It was clear that the Princess was in no hurry at all.
Riding atop Hibiki, she roamed the distinctive streets formed by the tents and wagons of Val Habar for an entire day and, still unsatisfied, even wanted to stay another night to continue the next day.
Thankfully, the Head Maid, Lina, stepped forward to stop her, and before dusk fell, they had herded the reluctant Princess onto the Airship.
Altaïr and his three companions naturally traveled with her, hitching a free ride aboard the ship.
Once aboard the Airship, Altaïr took the initiative to find the Head Maid and discuss their itinerary with her.
He could see that, despite her noble status, the Princess was not the one actually handling matters. She would merely propose a goal, and someone else would plan everything for her.
The person responsible for planning and coordination was that same lady, Head Maid Lina.
According to the "grapevine" provided by Karim, Lady Lina and the Princess had grown up together. Her role was far more than that of a close attendant.
If there was anyone in this group who could rein in Her Highness the Princess, it was only this Head Maid.
Seeing Altaïr approach, Lady Lina folded her hands before her abdomen and bowed her head with a standard, elegant gesture. "Good day to you, Mr. Altaïr."
Altaïr hurriedly bowed in return. All other factors aside, she was old enough to be his mother; he could not accept such a formal greeting with ease.
"Lady Lina, we wish to confirm our itinerary for the next few days, and also to report in advance that once we reach Moga Village, we'll need a few days for preparation as well."
"Naturally." Lady Lina wore a polished, warm smile. "Her Highness the Princess may propose to you that she wishes to play for a few more days, or something of the sort.
"However, considering our subsequent schedule, we still hope that everyone can keep this trip within a total range of one week to ten days."
"That suits us perfectly. It matches our original plan."
Lady Lina nodded with a smile. "Ah, yes. Her Highness the Princess may also make unreasonable requests, such as 'capture such-and-such alive to take home as a pet.' Everyone should simply ignore her when the time comes.
"Regarding the Hunt for the Lagiacrus, please prioritize your own safety. There is no need to risk your lives too recklessly."
This final reminder caught Altaïr somewhat off guard. Seeing his look of surprise, the Head Maid further explained, "To Her Highness the Princess, sampling the Lagiacrus soft roe is nothing more than a fleeting whim.
"If the Hunt goes smoothly, and Her Highness gets to taste the legendary delicacy, she might be happy about it for a few minutes. It would serve as a perfect exclamation point for this journey.
"But should you encounter danger during the Hunt, or sustain severe injuries, even if you ultimately succeed in obtaining the roe, given Her Highness's personality, she would not be happy.
"I do not know your reason for Hunting the Lagiacrus, but even if it's just for the Princess's sake, please be careful."
This surprisingly human sentiment made Altaïr smile.
"Understood. We will be careful." He nodded, glanced once more toward the curtains, then took his leave.
—--
"It seems he noticed you," Lina said toward the curtains after Altaïr had left.
A middle-aged man wearing a Royal Order knight's light armor stepped out from behind the curtains. "In a cabin this cramped, if he couldn't sense a third person in the room, his perception as a Hunter would be far too dull."
"Even you former Guild Knights can't stay hidden?" Lina's tone carried a hint of curiosity.
The man gave a resigned look. "Former Guild Knight. I'm retired. My current role is Her Highness's guard captain. That point must be emphasized clearly.
"Besides, I wasn't planning to assassinate him. Otherwise, I wouldn't have hidden somewhere as obvious as behind the curtains; it's actually quite easy to be spotted there."
"Fine. You went to the Guild Hall earlier, didn't you? What did your investigation turn up?"
"Four fine young people. Two are 5★, two are 4★, and the two 4★s have highly impressive records as well. You could practically treat them as a full-strength 5★ squad. Hunting a Lagiacrus shouldn't be a problem.
"However, there's one thing I feel I should warn you about." The man's face took on a pained expression. "I overheard the Princess telling that Palamute she wants to go watch the excitement during the Hunt, and told the Palamute to bring her along."
