Chapter 145
Chapter 145
Floating Island (2)
“Floating Islands share the same origin as Museion Academy. The Floating Island was created by a court magician who was a founding contributor to the Empire and made great contributions to the establishment of Museion Academy in the past.”
Altitude 10 km above sea level. At the average cruising altitude of an aircraft, the Floating Island emerged, parting the clouds as it revealed itself.
The Vice-Commander spotted it and told us the related story. I wasn’t particularly curious, though. I just stared blankly at the Floating Island.
“It’ll come to a stop in 20 minutes. Alright. Everyone, get ready.”
The Floating Island I had only seen in the game. It was slightly larger than the Sea Temple and looked like a castle lifted together with its ground.
From afar, it resembled an octahedral crystal gem. The Vice-Commander, having confirmed that it had come close enough to distinguish with the naked eye, roughly estimated the landing time.
At the signal to move, we also began to bustle about.
“The anchoring chains are ready, Vice-Commander.”
The Floating Island had been set to stop at a specific altitude.
Coming this close to the ground consumed a massive amount of energy, so it couldn’t be maintained for long. A device was needed to keep the Floating Island from rising back into the sky.
“Alright. The temporary student council members can rest now. I’ll handle the firing.”
The object called the anchoring chain was a structure installed throughout Museion Academy, resembling a modern anti-aircraft gun.
Since it was difficult to operate and required direct training, our job ended with safety checks and preparing for launch.
“Give the signal.”
I put the whistle I had been issued in advance into my mouth. It was mainly used by hunters, but it was something that could be used in situations like this as well.
-Whiiik.
A clear, loud whistle rang out, followed by successive whistles from other locations.
“Prepare to fire.”
The Vice-Commander approached the anchoring chain and began drawing up mana while looking at the Floating Island, which now revealed its massive form.
At her words, I blew the whistle once more with all my strength.
-Whiiik! Whiiik!
Along with my whistle, a large magic circle formed in midair, and the anchoring chain began to operate.
-Kiiiiing.
The engine of the anchoring chain, absorbing blue mana, began to spin violently.
“Fire!”
-Whiiik! Whiiik! Whiiik!
With the whistle signals, the anchoring chain was launched. A harpoon large enough to dwarf an average adult shot toward the sky.
It produced a tearing sound through the air as if a siege weapon had been fired. The harpoon struck precisely at the starting point of a flat surface that appeared to be the ground of the Floating Island.
-Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Starting with ours, the other harpoons were launched as well. A total of six harpoons were fired in sequence and reached the Floating Island.
The barrier surrounding the Floating Island began to fade, then was drawn in as if painted into the sections where the anchoring chains were bound.
“Additional anchoring.”
-Whiiiiik!
After that, the Vice-Commander cast another spell. Unlike her previous blue magic circle, a red magic circle appeared in the air.
At the same time, massive tree roots burst from the ground and raced fiercely along the anchoring chains.
“Guardian.”
I immediately recognized the identity of those tree roots. As far as I knew, the only one capable of controlling trees this dynamically was the Forest Guardian.
The Vice-Commander looked surprised when I identified it at once.
“That’s right. Thin chains like those aren’t enough to secure it, you know? The guardian of Museion Island agreed to help with this part.”
The Vice-Commander led us with a gentle smile. Now, it was time to head toward the central plaza where the students were gathered.
Everything had its order. Especially for a major event like the Floating Island, it was even more important.
The central plaza had been thoroughly cleaned, and at what seemed to be the seats of honor stood the Academy Director and the Imperial Princess.
“Oh.”
Upon noticing us, the Academy Director stretched both hands into the air. The largest magic circle I had ever seen appeared in the sky.
I couldn’t help but admire it purely. Just like the Vice-Commander, the magic circles that appeared when casting spells were quite a spectacle to behold.
A massive barrier rose across the entirety of Museion Academy. It looked like a translucent glass wall rising into the sky.
