Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 35 - Chapter 2

The Name’s Nefilforan

Thursday, June 16th

The fifth princess of Forthorthe, Nefilforan, arrived on Earth with her forces in mid-June just as summer was setting in. She was known far and wide for her prowess, and she gave off a powerful impression in spite of her femininity. Her custom-tailored military uniform suited her remarkably well.

“It’s been some time, Lord Veltlion. I also see several new faces here. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Nefilforan Canon Forthorthe, a princess of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire just like Theiamillis-san and Clariossa-san here,” she announced with a salute.

Since Nefilforan was royalty, Koutarou would have ordinarily been the one saluting her, but she offered the gesture out of deference to Koutarou’s position as commander-in-chief. It was a testament to her proud, respectful Glendad upbringing.

“I believe it’s been since I was first officially assigned to the Forthorthian army,” Koutarou replied formally.

He was doing his best to be as knightly as possible. Nefilforan saw him as the Blue Knight, after all, and he wanted to live up to that name. He was earnest, respectful, and kind to the princess in addition to the men and women behind her who put their lives on the line for Forthorthe.

“Yes. I do apologize for not greeting you properly back then,” she responded.

“Think nothing of it. Those were chaotic times,” Koutarou said politely.

Koutarou and Nefilforan had met once before. In the final stages of Vandarion’s coup, Koutarou stepped up as the imperial army’s commander-in-chief. The battle in the asteroid belt came shortly thereafter. All of Forthorthe’s princesses—apart from Ceilēshu who was acting as regent—took part, so Koutarou was introduced to Nefilforan by way of the strategy meeting that took place beforehand.

“I’m also sorry... that I was unable to help more back then,” Nefilforan said with a pained expression.

The Glendads were still somewhat divided at the time, which raised concerns about the internal management of Glendad forces. As such, Nefilforan and her flagship were relegated to the rear lines, effectively hamstringing their contribution to the battle. It was a terrible blow to her storied military family, who considered themselves to be the rivals of the Pardomshiha and Wenranka families who fought boldly in Elfaria’s defense.

“I ran off right after the war ended myself, so I don’t really have any right to criticize you.”

“Velt...”

Nefilforan’s expression went stiff for a moment when she heard Koutarou say that. She quickly regained her composure, however, and eased up a bit.

“I’ve learned a great deal from my failings, and I would like to put those lessons to use in our battles to come,” she declared with another salute.

Just like before, she was the spitting image of proper respect. She was much like Ruth in that regard. But Koutarou, who was standing right in front of her, saw a glimpse of relief in her eyes.

“I’m looking forward to working with you, Princess Nefilforan.”

She was a prospective general, serious and proud. Yet precisely because of that, she tended to bottle up her worries. Though they’d only had the chance to talk for a few moments, that was the strong impression Koutarou got from her.

As Koutarou and Nefilforan were wrapping up their chat, another figure approached.

“Hello, everyone. It’s been a while,” she said politely.

When Yurika saw her and heard her force, her expression lit up.

“Nana-san! You’re back?!” she exclaimed, running over and clasping both of her hands.

Nana was extremely special to Yurika. She was her master and mentor, but she was also like a sister to her. They shared a long, close history together.

“Yes, I offered to be Princess Nefilforan’s guide. It is her first time here, after all,” Nana explained, clasping Yurika’s hands in return and smiling just as brightly.

“Oooh, I see. I’m glad you got to come, Nana-san.”

“Me too, Yurika-chan. It looks like you’ve gotten a little taller since we last met.”

“Yeah! I’ve grown two whole centimeters this year!”

After that, Yurika and Nana began chatting away about what they’d been doing recently. They had a lot to catch up on, so Koutarou quietly stood by and let them have their fun uninterrupted.

“Nana-san has been assigned as my adjutant,” Nefilforan turned to him and said.

“So she’s a guide in that sense too,” Koutarou replied with a nod.

Nana was a valuable asset; she knew her way around Japan as well as her way around the battlefield. Moreover, she was a former genius magical girl. Her potential was boundless.

“I imagine Nana-san will surpass your expectations, Your Highness,” Koutarou remarked.

“Oh?”

“She’s rather special.”

Koutarou was well aware of Nana’s incredible talents. He was looking forward to seeing Nefilforan’s surprise when she got to witness them for herself.

While Yurika and Nana were catching up, Nefilforan struck up a chat with the other girls. They began with simple introductions, but things evolved from there and the conversation had now taken a strange turn...

“M-Magic?!” Nefilforan exclaimed.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth,” assured Koutarou.

“To think the legends about Signaltin are true... When I heard you came from the future, I was sure it was all science...”

“Vandarion’s faction seems to think the same thing—that Master’s a fake Blue Knight and all his weapons and armor are byproducts of technology,” explained Ruth.

Her presence was a great comfort to Nefilforan. The Pardomshihas were loyal to the Mastirs, but as a historic family of knights, they also had close ties with the Glendads. Moreover, Ruth shared Nefilforan’s serious personality. They got along well. Hearing her break down some of the outlandish claims she was hearing—including about magic—made them easier to swallow.

“Heehee, my maiden powers are another one of the reasons Koutarou is so strong!” Sanae proclaimed.

“Your... maiden powers?” Nefilforan asked, unsure what she meant.

“Sanae-sama has psychic abilities,” Ruth explained. “And she’s been at Master’s side for so long that she’s wired into him the spiritual circuitry he needs to use them as well.”

“Yup! It wears off if he’s away from me for too long, though.”

“I just barely managed to scrape by in the past thanks to you.”

“Heehee! Then you should thank me more!”

“I’ll be forever in your debt, Angel Sanae.”

“That’s more like it!”

What took Nefilforan the most by surprise, however, wasn’t talk of magic or psychic powers...

“If we’re talking about the past, you really got through it thanks to me, didn’t you?” interjected Clan.

“Well, yeah,” Koutarou conceded.

“Then sing my praises too, won’t you?”

“Isn’t it fair to say that you were the one who got us in that whole pickle to begin with?”

“Erk...”

What took Nefilforan the most by surprise was the casual way Koutarou bantered back and forth with the princesses. He and Clan hardly seemed like a princess and her knight. If anything, they were more like old friends. And even more alarmingly...

“I’m the one Koutarou should really be thanking the most,” Theia cut in.

“You? Why?” Koutarou asked skeptically.

“Because I’m your liege! Who do you think beat swordplay and manners into you?! And gave you that sword and armor, huh?!”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. I had nearly forgotten you were the real cause of everything...”

“You wretch! Sit yourself down right here! I’m going to beat some manners back into you!”

“You wanna go, you hack princess?”

“I think that’s going too far, Master...”

“Bring it on!”

“Hyaaah!”

Koutarou and Theia fell into a full-on fistfight. Nefilforan was aghast at the sight... yet there still seemed to be love and respect between them. Neither took cheap shots; they were trying to outmaneuver one another with skill and technique. It was almost like they were just having fun roughhousing. No one tried to stop them, either. Not even Ruth, who was simply watching on with a smile.

“What in the world...?”

Nefilforan was utterly taken aback by this. Not just Koutarou and Theia brawling, but the whole scenario. Koutarou’s ties with the royal families ran deeper than she had ever imagined.

“Seeing Satomi-kun and Theiamillis-san fight for the first time must be quite a surprise. Especially as a Forthorthian,” Harumi giggled.

She’d seen plenty of Forthorthians, starting with Nalfa, absolutely shocked by Koutarou and Theia’s behavior. She was unsurprised, you could say, by Nefilforan’s surprise.

“Y-Yes... it’s quite something,” Nefilforan stammered.

