Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: An Interlude: After St. Maria
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Nighthaven’s Midnight Airport, where dozens of planes came and went without rest, just like any other day.
A woman stepped through the smoothly opening automatic doors, taking off her hat with a bright expression as she exclaimed.
“We’re finally back! Nighthaven!”
The woman with beautiful, cherry-blossom-pink hair flowing freely was none other than Alice.
She had just arrived in Nighthaven, having taken a plane from an airport near St. Maria.
On the way there, they had departed before sunrise and barely arrived after lunch, but on the way back, they had left late in the morning and it wasn't even noon yet.
Alice was deeply impressed by the speed of the plane, which effortlessly outpaced trains and cars.
“Hey, slow down. What's the hurry?”
*Clack, clack.*
Raven, dragging a suitcase behind him with one hand, caught up and chided her.
The look on his face seemed to say, *What is with this girl?*
To be this cheerful even after a trip was over.
Raven looked utterly exhausted by Alice’s unrelenting high spirits.
Of course, this trip had allowed her to shake off the lingering emotions of her past.
Her current demeanor wasn't just about enjoying the trip.
“You’re pretty excited. That happy to be in Nighthaven?”
“Of course. It’s my hometown, you know?”
“…Wasn’t your hometown Japan?”
“I was born in Japan, but Nighthaven is the home of my heart!”
Honestly, Jin, you have no idea what Nighthaven means to metahumans! Zero sensitivity!
Alice said as much while placing a hand on her forehead and shaking her head.
Nowhere else on Earth offered metahumans the freedom that Nighthaven did.
In a way, it was more than enough to be considered their spiritual home, a place where they could feel a strong sense of belonging as metahumans.
However, by definition, a hometown is the place where one was born and raised.
All he’d done was state a fact, so he felt unfairly accused.
“That aside… it’s less crowded and quieter here than I expected. It doesn't feel like the Midnight Airport I know.”
Having scolded Raven, Alice glanced around and offered her assessment.
The reason was simple.
Midnight Airport, one of the two airports in Nighthaven.
It was usually so popular and packed with people that even getting to the restroom was a struggle.
But the scene before her now was more like an unpopular airport, with fewer customers than staff.
Well, calling it unpopular felt wrong, given how everything from the floor to the ceiling screamed expensive.
Using such a term felt a bit misleading.
Raven answered her question matter-of-factly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“That’s because this is a private terminal for customers using chartered planes and business jets. It’s probably insanely expensive just to use it. Even I wouldn't pay for this.”
“Heeh… it’s nice to enjoy such luxury, thanks to Victor.”
“Tell me about it. Good to have a friend like him.”
The reason they were able to use such an expensive private terminal was simple.
Victor had arranged a chartered plane for their return to Nighthaven.
After all, Victor was a world-renowned Fixer.
Operating a chartered plane with the income he earned from his jobs wasn't a major stretch for him.
And since he planned to stay in St. Maria a little longer to recover from his serious injuries.
He had been able to lend them the plane without much trouble.
Air travel was so expensive it was no exaggeration to say you were buying time with money.
And he had even lent them a private chartered plane for free, where they didn't have to deal with anyone else.
He was a man of great generosity, much like his impossibly large muscles.
“Hmph, I'm already starting to miss that guy's muscles.”
“Victor would love to hear you say that.”
As Raven gazed at the sky, reminiscing about Victor, who was likely recuperating in bed.
The rest of the group, who had been walking slowly and chatting behind them, approached.
“Ah, there you two are. We were just looking for you.”
“Hm? Why?”
“We’re going to head off first. Haha… This trip had its share of commotion, but it was truly enjoyable.”
“Mm… right. Glad you had fun. See you at the agency after the holiday.”
“Goodbye! See you after the holiday!”
“Yes.”
“See you again later.”
Well then, take care.
David and Reine bid them a polite farewell.
It seemed their plan was to head back and unpack their things.
“Yuria… we can… hang out again, right?”
“...!”
Sabrina, who had been clinging to Yuria, looked on with a reluctant, regretful expression.
But Yuria gave her a light hug, promising they would see each other again, which finally allowed her to leave.
*Why is she so popular with girls?*
Raven watched Yuria wave to the departing Sabrina with a look of disbelief.
Come to think of it, Alice, Reine, and Sabrina.
Even Karen, whom she had just met, had been eager to give Yuria even a single piece of candy.
Considering all that, she was truly a femme fatale.
*‘Looking at her now, she seems like a perfectly harmless little creature… But the more I dig, the less I understand who she really is.’*
He quietly watched Yuria from behind, recalling the events in Belmont.
He remembered her fight against Akashumir, one of the most difficult members of the Seven Extremes.
No matter how much she concealed her appearance under cloth. Her build, her stride, her breathing.
Considering the evidence she couldn't hide, that ghost had to have been Yuria. No, it could only have been her.
If that was the case, he had to be even more wary of her.
To have bought time against Akashumir of the Red Lightning, an opponent even Raven himself couldn't guarantee victory against… meant she was hiding her power, one way or another.
*‘A being capable of wielding power on par with the Seven Extremes… I can't even imagine the damage she could cause if she ever lost control.’*
Whether she was a psychic, a being thought impossible, or a user of some unique magic with a fundamentally different structure.
If she was a ticking time bomb, Raven, as a Fixer, couldn't simply protect her.
But if she were truly dangerous, would Greg, who had witnessed everything firsthand, remain silent?
If she were a dangerous element like Drakel, the vampire who had wreaked havoc in the Western Labyrinth.
Or a necromancer like Morte, Greg would never trust her as he did.
And as much as he trusted Greg and Yuria, Raven had no choice but to reserve judgment.
To act rashly and ruin their current relationship… he had grown far too close to Yuria for that.
But after his long talk with Victor in St. Maria.
And after encountering the cat metahuman fighting Morte, his perspective had been forced to change.
*‘…The Nexus Project and the Child of God, huh.’*
Raven turned his gaze from Yuria to the large plate-glass window beside him.
Through it, he saw Nighthaven glittering in the midday sun.
The Metahuman Liberation Army on the move, the reappearance of divine traces, the lingering threat of the Invaders.
*I don't know what the future holds, but it won't be a smooth ride.*
Raven secretly entertained the thought.
“Jin, what are you doing? Let’s get going!”
“...?”
“…Ah, right. Let’s go. Home.”
Changing his expression as if swapping masks, Raven leisurely followed the two who were walking ahead.
Alice walking under the bright light, and Raven remaining in the deep shadows.
And Yuria, standing beside Alice, looking back.
The scene felt strangely familiar, he thought for a moment.
***
At the same time, in a certain machine workshop where devices hummed without rest.
A white-haired woman was in a state of extreme concentration, so much so that it was hard to tell if she was even breathing.
With a screwdriver in hand, she was slowly adjusting a microscopic gear.
With each tiny movement, lines of mana around her bounced about like a melody.
It was a mystical sight, as if the woman were a brilliant conductor.
And she was conducting an orchestra playing the laws of magic.
The moment the miniscule gear clicked, as if locking into place.
The mana, which had been flickering erratically like a candle in the wind, began to move along a precise path as if under someone's command.
Like a radio that had been emitting static suddenly finding a clear frequency.
The mana poured into a small doll on the woman's desk, as if being pulled in.
Ten seconds, or was it exactly eleven?
After that much time had passed, the doll on the desk slowly opened its eyes… and spoke.
“Hello, Master. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“I-It’s… done!”
The white-haired woman shot up, crying out in joy at the sight of the doll.
It was the triumphant cry of a certain mechanic who had been working tirelessly, even through the holiday.