The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 4

Chapter IV: Inglis, Age 12 (Part 1)

Six years had passed since the day of her baptism, making Inglis twelve years old and deep into a daily training regimen while conveniently helping Rafinha on the path to the knights’ academy that her Rune, the Bow of Light, had set her on.

Luke, Inglis’s father, had granted them both permission to participate in the knights’ training sessions and hunts for magicite beasts, which were in many ways fulfilling experiences. Inglis thought it definitely wasn’t a bad way to stay sharp, in any case.

Unfortunately, not one of the largest magicite beasts, the sort that could destroy an entire kingdom, had seen fit to appear. Inglis had heard only the strongest Artifacts—the ones wieldable by those with the highest, special class of Runes—were enough to take on those foes. Nonetheless, Inglis wanted to find out for herself.

Such beasts were said to have become rare in the environs of Ymir within the past two or three decades. Neighboring kingdoms were, however, less fortunate. Inglis hoped for a chance to be a part of an expeditionary force to those places.

When she’d mentioned that to Rafinha, her cousin had been aghast at the idea of fighting such dangerous prey, but Inglis wanted more. She wanted—more than anyone—to be stronger than everyone. Inglis Eucus would live by the blade!

That’s what ran through her mind at least.

Before her was long platinum blonde hair that shimmered like the moon, dark red eyes that glimmered like rubies, and a smile that bloomed like a flower. This was her after twelve years. This was her reflection in the mirror.

She was tall for her age and looked a bit more mature for it. She figured she could pass for fourteen or fifteen. Spinning, she let the hem of her red dress twirl happily in the air.

Hmm. My looks are coming along nicely too, Inglis thought, considering her future. Along with all her talents, she’d be quite the beauty someday.

“Chris, are you done changing?”

“Yeah, I’m done, Rani.”

“Oookay, I’m coming in, theeen!” Rafinha said, stepping into the dressing room. “Ohhh, wow! You look so grown-up! You’re beautiful! Absolutely jaw-dropping! ♪”

Rafinha had grown into a lively girl with dark eyes and shoulder-length silky black hair. She seemed a bit innocent at first, but she was clever and always upbeat.

The third person in the room, a woman in her forties or fifties, let out a pleased sigh. “Really, you look great in that. If a dress could be delighted by who chose to wear it, I’m sure this one would be overjoyed.” This woman was the master seamstress of the city as well as both a personal and professional acquaintance of the ducal household.

“Thank you,” Inglis said. “I like this one.”

The duo enjoyed visiting this seamstress’s boutique from time to time and checking out various dresses. Mostly it was Inglis who tried them on; Rafinha enjoyed having someone to dress up, and Inglis had no objection to playing the model. It was an opportunity this reborn hero-king would get only as a woman, so why not enjoy it?

In any case, it was a refreshing break from training. And as embarrassing as modeling dresses had been at first, she’d quickly gotten used to it. After all, she was in firm agreement that she looked good in just about anything. Imagining what aspects of herself she could choose to emphasize through different outfits was fun.

“Why don’t you tie your hair up with this ribbon?” Rafinha asked. “I think you’d look really cute with it. ♪”

“Why not? Can you tie it for me?”

“Sure. I’ll get that,” the seamstress offered.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“It’s fine. I’m a woman too. I deeply appreciate the beautiful things in life.”

With her hair tied back, Inglis looked even more grown up. Not bad at all, she thought. Beautiful, in fact. Inglis smiled at the mirror.

“Wooow! That looks great too! It’s perfect!”

“Isn’t it? ♪ Now, how about these?” the seamstress said, holding some other outfits. “I thought you’d look wonderful in them, Inglis, so I set them aside.”

“Go ahead, Chris! Try them on!”

“Ha ha ha. Sure.”

The rest of the day passed, and evening fell. As Inglis and Rafinha headed home, they saw a gigantic shadow pass far above them in the sky.

It was a floating island—one big enough to hold Ymir and even its fortifications twice over. Atop this drifting island was a city.

“Wow, it’s Highland! I haven’t seen it in forever!” Rafinha closed her eyes and clasped her palms in its direction.

“What are you doing, Rani?”

“Making a wish! They say that if you wish on Highland, your wish will come true!”