She’d seen Nalfa’s videos of Koutarou and Theia, even ones of them fighting. But actually seeing it firsthand was a completely different experience. Especially now that she could appreciate that no one was intervening. Koutarou’s relationship with the princesses was truly special.

“This is just how Satomi-kun and Theiamillis-san show their affection, so we let them be,” Harumi continued. “It’s serious, of course. But not like you might think it is.”

“Yes, I think I can see that. It certainly doesn’t look like they’re trying to hurt each other...”

“Speaking of, Nefilforan-san, you’re an expert in combat yourself, aren’t you?”

“Yes...”

“Are you all right?”

“Yes, it’s just... I’ve never seen Theiamillis-san and Clariossa-san like this before...”

This too overwhelmed Nefilforan. As a soldier, she strictly believed in discipline and moderation. She rarely wore her heart on her sleeve, yet she found herself easily opening up to Harumi. She was as much in awe of that as she was Theia and Clan.

“We’ve all overcome great trials together, so it’s difficult to see each other as anything but close friends... Don’t you have someone like that too, Nefilforan-san?”

“I do, but I don’t let it show.”

“We used to be like that too,” Harumi said with a smile. “Perhaps it’s only a matter of time.”

As Nefilforan beheld Harumi, something dawned on her.

“Oh, you’re the one who controls Signaltin now, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yes, I inherited that duty from Alaia-san.”

Whenever Koutarou used Signaltin, a silver-haired girl who controlled the sword’s power fought by his side. Nefilforan had only just now noticed it was Harumi.

“So your hair is normally black? I didn’t recognize you at first.”

“Heehee. I don’t stand out very much.”

Koutarou could use magic via Signaltin; Harumi’s hair changing color was hardly a surprise compared to that. Forthorthian technology could accomplish the same thing.

“By the way, Harumi-dono—”

“Just Harumi is fine.”

“I could never be so casual with the inheritor of Empress Alaia’s sacred duties.”

Harumi had the power to control Signaltin, making her Alaia’s successor in that regard. As such, Nefilforan believed her to be every bit as invaluable to Forthorthe as Koutarou was.

“Then I’ll call you Nefilforan-sama in return.”

“Anything but that, please.”

Nefilforan couldn’t stand the thought of Alaia’s successor—who looked just like the late empress, no less—treating her as a superior. It just wouldn’t feel right.

“No? Teehee.”

“Please allow me to call you Harumi-san instead...”

“Then I’ll call you Nefi-san.”

Thus Nefilforan folded. She would much rather back down here than live with Harumi treating her with such unnecessary respect. Seemingly satisfied with this, Harumi giggled.

“So, Harumi-san,” Nefilforan began, turning the conversation to more important matters, “what’s the difference in Signaltin’s strength with and without you?”

It was a necessary question for a commander. There was no guarantee that Koutarou and Harumi would always be together in battle. There might also be times when Koutarou fought without Signaltin. Nefilforan needed to know the details of how their strategy worked to plan for it accordingly.

“There is none, actually.”

“Truly? It doesn’t seem that way...”

“Well, you see, when Satomi-kun is fighting alone, Signaltin emits a certain amount of power. Controlling that in battle is hard, which is why I take over when I’m with him. I can adjust it so that it only uses power when it’s needed.”

“I see! So it’s not strictly a matter of power, but that you’re able to manage things more efficiently.”

“Yes. I believe that’s what creates the perceived difference.”

“So that’s how it works. Hmm...”

Harumi’s explanation was easy to understand, but Nefilforan still had a few lingering questions. It seemed to her that things would change depending on the circumstances.

“Would you mind, Harumi-san, if I asked you to show me later?”

“Not at all. You’ll be seeing it when we fight together anyway.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Now... Yoo-hoo, Satomi-kun!”

“What’s wrong, Sakuraba-senpai?”

When Harumi called out to him, Koutarou stopped what he was doing and turned to her. Theia could have taken the opportunity to knock him out cold, but she refrained. That would have been a boring conclusion to their fight.

“Don’t just play with Theiamillis-san. Play with me and Nefilforan-san some too,” Harumi cooed.

At this, Koutarou and Theia exchanged a glance and let go of each other.

“Go ahead,” Theia offered.

“We can pick up later,” Koutarou offered in turn.

They both knew good and well that Harumi never interrupted their fights without good reason.

“Thanks for your cooperation, you two!”

“W-Wait! What are you doing, Harumi-san?!”

This unexpected turn of events initially had Nefilforan flustered. She was being given the chance to duel Forthorthe’s living legend, Layous Fatra Veltlion. As intimidating as it was, however, it was also a good opportunity for her to assess his power—both raw and enhanced.

“So basically... you want to know how strong I am and how strong the Blue Knight is?” Koutarou inquired.

When Nefilforan had asked to fight him twice, he’d immediately grasped her intentions. If she could come to understand exactly how strong he was ordinarily versus fully prepared for battle, then she would know how best to protect him when they were on the defensive as well as how best to capitalize on him when they were on the offensive. This was must-have knowledge for a commander.

“That’s correct. Do you mind?”

“Not at all. Should I go unarmed?”

“No. Let’s assume the baseline at least includes having a weapon to defend yourself.”

“Okay, then... Ruth-san, can I borrow a training sword?”

“I’ll bring one right away, Master.”

Koutarou armed himself with a knight’s sword and Nefilforan a greatspear, both of which were dulled practice weapons. But despite that, neither fighter looked like they were preparing for a practice match. They both knew that there was no point in this exercise if they didn’t take it seriously, regardless of their weapons.

“What are the terms of the fight, Princess Nefilforan?”

“Think of it as actual combat. We’ll call it when one of us takes what would have been a fatal blow.”

“Understood.”

Koutarou and Nefilforan squared off about ten meters apart in the Hazy Moon’s training room, which was about thirty meters across in both directions. When the fighters faced each other, it felt like the temperature in the entire room dropped several degrees. The tension was palpable.

“Here I come, Lord Veltlion.”

“Try to go easy on me.”

“I’ve never been good at holding back!”

Nefilforan stepped forward as soon as those words left her mouth. Even with a fighter at the top of their game, conversation was a distraction. There were precious few other interferences in a mock battle, so she would exploit every opportunity to her advantage.

“Hah!”

With a powerful shout, she brandished her greatspear that allowed her two methods of attack: thrusting and slashing. She was opening with the latter, swinging at Koutarou with all her might.

Whoa! She’s not a regimental commander for nothing!

Koutarou could decipher her strength from the way she carried herself. Nefilforan was tall for a woman, and she swung her giant greatspear without letting it throw her even the tiniest bit off balance. She had incredible mastery over her weapon of choice, clearly the byproduct of years of dedicated training.

“I might be in trouble here...”

Koutarou couldn’t step forward as Nefilforan charged. Rather, he chose not to. When fighting spearmen, it was better to get up close and personal. Polearms were vulnerable in close-quarters combat because of their length... but there was no way Nefilforan didn’t know that. Koutarou suspected her charge was a trap. The fact that she’d chosen to swing rather than thrust only furthered that suspicion. So he held his sword firmly with both hands, ready to receive her attack.

“Haaah!”

Nefilforan’s weapon met Koutarou’s in a great clash. Her blow was swift and heavy, but Koutarou was prepared. He deflected most of the force, but it still pushed him back a little.

“Tch...”

“Well played! But—”

But that wasn’t the end of Nefilforan’s attack. She spun with the momentum of her deflected spear, whipping around to check Koutarou with her shoulder.

To think she’d still try to fight with a spear this close up!

Koutarou was surprised. Caught off guard, even. He hadn’t expected the princess to voluntarily enter close-quarters combat. This was her real trap all along, and he’d fallen for it.

