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The vast expanse of the clear blue sky stretched endlessly in front of them. But when Inglis turned her gaze downward, a different shade of blue greeted her — the deep, mesmerizing blue of the ocean.

Inglis and her friends had embarked on a journey from Chiral, the Royal Capital of the Charalia Kingdom, and were now traversing the sea. Their destination was the stronghold of the Duke of Art, one of the Three Archdukes of the Highland and the father of Special Envoy Theodore and his sister, Rene (Cyrene).

Their mission was twofold: to seek healing for Eris, who had been wounded in her weaponized form during a confrontation with Jeldegrīva, the Duke of War, and to secretly consult with a Highland technician about restoring Rene to her normal state.

For Inglis, however, there was an additional, personal anticipation — the hope that the Highland’s defense weapons might malfunction and provide her with an unexpected challenge. After experiencing a thrilling battle with Jeldegrīva’s formidable prowess, she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of excitement the Duke of Art’s technological marvels might offer.

“Hnngh~! The sky and the sea are both such beautiful shades of blue. It’s so refreshing! I’ve never seen everything so blue before! Right, Glis?” Rafinha stretched comfortably on the deck of the flying battleship, which had arrived from the Highland for their transport.

“Yes, Rani,” Inglis replied with a smile. The scenery was indeed a rare and mesmerizing sight, one she hadn’t even experienced in her previous life. It was a spectacle worth beholding.

“You are most correct, it is a lovely sight, isn’t it?” Lieselotte agreed, nodding appreciatively.

“Yes, it is, but…” Leone glanced at Inglis, seemingly hesitating to say something.

“…Well, you shouldn’t worry about it. You’ll lose if you care too much,” Eris interjected as if reading Leone’s mind. Eris, Leone, Lieselotte, and Rafinha were all aboard the Star Princess, which they had managed to bring onto the ship.

Meanwhile, Inglis, appearing as a child of five or six years, was busy lifting the Flygear with both hands, flexing and stretching her knees as she conversed with Rafinha. This was her typical practice routine, sparing no moment for training, although it must have looked quite peculiar to see someone so small engaged in such an activity.

“But it’s been a few days already. It’s about time we got there, right, Miss Vilma? We were supposed to arrive by now. How much longer? What hour, what minute, what day of the week?!” Rafinha inquired, turning to the Highlander Knight standing nearby.

The knight, a beautiful woman with lustrous blond hair marked by a stigma on her forehead — a sign of her Highlander status — had hair just below her shoulders, slightly shorter than usual for a woman. This gave her a gallant and stern aura, complementing her striking appearance.

Appearance-wise, the Highlander Knight Vilma looked a bit younger than Eris but slightly older than Inglis and her friends. However, given the longevity of Hyrule Menaces and Highlanders, appearances could be deceiving, making it hard to ascertain their true age.

Vilma, dressed in heavy jet-black armor, looked ready for war at any moment. As the captain of the Highland battleship that had come for Eris, she projected an aura of authority and readiness. Special Envoy Theodore couldn’t accompany them, having duties in Charalia, but Vilma, summoned by him, was presumed to be approachable.

Yet, Vilma remained silent, disregarding Rafinha’s enthusiastic inquiries.

“Miss Vilma! Can you hear me?!” Rafinha persisted.
“You’re making too much noise, don’t talk to me so casually,” Vilma retorted with a glare.

“Eeeh~. But you’ll be our guide in the Highlands, right? We should try to get along since we’ll be together for a while!” Rafinha maintained her positive attitude, undeterred by Vilma’s dismissiveness.

Vilma, though blunt and distant, didn’t demean or ridicule them, an attitude somewhat friendlier than typically expected from Highlanders. Thus, Rafinha continued her attempts at conversation.

“….”
“A~ahh, you’re terrible for ignoring me! Hey hey hey, Miss Vilma, you’re terrible I said!” Rafinha protested, trying to engage Vilma in conversation.
“Shut up…! You’re the terrible one! You’re making a child carry all of you…?! This is pathetic, are you surface people all so barbaric……?!” Vilma retorted, her voice tinged with disbelief and disapproval.

Vilma’s indignation was evident as she observed Rafinha, the Star Princess, and Inglis. She appeared to misconstrue the situation, assuming it was a form of punishment imposed on Inglis by the others. In reality, it was simply part of Inglis’s regular training routine.

“You don’t get it, out of everyone on Midland, Glis is the odd one out…! She said it wasn’t heavy enough, so we’re helping her…!” Rafinha explained.
“I mean, I can see how misleading it looks…” Eris added, sighing.

“Why don’t you get on as well, Miss Vilma? You’ll understand that there is nothing to worry about, and it would help my training with the added weight.” Inglis suggested, eyeing Vilma’s heavy armor as a potential training aid.

“I-, I would never do such a horrible thing…!” Vilma swiftly declined.

“You can answer my question then~ Come on, tell us how long until we reach Highland?” Rafinha pressed.
“…we’re almost directly below the rendezvous point. All that’s left is…” Vilma began, but her words were cut off as the Flying Battleship entered thick clouds, obscuring their visibility.

“Once we’re above this wall of clouds…we’ll be there,” Vilma concluded as they emerged from the clouds.

“Waah…! So we’re finally there. I wonder what it’s like…!” Rafinha exclaimed excitedly.
“This is fun, right Rani? I can’t wait to see what kind of awesome weapon of mass destruction will attack us…! It is the home island of the Duke of Art, after all, I’m sure his technological prowess surpasses what we saw with Lord Jill…!” Inglis mused, anticipating potential challenges.
“Come on, we’re not here to wage war…! Besides, I’m more interested in the food and snacks in Highland, and what kind of clothes are in style!” Rafinha added, her thoughts drifting to more peaceful aspects.
“This isn’t a vacation…!” Vilma rebuked her.

At that moment, as Vilma’s words echoed, the hazy view suddenly became clear. The Flying Battleship had just pierced through the wall of clouds.

“Whatever. This is the home island of the Duke of Art, Illuminus. Seeing it is a privilege for those from the Midland!”

Vilma pointed ahead, her voice tinged with pride. Yet, only the endless blue sky stretched above a sea of clouds.

“Eh…? But, Miss Vilma, there’s nothing there…?”
“Hah, typical of you Midlanders…”

Vilma’s face lit up with the glee of a successful trickster.

“?”
“It’s all camouflage. Our home island can merge with the sky, concealing itself completely. This showcases our superiority in technology, surpassing all in the Highland, including the Founders’ Church!”
“Wow, that’s incredible!”
“And still, it appears as though there’s nothing to gaze upon. What a paradoxical sight…”
“You’re right. It’s vastly different from what exists on the surface.”

Rafinha, along with Liselotte and Leone, marveled at the display. It was their first glimpse into the technological might of the Highlands.

“…Miss Eris, do you sense the flow of mana?”
“? No, but isn’t that expected?”
“It may be, yet it feels unusually weak… Miss Vilma, are we truly in front of a piece of the Highland?”
“Ridiculous. We’re almost at our rendezvous point. Or are you insinuating that I’m misleading you? That’s absurd.”
“No, not at all. I just want to confirm there are no unexpected issues…”

As Inglis spoke, a report arrived from another Highland soldier, his identity hidden behind a full suit of armor.

“Excuse me, we’ve lost communication with Illuminus.”
“What…?! But we’re right at the edge of the camouflage…!”
“There’s no response from the camouflage magic either.”
“What did you say…?! Are you implying that Illuminus isn’t actually here…?! Then where—”

Crash!

An enormous splash erupted, its sound seemingly reaching for the heavens, leaving Inglis under the illusion that the water had ascended to great heights.