The strange yelp sounded a little too exuberant.
Elin quietly stepped away from Hili and sped up to catch the priest ahead.
The obvious dodge didn't escape Hili, but he had always been thick-skinned and didn't mind at all; what he really cared about was…
Father Yorkes seemed to have abandoned his usual lone-wolf style.
So… could he join the team too?
At the thought, Hili's eyes were already sparkling.
"Don't mind that kid."
Without looking, York knew exactly why Elin had suddenly quickened her pace to walk beside him.
"He's a bit jumpy and odd, but he's a good person."
"Mm."
Elin hugged her backpack and answered softly.
Seeing that, York shut up and led the two of them to the rear courtyard of the main building.
The main cathedral was huge.
The vast backyard looked more like a garden, beautifully decorated with flowers and plants.
But in the large open center, a sizable helicopter was already parked.
It was painted matte black, yet the hull was emblazoned with glaring church insignia—the Cross—and next to the Cross a full-color Jesus Statue, so conspicuous it seemed afraid no one would notice.
Beside the helicopter stood Brother Rechel and other clergy, along with several suit-wearing officials who looked like government personnel.
Having studied the subject, he knew a fair bit about individual weapons, but strictly speaking he couldn't identify this particular helicopter.
Its outline resembled the Black Hawk he'd seen, but the fuselage was larger.
So York looked back at Hili, who was also emerging from the corridor.
"What helicopter is this?"
The kid had more knowledge than he did; after all, he was a genius who designed and modified all sorts of weird yet effective weapons.
Yet as Hili stepped out and saw the helicopter, he let out another of his habitual yelps.
"Whoa!"
York's mouth twitched. "Act normal."
Elin, hugging her backpack nearby, also shot him a strange glance.
Hili, a bit embarrassed, adjusted the four-warhead pack on his back.
"Father Yorkes, you know the Black Hawk, right? This is the HH60W converted from it—2.5 cubic meters of fuel, ultra-long range, up to four thousand kilometers…"
At that point Hili stared at the helicopter; though he already knew his job, the range still struck him. Curious, he asked,
"Father Yorkes, where exactly are we going? Is it far?"
York pulled a map from his coat and tossed it over.
"To the place marked on the map—figure it out yourself."
With a pilot aboard, he couldn't be bothered to study it either.
"Got it!"
Hili caught it eagerly.
Watching him unfold the map, York resumed the lead, guiding one problem child studying a chart and one silent, preoccupied Novice Nun toward the helicopter.
"Father Yorkes."
Apart from the curious officials, all the clergy beside the helicopter saluted.
Brother Rechel then introduced the officials.
"Father, these are people from the Romania Bureau of Investigation; they'll explain how to operate this helicopter."
Hearing that, York glanced at the suited staff, then looked back at Hili, still buried in the map.
"Do you need anyone to teach you?"
"No, no need." Hili looked up, smiling confidently.
"This chopper is child's play to me."
"Fine." York didn't want to waste time. Facing the bewildered staff, he told Brother Rechel,
"Brother Rechel, leave the rest to us."
Brother Rechel understood instantly. "Yes, Father Yorkes."
He merely nodded, then turned and led the other clergy and the Romania personnel away.
In the end, only the three of them remained in the courtyard.
"Let's go."
York casually took Elin's backpack and stowed it in the helicopter, then climbed in first and pulled the slight girl in after him.
As its exterior suggested, the HH60W's cabin was spacious; the passenger compartment allowed him to move around, and even with Elin and the packs it didn't feel cramped.
Elin, however, was flustered, clutching a seat-belt strap, not knowing how to fasten it, frozen in place.
"First time in a helicopter?"
York casually took the strap from her hand.
"Mm."
As the priest leaned over to reach the shoulder belt on her right, Elin went rigid at his proximity, muscles tense.
"This is a four-point harness—different from a car."
Glancing at her, York explained while clipping the two lap belts and the two shoulder straps into a four-point harness, then placed noise-canceling headphones over the stiff Novice Nun.
"To become a full-fledged nun of Pluto Church and to assist me, you've still a lot to learn."
With that, he let go and sat back.
A small yet resolute voice sounded beside him.
"I'll work hard, Father."
York merely smiled, looked at Hili—who had settled into the cockpit and finished checking the instruments—and said,
"Let's go."
"Roger that! All stations, prepare for take-off—Helicopter Hili!"
Destination: Saint Kata Monastery!"
At the clownish announcement York shook his head and glanced toward the windows of the main building.
Whump-whump-whump-whump!!
The rotor noise rose, deafening, as the helicopter lifted slowly off the ground.
From the bishop's direction York could even spot Bishop Rolfshang standing at the window.
"Hah…"
He exhaled softly, donned his own noise-canceling headset, and sat straight.
——
The insignia on the fuselage wasn't just for show; under the Lutheran Cathedral's authority the helicopter met no interference and received no queries from any official body.
Thus it flew unimpeded, heading straight for Saint Kata Monastery as marked on the map.
At the same time he began to learn what this helicopter really was.
According to Hili, this HH60W—max speed 361 km/h—was equipped with powerful weapon systems and high-tech gear.
Only, for some unknown reason, this fairly advanced helicopter possessed cutting-edge self-defense suites and radars yet carried no weapons at all.
Therefore the HH60W's greatest role was merely to serve as their transport.
That left York a little disappointed; he couldn't shake the feeling it was aimed at him.
Still, he had come prepared…