Flying
Banya had been pondering it all this time.
Why do they smell so similar?
Adel’s scent and Shane’s scent were nearly identical.
She hadn’t given it much thought before, but the question was answered the moment she leaned in to tease Adel.
…It’s exactly the same.
The scent that reached her as she whispered in his ear was identical to Shane’s.
Why?
If they had simply met on the way to the training hall, there was no reason for them to carry the same smell. They were clearly hiding something.
Banya stared at Adel and Shane with ice-cold eyes.
“Shane. Mr. Adel. Why do the two of you smell the same?”
Shane barely managed to keep the shock from showing on her face.
What do I do?
Adel and Shane had spent the night in the same bed and washed in the same space. On top of that, Shane had washed both her cadet uniform and Adel’s training clothes together this morning. That was why they smelled alike.
…I never imagined it would come to this.
When neither of them spoke, Banya broke the silence first.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
Despite her words, the look in her eyes seemed sulky to Adel. In truth, though, she really didn’t care.
I’ll find out once I drink with Adel.
Alcohol made people honest. If she asked then, she was sure to learn whatever the two of them were hiding.
“Come in.”
Banya opened the door to her personal training room and stepped inside first.
“…Shall we go in?”
Shane, still holding the door, asked timidly. Her heart had nearly shriveled at Banya’s question.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
Adel, who had been thinking the exact same thing—that they had slept in the same dorm—remained perfectly calm.
Click.
Adel and Shane entered Banya’s personal training room.
“Whoa…”
The sight was so breathtaking that Adel let out an involuntary sigh of admiration.
They were standing on a small sky island. Waterfalls poured down from every direction around it. Below stretched a vast forest, and in the distance, sunlight reflected off the sea like a sunrise, filling the heart with warmth. In that direction, it felt as if nature itself had turned its back to gently embrace the sunlit world.
Huuuung.
A wind blew past.
Unlike Adel’s own training room, which brimmed with fire energy, this place overflowed with the power of wind. Sometimes it carried the warmth of spring, other times the biting chill of winter.
…What kind of training is this for?
Banya must have asked Elena to reshape the space. Adel’s personal room was designed to help him grow closer to fire energy and raise the temperature of his flames. Banya surely had her own purpose for training in a place like this.
“You’re here?”
The figure who had been facing nature turned around.
“What kind of training are you doing?” Adel asked.
Banya smiled naturally, as if she had been expecting the question.
“The first reason I train here is to become friends with the wind.”
“…”
Shane nodded, apparently already aware.
Adel waited for her to continue.
You have to get close to attribute mana before you can use it properly.
Whether through affinity or familiarity, you needed to be on good terms with it first. Otherwise it felt like trying to coordinate with a friend you fought with every day.
“…And the second reason is to fly freely through the sky.”
The next words were completely unexpected.
Fly?
Fly through the sky?
Even though mana was involved, the idea of soaring through the air under one’s own power was still something Adel couldn’t fully comprehend.
“You mean… actually flying in the sky?”
“Yes.”
“…”
Adel said nothing and simply looked at Shane.
“Huh? Oh, it’s fine, Adel. It’s all true. You can believe her.”
“…”
After answering, Shane gave Banya a wink behind Adel’s back.
Banya nodded and extended her hand. The two of them were clearly exchanging some kind of signal without Adel noticing.
“…”
Adel shifted his gaze from Shane to Banya.
“Mr. Adel, could you lend me your hand for a moment?”
Banya was smiling.
Without much suspicion, Adel reached out.
She took his hand. Her fingers slowly intertwined with his until they were firmly clasped together.
“Hehe. Looking forward to it?”
“Looking forward to wha—”
Before he could finish, a fierce gale erupted from Banya’s body.
The whirlwind started at the ground and launched her high into the air.
“Whoa…!”
It was only natural that Adel, whose hand was still linked with hers, rose with her.
