Chapter 89: Shoot Towards Dawn (2)
“Fuck.”
Gigantic fireballs, as many as seven, were flying towards the airship. The flames were making a menacing sound as they burned through the atmosphere.
Ronan, realizing the dire situation, shook Elizabeth’s shoulder.
“Hey, wake up!”
“Ugh… why… what’s happening…”
Elizabeth, still groggy from being asleep, slumped to the floor. She had woken up, but she was unable to shake off the nausea and regain her senses. The griffins, excited by the sight of the fireballs, began to thrash about.
– Heeeiikk!!
“Hold on, it’s okay!”
The crew members responsible for steering the airship tried to calm the situation, but it was futile. The airship started to shake violently, as if it had encountered a storm.
Within moments, the ship’s captain and crew members rushed onto the deck. They belatedly noticed the incoming fireballs and cried out in shock.
“Oh, gods!”
“What in the world is that?!”
Judging from their reactions, it seemed this was not a planned event coordinated with the Magic Tower. The captain, running unsteadily towards a bell installed on the deck, rang it loudly.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The noisy metallic sound echoed through the sky.
“Brace for impact! Brace for impact! Number 1, 5, and 7, use the brakes! The rest, rotate left and decrease altitude!”
The captain shouted urgently. The crew members did their best to follow the orders. The airship was trying to maneuver to avoid the fireballs, but the fireballs were faster than expected. Ronan, reading their trajectory, clenched his teeth.
‘Three of them are going to hit.’
Among the seven fireballs, three were on a direct collision course. The one closest to the front was almost certain to hit the ship.
It had to be stopped somehow. As Ronan scanned his surroundings, he spotted a rope used for docking. One end was securely attached to the ship’s hull.
Ronan tightly fastened the rope around his waist and without hesitation jumped towards the fireball. The empty space below him made him involuntarily curse. The wind roared in his ears.
“Fucking hell.”
Lately, it seemed there were too many incidents happening in the sky. Before he knew it, the fireball was dangerously close. The cluster of flames, which seemed to have a diameter of at least 3 meters, was much larger up close than it appeared from a distance.
Huuuuu! Ronan’s breath started to make strange sounds.
‘Don’t hold back.’
He had to make it disappear completely, without leaving any traces. Splitting it half-heartedly might increase the chances of the airship being hit.
Ronan pulled out his sword and a dozen or so sharp strikes in various directions sent chunks of fire soaring towards the fireball. Just as the fireball was about to engulf Ronan, a deafening sound erupted. Bang! The fire exploded into hundreds of pieces, as if it had been detonated.
“Got it.”
It was his first success in a real battle. Ronan looked at Lamacha with a look of disbelief. The mana-infused blade emitted a subtle red glow.
The shattered fragments of fire were unable to withstand the oncoming wind and vanished. The rope attached to the ship was now fully extended.
Ronan’s falling body came to a halt with a sudden jolt, thanks to the recoil. Simultaneously, the remaining fireballs passed by him as if brushing against him.
Now, it was up to fate. A few seconds later, an explosion resounded from behind.
– Kaboom! Boom!
‘Did the airship get hit?’
Ronan quickly turned his head, his face brightening as he saw the still intact airship. A violet mana shield covered the ship and the griffins. Smoke from the collisions with the fireballs billowed out in various spots.
“Well done, Elizabeth!”
“Ugh… my head. What just happened?”
Elizabeth, leaning her upper body against the railing and complaining of her hangover, had managed to block the fireballs that came flying out of nowhere, but she had no idea what had just happened.
– Swoooosh! Creak!
“Huh?”
Suddenly, She noticed a taut, creaking rope. Following the rope with his gaze, she saw Ronan, who was hanging upside down, tightly bound down below.
“Ro-Ronan, why are you there?!”
“Why do you think I’m here, huh?”
“I-I’ll lift you up now!”
Elizabeth reached out towards Ronan, and an invisible hand grabbed him. Ronan, hanging like a hooked fish, descended to the deck. He staggered as he landed, and Elizabeth approached him, covering her mouth with her hand.
“I’m sorry. Ugh… I still have trouble controlling my strength.”
“No, you did well.”
