30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue

32 – 8. Starry Night (6)

*

There might be a fantasy staircase in the sky, but there is none for airborne battleships. And humans have no wings.

Therefore, floating in the sky, even if one stands still and completely lets their guard down in the dead of night, infiltrating an airborne battleship is an extremely difficult task.

And now they had to infiltrate the airborne battleship, intimidate the captain, and confront the entire crew without casualties.

“At sea, battleships are often likened to fortresses. If it’s an airborne battleship, you could call it a celestial fortress.”

Oswald said with a gentle smile. It wasn’t an incorrect statement, but it was a bit elusive.

“That guy really thinks he’s an elf.”

“I am a real elf. Can’t you see my ears?”

“Wow, even his soul has succumbed to being an earwig. Sir! I have a solution!”

Eugene raised his hand, grumbling. Ivan proudly shrugged his shoulders when Eugene made a face.

“If the earwig uses [Feather Walk], problem solved!”

“How many times do I have to say it’s Mind Sorcery? Is human learning ability that low?”

“Wow, this guy has really become a full-fledged earwig. Why trust a wizard who can’t even use Feather Walk for a party? Sir, bring anyone from the magic department right now. Preferably in the Destruction discipline.”

“[Mind Split]”

As violet mana surged at Oswald’s fingertips, Eugene’s pupils lost their strength.

Eugene dropped his jaw, spitting out saliva, and lowered his head.

Silence fell in the club room.

Useful indeed. Ivan nodded his head.

“Wait until evening.”

“Are warships suddenly landing in the evening?”

“No, the guys who need to go to the warship will appear.”

King Krasilov gave a three-day deadline for the warship to withdraw. That was yesterday.

And last night, Elizabeth threatened to shoot it down if it didn’t withdraw within a day.

The captain of the warship must be anxious. Now, tomorrow could be the day the entire royal court takes military action, or even if not, Elizabeth might think she’ll pull off some trick today.

In that case, the captain must contact the crown prince today. It’s the only way to turn the situation around.

They won’t move during the day. As long as the intelligence command exists, the entire Frechanka area is within Elizabeth’s sight.

So it has to be in the evening, at least the night after the sun sets.

“If… even if the crown prince’s side contacts the warship, how do we intervene?”

“They’ll use a carriage with a levitation spell.”

“That’s right. Can’t you ask them to make room on the carriage?”

“No.”

Oswald, still suspiciously looking at him, Yuli, who was still frightened, and Eugene, who seemed to be out of it, Ivan glanced at each one of them and spoke to Yuli in a serious tone.

“If you have to lift one of them, whom would you choose?”

“Yes…?”

“Except for me. Which one of those two will you carry?”

Yuri looked at the two young men with trembling eyes. One was Gyeom Taeyang, and the other was Choe Myeonsilnuncae.

Choe Myeonsilnuncae even proved his abilities by just now casting a hypnotic spell on Gyeom Taeyang.

Yuri bit her lip tightly and answered hesitantly.

“That, Yujin… I guess…”

“Guess…?”

Ignoring Oswald, who flinched with a wounded expression, Ivan nodded willingly.

“Then I’ll carry Oswald.”

“But suddenly carrying him like that?”

“Yeah. We’ll go suspended.”

About 800 meters above ground. It might seem ridiculously low compared to conventional aircraft on Earth, but in this pre-modern world, it’s an impossible height for humans to reach.

Even with the highly developed civil engineering technology of this Earth, 800m is like the Burj Khalifa level. In other words, it’s a location that can only be reached by the highest building or with another levitating means.

If they were to use another levitating method to reach that height, it would undoubtedly be observed in advance.

So, to infiltrate without being noticed, they had no choice but to hide under the carriage sent by the Crown Prince for contact.

The problem is whether they have the stamina to hang under the carriage.

Oswald is obviously impossible, and Yujin doesn’t seem too promising. After all, he’s not even a priest, let alone skilled with a sword.

On the other hand, Yuri is a senior in the Knight Department. Except for Mord, she is considered the most practical among the new students. She should be able to carry one person and hang for about 10 minutes.

“Are you saying you’ve tried infiltrating an airship by hanging in the air?”

“Fortunately, I’ve done something similar.”

“What kind of life have you lived? Ah, I’m not particularly curious.”

Ignoring Oswald’s words, Ivan stood up from his seat. There was a lot to prepare.

“After getting warm clothes and being sufficiently armed, meet at the Astronomy Tower in the Magic Department.”

Except for summer, Krasylof’s seasons are not significantly different. Winter, small winter, summer, middle winter, and dog-like winter follow one another.

Flying at 800 meters altitude hanging from a carriage at midnight means facing extremely cold weather. The possessed ones shivered as they pondered Ivan’s words.

*

From evening, Ivan and the possessed ones, who lay on the rooftop waiting, finally stood up after the sun had completely set.

Their hands were stiff from the cold. When the possessed ones sighed and loosened their hands and feet, it was only after a while that Ivan finally raised his head.

After darkness covered the city, a small light flashed for a moment between the streets, looking even darker due to the shadow of the giant airship.

“Get ready.”

Ivan shrugged his shoulders once and then pulled out his axe. He twirled the axe with a rope attached to it and extended it straight down the street.

The ropes on the two axes were tied to glass and Ivan’s waist, respectively.

