Chapter 8: Celia’s Battle
Three days had passed since the investigation into the heroes’ powers. It was the afternoon, and Celia had been summoned by Galarc’s King Francois and the Restoration’s leader Christina. It was apparently over something important involving the Restoration.
“Father, I have brought Lady Celia.”
“Celia Claire at your service.”
Charlotte was the one to bring Celia to Francois’s office.
“You may enter.”
“Pardon the intrusion.”
With Francois’s permission, Celia and Charlotte entered the room. Christina and Duke Huguenot were already present.
I wonder what this is about... Celia questioned why she was summoned here, with the leaders of both groups. Her suspicions only grew at the gloomy expression on Christina’s face. “Have a seat first.”
“Excuse me.” Celia sat beside Duke Huguenot, across from Francois and Christina.
“A letter arrived from the Beltrum Kingdom,” Francois said to her, immediately cutting to the chase.
“Regarding...?”
“See for yourself.”
“If you don’t mind.” Celia picked up the letter on the table and read it. “This is...”
In short, the letter was both an objection to the Galarc Kingdom’s actions and a demand for the Restoration’s surrender.
First, the Galarc Kingdom was to cease its provision of shelter to the remnants of the Restoration, and the Restoration was to immediately dissolve and surrender. Christina, Flora, and Duke Huguenot were to be handed over, and the regalia Christina had taken had to be returned as well.
Second, the Galarc Kingdom’s continued furnishment of refuge to the Restoration and refusal of the regalia’s return could potentially trigger an immediate war. A lack of response would also be grounds for an outbreak of war.
Third, the written response of the Galarc Kingdom and Restoration was to be personally delivered by Celia of the Claire family. No guards or escorts were to accompany her. She was to bring the letter to a checkpoint near the border, after which an envoy of the Beltrum Kingdom would act as her guide.
Fourth, the time limit for a response was one week, and the letter was to be delivered to a fort near the border between Galarc and Beltrum.
Fifth, if Celia failed to deliver the letter within the time limit, the role of the Claire family as neutral messengers would be voided. The Beltrum Kingdom would no longer guarantee the safety of anyone associated with the Claire family.
These were the selfish and one-sided demands contained in the letter.
“I have finished reading,” Celia said, gently returning the letter to the table.
“As we expected, they’ve decided to make a bold move now that the Restoration has lost their base and most of their personnel.”
Francois seemed to have expected such demands already. He sighed heavily, a grim expression on his face.
But Celia showed no objection to the letter, accepting them readily. “I agree to the terms. All I need to do is bring the written response to the designated location, right?”
“P-Please wait a minute!” Christina called for a halt in a fluster.
“Yes?”
“This may be a trap,” she emphasized in a sharp tone.
“That’s true... But there’s no proof of that. And the other side has designated me by name, so there is no option other than to go.”
“But...”
“If we ignore this letter, my father will be killed in Beltrum. I cannot let him die like that. I apologize for bringing my personal feelings into this,” Celia admitted, bowing her head apologetically.
“There’s nothing you need to apologize for, Professor...”
“The Galarc Kingdom would also be troubled if I refused to fulfill my duty,” Celia added resolutely.
“We are prepared to send a different messenger...” Francois suggested.
“I’m sorry. It may be naive of me to think this way as a noble, but I do not wish to stand by as my father is killed,” Celia said, rejecting his offer.
“I see... In that case, I will not stop you.”
“I... I could go in your place, Professor...” Christina said with a pale expression.
“That would be exactly what Duke Arbor wants! The Restoration will be over if Your Highness is captured. And you’d be setting a terrible image to members of the organization if you went in order to cover for me. Please think of the organization first, Princess Christina,” Celia admonished in a firm tone.
“Forgive me. If only I hadn’t formed that agreement with the Beltrum Kingdom... I never imagined the conditions intended to protect you and your family would backfire like this.”
Christina lowered her head.
It was the role of a leader to suppress their emotions and think only of the organization. They should only think and act for the benefit of the organization as a whole. Christina was well aware of this—there was no way someone as intelligent as her wouldn’t.
However, her emotions didn’t agree. She just couldn’t agree to handing her former teacher over to Duke Arbor without any resistance.
