Floor 31: Hunting the Sky Whales (3)

"That's exactly it. I don't want to kill the Sky Whales."

"And that's precisely what I don't understand. Are you saying you'll withdraw the extermination unit?"

"No, nothing like that."

Roxanne furrowed her brow, and I let out a small, frustrated sigh.

"I'm saying we should drive the Sky Whales out of Mount Tumei."

"Drive them out?"

"The extermination unit only came to secure the air route. If the Sky Whales leave the mountain, the unit will naturally disband."

"Hm. And where exactly do you plan to send them?"

Roxanne's eyes settled into a calm stillness. She wasn't asking because she genuinely agreed with my idea — her tone carried the edge of someone picking an argument apart.

"Oren? Senica? Purmo?"

Unfamiliar words. They sounded like the names of nearby regions, but I couldn't make sense of them. I quietly waited for her to continue.

"There's nowhere near here for the Sky Whales to live. Thanks to that damned, cursed development."

"...Couldn't we send them somewhere farther away?"

"Pffah."

Roxanne snorted at my question.

"Sure, there is. East of Regium hasn't been developed yet. But do you have any idea how many major cities lie along the route there?"

Hm... how would I know, when I don't even know where that is?

It wasn't exactly the moment to ask, either, so I simply kept my mouth shut.

"Five. Five cities, if you can believe it. Setting aside the question of how we'd even move the Sky Whales, the real problem remains. The city hunters. How many whales do you think would survive the journey?"

Roxanne dismantled my idea with cold logic.

Major cities. Hunters...

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn't know the details, but it seemed the cities themselves ran hunts for the Sky Whales.

Well, fair enough. Even at a glance, the creatures inspired a crushing sense of awe. And an animal held sacred? There was nothing better for stirring up human greed.

Hah... what am I supposed to do?

Anxiety gnawing at me, I bit down on my lower lip. A dull ache bloomed there, blunted by my pain resistance.

Listening to Roxanne, I realized how rash my suggestion had been.

It had come out as casually as small talk, but the very first hurdle — how to guide the Sky Whales anywhere — was already a wall.

The extermination unit has the whale lure incense, but...

The Sky Whales flew, quite literally, through the sky. And neither I nor the elves could fly.

Even gathering the whales scattered across the mountain range into one place looked nearly impossible.

Hah... I guess I have no choice but to kill them?

No better solution came to mind.

The Tower had clearly ordered me to drive the whales from the mountain. But betraying the extermination unit to protect the whales made no sense either.

It wasn't for nothing that I risked friction with the unit and tried talking with the elves...

I'd hoped they might toss me a clue about the hidden mission. I felt a flicker of disappointment.

"I know you're not cruel like the rest of them. Honestly, I never expected the extermination commander to be this kind of person."

Whether she'd read my expression or not, Roxanne's voice had grown noticeably softer than before.

Or maybe she simply felt a little guilty after tearing into me so fiercely.

"And truthfully, it's not a bad plan in principle. The Mount Tumei air route is a vital trade artery, so this war won't end quickly. Humans against elves — a fight where we're outnumbered. In the end, we will win."

A shadow of regret flickered across Roxanne's face.

"But as you said, moving the Sky Whales is realistically impossible. And you couldn't defeat the extermination unit yourself. Correct?"

"...Yes."

I nodded weakly.

One way or another, I still had to follow the trial the Tower had given me.

"Meeting an unexpected benefactor is a good thing, but our circumstances don't favor either of us. Let's part for today. But the next time we meet, a conversation like today's won't fly."

Roxanne turned away without a trace of hesitation.

Fighting a war she knew even the elves couldn't win...

Her retreating figure struck me as pitiful, and a fresh wave of sorrow washed over me.

And at the same time, I became one hundred percent certain the hidden mission existed.

She said it's a war the elves would inevitably lose given time. So why give me seven days...

It meant saving the Sky Whales alive and driving them out was the hidden mission.

Well, it could just be a measure to restore the trade route quickly, but...

The incident had begun the moment I was summoned. It had to be tied to the hidden mission somehow.

