Chapter 645 – The Life of the Harpies

And so, the next day, at an early hour just as it was beginning to get light, everyone gathered at the shipyard.

It was a quiet winter dawn. Since fishermen and others were already beginning their preparations, there were surprisingly many people moving about in the harbor near the shipyard.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning. Please take care of us today.”

We greeted Marl, who had manifested at the shipyard. Since this was also part of my promise with her, Marl wanted to accompany us. I thought that having a High Spirit along might help earn the Harpies’ trust.

Cyrille the Centaur was also with us. As a fellow performer from the theater, and as a friend, she said she wanted to come along.

Hmm. Would the residents of the Labyrinth Village also serve as material to help the Harpies trust us?

As for Dominique herself… She looked rather solemn, perhaps because she was somewhat nervous.

“If you get nervous now, it’ll be tough, Dominique.”

“That’s right. I understand how you feel, though.”

“Hmm. Maybe so.”

When Cyrille and Justia spoke to her like that, Dominique seemed to become aware of her own state and answered with a wry smile.

Since the schedule was short-term, we didn’t have much luggage. Understanding Dominique’s anxious feelings, we quickly but thoroughly completed our preparations and checked the roster of those boarding the Sirius.

The animal group was also lined up on the deck, so I called roll in order, and they each responded with a roar, a nod, or a raised hand. Maxwell seemed different from the animal group, but it joined the same line. Probably because they were fellow Magical Creatures.

“I don’t know if I’ll have a role to play today, but I’ll do my best,” said Maxwell, flashing its core and psyching itself up.

Though they weren’t in that line, when I called the names of Ouroboros, Nemea, and Capella, Ouroboros growled in its throat, while Nemea and Capella stuck their hands out from their coats to respond.

Once roll call was finished, the animal group went inside the ship on their own. Well, whatever they do, it’s helpful that they don’t require much attention.

“Alright. Then, shall we depart?”

I moved to the bridge, confirmed that everyone was seated and had fastened their Belts, then touched the crystal ball at the helm.

“Now then, we will begin departure. It will shake a little until the speed stabilizes, so please remain seated until then.”

After saying that, I paused to confirm safety, then slowly began ascending.

Once we had gained sufficient altitude, I consulted the map and compass, chose a straight route, and began moving the Sirius forward at a gentle speed at first.

I sent Magical Power into the crystal ball. The Sirius’s thrusters ignited and gradually accelerated, soon reaching a speed where the scenery below seemed to flow past in an instant.

Regardless of how fast the scenery flowed by, the Sirius maintained a straight and stable flight, so there was almost no sensation of shaking inside the ship.

“Alpha, maintain this speed and direction. I plan to periodically replenish the Magical Power myself, but if you think the consumption is faster than I expect, please let me know.”

When I said that, Alpha, who was next to the helm, nodded.

Once we entered stable flight without acceleration or deceleration, I informed everyone of this. Well then. As long as I carefully track our current position on the map, there should be no problems.

My plan was to stop the Sirius when we approached our destination, send Dominique to her home settlement, and explain the situation to the Harpies.

“Then, I’ll prepare some tea.”

“I’ll help too.”

“In that case, we’ll join as well.”

When Grace and Rosemary stood up, Ashley followed suit. Marlene and Claudia also joined… and in the end, everyone was preparing tea and baked goods.

“Alright then, please take care of this.”

We took out wooden tea sets and baskets containing baked goods from Rosemary’s Magic Bag. Ashley boiled water with Water Magic, Grace skillfully poured the tea, and Marlene cheerfully served everyone baked goods on plates. They were quite efficient.

Incidentally, there were also some new snacks added, like soy sauce-flavored rice crackers.

“Here you go,” said Claudia, handing me a wooden cup.

“Thank you.”

Saying this, I accepted the tea and snacks at the helm and smiled back, whereupon Claudia and Marlene both returned gentle smiles.

“So, are the Harpies similar to Sirens after all?”

“They might be similar in that they like to sing songs and have people listen to them.”

While drinking tea and nibbling on rice crackers, I noticed Sheila was asking Dominique questions about the Harpies.

That’s right. It’s probably important to ask Dominique about various cultural aspects.

“But, do the Harpies use Cursed Songs for hunting too? Also… if people come near the settlement, they use Cursed Songs to put them to sleep and then manipulate them to return to the foothills.”

It seemed there were some differences from the Sirens.

“Are there any rules or taboos we should be careful about when interacting with them?”

“Though it seems they don’t actively want to interact with the outside world. Things like not stealing, not fighting… even looking back now, I think they only said ordinary things. That’s normal in Termwills too, right?”

Perhaps because Dominique only knows her own settlement and Termwills, she asked somewhat uncertainly.

“Well, yes. I think that’s normal.”

“But, there are various ways of interacting with the people in the foothills. It’s fine to let them hear songs without showing themselves. But, even if they scare people that way, they mustn’t actually harm them, or if someone is injured or in trouble in the mountains, they put them to sleep with songs and then help them, things like that. They said if they do that, they can protect each other’s dwellings and get along well.”

I see… It seems like practical wisdom for protecting each other’s territories.

From the perspective of the foothill humans too, if that’s the case, they might feel awe toward whatever presence is in the mountains but wouldn’t want to be hostile. Besides, there aren’t many benefits to invading high-altitude areas.

In that case, as long as we interact politely, there probably won’t be any problems. Even from listening to Dominique’s story, they don’t seem belligerent; rather, I get the impression they’re moderate.

Rather than being closed off, they seem cautious because they’re defending their community.

“From what I hear, it seems we can communicate with them normally.”

“That’s right. Even if they don’t interact much with the outside, if there’s a reason, it might be different.”

“I’d be happy if that turns out to be true.”

Dominique smiled and nodded at Princess Stephania and Princess Adriana’s words.

“They’re not subjects of any particular country, like we are, right?”

“That’s right. They don’t trade with the foothill people either. They’re self-sufficient for both food and clothing.”

Dominique nodded in response to Rovisa’s question.

“Since they live at high altitudes, they must be resistant to the cold.”

“That’s right. We have our own feathers too. We also make cold-weather gear and clothing from the pelts of hunted animals.”

Perhaps because Harpies originally have the sky as their domain, they seem to have considerable Resistance to cold.

“Hmm. It might still be that songs and performances are important after all.”

“That’s right. Though where the Harpies live is different… we became friends with Irmhild and Dominique in no time at all.”

When Irmhild took out her Lute and said that, Justia also closed her eyes, showed a thoughtful expression, and nodded.

We brought along various instruments we’d acquired here and there. We also prepared Magic Tools for performances, so I think we’ve thoroughly prepared for musical exchange.

“In that case, it might be about what we let them hear. Let’s discuss it now while we have the chance.”

With that, the Boundary Theater Members—Irmhild, Sheila, Justia, Dominique, and Cyrille—began discussing with serious expressions.

They talked about various things, like each performing one song or piece passed down in their respective communities as a form of introduction, and as their discussion seemed to reach conclusions, they began what seemed like rehearsal performances.

And so, listening to the clear singing voices and melodies, the Sirius continued advancing steadily. The scenery remained unfamiliar, but I carefully tracked our position on the map as we moved.

At this rate, we should probably reach our destination before noon.