The floating staircase might reach the sky, but there's nothing like that on an airship. And humans don't have wings.
Therefore, infiltrating an airship floating high in the sky—even at night when everyone's guard is down—is an extremely difficult task.
And now they needed to infiltrate that very airship, intimidate the captain, and deal with the entire crew without any casualties.
"Naval ships are often compared to fortresses. An airship could rightfully be called a fortress of the heavens."
Oswald said this with a gentle smile. It wasn't wrong, but it was certainly an annoying comment.
"This bastard really thinks he's an elf."
"I am a real elf. Can't you see my ears?"
"Wow, even his soul has become pointy-eared and corrupt. Boss! I have a brilliant idea!"
Yu-jin grumbled as he raised his hand enthusiastically. When Ivan nodded, he proudly shrugged his shoulders.
"Let the pointy-ears use 'Feather Step'!"
"How many times do I have to tell you I'm a Mind Sorcerer? Is your human learning ability that poor?"
"Wow, this guy has really gone full elf. What kind of party includes a mage who can't even use Feather Step? Boss, let's just grab anyone from the magic department instead. Preferably someone from the Destruction school."
"[Mind Split]"
As purple mana swirled around Oswald's fingertips, Yu-jin's pupils dilated lifelessly.
Yu-jin bowed his head, drooling.
Silence fell over the club room.
Useful, Ivan nodded.
"We just need to wait until evening."
"Is the warship suddenly going to land in the evening?"
"No, but the people who need to board the warship will appear."
The Krasilov monarchy had given the warship three days to withdraw. That was yesterday.
And yesterday evening, Elizabeta had threatened to shoot it down if it didn't withdraw within a day.
From the captain's perspective, the situation must be tense. By tomorrow, the entire monarchy might take military action, or at the very least, Elizabeta might try something before the day ends.
Therefore, the captain absolutely needed to make contact with the Crown Prince today. It was the only way to reverse the situation.
They wouldn't move during daylight. As long as the counterintelligence headquarters existed, all of Pritzenkaya was within Elizabeta's sight.
That meant evening, at least after sunset.
"Even if the Crown Prince's side contacts the warship, how do we get in between them?"
"They'll use a carriage with a levitation spell."
"So what, we ask them to make room for us in the carriage?"
"No."
Ivan surveyed Oswald, who was looking at him suspiciously; Yu-ri, who was still frightened and watching cautiously; and Yu-jin, who remained in a daze. Then he turned to Yu-ri and spoke in a solemn voice.
"If you had to carry one of them, who would you choose?"
"What...?"
"Excluding me. Which of those two would you carry?"
Yu-ri looked at the two young men with trembling eyes. One was a golden sun, the other a hypnotic squinter.
The hypnotic squinter had even just demonstrated his abilities by casting a hypnosis spell on the golden sun.
Yu-ri bit her lip hard, then barely managed to answer.
"Um, Yu-jin... I'd rather..."
"Rather...?"
Ignoring Oswald, who flinched with a hurt expression, Ivan simply nodded.
"Then I'll carry Oswald."
"But why are we suddenly carrying people?"
"Yes. We're going to hang on."
Approximately 800 meters above ground. Ridiculously low compared to modern Earth aircraft, but in this pre-modern world, it's an impossible height for humans to reach.
Even with Earth's highly advanced civil engineering, 800m is Burj Khalifa level—the tallest building ever constructed.
If they tried to reach that height using another levitated transport, they would certainly be spotted in advance.
So to infiltrate without being seen, they had no choice but to hide under the carriage the Crown Prince's faction would send for contact.
The question was whether they had the physical strength to hang from the bottom of the carriage.
Oswald obviously couldn't do it, and Yu-jin didn't seem reliable. After all, he was a priest, not a fighter.
On the other hand, Yu-ri was the top student in the knight department. Aside from Mord, she was considered the strongest freshman in practical skills. She could probably hang on for about 10 minutes while carrying someone.
"You speak as if you've infiltrated airships by hanging in mid-air before."
"Fortunately, I've done something similar."
"What kind of life have you lived? Actually, I don't really want to know."
Ivan ignored Oswald's comment and stood up. There was much to prepare.
"Bring warm clothes and sufficient weapons, then meet at the magic department's astronomy tower."
In Krasilov, every season except summer isn't much different from winter. They cycle through small winter, summer, medium winter, and hellish winter.
That meant it would be quite cold for hanging from a carriage and flying at an altitude of 800 meters in the middle of the night.
The transmigrators shivered as they contemplated Ivan's words.
Ivan and the transmigrators had been lying on the tower rooftop since evening, and only after sunset did they finally stand up and stretch their stiff bodies.
Their hands were numb from the cold. As the transmigrators sighed and loosened their hands and feet, Ivan finally raised his head after a considerable wait.
In the darkness that had settled over everything, made even darker by the shadow of the massive ship, a small light momentarily flickered between the streets.
"Get ready."
Ivan cracked his shoulder once to loosen it, then took out his axe. He twirled the rope-attached axe and extended it straight out to gauge the distance.
The ropes attached to the two axes were tied around Yu-ri's and Ivan's waists.