Like wishing on a shooting star, Inglis guessed.

It was true—seeing Highland from Ymir was a rare opportunity. Inglis had only seen it once before. It was fascinating; it definitely hadn’t existed in her previous life. She’d also heard that Artifacts and the baptismal tabernacle that inscribed Runes were crafted by Highland and endowed to the soil-bound kingdoms so that they could defend themselves.

“Wishing on Highland, huh... Sounds superstitious.”

“Oh, stop being a stick in the mud! Just try it! Wish for something, Chris!”

“Fine...” She closed her eyes and made her one wish: I hope I find an opponent with a bit of fight to it!

“I hope Rafael is doing well,” Rafinha said. Her brother had graduated from the knights’ academy at the head of his class, but he remained in the capital to work. He was constantly busy and rarely had time to return to Ymir. It had been several years since they’d last met. “How about you, Chris? What did you wish for?”

“A challenging opponent...I suppose.”

“Aha ha ha. Sometimes I think they messed up making you and put the soul of a warlord in the body of an angel.”

“I’m not sure you’re wrong.”

It was a closer guess than Inglis wanted to admit. Rafinha definitely knew her well. They’d grown up these past twelve years practically as sisters, and Rafinha knew Inglis could fight magicite beasts without an Artifact.

“Anyway, I hope my wish comes true,” Rafinha said, “but I’d rather pass on yours. Who knows what would happen if you got what you want?”

“That’s not fair at all.”

“Then wish for something cuter. Maybe ‘I want to be swept off my feet’ or something.”

“Uh, nope, nope, nope...! No way!”

Just the thought sent chills down her spine. Dressing up? Looking good? Sure, but she was doing that for herself. Her body may have changed, but her tastes hadn’t. Being drooled over by some guy was not on the menu in her case.

“Really, though,” Rafinha continued, “I don’t want you falling in love with anyone I don’t know. It’s Rafael or nothing. And no one but you for him!”

“I, uhh... I’m not quite sure—”

“Oh, whatever. Let’s just go home.”

They had both made wishes that night:

I hope I find an opponent with a bit of fight to it!

I hope Rafael is doing well.

And they would, by chance, both come true soon.

Several days later...

“A royal inspector?” Inglis asked.

“Yes, my father was talking about them,” Rafinha replied. She had brought news of them during a break in the knights’ practice. “A royal inspector comes every two or three years, but this is the first time they’ve brought someone from Highland with them.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“I’ve never met a Highlander before. I can’t wait to see what they’re like! Father said he’d like us to attend the reception, so we’ll meet them there.”

“Yeah. I guess we will.”

Rafinha was excited, but was this really something to be pleased about? Highland was the source of the Artifacts by which the soil-bound lands defended themselves, but in return, Highland demanded vast quantities of crops and resources from the other lands.

It was a simple proposal: cooperate or die. Her country had so far kept its royalty and aristocracy, but surely Highland must be contemplating direct rule as well. Perhaps this was simply their first step in seizing control of the government.

This was all probably a bit beyond twelve-year-old Rafinha’s grasp of geopolitics, admittedly. It was also far beyond the sphere of Inglis Eucus, who wanted only to spend her life as a squire on the front lines, no matter what habits she’d picked up in her past life. Still, she didn’t want anything to happen to her family or to her home of Ymir. And if trouble was coming, she’d fight it with every ounce of her power.

Before long, the inspector’s delegation arrived.

◆◇◆

A dressing room in Duke Bilford’s quarters hummed with conversation.

“Amazing...! You look beautiful!”

“Really, like something out of a painting!”

“I can’t believe she already looks this splendid...!”

The maidservants sighed in admiration.

“There we go,” the seamstress said with a smile. “I’ve tied your hair up, Inglis. Really, though. What makes things shine is finding the proper place for them. And I think you’re the perfect owner for this.”

Tonight, a banquet would be held to welcome the inspector and their delegation. The seamstress had come to the castle to help Inglis prepare, bringing the red dress Inglis had tried on. Inglis’s parents had bought it for her to wear at the banquet as a debutante.

