Chapter II: Inglis, Age 15—Orders to Defend the Hieral Menace (2)
“Aha ha ha. She picked that for your nickname, Inglis?” Ripple laughed as she listened to the first-years’ recounting of the events with Yua and everyone else.
She seemed to be doing well enough today, but she was probably still suffering inside. Everyone knew that from the expression on her face when she awakened from the spells of unconsciousness or when her expression clouded. She was trying to act cheerful, though. She didn’t want to worry everyone.
As Principal Miriela had ordered, each team would take turns guarding Ripple, rotating daily. Today was the first time Inglis’s team—the first-years—would be on duty. Ripple had free access to the grounds of the academy, but even while acting as her bodyguards, the students still had to avoid missing class if possible. Thus, Ripple would be attending their classes with them. Inglis had heard that Ripple had done the same for the older students. It was as if a hieral menace, a guardian of the country, was sitting in on their classes. Her presence raised the morale of their classmates.
Thinking back on Yua’s nickname for her, Inglis said, “Yes. It was a little embarrassing...”
Inglis still felt her spirit was that of a hero-king. She’d gotten used to having a woman’s body—she even enjoyed it. But for the day to come where her nickname was Boobies... Fate was strange.
“Yua’s kinda odd. She couldn’t remember my name either,” Ripple replied. Not remembering even a great hieral menace’s name was certainly daring.
“So what does she call you?”
“Lady Dog Ears.”
Inglis just stared.
Well, Ripple did have dog ears. And “Lady” did attempt to show some respect.
“Well, whatever. What did she call Rafinha?”
“Little Demon.” Yua hadn’t taken kindly to being shouted at. Rafinha had scared her a bit.
“And Leone?”
Leone gestured toward her chest, where Rin was burrowed and relaxing. “Also Boobies... Probably because of...”
“Yeah, that must be why... And Liselotte?”
“S-Spike...” Seemingly because her curls were pointy at the ends.
“Ha ha ha. She got you good,” Ripple chuckled.
After a pause in the conversation, Rafinha got everyone back on track. “Well, Yua is almost as strange as Chris, but I think we managed to understand one another. The problem is probably Silva. Ripple, did he ever say or do anything rude to you?”
“Hm? Not really. I feel like he’s a little overzealous, but I get along well with him.”
While Inglis listened to them, she moved one of the chess pieces in front of her. Across the board, Leone frowned. As one of their lessons in the classroom today, they’d played chess, and the group had stayed in the classroom a little bit longer to finish their matches.
“Ugh... I give up...” Leone’s shoulders slumped. “This is no good. No matter how many times I try, I can’t win! Sheesh, Inglis, you’re the kind of person who can only think of charging in and beating enemies up when they appear, and yet...”
“Most people would be offended by that description,” Inglis replied.
Chess and reality were different. Real “pieces” grew. With that growth eventually came the strength to smash through all the enemy’s “pieces.” Her behavior in actual battles was simply what she considered to be the most effective way to maximize her growth. That was why she so frequently slammed full-speed into a thoughtfully prepared enemy.
Rafinha and Liselotte were sitting next to them at their own board.
“Well, Chris is good at chess—she always has been.”
“I’d never have expected that based on how she normally acts,” Liselotte said.
“On the contrary, even from the first few times she played, her own father, Rafael, and my father couldn’t beat her.”
“And what about you, Rafinha?”
“Me? There’s no way I can win!” Rafinha said, a bit ashamed. “You can tell from this, right?” Liselotte’s position on the board was extremely favorable.
“I suppose... Perhaps you need to put in a bit more effort?”
Rafinha was not suited to tests of subterfuge or tactics. Chess was exactly that sort of game, so Rafinha was not surprised by her own poor performance.
“Well, there’s no actual reason for me to be good at it. If I’m in trouble, I can leave it to Chris. Right?”
“Well, as a full-fledged, independent knight—”
“Yeah. I can just leave it all to her.”
“Isn’t that a bit naive?! Inglis, I think you’ve been going a bit too easy on her.”
“Really? But it’s fine, as long as I always stay Rani’s squire,” Inglis said.
“W-Well...” Liselotte said, taking a moment to figure out how to respond. “Are you fine with that? With your strength, I’m sure your exploits will give you both rank and honor.”
“I have no interest in those sorts of things.” In fact, Inglis was worried about accidentally getting too much responsibility. She wouldn’t be able to stand on the front lines, then. Even if she was pressured into becoming a leader, she planned on taking advantage of her status as a Runeless squire to firmly reject it.
