F/VoH Ch 86: The Curiosity of Rosseline

“Welcome back, Captain! Are you ready to depart?” the cheerful voice of the hologram sounded. The holographic figure of a woman named Aira, with a bright smile, suddenly appeared in the air. This surprised Rosseline, her eyes widening and her mouth slightly agape without her realizing it.

“What… what is this?” Rosseline whispered to herself, her voice almost lost in her astonishment. Ellina, who had been through many strange experiences, merely raised an eyebrow slightly, indicating that the holographic figure was not extraordinary to her. Meanwhile, Charlotte just smiled faintly—she had already become accustomed to Aira's presence after her first encounter with the hologram the night before.

Ryan, who remained calm as usual, nodded his head and then gave a firm command. “Yes, we will leave now. Our destination is Bertord City. Aira, do you have the coordinates for the city?”

“Aira has them, Captain!” Aira replied enthusiastically. “Shall we depart now?”

“Yes, let’s go,” Ryan affirmed, his voice calm and confident.

"Alright, prepare yourselves! Passengers, please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts! We will be taking off shortly!" Aira announced excitedly, her voice filling the entire cabin of the aircraft.

The lights in the underground room lit up brightly, revealing a long runway stretching out in front of the jet. The engines of the aircraft began to roar, and the plane swiftly glided down the runway.

Smoothly, a large hole opened in the ceiling of the underground space, and within seconds, the aircraft shot upward, leaving the darkness of the underground and soaring into the vast sky, floating high above the city of Powncrow.

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“What is this, really? What is this thing? And that strange transparent girl... is she a ghost?” Rosseline whispered excitedly, her eyes sparkling with wonder as she looked around the interior of the futuristic jet that she had never seen before.

The aircraft was completely different from the Magic Flying Ship that Rosseline knew. For someone from the Omlies World, an aircraft was something foreign, even though they had long had flying vehicles based on magic.

However, this technology—a sleek, automated aircraft—was something beyond their imagination. Rosseline, whose life revolved around news and journalism, felt her curiosity bubbling over.

“Is that girl really a ghost?” Rosseline thought again, her gaze fixed on Aira, the transparent girl with cold eyes who seemed busy controlling the aircraft. Aira, a high-level Artificial Intelligence, was completely focused on their destination—Bertord City—without being the slightest bit distracted by Rosseline's presence or her eager questions.

“This is amazing…” Rosseline whispered, her tone almost sounding like that of a child who had just discovered a new toy. Even so, Rosseline realized there was no point in asking Aira, who was clearly not human, let alone someone she could interview.

On the other hand, Ryan just sat silently. His face remained unreadable, as usual. Ryan's eyes stared straight ahead, showing no interest whatsoever in the aircraft or the artificial intelligence controlling it.

Ryan's calm demeanor made the atmosphere around them feel a bit stiff. Even Charlotte, who was usually more expressive, appeared to sit in silence. Perhaps she was already used to the strange things they faced, or maybe she didn’t want to add to the tension in the air.

Ellina, sitting on the other side, stole glances around the aircraft with a faint sense of curiosity. Although Ellina was not as enthusiastic as Rosseline, her eyes still carefully observed every detail. It was as if she was trying to understand how this thing worked, even though this foreign technology felt far beyond the reach of her logic, which was accustomed to magic.