But nevertheless, Christina was currently in a position where she had to swallow her emotions.
“I’m sorry...”
She could only apologize to Celia in shame. There was nothing more vexing than being unable to protect those dear to her.
“Princess Christina. Someone of your caliber shouldn’t be apologizing to anyone. Won’t you please lend an ear to my words? Please, I beg of you.” Celia bowed her head.
“P-Professor, there’s no need for that...” Christina tried to stop her in a fluster.
“Please allow me, Celia Claire, to deliver the reply from the Restoration and Galarc Kingdom to Duke Arbor. I will read the letter in front of the duke and convey your intentions clearly. On top of that, I vow to return safely. So please, entrust this role to me. If you believe in me, please, let me do this.”
Celia firmly declared her intention to fulfill the duty of delivering the response. She continued to lower her head before Christina, begging her to entrust the position to her.
“Please raise your head, Professor...”
“If you agree to let me deliver the reply to Duke Arbor, then gladly.”
“You’re sure of this...?” Christina said with a weakened expression.
“My father is in the middle of returning to Beltrum to fulfill his role. As his daughter, I cannot abandon my duty either. So please...!” Celia pleaded desperately. Her feelings seemed to reach Christina.
“I understand... For now, we will focus on what to write in the response. If you haven’t changed your mind by the time we’re done, then...I will entrust this to you, Professor.” Christina placed her trust in Celia and reluctantly agreed.
◇ ◇ ◇
After the discussion had ended, Celia made her way back to the mansion with Charlotte.
“Umm, Princess Charlotte. I have a favor to ask of you,” Celia said to Charlotte, who was walking beside her on the way back.
“Yes, Lady Celia?”
“Could you keep quiet about the reply I have to deliver to Duke Arbor?”
“What am I meant to say to the others if you don’t return?” Charlotte didn’t agree immediately. Instead, she questioned Celia on the potential problems of staying quiet.
“I will return. No matter what,” Celia replied firmly.
“That’s not answering my question.”
“Well, if I told everyone about my situation, they’d all feel really worried for me, no? They’re all so kind, they’d treat the situation as if it were happening to themselves and try to save me.”
“Of course. If it were within my abilities, I would have tried to offer help too.” Charlotte gave Celia a reproachful look of concern. It was a rare show of blunt emotion from her.
“Thank you very much.”
“Thanking me with such a happy face isn’t going to help your case...”
“But I can’t help feeling happy.”
“Hmph...” Charlotte pouted in embarrassment.
“But to answer your question: if I were to leave without saying anything, everyone would probably be really angry at me. They’d wonder why I didn’t tell them—why I didn’t rely on them. And they’d feel even greater sadness,” Celia said with a guilty look.
“So you do know.”
“Yes... But you understand me, right Princess Charlotte? This isn’t a matter they can do anything about.”
“...I won’t deny that.”
“If they tried to accompany me or protect me from the shadows, the agreement between the Restoration and Beltrum would be voided. I can’t allow that to happen.”
If the demands this time were a trap by Duke Arbor, his goal would be to capture Celia. If someone came to her immediate rescue like that, the Beltrum side would be able to raise a fuss about bringing guards when told not to.
“You have admirable loyalty.”
“Princess Christina and Princess Flora are my former students. It may be discourteous of me to think this way, but I still consider them my students.”
Celia explained how she felt loyalty to Christina and Flora beyond their status as royalty.
“It makes me envious of them to hear that. Perhaps my school life wouldn’t have been so tedious if I had an instructor like you,” Charlotte mumbled with a twinge of jealousy.
“They’re all such important people to me, and that’s why I can’t rely on them for everything. That’s what I believe. So please—I’m sorry that the course of events means I have to burden you with this, but...” Celia came to a stop and bowed her head deeply to Charlotte.
“I have one—no, two conditions.” Charlotte also stopped.
“What are they?”
“First of all, please come home no matter what.”
“Of course.” Celia had intended on doing that from the beginning.
“Secondly, once you’ve returned, I’m going to tell them everything you said just now.”
“...” The second condition came as a surprise to Celia, who blinked in shock.
“That way you can suffer the wrath of everyone yourself. I’ll even add a spin to this conversation to trouble you more.”
