The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter 9

Chapter IX: Inglis, Age 15—The Hieral Menace’s Sickness (2)

When the carriage arrived at the venue, Inglis and the others were greeted by a nighttime palace decorated with lights in an array of colors. She wondered how the place was lit up like that. Along with the sounds of musicians, it gave the scene a certain fantastic je ne sais quoi.

“Wow, it’s beautiful...” Leone smiled.

Rafinha’s eyes were gleaming. “Amazing! The capital is so different. It’s so elaborate. Isn’t it, Chris?” she asked, excited.

“Yeah, it really is.”

“And just imagine what that means about the food. It’s got to be delicious.”

“I can’t wait to try it all.”

“We’ve arrived. Let’s head into the palace, everyone,” Principal Miriela said, leading the group out of the carriage.

“All right! Let’s go, Chris! I’m already so hungry, I can’t wait!” Rafinha was the first out of the carriage and immediately broke into a run, unable to restrain her enthusiasm.

“Ah, Rani! If you run while you’re dressed like that, you’ll trip!” Inglis warned.

“Eeek?!” Rafinha yelped. It wasn’t only her dress getting in the way; she was also wearing high-heeled shoes, which she wasn’t accustomed to walking in—much less running in. When she broke into her usual full-speed dash, she took a tumble in no time at all.

“Ugh, no sooner do I say it than— I can see your underwear. Hurry and cover yourself up.” Inglis pulled the flipped-up hem of Rafinha’s dress back to its proper spot and moved to help her up.

“Ha ha... Sorry about that. Thanks, Chris.”

But there was someone else who had also rushed to her aid. “Rani! Are you okay?!”

That other person was Rafael, who had been waiting for them to arrive. He helped Rafinha to her feet. “Up you go. You’re not hurt, are you? You shouldn’t worry Chris too much.”

“Oww... Yes, brother,” Rafinha replied.

Rafael turned to Inglis. “Chris, sorry for the trouble. Thanks for always taking care of Rani.”

“No, it’s mutual,” Inglis said with a smile. Rafael looked almost stunned, as if his thoughts were somewhere else. “What is it, Rafael?”

“Ah, sorry. I’ve just never seen you like this before, so I was taken aback. You really are beautiful.” He sounded awkward and stiff.

“Thank you. Rani put a lot of effort into making sure I looked nice.”

Inglis enjoyed the act of others dressing her up, and she just as much enjoyed the experience for herself. She didn’t particularly feel any need to be complimented on her appearance, but she didn’t object to it either.

“I sure did! She’s my best creation!” Rafinha exclaimed.

“Yeah, you really are good at this sort of thing.”

Rafinha seemed the happiest about Inglis’s transformation, and if Rafinha was happy, then Inglis was happy.

Rafael continued. “Uh... I notice you brought Rin along too.” Rafael had requested in advance that they bring the tiny magicite beast. Inglis wasn’t quite sure of the reason for that, but at the moment, Rin was peeking her face forth from her cleavage to see what was going on outside.

“Oooh, Rafael, you’re looking at Chris’s chest, aaaren’t you? If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have noticed Rin,” Rafinha teased.

Rafael stammered out an excuse. “S-Sorry! I just— I mean, I really was looking for Rin!”

A man looking at a woman in this way is understandable, Inglis thought. It’s instinctive.

Inglis knew as much from her experiences in her past life as a man. Though whether she enjoyed the male gaze placed on her was a separate matter. She appreciated the way the tips of his ears turned red from his guilty bashfulness, though. He may have spent several years as an adult in the capital by now, but the same young innocence from his boyhood was still intact. It warmed her heart.

“So, Rafael, is there something that concerns Rin?” she asked.

“Yes. Theodore—the new ambassador—hoped very much that she could attend,” he replied.

“The Highland ambassador...?” Inglis pondered.

“Whaaat?! Rin, are you gonna be okay if someone like that is paying attention to you?” Rafinha interjected in concern.

Rafael took on a reassuring tone. “I don’t think there’s anything to worry about there. I reported to Prince Wayne what you two said happened at Nova. However, he hid the information about Rin from Ambassador Muenthe, and then he revealed it to the new ambassador, Theodore. Meaning, he believes the new ambassador can be trusted.”

