Chapter VI: Inglis, Age 15—The Ancient Dragon and the (Former) Old King (6)
The encampment had begun as a place for pitching tents in a forest clearing, where they’d unloaded the Flygear Port and sheltered from snowstorms. At this point, it had several large temporary houses providing a place to sleep for the people staying here. Because the number of people who had heard of Prince Lahti’s liberation of Leclair was steadily growing with each passing day, the housing they had available still wasn’t enough.
Fortunately, plans were already underway to expand. Work had already begun on the foundation for the full-scale construction of a castle large enough to accommodate many people. Their numbers were already growing; there were certainly at least a hundred people gathered, possibly even several hundred.
The new Leclair had enough food stockpiled to feed everyone, thanks to the meat from Fufailbane. It would last for months, perhaps even a full year. Enough to hold out for the time being, which would allow time for the food situation in the surrounding countryside to improve.
A commotion was taking place by one of the temporary houses, built from wood cut from the surrounding forest—the house in which Inglis and her friends resided. A crowd surrounded it, their voices filled with anger. A squad of knights serving Lahti formed a defensive wall in front, protecting the person behind them.
That person was, of course, Pullum. The gathered crowd insisted she not be allowed to stay there, given that she was related to Harim, who had ravaged the land and destroyed their livelihoods. Leone was close at Pullum’s side, supporting her both physically and mentally.
“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Pullum, tears in her eyes, bowed deeply in apology to the people over and over, but that didn’t seem to be enough to quell their rage.
“Talk is cheap!”
“That’s right! You’re Harim’s little sister! He ruined our lives! How is an apology supposed to help?!”
“Yeah! Someone needs to be held responsible for this!”
The stares of the people in the crowd held deep pain and resentment with no other outlet.
Leone had decided she’d act as Pullum’s shield, protecting her as best she could, even if she couldn’t fix the problem. She placed herself in front of Pullum, guarding her. It was as if she were back in Ahlemin as her younger self. Having been in a similar position, she was insistent on being there for her friend.
“Pullum! It’s dangerous out here! We should go inside for now!” Leone insisted.
“No. I need to face them! I need to apologize for the pain my brother’s caused!”
“Listen to me, Pullum. It’s really getting dangerous!” Leone feared if something didn’t change soon, the people gathered might riot.
A clash with the people would tarnish Lahti’s reputation while he was trying to improve it by rebuilding Leclair. More importantly, it would lump more hardship upon those who had already lost their homes and families. Leone didn’t want such suffering to continue. She had seen so much misfortune on her way to Leclair.
“Calm down, everyone!” Lewin called out to the crowd as he led the knights. “Pullum may be Harim’s sister, but she had no part in what he did! Quite the opposite, she joined in the fight to free Leclair! She saved our lives! Can you truly call it justice to lay Harim’s sins at her feet?! Please, reconsider!”
“Don’t worry!” a slender and attractive young man yelled from the crowd, encouraging the masses. “We are in the right! Since time immemorial, responsibility for treason has rested upon the whole family! And Harim’s sins are that grave! The anger, the sorrow we all feel—she must be dealt with harshly to prevent such things from ever happening again! To prevent a second, a third Harim from ever being born! For the sake of our future, we cannot allow her to be forgiven! This is not an angry outburst! This is a necessary step for our future!”
It was Ian.
“Ian! Why would you say such things?!” Leone cried. “You grew up with Pullum! You were friends! If anything, now is the time for you to help her!”
“That’s where you’re wrong! Crimes are crimes! And those who commit them must atone! Friend or no, I won’t hold back! I don’t care if you question my friendship with her! If anything, it makes me suspect you’re all actually plotting something with Harim!”
“Wha—?! What are you talking about?! You traveled with us! You know that’s not true!” Leone was so angry that she grabbed the hilt of her greatsword without thinking.
Worried things were about to get out of hand, Pullum clung to Leone. “Leone! Please stop!”
“I know how you feel!” Lewin said to Leone. “But stay calm. If we attack the people here, it will reflect poorly on Prince Lahti! It might even jeopardize the rebuilding of Leclair! So please hold back!”
“R-Right,” Leone answered. “I’m sorry. I understand.”
As she dropped her hand from the hilt, Ian raised his voice. “Ah, so trusting! What makes you think I won’t attack?!”
Blades sprung forth from Ian’s arms as he suddenly activated something. Most of his body was made of Flygear-like machinery—technology from Highland. Ian having weapons inside himself came as no surprise.
With blades unsheathed, Ian rushed toward Lewin, who stood at the center of the line of knights. “Out of my way!”
“Huh?!”
“Stop! Ian!” Leone yelled.
Claaang!
Leone’s greatsword extended forth between Lewin and Ian just in time. Ian’s blades clashed against it and failed to reach Lewin. The crowd cried out in discontent as they watched Ian attack the knights.
“Th-Thanks, Leone!” Lewin gasped.
“That was close. Get back! This could be bad!” Leone returned her blade to its normal length, and stepped in between Ian and Lewin. “It’s dangerous here! Everyone, get out of here!”
Between Leone’s warning and Ian’s actions, the crowd was mostly dispersing. One of its braver members stayed to object to Ian. “Hey, hold it! You don’t have to go that far! We need to keep negotiating!”