After confirming that Yuri was carrying Eugene, Ivan slowly extended his arm behind him.

“They’re coming.”

The possessed individuals swallowed their saliva in tension. Ivan was staring straight ahead at the dark night sky, which revealed nothing.

Magic flowed. Delicately tuned magic flowed through Ivan’s muscle fibers.

Oswald, who had been on his back, was secretly amazed by the intricate arrangement.

“Go first.”

“What? Yes… Huh!? Ahhh!!”

– Hooowoooom!!

Without waiting for Yuri’s response, Ivan threw the axe. The hand axe drew a clean straight line and extended beyond the night sky.

The rope attached to the end of the axe swayed once, and Yuri, who was tied to it, flew away as if she were caught.

In an instant, Yuri’s silhouette disappeared into the darkness.

“Hold on tight.”

“Wait, wait a moment. I need to prepare mentally… Wait a minute, it’s better to reconsider…!!”

– Hooowoooom!!

“Uggghhhhh?!!!”

Oswald, who was rapidly moving away, frothed at the mouth as the rough wind slapped his cheeks.

The fear of death, a sharp ringing in his ears, a sense of floating in the sky… I must be insane to plan something like this…! Oswald instinctively grabbed Ivan’s shoulders tightly and screamed.

“Ugggh…! Uggghhh…!! Ugh…?”

The deafening noise that had been pounding in his ears suddenly stopped.

As Oswald looked around with a dazed expression, he saw a pale-looking Yuri and Eugene right next to him.

They were hanging on the carriage wheels.

“Huh…? Huh…?”

In the distance, they could see the spire they had jumped from. They crossed this distance…? Throwing the hand axe to cross it…? They looked at Ivan with newfound eyes.

“But won’t we get caught like this?”

“Of course, we will.”

Right away, the commotion inside the carriage reached Ivan’s ears.

The guys inside weren’t deaf, and with the sudden swaying of the carriage and the addition of four more people’s weight, not to mention getting stuck on the axe, there was no way they wouldn’t notice.

Right now, it’s not possible to open the carriage door or see beneath the wheels from the window. That might not be a problem for now, but it’s only temporary.

The moment they step onto the deck, they will be surrounded. Even if Prince Alexander himself isn’t on the carriage, since they attacked the carriage with his attendants, they are naturally going to be under attack.

So, the plan of a covert infiltration itself was impossible from the start.

Those who realized that looked at Ivan with uneasy eyes.

“So, what do we do now?”

“Hold on.”

“Huh?”

Ivan, looking straight at somewhere in the night sky, slowly drew the axe embedded in the carriage.

Below the clouds, a flying battleship was slowly approaching.

After confirming the light leading to the carriage’s landing point, sparkling on the deck, Ivan hung Oswald on the carriage wheel and dangled from it with one hand.

Then, he aimed the drawn axe straight again, turning his head slightly.

“Hey, don’t tell me. Are you abandoning us? Brother, abandoning the Patriotic Corps? No friendship?”

Ignoring Eugene, who was babbling nonsense, he reached back with his arm and turned his magical power.

Covert infiltration was impossible from the beginning.

Then, wouldn’t it be right to go to the Sacred Eastern Scroll? It’s only natural. The Annihilation Unit always adhered to the doctrine of inducing enemy confusion just before infiltration.

Not exactly abandonment… more like a decoy for dispersing attention.

Moreover, two of the possessors were nobles, one was a high-ranking military aristocrat, and one was an elf.

Even if they were to be attacked, it didn’t mean they were immediate execution targets. If only the students appeared, there was a good chance it would pass as a playful prank.

That’s why he said something like ‘no killing of the crew.’ To prevent the situation from flowing into a matter of life and death.

“We’ll get there soon.”

“No, wait a minute, brother…? Brother!!”

-BOOOOOOM!

Ivan threw the axe towards somewhere in the night sky. With a powerful recoil, the carriage shook once, and when the possessors opened their eyes again.

Ivan was already gone from that spot. He was flying through the night like an arrow.

“He’s like a crazy flying Santa Claus. We don’t even need Rudolph.”

“Ahahahahaha… What do we do now?”

“What can we do?”

Eugene, looking at the approaching deck, bit his lip.

“We have to complete the quest.”

If the quest reward is nothing special, I’ll really kill this damn status window, even if I have to use some drastic measures.

Ivan hung beneath the warship’s waterline, an axe wedged into the gunport.

A brisk wind brushed against his ears. Sensations of buoyancy beneath his feet, and a dimly lit street with grains of sand embedded like tiny pearls below.

A fall meant death, or more precisely, a height leaving no trace, not even fragments of limbs.

“Hmph.”

-Thunk!

Dangling from that height with one hand, he twisted his waist, delivering a blow to the gunport.

-Thud! Thud! Thud!

-Creak!!

Seemingly precarious, swaying as if about to plummet any moment, relentlessly and expressionlessly.

Silently. Like chopping wood on solid ground.

Soon, the wooden gunport collapsed, creating an opening large enough for a person to enter.

-Whiiiiiing!! Whiiiiiing!!! Whiiiiiing!!!

The indoor warning lights flashed like mad, and the noise of crew members rushing echoed.

The diversion was a success.

Ivan nodded indifferently and threw himself through the dark gap of the gunport.

Now, he had arrived here.

A lumberjack.