Chapter 1193: A Wind Chaser (II)

The academy was empty just as Finkin had said. The three thus pa.s.sed through various buildings and stopped in front of a towering wall.

"This is..."

"This is the west side of the airport," Finkin said as he brought a wooden ladder and erect it against the wall. "Follow me."

Good hesitated for a moment before he climbed up the ladder. The moment he reached the top of the wall, an involuntary exclamation escaped from his lips. A swollen red sun was sinking low over the water. The glittery ocean splintered into flecks of gold in the sweltering sunset, and the sky was awash with sheets of blue and yellow. Layers of cloud sloped down to the horizon, below which was the vast emptiness of the airport that would potentially lead them to the sky.

Sea breezes dispelled the irritation that smote upon Good's heart. He closed his eyes and, with his arms stretched, imagined himself clasping on the operation lever while waiting to take off.

"A very nice view, eh?" Finkin said while grinning. "I found this fabulous peeping spot. Just be careful not to fall off the wall."

Hinds asked behind them, "So... what next?"

"Naturally we should go there, but we have to take the ladder with us." Finkin said as he pointed at the hangar not far away. They first saw the "Seagull" parked out there. The hangar was actually not very far from them as its edge was only about two meters away from the wall.

Because of the intense balance training they had received, they could now easily walk along the top of the wall, and reached their destination within fifteen minutes.

The hangar was two to three meters taller than the wall, so they could not clamber onto the roof. However, its windows and the wall were on the same level, so they could peep through the windowpanes while stretching themselves up on their tiptoes.

"Covered planes... covered planes... I saw them!" Finkin yelled.

Good's eyes followed Finkin's, and his chest constricted.

There were four uncovered biplanes in one of the hangars. Good's eyes were glued to their smooth and elegant bodies. His heart swelled with excitement as the knowledge that he would one day operate them struck him.

Who cared about knights? They were nothing next to an aerial knight who could fly in the sky!

Finkin placed the ladder against the window and clapped his hands smugly. "Well, we didn't step into the airport, so technically, we aren't breaking the rules."

Good knew that was a pretty tenuous argument, but he could not help crawling into the hangar through the window.

To his surprise, for the first time since his training, Good felt calm.

After they landed, Finkin and Hinds rushed to the closest plane while Good sauntered behind them.

"Whoa, this is... spectacular!" Hinds apostrophized as he touched the plane. "It's metal."

"Yes, and it's as thin as skin. Look — " Finkin agreed as he pressed his fingers on it, and a dent immediately appeared on the surface. "I wonder how they made it."

"Oi, take it easy. You don't want to break it."

"Don't worry. It's quite bouncy."

"Really? Let me try..."

Good did not marvel at the plane like his two friends. Instead, he crawled into it as if led by a mysterious force and proceeded to the front of the aircraft.

According to the ill.u.s.tration on the cover of the Flight Manual, this was the exact spot Princess Tilly was sitting at while soaring above the continent and the sea.

Good thus sat in the pilot seat.

So this was the world in an aerial knight's eyes.

The wings above and the carriage on both sides obscured half of his vision, which forced Good to look straight ahead. He could even smell the leather chair. The flight instruments were encased in clear gla.s.s. Both the operation lever and the pedals were made of metal, the top part of the lever was wrapped in soft fabrics that afforded a nice, comfortable touch.

Good grabbed the lever and geared down. The lever creaked.

Unlike the wooden lever he had been practicing with, Good did feel he was pulling something. The quivering steel string and the increasingly heavy lever told him that the sensation was real.

"Good Lord, what are you doing?" Hinds' voice cracked through the air like a whip that jerked Good out of his musings.

"Er..." Good stammered and instantly relinquis.h.i.+ng his grip. "I'm just..."

"Practicing?" Finkin jeered. "Who said we were mental earlier? Now who has sneaked into the c.o.c.kpit? Didn't we agree to just take a look?"

"Sorry, I couldn't help..."

"Rest a.s.sured," Finkin interrupted. "I don't think you'll break it because we're told to do so during the training. But be fast. I want to try it out too."

"Hang on," Good said, a little reluctant. "I just geared down. Do you want to sit in the backseat first?"

"And what about me?" Hinds protested as he climbed up the wing.

While they were fighting for the seat, there was suddenly a screech of an open lock.

Good's face turned white with great trepidation.

Terrified, Hinds said, "Why... why would they come here at this time?"

"What should we do?"

Finkin was the only one who seemed to be composed. He said, "We don't have time to run. Hide first!"

However, there was not a single hiding place in the large hangar, and the pilot seat was too small for three grown-up men. Before they could get off the plane, someone had already arrived.

"Who's there?"

"Freeze!"

With several clicks, Good found himself surrounded by the First Army.

Petrified, the three were soon pinned to the ground.

"What happened?" a voice came as they saw a familiar figure approach them. It was none other than Princess Tilly Wimbledon. "Invaders?"

Finkin shouted in exasperation before the guards could supply an answer, "Your Highness, we're sorry. We are all students at the Aerial Knight Academy. Out of curiosity, we came here to have a look at the planes. Please have mercy on us!"

Apparently, Finkin also knew that they were not supposed to be here. Good had a feeling that they were in big trouble.

After hearing the full account, Princess Tilly nodded expressionlessly and said, "I see. According to the school rules, you'll all receive detention of at least 15 days and be disqualified from becoming an aerial knight. You can choose what you want to be in the future between a busboy and ground staff. Let your officer know."

"As, as you command..." Finkin and Hinds replied while s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up their faces.

Good's heart sank to the bottom. Suddenly, courage seared through him as the guards began to shuffle them out. He raised his head and shouted in earnest, "Your Highness, please! I want to be a pilot. I would do anything if you could spare me this time! I'm at a loss in the training sessions, so I came here to feel the actual thing, not only out of curiosity!"

"Really?" Tilly said, her brows raised. "Are you referring to... a feeling?"

"Yes, my actions didn't coordinate with the instructions in the manual. Although I was flying, I couldn't sense the wind... Well, that isn't quite accurate. It's something..." Good explained as he tried to find a proper word to describe his feeling. "I can't put it into words. I only know that I didn't feel it right..."

"He's blabbering. It's all nonsense."

"Is this guy crazy?"

"Get him out of here. He annoys Princess Tilly."

The guards conversed with each other.

Tilly took a searching look at Good and said, "You're Good, right? Eagle Face told me that you're doing pretty well in all subjects. You were the first to get used to the training and are also very hard-working."

"I..."

Tilly cut across him haughtily, "So what do you think of riding on a plane?"

"Huh?" Good said, flabberghasted.

"Didn't you say you needed to feel it? So what now? Do you think you could fly?"

Good hesitated for a second, his hands clenched, and replied, "Your Highness... I think I can."

"Then try it out," Tilly said as she turned around without looking at him. "In fact, I'm planning to train you guys on a real plane tomorrow. For other students, they're allowed to fail but you aren't. If you fail, I'll expel you. Of course, you could also choose to be punished. That's up to you."

"I want to fly," Good replied decidedly.

"Very well," Tilly said. "I'll also let the other two choose what way they want to go."