"Right, sending this down...

  Lady Nairan! Please don't fiddle with it too much—it's dangerous!"

  Having retrieved the drone and sent it down through a Gate, the two continued investigating the 'island.'

  Though 'investigating' amounted to endlessly walking through empty grassland and meadows...

  "Strange. There's a water source and abundant plant growth, yet no animals visible."

  "Come to think of it... with plants flourishing, you'd expect at least insects..."

  After walking around for a while longer, finding nothing particularly unusual and feeling somewhat deflated—a small mountain, or rather hill-like terrain, entered their view. They headed toward it. The walk took about ten minutes, so Celeste sensed it must be about a kilometer from their initial landing point(?).

  "Thought it was just an ordinary hill, but this..."

  "Some kind of ruins... perhaps."

  What had looked like a mere hill from afar turned out up close to be a structure built of stacked stones—if anything, like a pyramid covered in earth and vegetation. From the overgrowth, it was clear the site had been left untended for quite some time.

  Searching around for an entrance, they found what looked like a stone door structure.

  "It looks like a door... but I don't see any signs it's moved?"

  "Covered in vines—even if someone had been coming and going, it wouldn't have been through here."

  "Seems like it..."

  As Celeste said this and touched the stone door (or door-like thing)—

  — Grrrrumble

  The moment a heavy rumbling sound began, Daharat grabbed Celeste and leapt backward.

  "Whoa, what are you—"

  "Don't touch things carelessly, fool!"

  Stepping protectively in front of Celeste, what entered Daharat's view—the trembling stone structure shed the earth and plants covering it, then even the outer wall that had looked like stone crumbled away, and from within something resembling an oddly-shaped building began rising.

  "Showing its true form!"

  "Huh, really?"

  When the trembling ended, what appeared was a windowless elongated tower topped with a rugby ball-like structure whose four sides were entirely glass—something that could barely be called a building.

  "...An observation tower?"

  "A watchtower... of some kind?"

  At the words that slipped from each of them, the two exchanged glances.

  "Well, either way it seems to be something for securing a view...

  But for what purpose?"

  "Who knows...

  A bridge of an aerial warship?"

  "What's that?"

  "Ah...

  This world has large ships too, right?

  They have a bridge... navigation control center, or cockpit? of sorts.

  In Earth's science fiction there are 'warships that fly through space,' and their bridges—well, bridges generally have that kind of form..."

  "You can't mean this 'island' is one of those warships...

  No, if that were true, it would be a major crisis.

  So it was sent to attack the royal castle after all?"

  Daharat's reaction to hearing 'warship' was natural given his position as Military Affairs Minister. An unidentified 'warship' flying through the sky and approaching above the capital meant national defense's virtual collapse.

  However, Celeste didn't think so.

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  "No, it's purely metaphorical.

  And if this really were a warship, would it have such peaceful scenery?

  Besides, even the form below—it's an inefficient shape for a weapon of war.

  With that bumpy exposed rock formation, it couldn't easily land anywhere or moor, could it?

  Well, assuming there were facilities that could accommodate something this huge."

  Celeste was spouting plausible-sounding nonsense from SF knowledge—but to Daharat listening, it sounded oddly reasonable.

  "I suppose that's true..."

  "Besides, if this were sent for attack purposes...

  It wouldn't have waited quietly until we came aboard, would it?"

  "...True."

  "Well, this world's technology couldn't pull off such a feat, could it? Floating something like this in the sky, controlling it, weaponizing it."

  "No. At least Humanita couldn't."

  'So this isn't of this world.

  Don't tell me it's booby-trapped like Mac*oss...'

  Celeste thought this.

  But didn't voice it.

  He didn't want to increase anxiety with unnecessary speculation.

  Could it be something from outside Tusita, from space, like me?

  But that wouldn't explain this green meadow.

  Maybe it entered Tusita's atmosphere long ago, stabilized while floating by some force, and wind-blown seeds sprouted into this grassland?

  But that doesn't square with the lack of observation reports until now.

  "A genuine UFO... no, UAP—Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena..."

  "What's that?"

  "Don't worry about it.

  In any case, there seems to be no hostility toward us—or at least no hostile entity present...

  Shall we approach?"

  It wasn't that Daharat didn't feel Celeste's judgment was too lenient—but he couldn't think of other methods either.

  "Can't be helped. I'll go first—hide behind me and follow."

  "Hide... wait, I'm just noticing now but Da-chan, you're really built, aren't you."

  "Don't call me Da-chan!"

  Against Daharat growling his protest, Celeste laughed merrily.

  The two—showing not a fragment of tension—approached the structure, which likewise showed no reaction.