“Thanks. It’s a bit embarrassing, though.” Inglis was drawing far more attention than she wanted. Showing off in front of her close friend Rafinha and the seamstress was fine, but being the center of strangers’ attention tied her stomach into knots. In her past life as a king, she’d of course been the center of the attention of her subjects, but that was a different kind of attention.

“Inglis, you know every eye will be on you when you walk into that hall,” the seamstress said. “Come on, give me a happy little spin like you normally do! Show me you can do it!”

“Um... Like this?” She twirled, sending her hemline hovering in the air for a moment and bouncing her tied-back hair. Her smile sent the maidservants swooning. “Uh, it’s really embarrassing...”

“Come on. Don’t slouch like that. You’re prettier when you stand straight.”

Rafinha, wearing a yellow dress, smiled at Inglis. “Are you ready, Chriiis? Oh! I guess you are. Oooh. Looking as good as you always do! ♪” Her own dress and the flower in her hair suited her well. They weren’t merely cute on her—they accentuated her naturally positive energy.

“You look cute, Rani. Really, you do.”

“Really? I think I’m just a sideshow to you, Chris.”

“No! You’re adorable. I can’t believe it. You were such a tiny little thing, and you’ve grown up so much.” Inglis had perfectly clear memories of when they’d been babies. To her, it seemed like hardly any time had passed at all. Inglis may not have been a proud parent, but seeing how Rafinha had grown, she knew now how those parents must feel.

“Aha ha ha. You sound like my parents. Thanks, though. I’ll take your word for it. I’m just a little nervous. We don’t wear dresses that often.”

“You two look wonderful! Everything’s ready, then,” the seamstress said, pushing Inglis forward lightly. “Go on!”

“All right, let’s go, Chris!”

“Yeah.”

Hand in hand, Rafinha and Inglis walked down to the reception banquet. It took place in the great hall on the first floor, facing the courtyard. As soon as they neared the entrance, a young knight with a gallant expression took them aside. Her name was Ada, and though she was still young, she was already the lieutenant captain of Ymir’s knights. Luke had been sent to lead an expeditionary force, leaving her in charge of the guard.

“Why if it isn’t Rafinha and Inglis! Your dresses are beautiful! You look adorable!” Ada was a close acquaintance and a constant companion on missions and training alike. As a young woman a bit older than they were, she kept an eye out for the girls.

“Thanks, Ada.”

“Thank you.”

“When you’re ready, please make your way inside. His Grace is waiting. And don’t forget to enjoy yourselves.” Ada smiled, before frowning for a moment. “But it would behoove you to keep your guard up. Anti-Highland guerrilla band activity is on the rise, even though I doubt they’d be active in Ymir. It would be very unfortunate if anything were to happen to their ambassador.”

“You worry too much, Ada,” Rafinha said. “Ymir’s in the middle of nowhere. That may as well be happening in another world.”

“Rani,” Inglis cautioned, “with my father gone, worrying about that is Ada’s responsibility. She’s right. Let’s help her keep an eye on things.”

After all, Inglis would love the chance to test her own might.

“That makes sense. I guess I should take it as a compliment?” Rafinha’s upper-class Bow of Light Rune outranked that of the knights. And while Inglis was Runeless, Ada knew quite well that she was a prodigy of the blade beyond comparison. That must have been why she’d even mentioned it.

“Of course,” Ada confirmed. “Thank you.”

Rafinha smiled. “Okay. Let’s go inside, then?”

“Understood.” Inglis nodded.

Inglis and Rafinha strode forward into the hall. As they did, all eyes gathered on them. Inglis felt their stares focused on her in particular—not that it mattered.

“Oooh! Everyone’s looking at you, Chris!”

Rafinha puffed up with pride, but Inglis was significantly less pleased. The women watching were embarrassing, but she could endure them. She was beautiful to them in the same sense that a vista or a painting would be, but to the men... Even experiencing this kind of attention for the first time, Inglis felt it was completely different.

Inglis was twelve, but she looked more like fifteen, which was the age where men would start seeing her as a woman rather than as a girl. Her face, her hair, the graceful movement of her limbs, and especially the small cut-out above her chest—the men’s gazes showered down like a storm on all of these features.

