Chapter VII: Inglis, Age 15—Dual Starlets (7)
This is bad, this is bad, this is bad! I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t... Now I’ve done it! Now I’ve done it!
The backdrop had been changed. Yua, dozing, had been stored away. The preparations for the kiss were complete. Ian, playing Prince Malik, entered from the wings, a pensive look on his face. “I-It’s time for the last scene. Let’s do our best...”
“Y-Yes...” Ignoring him completely would be rude, so Inglis replied with a nod, but she could feel a chill run down her spine, sweat drenching her. To the outside observer, it may have seemed like she was simply trying to catch her breath after her heated battle with Yua, or perhaps she was a nervous, embarrassed girl whose first kiss would be during a play.
No, no! Absolutely not! I refuse! I’m just not into that!
Setting aside Rafinha, she could probably deal with a stage kiss if it was with Leone or Yua, but no matter how cute of a boy Ian was, it was impossible. She quivered, her revulsion too strong.
I’m scared! This is more terrifying than a mighty magicite beast, more fearsome than any brutal Highlander, more hair-raising than my mother when she’s irate, and more daunting than starvation! I don’t want to! I don’t want to!
As Inglis screamed internally, the curtain rose. All eyes were on her. Reflexively seeking help, she tried to find Rafinha. And there she was, sitting with Leone and Liselotte in the box seats reserved for knights’ academy students. The three of them were watching, their eyes glimmering with excitement and expectation.
This is terrible! Inglis thought. The three were breathing heavily, clearly excited for Inglis’s kiss. While each of them was different, none had ever experienced a kiss. Inglis sympathized with their curiosity, but she realized she couldn’t expect them to rescue her from this fate. Their eyes told the story. Do it! Show us! Tell us how it felt!
“Ah, Maribelle. You’ve come to save me!” Ian’s clear voice echoed from the stage. The scene with the kiss was beginning. Ian was her last hope.
If he follows through with his plan...!
“Yes, Your Highness. For your sake, no matter how many times, no matter how far I have to go...” Inglis read her line, giving a fixed stare at Ian. She wasn’t Maribelle, standing before her beloved; she was Inglis, provoking Ian, knowing his intentions. She was urging him to hurry up.
Please, ruin the show! I know you can do it, Ian!
Originally, she’d hoped her fears about Ian’s plan were unfounded, because she didn’t want to miss the chance to finally get her wish and fight Yua. However, now that the fight was over, and turning out as it had, she desperately hoped her gut instinct was right. Hurry up and do something to ruin the show! she thought.
She wouldn’t even have minded if he suddenly held a blade to her neck while saying something like, “Bwa ha ha ha! This theater is ours now!” In fact, she’d have welcomed it.
But if that didn’t happen...she’d have to beat him to a pulp. She’d need an excuse for that. If he didn’t do anything malicious or dangerous here, she’d be in the wrong.
As she hesitated, Ian continued, “Thank you. I want you to stay by my side forever.” His hand brushed her hair and cheek, and she reflexively shrank back, squeaking. Confused by her reaction, he waited for her line.
“Ah, er... I want nothing more...” Truthfully, she didn’t want that at all. She clenched her fists.
“Ah, Maribelle...” Ian’s face loomed closer.
Wait, is he going to follow the script to the end without doing anything?! That would be a disaster for Inglis. This is bad, this is bad, this is bad!
Her body went colder as her sense of danger kept growing. Ian’s face was so close that his lips were almost touching hers. I can’t do it! I’m at my limit!
She took in a sharp breath, somehow restraining herself from using those clenched fists. However, Ian abruptly turned toward the audience. At the same time, he whispered in her ear.
“Sorry, but the play ends here.”
“Ah!” Inglis gasped. She searched for her friends in the audience, but they were gone. So was everyone else who had come to see the show. Even the seating had disappeared. “Oh! This must be...”
She found herself whisked away to a featureless dimension—no walls, no features, only yellowish-green mists of floating particles. It was extremely similar to the dimension Fars had trapped her in. She recalled that those particles sealed Artifacts’ powers, as well as her own use of mana.
“No matter how strong you or Yua are, it won’t do you any good here. Stay put for a while. Lahti, Pullum, that goes for you too.”