“No way am I gonna let this end with a single blow!”

He was still braced from receiving the princess’s charge, leaving him in a poor position to muster a counterattack. The best he could do was thrust at her with the butt of his sword.

“I missed?!”

“Hyah!”

Effectively tackled, Koutarou went flying backward as Nefilforan brought herself to a stop. She took another swing at the off-balance Koutarou, but he was already out of her range.

“You’re good, Princess Nefilforan. I thought that was the end of me,” Koutarou confessed, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

It had truly been a close call. Only his luck and honed battle instincts had allowed him to survive thus far.

“You’re just as good as I’d hoped, too. Your swordsmanship is extremely polished, Lord Veltlion,” praised Nefilforan.

She was just as taken with her opponent as Koutarou was. The biggest surprise of all was that he hadn’t fallen for her trap. The more experienced the warrior, the more likely they were to close in on a spearman. The Glendad family’s signature fighting style included moves specifically to counter that, so Koutarou would have been in serious trouble if he’d chosen that route. Fortunately, however, he’d sensed danger and chosen to hold his ground instead.

So he’s the Blue Knight, with or without the armor... heh...

Nefilforan couldn’t help chuckling on the inside. As a Forthorthian, she naturally held the Blue Knight in the highest regard—and Koutarou lived up to all of her expectations. That pleased her immensely, but as serious as she was, she wouldn’t let it show. Koutarou might have picked up on it if he’d been using his psychic powers, but he was intentionally abstaining for the sake of this fight.

“You’ve adequately demonstrated your ability to handle surprise attacks, so I’ll abandon petty tricks here.”

“So that’s what you were doing?”

“Yes. And so, from this point forward... I’ll come straight for you in a direct attack.”

With that, Nefilforan changed her posture. She grasped her spear with both hands and leveled it at Koutarou—a stance that indicated she’d be thrusting rather than slashing.

“Honestly, I feel like I have a better chance of winning like this.”

“Perhaps. But I wouldn’t get to see your true prowess any other way, Your Excellency!”

As Nefilforan spoke, she launched herself forward with her spear at the ready. She was just waiting for an opening to strike.

“Let’s do this!” Koutarou rallied, stepping forward himself.

He was still wary of Nefilforan’s attacks, but standing still against a master spearman was just asking for defeat. He knew he needed to get close to fight her, even if approaching was dangerous.

“Haah!”

As expected, Nefilforan made the first move. She knew the range of her spear like the back of her hand, and the second Koutarou entered her reach, she unleashed several thrusts.

“Wh-Whoa!”

Clash! Schwing! Slam!

Koutarou deftly moved his sword to fend off Nefilforan’s rush of attacks. Her thrusts came at him like a whirlwind, and it was all he could do to deflect them.

“Hahh...”

Seeing that Koutarou’s attention was fully devoted to parrying her, Nefilforan sharply exhaled and moved into a low, sweeping attack. Switching attack heights to catch an opponent off guard was a standard practice in spear fighting.

“Whoa there!”

Fortunately, Koutarou was able to react in time. He realized he’d never be able to block it with his sword, so he jumped instead...

“Wrong move, Your Excellency!”

But jumping was a mistake. While he was in the air, he was completely defenseless. He couldn’t dodge or get out of the way of her next attack, so by the time he landed... the tip of Nefilforan’s greatspear was at his throat. Had this been a real battle, Koutarou would’ve been a dead man.

“I surrender...”

Koutarou lowered his sword and admitted his defeat. Nefilforan pulled her spear back in response, standing it upright beside her. Seeing it like this gave Koutarou a chance to appreciate just how long it really was—its tip stood well above the princess’s head.

“Yeah, that was a terrible mistake. I jumped on instinct,” he conceded.

There was little else he could have done in the face of such a big, heavy spear at such speeds. His defeat, however, didn’t seem to trouble him much. In truth, he was enjoying himself. This reminded him of his old days with Flairhan.

“Normally, things would have been over before my opponent hit the ground.”

“Well, I have a little experience fighting spearmen from back in the day. You still had me dead to rights, though.”

Koutarou and Nefilforan chatted about their match as they returned to Theia and the others. Their fight wasn’t over, however. They were simply changing their gear before round two.

“Come to think of it, spears were the favored weapon of infantry two thousand years ago, weren’t they?”

“Yeah, they use rifles nowadays. I miss the old ways sometimes.”

“That’s perfectly understandable, Your Excellency.”

Even outside of battle, Nefilforan remained as serious as ever. She reminded Koutarou of Flairhan more and more. It was amusing.

“Is something the matter?” she asked when she saw the smile on his face.

“I was just feeling a little nostalgic... I used to know someone a lot like you, Princess Nefilforan. Someone just as serious.”

“Serious? Do you mean Lady Pardomshiha of yore?”

“Hahaha. So you know about her, huh?”

Nefilforan still wore a serious expression, but Koutarou was all smiles. Theia didn’t take kindly to it.

“Koutarou! What are you smiling for when you lost?! She’s your enemy right now!”

No matter the circumstances, Theia wished to see Koutarou victorious—both as a girl in love and as a member of the proud, undefeated Mastir family.

“What gives? You’re not like that with me in practice matches.”

“Of course not! I’m your master, not your enemy!”

“Princess Nefilforan isn’t our enemy either. Besides, she’s using a spear. This was pretty inevitable.”

In a battle between sword and spear, the spear would win as long their users were evenly matched. That was common battlefield knowledge—a fact of combat that hadn’t changed over the past two thousand years. And in that sense, it was indeed inevitable that Nefilforan, who’d trained with a greatspear all her life, had won. Koutarou had only first picked up a sword two years ago.

“No excuses! I won’t forgive you if you lose the second round!”

“I know, I know...”

“Just say it once! It sounds insincere otherwise!”

“Yeah, yeah...”

“Why, you!”

Theia didn’t care for Koutarou’s attitude after being defeated, so she gave him an earful as she helped him change. His armor opened and shut automatically, so he didn’t need any help with that. But his mantle and other equipment were a different story.

“Surely I don’t need my mantle and insignia.”

“That’s for me to decide.”

“If anything, I’d like a shield if I’m going to fight Princess Nefilforan.”

“But you hardly ever use one.”

“I did in the past.”

“You can’t use a shield and two swords. More importantly, you don’t use one in the script I wrote the other day.”

“...As you wish, my princess...”

Nefilforan watched on as Koutarou and Theia bantered. She was still quite curious about their relationship as knight and princess, as well as man and woman. She wasn’t sure how they could coexist without contradicting each other. Shizuka, who was standing next to her, seemed to have some insight into the situation...

“Gosh, Theia-chan’s so lucky. She’s the only one who’s that close to Satomi-kun. I wish I could do what she does, but I don’t think I could pull it off. Besides, I’m not a princess,” she muttered as she watched them go at each other.

She fought Koutarou from time to time herself, but never like Theia did. It was always regular sparring matches. She couldn’t say exactly why, but she was a little jealous.

“Can you tell me more about Lord Veltlion and Theiamillis-san’s relationship?” inquired Nefilforan.

“Those two? Well, they started off as rivals. Then they became friends, then finally liege and retainer. That’s why things are so complicated between them.”

“I see. He and I have only ever been knight and princess, so I guess that’s impossible for us.”

There, Nefilforan smiled for the first time. Sensing special meaning in that smile, Shizuka smiled back and couldn’t help asking...

“Are you interested in Satomi-kun too, Nefilforan-san?”

“As a Forthorthian, of course.”

“Now that you mention it...”

