Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 43 - Chapter 3

Signs of Approaching Battle

Friday, November 4th

Fasta was currently near the hospital where Ralgwin was being treated. She was surveying the area in preparation for her rescue. Ultimately, she had proved Koutarou and Elfaria’s prediction correct. She was standing on the roof of a tall building, looking down on Fornorn.

“There aren’t many places suited for an ambush...”

If Fasta were to launch her plan, there were only three locations that could really be attacked. The hospital, the isolated facility, and the route between them—and Fasta couldn’t attack the first two, not on her own. Operating solo, there was a limit to the number of allies she could employ, which meant she wouldn’t be able to attack the hospital or isolated facilities where Imperial Army forces would be waiting for them.

That left only the path between the two. Fasta predicted the route that Ralgwin would be transported along and found several locations that could work.

“Then the question becomes how Ralgwin-sama will be moved...”

But here a problem unique to Forthorthe came up. Compared to Earth, Forthorthe’s means of transport were far more evolved, including flying buses. Even when it came to cars, there were those with wheels and those that hovered. As for the sky, there were helicopters, planes, and vehicles that used distortion fields to float. Without knowing what would be used to move Ralgwin, it would be a struggle to rescue him.

“No, the Blue Knight knows that I will attack. So they might even use military vehicles to move him.”

And there were even more problems. Since Ralgwin was the leader of an anti-government organization, it was likely that military vehicles would join in too. She would even have to consider the possibility of warships. If a vehicle with VTOL and the latest technology were used, she had little chance of victory. Infantry would be a mix of tanks and fighter jets, after all, in which case they would need something more than just a straightforward attack.

“There’s an urgent need to determine what the method of transport will be. Leaving things to others is frustrating, but...”

Fasta began looking into how Ralgwin would be moved. Given the lack of available personnel, she needed to rely on informants. She didn’t like how unreliable people could be, but she had other things she needed to prepare, so she had to take the risk.

“Scariest of all are Grevanas and the Gray Knight... I hope they will just sit back...”

Fasta couldn’t be sure of rescuing Ralgwin because the Imperial Army was strong. But there were also Grevanas and the Gray Knight, who were just as much of a threat, not only because of the power they held, but also due to the lack of information she had on them. She didn’t know what they might do. She didn’t even know if they would attack on the same day or at some other point. No matter how much she prepared, it might all go to waste depending on how they moved. That was a major risk to Fasta’s rescue operation.

“And there is the matter of Ralgwin-sama’s condition...”

Another thing to worry about was that she didn’t know how much Ralgwin would have healed by the time he was moved. Depending on the circumstances, a violent rescue operation might end up killing him. And while it was unlikely with the Blue Knight in charge, they might intentionally choose to move him before his wounds healed.

“I might need to make a bold move too...”

With so much in doubt, Fasta began feeling like success was unlikely if she proceeded normally. So she would use uncertainty to clash against them instead. In order to save Ralgwin, she needed a bold move that not even the Imperial Army or Grevanas and the Gray Knight could imagine.

“I wonder how Ralgwin-sama is doing...”

When she could no longer think, Fasta looked over at the hospital. Until just a little while ago, Ralgwin had been in the intensive care unit. Now, he’d woken back up and was being kept in a private room. Fasta knew his location, but she couldn’t reach him. The guard was too tight. Neither Ralgwin escaping on his own nor Fasta sneaking inside was possible. That fact frustrated her.

“I wonder how serious he was about waiting but not expecting anything...”

There was something that was constantly on Fasta’s mind: the last words they had exchanged. Instead of blaming Fasta, he had said that he would wait for her to rescue him. But perhaps that was because they had been in front of the enemy. Perhaps he was actually extremely angry but had maintained his dignity for the sake of his image.

“It makes no difference. If this goes well, I will do anything Ralgwin-sama says.”

There was no guarantee that the rescue would work. But if she pulled it off, Fasta would obey Ralgwin, even if he demanded her execution. Considering what she had done, she couldn’t complain and would gladly oblige. At least that would mean that her rescue had worked.

After Ralgwin’s capture, the old Vandarion faction had plunged into chaos. As Elfaria had pointed out, they weren’t a monolith. They were only being kept together by Ralgwin’s leadership. And with him out of the picture, the groups had started to fight for authority.

