I Fought Kal'tsit? Seriously?

"Didn't know you could praise people so directly." Lamaline's hand holding the Bone Pen paused slightly, and her gaze shifted toward him.

"Then what kind of person did you think I was?" Gerald asked in return.

She propped her chin up with the Bone Pen and thought for a moment before speaking. "You like making people choose between options, like giving people advice, and for some reason, you like fighting... But you're very convincing. People can't help believing in the future you describe, because you prefer letting your actions speak."

Gerald did not answer immediately. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on the view beyond the window.

The scenery of River Valley outside was tranquil and vast, its branches and leaves swaying gently in the breeze.

"You and I spent some time together in the dream... in River Valley, though I was unconscious most of the time."

He pressed his fingers against the edge of the windowsill, trying to wipe up some dust, yet no dust remained on his hand. "But that doesn't mean the image you have of me can completely overlap with who I really am. Sometimes, looking at others with excessive expectations is a cruel thing for both sides."

A trace of gentleness flashed through the Banshee Queen's features, and her voice softened as well. "Do you think I would be disappointed in you?"

"Not really." Gerald returned her smile. "I think this is good too. As we spend more time together, we can discover different sides of each other and new strengths. We can both find a few surprises. After all, no matter what, I've always had confidence in myself."

"Then would you be disappointed in me?"

Lamaline leaned against the wall beside her. With a light tap of her Bone Pen, the jars and bottles on the table chimed as they slipped into her bag one after another. "Because I don't have the same confidence you do."

"Hard to say."

That was not the answer Lamaline had hoped for, but Gerald quickly added, "But look, war turned me into what I am now. If this had been a few decades ago, I never would have imagined that I could cut off someone's head without even blinking. Back then, I would only have been thinking about not being eliminated by everyone else."

"The same applies to you, Lamaline," he continued. "Nothing stays unchanged. A hammer and an iron ingot gradually adapt to each other's shape through collision. I'll adapt to a life with you in it, and you'll slowly come to understand what kind of person I really am. That's the meaning of an encounter."

The Banshee Queen blinked. "But I already like you very much. I can't imagine what it would feel like to like you even more."

"Then wait and see."

The Pegasus spread his hands, wearing a helpless smile. "We've barely gotten started. Our story has only just begun, Lamaline."

Though the conversation had indeed made Nastya want to keep listening, and though it had truly allowed her to witness a rare sight between two powerful figures—

She did not want to witness this sight. She even regretted coming here today.

Once those two realized there was a third person in this space... would they just kill her? Her crime would be listening to things she should not have heard... What should she do? Should she pretend to be a mannequin so she would not draw attention?

"Careful. I'm putting the house away, Nastya."

The Banshee Queen's voice sounded beside her ear, making her whole body shudder. By the time she snapped out of her brief thoughts, she realized Lamaline had already grabbed her arm.

Nastya swept her gaze around the room. The space that had just been filled with objects was now completely empty. The containers full of herbs that had stood by the walls had vanished at some point. Even the Incantation runes winding around the beams had quietly hidden themselves away.

The bare floor was exposed to the air, its wooden grain smooth yet cold, as though it had never carried any weight at all.

"Don't scare her on purpose." The Pegasus's voice came from the other side. "We're about to float up. Get ready."

The next moment, Nastya's body was swept up by the wind again, floating lightly in the air. At the same time, the Banshee Queen's Incantation quietly enveloped the entire house.

The concealed connections within the walls' planks and structural gaps began to come apart under a soft glow. The wooden materials seemed to come alive, leaving their original positions and slowly floating around them amid faint vibrations and the whispers of Incantation.

With no walls to block it, the light fell in mottled patches across each of their faces through the parts. Every board, stone, and nail was neatly arranged in the air. Components that had once fit tightly together now floated gently, forming a dismantled three-dimensional scene.

Nastya instinctively reached for the floating pieces of wood, only for the power of Incantation to gently push her away as though she had been shocked.

"I wouldn't recommend touching those." Gerald took several steps through the air until he reached Nastya's side, then pressed down her outstretched right hand. "Your hand would get cut."

The next second, the wind field surged.

A wild gale howled as it lifted the fragments of the entire house, carrying them into the sky above.

"Wait—"

Then, in the very next instant, the three of them climbed higher and higher along with the fragments around them—the sight resembled an aircraft from a past life breaking apart in midair and scattering in every direction.

The difference was that they were now fighting gravity itself.

Gerald stood at the center of the wind, his silver hair streaming behind him as he stared upward. His fingers lifted slightly, controlling the airflow to push approaching fragments higher and prevent them from hitting anyone. Whenever a passing plank brushed his arm, he slowly stepped half a pace back to avoid its sharp edge.

Lamaline appeared far more composed. Her long hair and the hem of her clothes fluttered in the wind. One hand tightly gripped the Bone Pen, while the other hung naturally at her side, naturally hooking around a certain Pegasus's arm.

