Chapter 17
The Trap of the Sky Island
After officially accepting the mission at the reception desk, we received a map of the airspace where communication had been lost and headed straight to the docking bay where Luminarc was waiting.
“Wow… two personal assignments in a row. That’s pretty rare, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is. But since Ms. Meirissa trusted us enough to take this on, we can’t let her down.”
“Right!”
“Hah! With me on board, there’s nothing to worry about!”
“Yeah, we’re counting on you, Nocty.”
But when we arrived at the docking bay, three adventurers were already waiting at the entrance, arms folded and smirks plastered across their faces.
The moment they noticed us, they grinned wider and slowly walked over.
“Hey, you guys. You’re heading out on that search mission, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Well then, we figured we’d lend a hand to you rookies.”
They sounded confident, but the plates on their chests were the same as ours—Copper Rank.
“Wait, you’re the same rank as us, aren’t you?”
“Sure, but the difference is experience, kid. Experience.”
In other words, they were the type who’d been around a while but never accomplished much—veterans in years only.
They were clearly after a share of the reward and recognition.
“Sorry, but we’ll have to pass.”
“What? We’re offering to help you out of kindness, you know!”
“And we’re saying we don’t need it.”
“…You little brats sure have some nerve.”
Their tone turned aggressive, drawing the attention of nearby explorers.
“Hey, this isn’t the place for a scene,” one of them muttered.
“Tch… fine. Don’t come crying to us later.”
With a curse under their breath, the trio stalked off.
“…That felt off,” Mile said softly.
“They’re not giving up that easily. Stay sharp,” Nocty growled.
“Yeah. Got it.”
Once they’d completely vanished from sight, we began our preflight checks.
“Ship systems: all green. We’re ready to go anytime,” Nocty reported.
“Good. Then let’s launch.”
Luminarc lifted smoothly from the bay and soared into the blue sky, slicing through the clouds.
Our destination—the airspace where contact had been lost.
As we drew closer, we began to pass other airships—fellow explorers who’d accepted the same request.
“Looks like a lot of people joined in on this one.”
“Well, the reward was pretty enticing.”
“Alright, Mile, can you mark the most probable areas on the map?”
“Leave it to me. Based on the Guild’s data, these are the most likely spots.”
Red dots appeared on the map next to my seat.
“Which location do you think is the most suspicious?”
“Given the situation, I’d guess they were trying to reach the nearest town. That narrows it down to two possible routes.
But the closer one passes through a zone where deep-cloud beasts were recently spotted. If they knew that, they wouldn’t risk it.”
“I see… then the floating island along the other route is the most likely place.”
Just as I adjusted our course, Nocty suddenly spoke in a low, tense voice.
“…Oi. We’ve got company. Someone’s been tailing us for a while.”
“Yeah… I noticed it too. It’s not just our imagination.”
“Mile, if they close the distance, let me know immediately.”
“Roger.”
There was no doubt—it was those same three from before.
“We’re about to enter the target airspace,” I said.
Before us, through breaks in the sea of clouds, loomed a massive floating island.
“Visibility’s poor.”
I slowed Luminarc and carefully guided it closer.
Mile frowned as she stared at the sensors.
“Sky… the signal behind us—it’s gone!”
“Not just the core reading. Check for turbulence instead,” Nocty instructed.
“Right… Hmm—wait, there’s a disturbance in the cloud layer. Looks like they’re hiding in there and creeping closer!”
There was only one reason to do something like that—they were planning an ambush.
“Mile, pull up the island’s terrain data. Nocty, report any energy signatures you catch.”
“Got it.”
I maxed out Luminarc’s gravity-control frame output and guided the ship along the island’s edge, ready for anything.
“Energy reading ahead! It’s faint, but something’s there!”
“…Here we go.”
A streak of light shot past Luminarc’s hull—an incoming round.
“So it is you guys!”
On the edge of my vision, their ship burst out of the clouds.
“Hey! We’ve got one coming in from the right too!”
Another craft swooped in to block our path, herding us toward the mouth of a canyon.
Behind us, they fired suppressive shots—deliberate, calculated.
They were driving us into a trap.
“Tch… fine. You want to play it that way? I’ll take the bait!”
I spun Luminarc hard and plunged into the canyon.
But the interior was far more complex than expected. The cliffs were sheer, the airspace narrow—barely wide enough for us to maneuver.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”
A heartbeat later, one of the enemy ships at the canyon’s far end opened fire on the cliff face.
