Conquering the Tower Even Regressors Couldn't-Chapter 122: Thirty-First Floor, Whale Hunt (5)

Her brow furrowed slightly, not in disapproval but in evident surprise. “Now? As in this very moment?"

“Yes. If we’re heading east of Regium, we should start moving quickly."

“Isn’t that a bit hasty? I haven’t even discussed this with the others yet..." she trailed off, and her eyes scanned me briefly. “And besides, we don’t have any baiting incense. Though... I can sense traces of it on your hands."

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve brought more than enough."

I pulled out a sack of sky whale-baiting incense from my mimic. As the bag emerged from my waist, Roxanne’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“I have about forty sacks like this."

“You continue to surprise me. Blessings from a deity of wind, control over lightning, and even spatial manipulation. Truly remarkable."

“Let’s just say I’m resourceful. So, incense isn’t a problem. Now, should we discuss whether we’ll move tonight?"

“Hmm..."

Roxanne seemed extremely hesitant, which was understandable. A sudden, late-night proposal to hijack an airship wasn’t exactly an everyday suggestion.

Not wanting to dwell on the matter for too long, I continued, “I know where the dock is, so if you want to postpone, that is fine, too. But I can’t guarantee I’ll be available later. My time here is limited."

“What do you mean by that?"

“I will only be here for another six days. There’s an urgent matter I can’t miss."

“Six days?" Roxanne echoed, though thankfully, she didn’t press me for details. Even if she had, I wouldn’t offer an explanation.

I nodded firmly. “Yes."

“Six days, hmm... It takes five days to reach Regium by airship, so time will certainly be tight." She bit her lip and mulled over the situation, before nodding resolutely. “Wait here. I need to discuss this with my companions."

“I’m hoping for a positive outcome."

“Don’t worry. Everyone here is dedicated to the sky whales. It’s sudden, but they’ll understand."

***

[Drive away the sky whales from the vicinity of Mount Tumay. Time remaining: 161 hours 36 minutes.]

Fortunately, the elves reached a favorable decision. In my opinion, it was the logical conclusion as those who cared for the sky whales wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip away.

The journey to Peak Twenty-One was long, but the elves moved with remarkable speed, practically carried by the wind itself. Of course, I kept pace without issue, though their agility was impressive.

When we were running, Roxanne struck up a conversation. “While we appreciate your help, aren’t you taking a significant risk as the captain of a hunting party?"

“Sorry?"

“As you mentioned earlier, your group’s goal is to secure the air route. But abandoning your squad to collaborate with elves? Your superiors won’t take kindly to that."

I hesitated, realizing she had a point. Now that she mentioned it, I couldn’t help but worry about what the captain would face after I returned to the tower.

Sure, I wasn’t harming the squad or disobeying the mission outright, but partnering with elves was certainly unorthodox.

Then again... perhaps it won’t be as bad as it seems.

If the mission succeeded, the trade route would be cleared anyway. Even if the captain faced some reprimands, it wouldn’t be as if he had utterly failed his duty.

Roxanne’s expectant gaze brought me back to the present. My silence seemed to stir a sense of pity in her.

Finally, I came up with a reasonable excuse. “Well, sacrifices have to be made. The sky whales are more important than my career."

“You truly are a good person, just as I thought.”

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Her kind words stirred a pang of guilt within me. The truth was, my actions were driven more by greed than selflessness. Yet unintentionally, I had deceived her.

“When this is over, I’ll have the council send a letter to your kingdom."

“Pardon?"

“About forming trade relations. Isn’t that something humans have been wanting for some time? You may not realize it, but I am quite highly ranked."

Roxanne’s smiled slyly, but then quickly turned serious, cautioning me, “Of course, you can not tell anyone I was involved."

Ah, I understood now. I recalled reading documents about similar incidents.

The kingdom has been frustrated by the whale protectors’ interference.

Publicly, the elven council didn’t recognize the whale protectors as an official group. Whenever complaints about them arose, the council often claimed they hadn’t dispatched them. They insisted it was merely independent action taken by a rogue group of elves.

However, anyone could see through the thinly veiled pretense. Despite the council’s denials, the group was composed of elite elf warriors.

“Doesn’t the council officially deny supporting the whale protectors? Can they even send such a letter?"

“Everyone knows the truth. Justifications can always be arranged."

“I appreciate it."

As I nodded, Roxanne stepped closer, seeming to regard me even more favorably now.

“But, speaking of your squad, when do you think they’ll realize something’s wrong?"

“Tomorrow morning at the earliest. Or afternoon if we’re lucky."

Thankfully, I had the foresight to inform the vice-captain I had left something important on the airship. With any luck, they wouldn’t suspect anything until later in the day, unless someone checked the storage earlier.

“That’s enough time. At this pace, we’ll reach the airship before dawn."

Having no sense of the remaining distance, I simply nodded.