“Hmph.” With a cruel sniff, Ian’s blade stretched forth. “How bothersome. Be silent!”
With a wave of Ian’s right arm, the blade sliced toward the brave youth. His other arm was already blocking Leone’s sword, preventing her from reacting quickly enough.
“A-Aaaaaah!”
“Look out!” Pullum cried out, leaping in front of the youth to cover him. Ian’s blade stabbed Pullum instead, piercing her in the back. She collapsed, a crimson stain spreading on the back of her clothes.
“Lady Pullum?!” Lewin gasped.
“Pullum?! Ian, how could you?! Don’t you realize what you’ve done?!” Leone swung her greatsword at Ian’s waist with all her might, knocking him back.
“Guh!” he grunted.
In that momentary opening, Leone rushed to Pullum’s side. “Pullum! Are you okay?!”
“I-I...” the boy stammered. Pullum turned to him, a faint smile on her face.
“Are you all right? I’ll be fine... Please, get out of here...”
“O-Of course! I’m so sorry! This is my fault!”
“You’re in danger, Lady Pullum! That wound is deep. We need to treat you immediately!” Lewin said.
“Lewin, stop the bleeding! Rafinha will be back soon. Pullum needs to hold on until then!” Leone said.
Liselotte was on her way to call Lahti back. Surely Inglis and Rafinha would return with him. Even for a wound as grave as Pullum’s, Rafinha’s healing Gift would probably be able to help.
“Understood! Leave it to me! You handle Ian!”
“I will. I’ll stop him. I’ll take him down!” Leone gripped her greatsword with all her strength and leveled it at Ian, whom she’d swatted away earlier. He was sitting up now.
He grasped his head with his hands as if in pain. “D-Do it, Leone! I... I can’t... How could I do that to Pullum?! Ugh...!”
“Ian?!”
“Hurry and finish me off! Otherwise...! E-Evel’s experiments... They transfer part of his will into the subject—to control them... So, I...”
“Evel?!” Leone hadn’t met him in person, but she’d heard his name. He was a Highland military commander. She’d heard the Steelblood Front’s black-masked leader had put an end to him after he’d been at the center of Highland’s plots in Alcard. To begin with, Tiffanyer had gone to Alcard only as his replacement. “What do you mean?! When you kidnapped Pullum and disappeared, was that Evel’s influence too?!”
“Lord Evel’s will awakened within me... Telling me to take Pullum so that we could draw you to Leclair! Apparently, his preparations would be complete then!”
“Preparations?! For what?!”
“That’s—ugh...”
“Ian!”
Ian stopped with a snap, then rose to his feet quickly. “Who knows! Figure it out for yourself!” A pipelike object projected from his palm as he thrust it toward Leone, from which bullets of light fired. Not just one or two, but a continuous stream of bullets soared at her.
“Ah!”
Leone assumed Ian’s consciousness had been hijacked again. Either way, she had to block the bullets. If she dodged, they would hit Pullum and Lewin behind her. “Yaaaah!” she shouted as she used her greatsword to cut through the bullets. As she did, each one exploded, sending a shock through her arms, but she could endure that.
I need to hold out and look for a chance to counterattack! she thought.
“Then how about this!” Ian taunted. He swung his other palm forward, pointing another barrel at her.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The stream of bullets doubled, turning into a barrage.
Leone gasped. Even if I speed up, it will overwhelm me! I won’t be able to keep up! If I miss one, it’s all over. It’ll kill Pullum behind me—but I won’t let that happen!
“O blade!”
She plunged her sword into the ground in front of her and made its blade grow wide. It was enough to completely cover her, serving as a shield for her and Pullum. She was using her Gift defensively. The bullets of light rang off the blade, and she used her hips to brace for the impact. She could endure. By holding out like this, she could buy time for Rafinha to return. A stalemate wasn’t a bad situation for Leone. Her foe seemed to understand that as well.
“Are you trying to stall this out? I’ll show you how fruitless that is!”
His voice came from somewhere close. With her sword as a shield, it was hard for her to see Ian. He had stopped firing and closed in, running in her blind spot.
“But if you want a close-in fight...” Leone began.
“Oh, that’s not what I’m after!” Ian proclaimed smugly.
Then the world around Leone vanished. She was no longer in the camp, glittering with frost. She found herself in a dark void.
This is—
“Another dimension?!” Leone’s greatsword Artifact had a Gift which created a separate dimension, so she was familiar with shifting dimensions. However, there was one detail that did not occur when she used that Gift: here, the darkness was filled with shimmering yellow-green particles.
“Ah!” She remembered now, and the thought sent chills down her spine. These particles had the effect of sealing away Artifacts’ powers. She’d experienced this when Ambassador Theodore’s predecessor, Muenthe, had been attacked. Her own greatsword would be nothing but a wedge of steel here.
“What in the world is going on?!” Lewin asked. He and Pullum had been sucked into the alternate dimension while he’d been administering first aid. This meant that when Rafinha returned, she wouldn’t be able to find Pullum to heal her.
“This is a Highlander power! In here, our Artifacts are sealed! We can’t use them!” Leone explained.
“What?! Can we handle this?!”
“I don’t know!”