Inglis turned around to see Lahti, Pullum, and the dozing Yua nearby. They must have been caught up in the dimension shift.
“Ian, did you do this?!” Lahti demanded.
“Why are we here? It’s like an Artifact’s effect...” Pullum said.
“Yes. Let’s talk for a bit while we wait. Soon, Diego’s men will fulfill their duty,” Ian said. “So, shall we return to Alcard together? You won’t be welcome in this country anymore.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? What are you trying to do?!” Lahti asked.
“Answer us, Ian!” Pullum yelled.
Ian paused before answering, “I’m going to strike down King Carlias and put an end to him. Just wait here.”
“Wh—?!” Lahti gasped.
“That’s ridiculous!” Pullum insisted.
“Thank goodness,” Inglis said.
“What?!” Lahti and Pullum yelped together.
“What do you mean, Inglis?! That would be terrible!” Lahti said.
“Th-That’s right! What are you thinking?!” Pullum was just as distraught.
“I’m rejoicing that I don’t have to kiss him, that’s all,” Inglis answered.
“Hey, hey, hold it! You don’t care about what happens to the king?!” Lahti asked.
“I understand that’s a relief to you, Inglis, but there are other things that are more important! We need to stop him, or—!” Pullum began.
“It’ll be fine. Rani and the others are defending the king.”
“What?! Inglis, you knew this would happen?!” Lahti asked.
“Wh-Whoa! I didn’t realize anything was going on with Ian...” Pullum said.
“I merely knew that it was possible,” Inglis replied.
It was thanks to circumstance that she had happened to spot Ian talking with a man called Diego after bringing Alina home. The men’s conversation had not been peaceful.
That wasn’t to say Lahti was clueless. He’d thought Ian’s choice to leave his country and join the Weismar Troupe was strange. Knowing Ian, it was hard for Lahti to believe that his friend’s personality would have led him to abandon any rebuilding efforts after his family’s lands were destroyed and Alcard’s capital was damaged. Lahti and Pullum had assumed there had to be an explanation for why Ian probably wasn’t being truthful about why he couldn’t stay in Alcard.
Inglis had just met Ian and couldn’t speak to any changes in his personality or behavior, but something else had stood out to her—his mana. Having been influenced by Yua to pay close attention to the mana around her, she’d noticed that Ian’s flow of mana was clearly different from that of a normal person. Normally, if someone wasn’t doing anything, their mana wrapped gently around them. There were some minor differences in strength or wavelength, but essentially, everyone was like that. You could call it the human form.
But in Ian’s case, the entirety of his mana was concentrated on a single point in his chest, near his heart. It was obvious that he wasn’t an ordinary person. He had a secret he wasn’t sharing. Furthermore, Diego also had an unusual flow of mana. When Lahti had earlier mentioned his unease to Inglis, she had told him not to pry too much out of an intention to keep him out of danger. Plus, Inglis’s word alone wasn’t enough to arrest Ian, and she didn’t want to have the Weismar Troupe’s performance canceled anyway. After all, she wanted her real fight with Yua.
She had gone into the performance prepared for any eventuality. That was why Rafinha had asked Pullum to take over piloting her Flygear, and why Principal Miriela was instead the one responsible for protecting the audience. Inglis was thankful that Ian was sabotaging the play at this point, but she was still going to stop the plot to assassinate King Carlias.
Plus, Rafinha must have noticed something was wrong by now. Inglis assumed she’d be making her move.
“You... You realized? But how?” Ian asked.
“Your flow of mana isn’t normal despite you trying to act as such, and that made me suspicious. And Diego, the man you met with, is the same,” Inglis replied.
“Ah...! I see... So you even saw that...”
“It was a complete coincidence.” Having seen the two of them together had deepened her suspicions, but Inglis would have prepared similar measures even if she hadn’t. With not only King Carlias being in the audience, but also her mother, Aunt Irina, and Duke Bilford there too, she would have developed a plan either way. She wanted to keep her family safe.
“Diego?! You mean, like, General Diego?!” Lahti interrupted.
“You know him, Lahti?” Inglis asked.
“He’s Alcard’s greatest general! He’s famous as the strongest person in the country!”
