Chapter 123
Chapter 123
Preparations Before the Trip (2)
After hearing Kairus’s explanation about the Rose Garden’s request, Spring Parsley let out a thoughtful hum and nodded.
“The bishop of Goldiba City, huh. I’ll need to look into it.”
“Will it take long?”
At Kairus’s question, Spring Parsley shook her head.
“It won’t take too long. And I can already tell you a few things I’ve picked up through rumors.”
At her words, Nora let out an impressed sound.
“There’s one orphanage he runs directly with donation money. And he sends regular sponsorship funds to five others.”
Kairus let out a surprised chuckle.
“That’s not the kind of heartwarming story I expected.”
A criminal who distributes illegal battle gear that fries people’s nerves, yet at the same time a compassionate volunteer who runs and supports orphanages.
“Being a bad guy doesn’t mean he’s bad to everyone.”
You never know. Maybe even the Emperor of the Valorn Empire—whom Kairus wanted to kill so badly—might be a good and just man in someone else’s eyes.
Likewise, Bishop Gallia, the criminal dealing in defective battle gear, could be like a kind grandfather to children who’ve lost or been abandoned by their parents.
“The important thing is, we’re getting paid to take care of this job.”
“Speaking of which—what exactly is the payment?”
Kairus answered plainly.
“The Cloud Seizing Art manual.”
Now Kairus could openly say “Cloud Seizing Art manual” without issue. After all, every record of Kairus being a direct descendant of the Featherwing family had been erased by the Empire. Even if someone suspected Kairus might be a Featherwing, there’d be no evidence to prove it.
‘And… Philip IV didn’t erase my personal data just for fun.’
Erasing a person’s entire existence from the world wasn’t easy. If they went to such lengths to release Kairus from the labor correctional facility, then Philip IV must clearly have had his own reasons.
And for whatever goal he intended to achieve, it was obvious Philip IV needed Kairus. That realization might’ve been the most important thing Kairus learned while drinking with Cecilia.
‘Not that I intend to cooperate.’
Naturally, the Emperor must have prepared some way to force Kairus to cooperate—or at least make him want to.
“Wait a second, Cloud Seizing Art manual?!”
While Kairus had been briefly lost in thought, Nora sprang to her feet like her legs had springs, having heard those words.
“Bishop Gallia acts as a warehouse hub in the illegal battle gear distribution network. And that manual is in his warehouse.”
No one found Nora’s reaction odd. Any Lunaseeker who heard about something related to the Featherwings would naturally react like that.
Just a moment ago, it had been Kairus who was lost in thought.
Now, it was Nora Galatea’s turn to drift off.
‘Why is he looking for that? What’s he planning to do with it, taking on a job with that as the payment?’
Questions rapidly chased one another through Nora’s mind.
This was something she could include in her report to the Aylan Republic, which had tasked her with investigating the connection between Kairus and the Featherwings.
“I don’t think that thing is worth any money, though.”
Irena wasn’t cooperating for any kind of financial reward anyway, and Nora had her own reasons for working with them.
But Spring Parsley, who had just joined, naturally felt skeptical about the Cloud Seizing Art manual being the agreed-upon reward.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind if the plan is to sell it after securing it.”
But to Spring Parsley, Kairus didn’t seem like someone trying to make money off the manual.
Everyone in the city already knew Kairus could use the Swift Blade.
“I’m not planning to sell it. I just want to take a look.”
“Why? I’ve heard you can’t use the Cloud Seizing Art unless you’re a direct Featherwing.”
Nora asked the question without hesitation.
“You never know. I might find another way. I mean, you got hit by the cloud under the city too.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Nora agreed easily with Kairus. If she hadn’t been struck by lightning in that cloud, their fight back then would’ve ended in her favor.
Now that Kairus had the vibration blade that utilized Nimbus and the hip flask, he was practically a different person compared to back then.
“Even if I can’t learn the Cloud Seizing Art, it might still help me improve my skills in some meaningful way.”
Kairus lied with an absolutely calm expression, and for now, it seemed Nora had fallen for it. She had no solid proof that Kairus was a direct Featherwing anyway, so it was only natural.
“As for Spring Parsley, I’ll pay her out of my own pocket once the job’s done.”
“Alright. In that case, I’m fine with it.”
Spring Parsley agreed to Kairus’s offer without argument. After all, her only complaint had been that there didn’t seem to be any benefit coming her way.
“Well, now that we’ve all exchanged a quick introduction…”
“What about Tanya?”
Irena turned to Kairus with a question.
“If you were me, would you want to bring her into this?”
If it were just about medical support, Tanya certainly had the qualifications to join. The problem was that their target this time was the bishop overseeing the entire Goldiba diocese—and Tanya’s usual claims about her own identity.
“Ah, right. Still, she’s one of the rare decent people in this city.”
Crazy, but kind. In any case, Kairus had no intention of bringing Tanya into this job.
“Oh, and when you’re drafting the blueprint, don’t add any extra personnel unless absolutely necessary.”
Spring Parsley nodded at Kairus’s words.
“It’s already you, Irena, and a Lunaseeker agent. I wasn’t planning to bring in anyone else.”
They didn’t need more people anyway, and it was hard to find others who could match the level of these three.
