia had first gathered troops in the vicinity of a small fort in the Pardomshiha territory. Clan knew that two thousand years later, that place would be known as “Veltlion’s special territory.” It would also be very heavily guarded in the meanwhile. After the war, Alaia would grant it to the Blue Knight as his domain, and not even the royal family would be allowed to touch it.
There, Koutarou and Clan would be able to sleep undisturbed for two thousand years. Since the territory was off-limits, they wouldn’t have to worry about construction, excavation, or anything of the sort. Though there had been talks about examining parts of the territory on the bimillenial anniversary of Alaia’s coronation, nothing ever came of it.
And so Koutarou and Clan prepared to make their way to Veltlion’s future special territory in the Cradle. Though it currently wasn’t capable of spaceflight, Clan had repaired it so that it could fly in an atmosphere. As such, they were on course to reach the special territory before the sun fully set.
“Veltlion, come up to the cockpit after you’ve taken your armor off.”
“Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I’m done.”
After boarding the Cradle, Clan and Koutarou split up. She went for the cockpit and Koutarou made his way towards the hangar. His role as the replacement Blue Knight was over and he no longer had a need to wear the armor. He was planning on removing it for their trip just for comfort.
After entering the hangar, Koutarou walked over to the work area used for spacesuit maintenance. The devices there were automated, so after determining what kind of armor Koutarou was wearing, they reached out with their mechanical arms and affixed the armor to a maintenance stand. After that, the armor opened up and Koutarou stepped out of it.
“How convenient.”
After getting out of his armor, Koutarou turned back towards the maintenance stand. The blue armor had taken quite a beating. Dents, scratches, burn marks, and more covered it now. Every one of those battle scars reminded him of the fierce fights he’d been in.
“You did well... Thank you for your hard work,” Koutarou mumbled quietly and lightly tapped the breastplate in appreciation.
Having spent most of the last half a year in this suit of armor, Koutarou had gotten attached to it.
“I am honored, my lord.”
“Really, you’re very well made.”
Koutarou smiled as the armor replied. He then removed the wooden insignia on its chest and the two swords hanging from its waist. Those three items were things he didn’t want to leave behind in the hangar.
“All right.”
Koutarou equipped the insignia and the two swords himself and headed towards the hangar exit. As he did, he could hear a low rumble and feel the floor shaking beneath him.
“I guess we’re off...”
The commotion was indeed the Cradle lifting off. After a while, the shaking stopped and the noise died down in the hangar. Once it had sufficient altitude, the spaceship didn’t shake in the slightest. Now all that was left was the quiet flight all the way to Veltlion’s special territory.
However, just as Koutarou was about to exit the hangar, there was another loud sound. It was the alert beep of an incoming call on the panel right next to the exit. The next moment, Clan’s face appeared there.
“Veltlion, the farewell party has arrived.”
As Clan said that, a hatch on the stern side of the hangar slowly opened.
“...Farewell party?”
The first thing Koutarou saw through the opening hatch was the snow that had started to fall. Next he saw a meadow with the wind blowing through it, lit up by the setting sun. And when the hatch fully opened, he saw both a silvery and a golden glow.
“Koutarou-sama!”
“Blue Knight!”
It was Alaia and Charl, still dressed in their royal gowns from the coronation ceremony. The wind blowing through the meadow whipped their hair about, and it appeared to flicker in the light of the evening sun. The Cradle had already reached quite a high altitude, but Koutarou would never mistake the two of them. They were special people that he would never forget.
“Empress Alaia! Princess Charl!”
Koutarou grabbed the handrail by the hatch and shouted out to the two girls below. He could see their expressions brighten as they waved their hands.
I see... So they came to see me off...
Koutarou was overwhelmed. Simply speechless. All he could do was watch them wave to him from afar. But as he looked at them, his vision started to blur. He wiped his tears away so he could properly see, but his vision quickly blurred again. Koutarou gave up on wiping away his tears and instead raised his voice to call to them once more.
“Goodbye, Empress Alaia! Princess Charl!”
Why couldn’t he come up with anything better to say? Koutarou was frustrated at his own stupidity. All he could say were simple farewells, but there was so much that he wanted to convey to them. Gratitude. Affection. Loneliness.
“Don’t cry, Blue Knight! You’re a man, aren’t you?!”
But fortunately, they knew exactly how Koutarou felt. They wiped away their own tears as they watched him moving further and further away.
“Blue Knight! Play with me if we meet again! Stay well!”
Charl had burst into tears when she realized that Koutarou was going home, but now she was smiling brightly to see him off. She was still crying, but she didn’t let it stop her from smiling. She continued waving her small arms at Koutarou. With each swing of her arm, tears scattered off her cheeks, glittering like beautiful jewels as they fell.
“Koutarou-samaaaa!”
Next was Alaia’s turn. She spread her arms out and reached up towards Koutarou. It was as if she was trying to embrace him as he gradually moved further away. She had one last thing to say to Koutarou, but as she opened her mouth to call to him, the Cradle’s boosters activated and the engine let out a loud roar.
