Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 14 - Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: A Dear Friend 

About the two girls 

Six years ago, Altimia A. Altar the first princess of Altar was riding a dragon carriage to the imperium, en route to her stay as a transfer student there. 

Back then, relations between Altar and Dryfe were so positive that cultural exchange between the royal families like this was a matter of course. Just a few years ago, Prince Hallon — the first son of the imperium’s crown prince — had been a transfer student in the kingdom. 

However, Altimia knew that there was more to this excursion than mere cultural exchange. 

They are preparing to marry me off. Altar and Dryfe had been on good terms for a long time now, and the governing bodies of both nations had begun to consider forging an alliance or even merging the two countries through marriage. 

Altimia was certain that this exchange was preparation for that. Her father, the king, hadn’t actually said anything of the sort, but his trusted advisor, the Arch Sage, had implied as much. 

The current imperator was growing old and his princes were nearly her father’s age, so she assumed that she would be made to marry one of their sons, be it Prince Hallon or Prince Gaeczys — the second prince’s firstborn. 

Within the next six years or so, Altimia was certain she’d be the wife of one of them. 

At this point, Altimia didn’t think much of the situation. In this world, it was normal for princesses to have no say in who they married. 

Though, if I marry outside of Altar, that will surely make Elizabeth cry, she thought. Even my leaving for this exchange student period turned her into a blubbering mess. 

Altimia could not have guessed that her little sister would end up married off before she herself — and that she would be deeply involved. 

...Ah, I just remembered that there was another prince my age. The third prince also had a son of his own. He almost never showed himself in public, and the people who even realized he existed were few and far between. 

The reason for this was that he’d been bedridden for a long time. 

A few years ago, the third prince and his wife, son, and daughter had fallen victim to a terrorist bombing. The parents were both killed, while the son suffered severe injuries that left him with limited mobility, and he was now undergoing treatment in Marquis Barbaros’ — his mother’s family’s — mansion. They kept him there because that act of terrorism was likely related to the ongoing struggle for the throne, so if they kept him in the capital, he would likely be targeted again. 

Because of these circumstances, he hadn’t had a public appearance in years. Apparently the family was now represented by his twin sister — the only one who had escaped the explosion mostly unharmed. 

Barbaros, eh...? 

Remembering what she’d learned before transferring, Altimia looked out the window of the dragon carriage. 

What she saw was the land of Marquis Barbaros. On her way to the capital, the plan was that she would spend a few days at the Barbaros mansion. 

Maybe I’ll get to meet the third prince’s children, she thought. 

Several hours later, the dragon carriage arrived at the appointed place. 

At the mansion, Altimia and her entourage were welcomed by the elderly Marquis Barbaros. 

The princess was accompanied by a number of maids and some members of the Royal Guard, as well as their captain — Celestial Knight, Langley Grandria. 

The reason she’d brought such powerful bodyguards was an attack that happened over twenty years ago, by a Mythical UBM named “Edelvalsa.” The monster had completely destroyed one of Altar’s diplomatic envoys, and they wanted to be prepared just in case something like that happened again. 

A Mythical UBM would be a difficult opponent regardless, but Langley had possession of Gold Thunder the Prism Steed — so if worse came to worst, Altimia could at least escape. She had undergone training to ride it in case something happened. 

Once out of the carriage, Altimia exchanged greetings and a bit of conversation with Marquis Barbaros before she was invited inside and led to the guest room where she would be staying for the next few days. 

After getting comfortable, she began to wonder about something. 

For some reason the marquis was acting very apologetic towards me... no... towards the kingdom itself. Even though there was nothing in his welcome that overtly suggested this, Altimia couldn’t help but feel that he’d acted like he had a guilty conscience. Altimia didn’t sense any malice in him, exactly, but his behavior somehow gave her that impression. 

He did, in fact, have something to feel guilty about. 

To their knowledge, Edelvalsa had killed everyone on the Altarian mission, but there actually was one single survivor — Emilio Quartierlatin. By sheer chance, he’d ended up with Edelvalsa’s Mythical MVP special reward, and such a weapon was so valuable that the imperator had ordered that Barbaros raise Emilio as his own. 

This made him feel apologetic towards the kingdom and, more specifically, the princess. 

When he’d learned that Altimia would be staying at his mansion, he even considered telling her the truth — but he was unable to do so while the current imperator was still alive. If he went against the imperators will, he would endanger not only his family, but his adopted son Emilio and the children of the third prince he was sheltering. 

Feeling torn apart on the inside, he’d chosen to remain silent about all of this. 

The marquis would go on to pass away five years later, shortly after seeing the new imperator take the throne. Chances were that the mental stress of keeping up that lie played a role in his death. 

“...I see no point in thinking about this much longer. I will go train.” 

Altimia could not understand why the marquis was behaving the way he was, so she chose to stop considering it and went to practice her combat skills for a change of pace. She had already asked where to find the mansion’s training grounds. 

He gave me quite the strange look when I asked... After telling the Royal Guard where she was headed, Altimia took her leave. 

When she arrived at the training grounds, however, Altimia found there was someone there already. 

A girl about her age was swinging around a spear only about 2 metels in length — probably meant for fighting in close quarters. 

This wasn’t all that strange to see — that was the purpose of the training grounds, after all . 

The strange thing that caught Altimia’s attention was that the girl’s spearplay was far too perfect. 

Her spear made no sound as she struck. She wasted no energy on “slicing at the wind”... parting the wall of air, so to speak. 

Her movements were efficient, perfected, and utterly superb. It was as though the spear was flowing through the air without a single flawed motion. The placement of her fingers holding the shaft, her every single step, even the slightest shifts of her muscles and joints... not a single detail was out of place. 

She had long blonde hair, but even the way her flowing locks danced with her movements didn’t seem disordered. Altimia felt like she was watching the flow of wind or water. 

It wasn’t a mere dance, however — she was moving exactly the way she would have in a real battle. 

Despite that, it was probably more beautiful than any martial dance. 

As for Altimia’s thoughts on what she was seeing, she had only one word for it... 

“Mechanical...” 

...And that word escaped her lips. 

The spear-wielding girl abruptly stopped. 

Altimia suddenly realized her blunder, but she knew that she couldn’t take back what she’d said. It was her honest thoughts, after all. The girl’s spear-dance lacked any flaws and looked as natural as nature itself... but Altimia could see no emotion behind it. Feelings, it seemed, would have only disturbed the girl’s movements. The sight of it reminded Altimia of her music box with a spinning dancer doll on top, which Prince Hallon had given her during his visit to the kingdom. 

Altimia couldn’t help but feel that the spear-wielding girl was much like that mechanical dancer. It was beautiful enough to move the heart... But the girl herself seemed to put no heart into it. 

Though, perhaps no one else would’ve shared Altimia’s opinion on this sight. 

Still frozen, the girl looked straight at Altimia. It was almost like she was evaluating her, but that wasn’t quite the right word. 

She was looking at Altimia as if to analyze her, just like a machine might. 

The girl then glanced downward and noticed the training sword at Altimia’s side. 

“Care to spar?” she asked without any preface. Her tone was odd, as though she herself wasn’t sure why she’d asked that. 

“Certainly.” Altimia instantly agreed. She knew that this girl wasn’t merely venting her annoyance at Altimia’s comment. Instead, she felt that the girl, as talented as she was, had most likely realized that Altimia was the Sacred Princess and possessed immense sword fighting talent. 