Koutarou was a hero to Forthorthe, both past and present. He was an exemplary knight and moral bastion for the galactic empire. So, indeed, of course he’d caught Nefilforan’s eye much the same way he had Nalfa’s.

Koutarou was now wearing his armor fashioned with GoL, and had both swords hanging at his waist. In effect, he was armed to the teeth. With all of his equipment, his combat prowess increased severalfold. But the piece that caught Nefilforan’s eye was the unique insignia adorning his breastplate.

“Could that be Princess Charl’s?” she asked.

“Indeed, this insignia was bestowed upon me by Princess Charl herself.”

“And surely the Super Important Bodyguard of Princesses Charl and Alaia stands undefeated...”

Even the steadfast Nefilforan cracked a little when confronted with the pure, innocent wish of a child. She wasn’t quite smiling, but there was a warm, gentle look in her eyes. Koutarou could sense it in her aura, too.

“That’s right. I believe Theia equipped me with this as a reminder of just that, so I need to take this fight seriously.”

“Good. I want to see the Blue Knight’s legendary power for myself.”

“I think I’ll live up to your expectations. I’m not thrilled that I’m playing right into Theia’s plans, but I’m more motivated than ever.”

With that, Koutarou drew Signaltin from his waist and swung it two, three times to get a feel for it in his hand. In the process, the sword started faintly glowing—a sign Harumi was drawing out its power.

“Satomi-kun, how far should I go?”

“Nefilforan-san, Sakuraba-senpai can manipulate the sword’s power and amplify it. What do you think?”

Nefilforan was fighting Koutarou to gauge his strength, and he wasn’t sure how Harumi factored into that equation. He figured her participation was a call best left to the princess.

“Let’s assume that Harumi-san’s contribution to the sword’s power is part of our baseline. After all, Signaltin is an important part of the Blue Knight’s image,” she decided.

“Then let’s do things like usual, Sakuraba-senpai.”

“Okay, I’ll do my best.”

“Hey! What about us?” Sanae whined.

“I’ll take the opportunity to learn about everyone else’s strengths when I get the chance,” Nefilforan explained.

“Okay!”

Strictly speaking, if Harumi was factored into the Blue Knight’s baseline strength, then the other girls hypothetically should have been as well. In practice, however, the group often split up to fight. It was more realistic to use just Harumi, who was often partnered with Koutarou explicitly because of her powers over Signaltin.

“All right... Sorry for keeping you waiting. I’m ready now.”

Nefilforan once more raised her spear and leveled it at Koutarou. She too now donned a set of armor. It was a power suit that looked and functioned much like Koutarou’s, but hers was designed explicitly for battle. Since it didn’t double as a control for a spaceship, it had increased power and performance. It was clearly made to be used with the large, heavy greatspear in Nefilforan’s hands. In other words, she was armed to the teeth now herself.

“I guess I had better get my act together. This is going to be quite a fight.”

A single glance at Nefilforan in her armor told Koutarou this fight would be different. The princess was not to be underestimated. She was far greater than anything he’d expected.

“You can tell?” she asked.

“I can sense residual spiritual energy, the byproduct of intense experiences, in your armor and greatspear. In other words, I can tell you’ve fought and trained hard with them. I’d have to be a fool to think I have an easy fight ahead of me. Especially after our bout with training weapons just now.”

“So you saw right through me, did you? I would have preferred to strike before you were any the wiser.”

Nefilforan had indeed put in intense practice with her armor and greatspear. That was simply how the Glendad family trained. Moreover, she had a wealth of real combat experience. Her crusade to stomp out the last of Vandarion’s faction was but a fraction of it. She’d bested everything from alien creatures to criminal organizations, and traces of each and every fight lingered on her armor. Her greatspear was also imbued with her spiritual energy from frequent use just the same way Signaltin was. Koutarou thought it might even be strong enough to vanquish a ghost.

“As expected, Your Highness, you are a worthy opponent.”

“I am the proud daughter of a royal family of martial artists, after all. I have a reputation to uphold.”

Clank!

Nefilforan struck a mighty battle stance. She was primed and ready for combat. The light in her eyes rivaled even Theia’s fierce desire to win.

“I understand your position. As indicated by my insignia, I too have a reputation to defend.”

“We both carry a heavy burden.”

With those final words, the expression on Nefilforan’s face changed. All traces of kindness were overridden by determination. She was no longer a princess, but Regimental Commander Nefilforan.

“Sakuraba-senpai, let’s do this!”

“Right!”

The first one to make a move this time was Koutarou. After calling out to Harumi, he rushed forward far faster than before. Since he had no way of telling just how strong Nefilforan was when fully equipped, letting her take the initiative here was dangerous.

She really is impressive...

Koutarou concentrated his spiritual energy in his eyes and could distinctly see Nefilforan’s intent to attack. He visualized a line. No, there were several of them—each thin, focused, and glowing like the rapid fire of a beam cannon. Nefilforan clearly wouldn’t hesitate to attack. She had good aim and pinpoint focus. Koutarou only knew one other person who attacked so decisively, and that was Theia. Not even the sniper the other day had been able to string together multiple determined attacks like this. In other words, Nefilforan was at least as much of a threat. And in reality, likely a far greater one. Koutarou would have to fight her every bit as earnestly as he did Theia, or else he would be in real trouble.

“Hey... Koutarou might actually lose,” Sanae commented when she realized the same thing.

When those words left her mouth, the other girls watching the fight unfold all looked shocked. The only one who wasn’t surprised by this news was Nana, who’d already sensed it for herself.

“What do you mean, Sanae-chan?!” Shizuka asked frantically.

“Um, the trajectory of one of her potential attacks is slightly different than the others, and I don’t think Koutarou can see it. Maybe he could if she wasn’t using a spear.”

Koutarou’s spirit sight was effectively an inferior version of Sanae’s, and Sanae herself could only just barely make out the anomaly. If Koutarou didn’t pick up on it somehow, she could foresee it being his downfall.

“Let’s just wait and see what he does,” she said. “I’m kind of looking forward to it.”

“You don’t seem too worried, Sanae-chan.”

“It makes me happy that Koutarou’s so strong, but what’s so bad about him having weaknesses too? We’ll just have to protect him ourselves!”

“Yeah... You’re right.”

With that, Koutarou and Nefilforan’s fight began in earnest. They closed in on each other at rapid speeds, and Koutarou brought his sword down. Nefilforan moved to block it with her spear... but Signaltin had the power of Harumi’s magic and Koutarou’s armor behind it. It should have been unstoppable.

Clang!

Yet contrary to Koutarou’s expectations, Nefilforan’s greatspear still managed to block it. He was utterly shocked, if not outright impressed.

“Wow, Your Highness!”

“I didn’t come into this fight unprepared!”

Koutarou wasn’t the only fighter utilizing the strength of their armor. Nefilforan had been especially clever with hers.

“Aha!” he proclaimed when he realized the trick. “You narrowed your distortion field!”

“That’s right!”

Nefilforan had concentrated her distortion field on her greatspear. The field was normally projected around a fighter to protect them, but the standard barrier wouldn’t have been enough to defend against Signaltin. It was too broad and too thin, so Nefilforan had maximized its defensive potential by focusing it in one specific place. She’d chosen her greatspear, leaving her no choice but to use her weapon to block. It was a risky gamble and a great feat of strength, but she’d done it with ease and grace.

“Hyaaaaah!”

She then used the power of her armor to spin with great force, pushing Koutarou away with the haft of her spear as she did. She had him right where she wanted him now, and she didn’t hesitate to strike.

“So this is what fighting a real master is like!” Koutarou exclaimed.

He seemed to be enjoying himself in spite of the precarious situation he was in. This intrigued Nefilforan.

