Chapter 163
Chapter 163
On Betrayal (1)
It was decided that I would fight Tapas Aiola. After packing everything, I looked at Irena and said,
“Cecilia’s going to be dumbfounded.”
I had already shared the plan with her. Naturally, Irena wouldn’t be in the city when I went to deal with Tapas.
At my words, Irena let out an “Oh.”
“But how are you going to move? If you just start traveling, you’ll get caught.”
I gave a simple answer to her question.
“I’ll fly. You stay in a city about 300 kilometers away in the Republic of Aylan.”
If I pushed the Veil of Plumed Mist to its maximum output and capacity, it could fly five times faster than sound.
Flight ability was broadly divided into two stages.
‘Turbine sound and propulsion sound.’
In terms of efficiency, it was best when only the turbine sound was heard. However, in that state, it couldn’t break the sound barrier.
The moment the propulsion sound added to the turbine sound, it became possible to break through the sound barrier. From there, the more the Veil of Plumed Mist’s output increased, the more the turbine sound faded, and the propulsion sound—something being blasted out—grew louder.
“Fucking progenitor.”
I muttered that as I looked up at the sky. The progenitor of the Featherwing hadn’t just wanted to fly.
He had wanted to fly insanely fast, and incredibly high.
‘All of the procedures, except the Death Sac.’
They were procedures meant to make that absurd flight possible.
‘Temperature changes from high-altitude ascent can be managed by the Veil of Plumed Mist’s output.’
The procedures handled the rest. The strain from thin air and high-speed flight was withstood by the altered body, thanks to the energy sac and the layered valve.
The disorientation from long-distance flight was handled by the Rear Node.
The Early Sense assisted in grasping the surroundings even during high-speed flight.
“You’re seriously going to fly?”
“What, should I take a train instead?”
By the time the train went back and forth, rumors would’ve already spread all over Bennett City that I had set off. Then I wouldn’t just be fighting Tapas—I’d be up against all five members of the Operations Committee, including him.
And then I’d die a miserable death.
I had to move in a way no one would expect and strike one person like lightning.
Only then could negotiations begin. And more importantly—
“Simid Kellogg is hiding something from you. While I take care of my end, you should find out what that is.”
“And you know what it is. Why won’t you tell me?”
I answered Irena immediately.
“I’m not family. And when it comes to family business, outsiders don’t get to hear it.”
It was a really embarrassing thing to say.
“I’ve always been the type to not ask until my father brought something up first.”
I had assumed he was doing something necessary for the family. But now, I needed to know.
“The president of Lunaseeker came to the Vasella family. He came to Ethan Vasella’s mansion. Does that even make sense to you?”
It was unthinkable. It wasn’t just a spy—it was the leader of the spies who showed up. And yet, Ethan Vasella had willingly provided a place and cooperated.
Now, even Irena couldn’t hold back anymore. Something was going on, and the Simid family was entangled in it.
Right at the center of it.
“That’s not a question for me.”
“…Yeah, you’re right. That’s not what I should be saying to you. I have a different question for you.”
Irena looked quietly up at the sky and spoke.
“Is it really okay for me to follow you?”
That was the question Irena needed to ask Kyros. Was she someone Kyros needed?
It wasn’t something she said out of petulance. No matter how she looked at it, there was no reason for Kyros to keep her around.
Sure, she had been helpful before. But now?
How could she possibly be of help? To the sole surviving Featherwing who flew through the sky at supersonic speed, wasn’t Irena Kellogg just baggage?
“Let me be clear first—you are baggage.”
“I see. I don’t want to be a burden to you, but I have no other choice.”
Then she had to step away. She didn’t want to drag someone down or get in the way.
Especially not someone who had helped her so much.
“Weren’t you following me to learn from me in the first place?”
Irena flinched slightly. Kyros was right. From the beginning, she had been traveling with him to learn.
“You’re with me because I saw potential in you. If you were leaving because I’m an asshole, I wouldn’t care. But if it’s for a reason like that, then don’t even think about it.”
Kyros said that with a teasing grin.
“You’ve been baggage from the start. Baggage I carried around because I thought you’d become something great one day.”
“Goddamn it, could you at least say it a little nicer?”
The words out of Irena’s mouth were harsh, but her voice wasn’t loud.
“I get it. I’ll make sure you never regret it.”
“Then finish the Swift Blade already. Watching you makes my chest ache.”
After exchanging a few words like that, Kyros held out a large bag. It was completely empty inside.
“…What’s this?”
“Get in. I’ll carry you close to the city.”
Irena’s eyes widened as she stared at the bag.
“Hey, isn’t there another way?”
“There’s always the option of tying you up with a rope and carrying you like that.”
At Kyros’s remark, Irena replied,
“Then at least hang me by the neck. I’d love to choke to death mid-flight.”
“I can’t fly with you on my back. The posture would be too unstable.”
“Damn it…” Irena muttered before crawling into the bag and crouching down inside.
“This is so stupid…”
It was Irena’s own assessment of herself, delivered with a sigh.
“Wow, you kept going on about being baggage earlier, and now I’ve literally become one.”
“Oh, shut up and let me fly!”