So make sure you come back for it, Charlotte emphasized.
“Gladly.” Celia nodded with a smile.
“Then let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Charlotte puffed up her cheeks slightly and resumed walking. Celia followed behind her.
Can I discuss this with you further tonight, Aishia? Celia addressed the person accompanying her in the shadows through telepathy.
Sure. A reply came immediately, and they continued off towards the mansion.
◇ ◇ ◇
After returning home, Celia and Charlotte went about their day without bringing up what had happened at the castle again.
They chatted about trivial things, ate dinner together, then bathed and returned to their respective rooms to rest for the night. When Celia returned to her room, she turned on a light and glanced around. Sora, who had been here just a few nights ago, had left with Rio to find clues on Lina. The short time they had spent together had been full of life, making everything feel oddly silent right now. However...
Are you there, Aishia?
Yup, I’m here. Aishia was beside her in her spirit form.
If you have a moment, can I talk to you about what I mentioned this afternoon?
Sure.
I didn’t expect this to happen the moment Rio left... But I consider this to be the perfect opportunity.
Perfect opportunity? Why is that?
Rio’s got enough on his plate with the rules of god to worry about. I can’t trouble him with my own problems as well. There’s a limit to how much you and Rio can fight right now too.
But I’m going to go with you.
It seemed like Aishia intended on accompanying Celia in her spirit form, but...
That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about... I don’t want to be baggage to you two any longer, Celia said eagerly.
You’ve never been baggage to us.
I’m glad you think that way, but I also want you to stay at the castle and look after everyone else. Can I count on you for that? The mansion has been previously attacked once already.
Something’s more likely to happen on your end. Gouki and Sara’s group are here. I’m more worried about you, Celia. Aishia conveyed her thoughts with honesty.
I know... Until now, I would have relied on you too. But that can’t keep happening anymore. I can’t just rely on you and Rio for everything. I want to prove that I can be an asset too. So this time...can you trust me to go alone?
Are you that confident? Aishia asked after a long pause.
Yeah, I am... Brimming with it, to be honest. I’ve become a lot stronger now—I know many more magic spells. Celia swung her delicate arms and patted herself proudly on the chest.
In that case, prove it. Fight with me, Celia, Aishia proposed, in order to ascertain whether she could send Celia off without worrying.
◇ ◇ ◇
The next morning marked Celia’s departure from the Galarc Castle. She left the capital without saying a word about the demands from Duke Arbor.
After riding an enchanted airship out to the westmost city of the Galarc Kingdom, she got on a griffin led by one of Charlotte’s female knights and headed for the Beltrum border.
They reached the border by early afternoon and made their way to the first meeting place designated by Duke Arbor: the checkpoint. The Galarc knights were not permitted to accompany her beyond that point. A small squad of Beltrum troops was waiting at the checkpoint. They were to escort Celia’s horse carriage to the fort where Duke Arbor was waiting.
Celia was wary of any traps Duke Arbor may have set along the trip, but her fears were unfounded. Roughly half an hour passed without any incident.
“Mmm...” Celia yawned quietly.
Oops, I have to be more careful. I shouldn’t have stayed up so late last night.
There was no telling what trouble the slightest lapse of caution could invite. Alone in the carriage, she quickly shook her head and pulled herself together. After another half an hour or so of travel, they arrived at the fort where Duke Arbor was.
“Get out,” urged her so-called guard of an enemy knight. Celia alighted from the carriage as the fort gate slammed shut behind her.
“...” She stared around the fort silently. Ten or so meters in front of her stood Duke Arbor, Charles, Reiss, and Renji in a row. Numerous knights surrounded Celia, with the mercenaries Lucci and Arein that Reiss was friendly with among them.
They weren’t even bothering with pretenses—they were clearly conveying their intention to keep her prisoner here. As she had expected, they probably weren’t going to let her return without a fight.
“This is quite the welcome,” Celia said to Duke Arbor with her brow furrowed.
“What do you mean?” Duke Arbor tilted his head calmly. “Really, though. How dare you shamelessly show up after ruining your marriage into the Arbor family.” He glared harshly at Celia, making reference to the incident of her wedding to Charles.
“Come to think of it, I was abducted from that wedding,” Celia replied, provoking him with a relaxed smile.
