Chapter 7

A New Power: “Class Change”

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We were at Sumika Village’s air terminal, waiting to board the airship bound for the industrial city of Gearberg, where the factory was located.

“I’m so excited, Skye!”
“Yeah. Finally… finally, we’ll be able to buy our own airship!”
“I can’t wait! Tii-chan’s excited too, right?”

Nocty was riding along as a pet, tucked halfway inside Mile’s bag with just his head peeking out.

I’d told him he could just stay inside the ring if he didn’t like being treated like a pet, but—

“That’s boring! I wanna feel the wind out here!”

—after a bit of whining, this compromise was the result.

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“Attention, passengers. The ship bound for Gearberg will be arriving shortly. Please proceed to Deck Two for boarding.”

There were about fifteen passengers in total, including us—families with children, young couples, and a few explorer-types among them.

“We’ll be departing soon. Please remain seated and enjoy your flight.”

We took seats at the very front by the window, the best spot for the view.

“Wow… look at that! A sea of clouds as far as you can see!”

Mile pressed her face against the glass, her eyes sparkling.

“How long until Gearberg?”
“We’re stopping at a few airports along the way… probably about three hours.”

I flipped through the Monthly Airship Magazine spread across my lap.

“Hey, have you decided what kind of ship you want?”
“Hmm… something for two people, with a large storage bay. And ideally… a model that’s easy to customize.”
“Then let me pick the color!”
“Sure. As for performance and specs—Nocty, I’ll need your advice.”
“Leave it to me!”

From inside the bag, Nocty puffed out his chest confidently.

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◆◇◆

About an hour after leaving Sumika Village, the initial thrill of the flight had worn off. We relaxed—me flipping through my magazine, Mile munching snacks she’d brought.

“Hmm, this new model looks good…”
“Mmm, this snack’s amazing! Totally buying more of these.”

A peaceful, ordinary moment—

Until the calm was shattered by a voice over the ship’s speakers.

“Attention, passengers. We’ve detected combat activity along our flight path.”

A wave of murmurs rippled through the cabin. Someone gasped.

“For your safety, we’ll be changing course temporarily. Arrival time may be delayed. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

A click signaled the end of the announcement, and tension settled over the cabin. Outside, the cloud sea remained tranquil—almost mockingly so.

“…Who do you think is fighting?”
“Maybe a Deepcloud Beast… or sky pirates?”

Mile’s voice trembled slightly.
I closed my magazine and stared out the window.

“We’re not gonna get caught up in it… right?”

Nocty, oddly quiet, finally spoke.

“Hey, Nocty—something wrong?”
“Yeah. That woman from before’s nearby.”
“You mean Captain Reina?”
“That’s right. She’s probably engaging a Deepcloud Beast.”

I remembered—she had mentioned investigating those creatures when we met in the village.

Though distant, I could faintly see streaks of light cutting through the clouds ahead.
Our ship veered off course to avoid the area.

Just as the glowing bands vanished from view and the passengers began to relax—

The ship suddenly shuddered.

GAGANNN!

“Kyaaaa!”

The vessel lurched violently. Through the window, I glimpsed something long and black—a tail?

“W-what was that!?”

From the gap in the clouds, a gigantic shadow emerged.

“Nocty… that was—”
“Yeah, no doubt about it. A Deepcloud Beast!”

The next instant, a heavy impact rocked the hull.

CRACK—CRASH!

Glass shattered, lights flickered out. Sirens wailed and red emergency lamps flashed overhead.

“Entering emergency alert mode! All passengers, fasten seat belts and assume crash posture—”

The announcement cut off mid-sentence.
The control systems were failing.

“Skye, at this rate the ship won’t hold together!”
“Damn…!”

Then—a blinding flash split the sky.

Bursting through the clouds came the crimson airship Ruvinas.

Its forward cannon blazed like lightning, tearing straight through the Deepcloud Beast’s body.

The creature roared in pain, convulsed, and plunged back into the cloud sea below.

A sigh of relief swept through the passengers—but it didn’t last.

“The ship’s… still falling!?”

Someone shouted. I looked out.
We were losing altitude, tilting slightly downward.