“We’re not getting anywhere without a leader!”

“We need to decide on a new leader quickly!”

“But that won’t be you!”

“I followed Lord Vandarion himself! Ralgwin was a relative of his, but I would never serve under you!”

“What?!”

The old Vandarion faction had been kept together by Vandarion’s power and Ralgwin’s leadership. Without those, an internal power struggle was surfacing. It was a natural progression, considering they were separate groups trying to maintain their individuality, but it wasn’t something that Grevanas and the Gray Knight could overlook.

“Chaos might be my desire... but this is a problem.”

“This is nothing to laugh about, Gray Knight-dono.”

Grevanas and the Gray Knight had been given a base of operation by Ralgwin. Without that base, their position would be unsteady. They had planned to part ways with him eventually, but that was after enough preparations had been made. To them, this was a little too soon for Ralgwin to have exited the stage.

Or perhaps that was even Ralgwin’s goal... The Gray Knight thought of something. Ralgwin needed them, but the opposite was also true. At the moment, they both needed Ralgwin’s support, so he might have made his gamble before they were ready to make their last move, not only to corner them, but also to frustrate them. And if someone were to rise to the occasion during that opening, Ralgwin’s wishes might still be fulfilled.

“Curse you, Ralgwin. Why would you be so rash...” Grevanas was baring his emotions without a hint of his usual mild-mannered demeanor. He had ended up having to take a few steps back when he was just in front of his goal, and he was more angry with Ralgwin than the situation.

“Then you’ll have to do something yourself. That’s what you’ve been preparing for, isn’t it?” the Gray Knight said indifferently. He had no need to rush. He might end up being forced to step back from his goal, but he was fine with taking more time. He would have preferred to hurry along, but as someone who valued chaos, he didn’t believe there was any need to rush, even against time. And that was what led to their difference in attitude.

“Now I must undertake this with insufficient preparation...” Grevanas grumbled.

“That’s a failure as a researcher, but it’s not a careful researcher that’s needed right now. Rather, we need a leader who is ready to set out to win.”

“I will have to disagree with you there. I don’t want to be a leader myself. This is about who I want to bring back.”

“It’s the same thing. You will need to find a way to make that happen.”

“Jeez... I need Ralgwin to come back soon...”

Like the Gray Knight said, Grevanas had been preparing for something like this, but he had expected it to happen a little later, so his preparations weren’t complete. He couldn’t afford to say that, however, and got to his feet.

Grevanas knew that his appearance inspired fear in people. That was why he had slowly worked on increasing his allies. Having the bare minimum of cooperators would adversely affect his operations in Forthorthe. He was expanding his network by supporting soldiers in battle and healing those who were injured. Technology in Forthorthe was far more advanced, and at first glance, there didn’t seem to be a need for magic. That was certainly true for weapons and armor. However, raising others’ abilities was still valuable. Moving faster than normal and being able to aim better made weapons even more dangerous. The soldiers had been surprised at first but had ultimately welcomed it.

With the combination of Forthorthe’s medical devices and Grevanas’s magic, he was able to save a lot of lives. Weapons were more dangerous, and that also meant that injuries were more severe. So the reassurance that soldiers would receive adequate medical care off the battlefield was important.

Research into the field continued to develop and Grevanas was now able to even resurrect deceased soldiers. That was rare even in Forthorthe, and as a result, some soldiers had begun wanting to work for him. They were soldiers who wanted to repay him for reviving them, or those who sought resurrection in case something happened.

Grevanas was also functioning as a point of contact for soldiers who had nowhere to turn. He accepted personnel who had been removed from their responsibilities. A notable example was the head of a certain production facility. He had been made to take responsibility for the accident and was demoted, but Grevanas had accepted him as an assistant. And there were plenty more examples like that.

The finishing touch was using mana to brainwash them. Naturally, controlling a lot of people was difficult, and controlling them at all times was unrealistic. It would be bad to do repeatedly to the point that people got suspicious. So the brainwashing was limited to a battalion commander-class person following orders under specific conditions. That was a big help during discussions and voting.