In the blink of an eye, they had climbed so high that clouds floated right before their eyes.
“W-wait!”
Startled by the sudden situation, Adel shouted urgently.
“It’s alright.”
Banya’s calm voice reassured him as she tightened her grip on their interlocked fingers.
“…”
Before he realized it, Adel’s panic had faded and his eyes were fixed on Banya.
“Feel the wind.”
Huuuung.
The wind swirling from her body and the natural currents around them felt vividly alive.
Wind energy…
It was different from fire, yet they shared the same root. Both were born from mana and transformed into distinct forms of power.
“You can feel the wind energy, can’t you? That means it’s safe.”
“…Yeah.”
“Now look around.”
Adel pulled his focus away and gazed at their surroundings.
Below lay the sky island where Shane stood, the sprawling forest, and the sea. His own body remained steady despite the cool breeze washing over them, and so did Banya’s.
So this is what flying feels like.
It was something everyone imagined at least once as a child—flying through the sky.
Adel had only ever imagined it too.
Yet here I am, actually doing it.
A profound emotion welled up inside him.
“How is it?”
“It’s amazing.”
Feeling the refreshing wind and the freedom it brought planted a small seed of ease in his heart.
Banya smiled with satisfaction at his answer.
“I’m glad you like it. Let’s head back down now.”
Huuuung.
A violent gale swirled from her body, and they began descending at tremendous speed.
She’s crazy…
It was so fast he thought they wouldn’t be able to land properly.
Tap.
Yet they touched down with perfect stability.
“…Banya.”
Adel called her name, still trying to collect his dazed thoughts.
“Yes? What is it?”
She showed no sign of shock from the feat and maintained her usual graceful demeanor.
“Can I fly too?”
While flying with Banya, he had felt the wind energy. But it was still mana. The conclusion he reached was that flying through the sky was possible as long as one had mana.
“…”
Adel waited for her answer.
“Yes. It’s possible.”
A positive reply came from her lips.
“How?”
“Flying through the sky means wrapping your entire body in mana and becoming one with the natural mana around you. Wind energy simply makes it easier. It’s possible with your flames as well, Mr. Adel.”
“Really? Then why are you practicing how to fly? You seemed to fly just fine.”
Banya had flown freely even while carrying him. It seemed strange that someone like her would still need to practice.
“…I’m still lacking. Even though it may look good, I can’t fly for more than ten minutes. The true powerhouses of the continent can stay in the air for several hours at least.”
“…”
“My father told me that the wind can become anything. But I still don’t know what my own wind is. That’s why I’m focusing on perfecting the fundamentals he taught me.”
Banya was an elf. Elves had their own circumstances.
Adel, unaware of this, simply thought, Her hunter father must be pretty strict…
“You’re back?”
Just as the mood began to grow heavy, Shane walked over.
“Yes.”
“Banya, can I borrow Adel for a bit?”
“Go ahead.”
“…”
Adel remained silent even as the two of them spoke about him like he was an object.
Can I do it like that?
He was too busy recalling Banya’s earlier explanation.
Is the haze of flames not enough?
“…del.”
Why didn’t it work in my personal training room?
Why had it failed in a place overflowing with flames?
Tsk, this is tricky.
“Adel.”
Hoo.
“Ahh…”
Adel, lost in thought, only snapped back to reality when Shane hugged him from behind and blew gently into his ear.
He turned his head to look at Shane’s face resting near his shoulder.
“…What’s wrong?”
“Hmph…”
She stared at him with an odd look, as if something displeased her.
“It’s nothing.”
“Where’s Banya?”
“Over there.”
Where Shane pointed, Banya was soaring through the air using the wind.
“Adel.”
Her voice had grown slightly more serious.
Srung.
Knowing what that meant, Adel drew his sword.
“Please take good care of me today as well?”
Kwaaaaaang!
Though they sparred almost every day, today he could proudly say he had fought exceptionally well.