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Time flowed quickly, and it was the day of the special field practice.

Before my eyes, the blue sky stretched endlessly.

My hair whipped fiercely in the wind, and clouds flowed beneath my feet, creating a clear and beautiful view.

I stared at the scenery, slightly furrowing my brows.

“Ha…”

I never imagined I’d ride an airship again. Not this quickly, anyway.

While I lamented my fate, someone suddenly spoke up next to me.

“Why the sigh, Instructor Graham? The sky is so beautiful!”

Instructor Rilya Bennett approached with a warm smile, her hair fluttering in the wind as she pressed it down with her hand.

Ordinarily, standing on the deck at such a high altitude would be impossible. Flying higher than the clouds, one could easily be swept away by strong winds or suffocate from a lack of oxygen.

But to think that this was merely a ‘slightly strong wind’ level of turbulence, it was undeniable that the technology behind the airship created by Doctor Brown was truly impressive.

Instructor Rilya gazed at the view beyond the airship’s deck as it sliced through the clouds.

“I never thought we’d be taking an airship to the practice site. Isn’t it amazing that such a large ship can fly in the sky?”

Her face was filled with childlike excitement and joy. With her petite frame looking so thrilled, she resembled a true child.

I nodded appropriately and agreed.

“…Yes, it really is.”

“Oh? Your reaction is a bit subtle… If you find the height difficult, how about going inside instead of staying on the deck?”

I shook my head.

Of course, it wasn’t a fear of heights. But after experiencing a fall every time I rode the airship, I could understand why she would react this way.

However, if I set my personal discomfort aside, there was no denying the speed and convenience of the airship.

If we had taken a carriage to Schwarzheim, it would have taken at least a month, and considering how many people were traveling together, it wouldn’t have been strange if it took even longer. Yet, that time had been reduced to just one day.

Instructor Rilya expressed her amazement.

“I can’t believe the royal family would donate an airship… I never expected that. When I first heard the news, even Headmaster Heinkel was really surprised.”

“Well, I suppose so.”

Even though Philion Academy is a prestigious educational institution, there would have been many issues involved in being given a machine that embodies the essence of imperial magical engineering technology like an airship.

So, it was easy to imagine the invisible efforts of Elizabeth behind the scenes.

Of course, not every student could use the airship. The number of students enrolled at Philion Academy reached into the thousands, with over a thousand in just the first year alone. However, the maximum capacity of the airship was only 200 people.

Only one class of one grade could ride the airship. And the class chosen for the distance to the practice site was none other than our Opal Black Class.

Naturally, it was a serious waste of space for just 8 students to use an entire airship. So, it was decided we would travel together with the Garnet Red Class for the practice.

Some students said it was special treatment, but what could we do?

The airship was provided by the royal family, and the student aboard was none other than Princess Elizabeth.

To be honest, even though the princess who nearly died on the airship decided to board it again, no matter how strong her will may be, it still felt questionable…

I briefly turned my gaze to the direction of the students.

“Wahh…! Oz, look! We’re flying in the sky!!”

“…The wind… is too strong…”

“Hmmm, isn’t it more stable than expected? I thought it’d sway like a ship.”

“Wait, Gwen!? What are you doing right now!”

“Huh? Oh, I was just curious if I could reach the clouds—”

“You idiot! Get down right now!”

Gwen was dragged back by Marian, and the sight made the students burst into laughter.

It was a chaotic scene, yet everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I quietly watched them from a distance when I accidentally locked eyes with Elizabeth.

“…….”

“…Ah.”

The moment she met my gaze, she awkwardly turned her head away.

Since the conversation that day, an intense awkwardness had lingered between me and the students for the past few weeks.

Though I participated diligently in the classes, that was all. We hardly had any personal conversations.

I could understand the students’ attitude perfectly. It would be burdensome to build a deeper relationship with an instructor who might leave at any moment. I thought of it as their own defense mechanism and stopped worrying about it.

It was a bit disappointing, but what could be done? In the end, this was a problem I had to bear.

However, Instructor Rilya seemed to have noticed the subtle atmosphere between us.

“Instructor Graham, is something going on with the students?”

“…It’s just a minor issue.”

