Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: An Incident Aboard the Luxury Airship (2)
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An incident aboard the super-luxurious airship (2)
The Leviathan, the Fixer Association's premier luxury airship.
Designed for military purposes with a length of 250 meters, this airship boasted truly monstrous performance.
A cargo capacity of 200 tons, room for over a thousand passengers, a cruising speed of 250 km/h, and an airtime of up to a fortnight!
Perhaps it was because it had been lavishly equipped with all sorts of innovative technologies developed during the war against the metahumans.
The Leviathan was considered one of humanity's masterpieces, evaluated as having far surpassed the limits of an airship.
Moreover, despite being deployed on all manner of military missions, it had never been destroyed, tenaciously surviving to the end.
It would be no exaggeration to call it a battle-hardened veteran in the form of an airship.
Of course, its interior had since been remodeled, and it was now treated like a passenger vessel flying through the skies…
But if war were to break out again, it could shed all its cumbersome additions and soar high into the air.
Perhaps it would soon reclaim its former powerful and glorious form.
Make the Leviathan great again! Peace to this chaotic world!
“Isn’t the view outside lovely? Looking down leisurely at the ground from this height isn't an experience one gets to have every day.”
“…”
The old man’s voice reached my ears as I was blankly trying to escape reality.
He was right. How many chances does one get in a lifetime to ride something like this?
I nodded in agreement, my gaze shifting toward the source of the voice.
There stood an old man with a rather stern-looking expression.
He had an ordinary, lean build, but it felt as if it were packed solid with muscle.
He had an aura that suggested he could fold a scrawny kid like me in half with just one hand.
Well, since his current human form was just a disguise for his true self—a giant, winged lizard.
The fact that he could actually crumple me up with one hand was, of course, quite astonishing.
“Yes, you must have been bored waiting. Your scores are quite excellent. The third assignment had no particular points of interest, but you ranked 40th out of 1600 on the first, and 1st out of 525 on the second. Your mental fortitude seems quite strong, doesn't it?”
“…”
“Ah, I was told you couldn't speak. I shouldn't have asked for a response.”
What could I say? The old man was none other than Tempest.
The great Dragon Mayor of our Nighthaven. A living, breathing deterrent of war.
A worldwide celebrity, as difficult to meet in person as any global superstar.
Why was such a great man within arm's reach?
The reason was simple.
He was the examiner for this assignment… or more precisely, the interviewer.
‘In the original story, it was someone else… Is it because of Vespera?’
If so, this was an extremely tense situation.
It would have been one thing with someone else, but for the interviewer to be Tempest, the master of Nighthaven himself…
What if he got suspicious of my guardedness and decided to look into me?
My incredibly suspicious activities might be exposed in a flash.
Therefore, I steeled myself and forced a nod.
Since there was no real reason for him to be suspicious, I judged it was better to act nonchalant.
What did he think upon seeing my reaction?
Tempest simply gave me a quick once-over and lightly stroked his beard.
“That on your face is an artifact, correct? Does it have any special functions?”
“…”
“Right, a pointless question. If it did, the staff would have noticed beforehand. Hmm, you have no identification? Is the name Yuria an alias, then?”
“…!”
I shook my head at his rather serious question.
Tempest probably meant to ask if I had participated while hiding my identity.
I wasn't exactly hiding my identity, but I had no choice but to answer no.
It was a name Greg had given me after I fell into this world.
But now, no matter what anyone said, my name was Yuria, and nothing else.
Fortunately, he seemed to have understood the intent behind my answer.
Tempest furrowed his brow slightly, as if to say, *is that so…*, and spoke.
“So you don't have any clear identification. Well, that's fine. You can become a Fixer without one. It is a bit strange for a human not to have any identification, though.”
“…”
He had a point, but…
I discreetly swallowed, trying my best to maintain a calm demeanor.
It wasn’t particularly strange for a metahuman to lack identification.
There was no way those who came from other worlds could register their births.
Besides, it had only been a dozen years or so since a clear system was established.
That was likely why the Fixer Association didn’t much care about accepting people without identification as Fixers.
However, the fact that a human had no identification whatsoever was, even to me, suspicious.
Still, he didn't seem to make a big deal of it, moving on to the next topic.