“Ha ha ha. You’re a strange one.” Liselotte didn’t understand, but she smiled in a lightly teasing manner. In the meantime, she advanced a piece on the board, ending her game against Rafinha.
“Ugh! I lost again...!”
“And would you like to play, Lady Ripple? I’d simply love to see how you perform,” Liselotte said.
“Naw. I’m just like Rafinha, I’d rather leave that kind of thing to Eris. She’s the brains and I’m the brawn.”
Inglis nimbly offered a suggestion. “Then why don’t we spar? It’d be good to loosen up after just sitting around so long. After all, exercise is good for your mental health. Letting loose is great stress relief.”
Inglis really wanted a match against Ripple, and she couldn’t let this chance for a fight with a hieral menace get away.
“Hey, Chriiis?” Rafinha glared at Inglis.
“Not now, Inglis. What would we do if something happened to her?” Leone chastised.
“Indeed. We absolutely can’t risk that,” Liselotte said, nonplussed.
“Hey, hey—wait. I’m not necessarily the only one who wants to fight. Maybe it would be good for Ripple too! Right, Rani?”
Inglis’s attempt to defend herself did not persuade Rafinha. “Absolutely not. Don’t be selfish. We have enough on our hands with the magicite beasts.”
However, Ripple unexpectedly nodded toward Inglis. “Hmm, I’m okay with it. Why not?”
“R-Really?! Thank you so much, Ripple!” Inglis’s excitement was plain as day.
“Miriela and Theodore did say they wanted to see what would happen if I got in a fight. I’ve wanted to experience your power anyway. Plus, you seem reeeaaal happy about it. Ha ha ha!”
“Yes! I love you, Ripple!” Inglis’s eyes were sparkling like shiny gems. Ripple found the girl’s bliss a little frightening.
◆◇◆
The group visited Ambassador Theodore and Principal Miriela in the principal’s office. Ripple had said she was fine with the bout, but she needed their permission first.
“You two want to spar? Well, Inglis being Inglis, I expected she might ask. I can’t say I’m surprised,” Miriela said.
“You know your students well, Principal,” Theodore remarked with a smile.
“I am a proper principal, after all.”
“I think Chris is a lot easier to understand than a normal girl,” Rafinha said.
Leone and Liselotte both agreed.
“Yes. She only thinks about one thing.”
“Indeed.”
Miriela laughed. “Looks like they’ve described you to a T, Inglis.”
“Whatever, I want to hurry up and fight! It’s okay, right, Principal Miriela? C’mon, c’mon, c’mon...!” Inglis’s eyes were still sparkling.
“Aha ha ha... Well, it would be a shame to keep you waiting, so let’s get to it.” Miriela turned to her colleague. “Theodore, if you would?”
“Certainly. Leone, this is for you.”
Ambassador Theodore held out Leone’s original dark greatsword Artifact. Its Gift extended the blade at the wielder’s will. When smashing the falling flying ship away from the palace, Inglis had put too much force into the swing, and the blade had shattered.
“Ah, is this my—?!”
“Yes. The base is the same as the one you had used, Leone,” Principal Miriela explained.
“The base?”
“Yes. It looks the same, but it’s upgraded. Where before it had one Gift, now it has another—it’s an exceptional Artifact with two Gifts! Isn’t cutting-edge technology a marvel? ♪”
Leone stared in amazement. “Huh...”
“Wow! Isn’t that great, Leone?” Rafinha cheered.
“What is the other Gift?”
“It’s an effect that separates nearby people off into another dimension!” Miriela answered. “It’s the safety measure we were talking about earlier. This dimension-jumping ability will prevent damage to the school building! Based on the elemental affinity of your Rune, you’re the most suited to use it out of everyone, Leone.”
“It was created on short notice, so we’d like you to test the strength of the dimension and the duration of the effect. Please hold Inglis and Ripple’s sparring match within the effect of the Artifact. If there are no problems with the results, I’ll distribute them to the other groups as well,” Theodore explained.
“When a Highlander trapped us in another dimension, our Artifacts didn’t work inside. What about with this?” Leone asked.
“That won’t happen, of course! No worries there, Leone,” Ambassador Theodore reassured her.
“Understood. I’ll give it a try!”
“Go right ahead, Leone! There’s no time like the present!” Principal Miriela encouraged.
“What?! Here and now?!”
“Do not worry. We’d like to enter it with you and observe the Artifact’s operation,” Theodore said.
“Understood. Then—” Leone gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands and focused. “Ugh... Grrr... It feels different from what I’m used to...!”
“You don’t have to rush it. It’s a Gift you haven’t used before. Take a deep breath, and let yourself be carried away on the flows the Rune creates.”