Nastya was the most pitiful—ah, no. Seeing the excitement on her face, perhaps it would be more accurate to say she was the happiest.

It was her first time having an experience like this, flying through the air.

Very soon, the Banshee Queen's Incantation activated again.

The dismantled materials began slowly reassembling in the air. Each plank fell precisely back into place as though pulled by invisible threads, and every nail fitted perfectly between the wood at just the right angle. Amid the flowing light, the scattered structure of the house gradually returned to its original form.

When the outline of the house was fully restored and the wind gradually calmed—

They were finally able to set foot upon the sky.

The house hovered steadily in the air, still quite some distance from the sea of clouds above.

According to Gerald's explanation, the higher one went, the greater the concentration of Originium in the atmosphere, making it completely unsuitable for people to settle there—Nastya firmly committed that information to memory. It would surely be one of the problems she would need to overcome in the future.

But for now, the beauty before her was enough to refute any such argument.

Far beyond the horizon, mountain ranges appeared and disappeared like isolated islands floating in a sea of clouds. The outline of every peak was traced with incomparable clarity by the golden afterglow, while mist drifted through the mountains in shifting light and shadow.

The rolling clouds were so close to them, swaying softly in the wind like downy feathers. Sometimes they gathered into shapes; sometimes they scattered like smoke.

Nastya stood at the edge before the house, her gaze fixed tightly on the breathtaking sight. Countless words seemed to fill her chest, yet for a time, she could not say anything.

Surely any Sarkaz who saw this view would want to contribute a little strength to her dream.

But reality still lay before her. This sight could not last forever.

"Are you all right?" Lamaline's gaze lingered on the distant scenery for a second before quickly shifting to Gerald's current complexion. "Do you need to rest for a while?"

Gerald shook his head. He touched the cloth over his shoulder again, then thought for a moment before speaking to Nastya. "It's best not to go beyond half an hour. Otherwise, I can't guarantee we'll be able to descend as safely as we did earlier."

"It's all right. This is already enough."

The little Banshee rose onto her tiptoes and looked up at the higher clouds, as well as the faint sky visible through them.

As long as she came up here once, she could identify every problem that might arise. What she needed next was to continue learning, find solutions to every problem, and then discover even more problems.

An intangible dream could be touched.

Never before had she possessed such a clear understanding.

"One day," Nastya whispered, "all Sarkaz will be able to see scenery like this."

Look Down at the Neon Lights in the City

The house slowly floated back to its original position from the sky, like a string of enormous balloons had been tied to its roof and allowed to carry the entire building gently downward. The wind around the house steadily and softly held up the floating structure, controlling every faint sway.

Unlike the thrilling danger of being swept into the sky by the wind at first, the house now gave off a warm glow, while a tranquil sky lay beyond the windows. Through them, the full expanse of River Valley slowly grew larger in view.

Now they could sit leisurely by the window and watch as the mountains and clouds gradually gathered together.

Nastya leaned against the windowsill, staring blankly at the scenery outside for a long time. Only when she suddenly realized that she had unintentionally blocked the room's only window did she hurriedly move aside, lowering her head apologetically. "Ah... sorry. I got too absorbed in watching."

Nastya knew that, as someone outside the Royal Courts, her bloodline was not particularly pure. Her exchanges with the Banshee Queen herself had only ever remained on the surface.

Being personally helped by two powerful figures she could never ordinarily come into contact with, having them fulfill her dream like this—she could not even have imagined it in the past. At the beginning, she had only wanted to ask about the sensations of using Originium Arts.

"Don't worry about it, don't worry about it." After she raised her head, the Pegasus before her gave her a light wave. "Lamaline and I made an agreement. She redeemed them for me, so this is the responsibility I should fulfill for all of you."

Then he raised a thumb in encouragement. "So look all you want. Just remember how great a price your Banshee Queen paid for this."

Pfft.

Behind the Pegasus, Lamaline had been quietly enjoying this rare moment of peace.

Yet after hearing Gerald's words, she suddenly failed to keep her lips composed, and her smile slipped out on its own.

Realizing she had lost her composure, she hurriedly coughed twice, trying to conceal what she had just done. Under the gaze of two pairs of eyes facing her, she said, "Mm-hm, please don't forget, Nastya. This is all thanks to me."

Nastya opened her mouth, but in the end, she yielded beneath the other woman's smiling yet pressuring gaze.

How had she never noticed that the Banshee Queen was actually this kind of person?

Still, it did make Nastya feel a little more at ease.

Before this, the Banshee Queen had always given her a faint sense of distance.

Though she wore a smile, it always felt as if she were wearing a mask.

Yet at this moment, Lamaline's smile appeared genuine and warm. It was joy from the bottom of her heart, making Nastya feel more relaxed and reassured than ever before.