“Alright. Let's begin in earnest. I will ask you a few questions. Nod your head for yes, and shake it for no. However, you must not, under any circumstances, lie. That shouldn't be too difficult, right?”
“…!”
He made a very kind suggestion, as if showing me consideration.
Being able to just nod during an interview without having to speak.
For me, who had come prepared to accept a significant disadvantage, this was quite a surprise.
But thinking about it, it probably wasn't a special privilege granted only to me.
After all, not all metahumans shared the same language system as humans.
With so many metahumans in the world, how could they all speak human languages?
Thus, what the Association looked for was not the ability to speak, but the presence of clear intellectual capacity.
There were, in fact, a few active Fixers who couldn't speak.
While it might be a demerit that could cause one to fail under otherwise equal conditions…
They probably wouldn't fail someone outright just for being unable to speak.
The Fixer Association was much more open-minded than I thought.
From the perspective of someone who couldn't speak, this was a real relief.
“Hmph, it’s good to see you so spirited. Alright then, the first question…”
Perhaps it was because I had nodded so vigorously, shifting in my seat.
Tempest’s lips curled into a slight smile, and he posed his question with a much gentler demeanor than before.
However, despite the somewhat warmer atmosphere, the content of the questions was quite tricky.
If you had to choose between a mission and a comrade, which would you pick?
If a plan was devised that could prevent massive damage at the cost of a small sacrifice, would you carry it out?
If someone wasn't a threat now but could become a great danger later, would you eliminate them even if they were innocent?
These were ambiguous questions without fixed answers, requiring one to choose a side based on their values.
Was he trying to pick apart my everyday thoughts?
Then again, if they passed a dangerous person to be a Fixer, the Association would have to bear the risk.
It was only natural for them to probe so deeply, as if trying to read my inner thoughts.
“…”
But these tricky questions didn't end with just one or two; there were more than ten, then twenty.
By the time the interview passed the thirty-minute mark, my head was starting to feel weary.
So, when Tempest finally asked his last question…
I couldn't help but lean back into the plush backrest as if collapsing.
I hadn't used my brain this much since becoming Yuria.
It felt like my few remaining brain cells had shriveled up from the recent Q&A.
“Khaha, my apologies, Miss Yuria. This is just how it is. Good, you don't seem to have lied at all. You don't need to worry too much about the results.”
“…!”
“Yes. That means you've passed. Well, it's rare for more than one person a year to fail the interview anyway! Khahahaha!”
The interview result was, thankfully, a pass.
The interview was mainly to screen out those who couldn't adapt to society at all.
If you answered seriously with common sense, it would be stranger to fail than to pass.
Then, all that was left was the grand finale, the fourth assignment…
My thoughts grew complicated as I closed my eyes and continued to ponder.
Vespera's presence, the World Tree Seed, and the possibility of a third party's attack.
I was in no position to be purely joyful about passing the interview; the road ahead was far too daunting.
If only I could just grab the leg of the man in front of me and beg for help.
But there was a high chance I'd be suspected of being in league with the enemy, so I couldn't dare try it.
‘If possible, it would be best to secure the seed first and just burn it…’
With the tension completely gone, I swung my legs from the chair and continued my vacant thoughts.
But perhaps I had let my guard down too much in front of the strongest person in the world.
I was far too slow to comprehend the words Tempest casually tossed my way.
“Miss Yuria, if you don't mind, may I ask you one thing?”
“…?”
“Have you… by any chance, heard of the Nexus Project?”
*Thump.*
My shoulders jolted at the unexpected blow.
Simultaneously, Tempest's eyes narrowed as if he had expected it.
Why me, and why at this moment?
I felt my breath catch in my throat, my mouth gaping open.
Having answered so perfectly with my body, leaving no room for excuses, my mind plunged into panic.
How did he know?
Barely managing to grasp my fleeting consciousness, I looked at Tempest with trembling eyes.
He tapped his temple with a finger as if it were a simple matter and said.
“A great mage sees what is unseen. Coincidentally, I happen to be able to see things like a creature's soul… I've encountered unique souls like yours quite a few times. Khaha, of course, I wasn't certain until you answered with your body just now…”
“…”
“Miss Yuria… no, Psychic. So, young lady, where did you come from?”
This was bad.
This was very, very bad.
If I could speak, I would have screamed.