“Okay.” Leone inhaled deeply at Principal Miriela’s instruction.
As she calmed and felt a rhythm, she controlled both her breathing and the flow of mana. The dark blade of the sword began to distort—to be precise, space itself distorted, making it seem as if the blade had.
“That’s it, Leone. Keep going.”
“Yes!”
The distortion spread farther and farther until it reached its peak. The world had gone completely blank around them. As their vision adjusted, they realized they were in a space with no walls or horizon.
“I did it!”
Leone was right. The seven people from the room had been transported to another dimension.
“Wow! It worked! It’s just like the Labyrinth of Ordeals or the Highlanders’ magic!” Rafinha looked all around, comparing this dimension to the other similar experiences they’d had recently. It didn’t seem like any illusions would appear, nor were their Artifacts sealed. This Gift only transported people inside of it. “Leone, are you okay? It wasn’t too hard on you?”
Leone was definitely tired, probably because the ability was so new to her.
“I’m fine. I just have to get used to it. You can start the match.”
“Understood. Thanks, Leone. If you would, Ripple...” Inglis prompted.
“Sure thing! Let’s give everyone some space. And Miriela, can you keep an eye out for stray shots?”
“Of course. We’d like to check the strength of this space, so could you start off lightly and then gradually increase your strength?”
“Of course,” Inglis said.
In that case, they would begin bare-handed without weapons or projectiles. Inglis clapped a fist into her other palm and shifted into her stance.
“No probs, Miriela! Okay, Inglis, let’s go!”
Ripple was a good person. She got right down to the fight. Inglis was glad she’d broached the idea of inviting her to the academy.
“Right! Here I come!” Inglis sprinted straight ahead, her fists at the ready. It was a head-to-head fight, no tricks.
Smack!
“Nice punch!” Ripple remarked. A crack rang out as she caught Inglis’s fist, loud enough to make the surrounding air tremble. “Fast and strong!” Ripple added as her own punch flew at Inglis.
Smack!
“You’re strong as well!” This time, Inglis had stopped Ripple’s attack.
And so, a grappling contest had begun. This was still just a warm-up, but the hieral menace was as impressive as Inglis had expected.
Their overwhelming power had stopped each other in place as they grappled.
“Heh heh...!” Ripple grinned.
Inglis frowned, confused. She saw Ripple’s fluffy tail wagging like an animal’s. It was quite long. Unexpectedly, Ripple used her tail to tickle the armpit of Inglis’s outstretched arm.
“Eek?!” Inglis reflexively cowered, and in the moment where her strength wavered, Ripple twisted, building up her momentum.
“Gotcha!” The whiplike high kick was already before Inglis’s eyes. At this rate, it would strike her. That was a bit unfair, but it was everything Inglis had hoped for!
“Release!” Inglis typically kept herself under increased gravity to train. Naturally, she had done so during this fight until now. Whenever she released herself from added gravity, she could react to even the impossible! She suddenly sped up, moving herself out of the kick’s arc.
“No way!” Ripple, who’d expected her kick to strike true, gasped in surprise.
And Inglis quickly went back on the offensive. This time, she let loose a flurry of punches.
“Haaah!”
“Yahhhhh!”
Rrrumble!
Inglis and Ripple’s fists met, and a heavy sound shook the air.
“Amazing! I’ve never seen anyone fight like that!” Liselotte involuntarily gasped, overwhelmed.
“But they’re not done yet. They’re still only fighting bare-handed,” Rafinha remarked.
Miriela had been watching closely and quietly. She remarked to herself, “I’ll have to take a closer look at what Inglis is doing—for future reference.”
With her increased gravity released, Inglis gradually took the upper hand in the high-speed clash of fists. “Oomph!” Pushing through Ripple’s loose defense, Inglis’s fist caught her on top of the shoulder.
“Ah—ow!” Ripple was blown backwards and fell on her butt. But she quickly clambered back to her feet, practically leaping back up. “Not bad, Inglis!”
“You too!” Inglis’s fists were still numb—proof that Ripple was no ordinary opponent.
“Now that we’ve warmed up... Let’s do this for real! I’m not really the fistfightin’ type, y’know?” Ripple extended her hand toward Inglis. In it, a golden cylinder appeared.
“A gun?!”
With a cheeky grin, Ripple replied, “Sure is. ♪”
“Interesting...!”
Ripple had said she got along well with Silva. Inglis hadn’t understood before, but now she wondered if it was because they shared a weapon.
“All right, here goes!” Ripple said.
