Chapter 518: Chapter 513: 「No, that didn’t even cross my mind…」

We had reached the main star system of the Holy Vuelzarus Empire and followed the lead ship down to one of the planets that formed the ring of planets orbiting around the main star. The descent went smoothly without any troublesome procedures, perhaps because prior arrangements had been made, or maybe because the Holy Vuelzarus Empire simply didn’t have as strict regulations on planetary landings as the Grakkan Empire. Since the Holy Vuelzarus Empire didn’t allow foreign ships into their territory, the latter might be the case.

「It’s a wild idea, but maybe…」

「What’s on your mind?」

「The reason the Holy Vuelzarus Empire has this semi-isolationist policy… Could it be because dangerous space monsters keep popping up in their territory, like how those photon lifeforms suddenly appeared out of nowhere?」

「I would like to say you reading too much into it… but, it could be possible.」

Elma, recalling the photon lifeforms that had emerged from the void of space, stared blankly into the distance with a glazed expression. If creatures like that kept appearing continuously, it would make perfect sense why the Holy Empire doesn’t allow foreign ships. Normal ships are only armed with conventional weapons, so they would find it extremely dangerous to travel within the Holy Vuelzarus Empire’s borders.

While we were talking, the vehicle transporting us was making its way toward the Grand Shrine, the most revered religious and ceremonial site in the capital of the Holy Vuelzarus Empire.

「This time it won’t fall, right…?」

「It-It’s fine, sis. This vehicle is much more advanced than the one we rode in the Refill Star System.」

Tina had an uneasy look, eyeing the vehicle we were currently riding with suspicion. The reason was simple—it was one of those so-called ‘flying carriages’.

It was quite some time ago, but back on Refill IV, the Elves’ home planet, we had also ridden in one of these so-called flying carriages. That time, however, an unforeseen accident caused us to crash into a virgin forest. That one was dangerous, we could have ended dead.

「Our flying carriages aren’t so poorly designed that they would crash just because an unexpected flow of Power of Law enters the vehicle, so there’s no need to worry.」

Konoha, the former guard of the Neeparc cathedral who now served as our guide, said that sternly, probably a little miffed we didn’t thrust her country’s technology. This tanuki-eared samurai girl is always too serious.

「Konoha-chan, be a bit friendlier, okay? Still, what she says is true. Our flying carriages are equipped with multiple layers of safety measures, so there’s really nothing to be concerned about.」

Moegi, the fox-eared samurai oneesan, gently reprimanded Konoha. She had volunteered to come with us and ended up being assigned as our guide in the end. Once we met with them at the spaceport after landing on Izumo a strange happening occurred, for some reason, Moegi gave Inaba-san an oddly smug look and sparks flew between the two. Do they have some sort of history between them?

「…That being said, it’s also not good for the vehicle to receive a large amount of Power of Law beyond its intended output, so please refrain from pouring Power of Law into it on purpose, okay?」

「No, that didn’t even cross my mind…」

What does Moegi think of me, really? As if I’d ever prioritize curiosity or a mischievous impulse over our safety like that.

「But I must say, what a picturesque planet this is…」

Dr. Shouko, who had been gazing out the window of the flying carriage, muttered softly. Indeed, Izumo was a beautiful planet. There was an abundance of greenery, plenty of water, and flowers blooming all over. What particularly caught the eye were the trees in full bloom, resembling cherry blossoms. They continuously scattered petals like sakura flowers, yet the trees showed no signs of losing their vibrancy. Could it be that they shed their petals while simultaneously producing new flowers? I doubt that’s natural.

「More than that, I’m curious about that… Why is it floating?」

Neve’s gaze was fixed on a floating mass of land. That’s right—the land was floating. Suspended in mid-air. It wasn’t particularly large, but it wasn’t small either. It wasn’t just a rock; there was greenery growing on it, and water seemed to spring from somewhere, cascading down to the ground below like a waterfall. Where on earth is all that water coming from?

