"Wait, wait! Arin, at least hear me out!" Hermes clings to my legs like a moth to a flame.
"No, I DON'T want to hear it! I don't want to get in trouble again!" I tried prying him off, but Hermes held onto me with surprising strength.
"Cmon just help me out! A man should adventure!"
"I have had enough adventuring in the dungeon!"
Another feminine voice called out as Hermes, and I argued. "Arin, it's your choice if you want to help us, or do you want us to ask your little girlfriend, Asfi, for help!" I turned to see a woman with ash blonde hair—Lydia standing there, her arms closed in front of her chest, a smug grin plastered on her face.
"You bastards, are you blackmailing me? Do you really think she will help you?"
Lydia scoffed at the accusation, "Think whatever you want. As for the question of her helping us, well…it was just Hermes asking, then she might have refused, after all, she is getting really rebellious lately because of a certain someone. But if I, the—sweet older sister—asked, then I am sure she will agree." She paused, her eyes narrowing,
She grinned, "And if she still refuses, we'll simply make sure she doesn't have the option to."
Hermes smirked and stopped clinging to my legs, clearly confident in his victory. I sighed, feeling trapped. "Fine, I get it. I will help you." I said, looking at Hermes and Lydia high-fiving.
Guess it isn't too bad. If I didn't help and they get caught later, then I am sure there will be a lot of trouble for Asfi. At least this way I can help them AND Asfi at the same time.
Having made my decision, I asked what plan they have to infiltrate.
"You must have received the permission to enter the ship from the guild, right? Since you and Asfi are going to work on the Ship repairs. Lydia asked, and I shook my head in denial.
"Yes, we were supposed to get the message today, but I guess the commotion in the Casino and School district, arriving just the next day, their hands are quite full. So I think they will let us know tomorrow most likely."
Lydia nodded in understanding, "Guess so, you and the Gale of Justice did make quite the commotion. …Do you have a plan, Hermes?" Lydia asked as Hermes was rubbing his chin in thought.
At Lydia's call, he looked up, "Ah, yup, I do have a plan." He said, smiling at me, with his eyes closed. I have a bad feeling about this.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Wow! It's such a good view from here, isn't it? Lydia!" Hermes asked excitedly, holding on to his feathered hat.
Lydia nodded with equal enthusiasm, her ash blonde hair ruffling in the wind. "Yes, we can see the whole of Meren and Orario from here."
"Can both of you quite down? My ears are ringing…" I complained, but was ignored by both. I sighed as I made another platform of air beneath my feet, holding Hermes and Lydia like a sack of potatoes in each of my hands.
We were wearing the Prototype-1-Hades mask that concealed our presence. Hermes planned for us to infiltrate from the skies.
"We are going to descend now, so be quiet."
We were easily seven hundred meters up in the sky. After we neared the ship, I started descending, taking large leaps in a circle as if climbing down a round staircase.
"Wow! Everything is rotating!" Despite my warning, Lydia and Hermes started hooting. Fortunately, the sound was squashed by the fast winds, and at last we reached the School district surface. It seems to be a small garden of sorts with all types of flowers around the room.
"I knew it, Arin, the man for this work—Ow!" I released Lydia and Hermes carelessly on the ground.
"Now what? I am sure you are not here to sightsee, are you, Hermes?" I asked, knowing Hermes wasn't the type of person to do something without a reason—okay, maybe he does, but most of the time he has a motive.
He laughed lightly, dusting off his clothes. "Well, guilty as charged, but I don't have a scheme or anything, just wanted to chat with an old friend." he looked around, then pointed at the Babel Tower-like structure in the middle of the ship. "He lives there."
The tower in the middle of the ship was the most striking feature. It obviously wasn't Babel, but even so, there was a giant tower piercing the sky. The tower was a beautiful white with a blue roof, more sublime than imposing. Seeing the city from here, it almost feels like a castle town built around the base of the giant central tower. Even without knowing any better, it wasn't hard to imagine that the tower was probably considered the most important point on this giant ship.
Lydia pumped her fist up, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go—ow!"
"Be quiet." I tapped her lightly on the head. "Now let's hurry, I just want to go back already."
We started moving, passing through a narrow path, what appears before me almost makes
me forget I was on a boat—a cluster of white stone buildings with blue roofs. The symmetrical construction was practically a work of art, making them look like churches or cathedrals.
Those seem like schoolhouses. I thought and turned my gaze away to study the magic-stone lamp.
The magic-stone lamp at the corner was comparable to Orario's in quality of design.
"I guess students make them." Lydia was right. As the "Crafts Department 37th Term Graduation Project" was engraved on the lamps.
I had mistakenly thought that the ship would be more like a submarine, with all the buildings packed together due to the natural limited space, but maybe the construction was why nothing felt cramped. And not just the architecture. Evergreen trees here and there were pleasant to the eye.
And they were closed at the moment, but there were even buildings that were obviously not schoolhouses and looked almost like stores, boutiques. It feels like we were walking through a luxury residential neighborhood.
I think back to the layout I saw from overhead before we landed. Other than the giant, blue raiment fluttering all around the ship— probably sails—the School District was a perfect circle.
The same construction as Orario, surrounded by its giant city walls. Eina said it was financed by the Guild, and between the giant tower in the center and the main streets radiating out from the center...I guessed that it was modeled after Orario.
"This ship is almost like Orario's little sibling," Lydia commented, studying everything around her.
A small labyrinth city. Orario's little brother, huh? That ain't far from the truth.
However, it is a lot cleaner and more elegant than the original. I guessed that comes down to the difference between a city of adventurers and a town built for students.
On our way, we passed by several students who were wearing mostly white uniforms with skinny-fit pants. Our presence remains hidden thanks to the Hades head. But I wasn't confident enough in this prototype to hide our presence fully in front of the upper-level adventurer.
"How much longer?" I asked impatiently.
Hermes answered without looking back as we kept climbing the stairs. "Just right up ahead—ah, here we are!"
He exclaimed as we reached the very top floor in the tower. Hermes moved forward, skipping on his feet, and extended his hand to open the door. Just then—"Owa!" I dragged Hermes back just in time, as a giant sword passed right where he had stood a moment ago.
The blade stopped just short of the floor, showing perfect control. But I hadn't had the time to admire it for long, as the sword came at us faster than before in a horizontal sweep.
I pushed Hermes behind me and drew my own sword, intercepting the attack. "Guh..!" The attack almost made my knees buckle. The resulting shockwaves destroyed the Hades Head around my right eye, rendering its ability to hide my presence useless.
"Who are you?" The person asked. I looked up to see a man with golden hair flowing down the nape of his neck like a lion's, and his eyes were the same dazzling color. He was tall, and at a glance, he seemed slender, but he emanated an unmistakable firmness.
A handsome but not elven face, he was somewhere between masculine and graceful. He looks to be in his mid-to-late twenties. He could be described as a handsome man, but that doesn't really capture him fully. A more accurate expression would be...earnest, upright—a knight.
He's strong!
My eyes widened as I clearly sensed how powerful this man was.
I observed everything in that split second, my mind working at lightning speed. But the increasing pressure from his great sword cut my thoughts short. He stepped back—then snapped a roundhouse toward my side. A feint!
The aim changed, and the kick went straight to my head. I dodged the attack by a hair's breadth away; the resulting shockwave from the attack pushed me back. I skidded to a stop and looked up to see him already closing in the distance.
He is a damm monster!
His expression didn't change. The long sword held in his hand, ready to attack, and the next moment, he vanished.
Guess no other choice then!