Steel and Mana

Chapter 301 – Camelot

I stood on the main bridge of my almost completed airship, which was located right in its nose. The front view at the moment was obstructed by the ship's solid, raw metal frame, plunging us into complete darkness, only lit up by the red emergency lights on the walkways and handrails within. Still, the darkness would not last for long; we were just waiting for everything to connect to the main core.

The bridge itself was multi-layered, with different posts at different levels placed on their little 'islands' surrounding a central command platform. On the latter, before the main steering wheel, stood Kustov, present for the first flight of Camelot as his future captain. I sat behind him on a slightly elevated chair, one that solely belonged to me, with some built-in functions only I knew about.

"Alright, people! Get ready!" I exclaimed, sitting in my comfortable seat, feeling my heart beat loudly in my chest. It was the first time we would fly… Will it hold? I couldn't help but think about it, especially how it looked at the moment.

The bridge was barebones at best. Only the main instruments were ready, and some seats were where officers would sit and give orders through the ship's crew, manning their positions via our radio system and punching in the orders of Kustov or mine. Only a skeleton crew, including Merlin, was aboard right now, numbering around a hundred people. Unlike us, he was at the central core, responsible for the ship's primary functions, making sure even if something failed, he could control the monster core and put us down without crashing into the mountain or the forest below. Then, there was a soft beep, notifying us that the formations were ready.

"Activate the Imaginary!" I ordered, deciding to keep the Ishillian name as it was the same, really.

A moment later, the bridge lit up as the polished but yet-to-be-painted metal walls disappeared, replaced by a magical image that showed a complete 360-degree vision of the underground factory. It surrounded us, giving us perfect vision and preventing us from flanking us. That is why I designed the bridge, and its crew had their little islands, allowing the crew a better view of everything and possible targets.

"So far, so good." Crackled the radio on the bridge, transmitting Merlin's voice. "I sense no faulty runes or sub-formations. We can start!"

"You heard the man!" I replied with a smile, glancing at Kustov. "Take us out of here, Captain."

"Yes, My Sovereign!" He saluted, his gaze burning with fervor, as he began instructing the crew and stepping up to the captain's wheel, responsible for steering our 400-meter-long vessel… the flying fortress of Camelot.

With a slight tremble, we had to lift off. The formations came to life, gradually stripping the vessel of its weight and manipulating gravity so that if we wanted to move forward, a pulling force allowed us to do so. We will test how fast we can go in the coming days, but for now, we just have to come out of the underground base without crashing.

Feeling us begin to move, the view around us changed in real-time, with no delays, which was important; luckily for us, everything was working as intended. While I could see many of the crew looking on nervously, they were well-trained and focused. Even with fear and excitement tugging at their minds, they obeyed Kustov's orders, which were surprisingly precise. Thankfully, the ship also turned out to be responsive and easily maneuverable. Although the Camelot was larger and differently shaped than the Ishillian ships, the main controls were very similar, so I chalked it up to that. Or... he was a natural.

Whatever the case, he perfectly navigated us through the entrance, emerging from the underbelly of the mountains straight into the light, out into the sunshine. It was blinding at first as we rose to the sky, but as everything came into view, it was mesmerizing. We could overlook the region from up here—our region. Our home.

"Beautiful..." I whispered, grinning from ear to ear.

The ride itself was smooth. The magic driving the airship made it feel like we were floating and could go anywhere in the world without restraints. I think I finally understood why everyone feared Ishillia's warships. It's a good thing we almost robbed them of all of theirs.

"Report!"

"Yes, Sovereign." Kustov saluted, returning from his own amazement. Comparing today with the day he was forced to leave his noble title behind and become the captain of the Ishillian variant was night and day.

I listened to the callouts and the incoming reports as we flew further up, outside of my secret base, floating there, unmoving, casting a large shadow below us. Everything was working perfectly. All in all, the Camelot was ready. It didn't mean it was finished, though. We didn't have any weapons installed yet, except the ‘death ray,’ but besides me and Merlin, nobody else aboard the ship knew about it. Its controls were integrated into my chair, so only I was able to issue its usage… As for regular weapons, that was going to be the next big step, connecting them to the second monster core, and then we would need to paint the ship and decorate it within.

It may be a warship, but it will also be my command center. I can't have it look dull… So, I think I will let Luna loose. With Mikan overseeing her, of course. Amongst us all, those two had the most sensible eye for decorative choices, thanks to their upbringing in the Capital.

"Captain," I spoke up, blinking my eyes, feeling a wild feeling rising within me. I wanted to see what else we can do with this beauty.

"Yes, Sovereign?"

"Start climbing. I want to see how high we can go."

"…" At first, he stiffened as this was not in the plans… but I saw he was just as curious and excited as I was.

"By my calculations, 10,000 meters should be possible," Merlin answered through the radio, making the officers' murmur become louder at once.

"Well then." I leaned back, nodding at Kustov, "Let's see if my Prime Minister's hunch is real or not."

"As you order, My Sovereign." He saluted, turning around and looking towards the left-side control island responsible for our altitude. "Ensign! Start ascending!"

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…..

The sunlight made the towering metallic frame of the Camelot shimmer as it ascended from the hidden cavern, its raw, silver-colored body casting a giant patch of shadow across the ground below it. Sasha stood under it with her arms crossed, her eyes fixed on the airship, refusing to blink them, afraid that if she did so, the airship would be gone or fall out of the sky with her husband aboard it. Beside her, Yuri had a broad grin plastered across her face, her arms folded behind her head as if she were admiring a personal achievement.