“Hmm...” That’s interesting. Maybe I’ll get to fight him.
“Ian! So it’s a lie that a Prismer attacked your family’s lands and the capital?! Then—” Lahti began.
“Of course it isn’t! If I were lying, then this never would’ve happened!” In a fluid motion, Ian flung off his clothes, revealing his body.
Inglis gasped at the sight he’d unveiled.
“Wh-What’s that?!” Lahti asked.
“I-Ian?!” Pullum exclaimed.
Most of Ian’s body below the neck was not human—it was that of a machine, like the inner workings of a Flygear. The area near his heart had a metallic sheen, and that was where his mana was concentrated.
“This is the Highland technology that Archlord Evel granted me! I lost half my body when the Prismer attacked me. This was my only option. This way, I can fight too! For my dead family, for the people of our lands, and for my country!”
“Archlord Evel?” Inglis hadn’t heard that name in a while. He had been slain by the Steelblood Front’s black-masked leader, wielding a hieral menace, in the recent battle in the skies above the royal palace. Before coming to Karelia, he had clearly been busy in Alcard to the north.
“That’s absurd! What good is it for Alcard if you come here and try to kill someone else’s king?!” Lahti asked.
“Because it’s the will of Highland! With Alcard ravaged by a magicite beast, our defenses need to be fundamentally reformed! We need Highland to give us more Artifacts and a hieral menace if possible!”
That made sense to Inglis. Ian had a point. If a surface country wanted to take stronger action against magicite beasts, its only option was to increase its dependence on Highland; fending off those creatures required Artifacts. It wasn’t something that could be accomplished through fighting spirit or training.
Ian continued. “But Alcard can’t afford that. We’d already been working ourselves to the bone! So, we follow the orders of Archlord Evel! If we do as he says, he’ll grant us a hieral menace! That is the decision His Majesty has come to, and for that cause, I offer up my life!”
“That’s just being selfish and not caring about what the consequences mean for anyone else!” Lahti protested. “My old man’s a nice guy! He’d never—”
“Lahti! You mustn’t!”
“Hold up, Lahti!”
Pullum, and even Ian, chided Lahti for letting that slip. Inglis could surmise that Ian really was here because it was the will of Alcard’s king. Furthermore, Lahti was the prince of Alcard, someone who the people of Alcard had to protect at all costs. Ian had been opposed to something during his conversation with General Diego. That must have been the chance of involving Lahti. Considering Ian had managed to safely transport Lahti here, Ian must have operated on very precise timing.
Now that his secret was out, Lahti said, “Try not to be too surprised, Inglis.”
“Well, Ian did say something when we first met that piqued my interest.” Inglis’s suspicions of Ian had made her even more curious about his attitude toward Lahti when they had begun working on the play together. The truth being out now didn’t catch her completely off guard.
Inglis didn’t have a thing for princes anyway. If she’d been a normal girl, like Rafinha or the others, it might have excited her, but she didn’t care at all for titles. When it came to men, Inglis was only concerned with whether they were able and willing to give her a good fight. From that perspective, she was probably more interested in Ian than Lahti.
“But don’t tell anyone else, okay? I’m supposed to keep my identity secret while I’m an exchange student,” Lahti said.
“I understand. Anyway, can I fight Ian now?” Inglis asked. She wondered what kind of power that Flygear-like body had.
How does it compare to Rahl or Fars after they became Highlanders? Is it built for combat? Or is it for enforcing absolute obedience from those unworthy of a Highlander’s body?
In that form, it would be hard to survive without Highland’s technology. If you wanted to survive, you’d have to obey them absolutely.
Then again, even though the Highlander Evel resembled a young child, he’d had a cruel personality. Inglis could imagine him having no qualms with turning someone into partly a machine just for the fun of it.
One way or another, I’ll find out if I fight Ian. Considering he’s able to form a dimension just like Fars did, I can probably expect him to be as strong.
But Inglis wanted far, far more than that. The biggest danger—the kiss—was already avoided. She wanted to thank Ian for ruining the show so exquisitely and giving her the chance to fight a mechanical soldier, an opponent she’d never faced before.
However, Lahti wanted her to wait a little.