  Easily reaching the structure's base, searching for an entrance-like place—at about Celeste's chest height, they spotted something black with a smooth surface.

  "What's this?"

  "Well... surely not what I'm thinking..."

  The moment he said that, characters appeared on the black panel.

  "...Hm?"

  "What is this... looks like 'Japanese'?"

  Having merely 'seen' them as meaningless 'symbols' for just two days—either quite quick to pick things up, Daharat could recognize it as 'Japanese.'

  Yes, on that panel—probably a screen—Japanese text had appeared.

  『Please provide biometric authentication』

  "Biometric authentication... fingerprint? Palm print? Iris recognition?"

  "What's all that?"

  Biometric recognition—Tusita's technological level couldn't possibly achieve such things.

  So Daharat had no idea what Celeste was saying.

  "Well... technology for confirming individual identity to verify passage authorization... I suppose.

  Recognizes and distinguishes fingerprints—fingertips or irises..."

  "Fingerprints?"

  Antero fingertips had pads—so fingerprints were... probably nonexistent.

  'That supports the hypothesis this isn't from Tusita...

  But why Japanese?'

  "Oh-teru."

  "Hm?"

  "If that's definitely Japanese...

  Could it be 'this' was sent to you?"

  "No, that's a bit much...

  Actually, maybe?"

  Perhaps Daharat was right, Celeste thought.

  In this world, he was probably the only one who understood Japanese.

  The possibility of other Japanese people being here... well, if Humanita were doing hero summoning that'd be different, but not knowing whether their 'heroes' were summoned, born, awakened, or simply trained assassins they called heroes—he'd exclude that possibility for now.

  Besides, the way it appeared timed to when they returned to Tusita this morning—hadn't he himself felt it was 'waiting'?

  "If you're right..."

  For biometric recognition, what would it use in this form?

  Fingerprints... he couldn't spot a finger-placement sensor.

  Iris... no camera for that either.

  "...No way."

  Thinking that, Celeste touched his palm to the screen.

  Lines traced around his hand across the screen.

  — Chime

  『Amashiro Ohteru-sama, confirmed.

  Please enter.』

  Cracks appeared in the tower's smooth wall—where there'd been nothing, a door opened, revealing a narrow space.

  "Wh-what?"

  "...Daharat, get in."

  "What?"

  "Just get in."

  "Get in—into that cramped space?

  What if we get trapped?"

  "Look...

  Just now, it reacted to my palm print and called me by my 'real name.'

  That means your hypothesis about it being 'sent to me' is correct, and moreover I have 'operational authority.'

  If you enter with me, there's no problem.

  ...Probably."

  "Hey, 'probably'...

  Well, I'll trust you."

  "We're 'friends,' right?"

  "Shut up."

  Daharat entered, Celeste followed—the door closed.

  As expected, even with the door closed the interior lighting was bright, and beside the door was a touch panel.

  "Is this... a facility like your estate?"

  "No, probably technology beyond even that.

  Let's see... ah, this one."

  Touching the panel displayed several buttons. A bit after touching the '↑' button among them, the door opened again.

  "Wh-what?"

  At the scene spreading beyond the door, Daharat couldn't hide his surprise—but Celeste didn't seem particularly shocked.

  "Knew it was an elevator."

  "Elev-what?"

  "Lifting device. A machine that can go up or down floors without using stairs.

  The evolved form of... pulley cargo hauling?"

  "...Let's go with that.

  But what is this room?

  I can tell it's that watchtower or observation deck room we saw from outside, but..."

  Inside were several seats and a massive metal round table in the center. The walls on all sides were glass, providing an excellent view.

  "I hate to think it, but... is this really a bridge..."

  "You mean a ship's bridge? From here you can pilot this... 'island'?"

  Preposterous as it was, Celeste could only think so.

  If Celeste's guess was correct, that round table in the room's center was probably...

  "Hm? Oh-teru, look at this."

  Having discovered something, Daharat beckoned. Going to his side, on the round table lay something like a pamphlet.

  "What is thi— WHAT?!"

  The moment he opened the cover, at the contents of the first page—Celeste was astounded.

  『Dear Amashiro Ohteru-sama,

  Thank you as always for your patronage.

  We are most grateful that you have come to Tusita.

  In appreciation of your daily service, we have prepared a modest gift, humble though it may be.

  We sincerely hope it will prove useful to you.

  With gratitude,

  Attachment: Operating Manual, 1 copy』

  "...Da-chan?"

  "What."

  "I want to faint—will you catch me?"

  "No."

  "Stingy."

  Though speaking lightly, Celeste genuinely wanted to faint and wake up to find it hadn't happened.