Chapter VI: Inglis, Age 15—Dual Starlets (6)
“Welcome, everyone! Welcome, welcome!” Weismar, standing on stage, bowed deeply to the audience as he delivered the introduction. The gazes of a nearly full house were focused upon him. Inglis and the others, concealed by the curtains as they waited in the wings, peeked out.
“Wow... There are so many people... I-I’m getting really nervous...” Pullum gulped. She was dressed in the same costume as Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte. In the end, she ended up joining the play as one of the backup dancers for Inglis, because Ian had suggested that it would make Lahti happy. Lahti had objected, but Count Weismar had readily agreed.
Despite his complaints, Lahti had learned the choreography of the dance so that he could teach Pullum, who wasn’t the most athletic and struggled with the steps. He hadn’t outright said he was trying to be supportive, but if Pullum was going to take to the stage, he wanted to help her with that.
“You idiot. I’m the one who’s nervous! I’m so worried you’re gonna screw up and embarrass Inglis...” Lahti muttered.
“I-I’ll do my best!”
“Don’t worry! It’s a lot less nerve-racking than stopping a falling ship or fighting a magicite beast, right?” Rafinha patted Pullum on the back.
“S-Sure, but my heart’s still pounding...”
“Then think of it this way. Everyone’s going to be staring at Chris. They won’t even notice us in the back, so don’t worry!”
“You might be right,” Pullum acquiesced with a pause. “She really does look beautiful.”
Inglis’s costume for the show was even more ornate and glamorous than it had been when she’d first been fitted for it. She had taken a long look at herself in the mirror a moment ago and thought she truly was quite a sight.
“I don’t think anyone’s going to have any complaints about how you look, Inglis,” Leone said.
“I’m sure the audience will be delighted,” Liselotte agreed.
“But y’know, Pullum, I think you’re the cutest of ’em all,” Inglis said, doing her best to imitate Lahti while standing behind him. There are limits to what my voice can reach, but I think I nailed the phrasing. I’m good at pretending to be a guy. I did, after all, spend a lifetime as one.
Pullum gasped. “Huh?! Do you mean that, Lahti?!”
“What? No way! Hey, Inglis, what’re you up to?! Knock it off!” Lahti shouted.
“I just thought it would put Pullum at ease,” Inglis replied. Pullum was so anxious that she had actually misheard her as Lahti.
Ian chuckled. “Ha ha, Inglis, you’re so calm despite being the lead. Incredible.”
“Not as relaxed as Yua.” Inglis looked over at her co-lead, sound asleep against a prop dresser.
“Zzzzzzz...”
“What?! Wait, no, Yua! Wake up! The curtain’s rising!” Morris, the leader of the second-year students, rushed to wake her up. He always kept an eye out for Yua. His only role in the play was to pilot one of the Flygears in a busy battle scene, but he was also around to take good care of Yua.
While the group conversed in the wings, Count Weismar turned to a particular section of the audience and bowed reverently. “We have some wonderful guests in the audience today—Your Majesty, if we could have a few words.”
“Mm.” King Carlias stood as the crowd gave a wave of applause. “Recent events in the capital have been hard on everyone. As your king, I feel morally responsible. I apologize for what has occurred.” The king bowed his head deeply. “I hope this performance by the Weismar Troupe will lift your gloom in a wonderful fashion. On display tonight is the future of our country—students from the Chiral Knights’ Academy! They are participating alongside the troupe. Let us all enjoy this moment together.”
An even louder wave of applause arose as he finished speaking.
“Our moms and my dad are here too!” Rafinha’s eyes were glued to the audience.
“So they are,” Inglis said.
“And Alina’s even here! All right, we need to do our best for her!” Rafinha clenched her fists, her eyes lit up with determination.
“Agreed. We need to give a good performance for her and our mothers. I’m going to have fun—and get my real fight with Yua!” Inglis was just as excited. This was finally the day of Inglis’s real bout against the Runeless second-year. There were many other parts of the play she’d have to do first, but she was really looking forward to that scene in particular.
“No, if you get too into it, you’ll overdo it like usual! Try to be girlish and look cute. It’ll make your mom and Alina happy.”