A shining bullet, seemingly condensed from light, shot forth from the gun in Ripple’s right hand with a fwoosh. It left a shimmering trail in the darkness of the dimension as it raced toward Inglis.
That’s even faster than the arrows of light from Rafinha’s Artifact! Inglis thought.
She flipped sideways to avoid it—a moment later, she realized that may have been a mistake. The next round had already left Ripple’s gun, aimed for where Inglis would land.
“Wh—?!”
If she’d dodged more precisely, she wouldn’t have left that opening. The hero-king hadn’t needed to contend with guns before. This was her first occasion in both of her lifetimes facing one. She had been overly cautious on her previous approach. She still had more to learn.
But that won’t pose a problem!
Clink!
Inglis converted her aether into mana and magically created a blade of ice in her right hand. Although it required the tedious process of converting divine aether into the less powerful mana and then manipulating it, the ice sword itself was quite user-friendly. Between daily practice and regular use in actual combat, she could now activate it almost instantly. She quickly swatted away Ripple’s bullets of light.
Ping!
With a clear, dry sound, Inglis repelled the bullet.
“Hm? Didn’t hit? I knew you’d be a toughie! Then how about this?” Ripple fired a three-shot burst. The guns she had seen so far normally required notable time to be reloaded between shots. However, Ripple could fire a volley with no such effort.
“You won’t touch me!”
Ping, ping, ping!
Inglis had repelled all three of the bullets. Ripple’s line of vision, the angle of the gun’s barrel, and the movement of Ripple’s fingers—by observing them closely, Inglis could predict the trajectory of a bullet.
Ripple gasped. “Ah?! Crap!” Now the bullets were flying toward the others.
However, a faintly glowing wall of light blocked them, and they fell to the ground. Some kind of protective barrier must have been erected.
“We can handle this much. As long as it’s this much.” Principal Miriela’s bitter laugh may have been in anticipation of how much more intense the fight would become.
“Thank you. Then we’ll give it our all!”
“Were you even listening to what I said?!”
Inglis advanced. If she didn’t close the distance and go on the attack, she had no chance of winning—well, she could counterattack with something like Aether Strike, . Tbut that would be a waste. Ripple was perfectly controlling the space between herself and her opponent with a near-impenetrable hail of gunfire. Evading Ripple’s ranged attacks and challenging her with melee attacks would be the best for Inglis’s experience and growth.
Taking on an opponent at their best and winning despite their strong points—that was how Inglis Eucus fought.
Dodging gunfire by a hair’s breadth, she advanced forth, using her sword to bat away any bullets that seemed like they might hit. Inglis made snap judgments on when to evade, step in, or swipe at the bullets.
Ripple grinned. “Heh heh heh... But I’m not stopping either!”
“I’ll catch up with you!”
The distance between Inglis and Ripple slowly closed.
“You sure do have a nice bright smile on your face! If you’re enjoying it this much, it’s fun for me too!”
Despite her words, Ripple still remained calm and analytical. Inglis still has something up her sleeve, she thought. The question’s when she’ll bring it out... Just this much is impressive. Her predictions are precise, and her movements are incredibly agile. Every movement she makes flows with a sense of beauty. She’s maybe even faster than Eris and Rafael. From what Eris said, she can make herself even faster, but Eris didn’t completely understand how. This girl is unfathomable. She’s so cute, though.
Yet, even with Inglis’s ineffability, even with the big words about wanting to take down a Prismer, Ripple welcomed her. Someone she couldn’t understand just might be the person who could break through problems not even she or Eris could handle.
More than anything, I want to see her give her all...
And then, Inglis—having avoided the attacks from the gun in Ripple’s right hand—was on her. She swiftly circled around to Ripple’s left side so that it would take Ripple a moment to readjust her aim. One more step forward, and Inglis would be close enough to strike Ripple with her sword.
From Inglis’s perspective, this must be the best chance to attack. She’s gonna step in... And then blam, right in the nose!
As Inglis moved in, Ripple thrust her empty left hand at her. In it, a golden gun quickly appeared.
Inglis gasped. “Another?!”
“Sure is! I can dual-wield!”
Fwoosh!
“Guh?!” Inglis barely managed to avoid a direct hit by twisting her body just in time, but the bullet grazed her shoulder. Her clothing was torn, a severed scrap sent flying, and her whole body was pushed by the momentum of the bullet.
“Gotcha! Right there!”
“I’m not done yet!” Even being blown away, Inglis tried to somehow recover her footing. As she fell back, she used her sword of ice to repel the relentless gunfire. By the time she was fully back on her feet, Ripple was even farther away than when they’d begun.