“W-what on earth just happened? Honestly, I haven’t been able to remember anything since last night…”
“Sigh… you might want to jump off if you find out.”
Ronan chuckled bitterly. He had originally intended to explain in detail what had happened step by step to make Elizabeth feel ashamed of her lack of control over her emotions. However, since she had regained her senses belatedly, Ronan decided to give her a break.
The captain and crew members rushed over, visibly concerned.
“Are you alright?”
“We saw you blocking the fireballs. Tied with a rope and jumping like that, how did you…”
“Thank you so much. If it weren’t for you two, we would have been helpless!”
They bowed their heads in gratitude, repeatedly expressing their thanks. Elizabeth, still nursing her hangover, rushed over to the corner. It seemed that the girl who couldn’t even speak properly when praised was suffering from quite a severe hangover.
‘Anyway, I’m glad.’
Ronan sighed in relief as he looked around. Fortunately, it seemed that no one, neither humans nor griffins, had been injured. Ronan turned to the ship’s captain and spoke up.
“What happened here?”
“I don’t know either. We were in contact with the Magic Tower until just before departure… I’ve been captaining this ship for ten years, and this is the first time something like this has happened.”
“Damn it, are more of them coming?”
Ronan narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the Magic Tower. Luckily, there were no signs of further attacks.
The captain and crew members began discussing their next steps. Opinions leaned towards returning or making an emergency landing. Suddenly, a man’s voice echoed in Ronan’s mind.
[Can everyone hear me? This is Aun Philara, the current deputy of the Dawn Magic Tower.]
“Ah, geez, what a surprise.”
The abrupt transmission seemed to startle everyone on the deck. It appeared to be a broadcast sent to a large audience.
[We have just confirmed that seven fireball spells were fired towards your vessel not long ago. Rest assured, this was not the intention of the Dawn Magic Tower. We are currently using all our resources to track down the suspect.]
“What did you say?”
[For more details, we would like to meet with you in person and explain. We will take safety precautions, so please rest assured and prepare for landing.]
The transmission ended abruptly. Right then Ronan shouted, “How are we supposed to trust something like that?”
Swoosh! A thick mana shield, that seemed capable of withstanding a dragon’s breath, had enveloped the entire ship.
***
The sun had fully revealed its form, casting its radiant light across the sky. The orange-hued silhouette of the Dawn Tower filled the view. The Captain, who had been observing the situation from the bow, let out a sigh.
“Whew… I don’t know if this is the right decision.”
“I think it is. At the very least, we should see the face of the one who shot those fireballs at us.”
Roan tapped the captain’s shoulder reassuringly. After careful consideration, they had decided to land. The exhaustion of the griffins and their riders had accumulated to the point where continuing the flight was no longer feasible.
Following the suggestion of the Magic Tower’s deputy, the airship landed directly in the garden of the Dawn Magic Tower, rather than their usual landing spot. Griffins and the passengers, worn out from their recent ordeal, disembarked from the ship. As Roan surveyed the garden, his eyebrows arched in surprise.
“What a beautiful view.”
The circular garden was a harmonious blend of aesthetics and practicality. Lush grassy areas were interspersed with a variety of flowers and trees, many of which seemed to be used for magical or experimental purposes.
‘Hmm?’
Roan suddenly noticed an unusually barren area amidst the garden. The soil there had hardly any vegetation and was filled with rocks and statues, creating a stark contrast to the rest of the garden. It didn’t take long for him to figure out the reason behind this.
‘It seems like quite a large explosion happened here.’
Ronan twisted his lips in annoyance. It was clear that this was the spot where Nebula Clazier had self-destructed just a few months ago. As the airship landed, mages in red robes began to gather, forming groups of three or five. On their backs, they all had the sun emblem embroidered, symbolizing the Dawn Tower.
“Oh my god. Why is this happening again…?”
“It’s ominous. Why do these things keep happening? Just a while ago, there were even missing people.”
“This is a curse. Is it okay to keep bringing in outsiders??”
The mages were murmuring and even pointing fingers at the airship. Their attitude, as if dealing with pests, did not sit well with Ronan. Curse? Missing people? What was all that about?
‘I don’t like this.’
Ronan placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. If any of them made a fuss, he was ready to strike them down immediately.