“Hmm, it doesn’t seem minor at all…”

I tried to avoid Instructor Rilya’s gaze, but her serious expression wouldn’t let me off the hook.

Rather than risking an obvious pointless lie, I decided to keep quiet.

Instructor Rilya stared at me for a long time before finally letting out a short sigh.

“It seems it’s something difficult to discuss with me. If it’s okay later, could you tell me? I’d be available anytime for your consultation.”

“…Thank you, just for that.”

Her voice contained sincere concern from one instructor to another. But even if I consulted her about it, this was the kind of problem that couldn’t be resolved.

At least when it came to inevitable farewells, I had more experience than Instructor Rilya.

As an awkward silence loomed between us, an announcement echoed from the airship’s onboard microphone at just the right time.

[Test, test. This is Doctor Brown, or should I say Captain Brown.]

Surprisingly enough, Doctor Brown was in charge of piloting this airship.

Although the crew had escaped safely during the last crash, the captain, Alfred, was found at home cold as a corpse. The exact details weren’t disclosed, but it was certainly the work of the head of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau.

[Um! Attention passengers. We will soon arrive at our destination, so please prepare for landing.]

“Hey, everyone! We’ll be there soon, so take your seats!”

Following Instructor Rilya’s guidance, the students entered the cabin one by one, looking a bit disappointed yet excited.

After confirming that the students were seated, I took a seat next to Instructor Rilya and fastened my seatbelt.

Now the airship slowly began to descend below the clouds.

All the students gazed out of the windows with varied expressions. Some felt sad knowing they would soon leave the airship, while others were flushed with anticipation for their first practical.

However, that anticipation quickly turned into horror.

“AAAHHH!!”

“What, what is that…!?”

The city viewed from the sky looked like hell.

Flames erupted from everywhere, enveloping the sky like graphite, and shouts and screams echoed from all sides. And beneath the dark sky, something surged toward the city like a wave.

It was the Undead.

The forces of the Undead were attacking the city.

From the sky, Schwarzheim was desperately fighting against the onslaught of the Undead.

Yet, in the face of countless assaults, the isolated city, unable to expect any help, looked perilously fragile like a candle in the wind.

Everyone looked around in panic, casting anxious glances at each other.

A student from the Garnet Red Class mumbled blankly.

“Is that city always like that…?”

Of course, it couldn’t be.

Such a large mass of Undead was rare even during wars. It was undoubtedly the Undying Legion Commander leading the army of the Undead…

Instructor Rilya grabbed the communicator linked to the captain’s cabin and shouted.

“Change course right now!!”

[“Ah, got it!”]

Doctor Brown immediately responded to Instructor Rilya’s urgent command.

But before Doctor Brown could turn the steering wheel, something crashed hard against the underside of the airship.

Bang!!

A loud sound shook the entire airship, and the students began to scream in fear.

“AAAHHH!!”

“What’s going on!? What happened!?”

“Mom… I’m scared, help me…!”

I looked out the window to assess what was happening.

“The Corpse Cannon….”

A siege weapon frequently used by the Undying Legion during the war, it fired corpses like cannonballs.

And it was aimed precisely at this airship.

Bang! Boom-!

Pew!! Bang!!

“AAAHHH!! Mom!! Instructor!!”

“W-We’re really going to crash, aren’t we?!”

Instructor Rilya managed to steady herself amid the swaying airship and spoke.

“Doctor! We need to get out of here fast!”

[“This airship was designed with safety in mind! It’s sturdy, but there are still many issues to address!”]

“What do you mean!?”

[“I can’t make any sharp turns!!”]

Bang! Boom-!

The Corpse Cannon continued to relentlessly fire corpse projectiles at us.

The Corpse Cannon had poor accuracy, and hitting a small airship floating in the sky was remarkably difficult. But with that many shots, accuracy became less important.

If we took a few more hits, a crash would be inevitable. We had to deal with that cannon as quickly as possible.

My judgment was swift, and my decision was resolute.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and stood up, declaring, “Instructor Rilya. Please look after the students.”

“Huh? I-I Instructor Graham…!?”

My hunch turned out to be true.

I dashed onto the deck without hesitation.

And without a moment’s pause, I jumped off the airship.

“Instructor Graham—!!?”

Instructor Rilya’s horrified scream echoed far and wide.

 

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