Her own eye had caught these things at the occasional banquet in her past life. Back then she had only thought of it as one person appreciating a beautiful woman, but now, on the other side of it, she sensed an immense pressure from that hail of stares, and it was not enjoyable at all.

How must those women she’d ogled have felt, then? It was a bit late to regret how she’d acted, but still, she regretted it all the same. That had been wrong.

“R-Rani...! Can I hug you?” Without thinking, Inglis stepped back into her friend’s shadow.

“What’s wrong, Chris? Everyone wants to see you. You don’t need to hide.”

“Th-That’s why I want to hide! It’s creepy!”

“But you look so grown up. Isn’t it nice being so popular?”

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Maybe a woman with a more conventional background would enjoy this, Inglis thought. But no matter what Inglis looked like, she still had her memories, and this was no more appealing to her than a room of men leering at her in her past life would have been. How could I be anything but uncomfortable?

“Umm... Anyway, why don’t we go see the duke?” Inglis suggested with a tone of forced enthusiasm.

“O-Okay.”

The sooner they’d made their introductions to the inspector’s delegation, the sooner they could leave. Inglis half-dragged Rafinha in her search for Duke Bilford. Finally, she found him at the rear of the haul, engaged in light chat with a few others.

“Father!”

“Your Grace!”

The duke smiled as he noticed the girls approach. “Oh, Rafinha and Inglis! You look wonderful in those dresses. I couldn’t ask for better centerpieces. I can hardly believe you’ve grown up so quickly.” He turned to point them out to the group around him. “Let me introduce you. This is my daughter, Rafinha, and my niece, Inglis.”

“I’m Rafinha. Pleased to meet you.”

“Inglis. An honor to make your acquaintance.”

The pair of girls gave prim and proper curtsies.

“Oh, you must be the girls Rafael mentioned. Glad to meet you!” A man in his late twenties, dressed in a knight’s attire, flashed them a friendly smile.

“Ooh! You know Rafael?!” Rafinha exclaimed.

“Well, not closely,” he answered.

“This is Sir Leon, another holy knight like Rafael,” the duke said in introduction.

“A holy knight...!” Rafinha gasped.

They were knights who the king granted the strongest Artifacts. In other words, holy knights were the holders of special-class Runes. The back of Leon’s hand had an unmistakable rainbow light.

“It’s a shame I’m the one here tonight. I should have let Rafael come home, but he’s so busy he couldn’t spare a moment away.” Leon sheepishly scratched his head as he laughed. Holy knight or no, his laid-back attitude was as evident in his wrinkled clothing and stubble as it was in his voice.

Duke Bilford continued the introductions. “This is the inspector, Lord Shiony.”

A whiskered gentleman in his forties greeted them. “Ah, such beautiful young ladies. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“And this is the ambassador from Highland.”

A young man sitting off to the side waved as he returned Duke Bilford’s gaze. Unless Inglis was mistaken, this was a face she knew.

“R-Rahl...?!”

It was the son of Rambach, leader of the armed merchants, who had visited once before.

“Hey. Long time no see, Inglis.” Rahl smirked.

He was just as she remembered. She hadn’t been mistaken after all. But how in the world had he come here as a Highlander?

“So it is you, Rahl. A pleasure to meet again.” Inglis curtsied politely.

“Isn’t it strange, me becoming a Highlander?” Rahl was around twenty now, wearing a crest of feathers, and bore a Rune-like mark on his forehead.

And his eyes were a much more pronounced green than they had been.

“Yes, it is quite a surprise, honestly.”

“I’d imagine. But there’s no faking the stigmata. I’m absolutely the real thing.”

“So you can become a Highlander without being born in Highland?”

“Sure can. Make yourself valuable enough, and citizenship is yours.” Rahl proudly stroked the mark on his brow.

“Valuable enough, in what way?”

“One word: money. It took nearly every penny we’d earned. That, and some connections among the upper crust.”

“I see.”

To cut to the chase, he’d bribed his way in. That wasn’t a very pleasant story.

“Now, it may have taken my fortune. But that’s a small price to pay for such privilege, isn’t it? When a Highlander claps, mere lords leap.”

“I’m not particularly concerned with politics,” Inglis said.