Altimia, a born swordmaster. 

This strange girl, the very incarnation of spear fighting talent. 

Altimia didn’t even know her name. However, the two were drawn together as if by gravity, and now stood facing each other, weapons in hand. 

It was unclear who would make the initial attack, but this was the first time they crossed blades together. 

“...It seems like... I’ve lost,” Altimia said through ragged breaths, leaning on the wall after a full hour of fighting. 

The other girl hadn’t won because she was just more talented than Altimia. While the girl with the spear was giving the match everything she had, Altimia hadn’t even used half of true skill. 

She didn’t have her powers as Sacred Princess without Altar, and since the blade was the greatest of the kingdom’s national treasures, she couldn’t bring it to Dryfe. Also, Altar’s techniques were based on its ability to cut anything, so they couldn’t be used with any normal sword. 

Instead, she chose to fight using the pirate sword fighting technique taught to her by Langley, but ultimately she couldn’t land a single hit on the girl. 

But even if I ignore that and compare only our raw talent... I cannot say for certain that I would have won. That was how abnormally gifted the girl was. 

Both her defense and offense were flawless, and no movement was wasted. That was probably why, despite having fought for a whole hour, she wasn’t even out of breath. 

She might be stronger than my teacher... Altimia thought that the girl, despite her age, might’ve been even stronger than the person who’d taught her swordplay — Celestial Knight, Langley. 

“No. I am still below the Celestial Knight,” the girl said as though she’d read Altimia’s mind. 

“Huh?” 

“The knight possesses a power that protects, while I merely possess the power to wield a spear. The comparison is not apt. Even if I could best him in sheer martial prowess, I would still be below him as an entity... My apologies. Give me a moment.” 

After saying all of that in a flat voice, she fell silent before striking herself in the forehead with the shaft of her spear. 

“HUH?!” The sudden action shocked Altimia, but the girl just stood in place with the shaft still pressed against her forehead, not moving an inch. 

The impact made such an intense noise that Altimia wondered if she’d damaged something inside her skull. 

Blood flowed from her forehead, and about ten seconds later... 

“...Apologies for the wait! Oh, and please excuse my rudeness thus far.” 

...The girl spoke up with a tone and voice quite different from before. 

Her eyes sparkled as she rambled on and on. 

“I tend to get a bit gloomy while training! It makes me come off as a little impolite... I am truly sorry for inviting you to spar without even saying hello!” She bowed her head, now brimming with the wasteful thing they called “emotion.” 

However, her movements were still as flawless as ever, so Altimia knew that this was the same girl as before. 

“N-No need,” Altimia said. “I should apologize for interrupting your training.” 

“Oh, it is nothing! In fact, I should thank you! Training with someone else makes for a better experience,” the girl said with a full smile. “Also, this is the first time someone my age has given me such a rousing fight! That makes me really happy!” 

“...I see.” Altimia could relate to that. 

She had been born the Sacred Princess. 

No one her age had been burdened with a fate like hers. 

She had friends like Langley’s daughter, Liliana, and the Arch Sage’s favorite disciple, Integra, but despite this she was constantly troubled by a small degree of loneliness. 

Altimia felt that this girl was much like her. Their fates might be completely different in character, but they carried the same kind of weight on their shoulders. 

That was why they’d sparred before even introducing themselves. 

“Ah! My apologies! I have still not given you my name...” said the girl. 

“Neither have I, then. My name is Altimia A. Altar, First Princess of Altar. I will be staying here for five days or so.” 

“I know you! I am Claudiah R. Dryfe. My father was the third prince, so I am the lowest ranking member of the royal family!” Upon hearing that, Altimia discovered that this girl was one of the children of the late third prince... not the son who was still bedridden, but the daughter who handled their official business. 

Something about her words made her curious, however. 

“You know of me?” 

“I do! I will be your ‘tuner’... your attendant at school!” 

“You...?” Altimia was curious why a princess would be given such a task. Were they just being considerate of Altimia, or were there other circumstances, either for Claudiah specifically or the imperium in general, that called for this? 

“That means we will be able to spar regularly!” Claudiah said with nothing but joy, beaming brightly. 

“We will...?” Altimia asked. 

“Ah. M-My apologies... I should have asked if you would agree to something like that...” 

Claudiah’s tone had a hint of fear in it — something you could hardly expect from a young woman with such immense talent at spear-handling. 

However, it made her look more like a girl her age, and Altimia found that endearing. 

“No need to apologize. This makes me happy, too.” 

“Oh?” 

“I would gladly fight you again. I hope we get along during the coming three years... Claudiah,” Altimia said, extending her right hand. 

She was offering to shake on becoming friends. 

Claudiah spent a moment looking at the hand... 

“...Certainly! I am sure we will, Altimia!” 

...But then grasped it with a blinding smile. 

Over the next three years, they did indeed become close friends. 

They’d spent their days together, on the training grounds as well as in their everyday lives. 

They would worry about upcoming exams, recommend books to each other, go shopping together... and eventually, they’d stopped being a pair of royal heirs or the menacing duo of the Sacred Princess and The Ram. Instead, they were nothing but ordinary friends. 

They’d even continued to keep in touch even after Altimia had returned to Altar. 

However, that ended following the shifts in Dryfe’s government and the ensuing war. 

But on this day, during these peace talks, they’d met once again and fought to protect — or obtain — what they needed to. 

Altimia now wielded the exalted blade she had never used in any of their previous duels, while Claudiah was armed with a mechanical body and countless MVP rewards. 

This was their first fight in a long time... and it could be their last. 

All of this was unfolding like a martial dance high up in the heavens. 

Altar-Dryfe border, the sky 

Silver and jade winds drew circles in the air, clashing and separating over and over. 

The silver wind was Zephyrus Silver, the Grand Artificer Flagman’s Prism Steed unit that wasn’t counted among the official five. 

Astride it was the first princess of Altar — the Sacred Princess, Altimia A. Altar. 

The jade wind was Jade Storm, the second of Flagman’s official five Prism Steeds. 

The one riding it was the little sister of the Imperator of Dryfe — The Ram, Claudiah L. Dryfe. 

Zephyrus Silver galloped on condensed air, while Jade Storm flew through the sky by means of the wind ejected from its frame. 

Their means of flight were wildly different, but the speed was more or less equal. 

It was likely, though, that the riders were purposely matching their speeds so they could properly exchange blows. 

They had clashed seven times since this fight began, but neither of them had suffered any damage yet. 

However, that didn’t mean that this was a true battle of equals. 

By the seventh clash, the silver rider... Altimia... had broken out in a cold sweat. 

She fended me off again...! Each of the seven attacks she’d launched at Claudiah had been deflected. 

Perhaps this wouldn’t have been surprising in an ordinary martial arts showdown. Claudiah was fully on the defensive, and some would say that meant Altimia had the upper hand. 

But such reasonable thoughts didn’t apply here. 

After all, Altimia was wielding The Primeval Blade, Altar. This sword could cut through anything and everything, yet Claudiah was warding off all of her attacks. 

Nothing — not even pure energy — could avoid being cut by this blade. 

Deflecting its attacks should have been impossible, yet this supposedly impossible thing had happened seven times now. 

She’s knocking the sword aside by striking the flat of the blade...! 

Altar’s edge could cut through any defenses, but that ability obviously didn’t extend to the sides. 