Grrrrumble!

Grrrrumble!

Inglis’s and Rafinha’s stomachs growled at the same time.

“Whoa?! What was that?” Rafael remarked in surprise.

“I’m starving. I haven’t had anything to eat since morning,” Inglis complained.

“Me too. There are so many delicious things to eat here, so we—”

“Well that’s no good. The talk can wait, then. Let me show you to where the food is,” Rafael said.

“Please!” Inglis’s and Rafinha’s eyes sparkled.

“Ha ha... Seems like you two have plenty of room in your stomachs.” Rafael chuckled.

Leone spoke up. “I’d be grateful for that, Sir Rafael. It’s embarrassing to be with them when their stomachs make such embarrassing noises.”

Principal Miriela agreed. She and Leone both had worried expressions. “Truly. It would be best if we started off by getting something to eat.”

“Then let’s get going! This way!” Rafael called out.

Inglis and the others quickly followed Rafael into the palace. Even as they walked through quickly, all the attendee’s eyes were glued to Inglis.

“Wow! Hey, did you see that? That girl’s so beautiful!”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen anyone that cute—I guess she’s an acquaintance of Rafael’s?”

“She’s like a doll, everything about her is perfect! Even a woman could fall for her—”

“The girls with her are cute too. Lady Miriela is accompanying them, so they must be cadets at the knights’ academy.”

Attendees whispered among themselves just in time for a sound to cut through the crowd.

Grrrrumble!

“Huh?! Wh-What was that?!”

“Someone’s stomach?”

“It wasn’t me. Was it one of those girls?”

Rafael swiftly smoothed over the crowd. “Ha ha ha... Sorry. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to eat.”

“Brother, you’re so kind! I love you! ♪” Rafinha said.

“Thank you, Rafael,” Inglis added.

“It’s no problem. Anyway, the food is in this hall.”

The room Rafael guided them to was packed with tables containing large plates and full of delicious smells. There were expensive-looking steaks piled high, colorful pasta dishes with luxurious seafood, and chocolate cake for dessert, nearly piled in the shape of a tower.

There was plenty else, too, and all of it looked delicious. The empty-stomached Inglis and Rafinha couldn’t resist. It was a mountain of wonderful treasure.

“All right! C’mon, Chris! Let’s eat!” Rafinha cheered.

“Yeah! It looks delicious.”

As Inglis and Rafinha eagerly approached the meat table...

Vwoom!

Inglis felt the air shaking as if it were distorted. Plus, she sensed the fluctuation of mana. A shadow passed over her.

Crasssshhhh!

The table, the plates, and the food went flying, destroyed by something huge landing from above.

“Wh—?! A magicite beast?! Here?!” Leone cried out.

The magicite beast was humanoid, with a beast’s ears and tail, making them the demihuman type that Inglis and the others had recently encountered. The humanoid creature had leaped down from the high ceiling and, most unfortunately, had sprung out of the space directly above the table. People screamed in shock and horror at the intruder.

Rafinha’s pained cry was for a different reason. “Ahhhhhhhh! My meat!” The food she’d looked forward to sat in a heap on the floor, ruined. “Ugh... I didn’t even get three seconds! Not even three seconds!”

“Nnh, Ranh, yuhnow suffu fhu ee oh va fluh. (No, Rani, you’re not supposed to eat off the floor.)” Inglis said, giving her a warning with her own mouth full.

“Wait, Chris, what are you eating?!” Rafinha responded.

“Meef. Ayfooih meefuh ifew. (Meat. I caught it before it fell.)”

Mere seconds before the meat crashed to the floor, Inglis had pulled as much as she could from midair and crammed it into her mouth. She’d released the self-enhanced gravity she kept up as training and had even activated Aether Shell at full speed. When delicious food was on the line, one had to throw caution to the wind.

“Ahhh?! That’s no fair, Chris!” Rafinha cried out in dismay as she looked at Inglis’s stuffed cheeks.

“Ihfah. Eybson fuhiu, foo. (It’s fine. I have some for you too.)” Inglis brought a fork laden with meat to Rafinha’s mouth.