There was only one thing Inglis Eucus had her sights on: mastering the blade. It’s not that she didn’t understand politics or sociology, but she was reborn to not have to pay attention to them.

“Then what are you interested in? Travel, maybe? You grew up real pretty, maybe I could take you back to Highland and show you a good time.”

That look on his face—she noticed him leering, and she wanted him to stop.

“Training. Becoming the best I can be.”

“C’mon, quit pulling my leg. I can see you’re Runeless. What good is training going to do? I know how prodigies work. By the time they’re twenty, everyone else has caught up. But what you do have are your looks. The sooner you realize that and find yourself a man, the better.”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to pass for now.”

“Really? I offer you advice from the kindness of my heart, and you just want to ignore it? Clock’s ticking, sweetie-pie. I bet even this guy could take you down now.”

Rahl turned his gaze to a tall man standing close to the wall nearby. He was tall—practically gigantic. He was easily two heads taller than average, and even more remarkable was an iron mask covering his entire face. At a banquet, no less.

“And he is...?” Inglis asked after a pause.

“My own personal bodyguard—a slave. It’s good to be a Highlander. I told him to keep the mask on; you’d like his face even less without it.” Rahl intoned dispassionately as the man stood motionless.

Inglis had no reply to that.

Nothing about Rahl seemed pleasant. Just talking with him made her think less of Highland.

“Oh, right!” Leon broke in from the side with an energy that cut the building tension. “There’s someone else I’d like you to meet! She’s quite memorable, so let’s go see her!”

“What kind of person is she, Leon?” Rafinha asked curiously.

Meeting a holy knight like Leon was memorable enough. The same went for the Highlander Rahl. There were already plenty of memorable people they had seen today.

“Well, if you have a holy knight, what else do you have?”

“An Artifact? And if it’s a special-class Artifact, that means...” Rafinha said, eyes gleaming. Inglis was sure hers were as well.

“A hieral menace! Girls love hieral menaces, right?”

Hieral menaces were entities that could transform into the powerful Artifacts only special-class Runes could power. It wasn’t entirely clear whether they were more human or more Artifact, but they usually took the form of a young lady, taking on the shape of a weapon at will, and it was a holy knight who drew out the fearsome power of that weapon. Hieral menaces were seen as goddesses sent down from Highland in exchange for vast sacrifices, becoming the last hope for humanity on the surface. It was said that only a hieral menace and a holy knight together could stand against a magicite beast strong enough to obliterate a kingdom.

“Ooh! Ooh! I want to meet her! Where is she?!”

“No idea, so let’s go find her! Follow me!” Leon beckoned to Inglis as he left the hall.

“Okaaay! Let’s go, Chris!”

“Yeah, coming.”

Leon was probably trying to pivot them away from their conversation with Rahl, which was nice of him. Nothing productive was going to come of that chat. She was grateful for his thoughtfulness.

“Ugh, just listening to that guy really ticks me off. I’m glad I had you two to give me an excuse to get out of there. Sorry for using you like that.” Leon grinned. Maybe he’d done it for himself after all.

“I agree, that wasn’t fun at all. Right, Chris?” Rafinha seemed just as displeased as Leon.

“Yeah, a bit.”

Inglis had been right about Rahl. He really hadn’t turned out well.

“I wonder if all Highlanders are like that. If they are, I can’t see myself liking them that much,” she said.

“I meet a lot of ’em, and yeah, that’s pretty much the whole story. Even the born ones.” Leon shrugged. “They probably think we’re some kind of subhumans crawling in the mud. I mean, it’s true, without them deigning to provide Artifacts we’d never be able to protect our homes. But it’s probably just a game to them, seeing how much bowing and scraping they can get for an Artifact.”

Leon was probably right about the relationship between Highlanders and those below. He definitely had more experience with them than Inglis could get in a backwater place like Ymir.

“But they’re the ones holding our lifeline,” he continued. “So no matter what we really think, let’s put on a smile in front of them. You two are cute, and you’ll be fine young ladies soon. It may be a little bit humiliating, but if a hand happens to fall on your chest or your rear, it’s probably better to just put up with it. I’ve gotta do plenty of ass-kissing too, right? If he wants his boots licked, it’s just what’s gotta be done.”

