Happy Halloween~ I just wanted to get this chapter out, because I really liked this idea, by god, I wanted to show this-
Anyway, here's a merchant princess learning not to trust rope-
Out of all of the words that could describe Crusch Karsten, 'paranoid' wasn't one of them. After all, she was a candidate, it just wouldn't do to make needless accusations.
But…after seeing the MASSIVE changes in the span of a couple of hours, specifically with Anastasia, especially oh so soon after they had defeated the White Whale, she had the feeling that the businesswoman suddenly had a fervent spike of determination.
Even then, it wouldn't be enough to actually make her scared. After all, she was a warrior at heart. When someone, ESPECIALLY her competitors, gets a surge of will, she's more likely to feel pride than fear.
No, what got her scared as of right now, is the sheer AUDACITY of the ideas. Anastasia Hoshin wasn't just building a few things. According to the orders that she set out? She was changing literally EVERYTHING.
…and with some of the ideas that Crusch had seen? They were big and ambitious. And risky.
…but with hope and a stubborn drive that she's only seen from one Subaru Natsuki. She felt as if something had happened, and now Anastasia was about to have an edge against her. After all, look at these ideas! Massive buildings that reached the sky! Factions purely for entertainment? Not to mention, her new method for SKY TRAVEL?
It was INSANE. It was so unlike her!
But most of all, it was daring. And that is EXACTLY what captures people's hearts at this time.
And now? Anastasia had called a meeting with her. To discuss a trade.
The green haired princess cleared her throat, composing herself as she straightened herself up. It was frightening just how quick everyone had gone back to what they were doing…especially with the Witch Cult on the loose.
However…the White Whale was a monstrosity that could scarcely be summoned. If they really could just mass produce them, then they would have done so. She was inclined to believe that their actions have been halted or at least, given caution.
Second, she saw the look on Subaru-dono's face. She saw him leap out of his own carriage with the oni, and when she questioned his acts?
He dismissed her, telling her that what he's looking for is important. More important than going after the witch cult as of right now.
It was insane to her. But at the same time, she didn't want to question the boy who leapt on top of a flying whale's horn from a giant icicle. When you ask illogical questions to illogical people, you get illogical answers.
It was a question of timing too. The Mather's Mansion had also requested a meeting with her…about Subaru-dono's metia specifically. It seems that they're still looking for it…and it made her wonder how much about it did he keep hidden.
Long ago, did she already ask Felix and Wilhelm to leave the room, on the request of Anastasia-sama to be alone with her. It gave her pride as well as equal amounts of anxiety, that she was trusting her with something this…sensitive.
…not like Anastasia was planning an ambush, right? There…would be no way. It was far too unstrategic.
Knock knock
…her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden knocking on her door, and she immediately started composing herself, clearing her throat and her mind. As much as a trust was formed between the candidates…
…Anastasia-sama was still a merchant. Business was her own expertise.
…
…such a thought did not appear in her head when the woman walked in, failing at holding a smile that contained absolute GLEE.
At the very least…it shouldn't contain bad news.
"Well, Crusch-San…" It was almost cocky the way she said that, sauntering over to the table…and planting her hands on top of it.
"I'm gonna give it to ya straight. I have a business proposition."
…
Crush took a second to register. This was…very much not a proper way to address things. And as such, she treated it that way, hoping it was…nothing that serious. Nodding slowly, she furrowed her brows, and sat down.
"…con…tinue." Anastasia grinned widely and nodded.
"I have…a project. One that might REVOLUTIONIZE things! But I need permission to test it…"
She pointed out in the distance, making Crusch blink and look out the window.
…a cliff. A rather high one. Of course, it was insignificant, not even a military point, as it was too far from the city, and yet too close to her own forces…but she still narrowed her eyes. It was still HER territory.
"…may I ask…why here? And not within your own boundaries?"
"Well…" Anastasia fiddled with her fingers as she tried to piece together a thought that wouldn't reveal too much. "…our land is a little…flat. Even if we used it, it wouldn't yield too much. We need height."
"…for?" The hardened princess furrowed her brows.
"…err…that would be…confidential! Although, I can swear by my name that it ISN'T permanent, nor will it mess with anything ya have! I'll even make sure to do it away from the people ! I just need it for a few days…is that okay with ya?"
Well, there wasn't anything WRONG with that. But that still made her even more curious. "…you're so focused on the height. Like you're planning on dropping from a cliff."
…it was supposed to be a light jab. But the way that the merchant's expression froze and the way she blinked…made Crusch suddenly connect dots.
"…that was a poor attempt at humor. You are to laugh now."
"…"
No way. No fucking way.
"…no."
"WAIT!" Anastasia yelped and bit her tongue. The militant princess crossed her arms and shook her head vehemently.
"It's not that I am against you using my land. It is I am against you using my land to do something that DANGEROUS to yourself. If you are to lose the selection, it will not be because you decided to do something stupid."
Internally, the smaller candidate cooed. As blunt as it was, that was Crusch's first, albeit hidden, pure concern for her. She chuckled softly, shaking her head.