This was bad—very bad. If they couldn’t defeat Ian without relying on their Artifacts’ powers, she, Pullum, and Lewin would be trapped beyond all help. If she’d known Ian was capable of this, rather than trying to buy time, she would have finished him off with one mighty strike. It was too late for regrets, though.
“I won’t give up! It’ll take more than this!” Leone faced Ian, her sword at the ready. Without its Gift, it was heavier than usual, but she could still swing it.
And swing it she would.
A magicite beast was immune to physical attacks that didn’t have the power of an Artifact, but Ian wasn’t a magicite beast. If she gave up now, not only would her own life be forfeit, but so would Pullum’s and Lewin’s. She refused to let that happen.
She had her own reasons to survive. She needed to defeat her traitorous brother, Leon, with her own hands, to wipe the shame away from the Olfa name. That was what she’d trained so hard for. She couldn’t die before she accomplished that. And if she held out long enough, Inglis just might notice this dimension and come to help. So she had to believe, and fight on! “Yaaah!”
Ian leaped back to avoid Leone’s slash. Normally, she could extend her sword’s blade for an immediate follow-up, but now that was impossible. To pursue, she’d have to close the distance with her own feet. Leone rushed forth, but Ian immediately moved to hold her back.
“How pitiful... In this Sealed Cage, you’re powerless! Let’s see how you handle this now!” Ian thrust forth his right palm and fired more bullets of light.
“Ah!” Leone, unlike before, did not attempt to cut the bullets down midflight. Instead, she twisted her body to avoid the trajectory, doing so at the very last moment to minimize the openings left. Thanks to Lewin and Pullum no longer being behind her, she could safely dodge.
She was having a harder time now that the powers of her Artifact were sealed. She was clearly at a disadvantage. As soon as she dodged one bullet, a new one bore down on her, which she quickly dodged to one side or the other over and over, taking care not to bring Pullum and Lewin within the field of fire.
“I see... Get fired up, but keep my cool!”
Stay calm, watch the overall situation, and take the best available choice at each step—Inglis had told Leone that this was important for her, and that advice had just sprung to mind.
Inglis trained tirelessly every day, and sometimes Leone joined her. During one of those sessions, Inglis had given her some food for thought. Whenever Leone found herself at a disadvantage, she worked harder, not smarter. Trying hard was important, but it also narrowed her vision—or so Inglis had said.
If someone as talented as Inglis had said so, Leone figured it must be true. At first, Leone had thought to grit her teeth and struggle through slashing away the bullets. It was only when Inglis’s words came to mind that she changed course and decided to evade.
Ian mocked her as he watched her run, dodging the bullets. “Do you think you can just scurry around like that until your friends arrive?!” He switched targets, aiming at the motionless Pullum and Lewin.
“No!” Leone cried.
“How about this?”
“Stop! You coward! I’m the one fighting you!”
“Yes, exactly. If I fire at them, a kind girl like you will throw herself in front of them rather than abandoning them. I’ll hit my target in the end. That will speed things up, won’t it? It’s not cowardly; it’s efficient.”
“Ugh...!” So, what do I do now? Before Leone could decide on a course of action, Ian made his move.
Rrrummmble!
The barrel shook and roared as a bullet formed, many times larger than before. Ian was charging power in his palm.
“Now, then... Pullum is going to be in a lot of trouble. Please do save her.” Ian, grinning, fired off the huge bullet of light toward Pullum and Lewin.
Leone was already moving toward its trajectory. “Lewin! You need to get out of the way at least!”
She swung her sword. Maybe because of the urgency of the moment, it wasn’t heavy at all. She was filled with do-or-die adrenaline.
Leone didn’t know what the best course of action was right now, but she knew what she had to do. With its power as an Artifact sealed away, the sword couldn’t cut through bullets of light, couldn’t swat them away, but that didn’t matter. She wouldn’t abandon Pullum.
“Hyaaah!” With every bit of strength she had, she slashed at the bullet. And—
Fwoosh!
The bullet, cleaved in two with little effort, evaporated.
“Huh? N-No way!” Leone gasped. She was the one most surprised by what had happened. Her sword didn’t have any special powers active. Furthermore, the bullet was even stronger than before. There was no way she could have cut through it so easily. She had expected to lose her grip on the sword when the bullet struck it.
No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t figure out how that had happened. It was impossible.
“Whaaaaat?!” Ian’s eyes went wide.
But Leone’s astonishment didn’t end here. In the wake of the path of the blade she’d swung so intensely were translucent white scars in the dark void. They swelled, changing in shape, and became a gigantic dragon’s jaw.
“Wh-What is this?! Is that the dragon’s ph-phantasm?!” Leone stammered. She didn’t understand it at all, but where she had swung her sword down, a phantasm appeared. She didn’t understand how, but there was no other way to describe it.
And as the sword’s tip struck the floor, it also created a complex shape resembling a dragon’s jaw there as ornamentation. Had the sword’s transformation been so powerful that it had not only cut through the bullet but also created a phantasm? At any rate, the phantasm created by Leone was just like those she’d seen around Fufailbane. It roared at its enemies, bore its fangs, and attacked.
“Graaahhhh!”
The phantasm rushed suddenly toward Ian, taking a bite out of him that shredded his right hand and half of his body. As if satisfied, the phantasm faded away.
