Chapter 57: Give Me Wings (1)

“I’ve been waiting for you, everyone.”

The next day, Khamsin greeted us with a triumphant smile when we came to the workshop.

“Your wings are complete.”

Hwaak!

At the same time, the cloth that had been covering them was removed, and the 「Aerial Maneuvering Gear」 was revealed.

The ‘wings’, which looked half-mechanical and half-organic, seemed as if they had jumped out of a Da Vinci sketch.

(Actually, it's not surprising, as it is said that the sketch was the actual motif.)

“Woaah─”

Miki let out a sound of admiration, as if he were completely mesmerized by the sight of the wings.

Ibi and Lily, though they didn't make a sound, were also unable to take their eyes off the wings.

“Would you like to try them out?”

At their reaction, Khamsin suggested in an even more confident voice.

“M-Me! I want to try them!”

At that, Miki raised one hand high and shouted.

Then, Miki, with guidance, began to equip the wings on his back.

“How do I control this?”

“There's a button here. You can press it to open or close them.”

Miki pressed the button as Khamsin had told him, and at the same time, the spread wings folded and transformed into a backpack-like form.

“And if you need to open the wings in a situation where you can't move your body, you can also deploy them with an incantation.”

This time, too, Miki chanted as Khamsin had instructed, and the folded wings spread wide again.

Miki, who found it fascinating, began to turn his body this way and that with excited eyes, examining both sides of the wings.

“But where can I actually try these out? It’s not here, is it?”

“A good question.”

At Ibi's question, Khamsin answered promptly, as if he had been waiting for her to ask.

“Originally, you would have to climb a high cliff and jump off.”

“You mean the tower in the square?”

“Ah, that would certainly be possible too. But no.”

Khamsin raised the corners of his mouth and immediately continued.

“Have you by any chance heard of the ‘Ascension Wind’?”

At that moment, a check began with the sound of a die rolling.

--

[Environment] Success

--

Ascension Wind.

A wind that blows particularly often in the Daian region, it refers to a strong updraft.

In the past, the people of Daian believed that if you rode this wind to the end, you could ascend to the heavens and meet the God of Wind, Dairus, in person.

It seemed I wasn't the only one who had succeeded in this [Environment] check, as Rine opened her mouth and answered before I did.

“I know it as a wind that blows frequently in the canyon areas.”

“That’s right. The ‘Wind Canyon’ that you will be visiting soon is a region in the Daian province where the Ascension Wind blows particularly often.”

That's the lore, and in game terms, it was one of the gimmicks prepared to help players move around smoothly in a region with many high slopes, or in other words, many blocking walls.

“If you ride that Ascension Wind, you can glide through the air without having to jump from a high place.”

Of course, it was a gimmick that could only be used with those ‘wings’.

If you rode it without wings, you would just shoot up high and then plummet to the ground.

In fact, there were a truckload of people who had tried it out of curiosity without knowing that and had their party wiped out.

“However, it wouldn't be practical to go all the way to that treacherous canyon and wait for the Ascension Wind to blow just to test the wings, would it?”

The place Khamsin took us to after saying that was a ‘flight field’.

“Ah, you’ve come, everyone.”

Ethesia was there, greeting us as if she had been waiting.

As you can tell from her presence, this was an area under the jurisdiction of the Grand General.

In short, it was a place where Daian's soldiers mainly trained with the wings.

“I heard you were coming and had it prepared in advance. You can use it as much as you like today.”

Though not a single soldier could be seen now.

“…Actually, it hasn't been used much lately anyway.”

In the corner of the flight field, there was a tall tower for descending for gliding, but in the end, what was needed for training was natural wind.

That's why this flight field was built in the windiest place in the city, but now, not even a slight breeze was blowing.

“Don’t worry, Ethesia. Your soldiers will soon be flying freely again.”

As soon as Khamsin noticed the dark shadow on Ethesia's face, he immediately comforted her.

“These people will make the wind blow again. Right?”

“Of course.”

At Khamsin, who had then turned to us, I crossed my arms and answered smoothly.

“Huhu. Then I’ll be counting on you.”

At that, Ethesia seemed to have regained her spirits and returned to her usual self.

“You're too much. You don't believe in me?”

“I wonder? Maybe if you stopped telling every woman you meet that she's beautiful, I might believe you a little?”

“Haha. But what can I do when they are all truly beautiful.”

“I’m sure.”

“If I were to say that only to you, I might have to spend the rest of my life looking only at you.”

“Cut it out, Councilor Khamsin. I know better than anyone that you're not that kind of person.”

“Wanna bet?”

“So what happened to the Ascension Wind you were talking about?”

Ibi, who couldn't stand the sight of the two who had started their usual pro-wrestling… no, lovey-dovey couple (to-be) like banter, clicked her tongue and finally interjected.

“I don't think that Ascension Wind or whatever is blowing here.”

At that, the two answered coolly, as if nothing had happened.

“No. It’s not.”

“The training the soldiers do here is mainly combat training using the 「Aerial Maneuvering Gear」.”

“That's why it was built in a location where a gentle breeze blows frequently, rather than a strong wind like the Ascension Wind.”

“I don't think that gentle breeze is blowing right now either.”

At Ibi's point, Khamsin, this time, instead of answering, quietly gave a confident smile.

And then.

“It will now.”

He raised both his arms as if to show off.