Through various such methods, Grevanas had achieved the support of many soldiers. Unable to ignore the voices of the people on the ground, he had ended up with leadership over the old Vandarion faction, but it was only temporary, and no one knew that better than Grevanas himself.

His taking charge wasn’t bad for the Gray Knight. It would help speed up the other’s goals. So the words the Gray Knight had fired at Grevanas were a compliment, even if they had sounded indifferent.

“You’ve done well for yourself, Grevanas.”

“Ohohoho, it turns out saving people is good to do.”

Grevanas’s spiel on human life had played a big part in his success. Soldiers naturally wanted a leader who respected their wills and valued their lives. That was the same reason that they had supported Ralgwin, and he’d snatched their trust.

“As if. They were just lucky your human experiments didn’t fail.”

“Not at all. If I were to fail even once, I would have the reputation of a disgusting magician, so I needed to be extremely careful.” Grevanas left behind obvious results of his resurrection and healing. He was aware of how others saw him, so it would be difficult for him to earn their respect if he acted normally. Knowing that, he’d slowly expanded his influence, earning him the helm.

“Good job, then.”

“But I can not let my guard down even now. We are still in a precarious situation.”

While Grevanas might have gotten control of the old Vandarion faction, it was only temporary. The fires of the power struggle were still smoldering. Not to mention the final push that had gotten him his position was his suggestion that they rescue Ralgwin. Naturally, that meant a lot to the soldiers, earning him their support. But he had also lost something because of that suggestion.

“So, the cost of your leadership is time,” the Gray Knight mused.

“Indeed.”

Grevanas had lost time. Since he had suggested the rescue to win the power struggle, Ralgwin would need to be recovered soon. If they took too long and the soldiers lost faith in him, chaos would return.

“That is why I would love your cooperation, Sir Knight.”

“I guess I have no choice. If you fall here, my own plans will take a big hit.”

“It is reassuring to hear you say that. I thank you.”

The Gray Knight wanted chaos and freedom, so confusion worked in his favor, but if Grevanas were to lose his leadership position, the Gray Knight would need to do a lot more work. So he decided to cooperate with Grevanas in order to more effectively create chaos.

Knowing that there was a high chance that Fasta would attempt a rescue, Koutarou and the others couldn’t sit still and do nothing. If they stood by, they would never be able to face the people who had fallen in the battle against the Vandarion faction.

“Should we really be doing this? Fasta-san isn’t a bad person.”

The old Vandarion faction was merciless and would use despicable means to attack. But that didn’t mean that everyone in the old Vandarion faction was evil. After their chance meeting with Fasta, Yurika pondered whether it was really okay to fight them.

“I know how you feel, Yurika-chan.” Nana, Yurika’s master, felt the same way. Of course, it wasn’t just Nana either. Everyone more or less agreed.

“But they have to take responsibility for what they have done,” said Nana.

“Responsibility...”

When Vandarion had led his forces, so many lives had been lost in the chaos. The battles hadn’t been as big after Ralgwin took over, but people had still died. That fact didn’t change, regardless of whether there were decent people among them. They couldn’t be forgiven simply for having a heart or it would imply it was acceptable to change the status quo by force.

“But... But... isn’t it unfair to punish soldiers who are just following orders they can’t refuse?” Yurika asked.

The soldiers on Earth had been isolated and forced to follow Ralgwin’s orders. The same was true of the Vandarion faction soldiers after they had become a rebel army. Since they might have been killed if they had refused, they’d had no other choice. Yurika couldn’t accept such soldiers being forced to take responsibility.

“It’s okay, Yurika.”

“Maki-chan?”

“The past is one thing, but in modern law, individual soldiers won’t have to take that much responsibility, although that might not be the case if they chose to do bad things on their own.”

Be it on Earth or Forthorthe, in the past, it wasn’t uncommon to hang enemy troops, even their families. But in modern times, the concept of human rights had evolved, and when individual soldiers weren’t given much of a choice, their crimes weren’t considered so harshly. Of course, that wouldn’t apply if they used military might for evil without orders from above. For example, one might be put to death for a massacre or smuggling drugs. But aside from that, individual soldiers were generally not charged with serious crimes. The worst sentences would be a few years in prison.