“Main engine must be damaged!”
“Can you tell, Nocty?!”
“Yeah. I scanned it—the main engine’s completely offline. We’re running only on the auxiliary power unit, but the hull damage means there’s not enough output.”

“That’s bad…”

Just then, a flight attendant rushed over.

“Is there a Mr. Skye from Haino Village aboard?”

I raised my hand, and she told me the captain wanted to see me in the cockpit—immediately.

Confused why I’d been called, I entered the cockpit.
The captain turned to me gravely.

“We received orders from Captain Reina of the Ruvinas to bring you here.”

Her voice came through the comm speaker.

“Skye, we meet again—though only by speaker this time.”
“There’s no time, so I’ll be brief. I need your help—with the power that only you possess.”

At once, I knew she meant the ring.

“The passenger ship you’re on has lost its main engine. It’s flying only on auxiliary thrust, but that won’t last.”
“At this rate, it’ll crash into the Deepcloud Sea.”
“We’re preparing to tow you with the Ruvinas, but your ship’s instability might snap the tow arm.”
“So—I need you to use your power to stabilize its flight.”

“Do you think I can really do that…?”
“You can. With Nocty’s help. Misty will send guidance through him.”

If I was the only one who could do it, then there was no choice.

“…Understood. I’ll try!”
“Good. Head to the auxiliary engine room at the stern. You’ll get instructions there.”
“Captain,” the ship’s commander said, “are you sure it’s safe to leave this to a single child?”
“I’ll take full responsibility. Trust him.”

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I sprinted to the rear of the ship.
The auxiliary engine was running but unstable, energy flows surging irregularly.

Inside the engine room, I summoned Nocty.

“Nocty—what do I do?”
“Misty just sent me the procedure.”
“We’re gonna perform a Class Change. You’ll switch to the Machinist class using data she transmitted.”
“So I’ll be able to use a Machinist’s abilities?”
“Exactly. Normally you’d be limited by your base stats, but I’ll boost you. Energy efficiency’ll suck, but with your Star Crystal’s class, brute force’ll do.”
“My… Star Crystal’s class?”
“No time to explain! Let’s start!”

“Class Change: Machinist!”

Blue particles swirled around Nocty and streamed into my Star Crystal.

<<…Machinist data confirmed. Installing class data…>>
<<Installation complete. Executing Class Change to Machinist…>>

A flood of knowledge—schematics, control theory, energy tuning—poured into my mind.

<>

“So this… is the Machinist’s ability.”
“I’ll handle the output regulation. Let’s do this!”

I pressed my left hand over the Star Crystal on my chest and touched the engine with my right.

The crystal glowed blue-white; the engine pulsed with light, filling the room with azure radiance.
The glow condensed into rhythmic pulses, and the metal conduits began to vibrate.

Kiiiiinnn…!

“Now, Skye! Lock the output!”
“Got it—gooo!”

I focused every ounce of will.
The engine roared like a beast, then settled into a steady hum.

“Emergency descent control restored. Propulsion output stabilized. Maintaining safe altitude.”

The system’s automated voice echoed through the room.

“Phew… that did it, right?”
“Yeah. Perfect.”

It was my first time doing anything like this—Class Change, Machinist skills—but somehow… it worked.

Then came a heavy metallic clunk as the Ruvinas’s tow arms locked onto the ship.

“To all passengers aboard the liner—this is the Rivelia Third Fleet flagship, Ruvinas. We will now tow your vessel safely to the nearest airport.”

“We’re saved…!”
“Mommy, are we okay now?”
“Yes, sweetheart. It’s all right.”

Cheers and applause filled the cabin.

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When I left the engine room, Mile was waiting, beaming.

“Skye—you were amazing!”
“Heh… I wasn’t sure I could pull it off, but I’m glad…”
“With my support, of course it worked!” Nocty crowed.

Back in the cockpit, the crew thanked me over and over.
Through the speaker came Captain Reina’s voice:

“I knew you could do it, Skye. Excellent work. Thanks to you, our mission’s complete. We’ll talk more once you arrive.”

There was pride in her tone.

Passengers offered their thanks again and again.
It was a little embarrassing—but more than that, I was simply happy I could help them all.

At last, the airship reached Gearberg Airport safely.

As I descended the gangway, golden hair shining in the sunlight, Captain Reina stood waiting to greet us.

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