That was how Claudiah could parry Altar — by applying force to these relatively harmless parts of the weapon. 

This sort of parry was reasonable when dealing with any kind of sword —it could be considered a basic strategy, in fact. 

However, even being able to see the energy-severing blade of Altar coming towards you while moving at nearly the speed of sound, and then deflecting it with a lance — all without letting the edge touch it — was an inhuman feat. 

...She hasn’t changed, I suppose. Altimia knew well that Claudiah’s talent had long surpassed what was humanly possible. 

She’d sparred against her friend many times, and she discovered something about Claudiah that would strike fear into anyone’s heart. 

It was related to the first sparring match they’d ever had. 

Claudiah had completely bested Altimia back then... despite having first picked up a spear only a month before. 

In a mere moon after taking up martial arts, she had become strong enough to overwhelm the well-trained Sacred Princess without even breaking a sweat. 

She has not grown stronger, but neither has she grown weaker... Though, I suppose that is only natural — she had already peaked, after all. 

As the person who knew Claudiah’s skill better than anyone, Altimia was confident in her evaluation. Claudiah’s technique was perfect, and anything that strayed from that would be rejected as a flaw. 

Not even the giant lance she now wields seems to have affected her ability. 

Masters had a saying along the lines of “a poor craftsman blames his tools.” 

Claudiah was the polar opposite of that proverbial “poor craftsman.” Be it a spear or a lance — the tool didn’t matter to her in the slightest. The girl was probably capable of acquiring a “The One”-type Superior Job for literally any weapon she’d picked up. 

She was no doubt among the five most skilled people in the entire world. 

If Altimia’s ability was born from the blood of the Sacred King — the first Azurite — coursing through her veins, then Claudiah’s must be a natural, divine talent. 

No... that was insufficient to describe it. 

She was no mere prodigy. You couldn’t even call her phenomenon without feeling like the term was inadequate. 

The abilities of Claudiah R. Dryfe were best described as something that shouldn’t possibly exist. 

Truly... she is so skilled that fighting her makes me doubt my sanity, Altimia thought. She had once labeled Claudiah’s spearwork as “mechanical,” and that was extremely apt. 

After all, Claudiah had perfected her combat style as easily as one might install software on a computer. 

The people of this world didn’t worship any gods based on concepts, but if such beings existed, then Claudiah was the kind of machine a divine engineer might create. 

But Claudiah... if I let fear of your immense skill paralyze me, I would not be worthy of being your friend. 

Despite facing such a fearsome being, Altimia wasn’t the least bit frightened. 

Even if Claudiah had warded off her deadly sword seven times, it didn’t mean that she’d defeated her. Altimia’s blade, her hands grasping the hilt, the burning soul within her... none of these had been broken, so this battle was far from over. 

“That’s quite the face you’re making, Altimia,” Claudiah’s voice rode the wind as they clashed for the eighth time. “You were always wonderful with a blade.” 

The words reached Altimia even after Claudiah was a good distance away from her. This was likely achieved by some function of Claudiah’s Jade Storm. 

“This is thanks to you. It’s because you always faced me like this that I was able to keep myself from falling to loneliness.” 

Altimia remained silent. 

“No one could keep up with me. They would give up the moment they realized the immense gap in talent.” 

This was something Claudiah had seen many times the day she’d first taken a spear in hand, as well as during her days in school... and the Dryfean civil war. 

“But you were different. Even if you lost against me while sparring, your heart was never once broken. You never gave up in the face of my talents and you always thoroughly believed that you could win against me next time... And eventually, you did. Is that not true?” 

“...I did,” Altimia replied, and again, despite the distance or speed, her words had no trouble reaching Claudiah. 

“I’m really quite fond of you, Altimia.” 

“And I of you. You are a dear friend.” 

The two spoke like this even as they clashed for the ninth time. 

“Ah, Altimia... Have you noticed? Right now, I feel three emotions about you.” 

Altimia said nothing as they clashed for the tenth time. 

“Friendship. You were my first friend, and one I will treasure for life.” 

Eleventh clash. 

“Passion. As the spear of the imperium, I want to fight you more than anyone else.” 

Twelfth clash. 

“And finally... love.” 

The thirteenth clash... ended without any weapons touching. 

The words alone rode the wind to reach Altimia. 

“I cherish you more than anything else in the world, and I want you to be mine. Were you aware I felt this way?” 

“I was. I have known since our school days.” 

Altimia’s immediate reply made Claudiah’s eyes widen. 

“...Eheheh. And despite that, you did not push me away?” 

“Of course. That would be no reason to deny your friendship.” 

Altimia had indeed noticed her dear friend’s intense feelings towards her about a year after they first became acquainted, but she had no intention of forsaking their friendship because of it. Claudiah had also never confessed her feelings like this, so Altimia had simply never brought them up either. 

She wasn’t merely stalling, however — Altimia had already known how she would respond. 

“I have already prepared my words for when you eventually revealed your feelings to me like this,” Altimia said, pulling Silver to a stop. 

Claudiah did the same and waited for Altimia to continue. 

“I am the blade of Altar and the representative of the royal family. We will be friends until the end, but I can never accept your love.” 

“...I knew you would say that.” Claudiah had expected to receive such a response. 

However, Altimia’s next words made her eyes widen again. 

“My answer is the same as it would have been back then: that is why I cannot marry you and rule both our nations by your side.” 

This wasn’t a mere rejection — Altimia had just implied something that shocked Claudiah to the core. 

“Altimia... you knew?” 

“I did, Claudiah... or should I say...” Altimia said before pausing for a moment, then declared, “Imperator of the Dryfe Imperium, Claudiah Reinhard Dryfe.” 

Claudiah fell silent, not saying a thing in response. 

Or more accurately, she couldn’t say anything... because Altimia was completely right. 

“You are not denying it. Though, there is no point in that, I suppose. My Truth Discernment would see right through you.” 

Silence was as good as confirmation here. 

“...How long have you known?” 

“Actually, this was all partially a trap. I was only half-certain of it, and only because of today’s peace talks in any case.” 

“...Did you realize it when Ray Starling saw right through my plot?” 

“No. It was some time before that.” It happened shortly before Ray had uncovered the imperium’s cunning plan... when they were adjusting the treaty to make it agreeable for both sides. 

“Back then, when we were adding conditions and modifying the treaty, you never once contacted Vandelheim.” 

Claudiah was silent. 

“I realize that you’d predicted all our conditions as though you could read our minds, but this was an international agreement. If there are changes to be made, it is customary to leave the assembly hall and inform the head of state. With my father gone, I am the acting ruler of Altar... but you are a mere representative. Your brother, the imperator, still outranks you.” 

Claudiah had full authority over the negotiations, but that did not mean she possessed the decision-making power of the imperium’s actual ruler. 

That was what made everything so suspicious. 

“You used no communication magic, and the capital is too far for Telepathy Cuffs to reach. Even I brought a comms magic agent... but you had no one.” 

That could only mean that they had no intention of contacting the imperator in the first place. 

“The reason for that is simple: you did not need to ask anyone.” 

Silence. 

“After all, you yourself are the imperator. Right... Claudiah Reinhard?” Altimia said, using her friend’s full name. “It is a Dryfean custom to give twins each others’ first names as middle names, is it not? You told me that when I asked for Reinhard’s name.” 