I watched Roxanne's back as she walked away.

And a gut feeling told me that if I let this moment pass, the hidden mission would slip beyond reach forever.

...Did I miss something?

My mind spun into overdrive.

Only an hour had passed since my summoning, so retracing my memories wasn't hard.

Then, in that instant, something struck me like lightning between the eyes.

The airship. And the whale lure incense.

Roxanne was drifting farther away.

I hadn't fully organized the idea yet, but I had no time to spare.

I hurriedly called after her.

"Wait a moment, please!"

Roxanne turned her head and simply stared at me instead of answering. Her eyes were full of questions. Since I was the one in a hurry, I closed the distance first.

Thirty meters.

I deliberately walked slowly, trying to buy every second to sort out my thoughts.

Still, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was too short a span to work out a concrete ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plan.

"Is something the matter?"

"I think there might be a way to move the Sky Whales."

"A way, you say?"

Roxanne asked back, her face a picture of bewilderment.

Since I hadn't thought it through in depth, I kept the explanation as brief as I could.

"Using an airship and the whale lure incense, I believe we could guide the Sky Whales ourselves. The hunters, I'll deal with personally."

Roxanne scratched the back of her neck. It looked less like an itch and more like a habit she fell into when deliberating.

As I spoke, I added the parts I myself felt were shaky.

"What I mean is — we board the airship, and from above, use the lure incense to lead the whales along."

"The airship and the lure incense... that's not a bad idea. And you're the one who hurls lightning around, so you could handle any hunters who interfere."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Roxanne showed genuine interest.

Good. Judging by how much attention she was giving it, my idea wasn't off the mark.

"But even if the extermination unit has the lure incense, how exactly do you plan to get an airship?"

"Uh..."

The question blindsided me, and my mouth went dry. Seeing that, Roxanne let out a soft, "heh," of a laugh.

"If I had to guess, Lord Kwon Suhyeok, you operate separately from the rest of the extermination unit, don't you?"

"Yes... I'll be moving alone."

"Then let's speak again once you find a way to secure an airship. The idea itself isn't bad."

Roxanne extended her hand toward my left. A breeze rippled across the ring of the Azure Dawn Wind.

"Pour your mana into it, and the wind spirit will guide you to me."

"Uuugh. Dobby, what do we do?"

"Kkiik! No idea!"

After parting ways with Roxanne, I returned to the barracks, but no way to get my hands on an airship came to mind.

Instead, a whole crop of questions I hadn't considered before began surfacing.

First, even if I hijacked an airship, could I actually pilot the thing? It wasn't exactly like driving a car.

I'd love it if the elves could fly it, but...

I was skeptical. This conflict centered on the elves, guardians of nature, versus the development-obsessed humans.

Somehow I doubted the elves could operate an airship.

And there's the fact that I promised to handle the hunters...

The harpoon guns the extermination unit members carried flashed through my mind.

This was a world with airships and things resembling cars. There would surely be weapons capable of intercepting an airship in the sky.

Granted, I had my Shadow Veil, but I couldn't sustain it for over a week straight.

Could I deflect every single attack with Thunderclap Flash and the Essence of Lightning?

Well... more than any of that, finding an airship is priority number one.

Hoping for a lead on an airship, I kept combing through the documents in the barracks — but unfortunately, nothing substantial turned up.

All I gained was some basic knowledge about the elves and this place.

So that's why the elves are so gaunt — they're extreme conservationists, apparently.

And how extreme? They didn't even eat plants.

Apparently they only consumed the harmful insects that damaged trees and the rest of nature.

Frankly, they were a species running at least three laps ahead of the vegetarians back on Earth.

"Ah, whatever. Let's take a break, Dobby. Lie down on the bed for a bit."

"Kkiik! Yes! Rest!"

Staring at dry documents for over half an hour had given me a splitting headache. I leaned back deep into my chair.

Just then, a voice came from beyond the barracks door.

"Commander, may I come in?"

"Yes, come in."