“Okay. I’ll do both!”
“I’d like to remind you not to focus too hard on the fight and catch the audience in the crossfire,” Liselotte said to Inglis.
“It’ll be fine. The principal will have a ward up.”
Principal Miriela had already taken her seat in the audience. While watching, she would cast a ward during Inglis’s fight and Flygear scene to protect the audience from any accidents. Originally, this was going to be a job for some of the students, but Principal Miriela had agreed to do so instead after a request to handle it.
“Ugh... Ahh! It’s starting! I’m not quite ready for this!” Pullum’s nerves were only getting worse.
“Too late to back out now! Calm down and do what you can!” Lahti cheered her on.
“Y-Yes! Please hold my hand to calm me down!”
“What?! Why do I have to do that?!”
“Hurry! Or do you want me to fail?!”
“What kind of threat is that?! Sheesh, if I have to...”
“Oh? I’m jealous of how well you two get along.” Rafinha grinned.
“Me too.” Leone chuckled.
“Sh-Shut up! She’s making me do it!” Lahti protested.
Pullum inhaled and then exhaled slowly. “All right! I’ve calmed down a bit!”
“By the way, can you pilot the Flygear for the aerial fight between Chris and Yua?” Rafinha asked. “Sorry this is so sudden...”
Originally, the plan was for Rafinha and Lahti to pilot the aircraft for Inglis and Yua, but Inglis and Rafinha had decided that there was something else Rafinha needed to do then.
“Oh, right—that! Yes, I can do that!”
“Really? I’m worried about how that part is gonna go...” Lahti grumbled.
Pullum turned to Lahti again. “Then maybe you could hold my hand to calm me down before that scene?”
“Ugh, why do you have to be so self-centered...?”
“Wait, the curtain is about to rise!” Leone called out.
Count Weismar was finishing his introduction. “Now, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the show! Our story begins!”
With that, the curtain slowly rose. There was one problem, though.
“Zzzzzzz...”
Yua was asleep again.
“Ugggh! Sorry, guys, help me out!” Morris groaned in dismay.
“Huh?! Oh, yeah!”
“She’s asleep again?!”
“Let’s get her off stage!”
“Hurry up, before anyone sees!”
The group rushed Yua farther backstage.
◆◇◆
The first scene depicted Ian’s character, Prince Malik, visiting a theater that he didn’t usually frequent. As Prince Malik appeared on stage, the women in the audience began to whisper.
“That boy has a cute face.”
“Yeah. His voice sounds like a prince’s should too.”
“He looks good.”
The reviews weren’t bad. He’d been cast according to Yua’s tastes, but thankfully her tastes were conventional.
“To know the hearts of my people, I must know how they entertain themselves. Perhaps here, my discovery shall take place.” Ian commanded the stage as Prince Malik with a loud, resonant voice, and the stage went dark for a moment.
That was Inglis’s cue—the scene where Maribelle danced in the theater that the prince was visiting. She and the others nodded to one another before heading to the center of the darkened stage. Rafinha and the other three lined up horizontally facing the audience, while Inglis stepped forward alone.
And a breath later...
Click! A narrow circle of light illuminated Inglis.
“Wow...!” The audience gasped as one, far more loudly than they had for Ian’s Prince Malik.
“A-Amazing!”
“That girl’s adorable!”
“Stunningly beautiful!”
“It’s like she stepped out of a painting!”
Muffled admiration came from every corner of the room. Inglis’s form stood out even more thanks to the staging that illuminated her, separating her from the darkness. That was all thanks to Count Weismar’s vision.
“Lady Inglis! You’re beautiful!” one familiar voice called out.
“Inglis!” a group yelled. All the cheers echoed through the hall. Inglis could tell the voices had come from King Carlias’s direction, which meant the culprits were likely Reddas and the rest of the Royal Guard. Inglis said nothing, trying to give no reaction to them.
How embarrassing. I’d really rather they restrained themselves, Inglis thought. Shouting like that in a theater is a sign of especially bad manners.
Sure enough, King Carlias reacted quickly, chiding Reddas and the others. They were too far away, so Inglis wasn’t sure what he said.