“Vwevwa, Kwih! Ahmuyu umvuhfen! (Great job, Chris! I knew you’d understand!)”

With a swallow, Inglis’s own mouth became empty. She wanted to eat more, but Rafinha was like her doted-over granddaughter. And what grandparent wouldn’t share food with their grandchild? “There are still safe tables! Let’s protect our food!”

“Eah! (Yeah!)”

As typical of the very serious girl she was, Leone rebuked them. “Sheesh! Worry about the people caught up in this mess, not the food! We’re supposed to become knights who protect this country’s people!”

“Well, the results will be the same in the end,” Inglis replied.

Something was looming nearby...

At that moment, the magicite beast closed in on Inglis.

“Inglis! Behind you!” Leone warned.

“Yeah,” Inglis replied. She had, of course, sensed it. She didn’t need to turn around to deal with it, but she did so anyway. She pointed an index finger in the direction of the magicite beast, the bluish white gleam of aether already beginning to gather at its pale tip.

Aether Pierce was a technique which shot a thin beam of aether from one’s fingertip. And her aim was already on the magicite beast’s forehead. It couldn’t miss. “Aether Pi—” she began to say, but before Inglis could fire, someone got between her and the magicite beast.

“Chris! Get back!” It was Rafael, having covered no small distance in such a short time.

Inglis was surprised and honestly impressed by his swift footwork. “He’s fast...!” Like a gust of wind or a bolt of lightning. So unexpectedly fast, she’d almost hit him with Aether Pierce. She’d pulled her finger back in the nick of time.

“There’s no way I’ll let you hurt Rani, Chris, or their friends!” Rafael yelled. The Artifact he carried was a longsword with a dragon motif, sheathed at his waist. When he drew it, a translucent blade was revealed, resembling a crimson jewel. It even appeared to glow. The sword was breathtaking. Even more spectacular were the swift slashes Rafael delivered with it.

The red gleam of the blade burst out in seemingly every direction simultaneously, and the massive body of the magicite beast went to pieces in an instant.

Inglis gasped. “Wow! Amazing...”

The weapon on its own may well have been impressive, but it was backed up by terrific power and speed. In pure skill, he surpassed even the former holy knight, Leon, who she’d fought. His prowess matched the hieral menaces Eris and Sistia. Inglis could only find this to be wonderful. He’d grown so much; the sparks of potential she’d sensed in young Rafael had been polished to a mirror sheen. Maybe it was his innate seriousness and responsibility. Maybe it was what Duke Bilford and Aunt Irina had taught him. Regardless, it all had led to the remarkable holy knight in front of her and his incredible skill with a sword.

The sight left her emotional. Inglis was trembling—with a warrior’s excitement, of course. She would absolutely love to spar with him.

“That was amazing, Rafael! Chris is the only other one I haven’t been able to follow the movement of!” Rafinha said.

“Rafael, I think the slash for your fifth blow and thrust for your seventeenth were especially impressive. Your movement was beautiful,” Inglis complimented.

“You saw it all, Inglis?!” Rafael remarked in surprise.

“Yeah. Twenty-one strikes in all, right?”

Leone whispered to Rafinha, “That many?! Hey, Rafinha, how many did you see...?”

“Just the first two or three...” Rafinha whispered back.

“Same here. Glad it wasn’t just me...”

“Ha ha ha... So you saw it all, Chris. Maybe you didn’t need help. I reacted on reflex... Sorry,” Rafael said.

“No, it’s fine. I got to witness something nice. I’d like to spar with you later—at full power,” Inglis said, hopeful of her chances.

Rafael looked conflicted. “Well, um—I don’t want anyone to get hurt... I suppose a demonstration would be fine anytime.”

How could she convince him to fight him for real? It was something she would have to contemplate.

“Rafael, leave the rest to them,” Principal Miriela instructed. “Go to Prince Wayne and Ambassador Theodore. If anything were to happen to them, we wouldn’t be able to recover from it.”

Rafael had slaughtered the magicite beast that had fallen from above in front of them, but there were still several others in the hall and more could appear. Those needed to be dealt with but protecting the prince and the ambassador was the top priority. Principal Miriela was right; it would probably be more effective to split their forces.