“The tables are turned! Can you still close in?”
“Ugh...” There were no gaps in the barrage of fire! With Ripple’s guns not running out of bullets, even indirect shots kept Inglis from closing in. She was too busy being on the defensive.
If this keeps up, will Ripple’s guns run out of ammunition sometime? Or will my strength ebb first? Inglis asked herself.
She was weighing options in her head when she saw the move she needed to make. “No!” Even though Ripple was on the offensive, Inglis took the initiative. Ripple had stopped in her tracks.
So I’ll...! Inglis deliberately bent her back leg and half-crouched. Gripping ice swords in both hands, she held them at her waist to swiftly and efficiently counterattack. Three strong puffs of air sounded as Ripple fired her burst of shots. Their trajectory matched Inglis’s low-to-the-ground stance.
Inglis’s eyes gleamed like those of a bird of prey observing its target. “I saw that coming! Haaaah!” Inglis whipped her ice swords forth in a flash!
Ping, ping, ping!
The sounds were crystal clear. Taken aback, Ripple watched the scene unfold: Inglis had reflected her bullets of light. And they were headed straight back for her.
“Huhhhhhh?!” she exclaimed in surprise. Ripple had been a hieral menace for a long time, but this was the first time someone had not just deflected her gunfire with a sword, but sent it back at her. Ripple hadn’t been moving around, so Inglis had aimed to return her fire.
Such a fearsome ability! Ripple thought. This isn’t just a matter of power—it’s a masterful technique! Why is this little cutie so skilled?!
“Ugh...! Dammit!” Ripple tried to shoot down the incoming bullets. I managed two... But the third’s coming straight for me!
“Mmph—!” She had to jump back to avoid it. For that moment, her fire stopped. She hadn’t wanted to take her eyes off Inglis, but she’d been preoccupied. “Huh?! Where’d she go?!”
She practically disappeared!
No sooner did Ripple think that than a beautiful silver thread danced on the edge of her vision. It was the sight of Inglis’s long, platinum-blonde hair swinging in the air.
She was close—too close.
She’s right here! Ripple thought in a panic.
“Haaaah!” Inglis yelled.
Bam!
Inglis used the momentum of her lunge to smash her shoulder into Ripple’s back.
“Aaaaaah!” Ripple, light of frame, was sent flying by the force of the blow. She flew in the direction of Principal Miriela, who was setting up a barrier. Ripple expected to slam into the ground but made an unexpectedly soft landing. Perhaps Principal Miriela had manipulated the barrier.
“Owwww...” Ripple groaned. “That was one heckuva body slam. Amazing. And shooting my own bullets back at me? You’re twisted, Inglis. No one’s done that before.”
“I’m actually more of a sword fighter than a fist fighter, so...” Inglis said. Truthfully, she had wanted to break through a two-gun curtain of fire up close. She was a bit unsatisfied about having relied on projectiles.
I guess hieral menaces really are strong enough not to let me get my way, Inglis thought. Anyway, back to the battle. It isn’t over yet. I don’t want it to end yet.
“So, Ripple, shall we?”
First, Ripple looked at Miriela behind her. “Thanks, Miriela, that barrier stopped me. Only one ouchie today.”
“Oh...” Miriela stared in confusion. “I didn’t do anything. I thought you were going to slam into the ground, but something brushed over you, and the barrier disappeared as if sucked away.” She tilted her neck as she stared at her ring.
That must be the Artifact that created the barrier, Inglis assumed.
“What do you mean by the mana being sucked away? Miriela, you didn’t do that intentionally, right?” Theodore asked.
“No, I didn’t.”
This seemed to have dredged up a memory from the ambassador.
This doesn’t bode well, Inglis thought. “Um, about that fight...” But no one was listening. The flow naturally continued as if the fight had ended, even though no one had said it was over.
“I’d like another one of you to try a different Artifact. It will be dangerous, so ideally one whose function isn’t an attack,” Principal Miriela requested.
Liselotte raised her hand. “Then, I shall.” Her Artifact’s Gift created bright-white wings which gave her the power of flight, rather than being for straightforward attacks.
“Go ahead.”
“Yes... How’s this?”
“Thank you. Now, Lady Ripple, please touch her wing.”
“Okay, got it.” Ripple patted one of the wings which had appeared on Liselotte’s back.
Inglis began to object. “Um...! The fight isn’t ov— Mmph?!”
“Now, now. Quiet down, Chris. This is a serious conversation.” Rafinha placed a hand over her cousin’s mouth as the weighty discussion continued.
“Do you two notice anything different?” Theodore asked.
“Not at all,” Liselotte replied.