“Maribelle!” the same voices shouted.
Inglis gasped. She hadn’t expected that at all. They just changed to my character’s name. Just what did King Carlias tell them? To call me by my character’s name? I don’t really think that was the issue at hand...
Inglis took a moment to center herself, breathing in and breathing out. She slowly raised her arms in an arc and began to dance. The troupe’s musicians played a melody that seemed to flow through her, following her moves. The lights expanded to illuminate the entire stage, and Rafinha and the others began to follow in time.
As they danced, Inglis glanced to her side and saw Rafinha move with a face-wide grin, full of energy. She was a delight to watch. She had an aura that pulled you in. If only Inglis could have been in the audience watching her.
Leone danced earnestly as her cheeks flushed nervously. She faithfully stuck to the practiced choreography. The troupe had designed the dance with the outstanding physical ability of the knights’ academy students in mind, so it was quite intense and complicated. The movements made Leone’s breasts sway. Inglis wondered if she was blushing from feeling awkward with so many eyes on her. She was a beautiful young woman, so it was no surprise that the audience was drawn to her. Inglis, however, was somewhat used to the attention due to having already been in a Weismar production.
Liselotte was imposing, with a strong expression full of confidence. She was provocative in her own way. The audience found her charming as well. As the daughter of the former chancellor, she was the highest-ranking noble among the students. The poise of someone who grew up around such attention shone through on the stage.
Pullum’s expression was as desperate as her movement. Her steps were a bit behind the beat, but she was giving her all. Inglis peeked at Lahti watching from the wings. He knitted his brow in concern, which Inglis found amusing. Every move from Pullum drew an emotional response from him.
Everyone had their own charm, but in the end, it was Inglis who attracted the most attention. A few playful glances and smiles were all it took to rouse cheers from the audience.
Alina watched from her seat, her eyes gleaming. When Inglis caught a glimpse of her, she wondered if the girl was having fun. She hoped so.
Then her eyes met her mother’s. Inglis smiled, and Serena did the same in return, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Is she enjoying this? No matter how I have the memories of King Inglis, she’s my mother, and I definitely love her.
Inglis had no intention of marrying, no inclination of having children one day, so Serena would never see her daughter on her wedding day, nor would she see a grandchild. That was why Inglis wanted to be the best daughter she could in the current moment.
“All right!” Inglis shouted. The intention was to ready herself for an oncoming spectacle, but she couldn’t deny that the shout didn’t exactly pump herself up. Regardless, she let out a “Haaah!” as she jumped high, spun in the air, and landed in the center aisle. Such a dramatic move hadn’t originally been in the script, but Count Weismar had approved it earlier.
“Oh?!”
“Wh-What a jump from her!”
To let everyone see me, to sense their breath, and even the flow of their mana...
As the music approached its conclusion, Inglis once again leaped into the air, this time landing back on the stage. And, as it finally came to an end, they gathered and struck a pose.
The audience broke out in raucous applause for all five girls. After waiting a moment to enjoy the aftermath, the group left the stage.
“Mmm. That felt great.” Rafinha grinned.
“I think we pulled it off somehow.” Pullum held her hand to her chest in relief.
“That was more embarrassing than I expected... I wonder if I did the moves correctly...” Leone murmured.
“You were fine, Leone. You always pay extra attention to others looking at you when you’re feeling anxious,” Liselotte replied.
“Hey, Pullum! I have to admit, you did better than I expected!” Lahti said.
“Wow! I’m surprised you’d say so. I think I deserve a head pat as a reward.”
“No way, why do I have to—”
As she watched their closeness out of the corner of her eye, Rafinha whispered to Inglis, “So...? How’d it go, Chris?” Her voice and expression were dead serious, completely changed from a moment before.
“It’s as we expected. I’ll make a note of it. Can you deliver a message to the principal?”
“Got it!” Inglis and Rafinha nodded to each other.
◆◇◆
The scenes following Maribelle’s rousing dance scene also went on without a hitch. While their acting was not up to the standard set by professional actors—which the troupe had already expected—Inglis and Yua were far more skilled in terms of physicality, which was evident in the dances and stage combat. Plus, Inglis was able to captivate the audience with just her appearance. All in all, as the script called for lots of action, she was likely doing better than a professional actress would have for this particular play.