"...I will keep a close eye on the Princess."
"Can you really keep her in check?"
"..." The Head Maid sank into a long silence.
In her youth, the Third Princess had once slipped out of the royal palace by breaking through the cordons of two Knight orders. Though part of the reason was the knights' own laxity, the Princess's inexplicable talent for sneaking away was still not to be underestimated.
"Discuss it with those young Hunters. Letting Her Highness spectate a Lagiacrus Hunt is absolutely out of the question; far too dangerous.
"Perhaps they could take the Princess around safe areas, grill a couple of fish or something? Her Highness truly does seem especially fond of spending time with Hunters."
"Mm..."
—--
The ship's hull did not sway in the slightest, the food was exquisite and delicious, the beds were soft, and there were even hot spring baths.
Before boarding the Princess's private Airship, Altaïr and his companions had never imagined that Airship travel could be comfortable to this degree.
At least in terms of luxury, not even the legendary Soaratorium could compare with this Airship.
Unfortunately, even the most comfortable journey comes to an end.
After two days and three nights of flight, the gleaming golden Airship crossed the vast Great Desert and arrived in the skies above Port Tanzia, south of the Great Desert.
According to the original plan, the Airship was to make a one- or two-day stop in Port Tanzia for resupply.
But the Princess did not wish to waste her precious vacation time in "boring Port Tanzia" and adamantly demanded that the Airship proceed directly to Moga Village, dropping them off before returning to Port Tanzia for resupply.
Faced with the Princess's sudden caprice, Head Maid Lina attempted to dissuade her.
"Your Highness, Moga Village is a small fishing village. It has no suitable inns or restaurants. Lodging and dining can only be arranged aboard the Airship."
"We'll eat and stay right in the village! I'll pay, ja!" The Princess was self-assured and resolute.
Seeing that Her Highness had gone this far, further dissuasion would not be appropriate. The Head Maid could only bow in acquiescence.
The fact that the food and lodging in a fisher's home could not compare to the royal Airship did not matter. Her Highness the Princess valued appearances and was stubborn. A decision she made herself, she would stick to even if it meant gritting her teeth until they cracked.
After a brief stop above Port Tanzia, the Airship continued its journey toward the south.
After several hours of flight, a lush, solitary island appeared on the vast expanse of the warm sea.
On the reefs surrounding the island, one could faintly make out piers, a dock, and low buildings made of stone and animal hides.
There was more than one reef outcrop like this, and they were linked to one another by piers and dugout canoes.
The ocean, the solitary island, the reefs, and the village all blended together in harmony. A tranquil atmosphere, the kind one could hardly find in any major city, enveloped this modestly sized settlement.
"So this is Moga Village, meow." Clawdia stood on the bow railing, her tone tinged with emotion.
She had been born here, but for as long as she could remember, she had never once returned.
She had originally thought she would feel nothing special for this place.
But then she looked at the day's catch hanging from bamboo poles, the tightly packed rows of fishing boats, and the children of the Sea People laughing and splashing as they jumped into the seawater.
An indescribable sense of familiarity welled up from within her.
The fishers also noticed the Airship slowly descending from above.
To the fishers of Moga Village, an Airship was a rare sight. After all, this was no tourist spot, nor did it possess expensive specialty goods worth transporting by Airship.
The children, clad only in a cloth wrapped around their waists, pointed at the Airship, shouting and yelling with the excitement of seeing something novel for the first time.
Even the adults stopped their work one by one, shading their eyes with their hands as they pointed and gestured at the absurdly ornate Airship in the sky.
"This place leaves quite an impression," Altaïr said with a smile, leaning against the ship's railing.
Isis waved down happily, greeting the children.
Clawdia, who rarely got excited over anything, climbed onto the railing. Then, without a second thought, she leaped straight from the Airship and plunged into the sea.
"I'm home, meow!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)