The moment the two of them clasped hands, their bodies lifted smoothly into the air—as if something beneath their feet had pushed them upward—without even a moment’s pause to register surprise at the contact.

“Gasp...”

“Did our Commander always have that kind of ability...?”

Those seeing it for the first time blinked in disbelief and swallowed hard, but the two themselves behaved as if this were something they’d done countless times—utterly natural.

Kishiar glanced back one last time, then smiled with the sly face of a fox hiding a secret and waved.

“I'm truly going to enjoy my vacation now. So while we're gone, I ask that all of you act so well that no one notices our absence.”

“Yes, sir! Don’t worry!”

“Have a safe trip, Duke.”

Amid the send-off from the retainers and Cavalry members, the two walked into the air. Though they were said to be ‘walking,’ the speed was so fast they became mere dots in an instant—too quick to leave even an aftertaste of awe behind. Those left behind, staring as if entranced, only came back to their senses much later at Enk’s sharp voice.

“Didn't you hear just now? The Duke and Baron have not officially left Peleta. Get it together and return to your duties!”

“Ah... right. The Duke is just in disciplinary confinement.”

The fact that Kishiar had been put under disciplinary confinement wasn’t a secret. But if word got out about where exactly he was going, unnecessary obstructions could arise—so they had agreed to pretend he was still in Peleta, coordinating the story with the retainers.

Besides, even when he was in Peleta, Kishiar was always elusive, so hardly anyone would be suspicious just because he wasn’t seen for a while. Still, everyone in Peleta was ready to pretend he was present if it meant ensuring their lord’s happiness.

As everyone scattered in a mild panic, Mick Shuden tapped his glasses and sighed.

“If only I had the ability to move quickly over water or through the air like that, our trip up would’ve been a lot easier.”

“What? The Duke can walk on water too?”

Mick chuckled at Durney’s astonishment.

“Did I never mention it? Back in the South, the Duke took me walking over the ocean. Compared to that, walking in the sky doesn’t even seem that impressive!”

Though both were astonishing, Mick exaggerated his own experience as being more mystical. Those listening to him wondered just what kind of powers the person they served really possessed—or laughed in disbelief—then went off to attend to their duties. Among them were Cavalry members engaged in an enthusiastic debate over what they had just witnessed from their Commander.

“By the way, that ability of the Commander’s... does he need to hold hands like that for it to activate?”

“Could be. Even those Elder guys had to hold hands to use their teleportation over long distances, right? Maybe it’s something like that?”

“Oh! That might be it. I mean, if physical contact is a condition, when else would anyone get to hold hands with royalty? No wonder we didn’t know until now.”

“Yuder is amazing. Even if I were offered double pay, I don’t think I could bring myself to touch the Commander’s hand.”

“Same here...”

“By the way, where were Yuder and the Commander going for their ‘disciplinary confinement’ trip again? Anyone remember?”

“Uh... now that you mention it, I don’t think I ever heard. Do you remember, Edin?”

“...”

Edin kept his mouth shut. He knew all too well that if he just waited a little, his comrades—who were increasingly obsessed with training and growing simpler by the day—would soon forget such questions entirely.

“I... actually, after seeing Shuseiner give Yuder a snack earlier, I suddenly feel really hungry.”

“Gasp... me too. Let’s go get snacks and then hit training.”

“Want to race to the branch base? No powers—just pure physical sprinting. Winner gets double snacks.”

“Hah. Trying to scheme for more food, huh? Fine, I’ll take you on.”

“Double snacks? That’s mine. Back off!”

And so, another peaceful day flowed by in Peleta.

*** 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Though Yuder had experienced walking through the sky with Kishiar several times now, it was the first time they’d traveled such a long distance like this.

He said it wouldn’t use too much power, so I left it to him... but I didn’t expect it to be on this level.

Whatever improvements had been made, the force pushing them was now unbelievably fast and natural. From the outside, it might look like nothing much, but when you considered that Kishiar was currently using a triple-layered form of the pushing force, it became nearly unbelievable that this was the power of a human.

First, he pushes from beneath to lift into the air, then from behind to maintain steady speed. He even diverts the resulting wind resistance in another direction so it doesn’t affect us... At this point, asking how he’s able to do this so easily feels meaningless.

For an average person, just managing to lift themselves into the air would be their absolute limit. But the man now walking happily while holding Yuder’s hand looked like he was out for a light stroll.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is something bothering you?”

“No. I was just thinking that trying to guess how fast your abilities evolve is pointless.”

“For the great mind of the Cavalry to say that—it makes me feel so flattered, I want to try even harder.”

Yuder had somewhat accepted it when other members started using that title, but hearing Kishiar call him that still felt strange. Seeing Yuder press his lips together, Kishiar laughed like a boy and fiddled with the hand he held before speaking.

“After my rut, I thought the elevated power level from the symptoms would return to normal. And it did, in terms of total power output... but somehow, I feel like I can move much more efficiently. My body feels incredibly light.”

“That’s... fortunate, then.”

“But don’t worry. I won’t let myself get drunk on that lightness anymore.”

After saying that lightly, Kishiar slightly increased their speed.

Looking down at the world zipping past far faster than any horse ride, Yuder wondered how surprised someone might be if they happened to glance up and see them.

Since we're moving so fast, they probably wouldn’t even realize it was a person... Still, it might spark ghost sightings or something.

The journey, unstoppable by anything, was both swift and comfortable. Kishiar would lead Yuder through the sky and land briefly whenever they found a beautiful spot to enjoy the food Shuseiner had packed.

And so, in just a single day—a feat that should have taken several—they successfully descended near Yuder’s hometown.

“If I remember correctly, it should be around here. Am I right?”

Yuder looked at the signpost standing before him. These signs were placed all around the vast mountains to prevent travelers from getting lost—and they were deeply familiar.

The Airik Mountain Range, which cuts vertically through the Empire’s center, was often called the backbone of the Empire because of its sheer size and length. Most people couldn’t grasp how vast it was, but in reality, it was a collection of diagonally branching ranges, like veins, and collectively referred to as the Rik Mountains.

Unless you live here, most people just lump everything together as Airik.

Among residents, the term “Airik” referred more precisely to the central, largest, and longest portion of the range.

And it was there—right in the heart of it—that Yuder’s hometown lay.