“Are you suggesting you’ve fought someone similar before?!” she asked as she attacked.

She launched thrust after thrust, far faster and more powerful than ever before. Koutarou responded in kind, deftly blocking each one as he answered her.

“The young CEO of DKI had a robot that could block like you—by focusing its barrier on its blade and anticipating my attacks! I didn’t honestly think a person would be able to do it!”

Koutarou was talking about Elexis’s Warlord, which had the ability to concentrate its barrier on its beam knife to increase its strength severalfold. It would then predict Koutarou’s attacks and block them with the enhanced knife. Koutarou had thought only a machine was capable of such a feat, but Nefilforan was proving him wrong. He was thrilled to see that Forthorthian royalty was so incredible.

“Satomi-kun, don’t you think we should switch things up?!” Harumi called.

She was hurriedly preparing an enhancement spell, believing it would be better for Koutarou to focus on speed over power against Nefilforan. Koutarou, however, shook his head.

“It would be dangerous to do that now! Wait until I get a little more distance!”

“O-Okay!”

Koutarou was worried a sudden increase in speed would throw him off in such a close-quarters fight. It would be like abruptly changing gears while driving, and he was quite certain Nefilforan would take advantage of it. As such, he wanted to gain some distance before trying anything, but...

“Not so fast!”

“Whoa!”

Nefilforan saw what he was trying to do, and thus increased the fury of her attacks to keep him pinned down. If she gave Koutarou half a chance, she knew he’d slip away from her and Harumi would cast a spell. She needed to make a decisive move before that. If she wanted to win, it would have to be here and now... and she desperately wanted to win.

“Tch... Not good...”

Clash! Clang!

Koutarou had his hands full with Nefilforan’s onslaught. He could see where each and every attack was coming, but it was all he could do just to follow them. Her speed and accuracy were terrifying. She then began chaining attacks together in a way that made them almost impossible to read. She was relying on muscle memory and reflex, which left Koutarou struggling to keep up with swordsmanship alone.

Blow after blow was steadily getting through his defenses. He was relying on Harumi and his armor to protect him, but the sheer force of Nefilforan’s spear was overwhelming. He wouldn’t make it for much longer if things kept up at this rate. She was gradually wearing him down. His AI was already blaring warnings about the barrier’s integrity.

“Alert: Distortion field is down to 30 percent energy. Calculations suggest this fight is disadvantageous. Retreat is advised.”

“Just focus on defending!”

“As you wish, my lord.”

When Nefilforan heard the warning from Koutarou’s armor, she decided it was time to finish the fight.

“I’ve got you now!” she cried as her greatspear flashed yellow.

Her armor was generating a high-voltage current, which it was then channeling directly into the tip of her weapon. Koutarou had mostly been managing to block her attacks so far, but just touching her weapon now would mean game over. One direct hit would collapse his barrier for sure—and Nefilforan knew it.

“Are you trying to kill me, Your Highness?!”

“You knew this would be a serious fight!”

“Yes! Yes, I did! But not this serious!”

Unable to block any longer, Koutarou had no choice but to flee Nefilforan’s spear. She gave chase, however, slowly but surely closing the distance between them.

“Satomi-kun, you can use your sword now!”

“Thank you, Sakuraba-senpai!”

When Harumi called out to him, Koutarou suddenly switched tactics again and caught Nefilforan’s spear with his sword... yet there was no shock. Harumi had strategically cast a spell to protect him from exactly that.

“Hyah!”

Seeing an opportunity, Nefilforan let go of her spear with her left fist and swung it at Koutarou. This fluid transition from a thrust to a punch was a signature of the Glendad family’s fighting style. A spear was weak in close combat due to its range, so the Glendads had developed a few techniques to compensate for that. Nefilforan also had her armor on her side, which concentrated a distortion field around her clenched fist. It wouldn’t be as effective as attacking with her spear, but her punch would still pack quite a wallop. Moreover, she intentionally swung at Koutarou’s blind spot.

“Whoa, it’s just one thing after another with you!”

As such, he was late to see it coming. He’d only noticed it because he could read Nefilforan’s aura. Otherwise, the fight might have ended right then and there. Harumi was too far away to do anything about it, so Koutarou would have to defend himself here. But if Nefilforan was going to pull out all the stops, then so was he.

“How about this?!”

Koutarou poured his soul into his left fist, which began generating flames at an explosive rate. The Blue Knight’s armor, after all, was outfitted with a special gauntlet. With it, he could convert his spiritual energy into either fire or lightning, and he’d chosen the former to assault Nefilforan.

“Tch, of course! The legendary gauntlet!”

With fire rushing at her, even the stalwart Nefilforan relented. Worried about being both burned and blinded, she instinctively jumped back to protect herself—an opportunity Koutarou didn’t fail to seize.

“Take this!”

He lunged right after her. Like with the mistake he’d made earlier, she should be defenseless midair, but...

“Not bad, Lord Veltlion! But I’m not done yet!”

Pew, pew, pew!

Several beams suddenly shot out from the tip of her spear. The weapon itself looked traditional enough, but it was an advanced piece of Forthorthian technology. As a last resort, it even doubled as a beam cannon. This was the strange attack Sanae had detected among the others earlier, and as she predicted, Koutarou never saw it coming.

“Whoa!”

He activated his emergency thrusters to narrowly escape the beams, but he wouldn’t have made it without Harumi’s help. She’d cast a support spell to enhance his reaction time.

“You’re wide open, Lord Veltlion!”

Pew, pew, pew!

Nefilforan’s assault didn’t stop. Before Koutarou could do anything else, more beams were headed his way. The tables had turned on him in an instant, as he was now the one powerless against an incoming attack midflight.

“Good thing for me the Silver Princess of this age is just as skilled as she ever was in the past!”

“Heed my call and rise, spirits of the air! Form a swirling wall to repel any arrow, any foe! Wind Shield!”

Harumi’s hair shone silver as she chanted her spell, which created a sturdy shield for Koutarou. Rather than use it to defend himself, however... he kicked off of it and changed his trajectory midair. He whizzed past Nefilforan’s beams, which sailed on to scorch the roof of the training room.

I’ve lost...

In that instant, Nefilforan realized her defeat. Koutarou had dodged her beams, but he wasn’t on the defensive. No, he was currently flying toward her with his sword held fast in both hands. Nefilforan was still holding her greatspear like a cannon, braced from firing. There was no way she could switch to a defensive posture in time.

“...I surrender, Lord Veltlion...”

“You really are strong, Princess Nefilforan. If this had been one on one, I would’ve lost.”

Koutarou stopped his swing short and landed right in front of Nefilforan. Had this been actual combat, he could have finished her off just now. She was summarily defeated, and she was keenly aware of it. However...

That was quite fun. This incredible man... He truly is the Blue Knight.

Nefilforan wasn’t terribly upset by her loss. She’d wanted to win, but somewhere deep down, she was also rooting for Koutarou. All Forthorthians were the same at heart in that regard. They believed the Blue Knight was the strongest in all the universe. No matter the foe, he would come out victorious.

Greeting the victorious Koutarou upon his return was a rather cocky Theia. She stood with her arms proudly crossed, and her breathing was ragged from all the excitement... but she looked pleased.

“Good work, Koutarou! You have my praise!”

“What are you acting so big-headed for?”

“How many times are you going to make me say it? Your victories are my victories.”

“Says the girl who’s always trying to beat me into the ground...”

“Tut! Those are two entirely different matters.”

“Talk about selfish.”

Still in high spirits, Theia helped Koutarou disarm. She lovingly took his swords, insignia, and mantle, all of which she put away with great care. While she was doing that, Koutarou’s armor disengaged and allowed him to step out.