“That makes sense. Rani, Chris, Leone, I’m leaving this to you! Handle the rest!”

“Yes, brother!”

“Understood.”

“Leave it to us!”

Rafael spun on his heel and rushed from the hall. The magicite beasts closed in, surrounding Inglis and the others who remained.

“A rare chance to wear a gown, only to do the same things as usual!” Rafinha grumbled as she leveled her Bow of Light Artifact.

“So true. It would’ve been so nice to enjoy ourselves for a day...!” Leone agreed.

Principal Miriela had produced their weapons seemingly from nowhere and handed them over. She must have used some kind of magic, or it could have been a power of her Artifact. Leone’s dark greatsword had been shattered in the recent incident, so now she was wielding a different greatsword Artifact, a middle-class Artifact from the academy.

Inglis objected. “I’m having fun. I like fighting magicite beasts.”

“Chris, you’re an exception. You’re like a wild animal in a dress!” Rafinha fired back.

Leone chuckled. “Ha ha ha. That isn’t off the mark.”

“Well, excuse me. I intend to fight completely prim and proper today,” Inglis protested. After all, she didn’t want to tear her new dress. She liked it, and she intended to wear it again.

“Prim and proper? How?” Rafinha asked.

“Like this.”

Whoosh!

The pale blue light of Aether Pierce suddenly rushed from Inglis’s fingertip. The beam’s aim was true, and it pierced the brow of the magicite beast in front. The demihuman magicite beast crumbled to the floor, twitching. All that was left was to finish them off. It could be said that this type of magicite beast was comparatively strong, as a single blow did not kill it.

“See? This way I won’t tear my dress or get it dirty,” Inglis explained.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A barrage of beams pierced the brows of one magicite beast after another. They fell like unresisting targets.

“See? Prim and proper.”

“Well, I guess... But honestly, just taking them down like that is even scarier than usual,” Rafinha said.

“Mm... It is kind of dull, I guess.” This tactic made sense, but it still wasn’t enjoyable. It was too one-sided. It was better to take an enemy at their strong points, overcome them, and win. In other words, taking on a magicite beast with your ineffective bare hands, or attacking it with an element it was strong against. In any fight, she wanted to, as much as possible, use it as an opportunity for personal growth.

Fights with magicite beasts, gorgeous dresses, and delicious food—everything Inglis Eucus liked was right here, but apparently mixing them wasn’t a good idea. Oh well.

“But I have no choice if I don’t want to tear my dress— Oh, Rani, Leone, can you finish off the downed ones?”

“Wait! There’s some behind us too! Here they come!” Leone warned.

Not wanting to wait around and become targets, the magicite beasts rushed them en masse in an effort to stop Inglis, the source of the beams. Inglis found the tactic relatively wise, perhaps a remnant of being just as intelligent as humans. If they came all at once, she wouldn’t be able to effectively speed up her shots to match them.

“Then how about this?” As Inglis continued firing Aether Pierces from her right hand, she extended her left hand backwards. “Mmm...!” Her left fingertip, too, shone with aether. She fired an Aether Pierce behind her, penetrating the magicite beast that was there.

“All right! I did it!” she cheered. Simultaneous fire in two directions—she hadn’t been able to do that before. It was solid proof her daily training was paying off. She knew for certain she had become stronger. She allowed herself a moment of, more than anything, joy. “Look, Rani, look! I can shoot them from both hands at the same time now!”

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

As she wildly fired her attacks, Inglis’s smile was as beautiful as a flower. She was having lots and lots of fun. Nothing was as fun as trying out new powers she’d grown to be able to use. In the end—not a single magicite beast could approach Inglis. All collapsed to the floor. “Phew... Fun fight, wasn’t it?” The joy on her face was refreshing to see.

“Ha ha ha... As long as you’re having fun, Chris,” Rafinha said.

“I feel a little bit sorry for the magicite beasts. They didn’t get to do anything at all,” Leone said.

“Mm... I was so happy I got a bit carried away,” Inglis remarked.

“More than a bit, I’d say... Ah well, some of the food tables weren’t ruined!” Rafinha pointed out.