At that moment.

Kugugung──

The ground suddenly seemed to shake, and the floor in the center of the flight field began to slowly ‘open’.

To be precise, a new floor with fine holes appeared.

“In the past, our ancestors believed that if they rode the Ascension Wind, they could go and meet Lord Dairus.”

And then, the large ‘fan’ that had been hidden under the floor was revealed.

“So they went to the Wind Canyon, climbed up a high cliff, and waited for days, just praying for the Ascension Wind to blow.”

As befits a place that serves as a tutorial for experiencing the Ascension Wind for the first time.

“But I’m not the type to just wait around like that.”

And soon after, the large fan under the floor began to turn.

“──So I made this.”

As the fan's speed gradually increased.

Hwaaak──!

And, it created a strong wind.

“Instead of waiting for an invitation from a god, going to see the god myself is much more my style.”

Like, an Ascension Wind.

A strong updraft had been created in the middle of the flight field.

Indeed, Khamsin had a flair for showmanship.

“A-Amazing──!”

Sure enough, Miki was already clapping his hands like a seal, with a dazed expression and sparkling eyes.

“You created the Ascension Wind yourself!”

“Huhuhu. A good reaction.”

Khamsin puffed out his chest with a conceited face, as if he wanted more praise for that reaction.

Hmm.

I know that feeling.

Miki's reaction has an addictive quality that can ruin a person.

“It was Miguel, wasn't it? You know your stuff.”

“Pardon? Uh, I’m Michael…?”

“…However, that device also has to draw on reserve mana, so it will be difficult to operate it for a long time.”

Ethesia, on behalf of the self-absorbed Khamsin, pointed out a realistic problem.

“So I'm sorry, but could I ask you to use that device for flying just once each? Ah, other test flights are possible as many times as you like. For now, the only way is to use that tower….”

“You’re worrying again. They are the ones who have received the recognition of that Aqua and Sir Marin, aren't they?”

At that, Khamsin immediately added in an optimistic tone.

“These people will get used to my wings in no time.”

Right?

At Khamsin, who had turned to us, I crossed my arms and gave a short reply, “We'll have to.”

“You just have to ride that wind up high, spread the 「Aerial Maneuvering Gear」, glide, and land safely.”

It won't be that difficult.

Khamsin said as if to reassure him, but Miki looked a little nervous, perhaps because the words that he had to succeed in one go were a bit burdensome.

“No need to be nervous, Miki.”

I approached Miki and lightly patted his shoulder.

『You can fly.』

And I gave him an 「Encourage」 for the first time in a while.

“Yes!”

At that, as if his burden had been lifted, Miki nodded his head vigorously.

Then he slowly approached the Ascension Wind blowing in the center.

“Hyah──”

The moment he made up his mind and jumped on top of it.

“──Uh, whaaat!?”

He flew up into the sky like a piece of paper hit by the wind.

Even though he had prepared himself in advance, Miki was a little flustered as he had floated up in the air much faster than he had thought, but.

“Miki! Spread the wings!”

As soon as he heard my shout, he snapped out of it and reached out his hand.

Hwaak!

As the wings spread, Miki soon began to glide through the air in a stable posture.

“Wa-Waah──!!”

Miki let out an exclamation in an excited voice, as if in disbelief.

“Ah, ahaha! Hahahaha! I'm really flying! I'm flying, everyone!”

“…Looks fun as hell.”

Ibi, who was looking up at Miki with slightly envious eyes, muttered.

“The real thing starts from here.”

At the same time, Khamsin, with his arms crossed, raised the corners of his mouth and said.

“The normal 「Aerial Maneuvering Gear」 made from the feathers of a windbird can only glide through the air like that.”

But the ones made from the feathers of a 「Windlion」 are different.

Khamsin added confidently.

“Since you've already caught one, you know, but windbirds have a unique habit.”

“「Flapping」.”

“Correct.”

Those wings could not just fly, but could also use 「Flapping」 just like windbirds.

So, just as 「Flapping」 originally does, it could create a wind and blow away the opponent in front, but──

“Sorry to interrupt!”

Suddenly, a soldier── the young man who had guided us to the council from the square yesterday, rushed in and began to whisper something to Ethesia.

And soon after.

“…What?”

Ethesia asked back in a slightly flustered voice.

“Is that true?”

The young man, who had nodded his head without a word, gave a crisp salute and then quickly left.

Khamsin, who seemed to think that Ethesia's reaction was unusual, approached her with a rather serious expression and asked.

“What is it, Ethesia?”

At that, Ethesia, with a look as if she were at a loss for what to say.

“Well… I don't know the reason, but a report just came in that the number of priests guarding the shrine has doubled as of today.”

“Pardon? What did you say?”

Flinch.

I could see Lily's body tremble slightly.

“No, why all of a sudden? …Don't tell me, our plan──”

“──Ah, about that.”

So before Lily could react any further, I quickly spoke up.

At the same time, seeing the two's gazes focus on me, I said smoothly.

“It might be because of us.”

It's probably because of you. I heard Ibi, who had let out a dry laugh from the side, mutter in disbelief.

“…Pardon?”

“Well, I went to Grand Priest Mistral myself and told him. To let us into the shrine.”

For a moment, silence hung in the air.

“What?!”

“W-What did you say?!”

Until the two of them opened their mouths at the same time again.