The current scene, at the climax of the plot, was a fierce aerial battle between Inglis and Yua. Originally, the plan was for Rafinha to pilot her Flygear, but Pullum had taken over on short notice. Pullum’s piloting was a bit shaky, but Inglis could cover for that with her own physical prowess.
Bam, bam, bam! Thud! Smack! Bam, bam, bam!
The high-speed battle between two beautiful young ladies who leaped between Flygears astounded the audience. As Inglis and Yua backed off from a string of attacks and returned to their original positions, they could hear voices from below.
“Amazing! That Maribelle girl’s so cute, but so strong!”
“Euthylis is cute too, and she’s stacked!”
Yua, as usual for the play, was using padded inserts. “Mm-hm.” She smirked and chuckled to herself.
She must have heard that comment. Inglis was glad she was having a good time, but she hoped Yua was still paying attention to the play itself.
“Yua, Yua! Your line’s next!” Lahti prompted from the pilot’s seat of Yua’s Flygear. He was so worried about Pullum that he’d memorized the entire script. Inglis was glad for the help.
“Uh... Not bad. All right, I’ll lend you my aid. We’ll finish this later,” Yua said, delivering Euthylis’s line.
Recognizing Maribelle’s strength, Euthylis offered to cooperate with her for a time. Once they covertly saved Prince Malik, it was time.
Out of the Flygear and on the stage, Maribelle faced Euthylis. “Wait a moment. Where do you think you’re going?”
“Our goals are the same. And thus, I bid you adieu—”
“Think again.”
“Huh? Whatever do you mean?”
The lines were scripted, but Inglis couldn’t help feeling a rush of excitement. The scene where they fought for real, with no scripted victor, was about to begin. Inglis could finally see what Yua could do when she fought for real. Having made it this far without incident, all there was left for Inglis to do was to enjoy herself.
“Only one of us needs to go to the prince. If we both do, he’ll waver in his decision,” Inglis said as Maribelle.
“That’s ridiculous! A duel to determine who goes to him... Do you really think that will make him happy?”
Speaking personally, Inglis wasn’t sure it would make him happy, but it definitely would make her—the actress, not the character—happy. She was overjoyed, in fact. The chance to have a serious fight with someone as strong as Yua would be a priceless moment of bliss.
I’ve used every dirty trick, every ounce of sophistry, to manipulate those around me to make this happen. I’m going to enjoy it to my utmost and make sure I grow from the experience!
The script called for Maribelle to be reluctant to agree, and that level of acting was hard for Inglis. She’d been looking forward to this so long that she could barely control her expression. “It’s not what will make him happy, it’s what won’t hurt him. He’s gentle, delicate—”
“Wrong! Because you’re like that, he—” came Yua’s line.
No, it isn’t wrong! We’re both powerful. We should try to improve by fighting each other. I don’t necessarily like the idea of solving problems with one’s fists, but that’s because it reduces the idea of power to being a means to an end. Rather than justice or ideals, power itself should be the end. That is the purest way to approach strength.
At the end of the day, Inglis was participating in a play; it was a work of fiction. The philosophy didn’t really matter here. She just wanted to get to the fight.
Between the pay from the Weismar Troupe and the cafeteria reopening, Inglis’s stomach was now sated. On the other hand, she was starving for a real fight.
“Then nothing more can be said. There was no avoiding this.” Yua held her prop sword with poise, posing in an unnatural and flashy way.
“In that case, there’s nothing to do but brush off these embers!”
Honestly, I want all the sparks I can get! Inglis thought, also going on the ready with her prop sword.
Thump, thump, thump!
Yua rocketed forward, her feet slapping against the stage. “Take this!” Her swordplay was honestly rather sloppy, more like blows with a club than elegant slashes. That was only natural, considering Yua didn’t normally use a sword.
“You’ll do no such thing!”
Claaang!
