Author: Akashari	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Mui	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“How about it, Momo? How was your first flight using magecraft?”
“It felt like everything precious to me as a maiden was about to fly out of my mouth…”

It had been five minutes since I experienced flying with Master’s help, though it felt like more than five hours. I was already feeling quite drained.

My master was incredible; she was handling this intense, thrill-ride-like experience with a calm demeanor. The sensation of being tossed around uncontrollably was not something one could easily get used to.

“Is that so? Don’t puke on Stell now. And I have good news—we’re approaching our destination.”
“Ah… By the way, what does the port look like…? Huh?”

Now that I think about it, since our arrival in Aldebaran, we hadn’t seen the sea at all.

There had been so much commotion on the airship, and by the time we landed and entered the city, we hadn’t had the chance to get close to the sea.

So it was only now, looking down from above, that I realized this city didn’t have anything resembling a port.

“Is that… a wall? Master?”
“Yes, as far as I can see, there’s no entrance. At the very least, it’s not designed for ships to pass through.”

The wall that encircled Aldebaran extended even to the sections adjacent to the sea, completely separating the city from it. As my master pointed out, no ships could pass through it, not even fishing vessels.

“Both of you, it’s dangerous to go any higher. Let’s descend a bit,” The Saint said.
“What do you mean by ‘dangerous’? Could you finally explain?” Master asked.
“We’ll be spotted by the ‘ships.’ If that happens, you can kiss your lives goodbye.”
“Ships…? Are you talking about pirate ships?”
“Hehe… If only it were something as cute as that.”

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

Failed, failed, failed—time’s up. Damn it, damn it, damn it! How did that lowly fool manage to involve the Saint of Aldebaran?

At this point, dealing with that little girl didn’t matter anymore—no, with the Saint involved, there was no way I could kill her. That insane woman who saves friend and foe alike would have captured my beloved Cassini by now.

“Why, why… why did it turn out like this?!”

She was nothing more than a pesky fly, a small stain that could have been dealt with easily as long as she didn’t get in the way.

All I had left to do was to knock that fat woman Cozmiki out of the running for Umravolf’s succession rights and claim the victory myself. No, it’s not over yet. It’s not over until I take hold of “that power.” With it, I can overturn this situation no matter what.

There are several holes in the city walls, small openings used by the Saints in emergencies. Normally, commoners wouldn’t even know about these hidden exits, but I do. I know the only path that leads to the “ship.”

“There she is, there she is! Ah, you there, madam, surrender yourself!”
“…!”

Damn it, I’ve already been found. If I got caught now, everything would have been for nothing. Is this where it ends? When my goal is so close, am I really going to meet such a pathetic end?

“Aaaaah… aaaaaaaaah!!! Damn it, damn it, damn it!!! All of you, damn you all!!!”

I forcibly released the magic I’d gathered in one leg, propelling my body forward. Ah, if only I’d taken magecraft more seriously.

A sickening sound rang out, and a searing pain shot through my leg as if it had been stabbed with burning iron. The flesh had probably been stripped away entirely, but I could afford to lose it.

I’d just barely reach the wall with this. Once I did, victory would be mine.

“Where is it… where? Where, where, where…!”

I scraped my nails against the smooth surface of the wall, desperately searching for the hidden door latch. Normally, only those sanctimonious clerics could pass through this way, but I’d already made a “master key.”

A glowing line ran along the thick stone wall, and a section of it slid open, creating an entrance just large enough for a single person to pass through.

Ah, so this is what the salty sea breeze smells like. Is the air by the ocean always this cold?

“Wait! If you go any further, I can’t guarantee your safety!”

There was no time for sentimentality, as pursuers were closing in from behind. But I made it in time—this was my victory.

“Heh heh…! Fool, keep talking, you wretched saint!!”

―――slip!

“Heh heh… huh?”

A wave of discomfort, as if my entire body were being caressed by something sinister, washed over me. My heart began to pound painfully in my chest.

If I had to describe it, it felt like “tentacles.” Indistinct, darker than darkness itself, these tendrils stretched out from beyond the entrance I had just opened, reaching close enough to touch my cheek.

“H… hic… it’s here…!”

Tears flowed relentlessly, my body trembled, and my teeth chattered uncontrollably.

It was simply there, yet the overwhelming feeling of disgust and fear it emanated was staggering. It was the complete opposite of the Saint who was right behind me—a massive concentration of curses.

This was it, the power that the Umravolf family had kept hidden all these years…!

“Hey, h-hey, help me! Save me, I’m from the Umravolf family!? You must obey m—e a a g h @ e”

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“……What the hell is that?”
“Lady Laika, let this one warn you in advance—that is neither a dream nor a hallucination. And under no circumstances should you step in front of me. Even if a single strand of your hair touches it, consider it the end.”

Even after hearing the golem’s warning, I couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed.

We had cornered someone who appeared to be fleeing right up to this city wall. But then, she triggered some mechanism, opening a passage in the wall to make her escape.

However, the moment she touched the black ‘something’ that extended from beyond the opened wall, she lost her human form.

“M-Ms. Roche… that person… is she still alive…?”
“No, once someone ends up like that, they are considered dead. Not even a god could save her now.”

Syntu, who touched that black mass, was instantly transformed into a grotesque sculpture of darkened flesh.

It looked like a child’s clay model. The placement of her eyes, nose, mouth, and hair—every part that made her human—was utterly disordered, with distorted sizes and shapes.

I could only hope that the occasional spasms in the exposed muscles were merely reflexive reactions. It would be kinder to think of her as already dead.

“Ms. Laika, the situation has taken a turn for the worse. I apologize, but I need your assistance. I have to take responsibility and close that passage.”
“Saint, what… what is that black thing?”
“…That is the reason Aldebaran had to be built in this location, one of the calamities that severed humanity from the sea. We simply call it the Ghost Ship.”

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