Episode 71 – Aerial Garden (1)

Aerial Garden (1)

Monday morning.

The fourth week of the first quarter at College Board’s Clemen Hall.

“……Yawn.”

By now, no one is surprised to see me at Clemen Hall, but today’s scene is pretty unusual.

Kain and Asher appeared to have had a fight and were separated; Elise was diligently reading and taking notes from a hardcover book.

Curious about what she was so engrossed in, I zoomed in with my SZX-9500…

Isn’t that my script for [The Bard]?

“Good morning.”

Then Chedric appeared. As always, it was exactly 9 o’clock.

Does that guy have a clock in his head or something?

“We will commence the fourth week’s Monday assignment for the College Board without delay. The assignment is called ‘Experience and Art’.”

At this, a collective groan erupted. It seemed like a very exhausting assignment.

“For the entire day today.”

Moreover, its all day.

From the current time of 9:03 AM until midnight.

Just as the seniors were on the verge of losing their minds at the thought of the remaining 14 hours and 57 minutes…

“Travel around Edsilla.”

A statement that left everyone in Clemen Hall bewildered.

Travel?

“……”

I was dumbfounded. Kain and Asher instinctively sought each other out, then growled again. Layla was asleep with her face buried in her desk. Elise seemed to be contemplating her destination with her hand on her chin, and Soliette, who had safely escaped from the diner this morning without paying, turned on her smartphone first.

Gerkhen Kal Doon… took out his Endex library card from his card wallet.

Is he planning to find his travel destination at the library?

“The journey you will undertake today is the ‘experience’ in ‘Experience and Art’.”

The next part is important.

It may be called a journey, but it could be hell from there.

“‘Art’ is the beautiful expression of that ‘experience’. It’s okay to write an essay or travelogue, it’s okay to draw a picture, it’s okay to compose music, and it’s okay to take photos or videos. Bring back your experience in any form of art.”

In other words, go on a trip and bring back your impressions, beautified.

Fortunately, this assignment doesn’t seem to have any practical implications.

Chedric looked at his wristwatch and said,

“It’s 9:20. Gather your materials and set off on your own. The assignment can be submitted to the University Association office at Endex by this Friday.”

The seniors glanced at each other and began to rise from their seats one by one.

I sat and pondered.I remained seated, contemplating.

Travel.

I had been to many places before my regression, but I never really traveled. It was more like work.

So, where would I want to go for a trip that I would want to cherish like art?

“Hmm.”

No matter how much I think about it, there’s no such place.

Instead, there are places I want to go.

A place I desperately want to go.

A place where I want to smash the ground, light a fire, and slit throats.

The main house of Libra.

Aerial Garden

Of course, there’s no other place.

“Okay.”

I got up. I happened to make eye contact with Soliette, but we both pretended not to know each other…

She gave me a slight nod.

A very faint eye greeting, no, a chin greeting. Watching her leave, I thought.

Isn’t this a breach of contract?

Anyway, I also left Clemen Hall.

Ding-

My smartphone rang.

[Lunatic: Where are you going?]

It was a text from the Lunatic.

“Hey~ Shion~!”

Then Layla, who seemed to have just woken up, rushed over. She, who had dyed her hair back to black, was shaking the script printout at me while looking at me with wide eyes.

But why does she have a printout? Elise had a hardcover.

“Can’t you give me a few more lines in this script~?”

“You have plenty.”

“Eing~”

Ding- Another text from Elise.

[Lunatic: Go and watch a play or something. I’m going to watch a musical or a play too.]

It seems to be because of The Bard, but is she feeling some kind of belonging all of a sudden? Why is she working so hard, it’s tiring.

[Lunatic: I’ll recommend the Gale Opera House. I don’t know where you are going.]

I replied.

[Shoo]

[Lunatic: The play with the highest rating these days is Bellaso’s Artes.]

[Lunatic: What? Shoo? Are you crazy?]

“Comeon~ Just one more line~”

“Move.”

“Ah!”

I pushed Layla away and left Clemen Hall straight away.

But thinking about it, I don’t have cash. Because of the taxi night surcharge.

I rummaged through my pocket.

“What’s this?”

A few casino chips were caught.

“Ah.”

