““Are Charles and Henri not back yet? Really, they are such unreliable kids. Charles, is the bird alright? Make sure it’s always ready to take off.”
From the inside of a large barn-like building, located about half a day’s journey to the east of Slag Valley by train and set in a secluded place, loud voices could be heard.
It’s the female pirate, Dola.
She scolded her son, then shoved a large chunk of cheese into her mouth, and ordered her subordinates to inspect their weapons. She drank down a powerful rum.
Dressed oddly with long boots, bloomers, and a petticoat over them, she walked around the table. Despite her small stature, she radiated an overflowing fighting spirit.
A veteran of the piracy trade for fifty years, she has never been caught despite desperate searches and pursuits by the military. She’s a tough one.
As depicted in her wanted poster, her two braids tied back, combined with her clothing, clearly signify “this is Dola”.
“People find it easy to work here,” she said nonchalantly.
Her braided hair, full and robust, springs up with a charm that belies her fearsome gaze.
Public opinion of her isn’t entirely negative.
She’s known to take care of others; for instance, when she heard of a child being born near her hideout, she gifted half a year’s worth of coal.
When the military extends its search, villagers inform her even before the military reaches. So, it seems she won’t be caught easily.
According to Dola, “Air business only works if you’re grounded”. Hence, she has established a network of informants throughout the country.
Now, she’s quite excited about some major information she has been chasing for the last three months.
“Hey Mom, how old is that girl?”
“She seems to be about twelve or thirteen… Charles, she might be a bit young to be your bride.” Dola joked, perhaps due to her excitement.
Charles, Dola’s eldest son with a thick beard and aged around thirty, like his younger brothers Louis and Henri, can’t defy their mother.
“What are you talking about, Charles? We’re not after the girl. It’s the levitation stone she possesses.”
Dola, known for her voracious appetite, bit into a whole roasted chicken.
“But Mom, does such a thing really exist?”
“Yes, have you seen the military’s movements in the past three months? They’re serious.”
“I thought it was just a story. A stone that floats?”
“I thought so too. But it’s said the stone was used to fly a castle in the sky.”
“But Mom, the military believes the castle might still be floating in the sky, right?”
“The floating castle Laputa is another matter. First, we need to get that levitation stone. Then we’ll understand.”
The legend of the sky castle Laputa is something everyone in the country has heard at least once as a child.
Tales say a family found the levitation stone and built a paradise in the sky, or ruled over terrestrial countries with airborne weapons and thunder. There are various stories, including one about vast treasures like El Dorado.
No one knows which is true.
Indeed, they were all just “stories”.
Children, having heard the last words of the “story” that “it still flies in the sky”, would vividly imagine a paradise or a military fortress.
Dola remembers mostly the part about “gold, silver, and treasure”, and pictured herself possessing it all.
When her father told the story, a young Dola couldn’t sleep all night from excitement. Lineage can indeed be powerful.
Upon hearing that the military began earnestly searching for the castle, Dola used all her intel to monitor their moves.
And yesterday, she intercepted a code about finding the levitation stone and a girl.
Now, that girl is being secretly transported from the northernmost part to the airport near Tidis Fortress…
Dola thought, “This might be a grand trap set to capture pirates.”
“But, if it’s true…”
If it is, she could obtain an unimaginable “treasure”.
“Charles! Why are you daydreaming? Instead of dawdling, go check on your brothers!”
“Yes, Mom.”
Perhaps accustomed to his mother’s scolding, Charles just shrugged slightly and went outside.
“Really, even though I sent them to school, they’re still so inept. They can barely read. I even provided top-notch tutors. Ah, I can’t even face their father now.”
The “him” Dola refers to is the father of the three brothers, Dola’s late husband.
Dola met him when she was still a sea pirate, sailing ships. More accurately, she seems to have kidnapped him, but that was decades ago and no one knows.
According to Dola, “He fell for me and followed.” But the sons often say, “Looking at Mom now, it’s hard to believe.”
The silent, speedy airship, the Brig-class Tiger Moth, second only to the military’s latest model, was a legacy from her genius scientist late husband.
With this airship, she transitioned from a sea pirate to an air pirate.
Now, the time for the Tiger Moth to depart from this disguised hangar that looks like a barn is approaching.
“Mom, Louis and Henri are back.”
“Finally. Louis, how did it go? Was it successful?”
“Yes, Mom, the military patrol went west.”
The fake intel of a pirate’s appearance was a success.
“Let’s go.”
Dola slammed both her hands on the desk and stood up with vigor.
Even the usually relaxed brothers looked tense.