“Wha—?! What’s going on?! How?!” With half his body shredded, Ian collapsed to the ground. Because his body was made of machinery, he probably wouldn’t die from this, but it would keep him from moving.
“A-All right!” Lewin called out. “That Artifact-sealing or whatever didn’t work!”
“N-No, that’s not it!” Leone refuted. “My Artifact is still sealed. That was some other power!”
The world around them shifted back to the snowy camp. Her attack had been powerful enough to destroy the source of Ian’s power.
“Leone!” Voices rang out from above her head. Inglis and the others had just gotten back. Leone could spot Inglis, Rafinha, and Lahti aboard the Star Princess while Liselotte was flying with her Gift’s wings.
“Everyone... I’m so glad to see you!” Leone called out. “Rafinha, you need to heal Pullum’s injury!”
“Huh?!” Rafinha responded. “Pullum’s hurt?!”
“Wh-What happened?!” Lahti sputtered.
“Prince Lahti!” Lewin said. “Lady Pullum protected one of the civilians and was struck by that man’s blade!”
“Ian?! But why? Why?!” Lahti looked at the remaining half of Ian, in utter shock.
“I’ll explain later!” Leone said. “We need to treat her soon, or her life will be in danger!”
“G-Got it! Leave it to me! C’mon, Lahti, you help!” Rafinha urged.
“Of course!”
Rafinha and Lahti leaped down from the Star Princess and rushed to Pullum’s side in a panic. Inglis, Liselotte, and Leone joined, forming a circle around her.
Her face a ghastly pale color, Pullum attempted a brave smile. “Ah, Lahti... I’m sorry to cause you trouble like this... This is why you always call me clumsy.”
“You dummy, this isn’t the time to say that! S-Sorry... If I had done my job better, this wouldn’t have happened... If I had been clear about things sooner...!”
As Lahti’s voice wavered, Rafinha slapped his back in a show of encouragement. “Don’t worry! It’s okay, I’m going to save her! C’mon, quit moping and hold her hand! If she feels safe, it will help her heal better!” Rafinha activated the Gift, and the light of healing gathered in her palm.
“Okay... Please, save Pullum!”
“Okay!”
As she watched them, Inglis thought, She must be getting pretty used to the Gift. The light gathers far faster and shines far brighter than it did at first. She’s mastered the technique of combining Gifts to use healing arrows as well. Her progress is remarkable.
I’m sure she’ll be able to save Pullum. We can leave this to her.
Inglis turned her attention toward Leone and Ian. “Are you okay, Leone?”
“You’re unhurt, I hope?” Liselotte asked.
Leone nodded. “Yes, somehow... Though I was nervous when I was caught in the Highlander Sealed Cage.”
“Wow! Great job!” Inglis cheered.
“Oh, is that what their sealing of Artifacts is called? Yes, as Inglis said, excellent work,” Liselotte said.
“I’m not really sure how I did it... My sword changed, somehow. It’s a lot sharper than it was before, and the shape is different.” Leone pointed to the tip of her sword, where the dragon’s-jaw-shaped decoration remained.
“Hmm? What’s that?” Inglis asked.
“I swung my sword as hard as I could, and a phantasm appeared from it.”
“Whaaaaat?! Wh-What in the world...?” Liselotte began.
“So Fufailbane’s dragon lore rests in that sword now... And it even changed its shape. Dragon lore is a different power from the mana that Artifacts use, so the Sealed Cage didn’t affect it,” Inglis explained.
“A dragon’s power... Dragon lore, you say? How did that end up in my sword?” Leone asked.
“You’ve cut lots of dragon meat, right? I think by cutting a dragon that much, its power entered the sword.”
Leone had used her sword in place of a cleaver every day when she butchered Fufailbane’s meat. It was a humble, difficult job, but one vital to getting food to the inhabitants of nearby settlements. Hard work for someone else’s sake—as earnest and serious as Leone was, there was no way she would cut corners on it, and she’d continued to do it without a single complaint, even though it left her drenched in sweat. And this was, in a way, the reward for her hard work.
“Is that how it works?” Leone asked, dubious.
“Yeah, seems like it,” Inglis answered. “I’ve never actually seen such a thing before, but...” Inglis had taken the dragon lore into herself, and she had suspicions that Lahti had as well, but it seemed that in Leone’s case it had entered her greatsword instead.
A human given power by the gods became a divine knight. A sword blessed by the gods was a holy sword. It was also said that a sword became a dark blade once it slew a god. Perhaps dragons were similar enough. Maybe they could be described as something close to gods.
“It saved me, so I’m not complaining. I should be grateful, right?”
“Right, right. Getting stronger is good! Can you try it out when we’re training together? I’d really like to see it in action. C’mon, can you?”
“Er... Okay, but... Ha ha ha ha, don’t light up like that at the idea.”
“Anyway...” Liselotte interrupted to ask the obvious question. “Why would Ian do something like that?”
“Oh, right!” Leone answered. “It seems like he’s being controlled... I couldn’t tell if he was being sincere, but at one point, he clutched himself in pain and said that it was Evel’s will, that he’d kidnapped Pullum because of Evel to make time for some kind of preparation. I don’t really know all the details, but...”
“Evel’s will?! Preparations?” Inglis pressed.
“Well, that has an unsettling sound to it...” Liselotte said.