“Yeah. Shall we dine?” Inglis said.

“Of course! I can’t wait any longer!”

“C’mon, you two. We need to ensure every spot in the palace is all right. Some people might need help,” Leone interjected seriously.

Miriela, though, overruled her. “A little bit of a break is fine. After all, we need to finish off the magicite beasts that are still alive. I’ll handle that, so while I do, you can take care of your stomachs.”

“Great! ♪ Thanks, Principal Miriela!” Rafinha said, grateful.

“Thank you,” Inglis said.

With Principal Miriela’s approval, Inglis and Rafinha eagerly approached an untouched table. However, another magicite beast appeared there in a flash. As soon as they noticed the air around the ceiling twist, the beast was above the table.

Inglis noticed it first. “Look! There’s still—”

“Our food!” Rafinha cried.

Once again, the table would be destroyed, the food ruined. Inglis couldn’t let that happen! But if she rushed forward to smash the magicite beast away, her dress might tear. If she fired Aether Pierce, there was no way to stop the creature from falling on the table. And if she used her other technique, Aether Strike, she could well blow half the palace away. In that case, to convert aether to mana and create an appropriate imitation spell...

As Inglis thought it over, someone charged toward the magicite beast in midair. She looked to be in her late teens and beautiful, with shining blonde hair. It was the hieral menace Eris.

“Haaah!” Eris rushed forward with tremendous speed, on a collision course with the magicite beast, while slashing with the right of her twin swords. It cleaved the magicite beast in half, and the force of the attack made them fall away from the table. As usual, Eris’s technique was fearsome. Just watching it made Inglis weak at the knees. She had an overwhelming desire to spar with her again.

But there was something else just as important. Thanks to Eris, the food on the table had been saved.

“Hooray! Thanks, Eris!” Rafinha said with glee.

“Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver,” Inglis added.

They both bowed deeply to Eris.

Eris responded in confusion. “What’s the big deal? You could’ve easily—”

Inglis tried to explain. “No, thanks to you the table wasn’t destroyed! You saved the food!”

“Wha...? Food?” Eris was still puzzled.

“Let’s eat!” Rafinha declared.

“Ah, no fair, Rani! Save some for me!” Inglis objected.

Eris, watching Inglis and Rafinha go for the food, sighed. “You two are always off in your own little world... Miriela, these are your students. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Tee hee. Don’t you think girls with healthy appetites are so cute?” Principal Miriela smiled.

“Depending on time and circumstance, I suppose?”

“Well, you’re right, but they seem so incredibly hungry.”

Inglis confirmed that. “Vafflai! (That’s right!)”

“Vef! (Yep!)” Rafinha chimed in.

“I can’t understand what you’re saying! Ah well. Things are fine here now, so can you come with me after you’ve eaten a little? Something’s wrong with Ripple.” Eris had a calm but worried expression.

Something was wrong with Ripple? They couldn’t just relax and enjoy their food, hearing that. Inglis and Rafinha packed as much as they could into their mouths and left in a hurry with Eris and Leone. Following Eris, they all headed toward the audience chamber where Ripple was.

When they arrived, there were quite a few corpses of magicite beasts scattered about.

“Looks like this was their primary target,” Inglis said with a pause at the start.

Rafinha agreed. “Yeah, there’s a lot of them...”

“But they were stopped. The knights did their job,” Leone pointed out.

This was the royal palace, the center of the country. Naturally, the knights on guard duty were hand-picked. Because the assault was so sudden, many of the knights were injured, but they were still vigilant. Everyone had surrounded something at a distance, watching over the center carefully. Inside that circle was Rafael, Prince Wayne, and several Highlanders with stigmata. Rafael must have rushed to guard them.

As he noticed Eris, he called over. “Lady Eris! How goes the battle?”

“No problems, I believe. A large number appeared in the hall below, but these girls took almost all of them down,” Eris responded.

“I see. As expected from Rani and her friends.”

“How about here?”

“The same as before. She’s still in a stable condition.” Rafael’s gaze turned toward the center of the circle. There laid Ripple, unconscious. And not just sleeping, but covered in a dome of ominous dark light.

