Chapter 172. Aftermath (2)
Airships are regarded not merely as a means of transportation, but as strategic weapons.
Even a small airship possesses defensive magic circles strong enough to repel external shocks, and can easily transport dozens of knights along with the food and water supplies they would consume for about a month.
The magic stone that serves as the engine, once fully charged, can operate for three months depending on the pilot's skill.
This is the basic performance of an airship.
On top of this, its capabilities can rise beyond comparison, depending on whether it undergoes astronomical modifications or how many people it is built to transport.
Offensive magic circles, or magical bombardments carried out by Mages.
Spatial teleportation, leaping across vast distances in an instant by designating coordinates.
Ambushes, annihilating the enemy's rear with advanced concealment, and in addition, forcing the engine's magic stone into overload to ram the entire airship into a city, paralyzing its functions with a suicidal strike.
"All of these are nothing short of terribly dangerous. Do you understand, my lady?"
At Edmon's scolding, Calia, lying in her sickbed, nodded weakly.
She had already heard similar lectures several times, yet offered no excuses. After all, even if it had been to subjugate the Glory of the Dead, stealing the airship was still stealing.
This was a responsibility Calia had to bear.
'But isn't scolding me for a whole hour a bit too much?'
She was already suffering from her injuries.
Calia's face twisted as if in pain.
Seeing that, Edmon cleared his throat lightly.
"Oh my, I must have gone on far too long. You must be hurting as it is."
"...Never mind it."
"Ah, but I never minded in the first place. I've always served as your teacher, my lady. It's been far too long since I've felt guilty over giving lectures. All the more so when it's to someone who stole an airship. Don't you agree? Hahaha!"
Edmon let out a hearty laugh.
It was the same as always, kind yet firm.
"By the way, many people were injured, including you and Captain Vespa. Frankly, it's strange there weren't any deaths."
The White Crest Knight Order aboard Velos, the paladin order of the diocese, and even Verden.
All of them were moved to the large airship Solidren that Edmon had brought, watched over by hundreds of the Marquisate's troops.
...Though, truthfully, it was called surveillance, but in reality it was relief work.
They could hardly be restrained when they were all patients.
Their armor, shields, and swords still bore the traces of fierce battle.
"Thanks to Bishop Ronanderk and the paladins. They poured out their holy power to the limit, making sure no one died instantly, at least."
"I see. For the bishop to collapse, and for the paladin commander to lose an arm... This must have been a battle far beyond ordinary criminal purges."
When Calia tried to explain what had happened, Edmon stopped her.
"The very first to hear the full account must be Marquis Esperanza himself. So, you need not explain it to me. I will help, regardless."
"Still..."
"Well, I say that, but in truth I do know something. In pursuing you, I learned somewhat of what happened in the diocese."
The diocese, filled with blood and corpses.
Even Edmon had been horrified by the gruesome scene.
"I heard there, that you were attacked by a black Magician. No doubt, my lady, you stole the airship to pursue that villain."
"That was the best option."
"If my lady judged it the best, then surely it was so. Hm, and yet, your decisiveness is frightening. Even His Excellency the Marquis, so bold before inheriting his title, never dared touch an airship."
"Well, if Father had been in my situation, he might have stolen every single one."
"Hahaha! Perhaps so. However..."
Edmon stroked his neatly kept beard.
"How was it possible to subjugate that black Magician? That is what I am most curious about."
Black magic, by its very nature, is vulnerable to holy power.
And yet, in spite of that disadvantage, the black Magician half-destroyed the diocese guarded by the bishop. Calia was strong, yes, but handling such a foe was beyond her.
At that, Calia shrugged.
"How should I know? I didn't subjugate him."
"Oh, then it must have been that Mage, Asher, who did so."
"You knew?"
"But of course. Of the group, the only one whose strength I didn't know was that Mage. It was also striking that he alone bore no injuries. And more importantly..."
Edmon tapped lightly at his own neck.
