novelraw Chapter 81 : Chapter 81
Chapter 81 : Chapter 81
Chapter 81
I still did not know much about the man named Saeb. However, the atmosphere in the room was so murderous that I was certain a magic spell would fly my way instantly if I even tried to make a joke. My skin tingled as if invisible blades were dancing in the air.
Deciding there was nothing to be gained by delaying, I immediately brought up what I had prepared.
“I know the location of the aerial base, Demersia.”
“…”
A heavy silence fell.
In the Frey Archipelago, the aerial base Ederka plays a crucial role as a supply point. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that without Ederka, all military operations in the Frey Archipelago would be impossible.
Therefore, Ederka's value is immense, and its administrator, Saeb, inevitably wields great authority.
For the same reason, the aerial supply base created by the Purity faction is Demersia.
It was Saeb's low murmur that broke the heavy silence, which had felt as if it would last forever.
“Hmm… I am not fond of jokes. I will tell you that I have a history of beheading a soldier who tried to deceive me and sinking his body into the sea below. Considering your achievements thus far, I will give you a chance to retract your previous statement.”
“I am quite fond of jokes myself, but I dislike tactless ones made in a serious atmosphere.”
No sooner had the words left my mouth than a cold blade was pressed against my neck.
There was no need to wonder who the master of the magically created blade was.
As proof that the man before me, Saeb, was releasing his mana, his eyes were glowing blue.
“How strange. To think you know the location of Demersia… that should not be possible. Even I, who have conducted search operations for Demersia ever since the Frey Archipelago was formed, have not been able to pinpoint even its approximate location. Yet a mere soldier who has just arrived at Ederka claims to have discovered Demersia during a military operation on Tet…”
Saeb paused for a moment, looked at me, and smiled faintly.
It was a flawless, perfect smile, but anyone with a bit of sense would know that there was no positive meaning behind that expression.
In the first place, regardless of his expression, his attitude was openly hostile.
“I can only think you are a Purity spy.”
“Marquis. Rian is…”
Startled by the unexpected situation, Selina tried to defend me.
However, if she faltered in her surprise, it would only arouse more suspicion.
And I had already prepared an answer for such a situation.
When I gave her a look, Selina's mouth hung open for a moment before she closed it.
Saeb’s eyes gleamed as if he found the dynamic between Selina and me interesting, but that interest was far from enough to overcome his suspicion.
“I have an Authority related to detection.”
“Are you aware? Even the most skilled detection-type mage in the Empire spent months on the task but ultimately failed to find Demersia. That mage even risked his life, infiltrating the dummy clouds where Demersia was presumed to be hiding. Are you saying that a mere soldier who is just beginning to make a name for himself found the location of Demersia—which even a mage like that could not find—from atop Tet, with its clear line of sight far from the dummy clouds, and with a detection Authority no less, even when the surrounding mana was extremely unstable due to the collision with Roka?”
The suspicion had still not been dispelled.
If I uttered a single wrong word and his doubts grew even slightly, the blade at my neck would plunge deep without hesitation.
I played the card I had prepared in advance, a story woven from lies.
“Hobelerus, the Leaping Spear.”
“…”
“It seems that here at Ederka, I am only known to have succeeded in subjugating Galakal, but I defeated one of Odin's heroes along with Galakal. And I have secured this item as spoils and proof.”
I took out the broken Purity insignia.
“And another thing I would like to say is that the target I discovered using my detection ability was not Demersia.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“What I detected with my Authority was an airship from Odin. The Odin airship was half-destroyed when I found it, and all its crew members were dead. I surmise that it either crashed due to the aftermath of the collision between Tet and Roka, or it was approaching to rescue the barely surviving Hobelerus and was taken down by Galakal.”
Of course, I had never discovered an Odin airship.
It was a blatant lie, but it did not matter.
After all, there was no way Saeb, standing before me, could verify its truthfulness, no matter what he tried.
“The crashed Odin airship was using an automatic navigation system, and by analyzing that system, I was able to confirm the coordinates of Demersia.”
“…Despite being a field commander who stands at the forefront, ahead of other soldiers, you seem to know a great deal about airships. Is that not on the level of a navigator?”
“Our commander tends to be quite talkative. She likes to chatter about this and that whenever she has a chance, and since we are a unit that flies around in an airship, she often talks about things related to them.”
“…”
Selina was silent.
She simply stared at me intently, as if asking, ‘I did? When?’
However, Selina, who was under the misconception that my Authority was an all-powerful detection ability, went along with my lie, though her expression was one of sheer absurdity.