“It’s a barrier.”
“That’s right. Especially in that field, there’s no one who can match the Director. Even I’m amazed every time I see it.”
At my absent-minded remark, the Vice-Commander responded. Anyone with an interest in magic would naturally be drawn to the Director’s magic.
Even I, who tended to dislike magic, couldn’t help but admire the refracted world beyond that thin, glass-like wall.
“Has the space itself been separated?”
“More precisely, another space has been inserted between spaces. Aside from natural elements, nothing can pass through that wall.”
I didn’t fully understand it, to be honest, but I could tell it was something incredible. Perhaps pleased with my reaction, the Vice-Commander continued her explanation.
“As of now, there’s no barrier as remarkable as that one. Isolating space itself consumes an enormous amount of resources, as you saw during the attack. But this is different.”
Approaching the students, whose murmurs were growing louder, the Vice-Commander explained excitedly. Seeing her like this reminded me of Winter.
“Although it uses the help of an artifact, its efficiency is on a completely different level. This translucent barrier is so easy to maintain that it can last as long as the Director remains alive. Of course, it means she won’t be able to use any other magic.”
I nodded sincerely. As I saw a massive beam of light descending from the Floating Island, the Vice-Commander also fell silent.
“They’re coming.”
A group was descending along the massive beam of light. Seeing how extravagantly they were dressed, I let out a small chuckle.
A fairly large, white-haired man and two attendants who seemed to assist him landed. The Imperial Knight Order began to properly control the students.
“We should go as well.”
Entrusting myself to the Vice-Commander’s lead, we pushed through the crowd of students and moved closer.
“Ah, damn. What the……”
The students who had formed a massive crowd saw my face and immediately lowered their gazes.
“Let’s pass through.”
At my casual words, a path instantly opened. The Vice-Commander chuckled at the sight.
“As expected, Student Davide is impressive.”
“Thank you. Let’s go, Vice-Commander.”
I answered her playful remark properly and looked around. The other students were desperately avoiding us.
It was quiet, which I didn’t mind, and as I walked, I happened to meet the eyes of the Imperial Princess. She was looking at me with a subtle expression.
“…….”
I immediately lowered my head in a bow. Even though there was an important figure right in front of her, I couldn’t understand why the Imperial Princess was directing her attention at me.
The old man who had descended from the Floating Island also turned his gaze toward me after noticing hers.
“Her Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
“Mm. Yes.”
As Ethan, who was serving as the Imperial Princess’s escort instead of the Vice-Commander, spoke, her gaze disappeared.
“The Administrator of the Floating Island, ‘Elmika Angel,’ greets Her Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you like this. I welcome your long-awaited visit to Museion Island.”
“I sincerely thank you for your welcome.”
From this point on, the event of the Floating Island began in earnest.
***
“Ugh… I’m nervous.”
“……Why?”
Aro looked puzzled as she watched Winter fidgeting beside her. She couldn’t understand why she was nervous.
“I wonder what kind of temples there will be……”
“Ah. So that’s it.”
So it was excitement. Aro let out a quiet laugh as she saw Winter’s sparkling eyes. At the moment, all members of the Anaye Order were gathered in the area where the Divine Department was located.
They would eventually have to split up according to their departments, but since the Order was a different kind of group than a club, this was possible.
“The stares~ are prickling~ It’s like they’re looking at us as if we’re some kind of plague~”
The Anaye Order stood out easily. Among those wearing generally bright-colored priest robes, they were the only ones dressed in black priest robes, making them even more conspicuous.
Of course, the attention wasn’t favorable. Some disliked the Anaye Order itself, but most simply found their Cult Leader, Davide, unpleasant.
Perhaps influenced by Davide already, Canis looked around and sneered at the surroundings.
“Should I~ go tell the Cult Leader~?”
The moment Davide was mentioned directly, the gazes directed at them weakened slightly. Watching that, Aro scoffed.
