After reaching the third tallest tower in Midmidir thanks to the Guild mission Irene had accepted, they finally arrived at the very tip of the rooftop after climbing a set of stairs with no rear support.
'That was terrifying… but it helped not to take my eyes off the wall,' Irene thought, breathing steadily to calm her racing heartbeat.
Rynelle and Hanami were already a bit farther ahead, observing the four antennas, each holding an elemental stone, and a massive white rock suspended in the center by thick cables.
From inside the rock—about the size of a car back on Earth—a greenish light pulsed with an unsettling rhythm.
"What exactly are we here to fix?" Irene asked as she admired the stones.
"They're pure energy that powers all the machinery in the tower," Hanami explained. "Seventy percent of the kingdom's economy depends on them. Touching them is lethal, though—that's why it's so expensive for people who don't control magic."
"And… isn't it lethal for me too?"
Hanami and Rynelle turned to look at her at the same time. Then they looked at each other. The silence made Irene uneasy, so she broke it nervously.
"U-um… girls? Isn't it dangerous for me?"
"No," Rynelle replied flatly, looking away.
Irene turned to Hanami and asked her the same question. The vampire answered,
"No."
Their blunt tone and the way they avoided her gaze only increased her suspicion. Rynelle removed her hood, her sapphire-blue hair swaying as she sighed, and then said,
"Hana, did you bring the gloves I asked for?"
Hanami searched through her leather bag, pulled them out, and walked over to Irene. Then she said,
"Put these on. They're enchanted to counteract pure magical energy."
Irene swallowed hard and took them. She obeyed, removing the gloves she was already wearing and putting on the new ones. Rynelle pulled a backpack out from beneath her cloak; inside it was a stone wrapped in a white cloth.
When it was uncovered, Irene noticed it was identical to the ones mounted on the antennas. Seeing Hanami do the same, she followed suit. All three of them carried a backpack under their cloaks, each containing one of the stones in the same way.
Rynelle checked her magical watch and waited exactly six minutes. Then she walked over to the generator lever and shut down the power to the entire tower.
"All right. We have fifteen minutes to perform maintenance. Remember, this is a very important Order, so every minute is worth a lot of money. Irene, go up to that antenna over there," she instructed, pointing at it.
"Y-yes."
Irene moved with the stone in her hands, holding it timidly as if it were a bomb. She climbed the spiral stairs, and once she reached the five-meter mark, she stood in front of her target.
She placed the stone on the metal base, opened the small safety gate separating it from the magical core, and began disconnecting the iron cables.
'Slowly… slowly. C-calm down. They wouldn't let you do this if it were really that dangerous.'
The wind slammed into her with force. She could no longer tell how many kilometers above sea level she was, but just to her right, the other two tallest towers were visible. The difference in height was enormous.
With trembling hands, she removed the elemental stone and set it down on a second white cloth. Then she took the new one and inserted it into its compartment, reconnecting all the cables—easy to identify by color—despite her fear.
"Irene!"
"Kyaa!"
She yanked her hands out in fright and dropped to her knees. When nothing happened, she peeked over the edge of the metal base.
"Y-yes?"
Hanami smiled and said,
"Nothing. I just wanted to check if you were okay. We'll be waiting down here."
"I'm coming down…"
She closed the safety gate, wrapped the worn stone in cloth, and stored it in her leather backpack. Letting out a long breath, her heart still pounding, she climbed back down from the antenna.
Once on the ground, Rynelle and Hanami were waiting near the power lever. Irene approached her friends cautiously.
"M-mission complete. No injuries. I was very careful."
The elf and the vampire looked at each other. After a brief silence, they burst out laughing. Confused, Irene asked why, and Hanami confessed,
"We were just messing with you to scare you. You didn't actually need the safety gloves—you already have natural energy inside you."
Irene's ears drooped, her eyes filling with a mix of embarrassment and relief.
"I really was scared up there…"
Rynelle reactivated the lever, restoring power to the entire tower. She chuckled lightly while shaking her hands and said,
"Sorry. You just looked so adorable being so careful. And I'm surprised you didn't realice it from the start, haha. I was just playing along with Hana."
"Realice what?"
