After entering Noogard's residence, Vektor spends the rest of the day resting as he prepares to face Hayato the next day. Time passes quickly, as there are several high-quality video games available in the house. Master Noogard spends the afternoon sharing information with Vektor while helping him formulate the strategy for the last day of the journey:

"Well, the most practical way to gather the apprentices is waiting for Hayato's airship to be in the air in the morning."

"You sure he'll still use his airship?"

"He's really fast not only physically but also mentally. Fixing an engine is no big deal for him. Right now he must be preparing everything for tomorrow. If we can take control of the airship in the morning, we should be able to drag him to where the other apprentices are. However, we'll need a way to gather the other three apprentices in one place..."

"For that I could ask Sych for help. He's in Haidora Village right now, he can easily go get Mitsuko and Yuko, and then take them to the castle."

"It would actually be more practical if everyone gathered at the castle. The royal family is our family's biggest financial ally, with the princess being Hayato's biggest sponsor."

"Reiko, a sponsor?!"

"Yes, she is responsible for all the expenses necessary to manufacture my son's robots."

"But she was the one who asked me to defeat him when I first saw her!"

"I'm pretty sure she did that on purpose. Knowing her and her tendency of wanting to be part of Hayato's performances, I bet she only asked you to do this because the two of them saw you as a potential rival who would take them seriously."

"You mean those two set this whole thing up from the beginning just to mess with me...? Damn it, I was used like an idiot!"

"Young people can be cruel sometimes. The princess must have taken advantage of your need to prove your trust to force you to be part of their grand play."

"Guess I won't need to hold back in tomorrow's match then... Okay, I'll start preparing myself. I'll call Sych right now."

"Understood. The sooner the better."

Vektor promptly picks up his phone and makes his call:

"...Hello, Sych? ...It's Vektor. I'm at Noogard's house. ...I need to ask your help for something. ...The thing is, Master Noogard and I thought of a way to gather all the apprentices in one place. ...Okay, I'll explain in detail..."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

After explaining the entire plan to Sych, Vektor has lunch and rests until nightfall, when Kder reappears before him while he is stargazing in the backyard. Vektor greets him in a friendly manner:

"Ah, yo, Kder! You good?"

"Hello again, Vektor Drenn. I am fine, thank you for your concern. Even though I haven't made any progress, my day has been quite peaceful since the last time we met."

"I see... Well, in my case, I'm resting here while I wait for tomorrow, which will be when Sych and I will make our final move to find apprentice Noogard."

"...That reminds me, I saw your friend earlier."

"Sych?"

"Yes. He told me that you asked him to take the apprentices Kageki and Haidora to Drettonus Castle. What are you planning with that? Do you want to gather all the apprentices before you've even found them all?"

"Yeah... kinda. This is a strategy to gather all the Etykiran apprentices without Maken's interference."

"Are you planning to gather 3 of the apprentices in one place while you go by yourself after apprentice Noogard? So, does that mean you already know his location?"

"Well, yes... I don't know if you've ever seen him, but I just recently found out that apprentice Noogard is a guy I've already met a few times before. He lives in a giant airship."

"The same one that was flying over Etykiran City earlier? I've never actually seen him in person, but I've known about his existence since the day I began my current stay on Netern Island. But I didn't expect him to live inside an airship... Do you want my help with this strategy of yours?"

"Your participation wasn't in our plans, but I guess with your help, things will be much easier. So yes, I accept your help."

"Could you give me the instructions on what I must do?"

"It's probably better to explain it from zero so you don't get lost. Tomorrow, at 11 AM, Sych will take Yuko Haidora to the Arsenal of Shadow, where they will meet up with Mitsuko Kageki, and the three of them will head to Drettonus Castle."

"Seems quite simple."

"So far, the strategy is perfect, but we'll have to take Hayato Noogard into consideration. Hayato's airship is on the snowy mountain. In the original plan, I would invade the airship, defeat Hayato, and then control the airship all the way to Drettonus Castle, where I would finally confront the princess before Sych's group arrives. That's why I was going to leave here early. But with your help, I'll be able to change the course of events a little bit."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Listen, I'll leave here early to go straight to Drettonus Castle, while you observe Hayato's actions. At 11 AM, head to the snowy mountain calmly. If he doesn't do anything by the time you reach the mountain, run to his airship. Since you're fast, it won't be a problem."

"I see you trust my abilities... I thank you for that."

"If Hayato decides to fly to the city before you arrive, know that the maneuver the airship must perform in the Valley of Music will force it to fly near the top of the second largest mountain, the one with the antenna, or at least that's what Master Noogard told me. Take advantage of the time needed, run as fast as you can to the top of that mountain, and then infiltrate the airship!"

"It seems like quite a challenging mission... but I'm willing to take the risk. Any further instructions?"

"Well, in the worst case scenario, you and Hayato will have to fight for control of the airship. That's why I just recommend you save as much energy as possible. Otherwise, I think that's all. Are you sure you still want to help us?"

"Surely. No matter how difficult the mission, my duty is to lend my strength to those in need."

"(Spoke like a true hero... Guess I need to treat him as such...)

Right... Then, I'll leave the mission of taking Hayato Noogard to Drettonus Castle to you, heroic swordsman, Kder!"