Chapter 58

Chapter 58

On the Airship (1)

The day of the field trip.

To prepare for the cold of the North, and to wear it from now on as well, I took out and wore the “Curtain of Night.”

I wore the coat over my uniform, and it suited me quite well.

My backpack was stuffed full.

Since we would be staying in the North for several days, I had packed everything I might need and come out.

The airship we faced at the gathering place where the students assembled was shaped like an enormous ship.

“It’s... huge.”

Yuri, watching the airship’s form, muttered.

I had seen it in the game too, but seeing it in reality made its size feel even more magnificent.

By what principle did it rise into the air?

Things like magic and magical engineering came to mind, but whatever it was, as long as it flew, did it matter?

Soon, following the instructors’ guidance, the students began entering the airship.

The inside of the hull had luxurious decor that made me think of a modern cruise ship.

It reeked of money everywhere.

Most of the students could only exclaim, “Wow,” in admiration.

Yuri was just as excited.

Her eyes as large as they could be, she looked around the interior.

Soon, once the students arrived in the enormous hall inside the airship, the instructors began repeating the explanation they had given before boarding.

They were simple precautions.

I also saw Priscilla’s face among the instructors.

Priscilla looked deeply tired.

She had also come along on this field trip.

Thanks to that, the academy had temporarily called in a priest to treat students in her place.

After the instructors’ boring explanations ended, the students were finally able to have free time. The airship would depart shortly.

“How about we walk around the airship together? Zeto, especially for you, it would be good to move around and learn the layout.”

At Yuri’s suggestion to accompany us, Eisel, who had been wearing a sullen expression, opened her mouth.

“...I’ll unpack my luggage first and rest a little. I’m tired.”

“...Really? Zeto?”

After leaving those words behind, Eisel disappeared toward the rooms, and Yuri, who remained there, looked steadily at me and asked.

There was regret in Yuri’s eyes. It seemed she had wanted Eisel to look around with us too.

However, since Eisel was a regressor, she would not have much interest in the airship’s interior.

From her perspective, the airship was not something new, but a place she was familiar with.

Recently, Eisel had continued feeling like that.

I could not tell whether she was avoiding me or avoiding people, but I hoped it was not because of some complicated problem.

“It may be bothersome, but I will ask you to guide me.”

There was no need to refuse Yuri’s kindness.

I also wanted to look around inside, so I answered that way.

At my smiling answer, Yuri’s expression brightened radiantly, and at last she grabbed my hand.

“This way!”

Holding my hand, Yuri ran like a child. She had always been very curious.

I ended up being dragged along, but perhaps I was a little excited too.

The first place Yuri and I headed was...

“This is the deck. I want to watch the airship depart from here. Is that all right?”

Yuri asked me while holding the railing with one hand.

It was the airship’s deck.

A high railing surrounded the deck, and a sign warning people to be careful because it was dangerous was attached to the railing.

According to the instructors’ explanation, the deck was open during low-speed flight, but when the airship entered high-speed flight, the deck would close.

“Of course it is fine. As long as I can remember the path, I do not mind either way.”

“...Really? Then...”

There was a little regret in Yuri’s voice.

Her gaze had reached my eyes. Was she concerned because she thought she could not share the sights she was about to see with me?

Perhaps other students also wanted to experience departure from the deck, because quite a few students were coming up.

Among them were Lucia, Crank, and Amon.

“Did those three just become friends?”

It was an extremely peculiar combination.

Soon, Lucia spotted me and shouted toward me.

“Mr. Zeto! Miss Yuri too!”

Lucia bounced toward me and Yuri, and Amon and Crank followed behind her.

“What, the three of you are going around together?”

When Yuri voiced her question, Amon glanced at Lucia and opened his mouth.

“It is not because I like it. It is Instructor Edward’s order.”

“Haha! He suddenly singled me and Amon out... and told us it would be troublesome if Lucia caused an accident. Well, I think it’s fun if the three of us look around together.”

After Amon’s blunt answer, Crank added with an easy smile.

Listening to the two of them, I glanced toward Lucia.

“When does the airship depart?!”

Lucia had long since cast wind magic and was floating through the air above the deck like a soap bubble.

Beside that Lucia, Sierra was also floating in the air.

[ In the mock battle too... why does this child only use magic well in such useless places...? Surely this child is not the heir of the Windless family, yes? ]

With a serious expression, Sierra looked this way and that over Lucia, who was smiling brightly.

Fortunately, Lucia was not the heir.

She was the only first-year among the four elemental families who was not.

To begin with, she had no greed for the position of heir, and I remembered that her younger sister naturally became the heir.

From time to time, one could meet Lucia’s younger sister in the game, and unlike her older sister, she had a very sharp and competent personality.

“More importantly, this is unexpected. To think someone who detested men would hold hands with one.”

Amon said this while staring steadily at the hands Yuri and I were holding.

“Hah?”

At Amon’s words, Yuri immediately shot back in a sharp voice.

But Amon’s next words may have differed from what she expected.

“Certainly, if it is Zeto, it may be all right. Splendid, Yuri Clementine. Your father may be pleased if he hears this news.”

“That’s not what it is. I’m just showing him the way, okay?”

Yuri protested Amon’s words.

Even so, she did not let go of my hand.

If anything, her grip tightened.

Amon, who wore an indifferent face, then opened his mouth.

“Of course. Lucia, come down. You are forbidden from entering the deck from now on.”

“Huh...”

Lucia, who had been floating through the air, immediately descended at Amon’s command and set her feet on the deck.