“Hmph! So you were an unruly horse underneath that young and obedient appearance. I will give you one chance. It’s still not too late, you know?” Duke Arbor asked boldly.
“Too late for what?”
“Marry Charles and surrender to the Arbor house. I will guarantee the survival of the Claire house if you do.”
“You must be kidding me. Have you forgotten the terms of the agreement with the Restoration already?” Celia returned the question with strong objection.
“If you think that the agreement will continue once the Restoration is destroyed, then you’re more foolish than I thought. I’d have to revise my evaluation of you as the youngest girl genius to graduate from the Royal Academy,” Duke Arbor said mockingly.
“The Restoration still exists.”
“In a precarious state, perhaps. That’s why this is your last chance. Become mistress to Charles.”
“You’d have to kill me first.” Even Celia had to refuse such an oppressive demand like that, her face twitching.
“Celia...” Pride wounded by her cold attitude, Charles glared at Celia with a huge grimace on his face.
“Fool. There’s no return from this place either way for you.” Duke Arbor’s sneer deepened.
“Hey, was there a need to call me all the way here to catch a single girl? She’s trembling on her feet,” Renji, who stood nearby, complained to Reiss in annoyance.
Indeed, although Celia’s legs were hidden by her long skirt, they were trembling faintly. She was acting relaxed before Duke Arbor, but it was really all a bluff. Renji didn’t feel particularly enthusiastic about capturing such a frail woman and sighed listlessly.
“If she were alone, there’d be no need for you to be here. But keep your attention on the skies overhead.”
However, Reiss called Renji to pay attention to his surroundings—almost as though he was expecting Celia to have other allies.
“Got it.” Renji nodded with another sigh, directing his gaze at the sky with renewed attention.
“You are breaking off negotiations. Is that how I am to interpret your words?” Duke Arbor glared at Celia even more harshly.
“I’m not breaking off anything, I’m here with the written response from the Restoration and Galarc Kingdom. I will leave as soon as business is done, so allow me to read their message and ensure that there are no communication issues.” Celia maintained that she was only here to fulfill her role.
“There will be no need for that,” said Duke Arbor.
“What do you mean by that?”
“We will now proceed to restrain you.”
“Am I correct to assume you are revoking your side of the agreement? Your cause will no longer be justifiable if you do this. Are you sure?”
“Oh, we have no intention of revoking the agreement. The ones who will be going against their word will be the Claire family. That is our justification for this.”
“What do you mean?” Celia raised her brow in suspicion.
“I mean what I said. The Claire family will go against the agreement.”
“I would never do such a thing.”
“No, you already have. Once we restrain you, we’ll have all the time in the world to get a confession out of you.”
Even Celia’s expression had to stiffen at that. “You intend on forcing a fake confession out of me? I would never yield to you!” she declared firmly.
“Hmm. Let’s see if you can still say such things once you’re caught. Hey...” Duke Arbor jerked his chin, ordering the knights around Celia to apprehend her. The knights started surrounding her from a distance of a few meters away, ensuring she couldn’t flee.
“If that is your intention, then I will exercise my right to self-defense. I must achieve my goal and return no matter what,” Celia protested with a nervous look.
“Bwa ha ha ha! Dumb girl. You’re so scared, your voice and feet are both trembling. I’d like to see you try.” Duke Arbor laughed at Celia as though he could see right through her.
“...” Celia trembled from head to toe. She was truly scared. There was no way she wouldn’t be. She was in a real battle, all by herself. Her opponents were all career soldiers with bigger bodies and more war experience, and they had her surrounded.
Calm down. Calm down, me...
She had already decided. She wouldn’t rely on Rio and Aishia to fight for her anymore. She would fight in their place, so that they didn’t have to. After all, she didn’t want them to lose their memories. She wanted Rio, Aishia, and now Sora to remember them all.
Today, here and now, I will prove that I can fight alone!
She wouldn’t let herself be a hindrance, someone who had to be protected, anymore. She hadn’t let Aishia follow her here either. She was going to discard her dependence on other people to protect her. For Celia, this was her first time truly fighting alone.
“Assumo: Gladius.”
