Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin (Alderamin on the Sky)

Please, don't shoot!

Who are you?!

I-I've fled from the Empire!

I can't take that place anymore!

Another asylum-seeker?

Are you alone?

My mom's with me!

She's in the cave back there.

I understand.

You can relax now.

The Republic accepts most asylum-seekers.

Lead us to the caves.

Thank you!

But is this all of you?

Yeah, we're the only ones here.

Unless she's a particularly full-bodied madam,

we'll be good.

I see.

It's just you three, huh?

Pattern three!

Iriq!

Turn off the light and fall back!

You bastard...

Let me go, damn it!

Die!

Kus, searchlight.

An Unwanted Medal of Honor

This one's still breathing.

Torway, what about yours?

Iriq...

Iriq, wake up.

Come on, Iriq.

Sprite, your master is...

Iriq?

Torway.

Save that for later.

He's dead.

Looks like you're going to have to tell us, then.

Skywarrior Nihad Hyu.

We'll treat your wound,

but only after you've answered our questions.

First, where is your base?

T-To the east, a half-day away by blimp...

Good.

What was your mission, and how many were with your squad?

Patrolling this side of the border...

There were just three of us. We didn't have a squad.

Where is your blimp?

I can't hear you.

You're delaying your treatment.

Along the coast once you leave the forest.

I'm so cold...

Stop... stop the bleeding, please.

Got it.

This is my last question.

Nihad, have you ever been to the border?

You can come out, Princess.

Your Highness, I'm glad you're safe.

Unfortunately, all your partners are dead.

I swear by the god Alderamin in heaven

that we will regenerate you and treat you well

at an imperial church.

So entrust us with your souls, please.

Thank you.

I accept your soulstones.

You're carrying him?

We can just put him somewhere safe in the bushes...

Torway,

it's okay for you to revel in your first victory now.

So at least allow me this luxury.

He told us everything we wanted to know, right?

How could I miss at that range?

A moving enemy is nothing like a training dummy.

In that situation,

you usually struggle to operate at even half your potential.

The enemy was barely moving...

Plus, you and Ikkun were both able to stay calm and make the right moves.

But I...

Listen up, Torway Remeon.

The fact that you have an air rifle makes you valuable to us.

Even here, that allowed me to approach the enemy in relative safety.

You should learn from Ikta.

He knows what he can and can't do

and uses that to make decisions.

You understand Ikkun really well, don't you?

This is my responsibility.

Your Highness...

I was the one who ordered you to see me back safely.

The Empire and the imperial family exist to aid people's lives,

and yet we keep taking them for no reason.

But forgive me.

I must return.

I must hasten the rot and collapse of the great tree as much as I can...

For that, I accept any of Hell's punishments.

You're bleeding, Princess.

I don't care!

Matthew! Haro!

This blood is rotten!

This blood... the blood of the Katjvanmaninik,

rotted so long ago...

Tastes normal.

Princess, blood doesn't go bad as long as it's in the body.

Therefore, what you're saying is unscientific.

Unscientific?

It's a word my master made up.

It refers to a way of thinking that's illogical and wasteful.

When the ship sank,

I went through quite a bit of trouble to save you.

So please, take care of your life.

I thought you hated me.

Well, what happened before was basically just a childish tantrum...

I'm sorry.

Yatori,

underneath it all, what kind of man is Ikta Solork?

He's a very twisted man.

However, Your Highness,

you can't build a house out of only straight sticks.

I've memorized their names.

It was an act of legitimate self-defense.

Ikta,

please don't get depressed.

Thank you, Kus.

So this is a blimp.

Huh? Fire spirits?

Oh, when I came here with Ikta last night,

we took out their soulstones.

You already have a plan for this blimp, don't you, Ikta?

Of course. We're using it to help us cross the border.

We're riding it over?

Matthew, my dear friend,

unfortunately, this can only carry three.

What's the plan, then?

Kioka Republic Western Border Garrison

So the sun rises uneventfully once more, does it?

I'm glad that none of my comrades died,

but does the Empire have no serious intention of fighting this war?

Excuse me, Second Lieutenant.

Allies from our rear.

That's sudden.

What unit are they with?

Well, they're all quite unusual.

I'm Second Lieutenant Nejif Harurum, and I'm in charge here.

Second Lieutenant, dire news!

Please look at the eastern sky!

A blimp?

Blimps are expensive.

Every one of them is dear to the Kioka army.

I see.

So, this balloon itself is what we use to barter with the Kioka forces.

Will they be willing to negotiate, though?

They'll think we're spies,

even if we pretend to be asylum-seekers.

Sure, if the negotiations drag on.

A blimp's been stolen?

We found these people and fired a warning shot,

but one of them escaped toward the blimp.

They took the blimp?

I make no excuses.

If the court orders me drawn and quartered,

I won't complain—

Then, what are the demands of the blimp thief?!

"I don't care what happens to me.

Return my family to the Empire.

And then I'll bring down the balloon."

So, you'll have a fictional man making threats.

But why would we want to go back

if we've already sought asylum?

I'll tell them the warning shot scared you or something.

What's important is how we get them into self-preservation mode.

Send them back?

My mission is to eliminate anyone who crosses the border!

However, consider this...

These asylum-seekers

crossed over the sea that's under your jurisdiction to get here.

That's true, but...

If the winds above us tilt towards the Empire,

that blimp will be gone for good!

There's no time!

Your decision, sir!

Well, that went better than expected.

I'm taking tips, everyone.