True Power
“I'm sorry to say this, but stopping the earthquake is impossible.”
Bayul, who had been springing to his feet as if ready to leave that very moment, froze mid-motion. Tense, he turned slowly back toward Amon.
“Stopping the earthquake is impossible…… what exactly does that mean? Don't tell me the future is fixed and can't be changed?”
“It's nothing like that. If it were, my ability would be useless to begin with.”
“Then why can't we stop it?”
“Is it because Shame is still a Lower Spirit?”
His friends were just as baffled. The tone in which Amon declared it couldn't be done was not merely firm—it carried absolute certainty.
“We don't have enough time.”
“…Not enough time?”
“The place where the great earthquake will occur. It's already too late to travel there.”
“So you're saying…… we simply won't make it in time?”
“That's right.”
Bayul collapsed onto the sofa. For a brief moment, he had let himself hope that he might help his father after all. To know the earthquake was coming and yet be unable to stop it left him utterly stricken.
“When and where exactly is this earthquake going to happen?”
“Is it somewhere far from here?”
“Romandsi, in the Kingdom of Andora, which shares a border with the Dwyer Empire.”
“Romandsi's a port city. Even moving as fast as we can from here, it'd take a solid week.”
As Aidan muttered a rough estimate from what he knew, Logan seized the opening.
“What time does the earthquake strike? When is it?”
“…Tomorrow morning, around six.”
Only then did the full meaning of the word impossible sink in. What good was knowing the future if it couldn't be changed? Bayul sank into despair.
“Spatial travel.”
It was then that Quinn turned to Death.
“I heard that when I died recently, you carried my friends there with spatial travel. Could you not help us again this time?”
“You're asking me to take all of you that far?”
“Is the distance too much for you?”
“Don't be ridiculous. That much is nothing to me.”
It was no bluff. To a demon like Death, such a feat truly was trivial.
“It's just that afterward, things are going to get very, very loud.”
“What do you mean, loud?”
“Ask that one.”
The one Death pointed at was Eli. When the friends all turned to look at him at once, he faltered for a beat before answering calmly.
“Over a short distance, maybe, but a long-range jump like that would release a massive burst of magic. Everyone would sense it, and…… naturally, they wouldn't just let it slide.”
“By everyone, do you mean the dragons?”
He nodded.
“As you all know, dragons have been charged with keeping watch over the demons. They would never simply look the other way.”
“But the Chairman's the Dragon Lord, isn't he? If he explains the situation, won't the others understand?”
“Understand? Them?”
Eli gave a scornful laugh, as if he had never heard anything more absurd in his life.
“These are the ones who tried to kill me just for being Ranos's offspring—and I'm a dragon myself. They're not the sort to quietly back down just because Rayegar intervenes. The moment that guy's magic flares, they'll swarm us like a hornet's nest. I'd rather not think about what comes after.”
Just imagining facing the dragons of the council of elders again made Eli's skin crawl. For a hatchling still so young, encounters with them stirred a crushing pressure.
“Rai, what about you? Can't you do spatial travel too? You're a dragon as well.”
“…….”
At Aidan's sudden question, Eli's eyes darted away. The silence was answer enough.
Had he been able, he would have stepped forward long ago. He hated being teased as 'grandpa' to the point of fury, but for once, his failure to become an elder dragon was a bitter regret.
“Aw, damn it! So there's really no way?”
When Aidan exploded, Ingrid, who had been dozing atop his head, jolted awake and flapped her wings. Who knew what she and Innocent had been up to during the day—the little owl had done nothing but sleep since arriving.
“What if……”
Logan, who had been watching the bird closely, spoke up carefully.
“What about riding Ingrid there?”
“What? You want to ride our Ingrid?”
“You flew her over the Academy wall during break, didn't you? I wasn't there, so I've only heard the story—but it should be possible, shouldn't it?”
“Oh, right! If we ride her, we might actually make it by tomorrow morning!”
Eli smacked his own knee, thinking, Why didn't I think of that sooner! Quinn and Bayul looked at Aidan expectantly as well. They had ridden Ingrid themselves before, so they assumed it would naturally work.
But for some reason, Aidan's expression was dark.
“To reach Romandsi we'd have to fly all night, and Ingrid's never stayed transformed that long before. I'm worried it'll be too much for her.”
“She's a Metamorph's offspring. She could fly three days and nights without so much as wobbling.”
“Ingrid does sleep a lot, though. Being a Metamorph's offspring doesn't mean they're all the same.”
“You only say that because you've never seen what Metamorphs are capable of. If you'd laid eyes on even one of them, those words would never leave your mouth. Well, no harm in testing the little one's limits while we're at it.”
At Death's words, Aidan's eyes wavered with conflict. It wasn't that he didn't want to help Bayul. He was simply afraid of what would happen if Ingrid reached her limit mid-flight and could go no farther.
“Aidan…….”
Bayul pleaded earnestly. Right now, Ingrid was the only way. If he wanted to keep his father from being wounded, this was the only path.
“Come on, Aidan. The earthquake will kill so many soldiers. This is a chance to save them. What kind of man wants to be a knight if he pretends not to know how to save lives?”
“Aidan, I'm asking you too.”
Logan knew Aidan disliked him, but this once, he could not stay silent.
Duke Randert being wounded would be no mere accident. It would shatter allied morale while swelling the enemy's boldness.
The war would be won, but the price would be steep—that much was certain. And if another nation chose that very moment to provoke them, the continent might once more be plunged into darkness. To prevent all of it, Ingrid's help was desperately needed.
“…When do we leave?”
In the end, Aidan agreed. Overjoyed at his consent, Bayul threw his arms around him.
“Thank you, Aidan! I'll pay you back somehow, I swear!”