“Yes,” Inglis agreed. “Ha ha ha, it’s been a while...” Her face lit up on its own.
Evel. Plans. Preparations. A normal person would conclude that nothing good was about to happen—at least, all the others present did. As for Inglis, this brought forth the idea of a new sparring partner. She was already looking forward to it.
“And that grin has an unsettling look to it...” Liselotte added.
“Well, that’s just how Inglis is,” Leone said. “Anyway, Ian said to hurry and finish him off when he was in pain... But I couldn’t, and then he attacked me again, and now...” She trailed off, dejected.
“Y-You don’t need to worry about it... Thank you for stopping me. I don’t want to hurt my friends... I don’t want to hurt Pullum any more...” Ian gasped for air as he kept speaking.
“Ian!” Leone said.
“Stay away! I don’t know when he’ll make me self-destruct. After all, I’m no longer of any use to him. The preparations are complete... All that was left was to cause a small distraction and draw your attention... Don’t worry about me. There’s no reason to be upset over what you’ve done to me...”
“Ian, what do you mean by ‘preparations’? What’s Evel plotting?” Inglis asked.
Ian turned his gaze to her. It was cold and sharp—not like him at all. This arrogance was definitely Evel’s. “You’ll understand soon! Inglis! I’m sure someone like you will love it! So just sit back and watch!”
After a pause, Inglis replied, “Then I suppose I will.”
That is, unless Rafinha objects. Inglis didn’t particularly care about good or evil as long as she had a strong opponent, but she couldn’t ignore Rafinha’s opinions on the matter. In fact, they were her top priority. Watching over her adored Rafinha as she matured was the other pillar of Inglis Eucus’s existence.
“I don’t need this blabbermouth toy anymore! Time to clean him up! Leaving too many around isn’t my style!” Ian’s body began to glow brightly and swell.
“Don’t get close! Stay away from him!” Inglis shouted. Ian’s warning had been right. They’d be hurt if they were too close when he self-destructed.
Ian’s calm tone of voice returned as he weakly spoke. “It was all set up from the beginning... I should have shared my fate with Leclair... Everything I’ve done since then has been a mistake...but now, in the end...I’m finally home... Inglis. Everyone. I have one last request... Take care of Lahti, Pullum, this country...” He gave one last smile.
The group listened closely.
“Yes...”
“Ian...”
“Ian!”
Lahti, attending to Pullum, couldn’t bear to watch. “Ian, I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I’m gonna bring back Leclair to how it was! So... So...!”
“I know you will, Lahti... I’m looking forward to it...”
Booooooom!
The light swelled and exploded, creating a loud noise and smoke. Everyone closed their eyes from the glare, and when they opened them again, there was no sign of Ian left—only a smoldering patch on the ground, on which fell a shower of machine parts.
“Iaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!”
Lahti stared at his lost friend, the sorrow overwhelming him. Ian was gone.
“Ugh...! Ian...” Leone bit her lip.
“To the Highlanders, we’re all just...” Liselotte said, her eyes downcast.
Rafinha rose from kneeling beside Pullum, her eyes ablaze with anger. “I will never forgive Evel for this! Even death doesn’t teach him a lesson!”
“Rani, will Pullum be okay?” Inglis asked.
“Yeah, she seems good. She healed a lot faster than I expected.”
Perhaps that too was thanks to the power of dragon lore. It wouldn’t be at all surprising to Inglis if Rafinha, who’d eaten just as much dragon meat as she had, had been affected. Rafinha hadn’t seemed to hear Fufailbane’s voice earlier, but maybe the dragon lore had awakened in her only now. Or maybe she had a form of power that didn’t allow her to hear a dragon’s voice—Inglis wasn’t sure.
“Pullum will be fine,” Rafinha reiterated. “She’s just exhausted and sleeping now. Lahti, get her to her room and make sure she gets lots of rest. She’ll catch a cold out here.”
“Got it!” Lahti responded. “Thanks so much. I owe you.”
“Prince, I’ll help as well!”
“Thanks, Lewin!” Lahti said, as he and Lewin worked together to move Pullum to safety inside.
“All right, Chris! Let’s avenge Ian!” Rafinha exclaimed. “Where’s Evel?!”
Inglis paused in thought. “I’m not sure yet, but I expect he’ll show up...over there.” She pointed in the direction from which they had returned—that is, the crater in the ruins of Leclair where Fufailbane was bound.
The hieral menace Tiffanyer, Evel’s replacement, who took away Leclair with the Floating Circle, had said she’d inherited the plan from him. However, she had given no indication that she knew Fufailbane was sealed below. She hadn’t been on particularly good terms with Evel, so he probably hadn’t informed her, whereas he himself must have known about the ancient dragon, considering he’d authored the planned takeover of Leclair. That he would have coincidentally set his sights on land that happened to have an ancient dragon buried beneath was implausible. It was far more reasonable to assume he knew. And if he did, his primary objective must have been Fufailbane. Therefore, when he finally showed himself once again, it would be in front of the dragon. In Inglis’s mind, it was a simple thing to guess.
“I’m sure he wants to do something to the ancient dragon—to Fufailbane,” Inglis said.
“Huh?! That’s no good! Not when we finally got Fufailbane to understand our perspective! If anything happens, we won’t be able to get any more of that delicious meat!”