“...Hmm?” Duke Arbor and the majority of the others there tilted their heads. The spell Celia had suddenly cast was unfamiliar to all of them, with the exception of Reiss.
Don’t tell me... Is that...?
Reiss, who had been watching the skies for an ambush for some time now, returned his gaze to the ground with a gasp when he heard Celia’s spell. He focused his attention on what was going on in front of him just in time to see a complex magic circle surround Celia’s body.
“H-Hey, what are you doing?! Seize her before she tries anything funny!” Duke Arbor ordered his knights in a fluster.
“R-Right away!”
Their confidence in capturing a small woman like Celia had caused the knights to let their guards down. They quickly started running towards her, but Celia ran towards one of the knights approaching her, closing the distance to him in an instant.
“Hah!”
She then grabbed him and threw him with ease, stealing the sword at his waist and claiming it for herself. However, the knight had only been equipped with a wooden training sword in order to apprehend her. Nevertheless, Celia had obtained a weapon.
“Wha...?!” Tension filled the knights’ faces in an instant.
“Si vis pacem, para bellum.” Celia cast another new spell. Another complex magic circle covered her body. It was a spell impossible to mimic with modern magic and sorcery, a spell that cast a powerful physical body enhancement that was normally only obtainable through ancient enchanted swords.
“Augendae Corporis.” The knights reacted quickly to her. As soon as they saw her movements, they used their magic to enhance their physical abilities. They accelerated as soon as the spell activated and approached Celia to seize her.
“What?!”
Celia’s speed exceeded that of the knights. She weaved through the knights faster than the eye could see, escaping their encirclement. Then, with her back against the wall of the fort, she faced the knights with her wooden sword held ready.
“Damn it! Draw your swords!” the squad commander of the knights ordered. Everyone drew their nonlethal wooden swords and surrounded Celia.
“You may hurt her as much as you need, just don’t kill her!” Duke Arbor yelled. Thus began the battle between Celia and the knights of the Beltrum Kingdom.
“Haaa!” Celia boldly charged at the knights. There was no sign of the fear she had showed earlier.
“Wh-What?!” With skillful swordsmanship and light footwork, Celia used her physical abilities that surpassed human limits and overwhelmed the knights.
“Oh?” Even Renji, in all his annoyance, was now watching her fight with deep interest.
There’s no mistaking it. She’s acquired numerous celestial magic spells. She previously used another spell too—was she always able to cast such things? It wouldn’t be a concern if she specialized in close-ranged combat, but...
Reiss was observing Celia’s fight with his cold gaze in order to determine how much of a threat she was. Celia, who had only been able to fight as a turret-style sorcerer until now, had completely transformed into a swordsman that specialized in close combat.
“Hey, what’s the meaning of this?!”
“Being outsmarted by a sorcerer girl like this...”
“Guh...”
Celia got up close to one knight after another, hitting them with the back of her sword and knocking them unconscious. There were still knights left.
They may outnumber her, but the average knight has no chance, Reiss concluded.
“Lucci, Arein. Support the knights and capture her!” he ordered the two mercenaries that wielded enchanted swords capable of physical body enhancements. The two were already prepared for combat and swiftly leaped at Celia without bothering to give Reiss a response.
“Huh?!”
Celia evaded their swords with astounding reflexes, seeing through their attacks and moving lightly on her feet.
“Hey, Arein! We’re going to corner her!” Lucci ordered Arein with a fierce grin.
“Okay, okay.” Arein immediately moved behind Celia.
“Say, little lady. How are you doing that? You couldn’t even run in a straight line before!”
Celia’s movements were completely different from before. She couldn’t even swing a sword with her previous athletic ability, yet she was now fighting with enough skill to send the most experienced veteran knight fleeing with their tail between their legs. However, Celia wasn’t foolish enough to entertain them with conversation. Her expression was cold and calm.
“You even feel like a veteran fighter now. How is that possible?” Arein questioned the sudden change in Celia as well.
“Well, I guess we can just find out by crossing swords!” Lucci lunged to attack Celia again. In contrast to the enchanted sword in his hand, Celia only had a wooden sword. It was obvious which side would lose if they crossed swords.
“...”
