Chapter 125: First-Class Flight

Chapter 125. First-Class Flight

I returned my attention to my meal and finished the remaining seafood, before placing my utensils on the empty plate.

Time to work.

[Abyssal Hunter’s Domain]

A wave of dark violet mana erupted from my body, spreading across the restaurant like an invisible tide.

The nearest customers flinched. Several utensils rattled against their plates, and the enchanted lamps hanging from the ceiling flickered as my mana swept through the room.

Theo nearly dropped his fork. "S-Sir...!"

I ignored him.

My perception expanded beyond my physical senses, spreading through the restaurant and the surrounding buildings. Living presences appeared within my awareness. Dozens of them. Customers. Waitresses. Kitchen staff. The owner. Adrian. Even the small boy who’d pointed at me earlier.

Too many people.

Identifying twelve specific women among so many ordinary mana signatures would be difficult without knowing their exact magical characteristics. But I wasn’t searching for ordinary people. I was searching for captives. People who weren’t moving. People who were unconscious, injured, or too weak to stand. If the victims were being held somewhere nearby, there was a reasonable chance their physical conditions would distinguish them from the surrounding population.

I extended the domain downward. The restaurant’s cellar. Storage rooms. The spaces beneath the floor. Then outward toward the neighboring buildings.

Nothing.

Several workers were resting in the back rooms, but their mana signatures were stable. One elderly woman was sleeping upstairs, while a young man appeared to be taking an afternoon nap in a nearby residence.

Another dead end.

Of course, that didn’t mean the victims weren’t somewhere nearby. Powerful concealment magic could interfere with detection, and perfectly healthy captives might be difficult to distinguish from ordinary residents.

Still, I’d checked what I could.

I withdrew my mana. The oppressive sensation disappeared, and the restaurant slowly returned to normal. Except, everyone was staring at me. Apparently, releasing a wave of mana in the middle of lunch wasn’t considered appropriate restaurant etiquette. How unfortunate.

I picked up my drink and took another sip. Then someone approached our table.

Adrian.

The owner’s son stopped beside us, his expression twisted with irritation. His eyes immediately settled on Theo. "You again?"

Theo stiffened. "Adrian, I—"

"I already told you! I don’t know where Elena is!" His voice was loud enough to attract the attention of several nearby customers.

So they’d argued about this before.

Adrian glanced at me, clearly annoyed. "And now you’ve brought this quack magus here? Being Lord Veymont’s assistant doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want!"

I slowly lowered my cup. I’d been called many things throughout my two lives. A genius. A madman. A cursed monster. An arrogant researcher. But a quack? That was insulting.

I tilted my head. "Quack magus?" My voice was calm, but my glare was anything but. I stared directly into his eyes, silently delivering a warning, ’Say that again, and I’ll make your fate worse than death’.

Adrian froze. His mouth opened. Then closed. His confidence apparently decided to abandon him. "Y-you..." he stammered. "You can’t just use your magic randomly! You need permission to do that!"

So he wanted to argue about regulations.

I casually touched the royal insignia embroidered on the front of my cloak. The small emblem represented my position as one of the kingdom’s heroes and its Royal Magus. Not exactly a decoration someone could purchase from a street vendor.

Adrian’s gaze dropped. His expression changed.

I smiled wider. "I don’t need permission."

The color slowly drained from his face. Apparently, his brain had finally connected my face, my magic, and the royal insignia. "Ah... uh... S-Sir Hero!"

He straightened so quickly that I almost heard his spine complain. "I-I apologize! I didn’t realize... Please forgive my rudeness!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t realize?"

His face became even paler. "N-no offense intended, my lord!"

"Of course."

I took another sip.

He swallowed. Then bowed awkwardly. "I-I should return to work!"

And just like that, Adrian retreated toward the counter with the speed of a man escaping an approaching execution. He immediately grabbed a cloth and began wiping the countertop. The same spot. Over and over.

I almost laughed.

Unfortunately, the restaurant’s atmosphere had become considerably quieter. Several customers hurriedly returned their attention to their meals. Others pretended they hadn’t witnessed anything. And the young women from earlier were whispering again. Their eyes kept flicking toward me, their cheeks still faintly pink despite their obvious nervousness.

