Captain Calvin, a seasoned 32-year-old commander of the esteemed Golden Alpaca Airship, found himself grappling with the stark realization that the day's mission was far from the straightforward endeavor he had anticipated.
"This is supposed to be an easy money..."
Calvin muttered under his breath as he cast a sidelong glance at the brown-haired nobleman adorned in opulent attire who stood beside the ship's helm.
Onboard their vessel was none other than Prince Gregory Byron Ruri, the 14th Prince of the Kingdom, an individual whose prestige stemmed primarily from the substantial wealth bequeathed to him by his late mother.
Today, the 14th Prince had brazenly taken a task originally designated for his elder brother, the 9th Prince. Eager to demonstrate his competence, he had assembled three airships and a cadre of elite arcanists to apprehend those pursuing the enigmatic Vampire of the Drifting Forest.
However, because the 14th Prince didn't have his own competent group of knights under his command, everyone went wrong when he simply trusted the mercenaries he hired to take the lead.
"Captain, the third and fourth engines are operational again." One of the officers on the bridge reported.
"Additionally, the alchemists have completed temporary repairs on all external damages." another officer added.
Captain Calvin heaved a sigh of relief as he felt glad that the Alchemists in his ship were still reliable.
'Those lightning bolts scared… It's good that it wasn't aimed at us and targeted the whole area.' Calvin silently thought as he nodded at the officers.
However, upon hearing their reports, Prince Gregory swiftly issued an imperative command.
"What are you waiting for? Pursue those Arcanists from Millton Kingdom!"
As he said this, the officers of the ship took a quick glance at their real Captain to get his consent.
Captain Calvin considered for a moment before shaking his head. Apparently, he held a divergent perspective.
"Prince Gregory, I believe our priority should be addressing the threat posed by the Masked Man. It is highly likely that he is the individual sought by the Church of the Three Paragons, the Masked Devil Incarnate. Moreover, he has already killed a dozen of our elite arcanists. We can't let him escape now."
As Calvin said this, he controlled the crystal in the middle of an airship and showed the images of the masked man who had just thrown the body of their hired mercenary.
He didn't kill them, but anyone he defeated seemed drained of their energy and life force. It was quite similar to the Vampire they knew.
Prince Gregory was initially unsettled by this plan. After all, he harbored a fervent desire to capture the Female Arcanists he had seen in the images projected by the crystal a few minutes ago.
However, he recollected the bounty placed on the Masked Devil Incarnate by the Church of the Three Paragons.
That amount was also quite considerable; furthermore, he would get on the good side of the Church if he did this.
Although the Church of the Three Paragons wasn't as strong as before, they still had a lot of influence to a huge part of the citizens in Ruri Kingdom.
"Mhmm… This could be a means to earn recognition." He pondered for a brief moment.
"Very well! Capture that man!" He declared, conceding to Captain Calvin's counsel.
As Clovis completed the extraction of the last individual, his attention shifted to the three imposing airships looming in the sky.
His brow furrowed as he couldn't help why this was all happening in the first place.
The deployment of these mechanical behemoths seemed excessive. Moreover, he couldn't fathom why they would wait for the Vampire's demise to claim their spoils, especially when they possessed the means to mobilize a formidable force of arcanists and airships.
'They should've attacked the castle themselves.' He mused.
Then, after confirming that his Levitation's cooldown was over. He made his move.
"Let's uncover the truth…" Clovis murmured as he pushed his Levitation Spell to its limits, propelling himself towards the Golden Airship.
Despite his advanced mastery of the Levitation Spell, he couldn't shake the realization that its capabilities were confined to low-altitude flight.
This prompted him to desire a better Flying Spell.
'Is there even a better Flying Spell? Ahh… Should I try the Wind Spirit later?' Clovis' eyes lit up as he recalled the level 0 spell that he had recently obtained.
Nevertheless, he didn't fail to reach the airship since he bolstered himself with his Lightspeed Spell and Divinity. He effortlessly exceeded the limitations of his Levitation Spell, boarding the Golden Airship in a matter of seconds.
A few moments ago, as Captain Calvin issued orders for his men to engage the masked man below, he was taken aback as the individual suddenly took to the skies, intent on boarding their airship.
"We can't let him board!"
Desperate to evade the looming threat, he controlled the airship to ascend to higher altitudes, yet his efforts were swiftly thwarted by the 14th Prince's command to hold the position.
"W-what?" Captain Calvin was shocked.
"I've enlisted three First-Class Druids! They are more than capable of handling this clown!" Gregory declared.
He was filled with confidence in the imminent encounter with the Masked Devil Incarnate.
'I'm paying those Druids thousands of zen per week. They should do some work!' Gregory thought as he felt that this was a good plan.
Captain Calvin clenched his teeth in silent frustration as he could only comply with the Prince's directive. Placing his hopes in the abilities of the Druids, he braced himself for the impending confrontation.
Before long, the much-anticipated arrival of the Masked Devil Incarnate came to pass, casting an eerie shadow over the deck of the airship.
As the enigmatic figure materialized before them, the guards outside finally realized what those Arcanists below had felt when facing this Devil…
The pressure he was emitting was already making them want to flee!
On the other hand, Captain Calvin, the Prince, and the others looked at the masked man closely through the projection brought by the crystal.