Kyros grabbed the handle of the bag without hesitation.
“Here we go.”
With the turbine sound, Kyros rose into the air and took flight, Irena clutched in hand. He adjusted his speed to avoid creating a deafening roar while flying.
“Uuuuurgh… aaaaahhhhhh…”
Irena let out strange noises from inside the bag. It was understandable. Kyros’s flight was fundamentally unstable.
If he wanted stable flight, he’d have to learn Moonwalk. Right now, he was relying purely on the output of the Veil of Plumed Mist.
‘The air’s unstable here.’
If he wanted stable flight relying solely on the Veil of Plumed Mist, he’d have to ascend higher, where the atmospheric flow was more stable. The problem was, if he did that, Irena would freeze to death.
“Just hang on. One wrong move and we’ll crash.”
“Hey—wait! In that case, can I just take the train instead?!”
Irena popped her head out of the bag, glanced down at the ground below, and shouted in panic.
“It’s slow.”
“I’m about to die quickly!”
Even as they bickered, Kyros continued flying. After a moment of grumbling, Irena turned her gaze down to the earth and stared blankly.
“It’s small. So small that we seem slow by comparison.”
Though they were flying at an unbelievable speed, the scenery beneath their feet slid by slowly, almost lazily.
“Keep your head straight. We’re small too.”
Being high up didn’t make you bigger. And just because you looked down from above didn’t mean the world below was truly small.
It only looked that way. If you fooled yourself into thinking you were great just because you were standing high up, you’d be a fool.
“I see.”
After that, they didn’t speak much. After several hours of flying, the two finally reached their destination.
It was a city in the Republic of Aylan. For Irena to get in touch with her father, being outside the Empire was the safer option.
Finally crawling out of the bag, Irena stretched her limbs, and her entire body cracked and popped with noise.
“Did your bones realign or break?”
“While I was in that bag, I thought my whole body was shattered.”
After flying like that for hours, it was no surprise her body ached all over.
“Get some proper rest. I gave you enough money to last while you stay.”
They parted quickly, and Kyros once again soared into the sky. Irena watched him for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh.
“Father…”
She murmured briefly and turned toward the city.
This time, she hoped she could finally find the answers to her questions.
‘If Father is thinking something wrong…’
She was fully prepared to stop him if necessary. Upon arriving in the city, the first place Irena headed was a hotel.
It was the kind of hotel that required a staggering amount of money, and she chose the best room available. It wasn’t because she wanted to waste Kyros’s money.
‘They have a phone here.’
She could make a call. Without even changing out of her clothes after checking in, Irena immediately dialed Simid Kellogg.
Receiving her call at his mansion, Simid Kellogg let out a bitter smile.
— Irena.
“I want to know everything about what’s going on right now. You might think of me as a daughter who will eventually belong to another family, but for now, I’m still a Kellogg.”
Irena demanded answers. She had the right to know what was going on with her family. Even before this call came, Simid Kellogg had sensed he wouldn’t be able to avoid this moment.
His plans had been moving in ways that strayed from his original thoughts, and as a result, Kyros—who was now traveling with Irena—had become increasingly important.
— I heard there's still a Featherwing survivor. That’s a relief.
“I don’t see how Kyros has anything to do with this.”
There was a definite edge in Irena’s voice. For Simid to bring up Kyros’s well-being at a time like this—it was a textbook case of trying to shift the subject.
— He has everything to do with it.
“…The Featherwings were never close to the Kellogg family.”
The Featherwings had never had friendly ties with the Kelloggs. Their core fields were completely different, leaving them with no reason to cooperate—or even to clash.
— Aren’t you curious how the Emperor destroyed the Featherwings?
That, Irena had to admit, she was curious about. She hadn’t cared much before, but now she did. After all, Kyros, the one traveling with her, was the last surviving Featherwing.
“…That’s for later.”
But this wasn’t the time to be curious about that.
— Listen closely. Because what pushed me to plan the overthrow of the current Emperor lies in that very event.
“What are you saying right now?”
Overthrow? Was he talking about rebellion? Irena’s hand trembled as she gripped the receiver.
“Are you insane?! Are you trying to destroy our family?!”
Oh, so you’ve decided on treason. It wasn’t something you could just brush off. Everyone still remembered clearly what had happened to the Featherwings when they were accused of rebellion.
To talk about rebellion even after seeing that precedent… And it was her own father, Simid Kellogg, the Treasury Chief, who was saying it?
“What are you doing… How do you expect to face our ancestors?”
Simid didn’t answer. Irena stared at the silent receiver and swallowed.
“You said the Featherwings were the reason.”
— That’s right.
She took a deep breath. Simid Kellogg claimed the Featherwings were what led him to think of rebellion. How was Irena supposed to accept that?
“That reason. Explain it in detail. If you're about to spew crap like—‘I want to climb to a higher position. I’m tired of working from below. I want to command the Empire! I’ll make our family shine brighter!’—then don’t even open your mouth.”
Now, she waited for his answer. As a daughter of the Kellogg family, and as a knight of the Scarlet Leaf Order, Irena expected at least a response that she could accept.