Chapter 88

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Chapter 88: The Wind Tribe (4)

Hugo, who had always displayed an arrogant demeanor, froze.

It wasn’t a mere figure of speech—his finger, which had been pointed accusingly at Walker, was now completely still.

“Um, Sir Arbiter, perhaps you should... move your finger first.”

“Huh? Oh, right.”

Snapping back to his senses at his secretary’s words, Hugo hastily lowered his finger and tucked it behind his back.

He then offered a sheepish smile, stammering.

“Ch-Chief Inspector Walker, what brings you here? No, rather, since when have you...?”

“I arrived this morning.”

Thunk, thunk.

Walker tapped his bike with the helmet he was holding.

“To inspect the stability performance of this machine.”

“That—such a minor task, why would someone of your stature in the Ministry of Public Safety personally...?”

“A minor task?”

Walker’s eyes narrowed.

The gaze that followed was one of reproach.

“Do you truly think so?”

“Well...”

Hugo avoided his gaze, fumbling for an escape.

His mind raced with one thought: to survive this situation.

“I apologize. I must have misspoken. I didn’t get much sleep after traveling a long way.”

“Hmm.”

Walker, showing a peculiar reaction, extended his hand toward Hugo’s secretary.

“Let me have that.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Under his pressure, the secretary hurriedly handed over the evaluation score sheet she was holding.

Hugo’s piercing glare, practically murderous, was palpable, but she had no choice.

“Hmm.”

As Walker carefully scanned the evaluation sheet, his expression darkened.

“I’m seeing scores that make no sense. Care to explain?”

“Well, considering it’s the first of its kind in the world, I judged it more stringently.”

Hugo replied smoothly, his survival instincts on high alert.

He knew his position was at stake.

“Stringently, you say? That’s fair. But I can’t fathom how the Zephyr-001 scored 3.6 out of 10 in the safety category. What’s the criteria for this score?”

“Well, um...”

Hugo gulped and scrambled for a plausible explanation.

“Most drivers of the Zephyr-001 would be ordinary individuals. Unlike someone like yourself, Chief Inspector, whose reflexes and situational judgment in emergencies are exceptional, the average person is slower. Without real data from ordinary users, I had no choice but to assign a low score.”

It was an improvised excuse, but it sounded airtight, even to Hugo himself.

“Then let’s start gathering that data right now.”

“Of course, that was the plan. We’d need to recruit some ordinary drivers and...”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of time.”

Hugo gave an ingratiating smile and nodded.

“Ah, of course, sir. I understand how busy you are. If you’d like, you can leave now, and I’ll stay here to collect data from ordinary drivers and reevaluate the scores.”

“No need to drag this out unnecessarily. Let’s test it now.”

“Pardon? But we’d still need to bring in a driver.”

“You can drive it yourself. After all, we need data from ordinary people.”

“...Excuse me?”

It was at that moment Hugo felt something was terribly wrong.

Forcing an awkward smile, he glanced at his secretary behind him.

“Haha, you’re joking, of course. If necessary, I could have my secretary—”

“No, your secretary seems to have some magic training, doesn’t she?”

“Well... She’s not particularly talented, but she’s a Level 2 mage.”

At that, Hugo jumped in.

“She’s barely a mage—”

“That won’t do. We need someone who isn’t a knight or a mage, just an ordinary person. Unfortunately, it seems you’re the only one here who fits that description.”

Hugo glanced around desperately. P

redictably, all he saw around the outdoor training grounds were mages from the White Tower.

Just as he was formulating another excuse, whoosh!

His vision abruptly narrowed.

“Now that you’ve got the helmet on, hop on.”

“C-Chief Inspector Walker, I’m really not athletic. I’m a total klutz!”

“Even better. You’re exactly the type of driver we need.”

Despite Hugo’s resistance, Walker effortlessly lifted him and placed him on the bike.

Pressing the lift button, Walker said calmly.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ve checked, and the safety of this device is excellent.”

“...”

Hovering far above the ground, Hugo finally descended after a thorough test of the machine’s performance.

“See? That’s why experience matters. The results look completely different after firsthand testing.”

Walker chuckled, glancing at the newly revised evaluation sheet, now nearly perfect in every category.

Hugo, looking like a broken man as he leaned on his secretary for support, nodded weakly.

“Yes... Exactly... So, could you let me down now?”

“You’re already on the ground... You’re not in great shape. Get him to a vehicle.”

“Yes, sir!”

As the secretary supported Hugo back to the car, Oscar approached Walker.

“Thank you for your help. I didn’t expect you to actually come.”

“I only came because I judged there was nothing to lose.”

Walker’s reply was curt.

“If your reason for calling me had been selfish, you’d never see me again. If not, then it means you truly needed me. I came to discern that.”

“Regardless of the reason, I appreciate your help.”

“Hmm.”

Turning his gaze to the Zephyr-001, Walker commented.

“It’s well-made. But...”

His sharp eyes locked on Oscar.

“I felt an odd sense of restraint while operating it. Almost as if it wasn’t reaching its full potential. Was that just my imagination?”