They’re the leftovers from the last assignment.

I sneakily looked back. Layla was glaring at me with a chubby face.

“……Huh. What.”

“Give me some money. For transportation.”

“What! No!”

“I’ll give you one more line.”

“……”

Then Layla hesitated for a moment and took out cash. It was three bills.

“Are you really giving me one more line?”

“Of course. I keep my promises.”

I was surprised as I put away the bills. I thought it was 10 Ren, but it was 100 Ren.

Layla was nowhere to be seen. I muttered in disbelief.

“……She really is rich.”

Thanks to her, I can take a taxi.

______________________________________________________________________

It’s floating in the air, so it’s aerial.

When you look up from the ground, it looks like a large garden, so it’s a garden.

Moreover, Aerial Garden is the main house of Libra.

“Wow. As expected.”

I muttered, looking up at the place.

In fact, it’s not just a main house, Aerial Garden is a city that is practically a territory of Libra. In Edsilla, even the largest nobles cannot own territories, but due to the law being limited to ‘ground’, Libra created land in the air and legally owns a territory. A massive territory with an area of 13㎢ and a population of 40,000.

One of the items on my bucket list.

To drop this Aerial Garden and bury it deep into the earth.

…Of course, with as little civilian damage as possible.

“The fare for the elevator is 50 Rens.”

To enter the Aerial Garden, one must first take the ‘Libra elevator’ that goes up to the Aerial Garden.

The entrance fee is 50 Rens. They don’t even check IDs.

“Alright. Everyone can go in.”

With the sound of tourists exclaiming in awe, I entered the elevator

A spacious and transparent elevator that can hold up to 300 people at once.

Inside, as the sky gets closer and the ground farther away, parents and children, lovers, all have joyful faces.

Ding-

As soon as the door opens, tourists pour out.

“I’m back… again.”

I stood still, looking at the other side. The sun and clouds were right in front of me. The moon in the daytime was as clear as a biscuit.

The view from an altitude of 3,333m was indeed worth seeing.

“It’s been 5 years.”

The Aerial Garden was always open like this, but I couldn’t come often before the regression.

I was blacklisted for being caught planning a terrorist attack.

Wasn’t that too excessive?

Anyway, the Aerial Garden is divided into six zones. From Zone 5 to Zone 1, and the Libra clan’s mansion, which is practically Zone 0.

It looks exactly like an onion.

The outskirts are typical cityscapes, and as you get closer to the center, it becomes more glamorous, then from Zone 2, it transforms again into something secretive and magical, and Zone 1 and the main mansion has never been seen by the media.

Especially Zone 0 is literally a space ‘for the clan’ only, so unless you are a confidant recognized by Libra, or an elder of the family, or a close relative, you can’t even enter.

“…There are a lot of people.”

On the other hand, where I’m standing right now, the outermost Zone 5, doesn’t even check IDs, so half of the people are tourists.

The Aerial Garden is a quite famous tourist spot. Just looking down from the sky is thrilling, and there are many things to enjoy, such as monorails, parks, restaurants, cafes, clubs, hotels, swimming pools, and so on.

But my destination is not just Zone 5.

I took the monorail and arrived at the entrance of Zone 4.

“Please show your ID.”

From here, they check IDs, but a student ID should be enough.

“Is an Endex student ID okay?”

“Yes. Please show it.”

The guard in Zone 4 only checked the authenticity of the student ID and nodded.

“Yes. It’s confirmed. Please go in.”

Zone 4 is similar to Zone 5 but more upscale. Luxury boutiques, department stores, five-star hotel casinos, apartments, and luxury mansions, etc. Therefore, wealthy tourists often visit.

Most of the people who have a ‘mark’ in the Aerial Garden, that is, whose address itself is the Aerial Garden, live in Zone 4, but my destination is not here either.

I kept walking and reached the entrance of Zone 3.

“Stop.”

The guard in Zone 3 was a knight. He scanned my face up and down.

“What’s your purpose?”

“I’m a senior at Endex. I’m on an assignment.”

I extended my Endex student ID. The knight asked,

“…Assignment?”

“Yes. To experience the brilliance of Libra-”

“Impossible.”

