Riding the gray-black Depraved Wind, the Hero swept across the sky over the Airport Town at a speed far surpassing that of ordinary birds.
When the speed reached a certain point, the invisible air would become a heavy barrier, but at this moment, even the atmosphere made way for the Hero. The Raging Wind rallied around the girl, propelling her flying speed faster and faster, almost as if she could accelerate endlessly.
During the brief moment she passed through the town, the Hero released her Perception, roughly capturing the atmosphere below. When she sensed the unappeasable chaos and various disturbances in the city, her expression grew even more grim.
The Airport Town, as an affiliated city of the Capital, though not large in scale, became an important hub for the Kingdom because of its strategic location. In the Fourteenth Princess's description, it was a very prosperous town.
Because it's an airport, this major town of the Kingdom has strict flight restrictions. Even if air routes had ceased operation, it was originally not allowed to fly over so brazenly like she did.
But now, although several Perceptions swept over the Hero, making her aware that she had been discovered, there was no one warning her, allowing her to pass directly over the city.
Perhaps in the face of the Capital's fall, the administrators of the Airport Town had no time to care about such trivial matters.
Perception spread with the night wind, conveying information to the Hero's mind:
The mournful cries for help from people who survived the Capital's fall and came seeking refuge;
Eager shouts within the city trying to organize assistance;
And some determined figures already leaving the city, racing in the same direction as her, the sound of breaking wind faintly audible.
In another situation, the Hero might have joined the ranks of caregivers, aiding the wounded.
However, at this moment, she could only grit her teeth, leaving the chaotic sounds behind, flying straight toward the horizon's end in the night sky.
The noise of the town gradually faded away, and high above, there should have been only the howling wind left. Yet, in this silence, a new voice abruptly entered her mind, causing the Hero to pause slightly.
'Noble Princess of the Seven Seas, daughter of the ocean and waters... Tsk.'
[Hero's response (the lower, the more perfunctory, below 20 none, above 70 detected)]
"Brother's summons—?"
Upon sensing the familiar Magic Power fluctuation, the Hero immediately realized it was the near-successful summoning ritual directed towards her Siren Princess form.
Before her brother left home to train, she had given him the summoning Magic she had painstakingly developed, along with the Spell Chant invented by the Gleaming Scale Serpent. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on N0veI.Fiɾe.net
And her brother also promised her that after reaching the vicinity of the Ancient Royal City in the Western Realm, he would summon her over at an appropriate time.
This was because the Hero, no matter what, couldn't let go of the matter regarding the Divine Knowledge Saintess and the Four-winged King, planning to take time to personally see what was happening there.
But now, she had no time to heed her brother's summons.
Perceiving that her brother's tone seemed not urgent, the Hero decisively chose to ignore it, continuing to press on.
As the Summoning Word was chanted halfway, her brother seemed to have realized something too, interrupting the reverent words of the Gleaming Scale Serpent, and in an impatient tone, changed the summoning spell:
"—You fool, the Border Count's daughter is in my hands, hurry over if you don't want her to die abandoned in the wild."
"Eh?" The Hero's expression suddenly froze, her flying speed instantly slowing down.
"I'll count to three, if you don't respond, I'll terminate the summoning. Do you know how risky it is to use a space-disrupting ritual in such a place?"
"Eh eh eh wait wait wait!!!"
The Hero hurriedly braked to a stop, clumsily disengaging the Aerial Dance Technique status, and during the free fall, switched to the Beast Spirit Embodiment of the Seven Seas Witch, swiftly responding to the summons.
"I'm coming over right away!"
In the next moment, a clear blue light bloomed in the air, the girl's figure disappeared mid-air, leaving a blueness ripple that dissipated with the wind.
[Summoning Hero's commotion (response too low +20, brother's ritual -30, attracts attention above 50)]
On the ruins stitched together from the ancient Royal City and the modern Capital, a glimmer of azure radiance shone among the dark clouds.
Though this pure light appeared exceptionally abrupt in this chaotic Magic Cloud, compared to the filth covering the entire sky, it seemed too small.
The fleeting radiance attracted no one's attention, falling toward a corner of the ruins.
The ripple in Space gradually subsided, the Hero's azure eyes slightly contracting, staring at the desolate city below, a slight shock appearing in her gaze.
The ancient end and the new death mingled into a putrid and decayed thick Miasma, which struck her whole body as soon as the teleportation ended, making her hair stand on end.
Malicious Magic Elements invaded her body along her breath, attempting to infect every inch of skin and blood, like venomous snakes in an invisible way.
But the Hero immediately reacted as Dawn Break's light lit up, purifying all the Pollution.
However, realizing the danger of the environment, she quickly suppressed her Magic Power, and the radiance of the morning light dimmed.
'It's too dangerous here, can't make too much noise.'
Thoughts flashed through her mind, the girl's emerald green eyes calmly scanning the ruins below, slightly adjusting her posture, spreading her arms, letting gravity Capture her body.