“Hey—hey! We've got no time! What are you doing, I'm busy!”
“Whoa! Is your face turning red right now? You're always the one pouncing on people, so getting it back for once must be embarrassing, huh?”
Eli snickered and piled on. Wrapping an arm around both Bayul's and Aidan's shoulders, he waved Quinn and Logan over.
“What are you two waiting for? Get in here!”
Quinn's and Logan's gazes collided in midair for a moment. Then, as if by silent agreement, the two of them brushed past their friends and headed straight for the door.
“Hey, where do you think you're going!”
“Ugh, it's suffocating in here! Give us some space!”
Eli's and Aidan's shouts echoed through the room, but only one answer came back.
“Aidan…… thank you. Really.”
Watching all this, Death murmured a question to Amon, quiet enough to barely carry.
“How do you think it'll go?”
“Hard to say. I'd need to consult the Record of Time to be certain, but it seems the future has already changed. I have a feeling an unexpected stroke of fortune is on its way.”
Seeing the future was not the whole of Amon's power. At times, he could also divine luck that arrived without warning. And at Amon's ear, the cry of a crow that summons fortune rang out.
They packed lightly and hurried to depart. They had to reach the destination before the earthquake, find Bayul's father, and explain the situation. There was no time even to inform Butler Cunning separately.
Any explanation would only delay the departure, so Bayul sent a brief letter in place of one. Only Ian, his escort knight, would accompany them on this journey.
“Then we depart!”
Ingrid's body had grown far larger than when they'd last seen her. Aidan took the lead, with Eli and Bayul behind him, then Quinn, Logan, and finally Ian, Death, and Amon climbing on in turn. As before, Tempesta would assist in case of emergencies, and the remaining spirits would simply follow on their own.
“By the way, Aidan—do you even know the way? You'll be fine without a map?”
“What do you take a merchant's son for? And who says we don't have a map? The whole sky is covered in constellations. Worry about something else.”
Once they were underway, Aidan felt the weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders. There would be no more fooling around now. Lives hung in the balance. Not a single person could be allowed to die. Saving everyone, naturally, was the goal.
“Ingrid, I'm counting on you!”
Aidan's command rang out. In the dead of night, from the rear courtyard of Hamilton Castle, Ingrid launched skyward with a tremendous cry, then flew hard and fast toward Romandsi.
“Tempesta, block the wind for us.”
Ingrid's speed kept climbing. Every beat of her wings made the riders lurch as if they might be flung off. Without Tempesta's help, they all would have suffered badly from the jostling.
Death and Amon, of course, were exceptions. The two of them stood tall atop the flying owl, even taking in the scenery around them. Seeing this, Eli grumbled, Why on earth did those two even come along?—but truthfully, having Death there put Bayul considerably more at ease.
Time flowed on.
Dawn was breaking across the once-black sky. With the stars no longer visible, they had no choice but to fly low, scanning the ground below. Romandsi was a port city, so once they found the sea, locating the troops would be simple.
“What time is it?”
“5:25.”
There was almost no time left. They had to hurry.
“Over there—just past that mountain.”
Death was right. Once they soared over the towering rocky range, the sea finally came into view.
Somewhere down there was his father. Before the earthquake swallowed the region, they had to find him quickly and move the soldiers to safety.
“Ingrid, just a little more!”
At Aidan's cheer, Ingrid cried out loud and picked up speed.
“Tempesta, help us find his father!”
“Leave it to me!”
Tempesta stirred the wind and vanished from sight in an instant. A short while later, when he returned, he guided the group with triumphant confidence.
“There! That's the military camp!”
“The earthquake damage here was bound to be devastating.”
The timing alone was terrible—the soldiers were encamped, not on the move. They could be seen bustling about, preparing breakfast the moment they'd risen.
What if it had been the middle of the night, everyone fast asleep? Just imagining it was horrifying to contemplate.
“Bayul, it's right below you!”
Tempesta hovered in the air, pointing down. There, a blue tent flew the banner of the Full Moon Knight Order. That was unmistakably where his father was staying.
“Tempesta, please!”
Bayul leapt off without a moment's hesitation. Once upon a time he would have trembled in terror—but not now.
“Young Master!”
The ground was dizzyingly far below. But they couldn't let Bayul descend alone. Ian leapt after him, determined to fulfill an escort knight's duty.
“Gah—Bayul!”
His startled friends called after him too late, but their worry was needless. Feeling the reward of all his practice, Bayul touched down safely on the ground. Ian landed right behind him with a stability one would never guess was his first attempt.
“Father!”
There was no time to lose. Bayul bolted straight into the tent.
“…Bayul?”
“Ian……!”
Inside, Duke Randert and Sadad had a map spread out and were deep in discussion. At the pair's sudden appearance, they both jumped, their faces draining.
“Father! You must evacuate right now! An earthquake is coming!”
“Bayul…… what are you saying? No—more importantly, what brings you here? I told you absolutely not to come. Are you defying my orders?”
“Father, there's no time to explain! The earthquake will kill countless soldiers before the war even begins! Please, order an evacuation at once!”
“He's right, Your Grace! We must hurry!”
“Ian, what on earth are you—”
Rumble!
Just as Duke Randert frowned at Bayul's incomprehensible, out-of-nowhere words, the ground began to tremble—faintly, but unmistakably. Everyone felt it, the Duke included.
“…You said an earthquake, just now?”
“Yes, Father. A great earthquake is coming.”
The Duke hurried out of the tent and gazed toward a single point on the horizon.
“This is bad.”
“Father……?”
The Duke's eyes were fixed on the sea. His razor-sharp senses had only now, belatedly, detected the danger.
The earthquake his son had foretold—its epicenter lay beneath the ocean. A tsunami would soon strike the city. Duke Randert's face hardened with grim severity.