“...I remember that.” Altimia had met Reinhard at school once. After that, she went on to ask Claudiah what his name was, and that was when she had informed her of this custom. 

Altimia finally arrived at a certain conclusion. 

“The real Reinhard died in the civil war, did he not?” If her friend held the throne, then that could only mean that the Reinhard she’d met was no longer with them. 

“Men are usually inheritors in Dryfe, just as they are in the kingdom. You hid the death of Reinhard — the true imperator — while acting as the imperator yourself. You told me once that the current head of the military — Field Marshal Barbaros — is your uncle, while the head of government — Chancellor Vigoma — was your private tutor. You were able to keep the death a secret by surrounding yourself with people you trusted.” 

The chances of this secret being exposed by Reveal were actually quite low, for high-ranking families generally had potent anti-Reveal equipment. A famous example was Zifu Longmian, the mask used by Huang He’s Draconic Emperor to hide his name, but even Altimia herself had often slipped outside while wearing similar gear. 

If Claudiah possessed something like that, she could easily pretend to be her late brother. 

“You were thoroughly alike even in your school years. With slight adjustments from someone with a Cosmeticist job, no one could tell you apart.” 

That was the entirety of Altimia’s conjecture. 

Claudiah was silent for a good moment before making a troubled face and saying, “You are seventy percent right.” 

“...Seventy percent?” 

“You were completely right until about the midpoint, but then veered off the mark completely.” That meant that Altimia was right about Claudiah being the imperator, but wrong about how she had acquired the throne. 

As for how, exactly, she was wrong... 

“My brother, Reinhard Claudiah Dryfe, did not die in the imperator accession civil war.” Altimia instantly began to assume that he had merely been severely wounded and was still recovering... 

“After all... he died in the terrorist attack nine years ago.” 

...But that idea was shot down by an explanation she had never expected. 

“Huh...?” The idea that Reinhard had died nine years ago made no sense to her. He was supposedly alive and well during Altimia’s days as a transfer student six years ago. In fact, she had met him herself. 

While a storm of questions raged in Altimia’s mind... 

“Give me a moment... These talks are best left to my brother.” 

...Those were Claudiah’s words as she put her lance against her forehead. 

It was reminiscent of her strange actions on the day they’d met, but far less intense. Claudiah closed her eyes and froze for a few seconds before opening her eyes again... 

“It has been quite a while.” 

...With a face that seemed wholly unlike the one she had mere moments ago. 

She spoke with striking fluency and her expression was now doll-like — completely devoid of any emotion. 

Now, she really was almost like a machine... just like the Claudiah Altimia had first met. 

“I am the imperator... the ‘elder brother, Reinhard.’” With the demeanor of an entirely different person, the entity that was once Claudiah introduced itself. 

“Rein...hard...?” 

“Indeed. I am Reinhard, the ‘elder brother,’ as well as the individual in charge of machines and governance.” 

Claudiah... no... the entity before Altimia once again referred to itself as Reinhard—and once again, Truth Discernment did not trigger. 

This being most certainly saw itself as Reinhard and no one else. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Altimia asked. 

“Oh, where should I begin? Let us start with what we both know,” Reinhard said, pointing at Claudiah’s chest. “This person, Claudiah Reinhard Dryfe, is immensely talented.” 

“...That is true,” Altimia agreed. 

“One talent that you are quite familiar with is the ability to master any art.” Unlike Masters, who usually had the aptitude for any job besides a few Superior Jobs, each tian was only suited for certain jobs. And in terms of this raw talent, Claudiah was head and shoulders above the rest of them. 

“Claudiah could do anything she wanted and become whatever she desired. She merely happened to take up the spear and become The Ram; she could have taken many other Superior Jobs easily. The fact that this body also has King of Machines is proof of that.” 

Those words reminded Altimia of something. If Reinhard was Claudiah back when they’d met at school, then that meant that Claudiah was also King of Machines. Juggling both vanguard and crafting Superior Jobs at the same time was impossible for any ordinary tian. 

“...You implied that you had other talents,” said Altimia. 

“Indeed. Claudiah did have another talent, and it is the reason I exist,” Reinhard, indicating Claudiah’s face. “It is the talent to modify herself.” 

“Modify...?” 

“Claudiah was able to freely modify her inner self however she wanted. And in case you were wondering, the body modifications that you have seen were only begun a year ago.” 

“...Well, I am well aware that you didn’t have strange hands that could move on their own after being severed.” 

They had shared a bath several times at the student dorm, and Altimia could clearly recall that Claudiah’s body had been flesh and blood. 

“Not even Claudiah could remain unharmed while facing Dryfe’s SMTF and the Superior they’d hired. Though it did turn out to be a good opportunity to test the artificial arms we made based on Prism Person remains and data we discovered in some ruins,” Reinhard said casually, moving the battle-ready artificial arm back and forth. “But back to the original matter... I, Reinhard, am a personality that Claudiah, driven by necessity, created by modifying herself,” he declared without any hesitation. “I am what you might call a split personality... or more accurately, a persona. The only soul in this body is Claudiah’s, and I am merely a personality that takes over when needed.” 

“...A persona.” 

“While Claudiah is heavily emotional, I discard emotion in favor of logic, and fulfill my role by crafting plots on behalf of Claudiah and the nation of Dryfe. Claudiah as she is now is simply not suited for such thoughts.” 

That meant that the entrapment written into today’s peace treaty had actually been crafted by Reinhard — Claudiah’s persona. 

There were a few benefits to having multiple personas. 

Certain conclusions were just beyond certain people due to their differences in thought processes and intelligence, and this was a way around that. Masters had a saying that went “Two heads are better than one,” and Claudiah Reinhard Dryfe truly exemplified that. 

“Claudiah’s persona...” Altimia said as she pondered this. She wondered how creating a persona was even possible, but the mere thought of Claudiah’s immense talents quickly did away with her doubts. 

She couldn’t begin to understand how Claudiah had done it, but she could accept that she had somehow done exactly that. 

Also, based on what Reinhard had said, Altimia believed the methods behind this were a mystery even to them. 

“Do you understand what I am now?” Reinhard asked. 

“...I do. Do you call yourself ‘Reinhard’ because your personality is based on that of the late Reinhard?” 

Altimia wondered why they would use that name. She guessed that it was to pay respects to her real elder brother... 

“No, that is certainly not the case.” 

...But Reinhard denied that assumption. 

“Reinhard Claudiah Dryfe was actually a normal child, very unlike Claudiah or myself as I am now. He was never a machine in human form like this.” 

That might’ve been self-derision or a jest on Reinhard’s part, but the lack of emotion in his face or voice made it impossible to tell. 

“Claudiah and Reinhard were also fraternal twins. They did look similar, but they were not completely indistinguishable. No one pointed that out, however. Everyone knew them as twins and had no doubts that they would grow up to have the same face. Though it probably helped that I first showed myself as ‘Reinhard’ a few years after the terrorist attack, before we had both gone through puberty.” 

Altimia herself had thought little of “Reinhard” having the exact same face as Claudiah, because their personalities and behavior were so radically different. 

“Also, this body does not house the soul of the late Reinhard Claudiah Dryfe. There is nothing necromantic about it. This has even been confirmed by a specialist... King of Tartarus. There is only one soul here. Reinhard’s seemed to be haunting the area where the terrorist attack occurred, so we had King of Tartarus take care of it.” 

