People didn’t die that easily.
For example, even if one was captured by a cult and had their limbs torn off.
Or got stabbed by bandits and ended up with a hole in their stomach.
Or crashed into the ground in a falling airship.
You’d think those were all sure ways to die, right?
Nope. I didn’t die.
Everyone else did. Just not me.
Because I had resurrection magic, so I would come back to life.
On the other hand, those without resurrection magic would all die.
Just like right now.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
“The airship…..it’s crashing!”
“Help! Save me, Mommy!”
People were screaming from all directions.
It would’ve been stranger not to scream in a crashing airship.
Except for the one person beside me.
Aransel wasn’t screaming or making a sound.
Maybe she had nerves of steel, or maybe she genuinely believed she could survive.
Even as the airship was falling, she quickly scanned her surroundings.
She was clearly searching for something.
Which meant she had a plan.
Rumble—
The airship started descending even faster.
It was powered by magic, so there was no telling how things would play out. But from this altitude, a crash would mean instant death for everyone.
The only small relief was that the airship wasn’t plummeting at top speed.
Airships were originally designed to float using helium.
In this other world, they were probably filled with magic instead of helium, which explained why we weren’t dropping straight out of the sky….yet.
But that was only a matter of time.
Once something this huge fell from such height, the people inside wouldn’t survive.
“Aransel, tell me what you’re trying to do.”
“There’s a magical safety system related to transport on the airship. It’s designed to evacuate the passengers.”
Aransel’s calm demeanor finally made sense.
She had suppressed her panic and was relying solely on logic to survive.
“The explosion happened near the power source. That’s where the pilots and airship engineers would’ve been.”
“So that’s why none of the crew have shown up in this situation.”
Either they couldn’t get to us, or they were already dead.
“Aransel, I’ll head over there. You handle the evacuation.”
Aransel’s eyes landed on me.
“I’m a holy mage. Even though I’m still low-level, I have healing abilities.
If I can save even one of the crew, it’ll make handling this situation a lot easier.”
Aransel looked at me for a moment.
Maybe she was surprised at how calm I was.
Unfortunately for her, death didn’t faze me.
The certainty that I wouldn’t die made it surprisingly easy to assess the situation.
Still, I didn’t want to suffer enough to wish I were dead. So I definitely wanted to avoid crashing.
“I’ll leave it to you.”
Aransel didn’t ask anything more and agreed without hesitation.
While she searched for the escape magic device, I quickly made my way down the airship corridor.
Inside, people were in a complete panic, not knowing what to do.
There hadn’t been any safety briefing or emergency instructions when we took off.
In this other world where losing your life was an everyday occurrence, Aransel was the rare exception.
Most people here acted like they carried their lives in their pockets, ready to toss them away.
What a damn macho world this was.
Pushing through the crowd, I finally made it outside the corridor, and strong wind slammed into me.
The forest below was getting closer by the second.
Grabbing onto the outer railing of the corridor, I headed toward the power source and soon saw it, destroyed.
Smoke billowed from it, making it hard to believe anyone had survived.
Worse, the corridor leading there had also been severed by the blast.
The distance was just barely within jumping range. Maybe
“Damn it, I really hate this.”
I came here to run a simple errand, so how did it come to this?
Scratching my head furiously, I slowly let go of the railing.
Instead, I got into a running stance, ready to jump.
Whether I crashed this way or that, it made no difference.
If the result was going to be the same, then I might as well try something.
“One… two…”
With a deep breath, I took off running as hard as I could.
The wind pounded against my body, but I pushed through and launched myself off the end of the corridor.
“Three!”
My body soared into the air, and for a moment, I was weightless.
Thud!
At that instant, the airship jolted violently and dropped a bit more.
Because of that, the landing point moved farther away.
Suspended midair, my body slowly began to descend.
My feet wouldn’t reach.
Dying from a fall meant shattered bones and crushed organs.
Sure, I’d come back to life, but that didn’t mean I wanted to die.
“Goddamn it!”
A curse burst from my mouth, and magic gathered at my fingertips.
In the next moment, a golden rope appeared in my hand.
It was a holy magic spell that I had learned under the condition of becoming friends with Shishiroka.
Sacred Weapon.
The golden rope shot from my hand and wrapped itself around a pillar on the opposite side.
At the same time, the wind surged against me, pushing my body into an arc.
As the far corridor came into reach, I canceled Sacred Weapon.
With the momentum, I tumbled straight into the corridor and crashed into the wall.
“Gggk—!”
The pain shooting through my back made my body twist in a spasm before I barely managed to pull myself together.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of staying down.
“That scared the crap out of me.”
As I got up, I saw that the door leading to the power source was twisted and bent.
I transformed the Sacred Weapon into the shape of a dagger and jammed it into the door.
It sliced through easily with a satisfying shhk shhk.
Man, I was really glad I’d begged to learn this spell.
The shape was still a bit unstable, but it worked well enough.
Bang!