He rejected it without even listening. Whoosh- He waved his hand with a stern face.

“Go back.”

“…Yes.”

Well, I can’t get in even if I make a fuss. There’s no workaround here. Unlike Endex, if I forcibly jump over the fence, I’ll be shot on the spot.

It’s a shame, but I’ll have to doodle around in Zone 4, draw some pictures, and go down.

As I turned around and walked, a luxury car brushed past me.

“Loyalty!”

Following that, a shout echoed from the Zone 3 gate. I glanced over there.

The knight who had turned me away was talking to the luxury car.

“Ah, yes! He said he came from Endex to do an assignment!”

It seemed like he was talking about me, and the knight’s head, which was stiff just a moment ago, was almost touching the ground.

“Yes! He said he came to experience the brilliance of Libra!”

Even cold sweat was dripping down his face.

“Yes, I understand. Stu, student!”

Soon, he pointed at me.

“Come here!”

I went back to him and stood next to the car. It was a royal-class sedan ‘Kes Royce’.

The car body reflected the sunlight so brightly that it was hard to open my eyes. It was like a fluorescent light.

“What’s the matter?”

As I asked, the backseat window, which vibrated oppressively, slowly descended.

I inadvertently looked inside and my back stiffened. My eyes widened. Almost instinctively, my Mana Heart throbbed.

The man in the backseat smiled faintly, as if he liked my reaction.

“So it was you.”

Hair combed up without a single strand out of place, skin as white as snow, and a chiseled jawline.

A man who was literally like a sculpture.

“Are you a student known to Lord Jade?”

The Zone 3 guard said that fucking name.

Jade.

The owner of the Limto mine, and the second son of Libra.

“Yes. From the mine…….”

He stopped speaking.

Could it be, he heard about what I did in the mine from Belingham?

I swallowed my saliva. Whether my appearance was pitiful to Jade, he spoke with a hint of laughter.

“You gave me a very enthusiastic applause.”

“…….”

Anyway, there’s no way he received a report. Belingham must have handled it within his own line.

“So, you came to experience the brilliance of Libra?”

Jade asked,

“Yes.”

I answered briefly. Jade raised his eyebrows, as if he were already expecting the next words from my mouth.

Of course, I knew what he wanted.

Because I, who was obsessed and immersed in Libra to the point of madness, had scraped together even the most trivial pieces of information. Because my 「Notepad」 and I knew their tendencies and habits, not only their present and past but also their ‘future’.

“But…….”

I pondered intensely.

Even so, it was a statement I sincerely did not want to make. It’s a flattery that makes my heart cringe.

……Looking back, it was because of such petty pride.

An orphan without parents. Despite having nothing, I flaunted my worthless pride and died without achieving anything.

I was torn apart like a bug.

Now, I shouldn’t do that.

“Huu…….”

I took a deep breath. I vomited out all these rotten things in my heart.

Pride is old-fashioned. It must be discarded in order to achieve what I want.

Therefore…….

Now I have to speak sincerely.

“That brilliance is now before my eyes.”

“……Ha.”

Then Jade chuckled. He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it. He even sighed as if he couldn’t help this guy.

“You’re pathetic. You found brilliance while looking at me in this magnificent Aerial Garden?”

He said that, but there is no one who loves one-dimensional flattery as much as Jade. He especially loves compliments about his appearance and business.

Appearance is the only perfect thing about him.

Business is always being chewed up.

“Well. I’m much better than that germaphobe or the gambling addict.”

The germaphobe would be the eldest son Derek, and the gambling addict would be the eldest daughter Johanna.

They are siblings who despise each other whenever they get a chance.

“Take him. I’ll let him in up to Zone 2.”

At that moment, someone got out of the passenger seat. He guided me to the passenger seat, which was his seat until a moment ago.

“Get in.”

“No, I don’t really-”

“Get in.”

“……Yes.”

I had no intention of hitching a ride.

I got into the Kes Royce. The interior was tremendous. The back seat was much more spacious than it looked from the outside, and there were countless stars embedded in the ceiling.

“Let’s go.”

“Loyalty!”

The guard saluted and opened the gate to Zone 3.

I stared intently at the scenery of the Aerial Garden revealed beyond the magic barrier.