With elegant footsteps, Celia changed her focus to evasion. Lucci and Arein tried to sandwich her between them, but she avoided their attempts skillfully. Using only minimal movements, she evaded their swords right before their eyes.
“Hey now...”
“Damn, she’s good...”
Lucci and Arein found themselves impressed by her abilities. The knights were also chasing her around the fort, but they couldn’t keep up with her speed and failed to land a single hit.
“N-No way, just what kind of magic did she use...?”
Duke Arbor and Charles were also rendered speechless by the sight of her fighting. Physically enchanted adults that were trained for war were being led around by the nose, and in such large numbers.
It’d be best to consider her a different person to who she was until now. Forget the great heroes, she could even be on par with the disciples...
Reiss’s appraising gaze on Celia grew harsher.
Just whose doing could this be? Something must have happened after Renji was knocked out in Rodania... Was it his doing after all? No, but he...
The situation was completely unexpected for Reiss as well. His thoughts were unable to keep up with the circumstances, leaving a rare look of confusion on his face.
“She darts about like a damn fly...”
“The other knights are in the way.”
Arein and Lucci were at a loss as to how to attack, still unable to capture Celia. Celia had used her small frame and the closed battlefield to her advantage, maneuvering around the outnumbered situation. The knights became obstacles preventing the mercenaries from closing in on her.
The difference in weapons is a pain. Celia lacked the ability to land a finishing move. If she were to continue this close-combat battle, she would prefer to have a metal weapon.
I just want to get this letter to Duke Arbor. Ugh.
She could probably use magic to change the situation, but doing so would also change her opponents’ approach. She was extremely wary of Reiss and Renji, who were still watching for now.
Besides, if anyone died here, they’d probably find fault with her later—she had to handle this situation without killing anyone by accident.
Fine. If it’s going to be like this, then...
Celia accepted her fate and made her move. There was no end to the number of knights around her, so she ignored them and the mercenaries to run right up to her main target, Duke Arbor.
“Wha?!” Duke Arbor stiffened.
“Hmph!” Renji stepped between them, using the handle of Cocytus, his halberd-shaped Divine Arms, to block Celia’s sword, but Celia pressed her weapon against Renji’s in silence.
“What a woman. It’d be a shame to kill you, to be honest.” Renji stared at Celia from close up, smirking, but immediately after, a hysterical shriek sounded behind him. It came from Duke Arbor.
That can’t be, the woman is in front of me!
For a brief moment, Renji’s focus was directed behind him. He noticed a stone pillar growing from the ground out of the corner of his eye. Duke Arbor had been pushed up by that pillar—there was a spell formula glowing where he had originally stood.
So she can even cast spells silently now.
Reiss immediately saw through what happened. But even as he thought that, another spell formula glowed at Celia’s feet. A stone pillar burst out of the ground, pushing her slender body up into the air.
“Hah!” Celia leaped from the pillar to where Duke Arbor was flying through the air. She grabbed him and landed on top of the fort wall.
“You won’t get away.”
Renji, Lucci, and Arein all raised their physical abilities to run up the wall easily, surrounding Celia.
“The tables have been turned, you realize?” Celia said to the three of them coldly. She pointed her wooden sword at Duke Arbor at the edge of the wall. With a little push, he would go tumbling off the wall.
“With a toy sword like that, just try it. The moment you push the duke, or the moment you swing your sword, the three of us will kill you. Would you rather die than surrender?” Arein threatened coldly.
After brief contemplation, Celia pointed the wooden sword at Duke Arbor and said, “I’m merely here to deliver a letter. Once I’ve fulfilled that role, I will leave.”
“So she claims. What do we do, Duke?” Arein asked Duke Arbor.
“Ugh... I’ll accept the letter.”
Half a step farther and he would fall backwards off the wall. Seized with fear at the thought of falling over ten meters, Duke Arbor agreed to Celia’s negotiations.
“Then here. This is the response from the Galarc Kingdom and Restoration.”
With her free hand, Celia reached into her breast pocket and took out two envelopes, handing them to Duke Arbor.
“...I have received it.”
“Please open it. I will now proceed to read the letters, so please confirm that the contents are as written. Once done, please stamp them with the Arbor house’s seal of receipt,” Celia said.