“Then what about Fasta-san?” Fasta had a higher position among the ones making the plans, so Yurika feared that she would face serious punishment, unlike rank-and-file soldiers.

Fasta-san is probably prepared for as much... but Yurika still... Guess I have no choice... Koutarou couldn’t stand watching her worry like that. He put his hand on her head and patted her a few times. “Don’t worry, Yurika. She’s serious like Ruth-san, so she wouldn’t do anything evil. Not to mention, she’s cooperated with us twice, which would be taken into consideration. So there’s nothing to worry about.”

Ralgwin was one thing, but Koutarou wasn’t particularly worried about Fasta. She was devoted to her role and her intention to protect her allies was clear. She wouldn’t commit any unnecessary crimes, and she had helped Koutarou and the others twice now, with the code for the transport ship and during the battle the other day. Koutarou felt like with that in mind, her crimes were less serious than those of other leaders.

“Really?” Yurika was still worried. She probably needed a little more reassurance.

“Have I ever lied to you?”

“You have. You’re always tricking me,” Yurika objected with a slight frown. He’d played jokes on her and tricked her during games before. Koutarou would, in fact, lie to Yurika from time to time. So even now he wasn’t entirely trustworthy.

“I’m not talking about normally, but at serious moments.”

“Well... I guess not?”

Koutarou wouldn’t lie when it really mattered. Yurika was sure of that.

“That’s the situation. And if what you’re worrying might happen, we could just go save her.”

There was just one thing that Koutarou was concerned about. The problem is how an attempt to rescue Ralgwin will be interpreted legally... especially if people die. Don’t be rash, Fasta-san...

There was probably nothing wrong with Fasta as a soldier. However, now that she was operating on her own, the regulations for soldiers did not apply to her. She would be responsible for all of her actions. She could still be considered “a soldier” when cooperating with Koutarou and the others, but after that, the responsibility was her own.

Although Ralgwin was her savior, he was a serious criminal, and any attempt to rescue him would be seen as a challenge to the law, which was inevitably a serious charge. Consequences would be even more dire if there were casualties as a result of her actions.

When Koutarou asked Kiriha about it, she said she could only hope that nobody died. However, he chose not to bring that up to Yurika. It would only make her anxious, and there was nothing they could do about it. They could only pray that Fasta was the person they believed her to be. And even if Fasta were to end up in trouble despite causing no deaths and her cooperation with their side, Koutarou would step in. Ethically, it was the right thing to do.

“A-Are you sure we can do that?!” Yurika’s eyes opened wide. She was surprised by his declaration that he was willing to break the rules.

“What else can I do if this is important to you? It’s just got to be done.”

Koutarou typically hated breaking the rules, but he found people suffering from the unreasonable far worse. Even more so if the situation was hurting others as well. The bottom line was, he couldn’t approve of the collapse of Alaia’s morals and was willing to turn a blind eye to the law if necessary. In this situation, he would do exactly that if Fasta attempted her rescue without any casualties, and especially if Yurika was concerned about it.

“Satomi-san... ehehehe... what a bad boy.” A smile returned to Yurika’s lips as if her worried expression from a moment ago had been a lie. “If that happens, you’ll become part of the evil magical girls.”

“I’ll take that as it comes.”

Neither the soldiers nor Fasta should be charged with too serious a crime. And if they were, there was nothing for Yurika to worry about since Koutarou would handle it. He had promised her as much.

“Let’s just focus on what we need to do,” he added.

“Okaaaay!”

Yurika would have felt bad if her own actions had resulted in Fasta and the others being captured and facing a grim fate. But there was nothing to fear now. Back in high spirits, she held her staff up high.

“Maki-chaan, I’m going to investigate the mana in this area.”

“Okay, I’m going to look for any monitoring devices.”

“Please do.”

They were currently near the hospital where Ralgwin was. Either Fasta or the old Vandarion faction was expected to attack during the transfer, so they had come to investigate. It was no exaggeration to say that the preparations for the attack had already begun, so they had to be ready. Knowing that, Koutarou had brought his two magic experts, Yurika and Maki, to check it out.

“Hehe.” Nana chuckled as she looked at the pair from behind.

“What’s so funny?” Koutarou asked.