The persona of “Reinhard” spoke of the real Reinhard with absolute disinterest. 

“So... why ‘Reinhard’?” Altimia asked. 

“Are you asking about the source of the name... or the persona?” 

“...Both.” 

The person in front of her nodded before continuing “The idea to pretend the real Reinhard Claudiah Dryfe was alive came from our grandfather on our mother’s side — the previous Marquis Barbaros.” 

This didn’t surprise Altimia in the slightest. Claudiah couldn’t have acted as two public figures simultaneously on her own — she needed the help of someone close, and since she’d lost both her parents and her brother, her grandfather was the only candidate. 

“He was thinking of Claudiah’s safety,” Reinhard said while pointing at Claudiah’s body. “The conflict over the Dryfean throne had already begun at that point. I suppose you could call it a recommendation from our grandfather on our father’s side... the previous imperator, in other words.” 

The first and second princes of Dryfe — Instead of naming either of them as a crown prince, the previous imperator had forced them to fight each other instead. 

Xanafald was a man who did whatever he thought necessary to make sure Dryfe would flourish, even if that meant making his own family fight each other or appropriating Emilio Quartierlatin. 

“The princes and their children were having a secret feud amongst themselves. And even though it was small in comparison, the third prince had his own faction as well. It involved Marquis Barbaros and his family, as well as several local noblemen.” 

The chances of the third prince taking the throne were minimal. It was likely that either the first or second princes would emerge the final victory, while the third prince would either be granted the title of duke or his son would inherit the Barbaros March from his mother’s side of the family. 

However, there was also the possibility that neither the first nor the second prince would actually emerge from this conflict alive — which would make the third prince the imperator by default. That was the reason he had supporters despite the fact that he would likely not win in open conflict. 

“But then, that terrorist attack killed their father as well as his firstborn son, Reinhard Claudiah Dryfe. This was the final nail in the coffin for the third prince’s faction. The marquis must have believed that if the truth were to come out, the remnants of the faction would somehow use the surviving sister to make themselves a place in the other factions.” 

That was what drove Marquis Barbaros to make his decision. 

“That was why he claimed Reinhard Claudiah Dryfe was still alive, just recovering in the Barbaros mansion. This kept the third prince’s faction from dissolving.” By acting as if Reinhard was still alive, the marquis kept the faction’s hope alive. 

“...I am impressed he was able to hide it so well.” 

“It wasn’t easy. Only a few people knew the real truth. Those who did not have Truth Discernment were fed false information from Claudiah, who disguised herself as bedridden Reinhard. They believed the lie to be true and went on to spread those lies to other people. For false information to avoid detection by Truth Discernment, those spreading our lies needed to believe it unconditionally. Though, after doing all this, grandfather had to lock himself up in the mansion to avoid anyone using Truth Discernment on him.” 

He had planned to keep the real truth hidden until the next imperator was decided. He would then go on to “reveal” that Reinhard had tragically succumbed to his condition and passed away, believing that Claudiah’s safety would be ensured. 

However, there was one problem. 

“The lie survived for about four years, but then people began to wonder why Reinhard showed no signs of recovery and had barely interacted with the other royals .” 

This was only to be expected. In fact, it was impressive that it had taken four years for that doubt to set in. 

“It became necessary to prove to the others that Reinhard was, indeed, still alive.” 

“...To prove that a dead person was still alive?” 

“That is why Claudiah ultimately needed to convince herself... to make herself believe unconditionally that she is Reinhard.” 

Ultimately, that was the reason behind it all. 

“And that is why I, ‘Reinhard’ the ‘elder brother,’ exist now. I stood before the rest of the royal family and proved that ‘I’ was still alive by stating, in no uncertain terms, that I was Reinhard Claudiah Dryfe.” 

Altimia was speechless. This persona was so real that it even overcame Truth Discernment. The ability to artificially create something like that was far beyond any sort of hypnosis or suggestion that Altimia had ever seen. 

“But you...” 

“I know what you’re going to ask. Back then, I wholeheartedly believed that I was Reinhard Claudiah Dryfe, but now I am aware that ‘Reinhard’ is a mere persona. The need to hide myself vanished once I became imperator, so Claudiah connected the two of us.” 

Reinhard matter-of-factly explained that he understood he was a constructed personality. 

“But back when you and I met at school, I still believed myself to be the real Reinhard. I had not been Reinhard for long at that point, and lived a double life without even myself knowing about it.” 

Unlike Reinhard, Claudiah had always been aware of this arrangement, so she made certain to make sure he always had an alibi and clear up any confusion that arose. Most notably, she acted as Reinhard’s “assistant” whenever he did work as King of Machines. 

After all — they only had one body. 

“What was not accounted for was the mechanic grouping.” 

“Mechanic grouping?” 

“At some point, people began to believe that during his recovery, Reinhard underwent intense training as a Mechanic and became extremely capable at the job. It was but smoke without fire. For all we know, that was just a lie spread by another faction to make Reinhard look incompetent when the truth came out.” 

“You mean to tell me...” 

“Yes. That is why I am King of Machines. It would be bothersome if the discrepancy between this rumor and reality lead to the real truth coming out, so I delved into the Mechanic grouping. By the time we met in school, I had fulfilled the conditions for the Superior Job and became King of Machines. Though, as you know, that led to me being left in charge of many chores.” 

Acquiring a Superior Job for a reason like that was downright absurd. On top of this, by becoming imperator, Reinhard (or rather, Claudiah as Reinhard) had also acquired the related Special Superior Job, Imperator Machina. 

Altimia once again realized just how extraordinary Claudiah’s talents were. 

“That’s the reason behind my name. As for the personality...” 

Reinhard fell silent for a moment, making a troubled expression for the first time since the conversation had begun. 

“To begin at the conclusion, my personality is similar to the original Claudiah’s.” 

“Hm?” Altimia couldn’t understand what he meant by that... Though one might say that she was the one person in the world who was incapable of understanding it 

“How would you describe Claudiah — as a person?” 

“An innocent girl, brimming with emotion. She can be a bit overbearing, but she makes up for it with boundless charm.” 

“You mean the Claudiah who talks like a typical noble girl, yes?” 

“She has been that way since the day we met, no?” 

Claudiah had acted somewhat different during their first sparring match, but after that, she’d always been the girl Altimia had always known. 

In response to Altimia’s question, Reinhard nodded and said, “Yes. That very day, Claudiah modified herself to be that girl.” 

“...Huh?” 

“Until sparring with you, Claudiah’s personality was more or less exactly like mine. That changed when she met you.” 

Altimia had trouble understanding what she was hearing, but Reinhard continued speaking regardless. 

“You were the first person she wanted to befriend, as well as someone she fell for at first sight. She was troubled by the fact that she was rude to you, and became afraid for the first time ever... scared that you might grow to hate her.” Claudiah had never felt something like that before. 

That was the first time she had ever experienced those fatal glitches of the brain... or more accurately, the soul... that were called “emotions,” and that was exactly what made that moment so precious to her. 

“Claudiah then went on to hit herself on the head and spent the next ten seconds reshaping her personality into the Claudiah you now know.” 

Altimia had no words. 

“That personality was based on some noble girl who had tried to become Claudiah’s friend before the terrorist attack. Not many people tried to get close to Claudiah, you see. In order to befriend you, she modified her personality by copying the girl’s features and incorporating them into herself. It was the first time she ever tried to modify herself in this way, but it worked.” 