"Aww…ya don't need ta worry about that! I have it ALL planned out!" She gave a grin that spoke of confidence…and to Crusch's horror, the wind sensed no lie.
This princess really had a plan, a god forsaken, thought out plan, to leap off a cliff safely.
…
Somehow, this was Subaru-dono's fault.
"…I am still not comfortable with it. There is a reason we stay on the ground. When one falls hundreds of feet, humans tend to die."
"…alright. If it comforts you…" Anastasia sighed in defeat. "How about 'ah let you come with? It'll be nice! And with that…maybe I'll let you in on the idea~"
…that was…understandably tempting. She saw these ideas, and she understood the potential. If she had one of these ideas…and implemented it to her city? Her forces?
"…hah…" Crusch rubbed the bridge of her nose, finally giving in. She looked up…and gave a faint, tired smile.
"Just don't break your neck."
Immediately, Anastasia stood up, shaking her hand. "I KNEW ya would get to it! Now, we should be getting a move on! I gave word to my own to send everything there!"
"You got it ready?!" Crusch, not prepared, was sent stumbling to her feet, looking at her…questionably sane selection rival in incredulity.
"For a few hours, yes!"
"W-Wait!"
…as of right now, Crusch looked at the 'idea' with a blank stare…and an internal dread.
She was so, so VERY sure that she was about to see Anastasia die.
"…this? This is your idea?" She looked at the mess of…this massive basket with a patchwork of light cloth…and a brazier?
Anastasia nodded, her grin widening. A feeling that did NOT resonate with the Crusch…and Julius, who tried to remain confident while sweatdropping at this…concept.
"Don't worry, I experimented with this on a smaller scale. The fire is supposed to heat the air under the cloth…and the hot air is supposed to let the basket rise!"
That wasn't a lie. She made an experiment. Once. Most of her confidence was seeing it on the strange map on Natsuki-kun's metia. When the fire lifted, she all but sprinted out the door, calling for Julius in excitement.
Said violet haired knight was staring at the mismatch of colors of the cloth, wondering just what kind of woman he swore allegiance to.
…and yet when the wind told no lie, Crusch seemed to relax and sigh.
"Fine…I trust you."
By the way that she didn't move, she only trusted Anastasia to get on it herself. There was no way she was getting on that thing. Anastasia, seeing this, pouted and got into the…admittedly stable looking basket, pulling Julius along.
"I- my lady-"
"No no! As my knight, you are comin' with!" She said with a cheeriness that gave no room for disagreement. "Now."
Julius sighed in defeat when his lady knocked on the brazier. Nodding…and trying not to look down at certain death, he extended his hand and called on the contract with the spirits. A flame was lit…and so was the brazier.
…
…
…slowly, the cloth started to…inflate?
Anastasia was jumping up and down, almost in glee as Crusch looked in unease. If all else fails…at least they haven't left the ground yet.
That worry seemed to increase the bigger the cloth got, making…
A balloon. Her worry turned to disbelief when…
…the basket started lifting up the ground.
"?!"
"W-Wha?!-"
"YES!" Anastasia voiced her excitement as the MASSIVE balloon lifted into the sky…and away from the cliff. Julius, in his newfound absolute FEAR of massive heights, held onto his lady protectively, feeling the desperate need to kiss the ground and promise never to leave it again. And yet…he looked on in awe.
He looked out and saw the city. The beautiful skies, the vegetation…all people looked like ants at this point. And from there, it finally dawned on him.
They were flying.
To his knowledge? He was one of the very first people to willingly and deliberately fly.
"I'M A GENIUS!" Anastasia cried out victoriously, looking out of the basket with starry eyes. This was absolutely beautiful! Not only did this open up so many new ideas…
But it also confirmed that the technology she saw in Natsuki-kun's metia was founded and to be trusted.
And on the cliff, the Karsten head's heart lurched and almost fell to her stomach when they left the ground. That…
…looked inspiring to her. And yet she felt as if something, ANYTHING could go wrong. As strong as the cloth was, it sure didn't LOOK the part. They were all sewn together, and none of the colors matched. It was as if it was all made with spare fabric.
"A-Anastasia-sama-" Crusch said with a breathy tone.
"My lady…!" Julius finally allowed himself to look over the basket in pure wonder, as if he was a child again. This…this was something he thought he could only see in dreams! This was amazing! This was-
Snap
". . ."
A fucking nightmare. Crusch saw a rope suddenly break and she felt absolute dread. But that could not be COMPARED to the faces that Anastasia and her knight made.
"…Julius, please tell me that was you."
And the Knight didn't say a word. Instead, he slowly looked to the side…and in horror, saw that the ropes…were burning.
It was a mortal error. They made the cloth fireproof…but not the rope.
Snap
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" Anastasia screeched as she desperately tried to shift the basket back to the cliff, as the ropes started burning. This was a mistake. This was a BIG mistake. Crusch felt the panic and responded in kind, starting to frantically look around as if there could be anything to reach them. But nothing. Even the extra rope wasn't long enough to reach them.
And there, Julius had to make a decision. They were still floating, but not long enough. The cloth was still holding, but-
…the cloth…!
