It was 4:30 PM on the same day.
"Well then, thank you for everything."
Jin D, Reiko, and Lise were bidding farewell to Duke Blue just outside the city walls of Blue Land.
Stationed nearby was Jin’s new airship, the Hurricane. Since they could not reveal that they had arrived in Blue Land via a Warp Gate, he had hurriedly dispatched the vessel from Hourai Island to maintain their cover.
Just as Jin D was about to board, an urgent message reached the Duke, who had come to see them off.
"Emergency! Emergency!"
Given that the situation was second only to a state of war, the Duke did not scold the messenger for his lack of decorum and immediately scanned the document handed to her.
"What?!"
The report was grim: Attempt to capture the bandit group failed. The thieves used a golem as a decoy and are fleeing east in a black airship.
"What’s happened?" Jin D asked. Sensing a crisis, he had paused his boarding to observe the Duke’s reaction.
"A-Ah, Jin-dono... The truth is..."
Duke Blue explained the failed operation to him. "I am utterly disgraced. Especially after you went through the trouble of assisting us."
"..."
Jin D—or rather, Laojun—processed the information at lightning speed.
(It would be prudent to assist Duke Blue here. Allowing the bandit group to escape would likely lead to complications later on.)
Reaching that conclusion, Laojun spoke through Jin D.
"Your Excellency, my Hurricane is capable of 400 kilometers per hour. There is a high probability we can still overtake them."
"O-Oh! That would be a tremendous help!"
"Time is of the essence, however. Please choose your companions as quickly as possible. I can accommodate up to fifteen people in total."
"Understood. Security Guard 3rd Platoon, come forward! The platoon captain and squads one through three!...Will the combat golems be a problem?"
"Not at all."
With that, Duke Blue and three squads of the 3rd Platoon boarded the Hurricane. Each squad consisted of one combat golem and three soldiers; including the captain, there were fourteen passengers in total.
"Hope, launch the Hurricane. Course: East-North-East!"
"Launching Hurricane. Course: East-North-East," the pilot, Hope, repeated the instruction.
The Hurricane ascended into the evening sky. Its silver hull, bathed in the crimson of the setting sun, sped away toward the east. At 400 kilometers per hour, the ship could cover a distance of 100 kilometers in a mere fifteen minutes.
"So fast... As expected of the Magi Craft Meister's personal craft."
"You flatter me."
The Hurricane dashed through the growing twilight. As they flew east, the world around them plunged into darkness with every passing minute.
"Jin-dono, can you see where we are going?" Duke Blue asked, sounding slightly apprehensive.
"Yes, it's fine. The pilot, Hope, is equipped with night vision."
"Oh, is that so? How reassuring."
In truth, as long as there was light equivalent to a crescent moon, Hope faced no difficulties. If necessary, the pilot could also switch to infrared mode or ultrasound detection mode.
The Hurricane soared over Mount Bilbo and continued its eastward heading. The sky had darkened completely, surrendering to the deep hues of night.
"They said the enemy is in a black airship. Will we truly be able to find them?"
"Indeed. It would be difficult for a human to spot, but it's no trouble for Hope."
Furthermore, back on Hourai Island, Laojun was continuously tracking the thieves using its Peeping Telescope system.
The bandit airship was currently over the Celuroa Kingdom. They had attempted to deceive pursuers by heading east initially before cutting ninety degrees to the north.
"Master, I have confirmed the airship to our port side."
"Good. Pursue them."
Hope's sensors had locked onto the black airship flying roughly thirty kilometers away.
"To the left? They turned north! But how can you see them so clearly?"
Jin D offered an explanation to the astonished Duke. "Yes. Since they fled by airship, I assumed they wouldn't simply fly in a straight line, so I had the pilot keep a vigilant watch on the surroundings."
"I see. Impressive as always."
The Duke seemed satisfied with that answer. Her personality was, to put it kindly, broad-minded—or to put it bluntly, a bit slapdash.
The Hurricane adjusted its course to the north, maintaining its 400 km/h pace. In less than ten minutes, the black airship became visible to the naked eye.
"Master, we have caught up. How shall we proceed?"
"Hmm..." Jin D hummed in thought.
Duke Blue looked on, equally pensive. "Umu. If only there were a way to hail them."
"Your Excellency," Jin D suggested, "we have a magi-device loudspeaker on board. Would you like to use it to demand their surrender?"
"Oh, that’s perfect! Yes, may I borrow it?"
"Certainly. Please use this."
Taking the microphone unit from Jin D, Duke Blue addressed the black airship.
"This is Duke Blue, Lord of Blue Land. I address the bandit group: Surrender at once. If you intend to comply, reduce your speed and lower your altitude."
She repeated the message three times, but no response came. Or rather, the response came in the form of two Fireballs launched from the enemy ship.
"So that is their answer..."
The barrier protecting the Hurricane easily deflected the Fireballs. Seeing this, the black airship increased its speed.
"This is your final warning. Surrender!"
However, the thieves turned a deaf ear and accelerated further.
"Oh, they’re quite fast."
The enemy’s speed exceeded 200 kilometers per hour. For a helium-based airship, its performance was superior even to those of modern Earth.
However, the Hurricane was not a helium-type vessel; it was an airship-class Blow Floater. Its maximum speed was 800 kilometers per hour—exactly four times faster than the thieves' craft.
As the Hurricane closed the distance, it switched on its high-intensity searchlights.
Meanwhile, aboard the bandit ship.
"Damn it! How did they find us?!"
"Save the questions for later! Just keep running!"
"Leave it to me! This ship's top speed is 200 kilometers per hour. We can hit 300 in short bursts!"
Just then, the voice demanding their surrender echoed across the sky.
"Hmph! As if we would!"
"Yeah, let’s give 'em a scare!"
The thieves launched two Fireballs toward their pursuer, but the projectiles were simply repelled by an invisible barrier.
"Dammit, they’ve even got a barrier up!"
"Since when did Blue Land have an airship like that?"
"Forget that! We can't shake them! We're doing 250, and they're still gaining!"
The Duke's airship was drawing closer with terrifying speed.
"Shit!!"
At that moment, a blindingly brilliant light flared to life. It was the Hurricane's searchlight.
In the glare of the spillover light, the full silhouette of the Hurricane was finally revealed—including the "two bars within a circle" family crest emblazoned upon its hull.
Seeing that, one of the bandits—the one responsible for their technology—let out a cry that was almost a shriek.
"Th-That’s...! That’s not a Blue Land ship! That’s the Magi Craft Meister's airship!"