Chapter 64
Chapter 64
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Are You Mad? Sorry.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Ugh... ughhh..."
Why does my stomach feel all tingly in the lower belly when the plane takes off? According to Super Ultimate Genius Ophelia, it's due to the laws of inertia and something about pseudo-zero gravity effects during acceleration.
"Whoa...!"
-Beep!!
Sitting by the window and peering out, I could feel the plane speeding down the runway incredibly fast. Before long, the nose tilted slightly upward, and the ground started dropping away.
"Hooo...!"
-Beep...!
It was my first time ever on a plane, so it felt super amazing. I got this bittersweet feeling thinking, Wow, I can actually ride a plane someday.
"Oh right, Doggo, did you switch to airplane mode?"
-Beep?
"If you don't, they'll confiscate you?? You'd have to go in the cargo hold?"
-Beeepbeep!!
A circular loading screen spun on Doggo's face for a moment, then a plane icon popped up with a puff. A desperate plea not to be sent to the cargo hold since airplane mode was properly activated.
"Ehehe, good job. Ophelia, is there Wi-Fi here?"
"Yes, there is."
I wasn't sure if it was because of our nice seats or if it was standard, but in-flight Wi-Fi was provided. As long as no one on the same flight posted crap pics on Awakening Gallery and got IP-banned, I could browse without issues.
Yeah, probably won't happen anyway. Finding a plane's IP with Tor or VPN would be impossible.
"The phone Your Highness is using is a model made for Hunters, so it can connect to satellite Wi-Fi anywhere."
"Oh, right. That's true."
Come to think of it, this phone was an amazing Hunter-exclusive model made by Nova. They listed like 500 great features, one being Wi-Fi access anywhere.
Speaking of which, since I'm going overseas, maybe I should buy some souvenirs for people around me. Gotta think about what to get. I've got a whole week, so plenty of time to decide.
It was a weekday afternoon, so Awakening Gallery was pretty quiet with nothing special going on. The people on the plane were all silently minding their own business too.
After that, I ate the in-flight meal (no idea what it tasted like, it was Western food) and about two hours after takeoff. Looking out the window, we started passing over the Manchuria region, Earth's largest eroded terrain.
It had this overall purple-tinged vibe. Nothing too exciting, so I lay back down. I half-expected to see giant monsters, but nope.
In the meantime, I went to the bathroom, fiddled around with stuff, and killed another two boring hours.
"Huh...? It's already night...?"
"Due to the significant longitude change, it may differ from Korean time."
"Oh yeah, that's right."
Sure enough, after it got completely dark, there were lots of clouds, and everyone on the plane started settling in to sleep. I wasn't sleepy, but as the lights dimmed and it got dark, I was starting to feel bored when...
-Rumble!
"Hooo!! Th-the plane's crashing...!!"
Sudden turbulence made the plane wobble wildly, like it was plummeting to the ground. The in-flight announcement might as well have said we're doomed, pray before you die.
"O-Ophelia...!"
"It's fine, Your Highness. No major issue."
"Eek...!!"
"Please fasten your seatbelt as instructed and secure any loose items."
"B-belt! Where's the belt...?!"
Thanks to these people's aesthetic sense, the belt was hidden so well I had no clue where it was. The cabin was dark too, so hard to see.
Doggo, who was lying on my lap, dramatically found the belt, and I barely got it on. By then, the shaking had stopped ages ago.
"I-I thought I was gonna die..."
"Minor turbulence like this happens occasionally. The accident rate is practically zero, so rest easy."
"Eeng."
Planes are new to me, you know. My heart was pounding, breathing ragged, head spinning. It was pitch black outside too—I thought we'd crash-landed in some Amazon jungle.
"Ugh... ah, I'm tired."
The sudden scare and flailing around made me exhausted in an instant.
"Phew... time to sleep."
My whole body suddenly felt limp, like it stretched out. Gotta nap a bit and wake up.
-Clatter, clatter...
"Eh."
"Your Highness, are you awake?"
"Ophelia... Did you sleep too, Ophelia?"
"I got some rest. Would you like the in-flight meal?"
"So that's why I'm hungry..."