Grinning while he said that? Maybe he was a pushover. Inglis wanted to move the conversation on. “Heh. Looks like you know how to keep yourself alive.”

Rafinha, though, had other ideas. “I wish a holy knight wouldn’t say things like that.”

“Huh?”

“You’re a holy knight! You’re supposed to be our shining star of hope! Who do the weak have left to rely on if that’s what you have to say?”

“That stings,” Leon said. “But sorry. I took the joke too far.”

“Ah... S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to talk back to you like—”

“It’s fine. I can tell you’re definitely Rafael’s sister with that kind of determination. You’ve really got your head screwed on—ah, there she is! There’s our hieral menace! Right this way!”

Inglis and Rafinha followed Leon into the courtyard to the shade under a tree where a woman stood, sipping a glass of wine. She looked to be in her late teens and had glittering blonde hair and deep blue eyes that Inglis thought anyone could sink into. This was the first time Inglis had seen another girl as beautiful as herself or Rafinha. Yet even at a diplomatic reception, she was in a knight’s armor. At her waist hung a pair of swords. Setting herself apart from the crowd gave her the proud aloofness of a cat, yet there also seemed to be a loneliness lurking beneath.

Nonetheless, Leon approached the slender young lady as casually as anyone else. “Hey, Eris! Why be gloomy out here when you could be having fun inside? There’s plenty of good food.”

The girl—Eris—sighed. There was that catlike demeanor again, like he’d annoyed her. Most surprising to Inglis, though, was that she seemed exactly like any other standoffish young beauty. So this was a hieral menace? A transformed Artifact? If Inglis wasn’t seeing it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed it.

“Because I’d rather be out here. Don’t worry about me.”

“C’mon. I brought guests. I’d like you to meet these two.”

“Huh? Why?”

“This is Rafael’s sister, Rafinha, and his cousin, Inglis!”

Eris’s eyes widened in anger. “You fool! Stop this!” she suddenly shouted. She didn’t stop at words. She struck Leon, sending him staggering to the side.

“Owww! Why’d you hit me? They wanted to meet you!”

The sudden violence shocked both Inglis and Rafinha.

“Ah... Is it something we did?” Rafinha asked.

Eris turned away. “I-I’m sorry...!” With that, she turned and marched away.

Rafinha, still shocked, turned to Leon. “Er... Did we do something wrong?”

“Sh-Should we apologize...?” pondered Inglis.

“Nah, it’s fine. Nothing you did. I just picked the wrong time to bother her. Sorry to scare you like that. Why don’t we go back in, have dinner, and I can tell you all about how Rafael’s doing? You’re anxious about him, right?”

“I’d love to hear about Rafael, but...I’m curious about Eris too. Aren’t you, Inglis?”

“I am, yeah.”

“I don’t think she’s gonna be in any more of a mood for conversation if we push her. It’s fine. I’ll smooth things over and definitely get you together before we leave. But let’s focus on Rafael for now.”

“I guess. Is he doing well?” Rafinha really was anxious about her brother.

“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s a real sharp guy, so he’s really making a name for himself in the capital. Lemme tell you all about it.”

Rafinha paused for a moment before saying, “Sure! ♪”

In the end, Rafinha was back to her happy smile. Inglis’s eyes narrowed in a grin. Rafinha’s wish had been that Rafael was doing well, and hearing of his exploits was sure to reassure her that he was. Maybe her wish really had been granted.

“Eeek!”

Screams from the great hall suddenly cut through the air.

“What...?! What’s going on?” Rafinha cried.

“Let’s check it out, Rani!”

Anything causing that much of an uproar had to be a serious matter. Inglis took the lead as they returned. All eyes were fixed on the rear of the room. As they stepped further in, a stomach-turning odor rose to her nostrils.

Burnt flesh. It was a smell she remembered from the battlefield. The scene she began to take in reminded her of the past. At the far end of the hall, a burnt form tumbled to the floor near Duke Bilford. The body belonged to the royal inspector, Lord Shiony, whom she’d just met.

Scarred. Motionless. Dead as a doornail.

Nearby were Duke Bilford himself; Ada, the lieutenant-captain of the knights; Rahl the Highlander; and his guard. Duke Bilford and Ada gasped as a brazen smile rose to Rahl’s face. Who knew what expression the giant wore beneath his mask?