“Well, we do have some stored up, but more importantly...”
For Inglis, it was a serious problem that Fufailbane had lost the will to fight her. She’d really appreciate it if the dragon, sensing an opportunity, would join forces with Evel and attack. Evel wasn’t as strong as Fufailbane, but he was powerful in his own right. Maybe she had some kind of chance at a battle. However, she didn’t know what kind of condition Evel was in after his ostensible death.
“More importantly?” Rafinha asked.
“Oh, uh, nothing...” Inglis wouldn’t not be entertained by letting Evel do whatever he was planning.
“Hold on a second, Chris. You’re not thinking, ‘If we just leave him alone for a while, I’ll get to fight someone strong! ♪’ are you?”
“What?! No way, of course not. Just, um, thinking long-term, it’d be best to see everything he’s got and then report back to Rafael and Ambassador Theodore, right? Let him put all his cards on the table.”
“Absolutely not! Being that lax is how you got the royal theater blown up! Stop worrying about the future; focus on the now. For Ian’s sake! To keep anything else terrible from happening to Leclair! We need to stop Evel’s schemes! Let’s go!” Rafinha grabbed Inglis’s hand and pulled her along.
Inglis couldn’t refute that argument—both from the standpoint of being a squire, and from the standpoint of its being a request from her adorable little Rafinha. “Okay, got it.”
Inglis and Rafinha climbed back aboard the Star Princess. Leone joined them, and while there was no room for Liselotte, she could fly alongside with her Gift-given wings. As the Star Princess climbed high into the sky, she gripped the railing and prepared to follow.
“Let’s hurry!” Just as Rafinha, at the controls, set the Flygear in motion—
Rrrrrrumble!
The earth shook. The snow on top and the trees surrounding them trembled.
The center point of the rumbling was where Inglis had pointed earlier—where Fufailbane was bound.
The earth cracked and split wider.
“Wh-What?!” Inglis gasped.
“Is there something underground?!” Leone asked.
“I don’t know, but it looks big!” Rafinha said.
“We need to hurry!” Liselotte urged.
But it was too late.
“Gwohhh!”
A swarm of pale, transparent dragon heads sprang up as if to block Inglis and the others.
“Phantasms!” Inglis said.
“Of all the times for them to get in the way...” Rafinha complained.
“I’ll clear a path! Everyone else, go on ahead!” Liselotte kicked off the Flygear’s hull, using the momentum this imparted to charge forward. “Yaaaaaah!” Her halberd, thrusting forth, gleamed a faint light blue.
Fwoosh!
A fierce and bright blizzard swallowed the phantasms. Frozen in place, they then broke apart with a crackling sound.
“Wh-What in the world happened?!” Liselotte exclaimed, grasping back onto the Star Princess as it passed by.
“So you got it too, Liselotte! This is dragon lore! Wouldn’t you say so, Inglis?” Leone asked.
“Yeah, looks like it.” Taking a closer look at Liselotte’s halberd, Inglis saw that part of the ax head of the halberd now resembled a dragon’s jaw. The same transformation had occurred with Leone’s greatsword.
For Liselotte, rather than creating phantasms, it produced an effect like a dragon’s breath.
“Oh, it’s because you cut just as much dragon flesh with your Artifact as I did with mine!” Leone said.
“I-I see. I wasn’t especially pleased with using my Artifact, the symbol of a knight’s pride, as a mere cleaver, but I’m glad I kept at it!” Liselotte happily set her cheek on the newly empowered halberd.
Rafinha pouted. “You two are so lucky! I wish my Artifact got stronger...but I guess bows can’t cut meat, huh?”
“Rafinha, you have the healing Gift that Ambassador Theodore prepared for your Artifact, remember? And you’ve been making so much progress with it. I felt like I was being left behind,” Liselotte said.
“But Leone has Theodore’s dimension Gift and power from the dragon meat! It’s no fair getting both!”
“Huh? N-No, I’m still—” Leone began.
Inglis chuckled. “It’s okay. You’re all working hard and making progress.”
The three were knights-to-be with upper-class Runes and upper-class Artifacts to match. Someday they would become ranking knights with command of large units. Already their individual prowess was on par with the most seasoned of knights in their Rune class. Inglis thought that if hieral menaces were taken out of the picture, they might even become as strong as holy knights. That would be wonderful! They’d be the perfect training partners for her, so she really wanted them to keep at it.
Inglis laughed. “Work hard, get strong, and we can practice together.”
“H-Hey, that’s not as cute as you think it is,” Rafinha said. “Just what horrific training do you have planned for us?”
“Y-Yeah... Please take it easy on us,” Leone agreed.
“As normal people, it’s hard for us to keep up with you. Not like we could run with Flygears on our backs or anything,” Liselotte said.
Krrr-boom!
A loud rumble echoed through the air. The ground near Fufailbane cracked, then collapsed as a huge form rose from within.
“Ah! Something’s coming!” Inglis shouted.
“What is that?! It’s huge!” Rafinha gasped.
She’s right, Inglis thought. The thing rising was nearly as big as Fufailbane himself.
“It looks like a dragon?! B-But...” Leone stammered in disbelief. They were all staring at something that was definitely shaped like a dragon.
“A rainbow-colored body?! Could it be...?!” Liselotte said.
