Chapter 73: Reverser (Patreon)

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[   Intelligent Universal Translator   ]

[   Language deciphered: Illian   ]

“Sorry, what was that?” I ask.

“I said, I don’t remember boarding you. What’s your name, and who are you with?”

Crap, already?

System, cut me some slack, will ya?

Clearing my throat, I speak. “My name’s Kevin. nice to meet you.”

With a beaming smile, I stick my hand out.

He glances at it, then back to me. “Who are you with?”

Dammit!

“I’m with that uh, rich lady. It’s embarrassing, but I forget names easily.” Embarrassed, I reach and scratch behind my neck.

Identify Living Being

[   Decisive Airship Pilot (Ilgrash Bennon) lv. 99   ]

[   Highest stat: Perception   ]

Tier three?

And why the hell is the pilot the first one to see me!?

Ilgrash narrows his eyes and leans in. “Lady Finmon?”

I snap my fingers. “Yes! I’m her bodyguard.”

His expression doesn’t change as he stares me in the eye, inspecting every movement.

Standing strong, I meet his gaze and don’t shrink back.

I’m not just Kevin anymore.

I’m a high human.

“I don’t remember welcoming you on board.” He says suspiciously.

Dude! Give me a break!

“You were leaning back and talking to your crewmate. I think you missed me, because I walked on right behind Lady Finmon.” I speak without stuttering.

He leans in even further, and I can feel my heart shrink back in my chest.

After a few seconds of pressure, he hmphs and leans back. “Maintain a little professionalism on my ship.” He turns and walks away.

Releasing a deep breath, I collapse slightly.

One day, people are going to accept me with open arms.

One day.

System, hit me.

[   Primary Objective: Prevent pirates from escaping with the ship’s core   ]

[   Secondary Objective: Sink at least one enemy airship   ]

[   Time remaining: 0.197 Cycles   ]

Airship battle?

Hell yeah.

I take a moment to look over my ranged options.

There’s my bow, fireball staff, and the force magic on my gauntlets.

For the gauntlets and staff, I’m not sure of the range, nor have I tested them extensively.

The best choice is likely the bow.

Its destructive power during the final fight of the open-world area is still enough to send shivers down my spine.

Strong enough to blast my skill-reinforced arm off and still shake the room after hitting the wall.

In a way, the longbowman was the scariest of the king’s group.

Nodding, I walk across the deck to the staircase.

From bow to stern, the airship is roughly a hundred feet long.

First, I have to see where the core is.

Can’t protect it otherwise.

Not because I want to see a sick ass anti-gravity core.

Certainly not.

The sky disappears as I move down the staircase, my eye readjusting to the dim interior.

Wooden planks line the walls, ceiling, and floor inside, the stairs leading to an intersection.

Gentle blue lamps sit attached overhead at regular intervals.

It’s easy to notice a severe lack of metal, only being a part of the fixtures around the lamps.

Even the nails in the planks are made of wood.

I wonder if they have to worry about weight?

Traveling to the back of the ship, I admire the workmanship.

The ship is clearly well-kept, with a lack of any stains or damage to be seen anywhere.

Rooms pass by, and I nod to a couple walking past.

The woman wears a dress with an excessive amount of frills in light, gentle colors, while the man wears deeper, more saturated hues in a thick tunic.

Slipping around them, I continue to the back to only find a wall.

It takes more searching, but I find another stairwell leading deeper.

Things are so stable for how high the ship is.

It almost feels like I’m in a hotel at home.

Except those are mostly made of concrete.

It doesn’t take much longer until I see the first bit of metal on the ship.

Two men clad in the same grey uniform as the pilot stand in front of a door lined with polished metal.

The door is significantly thicker than the others in the hallway, and has metal nails reinforcing it.

Bingo.

This has to be the core room.

Each man wears a single simple short sword at their side.

My perception-enhanced eyesight allows me to make out formation-type scribbles on the sides.

One of them clears their throat, pulling my gaze up.

They both stare at me.

More specifically, the weapons on my back.

Identify Living Being

[   Guardsman (Gilin Resh) lv. 35   ]

[   Highest stat: Agility   ]

[   Lowest stat: Vitality   ]

[   Swift Warrior (Perconste Heffle) lv. 38   ]

[   Highest stat: Agility   ]

[   Lowest stat: Wisdom   ]

Being a guardsman is popular, huh?

Clearing my throat and nodding, I hold my hand out. “Hello, my name’s Kevin. Good to meet you.”

They relax slightly at my tone and reach out to shake my hand one after the other.

“Greetings, Kevin. I’m Gilin, and this is Perconste.” He nods to the other guard. “How can we help you?”

“Well,” I look to the side in faux embarrassment. “It’s always been a dream of mine to see the core of an airship. Is it alright if I come in and take a look?”

Gilin shakes his head sadly. “I’m afraid not. The captain has us under strict orders.”

I hang my head in disappointment. “Dang, Lady Finmon said I’d be able to, but I guess not. Sorry for troubling you.” I turn around and walk back down the hallway.

“Wait!” A voice sounds behind me.

A sly smile forms, but I wipe it away as I turn back.

“You’re with Lady Finmon?” Perconste asks hesitantly.

“Yes! I’m her bodyguard!” This time, my excitement doesn’t have to be hidden.

“Shouldn’t you be with her?” Perconste asks.

I wave dismissively. “My associate is keeping a keen eye out. There’s no one I trust more than him.”

Both guards glance at each other, communicating in a way only longtime friends can.

Gilin makes a stand. “Regardless, we can’t-”

Perconste grabs him by the shoulder, pulling him into a huddle as they whisper to each other.

Glancing away, I lean in slightly.

“... to the king.” Perconste whispers.