“Good work, old pal,” he said.

“It is an honor to be of use, Your Excellency,” the AI responded as it returned the suit to its default position.

Koutarou had been battling alongside his armor for two years now. He knew it wasn’t strictly necessary, but he couldn’t help talking to it every now and then—especially after a good fight. Meanwhile, Nefilforan disengaged from her own armor and approached Koutarou from behind.

“Lord Veltlion.”

“Princess...”

“Thank you again for your cooperation,” she said with another formal salute.

“Did you get what you needed?”

“Yes, this is very useful for reference.”

Nefilforan now had a clear understanding of how strong Koutarou was, both as himself and as the Blue Knight. On his own, he was as good as any well trained knight. But in his armor... he truly was legendary. This information would be invaluable in future security and strategy planning. There was one lingering question on her mind, however.

“I thought I noticed while we were fighting, Lord Veltlion... Were you somehow able to tell where my spear would be coming from?”

Only a keen-eyed professional soldier like Nefilforan would have picked up on that. She’d watched Koutarou carefully for chances to strike, and she saw him consistently shift his posture and his blade to catch her attacks. It was like he beat her to the punch every single time. That was why she’d fallen back on her spear’s reach and speed to overpower him, but she was still curious about how he’d so accurately been able to read her moves.

“Not always,” he confessed, shaking his head with a smile. Really, the number of attacks he couldn’t see was a testament to the princess’s skill. “I could predict your moves at first, but not after that. Your training really shines through, Princess Nefilforan.”

Koutarou had only been able to see Nefilforan’s initial attacks clearly. The aura of the ones that followed were almost invisible. When she fell back on muscle memory, there was very little conscious thought in her attacks. That made them incredibly difficult to pick up. It was a unique phenomenon that set her apart from a natural-born fighter like Theia. It was something that could only be achieved through extreme dedication and hard work.

“I also couldn’t really tell the difference between your melee and ranged attacks. Those beams got me good. You whipped those out because you realized I was reading your attacks, didn’t you?” Koutarou asked with a bitter smile.

Nefilforan had been looking for an opportunity to fire her beam cannon from the start. And because greatspear thrusts and cannon fire both registered as straight lines, Koutarou hadn’t been able to tell them apart. In fact, he hadn’t even considered that her weapon was multipurpose... And when Nefilforan realized that in the middle of their fight, she opted to fall back on the surprise as her finisher instead.

“Yet you were still able to dodge it in the end.”

“Only thanks to Sakuraba-senpai. It was the right attack at the right moment.”

That was how Koutarou truly felt. He hadn’t realized she was going to fire until just the moment before, when the tip of her spear charged with light. She would’ve had him under ordinary circumstances, but Koutarou had extraordinary aid on his side. Nefilforan completely outclassed him in terms of martial experience and fighting strategy.

“You honor me with your praise, Lord Veltlion,” she said with a satisfied look on her face.

The Glendad family had been polishing their techniques for generations. Their style evolved with changing times and technology, which was how the spear-cum-cannon had come to be. Nefilforan had nearly gotten the better of the Blue Knight with it, too. She felt like she could hold her head high as a Glendad.

“Yeah, that was close. I noticed from the start though!” Sanae bragged.

“Ah, so that’s what you meant when you said that Satomi-kun might lose,” Shizuka remarked.

“But he didn’t! Eeheehee.”

Sanae was pleased, if not proud. Even though she’d known it was a possibility Koutarou might lose, she’d still wanted him to win. She was doubly happy it was her power that had protected him.

“You surprised me yourself, Lord Veltlion, when you jumped in the air like that,” Nefilforan continued.

She’d never anticipated that Koutarou would avoid her beam attack by jumping around it midair. The trick had caught her completely off guard, ultimately spelling her defeat.

“Oh, that? I often use barriers as footing.”

“I see... The Glendad family does its best to stay on the cutting edge of warfare, but it seems there are things even we can still learn.”

Nefilforan had felt certain of victory when she fired her cannon, yet Koutarou had managed to overcome with his wits. Of course a distortion field could be used as footing in the air. Nefilforan had lost in a battle of imagination, first and foremost. That wasn’t an utter defeat, however. This was information she could use to her advantage in the future, and she was quite certain her family would be interested in it as well.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t win with some kind of evolved fighting style. It was all teamwork,” Koutarou said with a small smile and a glance behind him.

Harumi had done it today, but Maki was actually the inventor of the move. She’d read his mind, understood his heart, and given him exactly what he needed in the heat of battle... It was the very definition of teamwork—something they could only accomplish by believing in each other and pressing forward, just like today. As Koutarou said, today’s victory was a team effort. Harumi and Maki both smiled when they heard that.

“I’m honored to be a part of your team from now on, then.”

Nefilforan had come to Earth to join forces with Koutarou and company. She wanted to be able to help and support him the same way Harumi did, even if it wouldn’t be easy.

“I look forward to fighting alongside you, Princess Nefilforan.”

“Likewise.”

Koutarou was grateful for her aid. He now knew firsthand just how capable she was, and she had an entire regiment to back her up. That was a welcome boon to Koutarou and the girls, who were currently quite short on manpower.

“Oh, and... Lord Veltlion...”

“Yes?”

“Pardon the imposition, b-but, um... Would it be all right if I took a picture with you?”

“Your Highness?!”

“Listen, Koutarou. Nefi’s as much of a history buff as I am. She’s only managed to reign it in all this time because she’s so serious and proper.”

“Really? Heh. Well, Your Highness, if it’s a picture you want... we just so happen to have an excellent photographer right here.”

“I-I was also hoping you and Harumi-san would sign this flag of Alaia-sama’s...”

“Anything else?”

“That’ll do... for now...”

“Then, Nalfa-san, would you mind taking a picture for us?”

“Sure thing!”

If all Nefilforan wanted in return for her help was a commemorative photograph and an autograph, Koutarou would gladly play along. He and the other girls were simply happy to have a powerful new ally in their ranks.

Theia hadn’t waited for Nefilforan’s arrival for personal reasons; it was simply because she and the others couldn’t move on Ralgwin alone. Theia was chiefly on Earth as part of a diplomatic mission, so she didn’t have the soldiers or resources to spare on an offensive operation. Without Nefilforan’s regiment, an attack on an enemy base would be nigh impossible.

“But you’re still not supposed to have proper military forces here, right? What excuse did you have to use to justify bringing Princess Nefilforan over, Theia?”

Indeed, the Forthorthian delegation had come to Earth to establish friendly relations. As such, bringing in a heavily armed detachment without just reason wasn’t a good look. It would most likely be presumed an invasion.

“Well, we had timing on our side. Since more transfer students and personnel will be arriving soon, doesn’t it make sense for us to increase our guard here?”

“Indeed, Lord Veltlion. Half of my regiment is formally assigned to security detail for future students and teachers, and the other half is formally assigned to guard the spaceport.”

“Oh, I see. That’ll mean the dorms are all safe and sound for sure. And I guess it would be kind of boring if only Earthlings were guarding the port...”

In the Forthorthian Imperial Army, a regiment consisted of 2,500 soldiers. Half of Nefi’s regiment, then, would be divided and sent to various schools and organizations around Japan. The other half would be sent entirely to the spaceport, which was a far larger facility with unique needs and security. The port, for example, required Forthorthian pilots and crafts for the transfer of goods, people, supplies, and more.

“Still... it feels like a bit of a waste,” Koutarou said with a wry smile.

Hearing that, Nefilforan looked at him with a dubious expression. She wondered if something about the plan wasn’t agreeable to him.