When I kicked open the power room door, smoke surged out instantly.
I quickly ducked my head and peered inside.
Debris was scattered everywhere, and some parts were ablaze.
That must have been the source of the smoke.
Covering my mouth and nose with one hand, I looked around for anyone alive and spotted the shattered floor.
It looked like a bunch of crew members had fallen down that way.
Maybe it was a wasted effort after all.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I spotted someone.
Or more accurately, a corpse.
Judging by the damage, she’d gotten caught in the explosion because half her body was completely gone.
From her uniform, she seemed to be a flight attendant.
With only her upper body remaining, it was clear she’d died before even feeling any pain.
Normally, someone would’ve given up and turned back at this point.
But for me, it was a different story.
I couldn’t save someone dying, but I could bring back someone who had already died.
As I bent to lift her, I noticed a small box on a nearby shelf.
I picked it up, read the label, and tucked it safely into my pocket.
Then I dragged her upper half out of the room.
“Cough, hack—”
The smoke had irritated my throat, but I was fine.
I placed my hand on her chest.
“For the sake of saving your life, I’ll now initiate physical contact. Do you consent?”
Unfortunately, there was no answer.
Please, let this woman not wake up and sue me for harassment.
As I activated Resurrection, a radiant light enveloped her.
“Huk—ghk!”
A moment later, she gasped and began coughing violently, eyes flying open.
Before she could say anything, I quickly pulled my hand away.
“Are you alright?”
“Uh… h-huh… where… am I?”
“You’re on an airship. Do you remember anything from before you lost consciousness?”
“S-Something exploded… something blew up…”
She babbled incoherently, clearly disoriented.
Thankfully, it seemed she didn’t remember that the lower half of her body had been blown off.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your confusion, but the airship is in a critical state and about to crash. Do you know how to activate the evacuation spell?”
“Ah, yes. It’s in the passenger area.”
She staggered to her feet.
As expected. Resurrection.
It had healed her completely.
A spell useless against Shishiroka somehow managed to save a flight attendant I’d never seen before!
Reliable, at least.
“Let’s move right away.”
Right now, getting out was more important than regaining composure.
When I brought her outside, the broken corridor still stretched ahead.
The attendant’s face had turned completely pale.
“By any chance, are you good at jumping?”
I wasn’t.
***
By the time we returned, somersaulting through the sky with the attendant, the passenger room was in even greater chaos.
Some were praying to higher beings; others had started rioting.
And the one who’d brought that riot under control was Aransel.
To subdue a riot in a situation like this… She wasn’t ordinary either.
“Aransel.”
“Haru?”
Aransel spotted the attendant standing beside me and finally relaxed.
She must’ve been just as tense, being in a life-threatening situation herself.
Maybe I was used to this, but her composure was remarkable.
“Miss Attendant, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Ah, yes, right away!”
The attendant hurriedly pushed through the crowd to check the evacuation spell.
Thanks to Aransel’s earlier sweep, the passengers were relatively calm now.
“The evacuation spell is working!”
The attendant stood up quickly after checking.
“Wait, really? We can get out of here?”
“We’re saved! We can go back!”
“Aaaaaaah!”
The attendant’s shout sent the crowd into a frenzy, overwhelmed with hope at the chance to escape.
Both Aransel and I were finally able to breathe a little easier.
Aransel approached me.
“You did well.”
“So did you, Aransel.”
What a mess this all had been.
I needed to deliver the letter and get out of here as soon as possible.
Just as I was thinking that, I saw the attendant’s face slowly turn pale.
A bad feeling crept over me.
“Aransel, just a moment.”
Leaving her behind, I made my way toward the attendant.
She met my gaze as I approached.
Lowering my voice amidst the celebrating crowd, I asked:
“Is something wrong? Is it the spell?”
“N-No, the spell works. It’s just… well…”
The attendant slowly lowered her head.
“I… I don’t think we have enough stored mana to teleport everyone here.”
Accidents usually stem from negligence and greed.
Operating an airship costs a fortune.
So naturally, the company running it wanted to recoup as much as they could.
That’s why, not long ago, they added more seats than the regulated capacity.
As a result, they could now carry more people at once.
No wonder the seats felt ridiculously cramped.
And that was the problem.
They had increased passenger space, but hadn’t adjusted the escape spell to match the new capacity.
It was an overly optimistic assumption. What were the odds something would go wrong in the meantime?
The attendant’s eyes trembled with panic.
She was, at best, just responsible for assisting passengers.
There was no way she’d know the full inner workings of the airship.
Even if she did, she wasn’t in a position to change anything.
And now wasn’t the time to blame her for it, either.
“The engineers handling the ship’s power source didn’t survive. If we exclude them, would the spell be enough?”
“I’ll try. I’ll do everything I can.”
We didn’t have an answer to fix this.
Only the magic tower that had the spell engraved into it could supply the required stored mana.
It was a proprietary method used by the magic towers to monopolize magic.