Gilin’s eyes widen, glancing at me before turning back. “... working for her?”

“I saw the … .”

They unbreak the huddle, returning to their positions.

“And you spoke about this with the captain?” Gilin glances at me with a side-eye.

I nod. “Wouldn’t dream of it otherwise.”

“Very well.” He sticks out a finger. “We’ll know if you’re lying before we hit landfall.”

YES!

I’ll be long gone before whenever hitting landfall happens.

Giddy, I dash back and wait at the door.

“But you’ll have to leave your weapons out here.” Gilin’s expression becomes serious.

“Sure!” I say, unholstering the bow, quiver, axe, and staff.

He looks at me with surprise as I lean them all against the wall next to the door.

“What?” I ask.

“Well, bodyguards usually aren’t so keen on leaving their weapons.”

My best weapons are still on me, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“Heh, what can I say? You seem trustworthy.” Reaching out, I pat Gilin on the shoulder and send him stumbling a few steps to the side.

“Oops,” I wince. “Sorry about that.”

Crap, I hope that doesn’t look like an attack.

To my surprise, he straightens himself while chuckling. “Have you leveled up a lot recently?”

I scratch the back of my neck in embarrassment. “Is it that obvious?”

He pats me on the arm the same way I did to him. “You’ll get used to it.”

Perconste turns and knocks in a specific pattern before waiting a few seconds and pushing the door open.

The blue light of unattributed mana floods into the hallway.

My jaw drops as a hand directs me into the small room.

The floor and ceiling extend by two extra feet, bringing the height of the room to a dozen feet.

Two immense metal plates are bolted to the top and bottom of the room, linked by a foot-wide column of metal.

At the center of the column, a gem the size of a marble hovers inside, shining powerfully and coating the entire room in a coat of blue.

A spiderweb of thin metal lines, over a thousand of them, curve, swirl, bend, and twist around each other.

A level of complexity I can’t hope to comprehend.

Gilin pats me on the shoulder again. “Heh, I had the same face when I first saw a reverser.”

The stupid name jolts me out of my stupor. “That name sucks.”

“Oh yeah? What would you call it?”

“Anti-grav core sounds way cooler.”

He looks at me like I’m crazy. “That sounds so choppy, though.”

Realization strikes me.

I’ve been using the translation skill this whole time.

To them, I’m speaking their language.

He might actually be right.

Another man speaks from the right, hidden in my blind spot. “It’s not actually the core that counters gravity. It’s the structure around it, so the name wouldn’t work.”

Turning, I see an older man in a tighter, form-fitting uniform that’s clearly styled after the guards’ uniforms.

He sits at a desk filled with buttons and gauges, similar to the control board on a steam-powered train on Earth.

“Besides, speeders use an air affinity structure, which makes the term ‘reverser’ applicable to them as well.”

Identify Living Being

[   Array Engineer (Hogish Klestraran) lv. 72   ]

[   Highest stat: Intelligence   ]

[   Lowest stat: Fortitude   ]

Before I can ask about the core, Gilin speaks.

“So be honest, Kevin. You’re from the Andrean Isles, aren’t you?”

“Isn’t that where the captain’s from?” Perconste asks.

“That’s right,” Gilin slaps me on the shoulder playfully. “That’s the only place that beasts like the captain and this guy can come from. What’d they feed you as a kid? Riche sticks?”

“Better yet, how did an Andrean catch the eye of Lady Finmon?” Perconste asks. “You must’ve been a long way from home in Ecaflip.”

“Yeah! What’s it like in the palace?” Perconste asks, bubbling with excitement.

All three men lean in at that question, eager to hear the answer.

“Heh, It’s a bit of a long story…” I trail off, the core pulling my gaze to it again.

“I’m more curious about the core. Does it really stabilize the entire ship from here?”

Hogish beams at the question and stands, stepping toward me. “Actually, the formation is spread out through the ship in thin channels. At the bow and stern, there are four diff-”

Gilin places a hand on my back, goading me to the door while sighing. “Alright, you’ve had your look. Let’s get you out of here before Hog starts spilling national secrets.”

What? I wanted to know more!

This might be my only chance to learn more about gravity affinity!

I don’t push back against Gilin as he and Preconste follow me out of the room before closing the door.

“It was good meeting you, Kevin. Send Lady Finmon our regards.”

He nods respectfully.

“Sure thing. It was good meeting you too.” I give him a nod and a smile before turning around.

Dang it.

That might be one of my only chances to get my hands on a gravity spell while I’m in the tutorial.

I want to see more, but at least I know where the objective is.

If all else fails, I can retreat here and defend it.

Retracing my steps, I move back through the interior.

A trio of women in frilly outfits glance at me before whispering to each other and giggling.

I don’t look at them as I walk by.

Hopefully, they’re talking about my dashing good looks and not the fact that I’m wearing sweatpants and a leather chestplate.

Both of which are torn half to shreds.

The smell of salt brings relief as the wind blows on my face.

The objective mentioned an enemy airship, so it’s unlikely that the core will be stolen by a thief or someone already on the ship.

That means the threat will come from the air.

My first step touches on the deck, and I freeze.

Next to the mast in the center of the deck, Captain Ilgrash is facing my direction while speaking to a woman.

Delicately styled blonde hair, a light blue form-fitting dress, and accessories of a quality that rises an order above everyone else on the ship.

A hunch tells me I know who that woman is.

Identify Living Being.

[   Royal Tailor (Teras Finmon) lv. 117   ]

Sucking air through my teeth, I flip on my heels and head back down the stairs.

Don’t notice. Don’t notice. Don’t notice.

Right before I’m covered by the wall, Ilgrash peers over her shoulder and waves to me.

“Kevin!”

Shit.