“Wh-What’s going on?!” Rafinha asked, panicking. The area around Ripple appeared as hazy as a mirage, and she realized from a quick glance that something serious had happened.

“Space is twisting around her? This obviously isn’t natural,” Inglis noted.

“Maybe that ominous light is calling the magicite beasts?” Leone speculated.

Eris nodded at Leone’s observation. “Yes. When she suddenly collapsed and was enveloped by that light, the distortion spread. That’s when many magicite beasts appeared. We’ve fought them off, but what is this...?”

When the magicite beast had appeared before, Ripple had seemed sick then as well. Maybe it was a sign. But why?

The knights began to talk among themselves. “For such a thing to happen... Did the hieral menace summon the magicite beasts to attack us?”

“Maybe she defected to the Steelblood Front?!”

Given the example of Leon, it may have been unavoidable that the knights would have their suspicions. Eris suspected that was the source of their doubts, so she kept strong objections to herself. Inglis also felt she had to stay silent.

But someone had the courage to call out that line of thinking. This was, of course, none other than Rafinha.

“No! Ripple wouldn’t do that, and neither would Eris! During the incident in Ymir, Eris tried to stop Leon, and she saved us! And you all must know even better than us that she’s a good person! Eris and all the hieral menaces have done so much to protect this country and its people! Believe in her friend!”

It was a forceful argument, though unconvincing given that Leon had also been a good person. The argument was childish, one could say—but that’s why it shined so brightly. Rafinha had a pure, honest innocence. Inglis couldn’t help but adore seeing it. How would Rafinha grow as a person in the future? Inglis wanted to stay by her side, protecting her, and find out.

A knight seemed unsure of how to respond. Faltering, he said, “I know that, of course. That much is true, but...”

Eris clapped a hand on Rafinha’s shoulder. “It is what it is. Don’t be angry with them. They have their own obligations. They always have to be on the watch for threats. It’s on us to show that we aren’t to be feared.” She spoke matter-of-factly.

“Er, yes...” Rafinha felt a bit dejected, as if she thought Eris was angry at her.

“But...I am grateful. Thank you,” Eris continued.

“Of course!”

Seeing them, Rafael whispered to Inglis. “Phew. Seeing Rani so insistent makes me nervous. Even if I tried to cover for her, it would be seen as favoritism, so I can’t really speak up...”

“She’s always like that. Anywhere, speaking to anyone—I think it’s a good thing,” Inglis replied.

“If you think so, that’s a relief.”

At that moment, a person advanced into the circle.

He was a young Highlander man with a stigmata on his brow. “I agree with the young lady. Hieral menaces are guardians sent down from heaven—if one can’t believe in them, can’t join hands with them, it will be difficult to survive on the surface where the Prism Flow falls. They, too, once lived on the surface. To take on the duty of protecting this land, they sacrificed themselves to become hieral menaces. I hope you can understand their origins.”

Was he the new ambassador who’d been mentioned? If he was, Inglis’s first impression of him was of an intelligent, gentle man, but also one with a firm will. She had to admit he was the complete opposite of his predecessor.

“Then, Eris was originally from the surface?” Inglis inquired. Ripple’s earlier remarks made it seem so.

“Sir Theodore, I’m not interested in old stories.” It seemed to be a point Eris didn’t want to touch on.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to offend. Anyway, please believe them until the truth becomes clear. Their existence is proof of the bonds which exist between Highland and the surface. Of course, I shall cooperate in clarifying the situation. It shall be my first duty as ambassador.”

Prince Wayne kept a careful eye on the situation from within the circle. “Theodore, do you have any leads?”

“I can’t come to a conclusion lightly. But yes, perhaps. However, it may be the result of Highlander circumstances.” Theodore frowned.

“Circumstances on the Highlander side, you say?” Rafael’s expression sharpened slightly.

“Yes, Holy Knight Bilford. Just as many surface nations are not monolithic, Highland also has factions based on differences in ideology and beliefs. However, since we have a single government, this may be difficult to discern from without.”

“Meaning, the Altar faction seeks to interfere with your Throne faction?” Prince Wayne asked. Inglis inferred his familiarity with Highland politics was due to his time studying in Highland.