Up until then, Claudiah hadn’t seen any purpose in such self-modifications. She knew that it was possible, but saw it as useless. 

She passed her days living with a personality of a machine, detached even from the concept of gender. 

But when she met Altimia, she panicked that she might become hated and for the first time felt the need to change herself. 

Some would say that it was unease and fear that drove her, while others would claim that it was love. 

“Since then, that became Claudiah’s default personality. I, Reinhard, am nothing but a persona created based on her previous one, which she had grown accustomed to.” 

That explained why Reinhard reminded Altimia of Claudiah as she’d been on the first day they met. There was also the fact that, as far as Claudiah’s personalities went, the ‘elder brother,’ Reinhard, was old. 

The glitch-like stirrings of her heart had spurred Claudiah to reshape herself, and now she was making up for it by using her old, cold and calculating side as a persona. 

Reinhard, the calm and collected support, and Claudiah, the maiden in love — both were simultaneously running within the single machine that was “Claudiah’s body.” 

That was the best way to describe the entity known as the imperator, Claudiah Reinhard Dryfe. 

“This is what we are,” said Reinhard. “Tell me your thoughts, Altimia.” 

Altimia was silent for a moment, processing the monumental secret that had now been revealed to her, as well as the fact that she was the one responsible for such a drastic change within Claudiah. 

Ultimately, she said, “I am relieved.” 

These words surprised both Claudiah and Reinhard. 

“...Huh?” As absurd as it seemed to them, Altimia was truly speaking from her heart. 

Claudiah and Reinhard would be far less shocked if she was actually lying or reacted with disgust instead. 

“...Relieved?” 

“Yes. Relieved. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed when you began speaking as Reinhard, but I am now at ease.” 

“Why would you feel that way...? Are you not afraid of... us...?” Reinhard asked with confusion and unease in his tone and demeanor. 

“Not anymore. I cannot say I am even the least bit afraid. After all... I now know full well that Claudiah is truly Claudiah,” Altimia said with no hint of falsehood or hesitation in her voice. “You said that you modified yourself because you were afraid that I would hate you. A bold move, at first glance, but fearful at its core. That is very much like you, Claudiah.” 

“What...? Also, I...” 

“How long ago was it when you clung to me, only to jump away because you were worried that you reeked of oil?” 

Silence. 

“How long ago was it when you heard a frightening story from a minstrel and walked around my bed late at night, pillow in hand.” 

More silence. 

“You were so afraid of being hated, but you wanted to get along with me, and you always wanted to be closer. Always such a charming girl...” Altimia looked straight at Reinhard... or Claudiah... once again before continuing. “...and you are my dear friend. That is what you are now, and what you always will be to me.” 

She said this without a shred of doubt. That was Altimia’s conclusion even now that she knew the whole truth. 

None of these shocking revelations had changed the fact that they were close friends. 

“...Huh?” 

Suddenly, Reinhard... Claudiah... began to cry. 

Whose tears were they? Which one of them wept? 

...No, it didn’t matter. 

These were the honest tears of Claudiah Reinhard Dryfe. 

Altimia gazed at her crying friend with a gentle look in her eyes. 

That was when a particular question came to her mind. 

“...I must say, I am surprised that you told me everything the way you did.” Claudiah’s Reinhard side had told Altimia what was perhaps the imperium’s greatest secret — one known to only five people in Dryfe. “Why did you tell me everything?” 

“...Because you asked,” Reinhard timidly replied. “We did not want to lie to the girl we loved.” 

Reinhard seemed to be mustering all the emotions he could manage for that. 

That answer made sense to Altimia. 

She did not lie to me once in the peace talks, nor did she refuse to answer any of my questions, she thought. 

“And we have not lied to you,” Reinhard added. 

“...I see.” Altimia understood exactly what she was saying. 

They had already bared their entire souls to each other. 

“Claudiah Reinhard Dryfe became the imperator. As such, we must do whatever we can to keep the imperium alive, no matter how vile it may become. And besides that...” the imperator said, before facing Altimia. “...We will defeat you, take you away with us, and make you ours.” 

Reinhard repeated what Claudiah had already declared. 

“As the imperator, we want to possess Altar... to help Dryfe survive. However, we want you out of pure selfishness. You are special to us, and we want you at our side until the end. That is the only selfish thought that dwells within this heart.” 

Separate from their plots to save the imperium, there was this sole bit of selfishness... this one desire. 

“And like anyone driven by pure selfishness, we have no intention of stopping. Therefore...” Reinhard said before putting the lance to his forehead again. “...Let us fight! Let us fight until one of us falls! Until there is a clear victor! Let us fight for the moment that will grant us eternity!” 

Now, she spoke as the ball of emotion known as “Claudiah.” 

“Of course,” Altimia replied, just as she had the first time they met. “I will not lose. I have to win — both for my sisters as well as those fighting on the surface. I will give my all... and fight with the intention of killing you.” 

All of Altimia’s attacks thus far had been deflected, but that wasn’t solely because of Claudiah’s immense skill. 

Altar cut through all it touched. It could not hold back, so Altimia was making up for that by targeting only non-critical parts of her friend’s body. 

She would no longer limit herself. 

Her friend had revealed everything to her, so Altimia also wanted to give this battle her all. 

And... she also believed that this dear friend of hers would survive in spite of that. 

“So... don’t you dare die, CLAUDIAH!” 

“Certainly! Let us deal in death as best as we can! ALTIMIA!” 

The two swung into battle again. 

Having bared their very souls to each other, they now bared their blades, fighting a battle in which there could be no surrender. 

There was no more need for words. They no longer had anything to hide. 

Their hearts were now as one — and they would fight until all was settled. 

After many a mock battle, Claudiah and Altimia would finally have a true fight to the death. 

Altimia and Claudiah made distance between them in perfect unison. 

Not to retreat, of course — they needed the space to build momentum and spur their Prism Steeds to their maximum speed. 

In mounted battles in the sky and on land alike, the speed depended not on the rider’s AGI, but the quality of the mount. Because of this, the standard Dendro mounted battles consisted mostly of trying to accelerate into an advantageous position before attacking the opponent using your own AGI. 

Any attack that had any hope of defeating the target required the rider to accelerate to high speeds. 

The fact that Claudiah had also prepared to do this meant that just like Altimia, she was also going on an all-out offensive, instead of merely deflecting Altimia’s attacks like she’d been doing so far. 

Claudiah could never bring herself to kill Altimia, so why she would aim her lance at the princess was anyone’s guess. Perhaps she simply believed in her ability? 

Regardless, this would be the start of a truly two-sided battle between them. 

Now, having created some distance, the Prism Steed riders rushed towards each other. 

“Storm Acceleration.” However, one steed was the fastest, and it was Jade Storm. The steed’s engines roared at maximum capacity, releasing an intense jet of air from his pipes, propelling him to the highest speed he could possibly reach. 

Jade instantly broke the sound barrier and approached Silver in a second. 

This was exactly Jade Storm’s specialty. 

Flagman’s five main Prism Steeds were created based on No. 1, Gold Thunder, but they were each given unique qualities. 

No. 3, Ruby Ignition, was focused on offense. 

No. 4, Sapphire Wave, was focused on defense. 

No. 5, Obsidian Earth-Edge, was focused on ground-based battles. 