The words were barely out of my mouth before the unit commander opened the entrance and stepped inside.

His expression was troubled, like a man lost in thought.

Still, perhaps because I'd demonstrated my strength, even the look in his eyes had changed from how he'd treated me earlier.

"I came because I was curious what you discussed with the elves."

His manner was respectful, but something oddly sharp lurked at the edge of his words.

Well, fair enough. From his perspective, the parachute commander had turned out to be absurdly powerful — and was now whispering with the elves on top of it.

Any unit commander who'd originally led these men would have complicated feelings about that.

"We didn't talk about much. It was just to halt the fighting. Now that the elves have shown up, the Sky Whale hunt was a dead cause anyway. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"That's why I stopped it. Causing pointless damage serves no purpose. I spoke with the elves to defuse the situation, that's all."

"...Still, if we'd killed even a few of those elven bastards, the next hunt would've gone smoother."

The unit commander bristled slightly. Apparently my earlier actions hadn't sat well with him.

I tilted my head, feigning innocence.

"Hmm. The way I saw it, the only ones taking more damage were our own men."

"If we'd detonated the landmines on schedule, we would've had the upper hand!"

"Oh, come now. Aren't you putting a bit too much faith in the extermination unit?"

The unit commander fell silent.

After all, in reality, the unit had been floundering badly in its engagements with the elves.

The number of Sky Whales hunted since the unit's arrival was exactly zero.

That much I'd learned from the documents earlier.

The reason was twofold. First, the elves gathered here were elite veterans.

And second — though who leaked the information, I don't know...

the elves had reached Mount Tumei before the covertly dispatched extermination unit did.

As for why no reinforcements were coming despite the sluggish progress of the extermination, the answer was simple too.

For the sake of the commander's and unit commander's service records, the higher command still hadn't been informed of the situation.

"Commander, were you aware that the enemy uses bait to draw our gunfire into barrages, then closes the distance through the gaps?"

"...I was not."

"And though you'll learn it now from my conversation with the elves — they knew about the landmines. Judging by how boldly they advanced, they must have had some countermeasure ready."

"What in the—"

The unit commander's eyes went round as saucers.

Well, to be honest, that last part I'd made up.

But rank is a cheat code. There was no way he could press me on whether it was really true.

"I acted with all of that in mind. Fighting a prepared enemy is never a good thing."

"My apologies, sir."

"Which is exactly why I'm saying this... I think we need to change our approach."

"Change our approach, sir?"

"Honestly, this whole thing resolves itself if the elves are simply gone. Rather than hunting Sky Whales right under the enemy's nose, wouldn't it be better to deal with the elves first?"

"You mean...?"

The unit commander asked carefully, his voice thick with expectation.

He seemed to have already grasped the meaning behind my words. I did my best to summon the most villainous smile I could manage.

"Yes. We strike the elves first. I'll give you three days. Come up with a plan for the assault."

"Yes, sir!"

"The Sky Whales are on the back burner for now. If any appear nearby, just leave them be. Every time we hunt one, the elves come swarming, and the damage only grows."

"Understood, sir."

Granted, I'd told a few lies — but thanks to that, the look in the unit commander's eyes had shifted.

It was faint still, but I could see trust forming toward me.

The real reason I'd deliberately proposed striking the elves was to keep him from volunteering to go hunt Sky Whales in the meantime.

And the three days of breathing room, too...

If I couldn't find an airship within that window, the hidden mission would be gone for good.

I had seven days.

Roxanne had said we'd have to cross five major cities. Even at one city per day, that was five days.

If I failed to seize an airship within two, I'd have no choice but to kill the Sky Whales after all.

That was the fallback plan I'd worked out for myself.

Just then, the unit commander — who had saluted and been on his way out of the barracks — turned back around.

"Ah! Commander, sir."

"What is it?"

"The airship you arrived on last week. Since you said the operation might end early, you ordered it to stand by — it's still at the temporary landing field. It slipped my mind until just now... shall we send it back?"

...Found it. The airship.

I felt my eyes go wide, naturally, at the unit commander's words.