“Wh-What in the world just happened?!” Even Leon’s voice wavered.

“Hmph... I disposed of an eyesore, that’s all. He wasn’t showing a Highlander the proper respect.” Rahl laughed coolly as Duke Bilford and Ada stared.

“Ada! What happened?!” Inglis cried.

It was only Inglis’s hand on her shoulder that snapped Ada back to reality. “Inglis! It... It’s my fault! It’s my fault Lord Shiony—”

“What’s going on? Calm down and just tell me what happened.”

“R-Rahl...ordered me to be his companion for the night...”

“What?!”

What a creep. It was truly depressing to know he’d grown up so rotten. There were some things Inglis just couldn’t understand even after having lived a life as a man. If a subordinate had done this when she was king, the punishment would have been swift and severe.

“When I hesitated, Lord Shiony came to my defense. I’d noticed sparks flying between them during the inspection... But when Lord Shiony got angry, Rahl brought forth a flame and—!”

What Ada was describing didn’t sound like an Artifact. So it must have been something she couldn’t sense—presumably, magic. Rahl had used magic as a child too. It had probably been a gift from his Highlander connections.

“And he did that to Lord Shiony?”

“Y-Yes...! I’m so sorry! If I hadn’t—”

“Ada. You don’t need to say any more. It wasn’t your fault. Right, Rani?”

“Exactly! Chris is right, Ada!”

“O-Oh, what a mess...” Leon said. “It’s partly my fault, I’d noticed them clashing because Lord Shiony was such a serious man, but...”

An excellent choice as inspector, then, Inglis thought.

“But what does it matter?” Rahl said nonchalantly. “I can just say he fell ill on the journey and died. A Highlander’s word is as good as gold.”

“I guess we don’t have a choice,” Leon said after a pause. He slumped his shoulders. “His Majesty couldn’t argue with a Highlander, even if he wanted to.”

“Meaning, of course, Duke Bilford, it’s entirely up to me whether Lord Shiony passed away after a swift illness...or whether he was assassinated in a vile plot. I’m sure you understand what I’m trying to say.”

“You’d dare...!”

“So order that knight to do exactly as I say. I want to see you sell out your own loyal soldier to save yourself.”

“Is... Is this behavior all a Highlander amounts to?!” Duke Bilford yelled.

“Father...!”

In other words, Rahl wanted Duke Bilford to humiliate himself in front of his own daughter. Inglis could hardly imagine anything more cruel. But if it had come to this...

“Wait! I...!” Ada started to say.

The young woman was trying to sacrifice herself. That was to be expected. But Inglis pushed her aside and stepped forward.

“Ada, no,” Inglis said. “Rahl, you’re twisted. Is this what you call fun?”

“Absolutely! It was worth the shirt off my back and more! I get to trample all over the stuck-up useless worms who give themselves fancy titles, and their knight sidekicks too! It’s the most fun I’ve ever had! Ha ha ha ha!”

“You are despicable.”

“Hmph. Don’t get full of yourself just because you beat me once. There’s nothing you can do. Unless you’d rather take that knight’s place for the evening?”

“A fascinating offer. Maybe I’ll take you up on that.”

Rafinha gasped in shock. “Wait, no, Chris! What are you thinking?!”

“She’s right, Inglis!” Ada protested. “How could I ever apologize to Captain Luke?”

“Rahl has a grudge with me,” Inglis said after a pause. “And he was after me earlier. So it should have been me to begin with.” Inglis quietly reassured the two before turning back to Rahl. “Promise me. Promise you won’t lay a finger on Rani or Ada.”

“Good enough. You may be young, but you’re the best catch here.” Rahl smirked as his spirits soared.

Inglis, the bane of his childhood ego, had grown up into quite the flower, and now she was his to pluck. To subjugate her, to conquer her. Revenge, revenge! The respect he’d been denied! To him, this was a chance to salve his wounded pride!

“Then come to me alone—tonight. You won’t want to find out what happens if you come tomorrow.”

“Understood. I will.” Inglis nodded, expressionless.

“I’ll be seeing you later, then.”

With that, Rahl left the hall.