Chapter 79: Sabotage
Cleru Neos
Unlike any other airship, the Princess's Ark continues to be silent as it hovers through the stratosphere. It makes the soundless night to stay quiet. The wing-shaped sail on both sides of the ship continues to flap as it slowly tries to reach our destination; the Royal Palace.
The two moons of this planet give light to everything in these starless dark skies. The sight of it makes me agree that it was truly vexing. I would enjoy this if Duchess Corasell would stop giggling on the phone.
"You know Amphere? The bill has finally been approved in the senate! Tomorrow morning will be the Royal Assent; the signing of the Dragonoid Rights Bill. All our hard works and sacrifices will be gaining fruits! Dragonoids will be completely free, and war will never break out!"
I couldn't hear Amphere's voice on the other side. Not that Amphere's answer matters to me at all. But for some reason, I feel good that dragonoids like Jasmine will attain her freedom. Since she's my most precious best friend who never left by my side, I will be happy for her.
"The moon is completely bright, right?"
It was Seris, who decided to do the same thing. Stargaze and absorb some fresh air. But since the stars are hidden, the beauty of the moon was completely emphasized. Beside the princess, is Jasmine. They seem to be getting along.
I'm a Princess's Knight now, so I'm in charge of protecting the princess. We will be always together, and forever, just how we dreamt when we were a kid. My feelings for her didn't change at all. I love her.
Now that I'm a legit noble who has the highest rank among the dragon knights, no one shall ever stop me from getting this feeling out of my heart. No one will object. No one will be able to separate us again.
I looked at Jasmine, and she nodded as she left the scene with a smile, silently saying "Good luck!". She knew my feelings for the princess, and she very much supports it. It was all thanks to her that I reached my ultimate goal. And the only thing left is my confession.
"Seris!" I had my cheeks blushed as I stood up straight like a new cadet. The princess was astounded because of my sudden shout. But she didn't have any clue what I'm about to say.
"I-"
Suddenly, the airship shook awful. There was a loud explosion from the captain's deck, and the engine room has been busted! Thick smoke and crimson flames started growing out everywhere, burning the canvas which made the airship fly in a terrible manner.
There were shouts everywhere coming from below. Gunshot barrages and screams. Maybe the guards of the ship are currently battling someone!
This ship is sabotaged!
"For Arcadia!" A man entered the platform and shouted. He raised his rusty sword and prepared to charge at me, but ordinary dragonoids have no match for me! I made a straight jab to the assailant's face, which made him stunned, and then I used my foot to sweep his balance away. And that finished the job.
It didn't stop there. Three, four, five. Ten Arcadians appeared and readied their swords to slaughter me. With this, I unsheathed my scimitar and kept the princess on my back. The terrorists made a war cry and then surged forward, trying their best to kill me.
There's no problem with me in taking down some goons. I was worried that Duchess Corasell will be taken hostage, but that little girl is stronger than she looks. She have these drones in the shape of golden fans hovering all over her, just like Amphere's Dynamos. The blades of the fans which can slash in the speed of sound took care of the useless jabronis.
More and more Arcadian terrorist continue to appear in the deck. It seems that they really well planned to hijack the princess's airship. Now there are roughly fifty of them here in the surface.
But the battle has been interrupted once the right part of the airship blew. The gigantic flames made the smoke visible in this cold dark night. The airship lost its balance and started to lose altitude. The terrorists who are unlucky got their own body flying as they lose their stand in the ship!
The princess lost her grip, which made her fall, but I immediately got her hand! "Never let go!" I shouted.
"Eva!" The duchess held her chest. "Activating Vesryn Pulse!". There is this sparkling butterfly around her that immediately transformed into a magical girl! And then the magical girl's body became covered with golden light, and slowly shaped herself into a blue Fairy Dragon!
The duchess jumped to her Fairy Dragon which made her back to safety. That was a really great idea, so I did the same thing. I used Vesryn Pulse and had Jasmine transform to Rainbow Dragon. I carried the princess as I jump and ricochet all over the flying and falling debris until I reached Jasmine's dragon head.
From above, we watched the burning airship fall and crash to a mountain. There was a loud explosion. I feel bad for not saving anyone other than the princess, but her safety comes first. We also can't afford to check for survivors, because they may be well traitors and support Dragunov's ideals. The crew is certainly responsible for sabotaging the princess's transport.
We had our dragons hover all over the place to find a village, or city, just anywhere away from the airship. Instead, we got ourselves hidden in the forest. According to the map, the next city; Goldcliffe City is fifty kilometers away from here. Goldcliffe City is known to be the nest of Arcadia, so we can't risk going to that place.
As the girls had theirselves rest on this eerie forest, I tried my best to get a reception.
"This is Cleru Neos of the Princess's Guard." I talked to the radio. "I'll be sending you our coordinates. We need a backup transportation convoy for the princess. I need at least four dragon knights and about ten empire soldiers. Over."
"Copy that Princess's Guard. We will be sending you the convoy. E.T.A. twenty minutes."
That's reassuring. Now we all have to do is hide until the empire's transport arrives. I went back to the girls who are having a hard time coping up with the sudden change of events. But Duchess Corasell seems a little calm than I expected.
"Are those Arcadians trying to kidnap you again?" Duchess Corasell asked, as she crossed her arms.
"No." I bowed down. "Nox already got what he wanted from me back then."
"What is that?" Duchess Corasell's eyebrows curled. She's full of suspicion to me.
"The moonstone on my forehead."
"The one when you activate your Elform, right?" the young duchess now have a harsh voice. "What would he do with that moonstone? And why did the Arcadians attack again, if they already got that moonstone out from you?"
She's asking too many questions, and I absolutely can't answer them all. I can't have anyone know the full extent of my identity. I just walked out away from the curious girl to evade the questions. But I know I can't avoid suspicions from her. She's smart after all.
Thankfully, the convoy has arrived faster than expected. It consists of five helicopters, with four fully-armored dragon knights who are riding fully armor-plated dragons that I can't determine what type of dragons they are. The captain of the squad talked to me.
"We had some Portal Dragon to speed up the travel time, Sir."
"Thank god they're fast!" the Princess clapped her hands. "We're safe now. Right, Cleru?"
The princess gave of the brightest smile I have ever seen. I'm so glad that her fears have gone away. "Right." I answered. "You'll always be safe here beside me."
As I opened the chopper's door, a chill went down to my spine.
There was an old man, with white spiky hair and white beard. He's wearing an American suite so well, that it really suits his genuine grin. This man….
"Dragunov!"
Then there was a hard substance smacked on the back of my head.
Everything blacked out.