The sky above the city shimmered that morning — clean and pale blue, painted with streaks of white clouds that looked almost unreal. Veloria rarely looked this peaceful. The streets were unusually full, banners hung from lampposts, and vendors sold everything from bread to cheap binoculars.

Today was different.

Today, the whole city was waiting to see the future take flight.

The Crimson Workshop — one of Victoria's most brilliant but secretive engineering guilds — had invited nobles, investors, and select families to the public unveiling of their latest invention: The Crimson Blimp, the first flying airship built entirely with Victoria's own technology.

I stood at the side of the Bluerose family carriage, opening the door for them as instructed.

"Ah… so this is it," Lord Bluerose murmured as he stepped out, his cane tapping the pavement. His voice carried that calm tone of quiet authority that made people instinctively make way for him.

"Yes, Father," said Lady Bluerose, a tall, refined woman with cool silver hair. She was dressed in violet, her eyes observant, always calculating.

Amy followed soon after, eyes wide and bright with excitement. She was dressed modestly today, though the embroidery on her dress still screamed nobility.

"So this is the airship everyone's talking about?" she asked, practically bouncing on her heels. "Will it really fly, Mister Noah?"

"I'm sure it will," I replied with a polite smile, keeping my tone flat. "They wouldn't dare hold such an event if it didn't."

Beside me stood the orange-haired butler, Claude, wearing his usual composed expression. He had that calm but unreadable look — like someone who always knew more than he let on.

We moved through the cordoned-off walkway where nobles gathered under silk canopies while commoners filled the streets beyond the fences. The gap between the two worlds was visible — gold and velvet on one side, sweat and curiosity on the other.

A brass band played near the stage, and the air smelled of oil, perfume, and baked sweets. The chatter was deafening — laughter, gossip, excitement.

---

Then, it appeared.

The Crimson Blimp.

A monstrous structure hovered above the field — tethered by thick steel cables and surrounded by crimson flags. Its hull gleamed like molten copper in the sunlight, covered with sigils and intricate mechanical engravings. Massive propellers were mounted at its sides, while a curved glass deck sat at the center, giving it a look both graceful and dangerous.

The crowd gasped as the tarp dropped away completely. Even nobles — those who pretended nothing ever impressed them — stood still for a few seconds in awe.

I could hear the announcer's voice echo through a magic amplifier.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Victoria! Behold — the pride of our nation, the first airship powered not by mana stones alone, but by the fusion of mechanical alchemy and elemental energy! The Crimson Blimp, designed and built by the finest minds of the Crimson Workshop!"

Applause thundered through the air.

I tilted my head slightly, studying the details. The blimp's undercarriage had six rotational turbines, the type used for mana propulsion in smaller vessels. The symbols etched across its frame glowed faintly — runes for stability and altitude control.

"Interesting…" I murmured.

From this distance, I could already tell — the design wasn't just experimental. It was military-grade. This wasn't meant for passengers. It was meant for control.

Lord Bluerose noticed my stare. "You seem quite focused, Ashen."

"Only curious, my lord," I said. "A structure that can carry that much weight in the air… it must use something more than wind or mana."

"Indeed," he said. "They call it a hybrid core. It draws power from alchemical crystals instead of standard stones. Dangerous, but efficient."

Amy tugged at my sleeve. "Can it go all the way across the continent?"

"Perhaps," I said. "If the core doesn't explode."

Her eyes widened. "Explode!?"

Claude chuckled quietly beside her. "He's only teasing, young miss. Though, with experiments like these, who knows?"

Amy frowned. "You two are awful."

---

The ceremony continued. A few nobles were invited onto the platform to speak investors mostly. One of them was Duke Vant, the same man who had spoken so loudly during the last Parliament session. He looked even fatter under the sun, wiping his forehead as he gave his speech about "innovation" and "the dawn of a new Victoria."

It was all theater.

From behind my mask the same silver one that covered only my eyes I scanned the faces in the audience. Many I recognized from the Parliament: Lord Farnell, Lady Verena, even a few military officers in civilian clothes.