The thunderous explosions triggered a rockslide—massive boulders crashed down from above.
“Kyah—!!”
“Hold on tight!”
I kicked the gravity frame into overdrive, twisting Luminarc into vertical climbs and sudden rolls.
The multilayered barrier deflected the falling debris, and we dodged each rock by the slimmest of margins.
The airspace was tight—one wrong move and we’d slam into the walls.
A huge boulder loomed ahead. I rolled the ship sideways and slipped through the gap.
“—We’re through!”
Luminarc scraped past the final rock and dove into the canyon’s shadow, landing behind a massive outcropping.
Dust and rubble filled the air, turning everything into a gray haze.
I powered down the engines and held our position in silence.
“No damage detected… The multilayer barrier took everything.”
As expected from Luminarc—any normal craft would’ve been crushed.
“Phew… that was way too close,” Mile sighed.
“Heh, thank my expert support,” Nocty boasted.
I gave a small laugh, though I didn’t relax.
Checking the radar, I saw the trio’s signals slowly moving away.
“Looks like they’ve backed off… but I’ll remember those bastards.”
“Yeah, that was infuriating,” Mile growled.
“Eradication!” Nocty barked.
“Easy there. Let’s focus—time to resume the search while we can.”
Luminarc lifted off again and began scanning the island’s outer rim.
But soon, Mile frowned.
“…This isn’t good. The rock here’s full of iron and magnetic ore. It’s throwing off the radar readings.”
“So it’s down to instinct now. Let me know the moment you sense anything unusual.”
“Understood.”
We weaved through breaks in the cloud sea, circling the island.
Time passed slowly—an hour, maybe more.
(No luck…?)
Then suddenly—
“Ah! I’m getting a faint signal—something’s there!”
Mile pointed to the monitor.
“It’s just ahead.”
Luminarc glided through the clouds, revealing a gaping cave at the bottom of a valley.
At its entrance lay a shuttle—its outer hull scorched.
Several human figures stood nearby.
(Found them!)
I brought Luminarc in for a cautious approach.
When they noticed us, one of the figures waved.
“—We’re explorers from the Guild, here on a request to find the Currentport ambassador.”
At my call, a woman stepped forward from the group.
“I’m the Currentport ambassador—Selina Malvère.”
“I’m Sky, an explorer, and this is Mile.”
“My, you’re quite young for explorers! But thank you. We managed an emergency landing, but it turns out this island’s composition blocks radio signals. We were stranded here.”
“Is anyone injured?”
“No, we’re all fine.”
“Then we’ll move to a point with a clear signal and contact the Guild for rescue. Please wait a little longer.”
“Thank you. Truly—you’ve saved us.”
After transmitting the rescue request, we returned to the cave to report.
“The distress signal’s been sent. Rescue should arrive in about an hour.”
“Thank you.” Selina smiled in relief.
“By the way… that badge on your chest. Are you perhaps acquainted with Gran?”
“Oh—you noticed? Yes, I used to work under him at his workshop.”
She smiled knowingly.
“I thought so. Your ship’s design reminds me of one of Gran’s old schematics. Brings back memories.”
That reminded me of something.
“Now that you mention it, you’re also friends with Ms. Meirissa from the Guild, right?”
“Yes. Back when I was exploring with Gran and the others, she had her hands full keeping him out of trouble—mostly because of him, of course.”
“Wait—the Workshop Chief caused trouble?”
I couldn’t help but ask, startled.
She chuckled softly.
“Oh yes. Back then he was reckless and headstrong—a total handful. I’m sure he’s still just as stubborn now, isn’t he?”
Her nostalgic smile was tinged with fondness.
We spent some time listening to Selina’s stories of the past—how the young Gran would dive into dangerous ruins without a second thought, and how Meirissa would scold him afterward.
Tales of countless expeditions, risks, and unshakable camaraderie.
Through her words, we caught a glimpse of the man behind the legendary craftsman—a true explorer who cherished his companions.
“…Even though I’m no longer an explorer myself, Gran remains a dear friend,” she finished warmly.
“I see… that’s an unexpected side of the Chief,” I said with a smile.
As we chatted, a deep humming sound rumbled from outside the cave—the approach of an engine.
“…Sounds like they’re here.”
I stood and looked toward the entrance.
Through the mist, a rescue craft bearing the Explorer’s Guild emblem descended gracefully.