“...I feel a bit uneasy. If you have time, how about taking a short walk?”

At that, Walker nodded, gesturing lightly behind him.

Several magical presences quietly receded.

"Knights of the Public Security Bureau, are they?"

Most likely the ones who followed Walker like shadows.

Oscar led him into the forest of the White Tower.

“This is one of my favorite walking paths. It’s quiet and secluded, perfect for thinking or having a conversation.”

“Not bad.”

The sunlight filtering through the leaves illuminated the forest gently.

The cool breeze and serene forest path made it ideal for a stroll.

“Well, go on. Speak.”

“You’re right.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Zephyr-001 is performing at less than half, no, less than a quarter of its true capability. You observed it accurately.”

Walker stopped in his tracks, looking at him.

His widened eyes revealed his surprise and a mind racing to grasp the implications.

“No deeper meaning. It’s simply for our protection.”

“Protection, I see.”

There was no need to ask who they needed protection from.

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Even this time, an official from the Yellow Tower had come seeking them.

“Incidentally, there will be an investigation regarding this. If evidence arises that the Yellow Tower offered compensation, they’ll be dismissed.”

“Oh dear, they'll be busy finding a new job.”

Walker laughed, a subdued chuckle, as though amused by Oscar’s reply that hinted at certainty.

“Kuk, amusing. So, you’re telling me this because you see me as entirely loyal to His Majesty?”

“That’s correct. You’re renowned throughout the Empire as a remarkable loyalist, after all.”

“Then you must also know that our conversation today will undoubtedly reach His Majesty’s ears.”

Oscar smiled quietly.

That was precisely what he intended.

“You…”

Seeing Oscar’s reaction, Walker squinted, letting out a helpless laugh.

“You’re using me as a messenger.”

“Hmm. Depending on how you see it, you could say that.”

“…Ha.”

His Majesty had once personally participated in the “Sky” project, so his interest in aviation was deep.

If Walker reported seeing Zephyr-001, His Majesty would naturally ask for details and every event that transpired there.

Walker, realizing he’d been played, shook his head with a resigned expression.

“No one else would dare use the Chief Inspector of the Public Security Bureau like this.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Enough with the act. Just say what you want to say. Isn’t that why you brought me to this quiet place?”

“Understood.”

With a faint smile, Oscar shrugged his shoulders.

“Our White Tower is building an airship.”

“…!”

At that bombshell revelation, Walker stopped in his tracks again, staring at Oscar with widened eyes even larger than before.

“What did you just say?”

“An airship.”

“That’s impossible. That was a project attempted by the Yellow Tower after the war…”

“They wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Walking with his hands behind his back, Oscar paused and raised his right hand.

“Because they don’t have this.”

With those words, a magic circle formed before him.

A serpent biting its own tail, symbolizing eternal cycles.

The magic circle exuded a constant flow of wind.

“…Ouroboros.”

Walker murmured as he recognized the magic.

Though he had read about it in books, he’d never seen it before.

But as soon as he witnessed it, he instinctively understood.

There couldn’t possibly be two such spells in the world.

“That’s right. It’s the only magic that can serve as the heart of an airship, created by the late Oscar Sage.”

“…Did you restore this?”

Oscar quickly clarified to prevent any misunderstanding.

“Of course not. Elder Schwein dedicated over seven years to restoring this magic. I merely helped with some minor tasks towards the end.”

“I see…”

“We’ve combined magic engineering with Ouroboros to create an unprecedented engine. Zephyr-001 is the result you saw earlier.”

“So its maximum altitude and operating time are all lies.”

“That’s right. But to reveal this truth, we need to either grow stronger or secure a solid shield. One of the two.”

Walker finally understood Oscar’s intent, his expression hardening.

“…You dare suggest that the sun of this continent become your shield?”

“I’m merely making a request. His Majesty will decide whether to accept or not. If he refuses, we’ll quietly wait until we’re strong enough on our own.”

“….”

After staring at Oscar for a moment, Walker let out a faint sigh.

“Talking to someone so much younger feels like I’m constantly being outmaneuvered.”

‘I was ten when you were not even born.’

Oscar smiled softly.

“I hope good news reaches us.”

* * *

The Imperial Throne Room of the Calderan Empire.

The grand hall, with its blend of pure white marble and gold, exuded a sense of divinity.

“I pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor.”

Walker, Chief Inspector, walked across the crimson carpet, kneeling at the base of the stairs with his head bowed.

“….”

Atop the stairs sat an old man on a throne.

Despite his aged and emaciated frame, his sharp gaze radiated a commanding presence.

He was none other than Ludwig de Calderan, ruler of the vast Empire.

“Unexpected. I thought you had no interest in such matters, yet you visited the White Tower yourself.”

“I was asked to.”

“That, too, is unexpected.”

Walker was not one to act simply because he was asked.

“So, what’s your impression after seeing it for yourself?”

“….”

Carefully choosing his words, Walker slowly raised his head.

Looking into the eyes of the continent’s ruler, who gazed at him with favor, he finally spoke.

“Soon, the Azure Sky will open once more.”

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