“Yes.”
“Can you tell the others to prepare for the landing?”
“Yes, sir. Huh? What is that?!”
I reflexively looked in the direction she was pointing and saw something flying our way. I was about to lower the airship’s altitude when it happened. Brod jumped from the deck, brandishing his sword at the thing that was approaching us.
“Master!” I yelled, instantly dropping our altitude to intercept him midair.
That turned out to be a great idea. Brod successfully struck the flying object, but the next instant, he was caught in an explosion that sent him hurtling back. Thankfully, I managed to catch him in time with the airship, so he didn’t crash into the ground below.
“That’s bad for my heart,” I sighed.
Brod was making some gestures at me, but I ignored him and landed the ship.
“Master, are you all right?”
“Yeah. But why didn’t you charge into that flying thing?”
Oh. So that was what those signs meant.
“Because we’re still within the Saint Shurule Republic. And we’re not here to fight.”
“But they’re clearly wary of us,” he pointed out.
Glancing in the direction of Ebiza, I saw a group of people who looked like either adventurers or mercenaries standing near the town entrance, surveying us from afar.
“True. Estia, do you know why they’re so cautious?”
“Um, I’m not really sure, but I think it might be because of the airship? They saw a large flying object, and they’re trying to protect their town from it.”
“Ooh, makes sense.” I nodded. “Lionel, can you store it in your magic bag?”
“Yes, sir,” Lionel replied and did as he was told.
Somehow, I felt like that made the people of Ebiza even more cautious of us.
“I’m not gonna go fight them myself, but we’ll need to knock them down if they attack us,” Brod said.
“That’s fine, but please don’t kill them,” I reminded him.
“Sir, could I try talking to them first?” Estia suggested. It was rare for her to take the initiative like this. It showed just how attached she was to that little town.
Ebiza must’ve been an important place for her, just like Merratoni was for me.
“I don’t mind, but are you sure? They’re on high alert.”
“I’m sure.” There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in her tone, so I decided to let her do her thing.
“I’m leaving it to you, then. But I can’t just send you over there alone. Can someone go with her?”
“I’ll go,” Brod offered. “I wanna know who fired that spell at us.”
“Absolutely not. Kefin, Ketty, can you two accompany Estia?”
“Yes, sir!” Kefin responded eagerly.
Ketty let out a sigh. “Guess this kitty doesn’t have much of a choice.”
“Hey, Luciel!” Brod shot me an accusatory glare.
I ignored him and turned to Estia, Ketty, and Kefin. “Do not hesitate to defend yourselves if they attack you. We’ll go with you until a certain point so we can rush to your help if needed,” I said.
My master’s furious aura dissipated at my words, and I felt a sense of relief. With that, we made our way to the little town. The rest of us stopped when we were about fifty meters from the entrance, while Estia, Ketty, and Kefin continued forward.
“I really don’t like the idea of sending them alone to what might be a dangerous place,” I muttered under my breath.
“You’d feel less nervous if you’d gone yourself, huh?” Lionel commented beside me, his eyes never leaving Estia and the other two. “I’m just like you; I hate that feeling as well. That’s why I fight on the front lines.”
“By the way, Estia mentioned that the labyrinth nearby has a tunnel that leads from Saint Shurule to the empire. Does Illumasia know about it?” I asked.
He nodded. “I’ve heard about it before, but I’ve never been in there. It’s usually where knight aspirants go to grind levels.”
“Are there other labyrinths in the empire?”
“No. Illumasia’s territory has gradually expanded, and they explored every new region under their control with each expansion, but there have been no reports of other labyrinths being discovered anywhere.”
So, there could be an Eternal Dragon in the labyrinth Estia had mentioned. Maybe I should’ve brought Nadia after all.
All of a sudden, cheers echoed from Ebiza, pulling me out of my thoughts. Glancing over at the town, I saw Estia surrounded by the adventurers and mercenaries that had been posted at the entrance, offering her a warm welcome. Even the rugged adventurers were sporting laid-back smiles as they greeted her.
“Looks like it went fine,” I commented.
“It seems that it did.”
A wave of relief washed over me. As it turned out, I had worried for nothing. Brod, on the other hand, didn’t drop his guard, perhaps because the adventurers had tried to attack us before. Maybe it was a good thing that at least one of us remained alert, because I felt like my own vigilance was slipping away, possibly because I felt reassured by the stories Estia had told me about the town and the fact that I was surrounded by friends.
Estia beckoned us over, and we began making our way to Ebiza, but I felt the gazes directed at us gradually turning harsher and harsher. I had a feeling things were going to turn into a huge hassle.
Estia rushed over to me, a large smile on her face. “Everyone is very happy about your visit, sir.”
Were they? It sure didn’t seem that way to me.
“Sorry, but I don’t think you should believe them. I feel like they’re being a little more hostile than they told you.”
“What?!”
Estia whipped her head around and seemed to understand what I was getting at, if the confused look that registered on her face was anything to go by.
Refusing to get any closer, I decided to greet the adventurers from afar. “Hello, everyone. I’m Luciel, a healer from the Republic of Saint Shurule. We’re not here to cause trouble, so could you let us approach the city?”
A man stepped forward. He was wearing a pointy hat and a black robe and was holding a staff in his hand. He was basically the exact image of what came to mind upon hearing the word “mage.”