“Hey, hey, wait! Let’s try to convince him a little more!” he protested.
“Sorry. I’m worried about Rani. I need to hurry up and get out of here so I can keep an eye on her.”
Inglis had no way of knowing how Rafinha was doing from here in the other dimension, and their forces were split. If she could see her, she could take her time to enjoy the fight. However, she had priorities, the first being to secure a position from which she could make sure Rafinha was safe. Until then, she couldn’t relax and enjoy the fight.
“F-Fine. It’s not like I’m gonna be able to do anything anyway,” Lahti said.
“That’s not true. I leave the rest to you.” Inglis clapped a hand on Lahti’s shoulder, then stepped forward. “I’ll warn you, Ian. If you want me to refrain from getting in the way of your plan, let me go to Rani. If I can be sure she’s safe, then I have no objection to a fun, long fight with you. But if you ignore this request...I won’t hold back.”
Expressionless yet calm, Ian paused before replying, “I refuse. No matter how strong you are, you won’t be able to use your powers here. It’s impossible for you to defeat me...”
“Defeat you I will.”
“If you think you—”
Zsssh!
Ian’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Ghhghg...?”
Inglis’s hand had plunged through his chest completely. She had mercilessly activated Aether Shell at full strength. For Rafinha’s sake, she’d had to abandon the ideal form of battle, winning against the opponent’s strengths. She did not hesitate.
“I-Impossible... I didn’t see you move at all... How are you so strong?!”
“Sorry. I don’t have time to explain.”
Vshoo-vshoo-vshoo-vshoo!
Inglis had used aether while she swung her hand in karate-chop motions, slicing Ian’s body into many pieces. His mechanical body clattered as it rolled on the ground, unable to speak.
“Wh-Whoa...! Kind of a letdown, though...” Lahti said, realizing the fight was over.
“Ian...” Pullum sighed. The Alcard pair looked down, their expressions pained.
“No, it’s not over yet.” Inglis alone had not let down her guard. Normally, when a spell’s caster died, the spell itself collapsed, which would result in the dimension disappearing. They should have returned to their own dimension, but they hadn’t. That meant something was amiss.
Ian’s voice somehow reverberated around them. He was somewhere in the featureless distance. “That’s odd. In the Sealed Cage, the effects of Artifacts and the like should be blocked. It doesn’t affect my mechanical body, built with technology from Highland, so this should be both a deadly trap and the best defense! Yet you so easily...! I see, maybe Archlord Evel tricked me?”
This isn’t over. I’m not sure how, but he’s alive and well.
“In his defense, it does have an effect,” Inglis said. Not that there was any point in defending the dead. Inglis didn’t think he had been particularly worthy of praise when alive.
“Then how?! Are you just strong enough to shatter steel with a punch? With a beautiful, slender body like yours? I can’t believe it.”
“I wouldn’t say that’s impossible for me to do, but there are things even Highlanders don’t understand. They’re not all-knowing, all-powerful beings.” Even if they do probably seem like that from the perspective of people from the surface. “And...I also want to tell you...Archlord Evel is dead. Wouldn’t that mean whatever deal he offered you is off the table?”
“Yes, I heard the rumors when I arrived here. But the plan is still on! Were... Were you the one who killed him?!”
“Of course not! There’s no way I would do that!” Inglis said forcefully. Not that she wasn’t capable of it, but she had no reason to. While he wasn’t a very praiseworthy human being, Inglis had rather taken a liking to him. He was short-tempered and quick to fight, maybe due to his exaggerated opinion of himself, and he was willing to fight one-on-one with no regards to his position or status. Plus he was strong, so Inglis had been grateful to have him around.
That’s why, even though she’d kicked him far out of sight, she’d wanted to spare his life. Killing him would have been a waste. She couldn’t have brought herself to do that to him. She’d wanted to fight him again and again after he refined his skills further. It was truly an unfortunate accident that the Steelblood Front’s leader had killed him.
Wary of Inglis’s power, Ian stared at her, sizing her up. “In any case, you’re dangerous. If I leave you alone here, you might become an existential threat to us in Alcard later.”
“I think you’re overestimating me...”
Regardless of strength, Inglis had no inclination toward that. She wasn’t out to change the world, so she had no plans of wiping out a country.
