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 kiloters away in the Republic of Aylan.”
If I pushed the Veil of Plud Mist to its maximum output and capacity, it could fly five tis 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 mont the propulsion sound added to the turbine sound, it beca possible to break through the sound barrier. From there, the more the Veil of Plud Mist’s output increased, the more the turbine sound faded, and the propulsion sound—sothing 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 ant to make that absurd flight possible.
‘Temperature changes from high-altitude ascent can be managed by the Veil of Plud 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 ti 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 mbers 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 sothing 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 ?”
I answered Irena imdiately.
“I’m not family. And when it cos 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 sothing up first.”
I had assud he was doing sothing necessary for the family. But now, I needed to know.
“The president of Lunaseeker ca to the Vasella family. He ca 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. Sothing was going on, and the Simid family was entangled in it.
Right at the center of it.
“That’s not a question for .”
“…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 to follow you?”
That was the question Irena needed to ask Kyros. Was she soone Kyros needed?
It wasn’t sothing 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 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 soone down or get in the way.
Especially not soone who had helped her so much.
“Weren’t you following to learn from in the first place?”
Irena flinched slightly. Kyros was right. From the beginning, she had been traveling with him to learn.
“You’re with 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 beco sothing 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 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 assessnt of herself, delivered with a sigh.
“Wow, you kept going on about being baggage earlier, and now I’ve literally beco one.”
“Oh, shut up and let 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 fundantally 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 Plud Mist.
‘The air’s unstable here.’
If he wanted stable flight relying solely on the Veil of Plud 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 mont 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 an 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 so 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 mont, then let out a heavy sigh.
“Father…”
She murmured briefly and turned toward the city.
This ti, she hoped she could finally find the answers to her questions.
‘If Father is thinking sothing 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 imdiately 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 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 ca, Simid Kellogg had sensed he wouldn’t be able to avoid this mont.
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 beco 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 ti 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 ti to be curious about that.
— Listen closely. Because what pushed 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 sothing you could just brush off. Everyone still rembered 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 claid 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.
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