And yet… I also saw others. People who didn't belong.

Men and women dressed too plainly for nobles, but with the stillness of trained agents. Their eyes didn't follow the show they followed the crowd.

Crimson Workshop's private security, I thought. Or something else entirely.

---

The airship finally began to lift. The cables loosened with a mechanical groan. The crowd gasped again as it rose, slowly but surely, floating like a metallic whale in the sky. The light shimmered off its hull, painting the field red.

Amy clapped her hands together. "It's really flying!"

Lady Bluerose allowed a small smile. "Indeed. It's beautiful."

Lord Bluerose's gaze, however, remained distant. "Beautiful things often hide sharp edges."

His words lingered with me.

Because the longer I stared at the airship, the more I could see it the weaponized potential behind that beauty.

An airship like that could carry soldiers, smuggle goods across borders, or rain destruction from above. It wasn't just an invention. It was a throne in the sky.

And if the Crimson Workshop built it… then they were no longer just engineers. They were preparing for war.

---

As the crowd applauded, I moved a step back, scanning again. My instinct wouldn't calm down. Something about the layout the guards' positions, the banners, the glowing sigils all felt too organized, too controlled.

Then, I noticed Claude.

The orange-haired butler had excused himself a few minutes ago, saying he'd fetch refreshments. But instead of returning to the Bluerose family, he was walking toward the restricted section near the workshop's tents where the engineers and staff were stationed.

I narrowed my eyes.

He spoke with two men wearing dark red vests embroidered with the Crimson Workshop's sigil a crimson gear wrapped in wings. They exchanged something. I couldn't see what maybe papers, maybe coins.

Claude's tone was polite, but firm. He even gave a small bow. The two men nodded, looked around, then disappeared behind a tent. Claude stayed behind, adjusting his gloves, his expression neutral too neutral.

Something wasn't right.

---

The announcer's voice called everyone's attention again.

"Now, to demonstrate the future of transportation and warfare combined!"

The blimp's propellers rotated sharply, and a beam of red light burst from the front. The crowd gasped again, this time in awe and fear. The beam wasn't an attack just a signal flare but it burned through the air with enough energy to leave a trail of steam.

Amy grabbed my arm instinctively. "Noah, what was that!?"

"Just a demonstration, young miss," I said quietly. "I think."

Lord Bluerose's voice was low. "If this thing falls into the wrong hands…"

I didn't need him to finish.

It already was in the wrong hands.

---

After the demonstration ended, nobles began to applaud and throw roses onto the field.

A speech followed, then another. By the time it all ended, the sun was starting to set, painting the blimp in crimson light fitting for its name.

We began walking back toward the carriage, passing groups of nobles praising the engineers. Amy chattered happily beside me, clutching a small souvenir she'd bought from a stand.

"That was amazing! Did you see the glow? And how it rose?" she said.

"Yes," I replied, my voice quieter than usual.

Claude returned, holding a tray with glasses of wine. "For the Lord and Lady," he said smoothly, handing them over.

I watched him carefully. He noticed — of course he did — and gave me a polite smile. "Something wrong, Mister Ashen?"

"Nothing," I said flatly. "You just seem busy today."

"Only doing my duty," he replied, his tone light, but there was something in his eyes. A flicker.

We reached the carriage, and everyone climbed in. As it rolled away, I turned my head slightly to look out the window one last time.

The Crimson Blimp still floated in the sky red and gleaming, proud and silent.

A symbol of progress, they said.

But to me, it looked more like a warning.

Because beneath its polished metal and perfect symmetry, I could almost feel it the pulse of danger. A creation too powerful to exist without purpose.

And the men Claude had spoken to…

They were not engineers.

They were soldiers.

I could tell from the way they stood.

From the way they scanned the crowd.

From the way they never looked at the blimp only at who was watching it.

---

I leaned back in my seat, expression unreadable.

If the Crimson Workshop was indeed tied to the Demonic Sanctuary the group I'd been hunting for months then this "Crimson Blimp" wasn't just a marvel.