Sword clashed with sword, and the sheer force of the blow caused each one to slip from Inglis’s and Yua’s grips. The audience gasped, but that part was scripted—in fact, this was the last part of the script. The directions from there on were simply to enjoy themselves. Yua would never normally have made so much noise with her footsteps or taken such an exaggerated pose.
Now that they were improvising, they backed off to start their own fight from the beginning. Yua’s stance was no longer defensive. She stood still, noncommittally. Her flow of mana assimilated into her surroundings so thoroughly that Inglis could no longer sense it. Yua was frightfully strong even though she didn’t show it at all.
“Let’s finish this and get to the kiss,” Yua said with an enthusiasm she rarely showed.
Wonderful. This is going to be a good fight, Inglis thought.
The pair stared at each other in silence. The audience watched them intently. Inglis could feel their anticipation growing.
Whatever came of the fight could be explained away as part of the show, and Principal Miriela would be protecting the audience through her Artifact. That meant Inglis didn’t need to worry about holding back. She could give them a show they wouldn’t forget.
“You’re not attacking?” Yua asked.
“Yes. I want to let you take the lead again.”
Yua’s footwork was extremely difficult to read, which made reacting to her attacks difficult. Not only could Yua disappear as she moved, but Inglis couldn’t sense Yua’s flow of mana. It was hard to follow Yua, both by sight and by her magic. Before, Inglis had been able to respond in time by shattering a mana-swathed ice blade and by cutting off her vision to focus only on the flow of mana. This time, she was going to try fighting Yua with her eyes open. If Inglis’s sensitivity to mana was greater than before, she expected to be able to sense Yua’s moves.
Inglis had been practicing noticing and understanding the subtle flow of mana in nature, as well as the flow of aether behind it. To do so, she was forced to drop her favorite practice, the increased gravity she placed on herself. The large amount of mana around herself made it hard to sense the natural flows. When watching Inglis meditate motionlessly, Rafinha had worried that Inglis was sick, but it had been a good chance for Inglis to review her training, which had been focused on physical phenomena and physical stresses.
Now it was time to see if she’d get her desired results.
“Go ahead. You can attack anytime,” Inglis said.
“Okay...” Yua held up her index finger and thumb, pointing a finger gun at Inglis. “Bang.”
Whoosh!
“Huh?!”
Yua had fired a blast of light, very similar to the one from when the Star Princess had malfunctioned.
Fzzzt!
Smoke rose from Inglis’s hand after she had blocked Yua’s attack, but now her hand was numb. “This is just like the accident back then!”
“Yup. I got the idea from it.”
So she learned a new technique from a one-time mishap. That’s wonderful, acquiring a new technique and growing in strength in no time at all.
No, wait, I heard her right in my ear!
Slammm!
Inglis felt something smash into her side. By the time she could see the wall getting closer to her, she realized she was the one sent flying toward it. She nimbly sprung off the wall to avoid crashing into it.
“Whaaa?! Euthylis suddenly disappeared?!” the crowd roared.
“Not just that—she’s so slender, yet so powerful!”
“But it’s amazing how Maribelle got back on her feet so casually! How does she do it?!”
Yua had enough control over mana to seemingly disappear, and she was strong enough to easily send someone flying. Inglis was tough enough to take the blow and swiftly recover. Both drew cheers from the crowd.
“You’re incredible! I’m in awe!” Inglis couldn’t help smiling as she returned to the stage and faced Yua. Because of the intensity of the mana from that blast of light, she hadn’t been able to trace Yua’s movement. It was like a big wave overwhelming a small wave, or hiding a tree in a forest.
Inglis didn’t know whether Yua was intentionally obscuring her mana, but regardless, Inglis was having a hard time getting a sense of her attacks.
I’m so lucky to be facing her. This response, this speed of advancement—she’s the most talented, the best training partner, Inglis thought.
Unlike Eris and Ripple, who were busy with their work as hieral menaces, Yua was always around as another student at the knights’ academy. The primary problem was getting her motivated. Fortunately, the chance for a kiss was enough of a prize to inspire her. Inglis wanted to fight her over and over. Perhaps she would prepare ways to get her to play along again in the future.
“No good? I thought it was stronger than before...” Yua looked at her hand quizzically.
“Believe me, it’s stronger. I feel numb where it hit me.”