And No. 2, Jade Storm, was focused on mobility. 

His element was wind and he was designed to release intense gales and control the surrounding air currents, making him the fastest among the Prism Steeds. 

Silver expressed what might be described as shock — he was decidedly slower than Jade. 

That was to be expected — a unit outside of the main five, created with a focus on specific special qualities, couldn’t hope to outrun the fastest Prism Steed of all, especially when he couldn’t even use those qualities that made him special in the first place. 

“Be left in my dust, youngest brother,” Jade said as he made their difference in speed abundantly clear. His voice was produced with his trademark control over the wind, and it was exactly what had allowed Claudiah and Altimia to communicate all this time. 

Proudly declaring his superiority to his sibling, Jade flipped sideways... he did a barrel roll, so to speak. 

“Brace for my first attack!” Claudiah cried after positioning herself right above Altimia. She was high enough to be outside the reach of Altimia’s blade, but close enough to attack with her lance. Flipping herself upside down, Claudiah thrust her MVP special reward drill lance towards Altimia. 

“Hngh!” the princess grunted, swinging Altar at the same time. 

A lance that was already mid-attack couldn’t be used to parry, and not even a special reward could resist Altar’s all-rending blade. 

Altimia swung the sword perpendicular to the tip of the lance. 

But right before impact, the lance vanished... and struck at Altimia from a different angle. 

“Ah...!” Altimia twisted her upper body to avoid it, but the lance just aimed for her lower body instead. Silver also moved to assist her evasion, but the lance still grazed Altimia’s left leg. 

She felt the impact clearly. 

“Kh!” After that exchange, the princesses made distance between them once again. 

Altimia looked at her leg to assess the damage done. 

“...Where is the wound?” She saw no injury — not even a drop of blood. 

Claudiah’s hit had most certainly landed— Altimia had clearly felt that. She had felt no pain, but the fact that she was completely unscathed shocked her. 

“...I... cannot move my leg at all.” 

Altimia tried to move her left leg, but it wouldn’t budge. Everything below the knee was completely immobile. Even her toes were unresponsive. 

It was as though she was afflicted by powerful paralysis. 

“So this is the power of that special reward...” 

This effect made Altimia realize two things. 

First, she understood why Claudiah charged Altimia so violently, despite wanting to take her alive. Claudiah not only had faith in Altimia’s ability to survive any attack — she also was entirely certain that she wouldn’t kill her opponent. 

And the reason behind her certainty was this drill lance MVP special reward. 

Identification gave its name as “Vortex of Suppression, Drim Roeg.” The word “suppression” was enough to explain the state of Altimia’s left leg. 

Despite its mechanical and destructive look, the special reward had skills that made it relatively non-lethal. 

A special pre-ancient civilization golem built for riot suppression had gone out of control, but still maintained its essential non-violent nature. When classified as an UBM, it became the Frame of Suppression, Drim Roeg, which Claudiah had eventually defeated. After that, it had transformed into Vortex of Suppression, the lance she wielded now. 

Its always-on passive skill, Drim Piercing, made the lance incapable of dealing any physical damage in exchange for putting the damaged body parts to sleep, with an effect based on the damage that would have been dealt if the skill wasn’t active. 

Enough attacks from this would completely paralyze the target. 

“I am glad that she only hit my leg instead of anything else.” If it had been her right hand, she would have dropped Altar. 

If it had been her left hand, she would have let go of Silver’s reins. 

If it had been her head, she would have already lost the battle. 

While she was mounted on Silver, having her leg paralyzed wasn’t that much of a drawback. She could still hold on to his frame with her thighs. 

Altimia was lucky that the battle hadn’t ended with that single hit, and that she now knew the nature of Claudiah’s special reward. 

There was one more thing she’d learned thanks Claudiah’s lance strike... and it filled her with dread. 

“...The trajectory of the lance was not due to the properties of a special reward.” The lance had disappeared when it began its attack, only to strike from a different angle. 

If the lance’s non-lethality was a special ability of the weapon itself, then the changing trajectory had to be something Claudiah herself had done. 

Altimia’s guess was correct. 

The skill Claudiah had used was “Paradox Stinger.” This was an ability she’d crafted as The Ram, and it allowed her to change the initial angle of an already-thrust spear. 

The previous Ram, Ronaldo Barbaros, had a skill called “Distortion Pile,” which focused the power and impact of a pile bunker onto the space ahead of it, increasing its range and length. 

A job from another grouping, King of Destruction, also possessed a final skill that affected space itself — shattered it, to be exact. 

It wasn’t unheard of for Superior Jobs to have skills that used or modified space itself, and Paradox Stinger was one of those skills. 

The moment the spear was thrust forward, this skill warped the positioning of space, making the attack be delivered from a completely unexpected angle. Claudiah was free to decide the direction of the warp, allowing her to almost guarantee a hit by attacking from where it was difficult for the opponents to protect themselves. 

If she can freely choose the trajectory of her attacks, that makes it nearly impossible to evade even if you know the attack is coming, Altimia thought. It was a truly fearsome skill for anyone fighting at close range. 

However, it wasn’t without its flaws. 

While Distortion Pile used by the previous Ram simply delivered the power and impact to the desired point in space, Paradox Stinger altered space more directly, meaning it used an enormous amount of MP and SP... especially the former. 

Thus, not even The Ram could use it that frequently. 

Though, that wasn’t much of an issue for Claudiah. 

“Here comes my second attack!” Claudiah declared, having flown in an arc behind Altimia and caught up with her. 

Silver had once again lost to Jade’s sheer speed. 

“Is that so?” However, Silver wasn’t without advantages of his own. 

Since he was galloping on platforms of compressed air instead of flying, he was better at making midair turns. This allowed Altimia to quickly turn and launch a counterattack at Claudiah’s torso with little effort. 

Claudiah responded with a Paradox Stinger to Altimia’s hand... 

“I see!” 

...But Altimia twisted her wrist, evading the tip of the spear before using that twist to direct Altar’s blade towards the lance. 

That was when the third Paradox Stinger struck. 

The initial point of the thrust changed again, and the lance that Altar was about to cut simply vanished. 

However, the lance yet again failed to strike Altimia. 

This one did not come from a blind spot, she thought. For some reason — probably due to repeated use — Paradox Stinger hadn’t made the thrust as difficult to avoid as the first one. 

The lance appeared at the edge of Altimia’s vision and she was thus able to evade it, however barely. 

After that, the two riders passed each other and once again made some distance between them. 

She used it so many times... It seems like it must be such a costly skill... Though, I suppose that matters not to the likes of Claudiah. 

Most of Claudiah’s unbelievable feats could be attributed to her immense talent, but not this. 

The reason Claudiah was able to accomplish this was written into the very laws of the universe. 

She is not just The Ram, after all... Claudiah was both The Ram and King of Machines. The latter was a mechanic grouping job, which had stat growths in MP and DEX. 

Even if Claudiah was now The Ram and couldn’t use skills associated with jobs from unrelated groupings... she still had the stats gained from King of Machines. That gave her more MP than most vanguards, which made it easy for her to use Paradox Stinger many times over. 

I did learn some valuable information here, though. This exchange of attacks had allowed Altimia to realize something. 

If I attack her at the same time as she attacks me, she will have no choice but to use the skill for defense instead. This was due to the difference between the weapons they’d brought to this battle. 

