Chapter 176
Chapter 176
Tail Feathers and the Box (2)
It was a quiet night. The remnants of the Lantern Gang were camping out.
“Good thing it’s spring, fuck.”
If it had been winter, they wouldn’t have been able to sleep out this comfortably. It was only possible because the ground had thawed and sprouts were pushing through, because buds had begun to grow on trees that had endured the bitter cold.
A man struck a match and lit his cigarette, exhaling a long stream of smoke.
In the dead of night, we were reduced to camping outside after leaving Bennett City, the place we used to live.
“Fucking life.”
It wasn’t all that strange to look up at the spring night sky, smoke a cigarette, and lament that your life was fucked.
But we shouldn’t have done that.
That very act was the starting point that ensured even that fucked-up life couldn’t continue any longer.
“Found them.”
Kairus was flying through the sky.
No matter how keen my Early Sense was, tonight there wasn’t even a moon in the sky. On a night like this, it wasn’t easy to find those staying on the ground from above.
But the cigarette ember was the problem. Just as stars only became visible at night, even a tiny cigarette glow, against a darkness settled deep and senses enhanced by the procedure, shone to Kairus like a lighthouse.
“Really?”
Irena, who had been passing the time inside the bag, spoke in a fairly surprised tone.
“Yeah. I found them, so get ready.”
The moment I finished speaking, Irena gripped the bag tightly with both hands.
The dive began. It was less like a person moving and more like a hawk that had spotted its prey.
“Khak. Fuck.”
With a loud bang, I slammed into the ground together with Irena.
Sadly, I couldn’t land as gracefully as a hawk. After crashing into the ground and getting back up, I brushed the damp soil off and looked at Irena inside the bag.
“You okay?”
“There’s dirt in my mouth.”
Irena crawled out of the bag and pulled out the Stained Glass as she spoke.
“That’s not too bad.”
Kids ate dirt while playing around, and soldiers ate dirt during training. It was nothing special.
After spitting, ptoo, she took out her canteen and rinsed her mouth.
In the meantime, the remnants of the Lantern Gang, startled by the sudden landing, crawled out of their tents and began murmuring.
“I handle this, right?”
“Yeah. If there’s a problem, I’ll back you up.”
I stepped back without complaint, and Irena raised the output of the Stained Glass and charged at them.
‘In the end, it’s all about real combat.’
Theory and training wouldn’t improve Irena’s Swift Blade any further. She had already been repeating her training whenever she had time, especially after being stuck between me and Nora and keenly feeling her own shortcomings.
If there was anything she lacked, it was real combat.
‘Eighty-two of them using battle gear, procedures, or tattoos.’
And since every one of them came from the Lantern Gang, their skills were solid as well.
If Irena were to handle them alone, she would have to rampage on the boundary between life and death. One misstep, and she would die.
What I had to do was step in at that very instant of misstep and make sure she avoided only death.
“She’s doing well.”
The remnants who had been resting were briefly flustered by Irena’s assault, but they soon began to resist. Her arms and legs moved, generating wind.
‘…Should I really give the tail feathers to Irena?’
Watching her, I fell into thought. I was accustomed to moving a sword to use Swift Blade.
But Irena controlled Swift Blade with her own limbs. If the tail feathers were added to that, she would be able to fight far better than she did now. It would be like attaching wings to the method she had always used.
“If it were Nora, maybe.”
If the one who could best utilize the tail feathers were Nora, I wouldn’t have hesitated. She belonged to the Lunaseeker anyway. But Irena was different.
She was the ally I trusted most. Strengthening Irena’s power wasn’t much different from strengthening my own.
‘And it feels a bit wrong to take every useful item for myself when I’m the one teaching.’
They originally belonged to the Featherwing, and by nature the tail feathers were the property of the head of the family. But so what?
After using them enough, if I asked for them back, I didn’t think Irena would refuse.
“Careful.”
I spotted one aiming for Irena’s back and flicked a pebble.
Thwack. The guy was struck in the head and staggered from the sudden impact.
“Thanks!”
Irena cut his throat.
“You could’ve sensed him but missed it. Stay sharp.”
At my words, Irena nodded and put more strength into her legs, shooting forward.
“Kill her! The only way we’re getting out of here alive is to take that bitch hostage!”
They were making the best move they could in this situation. Running wouldn’t let them escape me anyway.
In that case, capturing my comrade Irena and attempting negotiation was the better option. All of them were fighting her with that thought in mind.
“…You fucking bastards. I’m not baggage, got it!”
More precisely, she was someone who didn’t want to become baggage. In any case, Irena flared up at their shouts and swung her sword wildly.
Four whirlwinds swept through them. The speed at which she created them was much faster than before, and her control was more precise.
“…Khak, hek!”
The fight that had begun in the night only ended at dawn, and Irena was left in tatters. I searched the corpse whose waist had been severed, leaving only the lower half, found a match, then rummaged through a tent, took out coffee grounds, and boiled water.
“Have a cup.”
I handed Irena a cup filled with coffee.
“Thanks.”
“How about you try using the tail feathers?”