“Especially in times like these.”
“Times like these?”
Kairus showed a flicker of interest at Spring Parsley’s comment.
“It’s better to keep an eye on what’s going on around the city.”
Kairus gestured with his chin.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing. So, tell me.”
“After getting their hands on Pontus, the Rose Garden shared it with the other groups—everyone except Areumdri Pawnshop.”
Cecilia had decided it was better to share the spoils and secure a reasonable profit that other groups could accept, rather than keeping it all to herself.
“The problem is that the underground is no longer just Areumdri Pawnshop’s turf.”
As a result, conflicts both big and small had started cropping up—between the groups trying to expand into the underground and Areumdri Pawnshop, which was trying to stop them.
“Thanks to that, all the hiring offices are dealing with a manpower shortage.”
Because it wasn’t a direct clash between organizations, the Canal Operations Committee and others led by Areumdri Pawnshop had chosen to hire through recruitment offices instead of stepping in themselves.
“Sounds more serious than I thought.”
“The general consensus among architects and developers is that until the underground stabilizes, it’s going to be hard to find capable workers through the hiring offices.”
Without construction workers, architects and developers couldn’t do anything either.
“I was getting ready to tighten my belt, figuring there wouldn’t be any work for a while.”
But suddenly, Kairus had handed her a job.
“Good. Then I’ll take that as a sign that I can focus on drafting the blueprint for your job. I’ll contact you once it’s done.”
“Sure.”
The more detailed discussions would have to wait until Spring Parsley completed the blueprint.
“Well then, I’ll—”
“Wait a sec.”
As Spring Parsley stood up and started heading out of the office, Kairus stopped her. There was one more thing he had to say.
“Is there a wide open area near the outskirts of Bennett City? Preferably the biggest one possible.”
At Kairus’s question, Spring Parsley let out a thoughtful hum before replying.
“There’s a construction site from about twenty years ago. They were going to build something there but scrapped the plan.”
The project had fizzled out before they even broke ground, so now it was nothing but an overgrown empty lot.
“Perfect.”
Kairus nodded at her answer and turned to look at Irena.
“Until Spring Parsley finishes drawing the blueprint, you’ll be spending time there with me.”
“In an empty field?”
“It’s necessary.”
At Kairus’s words, Irena realized it was something related to the Swift Blade, and stopped questioning him further.
“I wanna come watch too.”
Catching on to the situation, Nora immediately expressed her interest in joining.
“Fine by me. I was going to ask you to bring us daily essentials anyway. As long as you keep that up, you’re welcome to stay.”
“Great!”
Everyone stood up from their seats.
“Once the blueprint is done, pass the word through Nora.”
“Got it.”
Spring Parsley left first, and the rest—including Kairus—gathered the necessary supplies and headed to the construction site outside the city that she had told them about.
“It’s really barren.”
There was absolutely nothing there. Just patches of yellowed weeds from the cold and a lonesome wind brushing across the empty lot.
It was exactly the kind of landscape Kairus had been hoping for. And just like Spring Parsley said, the lot was plenty spacious.
“You could fit two soccer fields in here.”
“So, what are we doing out here?”
As she took in the bleak scenery, Irena asked the question.
“Obviously, Swift Blade training.”
“Kinda figured.”
Both Irena and Nora looked like they’d expected as much.
“But why does it have to be here…?”
“The nature of the Swift Blade.”
Nora answered before Kairus could. The Featherwings might be gone, but those who used the Swift Blade still existed. The Lunaseeker Agency still maintained thorough training programs for it.
“Oh, sounds like you know something. Then you probably also know what’s the first thing Lunaseeker agents check when they encounter someone who uses the Swift Blade, right?”
At Kairus’s words, Nora nodded.
“Open warfare. The more enemies than allies, the better.”
“Shouldn’t it be the opposite?”
Irena challenged her, but Nora shook her head.
“If there’s a swordsman who truly understands how to use the Swift Blade, then I’m right.”
“…?”
Irena looked unconvinced, but Kairus drew Flicker.
“You’ll understand once you see it. This environment is perfect for using the Swift Blade.”
Nora nodded in agreement.
“Irena, what I want to show you is how far this sword style can escalate things in a place like this.”
It’s not enough to understand it simply as a sword technique that manipulates wind.
As Kairus slightly adjusted his grip, the wind brushing along the blade let out a chilling whistle.
The wind touched by the blade flowed like thread, following the direction Kairus willed. He kept shifting the sword’s position and the angle of the blade, increasing the battle gear’s output.
The current created by Kairus began to dominate the surrounding air, gradually expanding its range.
“Draw your sword and match the flow of the Swift Blade I’ve created.”
Irena was capable of doing it now.
As if dancing together, she held her Stained Glass and moved in sync with the wind Kairus had formed.
“The ‘Swift’ in Swift Blade means to weave fabric.”
You use wind like threads of fabric—layering each strand over another to create a single, unified purpose.
“…”
Irena focused her mind and matched Kairus’s movements. The wind grew stronger. At some point, the movement of the Swift Blade took control over every current flowing across the field.
“This is…”
“We now control all the air in this space. So—what can we do with it?”
As Kairus moved his sword, all the wind in the field swelled in response to his motion.