All three girls are right, actually, Inglis thought. It gleamed in the colors of the rainbow.
“A Prismer!” Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte all called out, shocked.
“Oh no! Why now?!” Rafinha asked.
“This must be the Prismer Ian said destroyed Leclair!” Leone said. “Has it been burrowed there this whole time?!”
“I-In any case, this is terrible! We must defend the camp! There are so many civilians there!” Liselotte said.
“But there’s a bright side to this, right, Chris?” Rafinha confirmed. “You didn’t get to fight the dragon, but now you get to fight that! Don’t hold back now!”
“No. It’s not like that, Rani,” Inglis replied.
“Huh? Why?”
“That’s no Prismer...”
Inglis couldn’t sense the overwhelming power that she’d felt before from Prismers. For example, when she’d seen the rime-bound Prismer in Ahlemin, even encased in thick ice, she’d felt a swell of extraordinary power, as if it was condensed within its bindings. Even the larval Prismer she’d taken down in the Karelian capital of Chiral, while less intense, had shared this trait.
Whatever this was may have looked like a Prismer, but Inglis felt nothing that indicated it was one. Never mind not being a Prismer, it wasn’t even a magicite beast. Its flows of power were completely different.
“It seems like a fake,” Inglis concluded.
“A fake?!” Rafinha gasped.
“Really?” Leone said.
“Even though it looks so similar?” Liselotte asked.
“It’s not that it happens to look like a Prismer. It’s that it was made to look like a Prismer,” Inglis replied.
And if it had been given such a shape, there had to be a reason. The “Prismer” which had destroyed Leclair was in fact no Prismer at all. Ian had said the current situation in Alcard had been set up from the beginning. This must have been what he had meant.
“Wh-What do you mean, Chris?” Rafinha asked.
“You’ll see when we get closer. Let’s hurry.”
“You seem thrilled about something!”
“Well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to fight it!”
Whether it was a Prismer or not didn’t matter. She cared about two things: whether it was strong, and whether it would be up for a fight. The latter didn’t seem to present any problem.
With Fufailbane not wanting to fight, I’ve been hard up for an opponent. This is just fine, she thought.
“All right, full speed ahead! Booster mode!”
The Star Princess accelerated quickly, shooting toward the rainbow-colored creature. As those on board got a closer look, everyone but Inglis gasped.
“There’s machinery like a Flygear’s sticking out all over it?!” Rafinha noted.
“But other parts are flesh and blood!” Leone said.
“No gems like a magicite beast’s, however!” Liselotte said.
“Its form is reminiscent of a dragon... It’s probably the combination of a living dragon with Highland machinery. Ian was a human mixed with machinery; I think it’s like that,” Inglis surmised.
Its body was painted in colors similar to a Prismer’s, and embedded light sources gave it a similar look.
At first nobody spoke, but then the larger point behind Inglis’s words struck Rafinha. “Oh! So, Chris, it’s something from Highland?”
“Wait! Is this what originally attacked Leclair?!” Leone said.
Inglis nodded. “I think so. It’s disguised to look like a Prismer. This country hasn’t relied on Highland much, so the people here lack familiarity with such things. It’s not surprising they’d see this and take it as a Prismer.”
“I can’t believe it!” Rafinha exclaimed. “So even the destruction of Leclair from earlier was a Highland plot?!”
“Yeah. Probably Archlord Evel’s idea. That’s why Ian said in the end that it had all been orchestrated from the beginning. He must have realized somewhere along the way.”
“That’s terrible! But Ian tried so hard! It may not have been good for us in Karelia, but he even accepted that machinelike body to protect Alcard! All of that...for this...”
Since a Prismer had appeared in Alcard and destroyed Leclair, the government chose to seek power from Highland to strengthen their defenses, but they had nothing they could reasonably offer for Artifacts and a hieral menace. Thus, they were forced to participate in Highland’s plans, abandoning their previous friendly relations with Karelia to participate in a pincer attack along with Venefic. Ian had sacrificed everything, even his humanity, to move that plan forward for Alcard’s sake.
Yet what had driven him—the destruction of Leclair by a Prismer—was itself a falsehood. His will, his spirit, had from the very beginning been twisted—likely by the hands of Evel.
“Evel won’t get away with this! Where is he?! I don’t know what’s going on, but he has to still be alive, right?! This time we’ll take him down!” Tears streamed from Rafinha’s eyes as her anger for Ian’s sake threatened to explode.
“Rani...” Before Inglis could console her, another voice responded to her shout.
“Ha ha ha ha! Quit joking around... As if anyone could stop me!” It was a boyish voice with an unfitting haughtiness. And it came from the head of the dragon-like fake Prismer. A boy with heterochromic eyes of red and blue suddenly stood there.
“Archlord Evel!” Inglis called out.
“Him? But he looks so young...” Leone asked.
“So that must mean this really was all set up by Highland to begin with!” Liselotte said.
“B-But— How?!” Rafinha asked. “He looks just the same as before! There’s no way he could have survived as though it was nothing!”
“He must be the same as Ian...”
“What do you mean, Chris?” Rafinha paused to think. “Wait, he made more of himself?”
“Yeah, that’s my guess...”
Unlike Ian, though, Evel seemed to be entirely flesh and blood. There weren’t any visible mechanical parts. With technology like that, I could make more copies of myself too, Inglis thought. Who wouldn’t love to have a capable sparring partner always available?