“Yes, Wayne. In my personal—no, perhaps not just personal—opinion, we of the Throne faction have begun to allow trade in not only Artifacts as is traditional but also Flygears and Flygear Ports. However, members of the Altar faction are strongly opposed to this. They fear it’ll lead to Highland eventually being stabbed in the back.”

In the recent incident, even Fars, who was Rambach and had become a Highlander, sought to assassinate Ambassador Muenthe. In light of that, Highland was in the midst of a policy dispute over what weapons and tools of war should be afforded to the surface. And since the stakes were high enough to include assassinations, the conflict had reached a boiling point—that much could be understood. Muenthe had not only been targeted for assassination by another Highlander, he had also fallen into the sights of the Steelblood Front of anti-Highland guerillas, and he was attacked by the kingdom’s own knights. It was quite a busy event. Even without Inglis there, his fate likely would have been the same.

“So you wish to make us pawns in your internal quarrel? We became hieral menaces to protect the surface from magicite beasts, not for that!” Eris was indignant. After all, she was a hieral menace herself, so she clearly had feelings on the subject.

“Indeed. However, hieral menaces are guardians created by Highland—and if you do not align with those who granted those gifts, they likely have ways to destroy you from within. Lady Ripple was brought forth from their side, so I’m not sure of the details... But you, Lady Eris, are one of ours. That was how we kept a balance in this kingdom. But now, with the increasing bonds of our faction, that balance is collapsing,” Theodore explained.

“So, if circumstances were different, it could be me in that state rather than Ripple? In a way, I’d prefer that. It’s been quite some time since I became a hieral menace, but I know so little about that. I can’t say I’m pleased about it.” Eris sighed deeply.

“But, Eris...” Rafinha called out to her.

“What?”

“I think it’s better that we have the Flygears and Flygear Ports. With them, we can move faster and go further to protect people attacked by magicite beasts.”

Many people around them nodded at those words, even if they didn’t speak up. Those present understood the importance of defending the country and its people from magicite beasts. Rafinha’s innocent opinion resonated with them. Even Rafael and Prince Wayne nodded.

“Rafinha’s right. Isn’t she, Inglis?” Leone whispered.

“Precisely. We get to be in more fights like this,” Inglis whispered back.

“I...don’t think we’re quite on the same page...”

“But the results are the same, so it’s fine, right?”

“Ha ha ha. It’s my fault for asking.”

Meanwhile, Eris was silent.

“S-Sorry! I was rudely blabbing on!” Rafinha bowed her head.

Eris paused for a moment and then said, “No, it’s fine. Perhaps your way of thinking about it is best.”

“I shall try my hardest. I hope that Ripple can be as she was...” Theodore said. “So, please endure it a little longer.”

“Yes. As you wish.” Eris nodded in response.

“Thanks to you, we calmed Eris down.” Theodore clapped a hand on Rafinha’s shoulder and smiled. “A pure, straightforward opinion—you’re as beautiful inside as out.”

“No, I just... Aha ha ha, me, beautiful?” Rafinha responded shyly. Her cheeks blushed slightly. Inglis thought this was the first time she had seen her like this. At the same time, she felt an urgent sense of alarm. This... This might be a vermin. The kind of vermin I have to eliminate. Rafinha was too young for this sort of thing. Inglis wouldn’t allow it.

“May I have your name?” Theodore asked.

Inglis quickly wedged herself between Rafinha and Ambassador Theodore. “Her name is Rafinha Bilford. She’s the younger sister of Holy Knight Rafael, and I’m her squire, Inglis Eucus.”

This was dangerous. Inglis needed to limit their time together as much as possible.

“H-Hey, Chris, what’s the big deal?! What’s with you all of a sudden?” Rafinha objected.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry. I am your squire, after all.”

But Ambassador Theodore didn’t seem to pay any attention at all to Inglis’s ruffled attitude. “Bilford... I see, the holy knight’s younger sister! And Inglis, I’ve heard of you as well. You’re the ones who saved my sister’s life.”

“Sister?” Inglis asked in surprise.

“Yes. Cyrene is my younger sister.”

“Whaaat?!” Inglis and Rafinha both blurted out after involuntary gasps.