Chapter 290: Takeoff


    Thanks to Sylph, we’ve identified the general direction and distance of the Sky Ind.


    We didn’t know how long the search would take, so we’re bringing a lot of extra food. Also, because it is absolutely necessary that we go to the monster-overrun ce where the dungeon core is, we prepared a Magic Bag filled with all sorts of potions, and relief goods for the Aligerous Tribe on site.


    After transferring to the Demon Continent through the Gate, we joined up with Valkan-san and the tribe.


    「I would like for you to choose people with highbat abilities from the Aligerous Tribe to work towards searching for your tribespeople for when we find the Sky Ind, Valkan-san.」


    「<em>Fumu</em>, this ce also has women and children. It is inevitable that it is only when it is safe that everyone can move.」


    Valkan-san nodded and decided who the members for the Sky Ind search would be.


    Our party members, Valkan-san who knows their tribesmen from the Sky Ind, Berkut, two spear users, two bow users, and, for some reason, Bagworm-kun (Bart-kun) were going.


    While we were clearing the Demon Continent dungeon, the Aligerous people who subjugated monsters at its monster nest had each developed their strengths, making exceptional progress inparison to when they had first started. I think Bart-kun also grew enough that he can’t be called Bagworm-kun anymore.


    Bart-kun isn’t particrly skilled, but he forcefully added himself to the party as he imed he would be the next chief. Valkan-san looked apologetic, but the person in question didn’t realize this.


    「Please get on the Ouranos.」


    「We’re off then!」


    Bart-kun waved merrily at his tribespeople who remained as he boarded the Ouranos.


    Once everyone was on board, the Ouranos took off.


    There is a possibility that monsters would attack at low altitude, so we flew higher.


    「<em>Oooh</em>! S-so hiiigh!!」


    Bart-kun clung to the window and yelled. Apparently. we were at an elevation that the wings of the Aligerous Tribe could never reach, but the remaining tribespeople’s eyes were chilly.


    We flew at flight level once we reached our intended altitude.


    elerating to cruising speeds, we steered towards the location that Sylph told us.


    「We can’t predict how long it would take to search for the Sky Ind because we’re flying, so please feel at home.」


    「Thank you very much.」


    I asked Maria to guide Valkan-san and the others to a less crowded room, and I activated the Detector MD.


    「<em>Uwaa</em>~! It’s the ocean! Oi! Berkut, it’s the ocean!」


    「Shut it, stupid Bart! We lived in that solitary ind, haven’t you gotten sick of it!?」


    「Idiot! You haven’t seen it from this height, have you!?」


    Berkut yelled at the eternally noisy Bart-kun with a genuinely disgusted expression.


    It was then that an attack exposing Bart-kun’s weakness came from Berkut.


    「Stupid Bart, it’s because, among everyone, you can’t fly high. You’re just an Aligerous man who’s afraid of heights.」


    「<em>Wha?</em>! You idiot! I am not afraid of heights! I just like flying at lower altitudes!」


    Valkan-san looked so ashamed as he shook his head. It must have been true as the other tribespeople looked at him with icy gazes.


    An Aligerous with a fear of heights, huh……


    「……Iruma-dono, I’m so sorry for my foolish son’s noise.」


    「Haha, it’s okay. Isn’t it good that he’s lively?」


    That’s all I could really say.


    Since Maria had taken over steering, I drank the tea that Marnie brewed as I rested, and I could hear that Bart-kun and Berkut were quarreling again.


    「Berkut! You, you’re being too brazen to me, your fiancé!」


    「Who is who’s fiancé? I don’t remember ever bing engaged to someone like you!」


    「What are you saying!? If I, the next chief, say so, then that’s how it would be!」


    「There is no way someone like you is the next chief! Bullshit!」


    <em>Hee</em>, so these two were engaged. As I was watching the two bicker, I sat down on the sofa across Valkan-san and asked.


    「Berkut and Bart-kun are engaged, right?」


    「……no, Bart just think so.」


    「Eh? They’re not? But if Bart-kun is the next chief, I thought it wouldn’t be strange if he was Berkut’s fiance, though?……」


    If Chief Valkan-san’s only son, Bart, was the next chief, I thought for sure that because he and Berkut were close in age, this would definitely have been the case.


    「In the first ce, he is not the next chief. The position of chief is not hereditary, worthy people are nominated and chosen. ……With how everything is going now, Bart will not be the chief no matter how hard he tries.」


    「<em>Ha</em>–<em>haha</em>, you’re got a lot on your hands, Valkan-san.」


    「You understand me, Iruma-dono?」


    Valkan-san who looked at his ipetent son with a lonely expression was pitiful.


    ***