After confirming that Yu-ri was carrying Yu-jin on her back, Ivan slowly pulled his arm back.
"It's coming."
The transmigrators swallowed nervously. Ivan was staring straight at some point in the dark night sky where nothing was visible.
Mana was flowing. Delicately calibrated mana coursing through Ivan's muscle fibers.
Oswald, riding on his back, secretly admired the intricate arrangement.
"You go first."
"What? Yes... HUH!? KYAAAAAAAH!!"
*WHOOOOSH!!*
Ivan didn't wait for Yu-ri's response before throwing the axe. The hand axe drew a clean straight line as it extended into the night sky.
The rope attached to the end of the axe undulated once, and Yu-ri, tied to its end, was snatched away as if caught on a hook.
In an instant, Yu-ri's silhouette disappeared into the darkness.
"Hold tight."
"Um, wait a moment. I'm not mentally prepared yet... Wait, wait, maybe we should reconsider...!!"
*WHOOOOSH!!!*
"UGGGHHHHHHHHHH?!!!"
Oswald screamed, foaming at the mouth from the ground rapidly receding beneath him and the harsh wind slapping his cheeks.
The terror of death, the ringing in his ears, the floating sensation of being suddenly dropped in the sky... I must be crazy to call this a plan! Oswald reflexively grabbed Ivan's shoulders tightly and wailed.
"Ugh...! Uuugh...!! Ugh...! Huh?"
The tremendous noise battering his ears suddenly stopped.
When Oswald looked around in a daze, he saw Yu-ri and Yu-jin right beside him, both pale with fear.
They were hanging from the carriage wheel.
"Huh...? Huuuh...?"
"Wow...."
In the distance, they could see the tower they had jumped from. This distance...? Crossed by throwing a hand axe? They looked at Ivan with newfound wonder.
"But won't we be detected like this?"
"Of course we will."
Ivan could already hear the commotion inside the carriage.
The people inside weren't deaf, and the carriage had suddenly lurched with the added weight of four people, plus an axe had struck it dead-on—there was no way they wouldn't notice.
For now, it wasn't a problem since they couldn't open the carriage door or see under the wheels from the windows, but that would only last for a moment.
The moment they reached the deck, they would be surrounded. The Crown Prince Alexander himself wouldn't be there, but they had ambushed a carriage carrying his envoy, so they would certainly be attacked.
In other words, a stealthy infiltration was impossible from the start.
The transmigrators looked at Ivan with astonished eyes as they realized this.
"So what do we do now?"
"Hold on."
"Huh?"
Ivan stared straight at some point in the night sky as he slowly pulled the axe out of the carriage.
Below the clouds, the airship was slowly approaching.
After confirming that the lights guiding the carriage's landing point were twinkling on the deck, Ivan hung Oswald on the carriage wheel and held on with one hand.
Then, he aimed the extracted axe straight ahead and slightly turned his head.
"No way. Are you abandoning us? Boss, are you abandoning the Korean Patriotic Corps? No friendship?"
Ignoring Yu-jin's stammering nonsense, Ivan extended his arm backward and circulated his mana.
A stealthy infiltration was impossible from the beginning.
Then it would be right to use a diversionary tactic. It was only natural. The Annihilation Squad always followed the doctrine of creating confusion in enemy lines just before infiltration.
Not exactly sacrificial pawns... but decoys for diverting attention.
Moreover, two of the transmigrators were nobles, one was a high-ranking military noble, and one was an elf.
Even if they were attacked, they weren't targets for summary execution, and if only students appeared, there was a good chance it would be dismissed as youthful mischief.
That's why he had said things like "no killing crew members"—to prevent the situation from becoming a life-or-death struggle.
"I'll come find you soon."
"No, wait, boss...? Boss!!"
*WHOOOOSH!!!*
The carriage shook violently from the recoil, and when the transmigrators opened their eyes again,
Ivan was already gone. He had shot like an arrow into the darkness of the night.
"Like a crazy flying Santa Claus. He doesn't even need Rudolph."
"Ahahahaha.... What do we do now?"
"What else?"
Looking at the approaching deck, Yu-jin gritted his teeth.
"We complete the quest."
If the quest reward for this isn't worth it, I swear I'll find a way to kill that status window bastard.
Ivan was hanging from an axe embedded in a gun port below the waterline of the warship.
Harsh wind brushed past his ears. He felt the floating sensation beneath his feet, and far below, he could see the streets dotted like grains of sand.
If he fell, it would mean death—no, not even fragments of his limbs would remain as traces.
"Hup."
*CRACK!!*
Hanging by one hand from that height, he twisted his waist to generate momentum and struck the gun port.
*CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!*
*CREAK!!*
Precariously swaying as if about to fall at any moment, expressionlessly and steadily.
Silently. Like chopping wood while standing on solid ground.
Soon, the wooden gun port collapsed, creating a hole large enough for a person to enter.
*WEEEEEE!! WEEEEEE!!! WEEEEEE!!!*
The interior warning lights flashed frantically, and he could hear the noise of crew members rushing about.
The diversion was successful.
Ivan nodded impassively and threw himself through the dark gap of the gun port.
Now, at this moment, here.
The Woodsman had arrived.