“…Yes. I think that is what happened. It must have been. I am such a chatterbox that I cannot remember every single word I say.”
Her words did have a bit of a sting to them, though.
Watching the two of us, Saeb pondered.
The power in the blade of mana held to my neck was gradually weakening and moving away, which told me he was considering it quite positively.
Soon, Saeb reached a conclusion.
“First, I will send a search party to the given coordinates. The search party will include myself and the two of you. If there is any falsehood in your words, I will execute you both on the spot. Commander of Unit 917, do you agree?”
“I agree.”
Was it to be expected?
Selina showed not a hint of hesitation or reluctance in putting her own life on the line based solely on my words.
Only after her firm reply did the blade of mana at my neck finally disappear.
My automatic regeneration ability activated, and the wound healed quickly. Saeb, who watched the process, sent me a look of great interest.
“An Authority that heals wounds so quickly… Is that not an Authority possessed only by Odin's commanders? The established theory among scholars was that it must be a unique Authority, as it had only ever appeared in Odin's commanders among all the numerous heroes. I see it was simply a rare Authority.”
“…”
A cold sweat broke out on my brow, and my heart began to pound.
It was an unexpected question, and I wondered what to do, but fortunately, Saeb came to his own conclusion and moved on to the next topic.
“Very well. Then, Rian Kaltz, let us assume your words were true and the search party finds Demersia. What is the plan after that?”
“May I borrow a pen and paper?”
“By all means.”
Saeb handed me a pen that had been rolling on the table.
Then, as if looking for paper, he glanced around, picked up a document, turned it over, and slid it in front of me.
…I hope this is not an important document.
It seemed like he just gave it a cursory glance before handing it over.
Well, I decided he would handle it himself and drew a single dot on the blank paper, writing down the coordinates I had prepared.
“These are the coordinates of the Purity aerial base, Demersia.”
“Hmm… This area has been scouted several times…”
“Demersia must have put just as much effort into jamming detection as Ederka has. To find it, we will have to get close and identify it with the naked eye.”
“The detection jamming system was applied to Ederka only two months ago… But I suppose it is true that the Purity faction's technology is undeniably ahead of the Alliance's. I understand for now.”
Saeb nodded.
I drew a circle and another dot next to the one representing Demersia.
“This circle is Tet. And this dot is this place, Ederka. And though I do not know the exact coordinates, the corpse of Leviathan Roka is probably around here.”
I drew a circle far below and, thanks to the effects of studying the language in my spare time, I succeeded in writing the word ‘Roka’.
This was great progress.
Feeling pleased with myself, I drew two more circles on either side of Roka.
“The Purity forces will likely be gathered here, and the Alliance forces on the opposite side. I would like to contact the commander on the sea to confirm the exact coordinates of the Purity faction's camp.”
“…Do not tell me you are thinking of shooting down Demersia and dropping it onto the heads of the Purity forces on the sea below… Is that your idea?”
“That is correct.”
Saeb sighed and touched his forehead.
I also felt that the atmosphere, his gaze, and his tone of voice, which had softened somewhat, had become a degree sharper.
“That plan is too absurd. First of all, even if our own base is identified by the enemy, it cannot be easily shot down. It has a sufficient defense system, so at least a large airship would need to be mobilized. Naturally, the same would apply to Demersia.”
I knew what he was worried about.
It was only natural.
To break through the solid defenses of an aerial base, a powerful strike from at least a large airship is necessary, but there are no large airships that can be mobilized in this area.
If there is one, it is the single airship down on the sea.
However, bringing that airship up here would severely tilt the balance of power surrounding Roka to one side.
Never mind Demersia, the enemy would push in and wipe out our forces in the blink of an eye. There would be no point in shooting down Demersia after the fact.
But there was one method that could be used even without a large airship.
“It is possible even without the support of a large airship if we use Ederka's main cannon to strike Demersia's engine precisely.”
“Did you tell a mere soldier something like that?”
Saeb's gaze, as if he were dumbfounded, turned to Selina.
Selina, with a face that desperately wanted to shake her head from side to side, nodded up and down instead.
“…Certainly. If Ederka's main cannon hits the engine, it would be possible to bring Demersia down. However, there are two problems. First, using the main cannon requires most of Ederka's stored energy. For a while, it will be a struggle just to maintain Ederka's altitude, making it impossible to use the defense system, let alone the camouflage system. And second, we do not know where Demersia's engine is.”
“I will know it when I see it.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Ederka's engine. Is it not located on the third basement level?”
“…!”