“Hah. How are you going to read it with one hand? Do you want me to hold your copies so you can read them?” Lucci asked mockingly. It was custom for a second copy of the response to be prepared and read aloud in front of the recipient in order to certify that the letter was received. On top of that, the recipient was to stamp a copy of the letter to be brought back, proving the response was received.
“I’ve memorized every word of the letters, so there will be no need for that. Once you’ve stamped your copies of the letters, I will give you the copies for me to bring back, so please stamp those as well.”
“Are you serious?” Lucci’s face twitched. He didn’t think she would allow him to approach so easily, but he hadn’t been expecting that answer.
“I will now begin reading.”
Thus, with her wooden sword pointed at Duke Arbor, Celia began reciting the letter.
Duke Arbor checked the letter against Celia’s words while shaking at the edge of the fort wall. Whether he had the guts to find fault with the slightest mistake aside, Celia had truly memorized every word of the letter and read it aloud smoothly.
“Has she seriously memorized every word?” Lucci muttered, expressing his doubts.
“Some people can do that. You’re just stupid. Now act serious,” Arein warned him with a sigh. Celia continued reading while they conversed, eventually approaching the end of the second letter.
“Next is the final condition. Please listen to this carefully,” Celia said in warning. The current letter she was reading was from the Restoration to the Beltrum Kingdom.
“Wh...” Duke Arbor’s eyes swept over the text before she could read it.
“Y-You must be kidding me! I would never accept this!” he yelled angrily, forgetting how he was standing at the wall’s edge.
“I will pass on that message upon my return. But before that, I must read this last condition out loud. Please remain silent,” Celia said, holding the wooden sword with more strength.
“Guh...” That sapped Duke Arbor of his energy. Using that opportunity, Celia began reading the response Christina had entrusted her.
“I, Christina Beltrum, First Princess of the kingdom of Beltrum, formally declare my position as first in line to succeed the throne.”
“S-Stop! I won’t accept this...!”
Duke Arbor stubbornly refused to listen to her, but Celia silenced him by thrusting the wooden sword at him once more.
“I, Christina Beltrum, hereby declare my accession as queen of Beltrum. I will share royal authority over the kingdom of Beltrum alongside my father, King Philip Beltrum. The royal insignia entrusted to me by my father is proof of my legitimacy. As the leader of the Beltrum Kingdom, I am formally requesting a meeting with its other leader, Philip III. I will not accept a proxy representative. Considering the current political state of our kingdom, I propose the meeting be held in the Galarc Castle. A reply to this letter should be brought to the Galarc Castle by Count Roland Claire within one month. If no response arrives within this time frame, it will be assumed that King Philip III has no objections to Christina Beltrum’s accession as queen.”
Celia finished reading to the end of the letter. The contents were essentially a declaration of a dyarchy.
“Sharing royal authority? Two rulers of one kingdom? You people must be out of your minds! Are you trying to split the nation into two?! And the regalia really was stolen!” Duke Arbor yelled angrily.
“I do not have the authority to give a formal answer, but the regalia was taken with permission and not stolen. If you have an objection to the accession, you’ll need to submit your protest according to the procedures established in the kingdom’s laws.”
“Urgh...” Duke Arbor fell silent, a vein of anger bulging at his brow.
This is why... This is why I didn’t want to let her use the regalia!
What did Christina’s declaration of accession mean for the kingdom?
In short, it was what Celia had just said; denying the legitimacy of accession would require following the procedures provided in the national law. This meant that Christina would remain queen until her legitimacy was denied through the proper legal procedures.
Even Duke Arbor, who had been given the right to represent King Philip III as prime minister, couldn’t avoid those procedures. If he skipped the procedures to forcibly deny her accession, he would lose his own legitimacy.
Thus, if he wanted to deny Christina’s position as the new queen, he absolutely had to go through the national law. Duke Arbor had been flawlessly forced into going along with Christina’s plan.
“I will also be reporting to Her Majesty of your attempt to harm me today, so please keep that in mind,” Celia added, making sure to protest how she had been treated today.
“What...?” Duke Arbor’s face twitched even more.