“I have this image of you being stubborn... but you’re willing to break the rules for Yurika-chan.”

“It’s not necessarily just for Yurika’s sake.” He smiled wryly. Sure, it was largely for Yurika’s sake. She was just too kind. But it wasn’t the only reason.

“You mean the other girls also need it?”

“That too, but it’s mostly for my own sake.”

“So you’re actually worried about Fasta-san?”

“Yes, although considering my position, that’s a secret...”

Having gotten to know Fasta personally had played a big part in his feelings. Ralgwin facing the consequences of his own actions was one thing, but it didn’t sit right with Koutarou that Fasta might end up getting dragged down with him—even if Fasta herself was willing. So if she ended up in a hopeless situation and there was room for sympathy, Koutarou would take action.

Of course, it would be for the best to avoid such a scenario in the first place.

“Not to mention, the Blue Knight needs to show mercy,” said Nana.

“Yeah, I think I’ll make that my reason. Hate the crime, not the person.”

“Hehe, that’s cheating. Say, Satomi-san...”

“Yes?”

“If I were in trouble, would you break the rules for me too?” Nana tilted her head and stared at Koutarou from up close, prompting her long pigtails to flutter. Her face was full of confidence, as if probing for something.

Without noticing what lay in her expression, Koutarou stopped to think for a moment. “Well, it’s not like you would ever get in trouble, Nana-san,” he concluded after thinking about it.

It was hard for him to imagine her ever getting into a dangerous situation to begin with. She was always easily taking her enemies apart, as was to be expected from a former genius magical girl.

“It’s a hypothetical question! Jeez!”

“Then I would break them. I’m not strict enough about rules to leave a child in danger.”

Koutarou thought back to Kii, when he couldn’t change history, and how he couldn’t leave her be. His answer wouldn’t change even if it was Nana instead.

“The way you instantly answered that kind of irritates me,” she muttered.

Being told he would save her because she was a child wasn’t exactly the answer she’d wanted. But she could understand what he meant. She knew that as a woman, she was incomplete. So while she gave Koutarou an unhappy stare, she didn’t object any further.

“You are a child, Nana-san. Sure, your achievements are amazing and you’re older than us... but no matter the outside, you are a child on the inside.”

Koutarou saw Nana as a child who had been forced to become an adult. Giving up on being a child wasn’t the same thing as growing up, so Nana was in a constant state of unbalance. While she acted like an adult, her heart was unfulfilled and asking for help. That was more than enough for Koutarou to break the rules.

“Boo... Then take responsibility for calling me a child.”

“Please let me off with buying you food at a festival.”

“That’s fine. It’s a promise.”

“Yes.”

“All right! I’m going too!” Nana smiled and chased after Yurika and Maki.

Hehehe, that also means a promise to go to a festival together, Satomi-san. Do you understand that?

At first, Nana had hated being treated like a child, but now it didn’t bother her as much as she implied. There weren’t many who would call her a child, considering her body and everything that had happened.

As they investigated, Nana and Maki made use of their military experience, while Yurika used magic and Koutarou primarily employed his psychic powers, the four of them splitting up the work to look for traces of any would-be attackers. If anyone found something that made them wonder, they regrouped to discuss it.

After repeating that process a few times, Maki came to a conclusion, which she shared with them. “Maki, that’s a military-grade monitoring device, isn’t it?” Clan replied. “It has thermo-optical camouflage and doesn’t emit any electromagnetic or gravitational waves. It’s not something you can easily find, so well done.”

“Snoozy found it. Good job, Snoozy.”

“Nyaa.”

The lead-up to this was the mysterious device that Snoozy had discovered. Maki had relied on her experience to search places where she herself would plant bugs. At one of those locations, Snoozy had started hissing at nothing. Confused, she had taken a look and found the camouflaged object. When she showed it to Clan, she had learned that it was a monitoring device.

“I am convinced this was put here by the enemy. In other words, someone will attack when Ralgwin is being transferred,” Maki concluded.

If the Imperial Army had placed the device there, it would have had an identification code or other information on it, but there was nothing of the sort—not to mention the Imperial Army had no need to hide it in the first place. They could just put it up where they pleased.