“Is there some kind of problem, Lord Veltlion?” she asked.

“I only mean that it’s a shame to put you on guard duty, even as a formality. Normally princesses are the ones being guarded and not the other way around,” he replied.

“Veltlion, have you forgotten that both Theiamillis-san and I are princesses too?” Clan cut in.

“Of course not. You two are just...”

“Just what?”

“I dunno.”

“How do you not know?!”

“Nefi and the rest of the Glendad family are nervous about their longtime rivals, the Wenrankas, outdoing them,” Theia explained. “I told you about that before, didn’t I?”

“I remember. But couldn’t you come up with something other than guard duty for her?”

“We’re doing this precisely because there was no other option. Moreover, I want to avoid dishonesty if it can at all be helped.”

“So it’s politics...”

Of course they could have come up with a different cover story. They could have even smuggled 2,500 armed soldiers to Earth. But that wasn’t what Theia wanted. She didn’t want to lie to the Japanese government. It was true that a certain amount of lying was unavoidable in politics, but she and her mother both believed it was best to be honest whenever possible.

“I’m glad you understand,” Theia continued. “Now, thanks to what we’ve accomplished, we have a regiment at our disposal. I’d like to take this opportunity to attack the main base of Vandarion’s faction here on Earth.”

In truth, Nefilforan and her forces had several jobs on Earth, but first and foremost among them was dealing with Ralgwin. Theia had been patient all this time, but she was now eager to get down to business.

“That’s why I’ve called you all here. I’d like to consult your insight and wisdom,” she announced as she looked at everyone in turn.

She, Koutarou, the other girls, Nefilforan, and Nana were all currently seated in the Hazy Moon’s conference room. As this was serious business, Nalfa and Kotori weren’t around today.

“How much do we know about the enemy’s base?” Nana asked first.

Her primary concern was a matter of intelligence. How they planned this attack would depend entirely on the information at their disposal.

“Ruth, if you will,” Theia urged.

“Yes. Everyone, please have a look at this. This is the data we’ve gathered based on the information that Maki-san retrieved.”

Ruth tapped the panel in front of her to bring up several holographs. In the middle was a 3D model of Ralgwin’s base, surrounded by various specs and other numbers.

“Wow, we’ve already got this much?” Koutarou remarked. “If I recall, you said you only saw the area around the entrance, didn’t you, Aika-san?”

The data displayed far exceeded the reports Maki had initially brought back upon discovering the base. Koutarou wasn’t sure where the rest of the information had come from, so he turned to Maki with a puzzled look on his face.

“That’s correct. Past the gate was a waterway, and past that some kind of dock... I also saw these maintenance and warehouse areas myself,” Maki explained while pointing at the hologram.

The areas she indicated were only a small portion of the map on display. Still puzzled, Koutarou turned to Clan for answers.

“How did you find all this?”

When it came to advanced investigation without getting caught, Clan was their MVP. Koutarou had correctly guessed that she was the one to uncover all the additional information.

“I just used the Hazy Moon and some unmanned scouts. I was erring on the side of caution with only the safest methods of reconnaissance, however, so there are still plenty of unknowns.”

“Really? This looks pretty in-depth to me.”

“The most difficult part of the mission was locating the base itself. Once we had that, the Hazy Moon practically did the rest. Effectively, this is all thanks to Maki.”

The detailed information Clan had been able to provide was the work of extremely advanced instruments she had aboard the Hazy Moon. Her observational devices were superior to any other royal-class battleship. She even had equipment that allowed her to scan underground, so once she knew where the enemy base was, sizing it up was a piece of cake. She’d known they had a few days to wait before Nefilforan’s arrival, and she’d spent her time wisely. The result included the detailed maps and other data on display now—and none of it would have been possible without Maki.

“But, as you would expect, there’s a lot we can’t determine from the outside,” Clan said as she pointed to several places on the model.

They were grayed out as an indication that their function within the facility was uncertain. Forthorthian reconnaissance tech was extremely advanced, and so were methods to thwart it. Even on Earth, something as simple as a thick metal wall—or several—could make it difficult to scan a room from the outside. As such, Clan had been forced to guess the purpose of several areas based on size, placement, and other details. For example, a medium-sized room with several small booths lined up was most likely a restroom. She’d only been able to get a detailed glance inside select locations.

“That being the case,” she explained, “the areas we can’t see inside of are the most suspect.”

“And you composited this all into one big map, huh?” Koutarou remarked.

With more time and resources, Ralgwin very likely would have set up his base so that it was completely impenetrable even to Forthorthian technology. The construction of the facility, however, was essentially a rush job. He’d only been able to afford extra security for the most critical locations. His first line of defense was hoping that the base was never discovered at all... so Maki had singlehandedly jeopardized everything.

“By the way, how did you make it all that way, Aika-san?” Koutarou couldn’t help wondering.

“I snuck into the storage bay of the combat ship they were using and laid low. It wasn’t particularly big, so I encountered people from time to time, but I dealt with that using magic,” she explained.

Koutarou and the girls had clashed with Ralgwin’s men underground the other day, and Maki’s objective for the fight was tailing the enemy forces after the fact. They were panicked by their sudden defeat in battle, so retreating posthaste was their top priority. Maki was able to take advantage of the confusion and climb aboard their ship without notice.

It was a risky move as she was stuck there once the ship departed, but she’d quietly kept her cool. She found an out-of-the-way hiding spot in the cargo hold, where there fortunately wasn’t much traffic. The timing worked out in her favor in that regard; there weren’t many people picking up or dropping off supplies after battle. All she had to do was sit tight and wait. She even had her indigo magic to fall back on when it was absolutely necessary. That much was a breeze.

“And what about after you got inside the base?” Koutarou asked.

“I hid inside a weapons crate that was transported straight to the base warehouse.”

“That was bold.”

“It was convenient for slipping through security.”

“I guess that makes sense...”

Maki had successfully stowed away on the combat craft with very little magic, but sneaking through rigorous security checkpoints would have been a much bigger ordeal. As an expert in the field, Maki knew she needed to conserve her mana... meaning the most efficient way to get inside would be not to use any magic at all. Hiding away in a crate was perfect.

“But that was about as far as I got. I was worried about getting out safely, so I left after briefly investigating the warehouse and maintenance areas.”

“Yeah, leaving the rest to Clan was probably the right choice.”

Maki would’ve had to expend a great deal of mana to safely investigate more inside the base, so she’d instead prioritized safely getting out. At that point, her job—locating the base—was done. Her secondary objective was simply escaping without notice. Being discovered by the enemy at that juncture would have blown the whole mission. In the worst scenario, Ralgwin would abandon his base and move his entire operation elsewhere. There was also the matter of what he might do with Maki if he found her. She wasn’t personally interested in finding out, so she’d promptly wrapped up her mission and retreated to room 106 while covering her tracks.

“Wow, I don’t think me or Theia could’ve done that even with magic,” Sanae remarked in awe.

“Agreed,” Theia said with a nod.

“I’m sure I’d stand out too much. Teehee.”

“Agreed.”

“That’s not something you two should be proud of,” Koutarou quipped.

“We’re just talking about how amazing Maki is!”

Caution and subtlety were arts lost on both Sanae and Theia. Neither of them were cut out for stealth missions. Flashy battles were more their style. That discrepancy gave them a profound respect for Maki and the good work she did.

“They’re right. Thanks for a job well done, Aika-san.”

“No, this wasn’t anything special... I just happen to be good at this kind of thing.”

“And it would be terrible of me to take advantage of that. Thanks is the least I owe you. You should be proud, Aika-san.”

“R-Right...”