It definitely packed more of a punch now. A tingling pain spread over half of Inglis’s body, centered on her side.
It isn’t the kind of power I can take on again and again, but it’s the kind of pain I want again and again—the pain of a good fight. There’s no better way to push myself.
“You must have been holding back before,” Inglis said.
“Nah, not really. I’ve just been feeling good recently.” Yua stretched her shoulders.
“A growth spurt, then? How wonderful.”
“Really? Rather than my fighting skills growing, I’d like to see some growth here...” Yua patted her well-padded chest.
“No, getting stronger is definitely better.”
“You can say that because you’re already big.”
“No, that’s not—” Well, Inglis couldn’t deny that she had prominent, good-looking breasts, but the attention men directed at her for her appearance wasn’t something that pleased her.
Maybe it’s because I was a man in my past life, but the only part of my breasts that pleases me is admiring my form in the mirror and looking good in outfits that flatter curves, Inglis thought.
“I’m losing in the boob department, so I have to win in the fighting department. And I do want that kiss,” Yua said.
“Then let’s continue.”
“Yeah. Here goes—bang!”
Whoosh!
“Then I’ll join you!” Inglis pointed her index finger, and aimed it for the trajectory of Yua’s shot. Aether Pierce!
Whoosh!
Inglis’s thin ray of pale blue aether struck Yua’s blast of light. The two attacks met halfway, where they twisted together and vanished.
“Oh...?!” Yua’s eyes opened wide in surprise.
“Mm?” Inglis was shocked as well. Even though it was a minor technique, it was still aether. Inglis thought it would pierce through Yua’s shot, but they both disappeared. So it was more powerful than she had judged—that was good. And even if the result had made the attack disappear, Inglis’s calculations had still been on the mark.
“Bang, bang, bang!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whooooosh!
A triple shot!
“Not on my watch!” Inglis countered with three shots of her own, and light burst between them. It became a blur, and Yua disappeared into the light. “Haaah!”
However, Inglis was already on the move. She did a judo strike backward and to the left, stepping hard and throwing her back into it. Just as she did so, Yua’s form appeared where Inglis’s strike was aimed.
With a thud, Yua was sent flying. She grunted as she smashed into the floor and bounced back up.
“All right!” Inglis nodded. As she’d originally planned, she’d been able to detect the flow of mana with her eyes open. She hadn’t been able to earlier because Yua’s blast of light had scattered the flow of mana around it, disrupting it. This time, Aether Pierce had canceled out the shot at a distance, leaving the flow of mana close to her undisturbed.
The key was to intercept Yua’s attack with aether. Aether didn’t overwhelm the subtle traces of Yua’s movement left in the flow of mana, so she could react. Being able to feel those tiny movements without her sight distracting her was proof she’d improved. And in that respect, Inglis was satisfied.
But that and the results of the fight are different, she thought.
As Yua bounced off the floor, she disappeared.
Inglis gasped at the suddenness of it. She didn’t sense Yua’s mana nearby, but a distorted shadow appeared at the right edge of her view. Yua appeared, again pointing with her fingers as if they were guns.
She was closer now, just about at the point where Inglis’s Aether Pierce had burst, meaning Yua had already closed half the distance between them.
A blast of light flew forth immediately with a whoosh as Yua appeared.
“There you are!” Inglis said.
Whoosh!
Inglis instinctively fired off a swift Aether Pierce in response, but she was too close.
“Oh no!” Inglis could sense what would come from the mana bursting. She could feel it strongly. She realized now that a collision of mana so close would cloak Yua’s movements. Inglis had countered a closer blast with the same timing, so of course the swirling mana would be denser. There was no way for her to read Yua’s next move.
“Hah!” Inglis knew she had to do something quickly, so she leaped into the air. She couldn’t be sure where Yua would appear, but she could do everything in her power to evade. Being above her opponent allowed her a wide field of view so that she could anticipate a coming attack—or so she thought.
“Hi there,” came the familiar voice of her opponent from above her head.
“Wh—?!” Inglis tried to turn as fast as she could. For a brief moment, she caught a glimpse of Yua, winding up for a kick.