"Have you seen scenery like this before as well, Mr. Gerald?"

Relaxing, Nastya turned her eyes back outside the window. "Since you can make even a house fly, I imagine you must have reached this height before. May I ask what you were thinking back then?"

Lamaline had the same question—she had actually never heard Gerald speak about his past. Other than recognizing the Divine People bloodline of the Pegasus through his eyes and Originium Arts, she could say she knew nothing else about him. Still, Lamaline could sense that he carried the same sort of aura as her.

A warrior understood a warrior's thoughts best, especially after personally crossing blades with the other person.

"What was I thinking... Nothing special. I could see distant battlefields, identify directions, and notice movements, but it also made it easy for others to spot me."

Sure enough, Gerald stated it without emotion. "Though it consumes a tremendous amount of stamina, it can be extremely useful on a large-scale battlefield. But I usually don't get opportunities like this. Besides, most of my attacks require getting close to the target. I don't have the attack methods of Catastrophe casters, so I'd be better off using that energy to increase my speed."

Smack.

The Banshee Queen's hand landed on the Pegasus's lower back. "That's not what she was asking you."

"Then you don't understand her." Gerald immediately shot back, his tone crisp and decisive. "A child who can come up with the idea of building an aerial fortress will definitely make comprehensive defensive plans beforehand. Ground-based anti-aircraft guns, possible attack methods—all of it must be considered. If she spends so much effort designing a complete layout only to be passively beaten, then that fortress would be better off not being built."

"That isn't the issue here."

Though that was not what Lamaline had initially wanted to say, she clearly had her own insistence on the matter, and her voice rose slightly as well.

"What truly needs consideration is how the Originium concentration in the sky affects breathing. Not to mention altitude and elevation—those were things you brought up earlier. If we can use Incantation to hide the entire city like River Valley and completely avoid the enemy's sight, why should we worry about anti-air threats?"

Gerald frowned slightly, his hand unconsciously resting on the window frame as he looked toward the distant River Valley. "Though I'm not Sarkaz, if I were to think about this from a Sarkaz perspective—the Originium concentration issue truly cannot be avoided."

"But from a practical standpoint, the most effective approach would be to keep the flying altitude low, establish several offensive flying units, and develop military strength. Then, relying on the mobility and altitude advantages of aerial units, wipe out every enemy that comes to attack and directly seize resources to snowball."

He paused briefly, his tone becoming even more resolute. "When all you have is a technological advantage, choosing to withdraw and lie low is wasting time. That approach will squander a precious first-mover advantage, Lamaline."

Hesitation was the greatest taboo on the battlefield.

The reason he and his former comrades had won the devotion of so many brothers was largely due to the accuracy and efficiency of their information transmission. This was not only the key to the battlefield, but also the foundation of trust and coordination among the Silverlance Pegasi. In an ever-changing battle situation, delivering precise information to every person who needed it quickly often meant the hope of victory.

For the land of knights, offense was the best defense—and the only defense.

Lamaline narrowed her eyes, lightly spinning the Bone Pen in her hand.

This person was doing it again.

Wisps of black mist suddenly emerged around her, and the Incantation that had been hidden within the house also surfaced.

Yet amid the suddenly tense atmosphere—

Nastya shakily raised her hand.

"I... I didn't mean that. I only wanted to ask... what you were feeling at the time?"

She knew very well.

If she was merely interrupting now, at most she would only be caught in the crossfire.

But if she did not interrupt, who knew whether the two before her might suddenly start fighting in midair?

Then it would not simply be a matter of bad luck... In the best-case scenario, she might be able to leave behind an intact corpse when she reached the ground.

These two really changed moods quickly.

"Feelings?"

The two looked at each other in surprise, as though they had only just realized that standing before them was merely a young little Banshee—she was not suited to talking about war. She only needed to focus on what was in front of her.

"I'm not sure either."

Gerald quietly recalled the first moment he had touched the sky.

Even though he had already been an adult then, his Originium Arts could not support him floating at high altitude for long. Unlike now, the cloth on his shoulder gave him astonishing endurance. And after today, that ability seemed to have been strengthened even further.

Being able to carry an entire house and remain in the air for thirty minutes had already surpassed anything he had imagined before. He even vaguely felt that the Neatl family's grandfather—that once-renowned Cyril—was probably only at his current level.

Yet even though he could not remain in the air for long back then, the sight he saw when he looked down in that instant was still deeply engraved in his memories.

"...Nastya, do you think time is terrifying?"

The Pegasus came back to himself in a daze and asked the little Banshee a question. "Sometimes I think so. Because sometimes, it feels like not much time has passed, but in reality, the clock has already gone around who knows how many times—the feeling of your senses being eroded unconsciously while you can do nothing about it."

"I think that was what I felt at the time."