And I finally brought up the words I had been mulling over to Irena. She had been sipping her coffee when she widened her eyes and looked at me.
“….”
“I thought you’d accept right away.”
Irena’s desire to grow stronger was immense as well. Even I hadn’t expected her to remain silent for this long.
“I’m fine.”
“Really? I think you’ll regret it later.”
At my words, Irena poured the rest of the coffee into her mouth and stood up.
“It’s something you’re supposed to own. It belongs to your family. You said those tail feathers would help with Moonwalk too. There’s only one person in House Featherwing who uses Moonwalk.”
The head of the family. Which meant the tail feathers belonged to the head.
“You’re the only Featherwing left now, and that means you’re the head. How can you just hand the head’s property over to someone else?”
“I’m not just handing it over carelessly. I thought about it for quite a while.”
When Irena had started fighting, it had been night. Now it was dawn. While night turned into dawn, I had continued to deliberate, and this was the conclusion I had reached.
“Is that so? Then I’m sorry. You thought about it for so long, and I’m rejecting it after thinking about it this briefly. I won’t use it. It’s something you should use.”
Irena suddenly tossed the mug to the ground and brushed her thumb across her lips as if drawing a line.
“You’re the one using the tail feathers. I don’t need them. That’s the end of it. Okay?”
She refused to use the tail feathers. And I had no reason to force her to use something she didn’t want.
“Fine, it’s over.”
“I’m climbing a mountain.”
If I was ascending to the sky, then Irena was climbing a mountain.
Because of the difference we were born with, she could never rise into the sky anyway.
So instead, she was trying to reach the mountaintop—the highest ground closest to the sky.
“And?”
I asked back with mild interest.
“I’m not planning to borrow anything from you to reach the summit. Just show me the way. You’re already up high, so you can see it.”
“Yeah, I can see.”
I understood well enough what she was trying to say.
“Ah, I’m starving. Let’s rummage through these guys’ stuff and see if there’s anything to eat.”
Saying that, Irena began digging through a tent decorated with blood and chunks of flesh.
“Let’s eat when we get home. I’ll lose my appetite.”
“Is that so? Well, judging by the way you’re flying, if you eat now you’ll probably puke it all out midair.”
“Get in the bag. I’ll make you vomit up every last drop of stomach acid and bile.”
“Then you’ll just dirty the bag and your clothes, won’t you?”
Saying that, Irena obediently climbed into the bag.
“But seriously, at least put a belt inside this thing.”
“You sure ask for a lot.”
After saying that, I picked up the bag with Irena inside and took off into the sky.
“What should we eat for breakfast? Want to grab pancakes at that restaurant you go to a lot?”
It wasn’t some grand conversation.
“Why don’t you think about resting before thinking about food?”
Irena had been through a lot. Even if they were remnants, she had slaughtered dozens of Lantern Gang members on her own.
“I’ve gotten pretty used to this bag. I can sleep like this.”
“You say that, but the moment we land you’ll start cracking your bones back into place.”
But what she said wasn’t a lie. Soon enough, the sound of snoring echoed from inside the bag.
By the time I finished the flight, it was already somewhere between morning and noon.
“Oh, you’re back!”
Nora, who had been sitting on the office sofa chewing on an almond tuile, waved both hands energetically at me and Irena as we came through the door.
“I talked with the boss.”
“And how was the reaction?”
At my question, Nora cleared her throat and answered.
“They said they’d consider it positively.”
“What a vague answer.”
A positive review. It was quite an ambiguous phrase.
It was better than just a review, but I wanted something more definite than consideration.
“As for negotiations with Rose Garden, Lunaseeker is more than willing to respond.”
“Good. I’ve got something to say to Representative Cecilia.”
Depending on what they prepared on their end, my next move would change.
I called Cecilia.
— I see. I’m currently looking for a box. It’s made of metal, black in color, with the Featherwing crest engraved in silver.
Damn. After hearing her response, I fell into thought. The item Rose Garden was preparing was more valuable than I’d expected.
“Do not try to open it under any circumstances. It must remain as it is.”
What was stored inside that box would be books or documents. If it was forced open or broken, the solvent stored within would spill out and dissolve all the contents.
— Is that so? I assume there’s a separate method to open it.
It was a box designed so that only direct descendants could open it.
When a direct descendant of Featherwing shed blood to fill the cup-shaped groove held in the beak of the bird emblem, it would open.
“You said you’re still searching for it, right?”
— Yes. Until now we’ve only provided information, but this time we thought we might show a bit more sincerity.
If that was the case, merely arranging a negotiation table between Rose Garden and Lunaseeker wouldn’t be enough.
They were preparing a physical item, yet all I was offering was an opportunity.
It would become a deal Rose Garden couldn’t accept. And then the Featherwing box they were securing right now would become a nonexistent matter.
“I’ll have to discuss this with Lunaseeker again.”
Whatever was inside, there was a very high chance it concerned Cloud Seizing Art or Moonwalk. That black box wasn’t made to store diaries or love letters.
— It seems the item we’ve prepared is more valuable than expected. Then I’ll look forward to a satisfying outcome as well.