"Sweetie, you're a kitsune," Hanami replied. "You have a lot of elemental energy inside you. Didn't that cross your mind even once?"
Irene shrugged and looked away, mumbling,
"No…"
Rynelle and Hanami stepped closer, laughing. Hanami wrapped an arm around Irene's neck and added,
"For a kitsune, you know very little about your own species."
Irene pouted, puffing out one cheek in annoyance. Hanami gently poked it with her index finger and said playfully,
"All right, all right, it was just a joke. Don't be mad at me."
"Hmph!" Irene turned her head away.
"A-are you giving me the cold shoulder now?" Hanami asked worriedly.
Rynelle rested her hands on her hips and looked toward the other two towers. Then she said,
"One down. Two to go."
"What?! We still have to go even higher?" Irene asked anxiously.
"Yes. The towers require maintenance on the same day. Let's go."
"This can't be happening…"
◇◆◇
When they finally reached the ground, Irene stepped off the platform and dropped to her knees, pressing her hands against the concrete.
"Finally, solid ground! I never want to go that high again! I'd kiss you, floor, but you're way too dirty!"
The man who operated the platform let out a quiet chuckle at the sight. Then he spoke to Rynelle.
"Thank you for your help. Believe it or not, you saved us a week and a half of maintenance. It's impressive how easy you make it look."
"It was nothing. It's our job."
"Seems so, hehe. My bosses told me your payment has already been deposited at the Guild. You can collect it there. May I see your request sheet?"
"Yes."
Rynelle handed him the white sheet, and the man stamped it with the official symbol of the Midmidir Towers Company.
"All set."
The elf thanked him and slipped the sheet back into her cloak. As they said their goodbyes and turned to leave, the man offered one last comment.
"Good luck with your training as adventurers!"
Rynelle bowed her head politely, Hanami waved with a wink, and Irene heard those words and felt her chest tighten with excitement.
'An adventurer… am I officially one now? I can't believe I'm living out my own fantasy… I'm so happy!'
As they walked on, Irene stood up and caught up with them. Dusk had already fallen, and the signs of night were beginning to appear. Hanami stretched, raising her arms toward the sky, and then said,
"I'm starving. We only had breakfast today."
"Do you want to grab dinner after stopping by the Guild?" Rynelle asked. "Or would you rather bathe first?"
"Unless we all bathe together, it'll take forever before we get to eat," Hanami said casually.
"You're always just looking for an excuse to suggest that," Rynelle replied.
Hanami smiled, sticking her tongue out slightly with a wink.
"One day you'll give in, and I'll make you bathe with me."
"Now that you mention it, are you feeling okay, Hanami?" Irene asked. "How have you been handling the whole blood-drinking thing?"
Hanami covered her mouth with both hands, striking an ominous, mysterious pose.
"That's not something you ask a vampire, miss."
"A-ah… sorry."
"How about we eat at one of Midmidir's traditional food stalls?" Rynelle suggested. "They're usually near the edge of the kingdom—quiet areas where you can admire the sea of clouds."
"That sounds great! Let's go!"
"And you, Hana? You up for it?"
"Yes—as long as we eat soon."
"All right, it's settled then. Oh, and Irene."
"Yes?"
Rynelle gently patted her head over her white hood and praised her, saying,
"Congratulations on completing your first mission as an adventurer. One you proposed yourself. You did very well today, little fox."
Irene smiled brightly and wagged her tail rapidly.
"Thank you so much!"
Hanami jumped on her from behind and hugged her, but spoke to Rynelle instead.
"I worked hard too! I want praise as well…"
"You're already high-ranked. You were praised enough years ago."
"But not just now—from you."
"I'm not inflating your ego any more than it already is, you egotistical, pretentious witch."
"I'm pretty—I'm allowed to be," Hanami replied with a playful grin.
Rynelle gave her a displeased look, as if judging every part of her from head to toe.
After a brief pause in their trivial banter, Rynelle spoke up.
"Tomorrow is our last day here in Midmidir, so enjoy it. After that, it'll be nothing but kilometers and kilometers of land and grass until we reach Arcania. Our kitsune needs to learn about herself—and how to use her power."