“All normal,” Ripple said.
“In that case, Miriela, could you try using Liselotte’s Artifact?” Theodore suggested.
“Th-The angel wings? I don’t really think that’s appropriate for a lady my age...”
Ripple quickly took the chance for some playful jabs. “Yeah, wings like that are only for when you’re young and cute. Maybe until your early twenties?”
“Ugh...”
Liselotte chuckled. “Here. Go right ahead, Principal.”
“Laugh while you can, young lady! One day, time will make its mark on you too!” Miriela warned, much to Liselotte’s confusion.
“Err...?”
“Miriela, this is no time to be troubling your students,” Theodore said.
“Of course. Then... Here goes!” Bright white wings sprouted from Miriela’s back.
“So I touch them like I did before?” As Ripple did so, the wings disappeared with a swoosh, as if sucked away.
Theodore understood right away. “So it is absorbing mana...but only Miriela’s!”
“Perhaps because a hieral menace can only receive the power of a holy knight’s special-class Rune,” Miriela said.
“Precisely. Lady Ripple’s existing ability to transform into a weapon, which occurs through both her intent and the power of a special-class Rune, seems to be distorted in a strange way. Without meaning to, Ripple is taking in mana from Miriela, who has a special-class Rune. And when enough of that mana accumulates...”
“Ah...?!” Ripple gasped.
Vwoom!
A dark sphere covered Ripple’s body. Magicite beasts would be appearing soon.
Ambassador Theodore’s expression became stern. “As expected, this phenomenon seems to be what’s summoning the magicite beasts!”
“M-My bad, Inglis,” Ripple said, struggling to hold on to consciousness. “Take care of the rest for me...!” Then she collapsed, but Inglis fortunately caught her before she hit the ground.
Having been maintaining the dimension this whole time, Leone was struggling. “S-Sorry! I’m at my limit!” She was sweating quite a bit; the burden on her had been significant.
The scenery around them shifted into the familiar surroundings of the principal’s office from earlier. And as they arrived back at the school, a magicite beast dropped in from above.
Crassshhh!
The creature smashed into the desk in Miriela’s office, breaking it into pieces. “Ahhhhh! My desk!” she exclaimed with a mournful cry.
Inglis’s attention was focused solely on the magicite beast. This time, only one had appeared. Like the previous occurrences, the creature had ears and a tail, characteristic of demihumans—but something was odd.
“It... It’s huge! What the heck?!” Rafinha exclaimed.
It was enormous—more than twice the size of the previous ones. The various colored stones that studded its body were harder and more akin to ore. Its eyes were like jet-black jewels, implying it had dark-elemental power. This magicite beast was certainly stronger than the previous ones. Inglis inferred that was due to Ripple having drawn more mana from Principal Miriela.
“Be careful, Rani. This one’s probably about as strong as Rahl or Cyrene were as magicite beasts,” Inglis warned.
Ripple’s condition seemed to be a trap prepared to punish surface-dwelling forces who did not align with Highland. Inglis deemed it a rather half-hearted Highland plot. The might of the summoned magicite beasts was not that different from that of those produced by the Prism Flow, despite the latter being more common. However, Highland likely had more up its sleeves. Moving Ripple to the knights’ academy had been a wise decision.
“I appreciate you looking out for me, but your warning doesn’t match your expression, Chris!” Rafinha quipped.
“Oh, whoops! We’re on a mission, so it would behoove me to at least appear serious.”
“That is not the issue here! Beat that thing—with haste!” Principal Miriela waved her Artifact to create barriers in a hurry. The light of the barrier covered the world outside the window. “Please stop trying to get enemies to show you everything they’ve got before you do anything!”
Miriela knew Inglis too well by now. The squire tried a different approach. “Perhaps...it’s because I prefer to keep an open mind about people?”
Principal Miriela ignored her excuse. “Prevent as much damage in here as you can! And I’m not saying this just because I have my things here. I’m not!”
The students stared in silence.
Regardless, the barrier Artifacts they now had could cover a wide area centered on their position, confining the battle inside; everything within the confines of the barrier could be destroyed.
“Leone, can you create that dimension again?” Inglis asked.
“Not right away! Sorry!”
“Everyone, take care! It’s attempting something!” Liselotte cried out.
“Gwoooooohhhh!”
The magicite beast let out a great roar, and sparks of darkness began to condense around it. Even though its coloring was different, the flow of power that Inglis sensed reminded her of Cyrene’s heat rays. She anticipated the creature would probably shoot some sort of beam.
“It’s preparing to launch light-based attacks at us!” Inglis exclaimed. If it was to fire off wildly inside this building, that would pose a problem.