"He bears the crest of the Marquisate. It is only natural then, that he is someone worthy of your acknowledgment, my lady. Even so, I did not expect you would permit him to borrow money from Dyna Bank. A staggering 2.5 billion Elk, no less. Did I not warn you not to stand surety so recklessly?"
"It was payment for services rendered. And I'm not so foolish as to vouch for just anyone."
"Then that Mage is trustworthy enough to earn your guarantee?"
"I already owe him my life twice over. That alone is reason enough, isn't it?"
Calia's gaze was unwavering.
Her voice carried warmth when she spoke of the Mage.
"Oho... The more you say, the more curious I become."
A young Mage, known as a 4th-tier lightning Mage, had managed to subjugate a black Magician.
A discrepancy from the rumors.
An unknown Mage who had awakened a higher attribute.
Within Edmon, the Mage's peculiar curiosity began to flare strongly.
The smile now on his face was far from its usual gentleness. It was the smile of a seasoned Mage, brimming with competitive spirit.
Calia spoke.
"Grandpa Edmon, I understand how you feel, but it would be best not to test Asher."
"Hahaha! Are you protecting your man, my lady? Do not worry. I would never harm him..."
"It's the other way around."
"...What?"
Edmon blinked in surprise.
He was a Mage who had reached the upper tier of the 5th circle, surviving countless battlefields, known as the Magus of Headwind.
If ranked, he would be among the top ten in the Kingdom.
Even if Asher had subjugated a black Magician, objectively speaking, Edmon was far beyond his reach.
And yet—the opposite?
"Are you serious?"
Calia smiled mischievously.
"Who knows? I warned you."
Then she closed her eyes.
Perhaps from fatigue due to her injuries, she fell asleep without another word.
Edmon stared blankly at her face.
"That I would be the one to get hurt?"
He could not tell if it was a joke.
He was curious about the truth of her words, but he could not bring himself to wake a wounded patient. And even if he asked, she probably would not tell him.
But that did not mean he intended to simply sit idle.
'I have no choice, Lady Calia.'
Find out who Asher truly is.
This was none other than an order directly from Marquis Esperanza. Even if he suppressed his curiosity, testing the Mage was inevitable.
'Though, truthfully, even if His Excellency had not ordered it, I would have found out.'
The question was, when would be the best time to confront him.
He wished to see him right away, but it would be dangerous to stir up trouble aboard the airship. Even if it were only conversation, he doubted he could hold back his competitive urge halfway through.
Edmon was well aware of how strong his desire was.
"So then... Yes, that time will be best."
Nodding to himself, Edmon left the chamber.
***
The only one without a single injury, Verden, was given a chamber to himself.
Glancing around, he saw an interior on par with the finest inns.
'It cannot even be compared with a small airship.'
Solidren, that was what it had been called.
Along the way, he had seen that it was slower than the Principality's airship Recede, but its size alone was easily three times greater, even by rough estimation.
It truly fit the category of a large-scale airship.
'I'd love to examine what kind of magic circles are inscribed on it, and what kind of power system it uses, but....'
Verden was not free to move as he pleased at the moment.
Whatever the reason, he was still undeniably one of the accomplices in hijacking the airship.
Of course, he was not being treated as a true criminal, but that did not mean he could just wander about prying into things.
Regrettable, but unavoidable.
'Besides, there are things I need to check.'
With that shift in thought, Verden sat on the bed.
He then pulled out a charred bag from his spatial bag, the one carried by Viola of the White Bones.
What could possibly be inside?
It might hold something related to the Glory of the Dead, and since she had been a Magician, there could also be rare magical items.
Whatever it was, it was enough to stir his curiosity.
With anticipation, Verden opened the spatial bag.
"...!"
The first thing to emerge was a black book that radiated ominousness.
A black magic tome of the material series.
'As expected, she had one.'
A magic tome was an item every Mage desired. Its enhancement effects extended even to the associated school of magic.