Slam!
The floor rushed toward Inglis as a tremendous impact knocked her back down. She grunted in pain, but she somehow managed to endure the impact on all fours before springing to her feet once more. “Not bad! I knew you could do it!”
It had been a very clever move from Yua, though casual observers wouldn’t know it, with the air of apathy coming from Yua. Despite Inglis having countered the attack earlier, Yua took advantage of Inglis’s momentary confusion through the collided mana to deliver a follow-up blow from the perfect angle.
Yua had figured out how Inglis was tracking her moves and used that to plan her next attack. She has a great sense for this, Inglis thought.
“Here comes another bang.” Yua fired another blast of light from close range.
At this range, countering with Aether Pierce was pointless. The aftershock would leave Inglis unable to read the flow of mana. However, even if she didn’t return fire, the mana from Yua’s attack would disrupt Inglis’s senses. The result was the same either way: Yua would go unseen, and Inglis wouldn’t be able to notice Yua’s follow-up move. This was the perfect range for Yua.
Of course, Inglis could use Aether Shell to defend against anything Yua threw at her, but she had no intention of brute-forcing her victory. She needed to win this on Yua’s terms. If she used something that Yua couldn’t counter, that wouldn’t help Inglis grow.
And I still have other options!
“This time, I’ll take the lead!” Inglis, hunched over, rushed directly into the blast of light. It brushed past her face. Speed was of the essence. She needed to go on the offensive before Yua was ready to move again.
At close quarters, I can’t stop that blast of light from muddying the flow of mana. On the other hand, I can more easily attack her up close. Positioning changes the situation of the fight in many ways. It’s fascinating to have an opponent who requires so much trial and error!
“Haaaah!” Inglis roared, charging ahead.
“Fine! I’ll just take you down.”
Blammmmm!
A fearsome sound rang out at the moment the two fighters’ fists met. The two clashed, with Inglis winning little by little thanks to her momentum. Yua staggered back a step and then another.
“I’m not done yet!” Inglis shouted. Now was the time to attack! With the two of them so close together now, Yua had no openings to unleash that powerful blast. Inglis stepped forward and unleashed a roundhouse kick.
Yua blocked it with her arm, which Inglis knocked away—but then Yua twisted into nothingness again.
“I won’t let you get away!”
Even if she moves invisibly, I can sense the flow of mana. Four steps to the right, forward, and an elbow strike!
Yua appeared dead in the center of the arc of Inglis’s swing, and her elbow dug into Yua’s side.
“Agh. That hurt,” Yua exclaimed with completely blank intonation even as she flinched back.
Was that my first direct hit? Inglis wondered.
“Am I outmatched? No, I can still...” Yua’s eyes were glowing. They looked like a rainbow.
“Haaaah!” Inglis shouted as she kicked.
“I’m not giving up on the kiss. Never.” Yua blocked the strike one-handed. Considering how beaten back Yua was, it wouldn’t have been strange for it to have sent her flying.
Thump!
“Oh?!” Inglis gasped.
Yua took the kick without flinching at all. “Kiss, kiss, kiss...” she muttered.
Inglis took a return punch. Yua’s blow this time was far stronger than before, like it came from a completely different person, and even defending, Inglis went flying.
Baaam!
Inglis couldn’t recover her footing, and her back slammed into the wall.
After a grunt, she exclaimed, “Wow, that was amazing!”
Yua might be even stronger than Eris and Ripple, and they’re hieral menaces. This is wonderful! She still had something hidden up her sleeve!
“Big bang.”
The light from Yua’s attack resembled the shape of a tail and glittered all the colors of the rainbow.
“Aether Pierce!”
As the two attacks collided, Inglis’s Aether Pierce was pushed back, ultimately disappearing.
“Ugh...!” Leaping, Inglis dodged the path of the light Yua fired, and it blasted a large hole in the wall. She had no idea how that happened, but she’d leave cleanup in Count Weismar’s hands. By the time Inglis looked back at Yua, she had already lost sight of her. Yua would slip out at the opportune time once again.
Except that wouldn’t happen in this case.
“Ah...! I know where she is!” Inglis gasped.