"It’s actually flying," she remarked her tone a mix of awe and triumph. “I still can’t believe we managed to pull this off."

"Of course, it’s flying," Sasha replied angrily. "It was meant to fly! Leon designed it, and I made sure it was built well! It won’t fall down!"

“I never thought it would crash...” She countered, blushing, “I doubted it would fly, but only because it is made out of metal. But… magic is magic, and you two worked yours on it!”

Near them, Luna crouched down, patting the heads of the soon-to-be four-year-old Leyla and Arthur, who were bouncing with excitement, their tiny hands reaching toward the sky. Hopefully, none of them were about to use any magic that they couldn’t perceive and make it fall on their heads… At least, that was Luna's first thought. On the other hand, Lancelot, snuggled in Mikan’s arms, gurgled happily, seemingly oblivious to the significance of the moment but catching the energy of the crowd around him. Or he was just hungry, holding onto Mikan’s milk-filled boobs, trying to bite onto it through her clothes.

"Mama, it’s so big!" Leyla exclaimed, her wide eyes reflecting the airship's metallic sheen. “Papa is so cool!”

"Don’t tell that to him directly.” Luna chuckled, ruffling her hair, “His ego is already as big as–“ but she stopped, feeling Sasha’s glare stabbing her in the sides.

“Big as what?” Arthur asked, getting curious, making Luna sweat as Sasha’s gaze intensified at once. “As Mommy’s boobs?” He pointed at Mikan, making Yuri laugh loudly. Hearing him, the owner of the two mountains blushed at once, looking at Sasha with a pleading expression that said she had nothing to do with this. “Papa would look funny with big boobs…”

"He has a flat buttocks, he would tip over! BAM!" Leyla agreed, thinking about it and explaining it with overexaggerated hand gestures.

“That’s enough,” Sasha said finally, making the twins look at the airship again and watching it hover above them all.

Behind them, a small gathering of Avalon’s high-ranking ministers and officials stood in silent reverence. Minister Rennar adjusted his spectacles, his typically stern face betraying a hint of admiration. When they were invited, they only knew that something was waiting for them… something big. Most of them didn’t expect it to be literally this big.

"It’s a masterpiece," he said under his breath, though loud enough for those near him to hear. "An airborne fortress, unlike anything Ishillia could produce."

Many of the others nodded in agreement, standing tall and proud. Once, they were peasants—no, lower than that—supposedly barbarians of the Frontier. Yet now? They were Avalonians, people who could hold their heads high no matter who they faced next. The children’s laughter broke the contemplative mood as Leyla and Arthur began to chase each other around Luna, pretending to be the airship themselves.

"Vroom! Camelot is going up, up, up!" Arthur shouted, raising his arms as if soaring into the sky. True enough, it was just then that it began ascending higher and higher.

"That was not in the plans…" Sasha muttered softly, looking up at the ship, shrinking in size as it climbed upwards. "They’re already testing its limits... Tsk! I will have a word with our dear husband after he comes back down."

"Let him do it," Mikan said with a smile. "We all know how he is… Plus, I think none of us would be able to resist the urge."

“No, no, Mikki. She is right.” Yuri interjected, agreeing with Sasha. “He refused to take us on, saying if something goes wrong, he won’t endanger us. And now he hogs all the fun? I will get my vibrator ready, Sacchy; you bring the cuffs.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“That… going that far?” Luna flinched, and unbeknownst to them, so did Leon up in the commander’s chair.

As they spoke, Camelot finally reached the clouds high above. A cheer erupted from the gathered officials and onlookers, echoing across the ground as they saw it disappear from view, cutting into the white mass that was rolling down from the top of the mountains. The ministers clapped and exchanged nods of approval, hoping that soon, they would be allowed to witness for themselves how it feels to touch the sky.

“Fly!” Leyla giggled once, then jumped… and began floating upwards.

“What?!” Sasha yelped, afraid she would fly away like a balloon. She quickly grabbed her legs and pulled her down, feeling that her daughter had no weight to her at all. Her one-piece dress was also floating as if immune to gravity itself.

“Woah, woah, kiddo!” Yuri grunted just the same as Arthur was also in the air, his ankles held by her with a firm grip.

Luckily, the ministers were still lost in the discussion, missing the sudden mischief by their future leaders as the two were pulled into their parents’ arms.

“Damn…” Luna whistled, blinking her mismatched eyes. “Their magic is… powerful, huh?”

“Turn it off! Now!” Sasha ordered them, and her voice was scaring the kids, who simply nodded, their weight returning to normal in the hands of Yuri and Sasha. “What in the Gods’ names are you two thinking about, hm? Your father will hear about this; you just wait!”

“But…” Arthur wanted to say something, shrinking back at once, seeing his mother’s furious gaze.

“What do you think…?” Yuri whispered, glancing towards the leader of their harem, “Were the Vasas, back in the ancient days, also able to fly? Maybe they were like in the legends… standing on swords, zooming around the sky, and changing rivers with a wave of a hand, huh?”

“Whatever they were, these two unruly imps are not Vasas!” Sasha grunted, her nostrils exhaling angry plumes of smoke, “Try this again… and then I will make sure both of your buttocks are so red, not even Mikan can heal it!”

Yet, deep down, she was not angry. She was… afraid. Afraid that whatever was happening to her children was something that would be noticed. Noticed by a force, living on the other side of the mountains…