“The letter also includes details regarding what should happen from here on. My father Roland should have returned to the Claire territory by now, so ensure that he is the one you send to the Galarc Kingdom with your reply. Now, please mark the letters with your magic seal,” Celia ordered Duke Arbor in a matter-of-fact tone. She put her strength into her sword as though to emphasize what would happen if he didn’t.
“Grr...” Duke Arbor was reluctant. But he made up his mind after a few seconds and pressed his finger against the spot marked with a spell formula, pouring his magic essence into it. The spell formula glowed, registering Duke Arbor’s essence pattern.
“Now do the same to these letters.”
“Hmph...” Duke Arbor pressed his magic seal to prove he’d received the letters in silence.
“With this, the response has been delivered.” Celia confirmed the magic seals were applied and returned her copy of the letters to her breast pocket.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. Such declarations will make no difference at this late stage...” Duke Arbor spat hatefully.
“Any further objections will be heard at the meeting. Now, if you would excuse me,” Celia replied coolly, wrapping up the conversation. She had completed her duty, so now all she had to do was return. The marked letters had to be brought back no matter what.
“Now that you’re done with your business, it’s time to attend to ours.”
For Renji, Lucci, and Arein, their turn started here. They had no intention of letting Celia return like this, so they surrounded her with their weapons in their hands.
“Heh heh...” Lucci gave Celia a leering smile, as though to question how she planned on leaving. Indeed, the problem was how she would leave.
“I said, excuse me.” With a single bow, Celia leaped down from the ten-meter-high wall.
“We won’t let you!” Lucci and the others immediately jumped after her with their bodies physically enhanced.
“Alis Luminis!” Celia shouted as she fell.
Two small magic circles appeared on her back and began to emit a wave of light, as though she had grown wings of light.
“Wha?!” The men were at a loss for words. Celia flew away from the fort in a single burst without flapping her wings, leaving behind a trail of light.
“Ha...ha ha...ha...” Arein could only laugh. He gazed at Celia as she rapidly gained distance from the fort.
“Man... She’s really on another level now,” Lucci laughed too, commending his enemy.
It’s hard to dislike strong women like her, for some reason.
Renji had also forgotten his position as her enemy and regarded her highly. Just then, Reiss landed lightly beside him.
“We’re chasing her, Renji,” he said. “Kill her with your strongest attack.”
“...Huh? What are you saying?” Renji was taken aback by the sudden order. Besides, Celia was already a hundred meters or more away.
“Just do as I say. She needs to be eliminated here and now.”
“H-Hey!” Reiss grabbed Renji’s body before he could object further and flew after Celia in plain sight of everyone.
◇ ◇ ◇
A hundred meters away from the fort...
Are they following me?
Celia noticed Reiss flying after her with Renji in his arms. Reiss was using wind spirit arts to accelerate himself in a way that Rio often used as well, and he was rapidly closing the distance to her.
Celia attempted to accelerate, but Reiss followed suit.
“Release your attack the moment you’ve readied your magic essence,” he ordered Renji with clear murderous intent.
“You sure don’t hold back, huh... Fine.” Despite his words, Renji’s mouth was twisted in a delighted smirk. He held his halberd at the ready and focused on generating magic essence.
That’s so much essence! Don’t tell me...
Celia detected the rise in magic essence behind her. With a quick glance, she confirmed the essence was rising from Renji’s body. Then, she recalled the powerful attack he released upon the skies above Rodania.
Does he intend on using that attack?!
At this distance, Celia was easily within his attack range—she’d end up frozen at this rate.
“A-Argh!” She hurriedly prepared her own magic essence. She needed a magic that could withstand that blow...
“Aperio: Caelestis Magicus. Verifico: Celia Claire.” Celia immediately began reciting a spell. She was still unable to silently cast spells of high complexity, so she had to recite the whole thing.
“Salvatio Initium. Impetus...Mora.”
She steadily made her preparations to activate her magic. But at the same time...
“All right, Reiss! I’m ready!” Renji had also readied his attack; they were about to fire their strongest moves at each other. A test of strength in its simplest form was about to take place.
“Endless Force—”
“Infinitus!”
Move name and spell incantation overlapped with each other. During this moment, Celia turned her body midair to face Renji.
“—Blizzard!”
“Durandal!”
An enormous shock wave created an explosion of light that filled their vision.
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