The airship’s entrance had been open for a while, but due to the situation, passengers couldn’t easily disembark. The captain, after taking a deep breath, was the first to descend from the ship. Ronan was about to leap from the deck when suddenly, a narrow and tall pillar of flames erupted just a few steps away from the captain.
“Fuck, what is this?”
“Aaaah!”
Ronan cursed and pulled out his sword. The passengers panicked, stepping back.
Amidst the petals of scattered flames, a man in a splendid robe walked out. He was a middle-aged man with a fine beard connected to his mustache, giving him a rather gentlemanly appearance. He extended his hand to the bewildered captain.
“Thank you for coming. I am Aun Philara, deputy head of the Dawn Tower and a Tower Mage.”
It was quite a dramatic entrance. The captain, whose heart was still pounding, shook his hand.
“…I’m Captain Triol of the Western Wing.”
“I apologize for the trouble you went through. I sincerely apologize.”
“I’d appreciate it if you could explain the situation properly. If it weren’t for these two, things could have gone really bad.”
The captain pointed to Ronan and Elizabeth, who were standing side by side. Aun Philara sighed as if resigned.
“We are also fully committed to the investigation. We have identified the location where the magic was cast and obtained unique mana waves. So, we may soon apprehend the culprit.”
“I hope so.”
“As soon as we secure the suspect’s new recruits, we will contact you. All the material losses incurred in this incident will be compensated by the Dawn Tower, so please let go of any grudges.”
Aun Philara bowed his head, and the captain reluctantly accepted the apology. Elizabeth, who had been standing beside Ronan, murmured in amazement.
“I heard about him vaguely, but… he really was Aun Philara.”
“Is he more bearable now?”
“Yes… I’m sorry for causing trouble.”
Elizabeth lowered her head. Apparently, vomiting one’s guts out was having an effect, as her complexion had noticeably improved. Ronan, seeing her downcast expression, couldn’t help but smirk.
“I hope it gets better. Is he a famous person?”
“Yes, he is. Aun Philara, the Heat Bird. He’s one of the few 7th Circle mages on the continent.”
Elizabeth’s voice held a mix of caution and admiration. Now that Ronan thought about it, he had heard the name “Heat Bird” somewhere before. As he tried to recall, he squinted his eyes and asked a question.
“…Is he the guy who fights by creating birds out of fire and can even transform himself?”
“That’s right. It’s a signature magic of Aun Philara. Did you already know about him?”
“Damn it, that was this old man.”
He had asked just in case, but it turned out to be someone he knew. He had only seen the magic he cast and his transformed form, so he hadn’t recognized him.
Aun Philara. He had summoned dozens of fierce birds made of flames and transformed himself into a giant phoenix, leading a faction of mages on the battlefield.
‘He was a valiant warrior.’
Suddenly, Ronan recalled his final moments. Aun Philara had valiantly fought, reducing Ahayute’s summoned creatures to ashes, but in the end, he had been brought down by a beam of light. It had happened right after he fell in battle.
‘But I’m glad he’s a trustworthy person.’
Seeing someone who had survived until the end made him both glad and strangely embarrassed. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t betray them, but he had been fated to die anyway.
Passengers were slowly disembarking as they felt somewhat relieved by Aun Philara’s words. Ronan was about to step down from the airship, preparing to fulfill his mission at the Magic Tower.
“Wait a moment, you two.”
“Huh?”
Ronan looked down, and Aun Philara was staring at him intently. He glanced around to see if there was someone else he might be looking at, but the only ones left on the deck were him and Elizabeth.
“What’s the matter?”
“I saw the two of you in action down below, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
Fwoosh! Suddenly, a pillar of fire surged up around Aun Philara, wrapping around his body. The eyes of both Ronan and Elizabeth widened. At that moment, right behind Ronan, the same pillar of fire shot up and disappeared, revealing Aun Philara, who had just vanished. Elizabeth, completely unaware of what had just happened, screamed.
“Ahh!”
“What the hell are you trying to do?”
Ronan’s hand was already on the hilt of his sword, which he had drawn. The mana emanating from the 7th Circle mage’s body was so intense that it made one’s head spin. Aun Philara opened his mouth.
“I wish to talk with the two of you. Would that be alright for a moment?”
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