With all that in mind, the monitoring device was believed to belong to the enemy.

“Amazing. That must be those wild instincts, Snoozy-chan.”

“Meow.”

“The question is who. Fasta or the old Vandarion faction?” Nana muttered. She had reached the same conclusion as Maki, and determining the culprit was important.

“There’s no trace of mana, so it might be Fasta-san.”

“I believe so too. That device is the kind that special forces prefer. It makes sense to assume Fasta-san would have those.”

The device was expensive and complex. It was too costly for normal squads to use and required specialized knowledge. That being the case, a cheaper device that was easier to use would have been deployed if it had been set up by a normal soldier. So its presence proved that it was likely placed by someone from special forces, meaning it was much more likely to belong to Fasta than the old Vandarion faction.

“Yurika, can you examine it from here without touching it?” Koutarou asked.

The others still hadn’t touched the device. Considering its purpose, touching or getting close to it would no doubt set off some kind of alarm. Only a kitten had been fussing around it, which shouldn’t have triggered any alarms yet. Koutarou and the others wanted to keep it that way, if possible.

“It’ll be hard, but I’ll try,” Yurika told them.

“Please. We’re counting on you,” Koutarou responded.

“Yes.” Yurika firmly nodded and started casting a spell. She was using information-type spells, trying to find traces of people who had been around the device in the past.

When Yurika’s making that kind of expression, it’s fine to leave it to her...

Based on how Yurika was acting, Koutarou knew she could handle it. Her passion varied wildly and when she was off her game, nothing went well, but he had yet to see her fail when she was feeling so positive.

“You seem composed, Satomi-kun.”

“Nyaa.”

Maki approached Koutarou, with Snoozy following behind her. Snoozy had been the MVP in discovering the device, but his only interest was Maki now.

“When Yurika acts like that, I know she’s on top of things.”

“Yes. She’s got the look of Nana-san’s disciple.”

“But she was terrible at first, trying to save herself and using me as a shield...” Koutarou thought back to two years ago as he stared at Yurika’s back. She was reliable now but had been the complete opposite back then.

“N-Noooooooo! Please don’t come any closer!!!”

“Hehehe, it’s okay, isn’t it?”

“I can’t stand ghosts!!!”

“Come on. What’s the matter, magical girl Rainbow Yurika?”

Koutarou remembered how Yurika used to run when she faced hardships, leaving others to solve the problem. Even against Sanae she had hidden behind Koutarou’s back, which was why he hadn’t listened to her. She hadn’t looked like a magical girl and had been completely different back then. If Yurika had acted like she did now, Koutarou and the others probably would have cooperated with her sooner.

“Meow.”

“Satomi-kun, when did you start believing in Yurika?”

Koutarou narrowed his eyes in nostalgia as Maki picked up Snoozy.

“It started with the beetles. That was a little before you came, Aika-san.”

“Beetles? Ah, you mean the one she was looking after for a friend...” She had heard the story. It was a strange event that got brought up from time to time.

“Yes, exactly; a friend was moving, so she was looking after three beetles,” Koutarou said as he reminisced.

Yurika had been carrying a plastic breeding case and looking like she might cry. Inside were three beetles called Hercules, Atlas, and Caucasus. Being as kind as she was, she had ended up looking after them temporarily, and if that was all there had been to it, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

“Unfortunately, that was just after your little incident with Pardomshiha, so your room was nothing but a death trap for those beetles,” Clan chimed in over the comms. She was helping with the investigation remotely, but right now there was nothing she could do but wait for the results of Yurika’s investigation.

“You’re well-informed,” Koutarou replied.

“I was another one of the victims, remember?”

“Ah, oh yeah, we were fighting back then.”

“It’s a past that I’d rather forget.”

As a beetle lover, Koutarou had mistaken Ruth for a tree full of beetles in his sleep, and since then, she had treated beetles as dangerous objects. If the grenade—the three beetles in the breeding case—had entered Ruth’s line of sight, they would have been blown up.

“But she still managed to protect them until the end. She never did give up. She knew that she had to protect them,” Koutarou noted.

