The kobold crouched low.
His nose twitched repeatedly.
Then his eyes began to glow with a faint amber light.
Slowly, he swept his head from side to side.
Sniffing.
Searching.
The others remained silent, allowing him to work.
Several moments later—
he straightened.
"...Alright."
"We're moving on to Plan B."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"There are more trails than I expected."
He pointed toward the streets branching away from the intersection.
"Blood."
"Old."
"Fresh."
"Rats'."
"All sorts of nonsense."
"They're all mixed together."
His ears twitched again.
"But..."
He slowly turned toward the southern road leading out of Blue Feather.
"...There's one trail leading out of town."
The archer followed his gaze.
"Do you think it's his?"
The kobold frowned.
"I can't say for sure."
A brief pause.
"But..."
"The scent of blood on that trail..."
The fur along his neck visibly bristled.
"...makes my hair stand on end."
Silence followed.
The archer rested a hand on her bow.
"Should we follow it?"
Before anyone else could answer—
the human knight shook his head.
"That could be a complete waste of time."
He folded his arms.
"And even if it is his trail..."
His eyes swept across the group.
"...what exactly are we supposed to do if we actually find him?"
Nobody answered immediately.
The knight continued.
"He defeated a Fifth-Star."
"He fought the Saint Princess."
"He escaped the Holy Empire."
His voice grew more serious.
"And the strongest person in our party is only a Fourth-Star."
He glanced toward the lizardman.
"If we somehow run into him..."
"...we'll just die."
The kobold clicked his tongue.
"You bastard."
He pointed a claw at the knight.
"If you're that scared..."
"...then get lost already."
The knight frowned.
"...Me?"
Before the argument could escalate—
Lindor spoke.
"He's right."
Both of them turned toward the mage.
Lindor calmly adjusted his glasses.
"We're not looking for him to claim the bounty."
His gaze shifted toward the road leading out of Blue Feather.
"We're looking for information."
The lizardman gave a slow nod.
"Exactly."
His deep voice carried a quiet authority.
"If we can determine where he's heading..."
"...or even the direction he's traveled..."
"...that information alone could be worth a fortune."
His yellow eyes swept across each member of the party.
"The Adventurers' Guild would buy it."
"The Empire would buy it."
"Information brokers would buy it."
"Noble houses would buy it."
A brief pause.
"We don't need to fight him."
"We only need to stay far enough behind that he never notices us."
"And once we've confirmed his route..."
"...we sell the information."
The kobold's grin slowly returned.
"Now that's a plan I can get behind."
The archer nodded thoughtfully.
"It also gives us the best chance of staying alive."
The knight still looked unconvinced.
"...Assuming he doesn't notice us."
The lizardman's yellow eyes remained fixed on the road leading away from Blue Feather.
"If he does..."
Silence settled over the group.
Then he finished calmly.
"...we run."
No one laughed.
Because every one of them knew he wasn't joking.
---
Far to the southeast—
high above endless forests and rolling mountains—
an airship sailed gracefully through the clouds.
Its enchanted engines hummed with a steady rhythm.
Wind rushed across the deck.
The bright afternoon sun reflected off polished metal as the vessel continued toward its destination.
At the helm—
the pilot sat with one hand lazily resting on the control wheel.
The other held a half-eaten fruit.
He took another bite without the slightest concern.
**CRUNCH.**
Nearby—
Kaelira lounged comfortably against a chair.
One leg rested over the other.
She stared at the endless sea of clouds for a while before finally speaking.
"...Are we there yet?"
The pilot didn't even look at her.
"What do *you* think?"
Kaelira rolled her eyes dramatically.
"I think you're being lazy."
She pointed toward the control wheel.
"And not flying this thing properly."
The pilot finally glanced sideways.
"...Is that so?"
A dry smile appeared on his face.
"If you think you can do better..."
He casually lifted one hand away from the controls.
"...be my guest."
A brief pause.
"You'll probably get everyone killed."
Kaelira's eyebrow twitched.
"You bastard."
She sat upright.
"And what exactly is *that* supposed to mean?"
The pilot merely shrugged.
"Can you fly an airship?"
"...No."
"Then shut up."
Silence.
Kaelira stared at him.
Then—
a slow grin spread across her face.
"Oh..."
"So that's how we're doing things now, Ryke."
The pilot sighed.
Already regretting opening his mouth.
Kaelira pointed at him with a smug smile.
"You know, Ryke..."
She deliberately stretched out his name.
"...you've got a dog's name."
Her grin widened.
"I honestly don't know what your parents were thinking."
She cleared her throat dramatically.
> "Yeah..."
>
> "*Ryke.*"
>
> "Perfect."
She burst into laughter.
"That's tragic."
The pilot kept his eyes fixed ahead.
"...You seem very proud of yourself."
"I am."
He sighed again.
"I should've ignored you when you asked for my name."
Kaelira leaned back smugly.
"Too bad."
"You already told me."
Another bite of fruit.
**CRUNCH.**
Without looking at her, Ryke spoke.
"...You've been making the same joke for two days."
Kaelira nodded seriously.
"And it'll still be funny tomorrow."
"It wasn't funny the first time."
"It was."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
She folded her arms triumphantly.
"You're just jealous because your name sounds like someone calling their pet."
Ryke's expression remained perfectly blank.
He slowly took another bite of his fruit.
**CRUNCH.**
Only then did he answer.
"Says the one with dog ears."
His eyes finally shifted toward her.
"...And a tail."
Silence.
Kaelira blinked.
Then pointed at herself.
"...Excuse me?"
She flicked one of her ears indignantly.
"My ears are wolf ears."
She grabbed her tail.
"And this..."
"...is a wolf tail."
Ryke shrugged.
"Looks close enough."
Kaelira gasped dramatically.
"Oh."
"Oh, now you're just being racist."
Ryke nodded without the slightest hesitation.
"Yeah."
"I guess I'm racist now."
A brief pause.
"I don't mind."
Kaelira's eye twitched.
"You bastard human."
Ryke took another bite.
**CRUNCH.**
"I've been called worse."
"You should be ashamed."
"I'm really not."
"You should apologize."
"No."
"You didn't even hesitate!"
"I already knew my answer."
Kaelira stared at him for several long seconds.
Then muttered under her breath,
"...One day, I'm going to throw you off this ship."
Ryke continued looking out across the clouds.
"You'd need to know how to fly it first."
"..."
"...I hate you, bastard."
"I know."
"You don't even sound bothered."
"I'm used to you."
Kaelira clicked her tongue loudly.
"Tch."
"...Still racist."
Ryke ignored her completely.
---
A few steps away—
another figure sat quietly near the rear of the control deck.
Unlike the two who constantly bickered—
she hadn't reacted even once.
The cultist sat cross-legged atop a sturdy wooden crate.
Resting in her hands was a strange metallic artifact resembling a gyroscope.
Several interlocking rings rotated slowly around a glowing central core.
Thin strands of mana connected each piece together.
Tiny runes shimmered faintly across its surface.
Click.
Click.
Click.
With practiced precision—
she adjusted another fragment of the artifact.
Testing it.
Reassembling it.
Taking it apart once more.
Then assembling it again.
Beside her—
Lyriana sat silently.
Simply watching.
The rhythmic clicking of metal echoed softly across the deck, weaving between the occasional crunch of fruit and Kaelira's endless complaints.