「Floating land is a relatively rare phenomenon, even on Izumo. It’s caused by a material the planet produces called floating stone.」

「Floating stone?」

Inaba started to explain after I asked about it, her rabbit ears twitching proudly. She seems to enjoy giving explanations.

「Yes, they’re essentially an anti-gravity material. They have properties that block the effects of gravity. There’s a deposit of that anti-gravity material beneath the floating land. These days, such deposits are quite rare and are preserved as natural monuments.」

「Sis, have you ever heard of anti-gravity material?」

「Nope. How about you, Doc?」

「Never heard of it either,」

Without missing a beat, the tech experts immediately launched into a technical discussion about anti-gravity materials. The three of them then began bombarding Inaba with questions. Ah, well… I’ll just let them be for now.

☆★☆

After disembarking from the flying carriage, we started climbing a rather long stone staircase that led toward the Grand Shrine. The stairs were wide, and several massive structures resembling torii gates were installed along the way. On both sides of the staircase, those same cherry blossom-like trees were planted, continuously shedding petals. The wind carried the petals toward us as we ascended.

「What strange petals…」

Mimi murmured as she gazed at a petal that had fallen into her hand. It was indeed peculiar. When the petal touched your hand, you could feel it for a moment, but after a few seconds, it seemed to dissolve into the air, disappearing entirely.

「These are prayer sakura, a type of hallowed plant. The petals are materialized Power of Law, and after falling from the tree, they dissolve like that after a short time.」

「Wait, materialized Power of Law? Isn’t that similar to antimatter? That’s highly dangerous!」

「…? No, my Lord, there’s no danger at all.」

Kugi, who was walking beside me, tilted her head slightly as she denied my claim. Huh?

「Boss, what Grandpa Fushin was comparin’ to antimatter was materialized Astral Bodies, not Power of Law.」

「Ah, right. So, what’s the difference?」

「An Astral Body refers to anything that exists in the Astral Realm—a world composed of psychic energy that is denser than Power of Law. These beings or things typically struggle to maintain their existence in this world, which we call the physical realm. While the petals of the prayer sakura may be materialized, the energy they contain is minuscule, so they simply fade like illusions. However, if it were an astral body instead… well, at best, it could cause a massive explosion, and at worst, it might spread widespread psychic contamination.」

「Astral bodies sound terrifying. What the hell is psychic contamination?」

「Big Brother’s Krishna is a massive collection of that terrifying substance, you know.」

「Yeah, it ain’t just a petal, but hundreds of tons of the stuff… could wipe out a whole star system or two easy.」

Kugi’s scary story had both sisters staring off into the distance, clearly unsettled. But come on, we haven’t had any major issues so far, right? And we’ll be fine from here on out too! Probably! I’m sure everything will be fine…

On a more serious note, since we’ve made it all the way to the Holy Vuelzarus Empire, it might be worth having their technicians or researchers thoroughly examine the Krishna. No, actually, I definitely need to have them do that.

「Kugi-san, can you explain what exactly these hallowed plants are?」

「Yes, hallowed plants are a general term for plants that have a special reaction to Power of Law, and the prayer sakura is the most common type of hallowed plant. It helps circulate Power of Law throughout a planet, creating and maintaining a better environment for those who live on it.」

Wait, does that mean these trees are like small terraforming devices running on psionic energy? And what does ‘better environment’ even mean? Isn’t that a bit vague? Both the target and the effects seem way too fuzzy. Aren’t those a little too convenient? The mechanic sisters were also making faces like, ‘What the heck?’ So I wasn’t the only one feeling skeptical.

「I’m not entirely sure, but let’s just accept that these things are good trees that spread some good vibes through psionic energy.」

「Yeah, that sounds about right.」

「Yep, I don’t like it, but that’s probably the best way to get our heads around it.」

「It still doesn’t sit well with me, but I guess that works.」

「???」

Kugi looked around at us with a puzzled expression, clearly confused by our reactions. Sorry, Kugi. It’s not your fault. The strange plant, prayer sakura, is to blame. Don’t worry about it too much.