Even Magicians of the magic tower had difficulty obtaining a tome, but since she had belonged to the mysterious group Glory of the Dead, it was not strange she possessed one.
From what he'd heard, despite her outward appearance, she had been quite old as well.
'A pity I can't use it myself... but if I find the right buyer, I could sell it for a great price.'
It was already unsealed.
Even so, its value could not be dismissed.
Verden drew out the next item.
Another book.
But he could not read it at all. From the title to the contents, it was all written in characters he had never seen before.
'An ancient language, perhaps?'
Verden had no deep knowledge of ancient history.
Still, he had read a fair number of books in his life. Even if the subject was unfamiliar, he usually had at least some background knowledge.
But this time, he could not even guess the origin of the script.
On top of that, the paper itself was of a type he had never seen, and every page bore clear marks of age and weathering. Perhaps this script was so old it had already been forgotten even in antiquity.
'Well, in the end it's just an antique.'
His excitement dropped.
At this rate, it seemed nothing directly useful would come out... so Verden turned the bag upside down and shook it hard.
Better to be disappointed all at once, than piece by piece.
Thud. Plop.
A few crumpled bundles of money and bloodstained trinkets fell out. Of course, there was not a single magical item.
Tsk. Verden clicked his tongue.
Then, suddenly, something gleaming dropped onto the bed.
"...A bone?"
A human bone, made of gold.
Judging by its structure and size, it was a femur, and it emanated the faintest trace of magic power. Clearly some kind of magical item.
But it was no ordinary object.
'Not sealed with a magic circle, but bound by the very aura of necromancy, this golden bone.'
There was no curse or such upon it, so touching it was harmless, but it carried an ominousness on par with the Grim Reaper.
What in the world was this golden bone, sealed in such a way, supposed to be?
It was more than enough to awaken a Mage's curiosity, yet with Verden's magic and knowledge, it was impossible to unseal.
'It would take at least a being with archbishop-level holy power to undo it.'
For now, releasing the seal was hopeless.
Nothing more came out of Viola's spatial bag.
In the end, he had obtained:
A black magic tome.
The charred spatial bag.
An unreadable ancient book.
A sealed golden femur.
And a few hundred thousand Elk with some filthy trinkets.
That was all.
'Not a reward, but spoils of war... still, a bit disappointing.'
Aside from the spatial bag, everything else was useless to Verden.
But there was nothing to be done.
At least he had gained one black magic tome, he would have to be content with that. As for what to do with the ancient book and the golden femur, there was no solution for now.
Well, he could decide after returning.
With that, Verden turned his mind off the matter and focused on resting.
And so, several days later, they arrived at their destination.
***
The airship did not land at the diocese, but at the great city of Rines.
After hearing the news from the diocese, Marquis Esperanza secured the survivors and had them safely transported to Rines.
It would be safer and easier to treat their wounds in Rines than at the diocese, where the horrific scene still remained.
A total of four airships landed near Rines.
Under Edmon's orders, they entered the city in turn.
Calia spoke to Verden.
"I shall go to meet my father at once. Asher, you are to remain at my residence for the time being. Well, if you feel stifled, you may move about freely within Rines, but I would like you to return before the evening meal."
After all, he had yet to shed the label of airship hijacker.
And since he still had to receive his reward from Calia, he had no thought of leaving Rines before then.
Verden nodded.
"Understood."
"Then, I shall see you at dinner."
Calia, together with Vespa and the knights, made her way toward the city center.
Watching her go, Verden turned and walked. Not toward Calia's residence, but toward the outskirts of Rines.
'Aiden, Charlotte, Samwell.'
Since he had come to Rines anyway, he thought to check on how they were doing.
Besides, after finishing such a large commission, he found himself craving one of Samwell's special cocktails. He didn't know where the tavern was, but it wouldn't be hard to find.
At this point, Verden could afford such leisure without issue.
That was when someone blocked his path.
"Asher, would you spare me a word?"
Edmon Rodliner.
With staff in hand, he smiled kindly.