They were just three bugs, but that was why Yurika had had to protect their small lives. She had been entrusted with them, and she’d fought to keep them safe until the end. And that had brought about a slight change in Koutarou’s view of her. It was her efforts then that had led to him trusting her later.

“You probably know the rest from there, Aika-san.”

“Hehe, beetles, huh? I guess they were to her what you were to me.”

“Nyaa,” Snoozy offered.

“Well, I suppose so.”

As Koutarou nodded, Yurika returned to the group. Her investigation had ended for the time being.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“It’s nothing. More importantly, did you find anything?” Koutarou would have liked to have reminisced a little more, but there were bigger things to prioritize, so he quickly grew serious.

“Just one thing,” Yurika told them. “Someone left behind footprints. They belong to a woman, and a rather tall one, I think.”

Whoever had set up the device must have been quite careful, as they’d left almost no traces behind. However, they had left indistinct footprints, and dirt on their shoes had been left on top of the concrete. The soil was rich in minerals, which differed from the dirt around the area. If anything, it seemed to have come from a farm.

“It’s probably Fasta-san,” Koutarou suggested.

“I think so too. She must have come to take a look before the ambush.”

They had come to the same conclusion. Even in Forthorthe, there were relatively few female soldiers, and even fewer tall ones. In addition, there were probably only a handful of women with special forces skills.

Fasta had set up the device.

Yurika’s face stiffened. While she had been prepared for it, it wasn’t like it didn’t bother her.

“Yurika, if you’re worried about Fasta-san, you should be the one to protect her until the end,” said Koutarou.

“Protect Fasta-san?” Yurika’s eyes opened wide at his words. The idea had never even occurred to her. She had solely been thinking about fighting her.

“Yeah. I’m sure you can do it.”

This Yurika was different from who she had been before. Now, she was capable of protecting not only beetles, but Fasta too. Koutarou was convinced of that.

“Yes!” Yurika cried.

There was no need to fight. The idea of saving Fasta from her cruel fate suited Yurika much better. Thanks to that, the hesitation on her face disappeared. Her expression was still stiff, but that was because it was full of conviction.

The court magicians served directly under the empress, and they were typically in the palace. Forthorthe still hadn’t legally defined magic, so they were treated as an intelligence agency on paper and given special missions that normal intelligence agencies struggled to complete—meaning they handled incidents that were related to magic. As such, they were mostly forming countermeasures against the old Vandarion faction at the moment. One of their most important jobs was finding production facilities related to spiritual energy technology and magic.

“Everyone, we’ve gotten a request from the Blue Knight.”

Purple was the leader of the court magicians. She had been the leader of Darkness Rainbow, so the role naturally fell to her. Since she was older and calmer, the others had no objections.

“Is it a fight?!”

Crimson’s eyes sparkled at Purple’s report. She had been rolling around listlessly on a sofa with nothing to do, and she raised her body as she waited for Purple’s answer.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“All riiiiight!!!” Crimson pumped her fists with joy and jumped off the sofa. With quick steps, she tried to leave the workroom.

“Hold on, Crimson! Where are you going?!”

Green hurriedly stopped her from leaving. Purple still hadn’t told them any of the details. They didn’t even know who the enemy was.

“I’m going to prepare! You can listen to all the details, Green!”

It seemed that even Crimson wasn’t running off to sortie. She was going to prepare her new equipment and magic. As a result of everything she had learned in Forthorthe, she had grown far more powerful than before, and her head was already full of thoughts about what to use.

With that, Crimson left with light steps.

“Crimson...” Green held her head as she watched her leave and sighed heavily. She loved Crimson, but there were times when she couldn’t keep up with her.

That’s when Orange called out to her, “Crim-chan’s the same as always. With that kind of behavior, you’d think she was going on a date.”

The atmosphere around Crimson was as if she was a girl heading out for the night. And just like a girl would pick out clothes and accessories for her date, she was picking out staffs and ritual materials.

“Isn’t that what she’s doing, though? I think she’s viewing it as a date with the Blue Knight and Navy.”

Blue indifferently agreed with Orange. It was always hard to figure out what she was thinking, but her perception was excellent. Blue agreed that Crimson was thinking of it that way.

“That’s not true,” Green said with a slightly miffed expression. Whenever Crimson and Maki were brought up, she got upset.