Having gone through all kinds of hardships in the Far East, those stares felt trivial to her.
“More importantly~ it’s quiet over there~ and quite orderly too~”
To be honest, the students of Museion Academy were fairly disciplined. Just the fact that they stayed within the lines set by the Imperial Knight Order without crossing them was impressive enough.
But the place Canis pointed to was different. It was where Davide, the Cult Leader of the Anaye Order, was. It seemed to be the Combat Department, yet it looked astonishingly calm.
“……You’re right. They’re lined up in perfect rows.”
Aro glanced over and spoke as if dumbfounded. They were just students, yet they stood perfectly aligned without even the slightest movement.
“Maybe it’s because the Vice-Commander is there?”
Winter timidly voiced her opinion. But Canis immediately shook her head.
“I doubt it~ The Vice-Commander has a gentle personality~ Besides, unless it’s the Imperial Knight Order~ she’s not the type to enforce something like that~”
Now that she thought about it, that made sense. Among them, Winter, who was closest to the Vice-Commander, realized it definitely wasn’t her doing.
“Does he really have that much presence?”
“Unni~ of course the Cult Leader can do that~ he’s rough, you know~”
It wasn’t quite something that should be described that way. Winter swallowed the words that nearly escaped her lips.
A temperament violent enough to stab a classmate with a blade. No matter how she thought about it, it wasn’t something a believer of the same Order should be saying.
“Hey. Keep it down over there.”
The first to react was Aro. With her keen hearing and sense of smell, she turned around, and the others followed one by one.
“Us?”
“Yeah. You. The Anaye Order.”
He seemed to be a senior. The priest robes he wore looked expensive, as if a lot of care had gone into them. Aro glanced at Winter.
“It’s the Gashu Order.”
“Ah. Sorry, sorry.”
Aro didn’t know what the Gashu Order was, but she stepped forward and apologized politely.
“Nothing but women, huh.”
But at the next remark, Aro’s expression hardened sharply.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m just stating a fact. Got a problem? Though, looking at it like this, Davide really is handsome.”
Even Winter, who had a gentle nature, frowned. As someone deeply devoted to her faith—praying every day—she felt as though she had been insulted.
What the believer of the Gashu Order said sounded as if the Anaye Order existed only because they had been bewitched by Davide.
“Yeah, far too handsome and admirable to be compared to you.”
“…….”
Rather than getting angry, Aro chose to sneer. It wasn’t severe enough to be considered blasphemy, so stepping in aggressively would only cause trouble.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t angry. A faint red eye makeup—the kind that only appeared during battle—emerged around her eyes.
“You~ a Paladin?”
“That’s right. Why?”
“Hmm~ never mind~”
This time, Canis stepped in. She looked at the believer of the Gashu Order, then glanced at Worden and scoffed.
Then she sharply turned her head away in an infuriating manner. Aro realized for the first time in her life that simply turning one’s head could be that irritating.
“……What’s with that look?”
Seeing Worden’s massive physique, the Gashu Order believer growled. Watching this, Aro mimicked Canis as closely as possible, scoffing and turning her head as well.
Winter wanted to copy that expression given the mood, but she simply didn’t have the confidence. Instead, she shook her head with a look of disdain.
“You little—!”
The Gashu Order believer flared up, but was restrained by someone beside him and had to swallow his anger.
“And what are you!”
The believer flinched when Worden suddenly turned his head. His face looked incredibly gentle, but everything below it was overwhelmingly massive.
The Gashu Order believer snapped irritably.
“Workout? Want me to teach you?”
“What?”
“All of you? You can become like this.”
At Worden’s sudden sales pitch, not only the Gashu Order believer but everyone nearby was left stunned.
“This? I learned it from Bereninche. She’s a great teacher. Want to try?”
“N-no, I’ll pass.”
At the mention of Bereninche, the Gashu Order believer backed down. So she was involved too. He swallowed dryly and avoided Worden’s gaze.