I returned my attention to Theo. He was staring at Adrian, his expression unusually complicated. Anger. Resentment. And perhaps a little satisfaction. I couldn’t blame him. But I wasn’t here to settle romantic grudges.

I reached into my dimensional storage ring and retrieved several coins. Then I placed them on the table. Enough to cover both meals and a generous tip. Because despite the owner’s son being an idiot, the food had been excellent. It would be unfair to punish the chef for someone else’s stupidity.

"Come on, Theo."

He blinked. "Y-yes, my lord."

I stood. He hurriedly followed, leaving his nearly empty plate behind.

We stepped outside into the bright afternoon sunlight. The salty breeze brushed against my face, carrying the distant cries of seabirds and the lively sounds of the market.

I turned toward Theo. "You remember the places we discussed earlier, right? The ones suitable for hiding the victims or performing a ritual?"

He nodded. "Yes, my lord. There are several caves along the coast, the abandoned watchtowers, and some old buildings outside town. We can check the map and decide where to start."

"Good."

He reached for the rolled parchment tucked beneath his arm.

I held out my hand. "Give it to me."

He obeyed.

I unrolled the map briefly, examining the coastline and the marked locations.

The caves were scattered across the cliffs. The abandoned watchtowers stood farther inland. And the ruined coastal fort occupied an isolated stretch of land beyond the western road. Walking between them would take hours. Even using a carriage would be inefficient. And I certainly wasn’t going to spend the afternoon bouncing along terrible roads while some lunatic prepared a forbidden ritual.

I rolled the map again and slipped it into my dimensional storage ring.

Theo stared. "Ah, my lord, the map..."

"I’ll return it later."

"O-of course."

I glanced toward the sky. Clear weather. Good visibility. A pleasant breeze.

Perfect.

I looked back at Theo. "Do you get airsick?"

He blinked. "Airsick?"

"Yeah. Nausea, dizziness, vomiting. That sort of thing."

He adjusted his glasses. "Uh... I’ve never flown before."

"Great."

Theo looked relieved. For some reason. Poor guy. He really shouldn’t have been relieved.

"Then I hope you don’t have it."

His expression froze. "...Pardon?"

[Voidwind Manipulation]

A powerful current of wind surged beneath our feet. Theo’s hair flew upward. His uniform fluttered violently. And before he could finish processing what was happening, the ground began disappearing beneath us.

"W-WAIT! LORD VALEN?!"

I placed a hand on his shoulder, stabilizing his body within the swirling wind. "Relax. I’ve got you."

"B-BUT WE’RE FLYING!"

"Excellent observation."

His glasses slipped down his nose. I caught them with a small current of wind and pushed them back into place.

Meanwhile, Lumenford spread out beneath us. The beautiful white buildings, colorful rooftops, arched bridges, and winding streets became smaller as we ascended. Beyond them, the turquoise sea glittered beneath the afternoon sunlight. The cliffs stretched along the coastline, revealing narrow beaches and dark openings that were nearly impossible to see from the streets.

Now this was a proper way to investigate. Just me, my magic, and one unfortunate assistant experiencing the joys of aviation for the first time.

Theo clutched my sleeve. Very tightly.

I glanced at him. His face was pale. His eyes were wide. And his lips were trembling. I looked toward the coastline. "Alright, Theo. Which cave should we check first?"

He stared at the distant ground. Then at me. "L-LORD VALEN! CAN WE PLEASE GO DOWN?!"

I tightened my control over the wind, making sure Theo remained securely supported. "We can go down," I said casually. "But don’t blame me if we’re too late to save your childhood friend."

That did it.

Theo’s panicked expression froze. His eyes widened for a moment before something changed behind them. The fear didn’t disappear completely, but anger and determination began pushing it aside.

There was that look again.

He gritted his teeth, forced himself to straighten, and slowly loosened his death grip on my sleeve. Apparently, mentioning Elena was considerably more effective than telling him he wouldn’t fall.

I watched him struggle to steady his breathing while his eyes wandered across the coastline below. His face remained pale, and his legs were trembling, but at least he was finally paying attention to our surroundings.

Love really was a terrifying motivator.

After several seconds, Theo raised a shaky hand and pointed toward a cluster of rocky cliffs overlooking the sea.

"T-there," he managed, swallowing hard. "We can start from there."

I followed his finger and spotted several dark openings along the cliffside. "Excellent. Now hold on tight."