Over the Sky | Image Gallery | Artbooks | Fam Aerial Log | 059
Smoke rose out of the chimney of a small house that stood alone, a small distance away from the nearby village and closer to the fields or barley.
"The wheat is growing really well."
Lavie smiled, happily narrowing her eyes. "Yeah, that's good."
Lavie had been in high spirits all day, and the night seemed like it would be no different.
"Um ... Di--" Claus started.
"What?" Lavie looked up from her dish.
"... This stew is really delicious."
"...yeah." Lavie scooped some more soup into her mouth.
"The baked pie looks good, too."
"Al made it."
Looking up at Lavie, Al's expression as she nodded seemed to say 'I'm sorry' to her.
Maybe I'm stepping on a landmine?
The sound of boiling tea accompanied Lavie as she used a dingy rag to wipe the dishes clean. They were able to use water abundantly now, but Lavie still did her best not to waste even a drop of it.
"I want to go look for Dio..." As he lit a fire in the lamp, Claus finally spoke what he had been thinking for many months.
"Mmn, you should go if you want to." Lavie replied.
"I feel like I have to go ... is it okay?"
Next to the dismayed-looking Claus, Alvis smiled as she poured some tea into a cup. The scent of the tea's infusion filled every corner of the room.
Chapter 3
One year ago, Anatoray and Disith allied together in order to defeat Maestro Delphine in the Grand Stream. This was achieved through sacrifice of many, including that of the captain of the Silvana, Alex Row. Concurrent to those operations, Claus Valca and Lavie Head, accompanied by Alvis Hamilton, piloted a vanship through the Grand Stream. They brought to light the true nature of the Exile, a ship veiled in mystery, and paved the way of the return to their home planet.
"As you should be aware, Miss Sophia has been busy in Weskia, where there appear to be remnants of the Guild in that airspace."
"But it's Claus who's coming back!"
Mad-Thane, who had already retired after the war, dismissed the opinion of his friend, the former chief of staff, with a single word. His ship swayed from side to side through the white clouds, the visibility in the front clear. Through the large window of the heavy cargo ship, he could see the large form of the Exile that had just arrived.
"To hell with the spirit of chivalry!"
... that girl, I wonder how she is doing now?
And just as Mad-Thane smiled along with that thought....
"In the sky, seven star-shaped units!"
The three military vanships that had been escorting Mad-Thane's heavy cargo ship discarded their external tanks.
"Into the clouds!"
The cockpit of the ship was flooded in tension as the aircraft tilted itself to the left. Mad-Thane could see the form of their escort machines as they zoomed past the window; dark green aircrafts piloted by courageous pilots.
"It's Mad-Thane's heavy cargo!"
The word of the shocking scene happening just outside spread among those on board the Exile, which had had a peaceful voyage so far. Busy in the hangar with landing preparations, Claus rushed to his aircraft, a prototype of the next main fighter for Anatoray's military force that was prepared for him by Tatiana Wisla. Compared to current aircrafts, this new one was more slim around, faster, and all around exceeding in performance to its predecessors. The look of Claus' impatient irritation was reflected in its unpainted silver.
"There's not enough time."
Without waiting for his navi, Claus took off. He flew from the large hangar and into a tunnel to exit the ship, one so long and winding that her couldn't immediately see the light of the exit on the other end.
On the morning of Claus' departure, the sound of a thick steel plate being hit echoed in the small hangar adjacent to the cottage.
"Wake up, sleepyhead!"
Clinging to his blanket, Claus remained lying next to their vanship, after having finished some maintenance on it before preparing to leave.
"Claus, you'll miss the Exile!" Al shook him beneath the blanket. While Claus had slept until the very last minute, Lavie had remained awake to finish preparations for his trip that morning.
"Lavie ... thank you."
"There are leftovers from last night. You should eat some before it spoils."
Claus thought about how much he loved Lavie making that excuse.
"I want to go look for Dio."
Lavie and Alvis agreed with Claus right off the bat, when he decided that. Tatiana prepared a prototype vanship from the military, and Alister introduced a friend of hers to Claus, who was also a navi.
I'll absolutely find Dio, and return.
Claus thought, wanting to answer the thoughts of his friends.
"A white vanship?!"
Experienced veterans who survived during the war with Disith had been chosen to escort Mad-Thane's heavy cargo.