Something felt off and cluttered around me—that's why I woke up. About 1 hour 30 minutes before landing, they were starting the meal service.
"Nah... wanna eat something tasty at the airport."
"Understood."
Ophelia didn't take a meal either. Instead, she gave me bread from the snack time that passed while I slept. Maybe cuz I'm hungry, but it tasted great.
"Bathroom..."
"I'll accompany you."
"N-no, I can go alone."
It looked like daytime outside the window, but kinda dimly dark. Like a classroom on a cloudy morning without lights on.
-Patter patter
"Nyah."
-Shiver
Business class was warm, so I left my puffer jacket, but heading to the bathroom like this felt chilly. My body shivered a bit—was it just from peeing?
In that slightly hungry, blurry-visioned, drowsy state, another hour passed. Blurry scenes from dreams or whatever flashed by while I dozed.
About 20 minutes to UK entry, as we descended below the clouds, UK cities? started coming into direct view.
"Whoaaa...!"
-Beeepbeep!!!
It felt so different from Korea—though this is the outskirts... London is the capital, right? Yet hardly any tall buildings, really medieval vibe.
The streets were so pretty, got me excited already.
"Doggo! You can't go ahead of me! I'm first place. Got it?!"
-Beep!!
"You take it by force? Y-you...?!"
"Your Highness, we're about to land, so please check you haven't forgotten anything."
"Hmmm... Should I pretend I 'forgot' Doggo and leave without him...?"
-Beeepbeepbeepbeep!!!!!!
"Muahaha, just kidding."
"Ooh... finally...!"
Landing wasn't as dramatic as I thought. Just a little thump as the wheels hit the runway. Then a whirring sound as speed slowed gradually, and it ended anticlimactically.
"Your Highness, shall we depart?"
"Yes!"
Stuffing everything into my pockets, placing Doggo nicely on my head. Following Ophelia slowly to the exit, a flight attendant sister greeted us.
"Have a safe trip. Enjoy your time."
Turns out it wasn't personalized—just robotically repeating the same lines with eyes closed. I thought it'd be like presidents descending stairs straight onto the tarmac like in those overseas visit photos.
But it felt like outdoors yet kept going indoors—then I realized we were already inside the airport building.
"When did we get in...!"
"Your Highness, let's move."
"Ah, yes!"
We walked down the long gray-walled corridor, following Ophelia's back. Internet worked fine thanks to Hunter privileges, but somehow no urge to touch my phone.
Doggo only translates speech from people talking to me, so I couldn't understand the foreigners' chatter around us. Same with Ophelia and the immigration officer—too flashy, couldn't follow.
"Your Highness, may I have your passport?"
"Ah, one sec?"
Ophelia asked for the passport, so I rummaged in my pockets, handed it over. While waiting, she slightly turned, showing my face to the officer.
"Hehe, so cute."
"Th-thank you...?"
Then stamp!
Thud thud thud, you're British now. Empire and all.
Citizen.
"Whoaaa..."
Through the glass doors into Heathrow interior. So many foreigners! So much English!
"Your Highness, I'll fetch the luggage. Would you like to come?"
"Yeah, I'll come. Might take a while."
Feels safe with Ophelia, but alone? Super scary. Europe's still full of pickpockets, right? So many precious things in my pockets.
-Rustle
"Ah, this is trash."
I tossed the bread bag from the plane into an airport bin. Staring at the conveyor belt where luggage emerges (wanna ride it once), until ours appeared. Ophelia grabbed it smoothly.
And finally, out to the world.
"Feels humid."
"It's due to the maritime climate in Western Europe. Humid year-round with little temperature variation."
"I see..."
"Huh, Ophelia's antenna ears are gone."
"Yes, temporarily deactivated. To avoid drawing attention."
"Feels kinda mysterious."
Ophelia gazed at me steadily before speaking.
"Your Highness. Where is Doggo?"
"Huh? On my head... huh."
Doggo got pickpocketed.
"Doggo, come back!"
-Poof...!
Summon skill brought Doggo back into my arms. His face looked super wronged.
"Heehee, sorry. Forgot."
-Beep!! Beepbeepbeepbeep..!!!!