That got Principal Miriela’s attention. “Ehh?! S-Stop it!”
Well, stopping it would probably be good, yes, Inglis thought.
Rafinha shouted, “Chris! We’ve gotta do something now!”
“You’re right, Rani. I’m on it!”
Inglis and Rafinha had their minds on one thing: that the principal’s office was on the floor above the cafeteria. If the magicite beast unleashed its attack here, the cafeteria would be caught in the blasts as well—Inglis absolutely had to stop that from happening!
“Principal Miriela, please drop your barrier for a moment! I have a plan.”
“O-Okay! Go for it, Inglis!” Miriela dropped her barrier.
“Yes...!”
No holding back now!
Inglis swiftly activated Aether Shell. Clad in the bluish-white light of aether, she sprinted toward the magicite beast in a flash. She kicked with a twist of her hips. “Even if I can’t stop it in time...”
...I can smash it away to somewhere where its beams won’t cause any problems!
Blammmmmm!
Inglis’s kick sent the gigantic magicite beast soaring at an incredible speed. It smashed straight through the ceiling far into the sky; in the blink of an eye, it looked no larger than a pea. There, it scattered dark light, but it didn’t hit anything.
Most importantly, the cafeteria was safe. That was good.
“Good job, Chris! You protected our cafeteria!” Rafinha cheered.
“As always, Inglis has very Inglis-like solutions,” Leone said.
Principal Miriela was shocked. “Wh-Whoa! It’s flying off really, really fast!”
“Such incredible brute force...!” Liselotte gasped.
“Your strength... It’s incredible. Just what are you?” Ambassador Theodore asked.
“I apologize for the damage. I seem to have put a hole in your ceiling and roof.” Inglis gave a polite, apologetic bow to the principal.
“W-Well, pay it no mind. I would consider that minimal.”
Liselotte brought up an important point, though. “B-But it’s going to fall! Furthermore, physical attacks are not sufficient to deal with magicite beasts, so it hasn’t been defeated yet!”
Inglis agreed. “First, let’s make sure it isn’t going to fall on the school building.”
Truthfully, a kick delivered with Aether Shell active would likely have been enough to take down a magicite beast, but Inglis understood the importance of confirming a victory. Plus, she needed to make sure it wouldn’t land on the school building somewhere. With a yell, Inglis leaped through the hole in the ceiling and landed on the roof. Behind her, Rafinha and the others followed, and they gauged the trajectory of the falling magicite beast.
“It doesn’t look like it’s going to crash into the building,” Rafinha said.
“Yes, it’s headed for the school courtyard!” Leone said.
“I propose we finish it off quickly as soon as it lands!” Liselotte suggested.
The magicite beast was approaching the ground, but a new problem had arisen. “Ah...! Someone’s there!” Leone cried.
“Yua?!” Rafinha exclaimed. The second-year student was wandering by.
“Yuaaa! Look up, look uuup! Watch ouuut!” Principal Miriela warned loudly.
Yua did as instructed and noticed the falling magicite beast, but she did not get out of the way. “Oh no. Someone save me.” Her karate chop sprang forth swiftly, clashing with the listlessness in her tone of voice.
Slash!
With that, the falling magicite beast was cleaved in two.
“Wow! Yua, you’re amazing!” Rafinha said.
Even if Inglis had already critically weakened the magicite beast, none of them had expected Yua to be able to cut it in half with a karate chop.
That was fantastic. Yua really is a gem. I absolutely must fight her someday, Inglis thought.
The bisected magicite beast dissolved into the air. Meanwhile, Yua ambled casually back into the dorms as if nothing had happened at all.
After watching her depart, Ambassador Theodore took a deep breath and spoke. “The dark light has disappeared. I sense no more disturbance in Lady Ripple’s mana. She should come to shortly.” He paused to reflect for a moment. “We’ve learned quite a bit today. And not only does the dimension-displacement Artifact seem to be working fine, I don’t anticipate a recurrence of this phenomenon for a while. Thank you, everyone.”
“Sir Theodore, why do you say that?” Leone asked.
“Because we’ve established that the phenomenon only takes place when Lady Ripple’s body can absorb mana from the bearer of a special-class Rune,” he answered.
“Is that because summoning that magicite beast drained that mana, meaning it will take time for Ripple to reach that same level again?” Inglis asked.
“Yes, that’s correct. It’s as Inglis says.” He turned to her. “You understand well.”
The warmth of his smile reminded Inglis of his sister, Cyrene. They really were siblings.