Talk of the airship reminded me of a lingering thought. “Mmm, I’ll handle convincing the pilots. Since I am human, it’s better if I talk to them, even if I have to intimidate them."

“What?"

Roxanne’s eyes widened, startled by my statement.

Did I say something wrong?

“What do you mean by ‘convincing the pilots’?"

“Well, we’ll need someone to operate the airship, won’t we?"

“What are you talking about? We’ll pilot it ourselves."

Genuinely surprised, I stared at her. “You can pilot an airship?"

Her incredulous look mirrored my own confusion.

“Did you really think elves were some primitive tribe unfamiliar with technology? I’m disappointed."

Flustered, I quickly backtracked. “No, that’s not what I meant..."

Of course, Roxanne was right. The thought that loyal defenders of nature could pilot an airship had never crossed my mind. Still, admitting that crude assumption wasn’t an option.

Before the silence grew uncomfortably long, I scrambled to offer a plausible explanation.

“I assumed guiding sky whales with an airship would be inherently risky. Airship pilots are more practiced, so I thought it safer to leave it to their expertise.”

“Ah, I see what you mean.”

Fortunately, my excuse seemed to land well. Roxanne nodded thoughtfully, and her expression softened. “Don’t worry. Although there are a limited number of the council’s airships, a few among us have piloted one. There’s no need for unnecessary risks.”

“That’s reassuring, haha...”

Keen to change the subject, I smoothly redirected the conversation.

“Oh, by the way, I have something to ask about the sky whales...”

***

[Drive away the sky whales from the vicinity of Mount Tumay. Time remaining: 157 hours 12 minutes.]

The faint light of dawn began to creep over the horizon, painting the mountains in soft blue hues. Dew clung to the grass and brushed against our boots as we pressed on.

Despite the exhausting journey, none of the elves showed signs of fatigue. I suspected their endurance came from the wind spirits accompanying them rather than their own physical stamina.

At last, we reached the makeshift dock near the base of Peak Twenty-One. The site was a cleared expanse of land, its perimeter lined with hastily constructed wooden buildings.

Hovering near one such structure was a gleaming white airship. Its massive engines were mounted on either side and at the bow. Cannons dotted its exterior, suggesting it could be used for combat as well.

Naturally, guards were stationed around the dock, but thanks to Shadow Veil, they remained oblivious to our presence.

Over two hundred elves moved quietly toward the airship. Once we reached within striking distance, Roxanne nodded to me, wondering if I was ready to take out the guards.

She better remember what we agreed on. No casualties, only quick incapacitations.

As soon as I nodded back, the elves sprang into action. The guards at the entrance were the first to fall, followed by those resting inside the buildings.

“Ugh!”

“What the—ugh!”

“Kegh...!”

Due to the airship’s value, a decently sized force of soldiers had been stationed to guard it. Faced with the elves’ sudden ambush, however, the situation quickly tilted in our favor.

Without warning, unexpected resistance arose. Crashing deafeningly through a wall, one of the elves flew through the air.

The elf hit the ground and clutched his stomach, groaning in pain. “Urgh, ugh!”

I knew it had been too good to be true. This was a hidden mission, and the airship was worth more than the sky whales themselves. Of course, there would be a mini-boss.

Roxanne rushed toward the fallen elf in alarm. “Serail!”

Moments later, the remaining elves who had entered the building came pouring out in a panic. A massive figure in a white cap emerged from the building, walking at an unhurried pace.

[Captain Kershakins]

Unexpectedly, the final obstacle was the airship’s captain. Wielding a colossal, spiked mace, the captain scanned the gathered elves before locking eyes with me. “You’re the captain of the hunting party, aren’t you? What are you doing here?”

Even though my appearance differed from the original hunting captain’s, the airship’s captain still recognized me—likely due to the tower’s interference. I didn’t feel like attacking him without talking first, even if I doubted our conversation would be meaningful.

“I need the airship to drive the sky whales away.”

“Heh, and that’s why you’re here with these elven scum instead of the hunting team?”

“Yes. I plan to drive the sky whales out of the mountains without killing them.”

“Well, I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re saying you need this airship for your plan?”

“That’s right.”

The captain dug a finger into his ear as though bored. Despite his nonchalant demeanor, I could feel his overwhelming strength.

Perhaps it was a perk of being on a higher floor, but he seemed even stronger than the Overseer.

He is probably on par with Roxanne, though still not a match for me.

“You seem to think you can do whatever you please, probably because you’ve got some connections. But let me be clear. This airship is royal property. As its captain, I can’t let you take it.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I guess I’ll just have to take it by force.”

The captain let out a hearty laugh, genuinely amused. “Haha! You’re a funny one.”

I raised my axe.

Instantly, the captain’s laid-back attitude vanished, replaced by a menacing aura. “Alright then. Come and try.”

Before the words could fully leave his mouth, we were already barrelling aggressively at each other.