The all-rending Altar against the non-lethal Drim Roeg — if both of them attacked and landed a hit at the same time, the former would be far more devastating than the latter. 

It didn’t matter that Claudiah was clad in machine armor — the blade would cut through it like a hot knife through butter and rend her flesh just as easily. 

To win this, Claudiah had to avoid Altar’s edge at all costs. 

She had spent most of the battle so far focusing entirely on deflecting Altimia’s attacks. 

However, no matter how talented she was, that was impossible for her to do while attacking. 

Now that she’d gone on the offensive, she was unable to deflect Altimia’s blade like she’d been doing thus far, and if she did try doing that in the middle of an attack, she would only damage her lance more and more. 

That was why Claudiah had switched to a kind of offensive defense. 

She now targeted either Altimia’s right hand or head. A hit on the former would force her to drop Altar, while a hit on the latter would make her faint. If Claudiah went for any other body part... even if her strike landed, Altimia would merely counterattack with Altar. 

The situation was now essentially reversed from how it had been before all these revelations — now it was Claudiah who was forced to choose where to attack. 

To win, Altimia had to outdo Claudiah during these exchanges and incapacitate her by cutting through either her body or her steed, Jade Storm. 

I cannot actually win that way, though, Altimia thought. In a pure exchange of blows, Claudiah would eventually figure out every option Altimia had at her disposal, and Altimia knew well that she couldn’t win once Claudiah had that information in her grasp. 

I won scarcely a tenth of the duels we fought in school, but... But all of Altimia’s victories came only when she’d exceeded Claudiah’s expectations. 

Thus, that was exactly what she had to do now. 

That was the only way to seize an unlikely victory. 

“I must say, that is quite the treasure you have there,” said Claudiah. 

“What do you mean?” Altimia asked. 

“Your steed. If you had come with a mere SMPS, the battle would have already been decided.” 

A part of Altimia had considered the possibility that Claudiah had invited her to fight in the sky because of the difference between their mounts, and this all but confirmed it. Claudiah did want to have a proper fight against Altimia, but she also wanted to win — so it was only natural for her to make such preparations. 

But now, Altimia was riding Silver — almost an equal to Claudiah’s Jade — so the intended gap between them was almost non-existent. As the fastest Prism Steed, Jade Storm was no doubt the better mount for aerial fighting, but the difference between him and Silver wasn’t great enough to make the situation hopeless for Altimia. 

“Is it a gift from that Master... Ray Starling?” 

“He lent it to me.” 

“I see... Altimia, if I may ask...” Claudiah said before pausing, then delivering her question. “Is Ray Starling your lover?” 

Her question was nothing if not unexpected. It shocked Altimia to such a degree that she faltered and almost lost control of Silver. 

For a moment, she thought that she made a fatal mistake and that Claudiah would take advantage of her surprise, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Claudiah merely circled on Jade Storm, waiting for Altimia’s response. 

“...No.” 

“So it remains one-sided, then.” 

“...I have no idea what you mean.” 

“Truth Discernment reacted to that, you know.” 

“Hh...?!” Embarrassed by the skill she herself so often used, Altimia flushed beet-red. 

“I could tell even without Truth Discernment, though. I myself am a maiden in love. I can easily see that you are developing feelings for someone, however faint they may be,” Claudiah explained, then paused for a moment before continuing. “Altimia. This battle is basically about who captures who... but if I win, why not come to the imperium with Ray Starling?” 

“...What are you saying?” Altimia’s friend, who she thought she had figured out, had once again said something incomprehensible. 

Claudiah’s response was very matter-of-fact. “I want to possess you, but I hardly mind if you have something for yourself. You and I both need offspring to continue our lineages anyhow. So I could simply take you as well as the man you love, and—” 

“That is an insult I can scarcely tolerate, Claudiah.” Altimia cut her friend’s words short, clearly enraged by the idea she had presented. “I find that even more unforgivable than your attempt to kidnap me.” 

“Oh, do you?” 

“Yes. If you threaten his freedom, as well...” she said as she pointed the sacred blade towards her friend. “...Then Altar and I will sever those grasping hands of yours.” 

“Aha! You make me green with envy, ALTIMIA!” shouted Claudiah, sounding strangely happy, before spurring Jade Storm onwards, even faster than before. 

The third clash was imminent, and she was obviously ready to change the flow of this battle. 

Altimia prepared to take her on. 

“Silver, do you understand what I want to do?” 

Silent as always, the steed replied with a nod. 

“I see. Assist me with the timing, then.” 

Altimia gathered her resolve and turned Silver to face Claudiah once more. 

The distance between them quickly closed... 

“CUT!” 

...And Altimia swung Altar at the space in front of her. “Cut” was the unassuming name of one of Altar’s skills, and by using it, Altimia had declared that she would now sever energy itself. 

This power cut apart the very heat within the space ahead. 

At the same time, Silver, having sensed Altimia’s will through the reins, shifted the position of the compressed air platforms beneath his hooves and changed his trajectory, as though taking a step back. 

A moment later, Jade Storm crashed into a wall in midair. 

The “wall” was actually compressed air that had instantly dropped to absolute zero due to the sudden loss of heat energy. 

Right before Altimia swung Altar, Silver created a wall of compressed air right in front of them. 

Once the blade was in motion, the heat energy within that wall of compressed air was severed, and everything within it had frozen instantly. It was still merely compressed gas, but the loss of heat had made it into a wall of various gases turned into ice. 

Even Jade Storm expressed shock at the wall’s sudden appearance. He was unable to dodge and crashed straight into it at the speed of sound. 

Still, as one of the Grand Artificer’s Prism Steeds, he was prepared even for this — the wind barrier he had created allowed him to make it out mostly unscathed. 

However, it did cost him some speed, and the shattered wall of ice became like diamond dust that briefly obstructed the view. 

Altimia used this opportunity to attack the rival steed from below. 

“...I would expect no less!” cried Claudiah, having noticed Altimia’s approach a moment too late. 

Despite the delay, she was already launching a Paradox Stinger towards the space ahead. Drim Roeg would overcome the principles of space itself to attack Altimia from somewhere she could not expect. 

“Sgh...!” However, the slow reaction made her aim sloppy. 

Instead of hitting Altimia’s right hand like she intended, Claudiah only grazed Altimia’s right side, while Jade Storm had entered Altar’s range. 

Altimia swung her sacred blade before Claudiah could use her Paradox Stinger again. 

Since she was below her, Altimia couldn’t reach Claudiah herself, but she was able to slice through Jade Storm — as well as Claudiah’s legs. 

That would bring an end to this aerial battle, and without legs, Claudiah could not possibly continue the fight. 

Altimia guessed that Claudiah would survive the fall thanks to the Lifesaving Brooch. 

This single strike will turn the tide of battle! Altimia thought as she swung Altar... only to slice through empty space. 

“...Huh?” 

Which of them had voiced their confusion? 

It could’ve been Altimia, who was no doubt taken aback — but Claudiah was just as surprised as her friend. 

She was looking down in shock as Altimia had begun to fall, and the reason for this was immediately obvious — Silver had vanished. 

Silver vanished... but... that means...! Altimia herself had said that she had been lent the steed. 

The official owner was still Ray Starling, and Infinite Dendrogram had a rule that all of a Master’s possessions would vanish with them if they were given the death penalty. 

And with that realization, Altimia plummeted towards the surface.