“Sir Theodore, there’s something I don’t understand,” Rafinha said.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Why are these magicite beasts always former demihumans?”
“Hmm, if I had to put forth a theory, I’d say it’s because Ripple herself is a demihuman. Demihumans seem to have a superior sixth sense, one which even allows them to communicate telepathically. It appears that she’s able to call out to others of her kind through this connection.”
Inglis found that explanation convincing. Even when Ripple had inadvertently called forth a magicite beast more powerful than usual through Miriela’s mana, it had been a demihuman. Her summoning ability was likely limited to demihumans.
“So it’s something that could only be done through Ripple...” Miriela remarked.
“Indeed. In fact, it’s even possible that they specifically made a demihuman into a hieral menace for this purpose,” Theodore said to his old friend.
“So they’re using the demihumans, who were wiped out by the Prism Flow...” Even Principal Miriela’s expression became stern and overcast.
“Many Highlanders do not see surface-dwellers as equals. I believe they’re willing to do anything, attempt any measure... And thus, I believe they have arranged this. As a Highlander myself, it shames me to admit it, but...”
“Poor Ripple... Using her friends like that...” Rafinha remarked.
“It seems like we, along with everything else, are just tools to Highland...” Leone said.
Liselotte didn’t like it either. “This really is dreadful! And after all Lady Ripple’s done to defend our country...”
Another voice suddenly reached their ears. “Calm down, everyone. It all depends on your perspective.” Ripple was sitting up now; her consciousness had returned. “Thinking about it the other way around, it’s a chance to lay to rest my peers who have become magicite beasts. I don’t want them to be stuck like that. And I’m sure they’d be happy to be stopped from hurting anyone.”
“Ripple... You’re right. And we’ll make totally sure nothing serious happens!” Rafinha said.
“Thanks. I’m gonna be out cold, so I won’t be able to help. Give it your all. Don’t hold back against them.”
Inglis tentatively raised her hand. “One potential countermeasure has occurred to me. If I may?”
“Yes. Let us hear it, Inglis,” Ambassador Theodore prompted.
“With aid from the principal, Silva, and Rafael, we allow Ripple to absorb large amounts of mana. As such, she’ll summon vast numbers of powerful magicite beasts. And if we beat ’em, and beat ’em, and beat ’em, and beat ’em all...”
Judging by what Ripple and the others had said, the demihuman population had already been turned into magicite beasts and there was no hope of saving them. If Ripple only ever brought forth demihuman-type magicite beasts, then she had a finite number to call.
Inglis continued, “I propose we neutralize that phenomenon by having Ripple run out of summoned creatures.”
“That’s, uh, very like you, Chris. The ‘Beat Them All Up! ♪’ strategy?” Rafinha remarked.
“Yeah. Don’t you think it’s a good idea?” It would let Inglis fight to her heart’s content. In addition, it would provide opportunities for her to see Rafael, Principal Miriela, and Silva at their best, as well as Yua and Eris. It would be a very interesting battlefield to watch; just imagining it made her excited.
“I...don’t quite think that’s wise,” Leone said haltingly. “But I think it could work if handled well, and it’s very much like you, Inglis. Very much so...”
“The ultimate in brute force... But to be quite honest, I don’t believe it’s an awful idea,” Liselotte said.
Ripple agreed and gave a laugh. “Ha ha ha! If you can handle it, I think you can pull it off.”
Even though the students were willing to take risks, the adults had their reservations about Inglis’s suggestion. Miriela objected, “Weeell, the problem is that it’s total war... We can only do that if we’re prepared to endanger ourselves in a significant fashion. That would be a last resort. Wouldn’t you agree, Theodore?”
“Correct. I’d like a bit more time to find alternatives—” A rapid knock at the door of the principal’s office cut off the rest of the ambassador’s sentence.
“Yes? Is there something urgent?” Principal Miriela answered as she opened the door for them to see Rafael and Eris.
“Rafael!” Rafinha called out to her brother.
“Eris!” Ripple did the same to her friend.
“Hey, Rani, Chris. Sorry, but something important came up,” Rafael said.
“Ripple, I’ve been so worried about you! Let’s talk later. We have an emergency on our hands,” Eris pressed.
“What’s happened?” Theodore asked.
“We’ve come to summon you, Sir Theodore. Prince Wayne requests your presence at the palace immediately!”
“Did something happen?” the ambassador asked.
“Venefic’s armies have crossed the border and are invading!” Rafael exclaimed. “Prince Wayne requests you. He’d like to discuss our response.”
Theodore’s expression turned grave with a stiff intake of breath. “I see. I’ll be there immediately!”
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