Human selfishness and greed—
Those two things were now driving this accident from bad to worse.
An uncivilized fantasy world?
No, not this time.
Even modern society wasn’t much different.
“Everyone, please form a line. One at a time!”
At the attendant’s instruction, people began lining up.
With Aransel growling quietly beside them, they behaved and kept order.
One by one, they began teleporting.
As I watched, I walked over to Aransel.
“Aransel, go to the front.”
“…What do you mean, the front?”
“Not everyone’s going to make it out. There’s not enough stored mana for a full evacuation.”
Her eyes widened as she finally understood the situation.
I’m still human, after all.
Aransel, before being a racist, was at least someone I knew.
And in a moment like this, I’d rather save someone familiar than a stranger.
“In that case, you should go too, Haru.”
“I’ll be fine. I can’t really explain it, but I have a unique ability that’ll help me survive.”
Aransel knew I was a Transporter.
I’d never told her about my ability, but she was aware I was a No-Name.
She had no reason to think I was lying.
She stared at me for a moment.
“…No.”
Then shook her head.
I looked at her in disbelief, but she turned to face forward.
“I didn’t pick up a sword just to live longer than others.”
What kind of ridiculous line is that?
And yet, there was nothing fake about her eyes.
Boom—
Even as the airship sank lower, her expression didn’t change.
“Full of romantic nonsense, aren’t you?”
She drew her sword to protect someone.
It’s not that I particularly believe in such heroic ideals.
Still, right now, in this very moment, Aransel’s decision shone brilliantly.
The willingness to save others even at the cost of one’s own life…that’s a noble thing.
Before I knew it, the number of people left had begun to dwindle.
As expected, the people from the engine room had paid the greatest price.
The airship hadn’t reached full capacity, so perhaps the remaining mana would just barely be enough.
Unfortunately, the attendant’s calculations were more accurate than I’d hoped.
As the last person stepped out, the attendant’s fingers trembled faintly.
Now, only Aransel, the attendant, and I were left.
“Next person, please.”
I could see the tears welling up in her eyes.
And seeing them, I understood what they meant.
“Is this… the last?”
“……”
She swallowed her tears and lowered her head.
Rumble—
The airship began accelerating into another steep descent.
It had reached the point where stopping the crash was no longer possible.
Everyone wants to live.
That’s true whether you’re a native or someone from another world.
And yet, the attendant was trying to leave the final spot for us.
Whether that was her sense of duty or payment for being saved…I couldn’t tell.
“Aransel.”
When I called her name, she remained perfectly still.
A firm stance that made it clear she had no intention of moving.
I let out a sigh.
So-woon really raised his student well.
She was stubborn.
I had learned that over the past few days we’d spent together.
But I didn’t have enough time left to break through that stubbornness.
“Miss Attendant, you should go.”
“Wh-What?”
The attendant lifted her head, looking at us with wide, startled eyes.
A faint glimmer of hope that she might survive…and guilt.
Both emotions coexisted on her face.
“We’ll be fine. We have a way out.”
For the first time, I was truly grateful for Resurrection.
“B-But…”
“Go.”
Aransel quickly joined in.
The attendant hesitated, but neither of us showed any sign of moving.
“Th-Thank you. Truly… thank you so much.”
The attendant activated the spell with tears streaming down her face.
Moments later, her figure vanished.
Now, only Aransel and I remained on the airship.
Just as the attendant had said, the escape spell device had gone completely dark and powered down.
“Aransel, do you have any regrets?”
She had just given up her last chance at survival.
At my question, Aransel slumped into one of the passenger seats.
“Of course I do. Don’t ask something so obvious.”
She was human, just like anyone else.
No one wants to die.
“But if I’d survived like that, I’d have regretted it even more.”
That’s why Aransel chose to stay behind willingly.
“And that’s why you stayed too, isn’t it?”
Looking at her, I slowly stood up.
“Let me tell you some good news.”
I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out a small box.
The words Escape Pod were written on it.
Aransel’s eyes slowly widened.
“The captain of the airship must’ve known about the state of the escape spell. So he probably kept this on hand just in case.”
Even if no one else survived, he made sure he would. Hence, something like this.
“Quit looking so pitiful and let’s go.”
I never planned to die in the first place.
I just helped everyone escape because reducing the number of people would make using the pod easier.
It’s not like I’m some noble soul sacrificing myself for others.
“…Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I figured if anyone had been left behind, you’d have insisted we use it to save them.”
Aransel gave me a blank, speechless look.
“…You’ve got a terrible personality.”
Did she really think I was some kind of saint, staying behind out of pure selflessness?
Not even close.
“Which is why you get to live, thanks to me.”
I flashed her a cheeky grin, and she let out a heavy sigh as she got to her feet.
“I don’t think we’re ever going to get along.”
“We’ve always been like this. Nothing new.”
There’s always a reason two people clash so much.
“Alright, let’s get out of here.”
A dramatic escape.
There was no dopamine rush quite like it.
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