“But if you really do hold my strength in such high esteem, I’d welcome it if you attacked me with all your might. I want to put an end to this and return to Rani.”
“You won’t be so calm in a moment!” Ian’s voice rang out from all directions, layering over itself like a chorus of several versions of Ian speaking at once.
Then he showed himself. Just like how his voice had come from all directions, he appeared around Inglis on all sides. There must have been twenty or thirty identical bodies surrounding her.
“Wh—?! This is—!” Even Inglis was shocked speechless. Is this from Highland’s technology? Then they must be able to produce an infinite number of soldiers, as long as they have the raw materials.
“I-Ian’s...?!” Lahti said.
“Th-There’s so many of them! It’s like a nightmare!” Pullum cried.
“It’s all thanks to Highland’s secret ritual for creating an imitation of the human soul... Each one of me may be weaker than you, but together we’re strong! This is the power granted to me by Archlord Evel!”
Inglis nodded. “I approve. That’s not a bad idea.”
“But...but, Ian... If you did that... If that’s true...then I don’t know who the real Ian is anymore!” Pullum flinched as she stared at all the bodies.
“Pullum’s right, Ian! No one will know your true self anymore! That’s just like killing yourself! Is that really what you wanted?!” Lahti protested. He and Pullum watched their friend, their expressions of disgust turning into pity.
Inglis murmured to herself, “But just one or two... I’d kind of like that for myself...” Of course Inglis wouldn’t be able to stand being in a situation like Ian’s, where she was duplicated and at the will of her superiors’ orders. That said, if she could have another of herself, that could be convenient. She’d like to give that a try.
If I go to Alcard, maybe the facility that made Ian like this will be there. I’d like to go find out...
“What are you talking about, Inglis?!” It seemed as if Lahti had heard her.
“Huh? But see, if I had another me, she’d be the perfect training partner. In the end, strength is a multiplication of quality of training, time spent, and talent, so don’t you think it would be the most effective way to get stronger?”
“Ugh! I’m talking seriously about human dignity here! Whatever, just don’t interrupt me!” Lahti yelled. His response reminded Inglis a lot of Rafinha.
Meaning Lahti’s a good boy with a strong sense of justice.
“Lahti, Pullum... I agree with Inglis. I don’t think it’s a big deal. I’m content with how things are... No one else thought the same, though. The rest of them didn’t like the idea of having imitations of themselves, so I’m the only one who volunteered...” Ian said.
“Of course they didn’t! It’s creepy! Why would you?!” Lahti replied.
“Because I wanted power! Just like you, Lahti, I was Runeless. When that Prismer destroyed my hometown, I was powerless. That’s no longer the case! This is all for making sure the tragedy that befell my family and the people of our lands doesn’t repeat! If it helps our beloved Alcard defend itself, I don’t need a body! I don’t need human dignity! I don’t care if I cease to be myself!”
Lahti couldn’t bear to look his friend in the face anymore. He turned his gaze downward. “Ian! But, but... This is just too...!”
Pullum trembled as tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Ian... If we had been there when you needed us...”
“It seems you are the kind of person Lahti said you were,” Inglis remarked.
“Y-Yeah... Even if he is going too far, he still cares...” Lahti agreed.
Lahti had said that a person like Ian would have stayed behind to rebuild his family’s lands and the capital. In a way, his actions now were also for his country and its people—even if they were, from the Karelian perspective, an evil plot to assassinate their king. War was something that happened when senses of justice conflicted.
“That’s why I volunteered for Archlord Evel’s experiments and why he entrusted me with the Sealing Cage. It was for hiding the many versions of me...”
That likely meant Ian was the only one among them who could use it. In any case...
“Come, Inglis! The real fight begins now!” he beckoned.
“No, I’ll pass. I must hurry to Rani.” Even if she defeated the several bodies she could see, she couldn’t rule out the possibility of there being even more, and while she did, time would tick away. She had to keep this brief.
So...I need to break my way out of this dimension! Destroying it will probably cause an aftershock, which could be a problem for the theater. I didn’t want to, but I don’t have any choice.
Inglis raised her palm to the heavens and gathered aether in it.
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