“But I’m sure Crim-chan wants to show Navy-chan and Blue Knight-kun her new spells and new tactics,” said Orange. “I think she wants them to praise her.”

Just like Orange wanted to be called “cute,” Crimson wanted to be called “cool” or “strong.” Or at least that was how she saw it.

Green, of course, didn’t like that opinion either. She puffed up her cheeks and turned away, even though she suspected they were right and therefore couldn’t object.

“Everyone, you’re troubling Purple. Let’s get back on track and listen to what she has to say,” Yellow announced at the perfect moment, pulling everyone back to the topic at hand.

Orange and the others had said their pieces, and Green was just barely not throwing a tantrum. That was the thoughtful and calm Yellow being considerate.

“Ah, sorries, Purp.”

“I’m sorry. Continue.”

Orange and Blue quickly apologized. At the same time, Green straightened her posture. Perhaps it was thanks to Yellow, but she was no longer in a bad mood.

“Thank you, Yellow,” Purple said.

“Not at all. So, what did the Blue Knight say?”

Purple had been smiling faintly, but Yellow urged her to continue, prompting a more sober expression.

“He said a troublesome enemy might come and that the Grand Wizard, Grevanas, might show up.”

“Are you sure?” Green’s eyes lit up. As the resident information expert, she knew much about Grevanas. He was the founder of Folsaria and the rebellious wizard who appeared in the legend of Forthorthe. He was extremely dangerous, able to control dragons, and had attempted to use poison to ruin Forthorthe. If he were to make his move, it would be no laughing matter.

“Apparently, the chances of him showing up right away aren’t all that high,” Purple noted.

“Because their leader, Ralgwin, still hasn’t healed from his injuries, right?” Blue answered. “A magician of Grevanas’s level has no need to rescue him while he’s still injured.” Blue specialized in healing and summoning. Considering the risk of attacking while Ralgwin was injured, she felt it would be best to delay a little.

“Blue is right. But the possibility is still high enough that it can’t be ignored,” Purple said.

Even if the risk was low, Grevanas was so dangerous that they couldn’t dismiss the possibility. There was only a one-in-ten chance of him appearing, but if casualties were a hundred times more when he showed up, they would need to prepare for it.

“Maybe there’s an internal power struggle?” Yellow suggested. That was how she interpreted the nonzero chance.

Purple nodded at her words. “Yes. Like we once were, they don’t seem to be a monolith.”

In the past, Darkness Rainbow had been a hodgepodge of many anti-Folsaria organizations. They could never agree on anything and there had been constant internal conflicts. Even these girls, who were the leaders, had been the same, so they could easily imagine the state the old Vandarion faction was in.

“Of course that would happen after suddenly losing their leader,” Yellow remarked with a nod. And then she realized something. Suddenly losing their leader, huh? I guess we’re not one to talk...

There were six of them now, but there had been two more before: Elexis and Maya. They had been in leadership positions, guiding the girls. But they had gone missing in the decisive battle against Vandarion. The group had looked for them afterward, but they hadn’t been found. Lately, Yellow had started to think the pair had died.

Purple continued, “Anyway, since there is a chance that Grevanas will appear, it’s too much for just the Blue Knight and the others, and they’ve requested our aid.”

“It’s probably best that we don’t tell Crim-chan anything about the Grand Wizard,” said Orange.

“Yes, that would be for the best. If Crimson made preparations to beat him, the city would be destroyed,” Blue agreed.

“We should prepare for the possibility that the Grand Wizard will show up... I’m going to go do that,” Green answered.

With Elexis and Maya missing, the others were somewhat restless. Crimson was certainly not the only one; Purple, Orange, Blue, and Green shared her feelings. Their outlook wasn’t meshing with the current situation. Having lost true allies for the first time had taken a bigger toll on them than expected, not to mention having completed their long-standing goal of returning to Forthorthe spurred on those feelings.

Maya, Elexis... if only you were here right now... 

Yellow felt a vague anxiety that they would fall into grave danger. And now there was the Grand Wizard, Grevanas: an enemy more powerful than they had ever faced.

Perhaps the danger she feared had come. She didn’t have any real basis for that belief, but Yellow feared it.