There, Maki smiled brightly. She could tell he was reflecting on both of their reserved natures right now. And if he was willing to reach out to her with thanks, then she would meet him in the middle and accept. Today, at the very least, she was smiling with pride.

“Now, moving on to the main topic...”

With the background info for their mission covered, Koutarou broached the real purpose of their meeting today: determining a strategy for the raid on Ralgwin’s base. Time was of the essence, so they needed to act swiftly.

“Does anyone have any ideas?” he asked the group.

“I’m sure Theia-chan wants to beat down their front door,” Shizuka volunteered.

“Indeed, I do,” Theia agreed with a nod. “A true sovereign grabs their enemies by the horns and makes a splendid display of crushing them.”

“I agree, Princess Theiamillis!”

“I knew you would understand, Alunaya-dono!”

“Indeed! You’re a born ruler, no different from me!”

Alunaya was presently in his stuffed animal form, perched atop Shizuka’s shoulder. He excitedly agreed with Theia, as the two of them shared similar ideals about royalty and the “royal” way to handle such situations. Their plans, however, were dashed by the cautious Kiriha, who had a different idea after looking at the model of Ralgwin’s base.

“But their front door is underwater, and the gate itself is pretty thick,” she said. “I believe it would be smarter to go after the exhaust ducts instead.”

Kiriha generally took point in strategy meetings like this, so if she said they should go for an exhaust duct instead of the front door... that would likely end up being what the team did. It was an extremely practical suggestion, after all. Sanae, however, seemed to have some doubts about this plan.

“Say, Kiriha, aren’t exhaust ducts something you’d want to hide?” she asked.

“Certainly.”

“So why are there this many of them on this base? Isn’t that, like, a bad idea?”

Since ducts were potential points of infiltration, Sanae figured the enemy would want as few of them as possible on their base. She couldn’t help wondering, then, why Ralgwin’s seemed to have so many. It was an astute observation on her part.

“It’s actually the other way around, Sanae,” Clan answered on Kiriha’s behalf. “If there were only one duct, it would produce a considerable amount of heat exhaust. But by splitting the load between several of them, the emissions are cut down to negligible levels.”

Whether in space or in an atmosphere, heat signatures were an easy way to discover enemy bases. Ralgwin and his men were also trying to manufacture spiritual energy weaponry, so the heat waste from their facility in particular would be considerable. If they were stationed anywhere away from civilization, they would stick out like a sore thumb. That was why they’d strategically mitigated their signature by dispersing their exhaust among as many ducts as possible. As long as each one only generated as much as a car, boiler, or other commonplace heat source, their base could blend in even in a rural or remote area.

“And that’s gonna backfire on them now, huh?” Sanae said with an impish grin.

“We can take advantage of it, yes,” replied Kiriha. “Ralgwin clearly knew what he was doing when he designed the base this way, but it gives us plenty of options for entry.”

“So we’ll just use one of these to pop in and say hi, right?”

“That’s the idea,” answered Clan. “But since there are so many, this may very well be a trap.”

She was wary of the plan. It was sound in theory, but they didn’t know everything about the enemy’s base. There were still unknowns.

“That’s true,” Koutarou agreed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve set up traps.”

Considering Ralgwin’s cunning, it was very likely he’d taken extra precautions—especially with the exhaust ducts, which would be connected to the base’s generator and factory. Those were important assets, and Ralgwin was sure to protect them.

“That said, incorporating traps into the ducts themselves would inhibit the flow of exhaust... It’s more likely he has soldiers stationed at key points,” Clan postulated.

“Hmm, yeah. That sounds like him,” Koutarou said with a sage nod.

“Pardon me, Veltlion... why are you patting my head, exactly?”

“Consider it a crime of opportunity.”

That settled the matter of Sanae’s original question about the ducts, which brought the group to their next point of discussion.

“May I ask something?” said Harumi, raising her hand.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you, Clan-san. I was curious about why, if the base is underwater, the exhaust vents are on the surface.”

In terms of dissipating heat, water was a better option. Yet by all appearances, Ralgwin was entirely relying on venting heat through the air to the surface. Harumi thought it was strange.

“Another possible trap. Of course, they might be discreetly venting some heat underwater as well. But with a factory in their base, the heat they’re producing is immense. They can’t afford to risk raising the temperature of the lake by venting it all that way.”

“Oh, I see... so they might be using multiple cooling systems.”

An unnaturally heated lake was easily detectable even with Earth’s current technology. A body of water just a few degrees warmer than the air temperature could be picked up by satellite. It was safer and more practical to diffuse the heat via multiple points on land.

“Veltlion, why are you patting my head again?”

“Like I said before, it’s a crime of opportunity.”

“Is this your way of thanking me...?”

“Hardly.”

With that, Koutarou gripped his fingers tightly in a move he liked to call “the iron claw.”

“Ow! Jeez, you really are... heh...”

He considered Clan’s extensive knowledge of traps and trickery a strike against her. He couldn’t bring himself to outright scold her for it under the circumstances. He knew it would bother her and, moreover, that her craftiness was actually a boon right now. But he couldn’t just let it slide, either. His compromise was a congratulatory pat on the head followed by the iron claw.

“Do you think Satomi-kun has any idea he’s acting like her boyfriend right now?” Shizuka whispered to Kiriha.

Kiriha smiled and whispered back, “I wouldn’t have said so before... But now I’m not so sure. It does seem he’s a little more conscious of it now.”

“Heehee. I was thinking the same thing.”

Ever since they’d become third-years, Shizuka felt that Koutarou’s attitude toward the girls had started to change. She felt it even more strongly now as she watched Koutarou lovingly tease Clan.

“Yes, there’s no doubt about it...”

Kiriha felt the same way. It was something all of the girls had been feeling in one way or another. They’d realized that a change was happening within Koutarou. And rather than saying anything to him about it, they simply watched over him as the transformation took place. They would be patient for now. After all, they understood just how much they were asking from him.

After that, Koutarou and the girls spent some time discussing a more detailed plan for the raid. They ultimately decided on using a diversion: Koutarou would approach the front gate and distract the enemy while the real offensive was launched elsewhere.

“And I shall attack from this service tunnel in the back,” Nefilforan volunteered.

The exhaust ducts were tight quarters, making them unsuitable for a large force. She and her unit would need a much larger entrance. But she had another objective in mind as well...

“That means we’ll be the real strike force,” Theia proclaimed.

Theia, a natural-born fighter, had immediately realized that Nefilforan’s intention was a twofold diversion. With her at the rear gate and Koutarou at the front, Ralgwin would surely think he was being pincered. Thus, while the enemy was distracted, Theia and the other girls could infiltrate from yet another location. Nefilforan’s forces would hopefully be able to keep the heat off of them by drawing guards away from key security locations along the ducts.

“Doesn’t this plan put Princess Nefilforan and her regiment at too much risk?”

Koutarou was worried that Nefilforan would be endangering herself. Kiriha had advocated infiltration via the ducts because the service tunnel was too heavily guarded. It wasn’t quite large enough for a combat craft to travel through, but it had tracks for the transport of goods in and out of the base. There was a checkpoint at its entrance, and preliminary scans indicated weapons were stationed along it at regular intervals. It doubled as an emergency escape route out of the base, so it was as well defended as the front gate. Diversion or not, anyone attacking it would indeed be at serious risk.

“Please don’t worry, Lord Veltlion. This is what I’m here for.”

Despite Koutarou’s worries, Nefilforan confidently accepted the mission. She’d overcome many a dangerous mission in the past. They still didn’t know the full extent of the enemy’s power, but she was prepared for this. Nefilforan and her regiment had come to fight. They were ready to sacrifice whatever they needed to for the sake of victory.