"Where are we?"
Cyra asked curiously. Both she and I, having deeply experienced the effects of the "Eye of Galadra," were sure we had been transported somewhere. This place was definitely not Parristol.
But where exactly were we, and why did Reed bring us here? Above, there was nothing but dark clouds. Looking farther, I could see several water gun-shaped objects floating in the sky. They were much smaller compared to the gigantic Sky City.
"What are those?"
I asked, puzzled. They were clearly man-made but looked nothing like the airships used by the church or the empire. These water gun shapes had no sails or anything resembling a ship. The top part was oval, decorated like an old-fashioned hot air balloon with sharp, dragon-head-like decorations. The bottom part was simpler, a long, vertical structure like a pistol grip, forming a T-shape with the "dragon head." They looked magical and intimidating.
"Those are Crestvale Republic's Dragon-class airships that didn't get caught in the exchange. Their combat power is pretty good, but you can ignore them," Reed said nonchalantly, glancing at them. Then he walked quickly to the center of the magic absorption array and put the "Eye of Galadra" into his storage ring.
"Crestvale Republic?"
I was stunned. Crestvale Republic was a human nation in the southeast, always at odds with the Ilandra Dominion Empire. It was far from here, so I hadn't paid much attention to it. But why were their airships here?
"So, the Crestvale Republic's Dragon fleet that was originally here has been swapped to the new Parristol with Mia? That's incredible!" Judith exclaimed. Even though she knew this would happen, experiencing it was still unbelievable. The distance from the republic to Parristol was nearly a thousand kilometers, taking days on foot. Transporting so many troops over such a distance in one go was impossible with ordinary magic.
In other words, we were on Crestvale Republic's territory now. Mia had come here first with the "Eye of Galadra" locator.
Reed had mentioned that Mia was sent to Crescent City, home of the Sage Council, and wouldn't return immediately but had another destination. Unexpectedly, she came to Crestvale Republic!
After asking Reed, Cyra, and I learned that Reed had suspected the Ilandra Dominion Empire's troop movements. When she discovered a large seal beneath Parristol, it confirmed her suspicions.
"The empire secretly colludes with monsters, which is well-known. The monsters clearly knew about the Sky City under Parristol. They wouldn't miss this 'fat sheep' and would help Parristol's resistance against the kingdom's army," Reed explained. This made sense to me. Crestvale Republic, the empire's enemy, wouldn't sit by. When Mia, an angel from Edenmere, asked them to support the Astralrealm kingdom, they couldn't refuse.
The combined forces of the empire, Parristol, and monsters were too much for Astralrealm alone. Cysper was sent to the holy capital to gather troops, but it was just a delay tactic. The real decisive force was the republic's Dragon fleet!
However, there was a problem. The reinforcements had gone, but we were transported to the southwest of the continent, to Crestvale Republic. Waiting for the battle to end to return would take too long.
"Damn! Why didn't you say earlier? We could have stayed far from the 'Eye of Galadra' to avoid coming here!" Cyra complained. I nodded in agreement. From the analysis, new Parristol's Sky City faced not only the kingdom's army but also its "allies," who were watching closely. Adrian's collaboration with monsters was troubling. Instead of reaching the Sky City, we were transported far away, making me anxious.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't bring you here without considering a way back. Using the 'Eye of Galadra' to swap back now is impossible, but I charged several teleport scrolls using the magic absorption array..." Reed said, showing us a scroll.
So...
I realized Reed knew the coordinates of new Parristol, so we could use her small teleportation array to return.
Sure enough, a spherical teleportation portal appeared before us. Reed signaled us to enter quickly.
"Cysper used this to return to the holy capital. It won't teleport me into a wall, right? Maybe I'll fly back slowly. I'm not in a hurry..." Cyra hesitated, being her first time using such a small teleportation array.
"Of course not! I've calculated all the coordinates. Are you going or not?" Reed replied impatiently. "Don't forget, Cysper can't stay far from you for long. If you delay, he might dissipate into light elements!"
"Ah! I almost forgot!" Cyra exclaimed and quickly entered the portal, disappearing instantly.
"Haha, I'm not afraid of this! I've experienced teleportation magic several times," Judith said confidently. As she moved to enter, Reed stopped her, handing her another scroll.
"This is the last resort. If you encounter danger there, activate it to stay safe."
"Huh? Are you not coming back?" I asked, surprised.
"I need to return the 'Eye of Galadra' to Edenmere, so I won't join you," Reed explained. Seeing I wanted to argue, she gestured for me to stop. "The other side of the portal is your destination. I, a two-winged angel, can't help much. Also, I have no more teleport scrolls. The fastest way is to use the magic absorption array to make another one, so I have to stay here."
"...Alright. But be careful. This place is unfamiliar," I cautioned. Reed's abilities were useful, especially her "Five Light Ten Color" magic. But since she insisted, I didn't push further, just reminded her to be safe.
Watching Judith enter the portal, I hesitated, then followed. Suddenly, I had a question and turned to Reed.
"Why are you helping me so much? Adrian isn't related to you, right? You haven't even met him. Do you believe what Cyra says? You know I used to be..."
"Of course, I believe!" Reed interrupted me. "Don't you? Dwelling too much on your past identity isn't good. Cyra is more carefree than you. If you don't like Adrian, why go to Parristol? Why must you see him? Ask yourself, you should know better than me!"
She smiled slightly, the first time I'd seen her smile.
"As for why I'm helping you, it's to thank you for the sour fish dish you made!"
Alright...
I was speechless. The so-called "Three No's Girl" wasn't what she seemed! She could even joke.
Thinking of Adrian, I sighed. I knew my feelings for him were deep. He was my closest companion during that year in the trial space. Parting ways suddenly on Sulide Volcano was hard.
At first, I worried about Cyra and Nicola's opinions, but now the main issue was Adrian. I didn't understand his thoughts. He had confessed to me once but then became Parristol's king, collaborating with monsters, making my stance difficult. He also saw me as a boy, which made me uneasy.
I wanted to understand why he did this. Other factors didn't matter anymore after Cyra and Reed's guidance.
With this resolve, I stepped into the portal.
After a series of dazzling effects, I found myself in a lush, vibrant place, not the previous desert. Birds sang, flowers bloomed, and tall buildings and neat streets surrounded a shimmering lake.
"Where is this...?"
Looking at the distant buildings, I realized Reed had sent me directly to the Sky City!