Lucia was unexpectedly easy to control.

Then Crank and Amon immediately dragged Lucia below deck.

Once they disappeared, I spoke to Yuri, who had been staring blankly.

“You have known one another since you were young, yes?”

“That’s right. We were from the same four elemental families and the same age... but we weren’t that close. It was about the level where, when Amon and Lucia played pranks as kids, I’d smack them on the head.”

“Haha, it seems Amon was mischievous as a child too. Then what about Orphel?”

“Mm... Orphel never talked much, so I don’t think we really had many conversations...”

“Still, the two of you worked well together.”

“Orphel was the one matching me well. He’s been like that since long ago.”

Yuri finally let go of my hand and leaned against the railing as she said this.

The idea of four children growing up and entering the academy at the same time was quite romantic... and stories about the four elemental families were always interesting and unique.

Then Yuri, who had been leaning on the railing, suddenly asked me a question.

“By the way, Zeto, since the mock battle came up... that technique that burdens your body... you won’t actually have a reason to push it that hard, right?”

Was this about Chapter Two again?

It seemed Yuri was still bothered by the sight of me spraying blood.

“I suppose not. I think losing consciousness in front of an enemy like that would be quite dangerous.”

“...Right? I trust that you’ll handle yourself well, Zeto. I was just worried. It seemed like a dangerous technique...”

Yuri slowly raised herself from the railing as she spoke.

However, if it was to protect someone precious, I might need to push myself.

Precious people.

Precious individuals.

Precious characters.

I had many such people.

But I did not bring that up.

Because I was growing so that such a situation would not arise...

“...Please do not worry too much. More importantly, did you choose your weapon well from the armory?”

I said that and naturally changed the topic. Talking any further about that would ruin the mood.

In the game, the weapon Yuri chose when she went to the armory was decided.

“Yeah, I’m wearing it right now. Here.”

Yuri said this, rolled up her sleeve, and placed my hand against her wrist.

“It is worn on the wrist? The material is thin enough that it would not stand out even if hidden.”

“When I was looking through the weapons, I was suddenly drawn to it... When I listened to the staff’s explanation, they said it amplifies fire magic. The donor was anonymous.”

“Hmm... You were suddenly drawn to it... How fascinating.”

“Right?”

Yuri smiled shyly at me.

She would someday learn this too, but this wrist guard was a weapon donated by someone from the Clementine family.

Should I call them Yuri’s ancestor?

Perhaps because of that, it had very good compatibility with Yuri.

Around the time we were talking about the armory, an unknown signal sound came from the airship, and it began vibrating.

The airship was beginning to fly.

“Finally...!”

Yuri, holding the railing, swelled with anticipation.

Soon, the airship began rising into the air.

Because the airship rose vertically, the academy scenery visible around us gradually grew smaller.

The students on the deck cheered. The instructors with them seemed to have already ridden it several times, because they showed little interest in the scenery. They only occasionally warned the students.

[...I shall need to cling tightly to my disciple’s body. ]

Before I knew it, Sierra had approached and linked her arm through mine.

It was fairly natural, so it would not stand out to others.

The only thing was that Sierra’s chest... was touching my arm, and the sensation bothered me a little.

“...”

Yuri was looking at the scenery entering her eyes, saying nothing.

She only glanced from time to time at the bandage around my eyes.

She seemed unable to enjoy herself properly.

Unable to keep watching Yuri like that, I said one thing.

“The scenery is nice.”

“...Pfft, it is.”

At my words, Yuri paused for a moment, and only then did a smile spread across her lips.

She looked happy.

Afterward, we descended from the deck and toured the various facilities inside the airship together.

Along the way, Yuri’s guidance was very kind, asking whether I remembered everything properly.

“Excuse me, what is this room?”

Among the facilities, there was one Yuri did not know well, so she asked a nearby staff member for an explanation.

If she learned what this facility was, her face would turn red.

“Ah, this place is called a ‘sauna’! It uses the heat from the airship to warm the air inside the room, allowing people to sweat before coming out.”

The bright-faced staff member explained, and Yuri opened her mouth as if she still had another question.

“To sweat...?”

“Yes. People enter wrapped in towels and sweat refreshingly. It is a popular facility among students. They say that since they cannot exercise, they should at least sweat. Hohoho.”

“Ah... Thank you for the explanation.”

At the words of the staff member, who smiled brightly without any ulterior motive, Yuri, being a mage, responded in a reluctant voice, as if she could not understand.

It was probably a facility used more often by students who did not use magic.

“The two of you can also use it together. The sauna is mixed-gender. Then I shall be going... hmhm-hm, hmhm.”

After leaving those words behind, the staff member disappeared from the corridor while humming.

“Mixed-gender... Didn’t she say people go in wrapped in towels...?”

Perhaps shocked, Yuri murmured with a serious face.

In the game, the sauna was popular among players for a different reason.

The sauna was... to put it simply, a place where one could see event scenes.

Because of that, there were some players who bought cooling potions in advance and camped in the sauna to see as many characters’ event scenes as possible.

“Um... Well, this place... I don’t think you need to remember it separately...”

Perhaps imagining what the inside of the sauna looked like, Yuri lowered her head, her face red.

[ Men and women sweating together wrapped in towels... Disciple, erase this place from your memory... ]

Sierra’s reaction was not much different.

“Who knows...”

I had not intended to go there, but when something like this happened, usually...

...Just as that thought continued, Yuri grabbed my hand and began walking down the corridor without thought.

As for whether there would be no reason to go... I was not sure either.