Yua’s power had notably increased from before, and the more it increased, the easier it was for Inglis to sense the flow of her mana. She assumed it was a power Yua was unfamiliar with, so she couldn’t control it enough to obscure its flow in her surroundings. When she had slipped away this time, it had purely been a visual effect. Regardless, her mana was so strong that her location was obvious to Inglis.
“I see you!” Inglis kicked out with all her might!
Thud!
The kick struck home, slamming into Yua as she appeared. But just like last time, she didn’t even flinch. Yua’s power was obviously on a completely different level than before.
So let’s enjoy this and push ourselves! Inglis thought. “Haaah!” Inglis glowed pale blue as she activated Aether Shell.
“Counterattack.”
Smash!
Their fists collided forcefully. This time, the aftershock spouted upward and pierced the ceiling.
I’m not sure how that happened, but I don’t feel like stopping! This moment with Yua is pure bliss! Inglis thought.
Then she realized Yua seemed different. “Y-Yua? What’s with the ears?”
“Huh? Ears?”
“You haven’t noticed? You have ears like Ripple’s...”
At some point, a pair of animal ears had appeared on Yua’s head.
“What? Huh, I really do.”
“You have a tail as well.”
“Ooh, fluffy. Sparkly.”
Ears and a tail, just like those of a demihuman, sparkled in various colors of the rainbow.
Inglis took a moment to make sense of what was going on. Demihuman. Rainbow. Incredible power. Meaning, meaning... Yes. The aura of Yua’s power reminds me of what we encountered a little while ago.
It was like the Prismer that was once Ripple’s father.
“I-Is that the Prismer’s power?!” Inglis exclaimed.
Yua stared blankly and tilted her head. “The what?”
“Uh... The strongest kind of magicite beast. One appeared recently and absorbed you.” What did she think it was?
“Ohhh, the sparkly monster.”
“Yes, exactly. And now you have the same ears and tail...”
Why is this happening? Wasn’t she absorbed by the Prismer?
Now that Inglis thought about it, everyone had worried that the Prismer had completely absorbed Yua back then, but maybe it had worked the other way around. Maybe Yua had absorbed the Prismer’s power. After all, Yua could assimilate her mana into her environment seamlessly and make it feel like it was a part of nature. Could she have blended into the Prismer’s own flow and then assimilated that power?
Inglis thought the philosophy Yua’s father had given her—to return to the world—was astounding, despite what she had said about having forgotten his face. Yua herself was astounding too. Just what was she? The possibilities fascinated Inglis.
My theory may be wrong, but the fact is Yua now possesses power that seems to be the Prismer’s. If it doesn’t cause her any physical problems, then I’m pleased to have such a strong rival.
“Whatever it is, you have an amazing power, Yua! All right, let’s continue our match.”
Inglis was thankful that the Prismer they had faced hadn’t completed its transformation. If she was going to fight Yua now with the power she had absorbed, it meant she also had an even more worthwhile fight to look forward to if a real Prismer was even stronger.
This is getting interesting. Now I really have to give it my all! Inglis thought.
“Sorry. I feel sleepy.”
“Huh?”
Slump.
Yua suddenly collapsed. Inglis could hear the steady sound of her calm breaths as she comfortably slept. The Prismer’s ears and tail had also disappeared.
“Ah, wait, Yua, get up—”
Count Weismar’s high-pitched voice echoed through the hall. “And thus, having achieved victory over Euthylis, Maribelle departed for Prince Malik!”
Cheers and applause arose from the crowd. The curtain lowered to change the backdrop...
“Good thing they finished before they could wreck the theater,” Lahti said. He rushed forward to help carry Yua into the wings.
“But it won’t hold out for many performances at this rate...” Pullum remarked as she helped too.
With Yua unconscious, that meant...Inglis had won.
“O-Oh nooo!” she screamed in horror. I got so carried away that I didn’t manage to hand Yua the win!
“Shhhh! If you yell, the audience will hear you!” Lahti chastised.
“Do your best with the kiss!” Pullum said.
This is bad, this is bad, this is bad!
As the crowd continued to cheer, Inglis could only dread what was supposed to come next.
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