“.........”
Alaia’s voice never reached Koutarou, but he knew that she was giving him her final farewell.
“.........”
Alaia continued shouting to him with large tears flowing out of her eyes. Even if he couldn’t hear her, he could see her earnestly reaching her arms out to him as she attempted to convey her feelings. Just how grateful she was for him. Just how sad she was that the day of their parting had finally come. He understood it all.
“Empress Alaia... Princess Charl...”
That’s why Koutarou desperately waved his arms back at the two girls who were getting smaller with each passing moment. It was the only way for his feelings to reach them now.
The rocket engine of the Cradle generated a strong wind that swept through the meadow. With the setting evening sun shining down on it, it was as if it had turned into a golden sea. And with the silvery white snow falling down on it in flurries, the contrast of gold and silver created a breathtaking spectacle.
Alaia and Charl stood there, still waving their arms as their hair fluttered in the wind. Neither words nor expressions would reach Koutarou now. Waving their hands was the last thing they could do.
Koutarou was waving back as he looked down from the open hatch. Even after he could no longer distinguish them from the rest of the scenery, he continued waving to them.
The bonds they had formed over the past months would not so easily be severed over distance. He knew their feelings were connected, and he knew that they were still standing there waving too, so he continued to wave back long after he couldn’t see them.
All he could see now was the golden sea and silvery white snow.
And so, bathed in t
he embrace of a warm, gentle light, the curtain fell on the legend of the Blue Knight.
The Last Scene to You
“The Silver Princess and the Blue Knight, Part 2.”
The play being held in the Kisshouharukaze High School gym was nearing its end and the finale was just about to begin. The backstage crew who’d been working hard all this time now kicked it into high gear to make everything perfect for the final scene.
“Where’s Harumi-chan?!”
“She’s in position! She’s ready to go whenever!”
“Has the lighting been changed to the evening color?! Don’t screw this up now!”
“We’re good!”
“Where’s Satomi-kun?”
“He’s already gone up!”
They all wanted their perfect play to have a perfect ending.
The curtain was about to rise on the finale. Harumi, playing the part of the Silver Princess, was standing by on the side of the stage.
“That’s strange... What’s happening to me...?”
With the last scene almost upon her, she was unable to hide her nervousness. She put her hand on her chest and took several deep breaths, but that wasn’t enough to calm her nerves. Powerful emotions were welling up inside of her and she was struggling to keep them under control.
“All I have to do is act like I always do...”
This hadn’t happened before. She had no problems pulling off the scene during practice, and she hadn’t panicked during the last play like this. Being together with Koutarou always put her at ease.
“Why am I suddenly so anxious about seeing Satomi-kun? It wasn’t like this a moment ago...”
But now, all of a sudden, Harumi was starting to feel nervous about meeting Koutarou on stage. When she thought about standing before him, her feelings ran wild. It wasn’t like they’d had a fight, and it wasn’t like she’d had a change of heart. Nothing was seemingly out of the normal, but for some reason, she just couldn’t act normal.
“What should I do...? I-It’s starting...”
Despite Koutarou’s existence making her feel at ease just a moment ago, she now felt the opposite. It was like her emotions had been turned inside out, and she was now feeling very insecure.
“Sorry I’m a bit late!”
Theia, playing the part of the Golden Princess, finally arrived. In the last scene, the Silver Princess and the Golden Princess would be seeing the Blue Knight off. Harumi, Theia, and Koutarou would be the only ones on stage.
Theiamillis-san... She’s already gotten into her role...
Tears were streaming down Theia’s cheeks. She was already in character before even getting up on stage. Harumi was impressed.
If I use my feelings too, I can...
Inspired by Theia, Harumi decided to give herself over to her emotions as well, and let those guide her acting. In the script, the Silver Princess bid the Blue Knight farewell knowing that she would likely never see him again. So Harumi believed she could use these nervous feelings inside her to portray that unease well.
“Okay...”
Setting her mind to that, Harumi began feeling a little better. She was still anxious, but not about her acting.
“Harumi-chan, Theia-chan, you’re on! We’re raising the curtain!”
That was when the drama club president gave everyone involved the go-ahead for the scene. The curtain rose and a red light shone down on the meadow set. On the opposite end of the stage was a large stand with Koutarou at the very top of it. In this scene, the Blue Knight was supposed to be looking down at the two princesses from the top of a hill.
“Ah...”
The moment Harumi looked up at Koutarou, all of the anxiousness in her chest vanished. Just like it had with Alaia on that day.
When Harumi and Theia appeared on the stage, Koutarou was reminded of the real Alaia and Charl. Harumi didn’t have silver hair and Theia wasn’t as small as Charl. There was also a big difference in the clothes they were wearing. But the atmosphere was the same. It felt right. And looking down at them now, memories of that day filled Koutarou’s heart. It was such a profound feeling that he almost believed if he just closed his eyes now, he would be right back there with them.