"ANASTASIA-SAMA! PLEASE GET ON MY BACK!" Julius barked in a sort of desperation. There was a plan. And immediately, the candidate did, clutching onto him as if he was the last thing alive. Julius…started climbing, clutching onto the bottom of the cloth and used his sword to stab through, creating a handle.
The next words brought horror to the princesses.
"CRUSCH-SAMA! CUT THE ROPE!"
The indignation was shared between Anastasia and Crusch, as the former screeched in alarm.
"WHAT?!" Crusch cried out, shaking her head vehemently. "If you two are to die, it will NOT be by my hand!-"
"Please!" Julius, finally laying down his pride, begged the princess, catching her off guard. "I have a plan! Just please, help me save us!"
…it was so easy just to watch. But maybe it was because of her own morality.
Maybe it was because she was inspired by Subaru-dono's heroic acts before that it implemented into her.
…or maybe, simply, she didn't exactly want to know what sounds the human body makes when they drop a couple hundred feet in the sky. Gritting her teeth, she unsheathed her blade.
"Damn it! Lift your legs!" She ordered, and took aim as Julius did as she asked, giving her a clear view of the rope. And with one careful, dedicated slash…
It was…a calm day, despite everything. Subaru, Emilia, and the oni siblings were on their way to Crusch. Despite their initial despair, it was…quite a peaceful ride. There was nothing busy going on, as if the world had given them respite after their fight. Subaru and Emilia even made up after he returned home from the battle…
The raven haired boy? Took the time to realize just how LONG it has been since he had to use Return by Death. For one, he was grateful, liking how he was actually able to live his damn life for once.
But then again…now that he wasn't used to it, that means that the next time he uses it, it will hurt him a LOT worse. He grimaced at it, catching Rem's attention.
"…Subaru-kun? We're…on our way. Please don't look so down…" He shook himself out of it, and gave his usual charismatic grin, a bit more sheepish than the others.
"A-Ah! Rem! Ah, don't worry! I'll be fine! I just need to…" …his smile faded as he caught something in the sky.
"…to…?" Emilia, realizing she was…looking at Rem with a less than benevolent gaze for her loyalty to her knight, furrowed her brows. "Subaru…?"
…what. In the FUCK is that.
"…b-b-b-ba-" In his flabbergasted state, he was unable to contain his pure SHOCK as he pointed at the sky, and everyone turned their heads…and followed his lead.
"H-Huh?!" The half elf looked to the sky and saw…a massive, hulking inflated piece of cloth carrying a basket of people.
"S-Subaru-kun! They're FLYING!" Rem voiced out in alarm…
…but Ram narrowed her eyes. Yes, she was shocked…but she's seen it before.
In those moving pictures…in Barasu's metia.
"…faster."
"Wha-"
"Faster!" Ram ordered the one driving, and they quickened the pace. They were close. She KNEW it.
They were so focused on getting there…that they didn't realize that the box just dropped.
The sword was swung, and the strings were cut, as the wind magic went through. Both Julius and Anastasia felt their stomachs drop when the basket that held them was sent all the way down, but the faithful knight held as tight as he could.
The view showed them everything. As if they were on top of the world. And in their own terror…
…they felt a sense of wonder. Was this how the gods felt when they watched over their lands?
The possibilities were endless. Through Anastasia's mind, she thought of completing this project…thinking of what would happen if ANYONE could travel like this. Borders would mean so much less when one could see everything from above.
And Julius couldn't help but agree. This put many things into perspective. Mostly the size of a house to the land below. It was humbling, but at the same time, inspiring.
He was almost proud of his lady, if one takes out the callousness of this…strange idea.
…and when they landed, they would tumble down the grass, the cloth finally being flattened on the ground, and the two would be splayed on their backs, breathing heavily as the adrenaline faded away. Both had their eyes wide, still stuck in the memory of the idyllic and wondrous view.
…
"Let's do that again."
"…Anastasia-sama, no-"
"Anastasia-sama yes."
I think this is the proudest chapter I've made. I was VERY excited for this. Happy Halloween~
…the Sin Archbishop of Sloth grit his teeth as he traversed the empty plains. There was no way he'd pass as normal in the cities…but if he takes the long route to the fellow beloved of the witch, then MAYBE he can get there without trouble.
But despite that? This pissed him off to NO END.
The witch was clearly behind this. He didn't even TRY to hide its actions. The only explanation for Subaru's absence was that they didn't think much of him.
It was spitting in his face. One didn't need sanity to be mad at that.
"…my brain…trembles." Frighteningly, that was the steadiest he's ever said that. Maybe all that anger gave him a bit of sanity back. All opinion on that matter disappeared, as he cackled, speeding up at the thought of what he would DO once he got there.
The witch has blessed him. Satella would guide him on this journey, and he would FINALLY be reunited with her! Look! Up in the sky! She's already sending a blessing down!
…
…why was it getting bigger?
"…ahahahahaha…AHAHAHAHA!"
YES! The witch was sending down a gift! SURELY it must be-
SPLAT
…oh.
Yeah uh…a gift to one may be a curse to another.
Especially for Betelguese, or, what remained of him after being flattened by a stray brazier in a basket.
Who cut that down anyway?