Unlasting World

There is a way where I can make my flying a lot faster, that is by enchanting flames on my wings and legs as boosters. But it will definitely take a ton of magic energy out, and I'm not quite sure whether or not I will survive such a long flight using that level of energy output. I'll need to see first.

It might be useful for an emergency, but aside from that, it's pointless to do as it drains my energy by a huge rate.

The direction back to Mazino is south-east, which means I just need to keep on flying south east. A single trip from Xyphon to Mazino using a carriage can take around ten hours on a calm carriage ride. But if the carriage is in a full rush, it could take only six.

But with a flight like this, I doubt I'll have to fly for an hour.

My normal speed right now is nearly the same as Jericho's highest speed. I am faster because shadow magic's wings are actually throwing a larger amount of wind force instead of the wind wings that Jericho made.

I am flying extremely fast. If I were to estimate, probably around three hundred kilometres an hour.

Right now I am around a hundred meters above the air, and the sun is still quite up. To the people on the ground, I'm probably just some bird flying in the sky. Unless they are using binoculars, which I don't think exist here.

After flying for thirty minutes, I couldn't find the kingdom at all, so I opened the map. After mipmapping the area using the map, I quickly realized that I have gone slightly off direction. From this point, I should be going straight south.

I turned straight to the south and continued my flight. After a while, I'm finally closing in.

There it is. Far away in the distance, the beautiful giant capital of Mazino can be seen. The middle castle was actually very tall compared to the outer walls, which is surprising because all this time I thought the middle castle was small.

From up here, it looks like the whole capital was made above a mountain. The outer walls are covering the mountain's feet, while the middle castle is made on the very top of the mountain.

That would explain why nearly all the paths in the kingdom were very hill-like.

After viewing the beautiful kingdom from above, I then drop down to see it closer.

I almost forgot that I was wearing my school outfit, so I quickly took out my robes right after I landed on top of a building. I jumped down from the building to a dark alley next to it, and I took a stroll on the main road.

Oh my god, this felt so nostalgic... Just how long have I left exactly?

I shouldn't let anyone know about me returning, otherwise it might cause quite the ruckus.

Maybe wearing a mask is a great idea. I quickly formed a shadow half mask on my face and continued my walk. Seeing someone in robes like this is normal for the people of Mazino, so they won't annoy me nor approach me at all. But in the modern days, stuff like this is definitely wrong.

I arrived on the south-eastern main road and decided to visit a place I wanted to visit the most.

The Adventurer's Office.

I opened the front door and the smell of adventurers quickly welcomed me. Oh boy, have I missed this.

I continued my walk and took a look around. Not much has changed here aside from the diner being closed down. Now that the diner is closed, I wonder where the adventurers will be doing their meetings.

Probably at some other restaurants.

"Welcome! Is there anything we can help you with?"

A female voice can be heard behind me as I look around the Office. It just hits me that there is only me here.

The voice came from the receptionist desk, and what is funny is that I don't recognize this girl. 

Is she new?

"Ah, I am just looking around. I'm an old adventurer."

"Oh! Then you must be a returning adventurer! Sorry to say, but the Office's diner is currently undergoing some patching up. Is there anything you would like me to help?"

"Ah, yes. I would like to do a high ranking mission please."

The female then quickly got confused.

"I'm sorry, can I see your adventurer card?"

To her request, I took out a card that was supposed to be temporary. She read the Masked Man's adventurer card and quickly turned pale.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't realize you are a White ranked adventurer!"

"It's fine… Do you have a high ranking mission? Or maybe a low ranking mission, but with a high chance of an encounter with a dangerous monster."

"Yes! We do have one of those!"

She quickly lowered her body and grabbed a mission scroll. She gave it to me and I opened the content.

It says I need to gather some... Bla bla bla... Possible encounter with... A king serpent?

"A king serpent? Those things are still around?"

"Yes. Last time, the king serpent managed to attack some Red ranked adventurers and got away. Luckily the adventurers came out alive, but they were badly wounded."

"I see. Then I'll finish this quickly."

I turned around and left her at the door. But just when I was about to open the door, it quickly opened from outside.

An extremely familiar man entered the Office.

"Oh, sorry."

He nearly bumped me and apologized as he slowly made his way towards the receptionist desk. I turned around to see him walk... Or the way he is trying to walk.

Hod is using fake wooden legs, and he walks like a pirate. He arrived at the receptionist desk and gave the new girl some papers. The two then quickly emerged in some deep conversation about whatever is in that paper.

I turned around and closed the door.

"Say, who was that person? I sensed some powerful aura coming from him."

Hod asked the new receptionist, and she tried remembering what she read.

"Oh! He is a White ranked adventurer! If I'm not wrong, his name is 'Masked Man'."

"W-What? That's not possible. The masked man is... Away..."

Hod pondered, but then he immediately understood.

"So you are saying he is a fake?"

Hod didn't reply, because he then turned to gaze at the door. But the person he was looking for already flew away to slaughter some king serpent.

That day, the Masked Man did not return to the Office to obtain his reward. Instead, he sent a messenger to tell the Office that he had done his job.

Keila who saw the message quickly panicked when she found out that it was the Masked Man who finished the mission. But thankfully, she told no one about it.