“Layous-sama!”
“Blue Knight!”
And that feeling grew even stronger when he heard their voices.
“Koutarou-sama!”
“Blue Knight!”
Harumi and Theia began overlapping with Alaia and Charl in his eyes. Especially when he heard Harumi’s voice call out for Layous-sama.
Just what... am I seeing...?
Was it a fantasy of his memories? Or had Signaltin, which was hanging from his waist, responded to his feelings? There was no way of knowing.
“Empress Alaia! Princess Charl!”
The only thing Koutarou knew for sure was that the words he spoke now were not from the script, but from his heart.
I... I really, really loved them...
And as Koutarou reconfirmed his own feelings, the sight in front of him greatly changed. Before he knew it, the stage had changed into a real meadow. The swaying grasses reflected the red evening sun with a golden sheen and a strong wind blew overhead. It wasn’t just his sight that was affected. He could feel the wind and smell the grass. It was all the same as it was that day.
Pure white snow was falling from above. Catching the light of the evening sun, it gave off a silvery sheen in beautiful contrast with the golden meadow.
“Goodbye, Empress Alaia! Princess Charl!”
Koutarou was no longer sure where he was. Was he on the stage? In a dream? Or had he really returned? Whichever it was, he didn’t mind. He was getting to see two people he thought he’d never meet again.
“Don’t cry, Blue Knight! You’re a man, aren’t you?!”
Tears naturally began overflowing from Koutarou’s eyes. Charl scolded him for it, but Koutarou couldn’t help it.
“Blue Knight! Play with me if we meet again! Stay well!”
Charl cried too and waved her hand just like she had that day. This was exactly how he’d bid Charl farewell.
“Koutarou-samaaaaa!”
Alaia too called out to Koutarou with a nostalgic voice and a nostalgic smile. She spread her arms out and reached up towards Koutarou. It was as if she was trying to embrace him as he gradually moved further away.
“Even if we are separated by endless time and immeasurable distance...”
She spoke the words that never reached Koutarou’s ears that day over the engine noise of the Cradle. But he was hearing them now. He was incredibly surprised, and he reflexively leaned in so as not to miss a single word that fell from Alaia’s lips. He would engrave every word into his heart.
“These feelings will always be with you!”
That was the message from the past that had travelled through endless time and immeasurable distance to reach him.
The curtain fell on the Blue Knight and the Silver Princess with a thunderous applause from the audience.
It may have taken two thousand years, but Koutarou was finally able to hear Alaia’s heartfelt farewell.
Afterword
Long time no see everyone. It’s the author, Takehaya.
This time I have managed to safely deliver Invaders of the Rokujouma!? volume 8.5, “The Silver Princess and the Blue Knight, Part Two.” I am grateful to everyone for picking it up.
The contents of this volume are the direct continuation of volume 7.5. It’s the equivalent of the manuscript that Theia wrote in volume 7, and the second half of the legend of the Blue Knight. Perhaps it could be called the Koutarou arc.
There are several highlights in this volume, but one of the biggest might be the appearance of the dragon. The dragon is sort of a cliche in fantasy stories, but in a novel with some sci-fi elements, there couldn’t just randomly be a dragon for no reason. It had to make sense in context to some degree. As to how to write that in, that left me scratching my head for a while.
In terms of
biology, a creature like a dragon has a rather peculiar anatomy. There are two classic elements of a dragon that are really hard to rationalize. One is that they can fly despite their size and weight, and the second is that they can breathe fire.
There have been examples of large flying creatures on Earth as well, such as the pterosaur. Specimens as large as ten meters have been found. So it might be easy to think that dragons of that size would be able to fly as well, but that’s not how it really works. The pterosaur was incredibly light, weighing only between twenty to thirty kilograms. Despite its large size, it was only about as heavy as a large dog. That’s what let them fly. But when thinking about a dragon, it’s hard to imagine them weighing anything less than a hundred kilograms. With such a powerful, gigantic figure, they would likely weigh in in the tons. And when looking at your standard dragon bosses in games, those would probably be more in the double-digit tonnage. So with that in mind, there’s really just no way that they’d be able to create enough lift with their wings to get off the ground.
As far as breathing fire is concerned, however, that’s where things really get into the realm of fantasy. There are creatures on Earth that can spew out chemicals at high temperatures, but that still caps out at around the 100 degrees Celsius mark. Since the creature has to withstand the heat themselves when spewing the chemicals, it makes sense that 100 degrees or so would be the limit. Something in the creature’s body would also have to be capable of producing such heat, and the rest of the body would have to be heat resistant. Then there’s the question if whether or not something like that could naturally evolve. If you can’t imagine it, believe me when I say the odds on that are really, really low. To complicate things more, there are also dragons that can spew all kinds of things from blizzards to poison gas to electricity. In fantasy works, an even larger variety of dragons appear. So assuming that each of those dragons naturally evolved from different paths and then that they all just coincidentally exist in the same time period seems a little too forced.