“I’m not a fan of just lining up clones like that piece of scrap. I prefer to be me,” Evel said.
Inglis posited that this Evel had only become active due to the defeat of the previous one by the black-masked leader of the Steelblood Front. In addition, he seemed to retain his memories from his other bodies—he remembered Inglis and Rafinha. Inglis wasn’t sure how that was possible, but she wasn’t concerned with that.
She paused, taking in the moment. “I suppose. But wouldn’t it be more convenient to have another you?”
“Hmm. Inglis, I’m afraid I have to disagree,” he replied. “But that’s fine. After all, it shows at least one of us is a decent person!”
“How rude. Doesn’t that imply that I’m the one who’s not?”
“I can’t argue with that...” Rafinha interjected.
“C’mon, Rani! Back me up!”
“Nope, I can’t have your back on this one, but...” Rafinha shifted back to her original point. “Anyway, everything since the original attack on Leclair has been your plan, hasn’t it, Evel?! You really are terrible! How can you call yourself a decent person?!”
“Hmph. That’s the way a child thinks!” Unfazed by Rafinha’s accusations, Evel glowered.
“Wh-What do you mean?!”
“Don’t you understand? Strategy isn’t influenced by the quality of one’s character. If that’s beyond your comprehension, then you really are just a child!”
“Ugh!”
While Rafinha sharply gasped in horror, Inglis got Evel’s attention. “So there must have been some circumstances which compelled your plans—political ones, I’m sure? Like, perhaps, an agreement with your rivals at the Triumvirate that you each would refrain from invading the surface?”
“It doesn’t look like I’m refraining to me,” Evel answered.
“Perhaps, but you’re certainly refraining from direct military conquest. Even this is in the form of responding to Alcard’s request for aid—whether or not they want that kind of aid. Labels and reality are different things. You can treat them as the difference between a public position and a private position if you want. Am I on the mark, Evel?”
“Hmph!” Evel snorted, unwilling to confirm or deny it.
Judging from his behavior, Inglis’s educated guess hadn’t been a bad one. “But you’ve fallen for the same trick.”
“What...?!”
“Rani phrased things the way she did so your ego would do the talking. Thanks to that, we have a good guess of what you’re up to.”
In reality, of course, this wasn’t true. But as Rafinha’s guardian, Inglis couldn’t let this go. She felt compelled to defend her.
“Th-That’s right! You’re the one who was fooled! Gotcha!” Rafinha taunted.
“Ugh...!” Evel gasped.
Inglis continued. “And your true goal was the ancient dragon Fufailbane who rested here. I don’t know what your plans for him are, but it seems that Highland had information on him.”
Inglis had sealed Fufailbane here in her past life. This fact had been passed down from generation to generation, ending up in Highland. She wasn’t sure what twists and turns it had taken to get there, but this meant that if she went to Highland, she might find out what had happened to the Silvare Kingdom after her death. It was a tantalizing hint.
“Wait! How do you know that name?! Even in Highland, that’s information only a few are allowed access to!”
“Easy. I asked him himself.”
The truth was that she’d known all along, but that answer was the most convincing. She wasn’t necessarily dead set on concealing the memories of her past life, but that would have been a long story, so it was better to leave it at that.
“You heard the ancient dragon’s voice?”
“Yes. Before you arrived here, Evel, he was quite the ally to us.”
“That’s right!” Rafinha added. “We were just about to become friends! Nobody’s allowed to be mean to him, especially not you!”
“You left him chained up and rolling around here, and you expect me to believe that?! He is vital to Highland! Such disrespectful treatment! Which of us is being mean to him?!” Evel asked.
“Uh?! Ch-Chris! Say something!”
Inglis chuckled. “Well, I have no response. Evel’s right.”
She’d had no other way to deal with Fufailbane besides restraining him.
“Exactly. There’s no real excuse to be made,” Leone said, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Indeed... We have no choice but to admit it,” Liselotte agreed.
“So that means I’m here to save the ancient dragon from your cruelty!” Evel declared. “If you feel even the slightest bit of guilt, then sit tight and watch!”
“Very well, I will,” Inglis replied.
“Hold on a second, Chris!” Rafinha protested.
“C’mon, he’s right. Haven’t we been a bit mean to Fufailbane?”
“Well, yes, but...it’s Evel. There’s no way he has good intentions. Coming from him, it can’t be for Mr. Dragon’s sake.”
“It’s fine. If there are any problems, I’ll deal with it. Okay? Please? Let’s just watch, okay?”
“You’re just waiting for your chance, aren’t you? Hoping they’ll join forces against you or something.”
“Would it be better if I promised you’d have fun watching?”
“Come on! At least try to conceal your excitement a little bit!”
“Awwh, awwh! Faw fih, Rahi!”
“This is no time to play around, you two!” Leone reminded them.
“The dragon is awakening!” Liselotte warned.
Perhaps at Evel’s direction, something long and slender—armlike, really—stretched out from the body of the fake Prismer and undid Fufailbane’s dragonscale chain.
“Ah! Not while we’re talking! That’s not fair!” Inglis protested.
“Like I care! But...” Evel cackled. “I simply must be astonished that you were able to beat a legendary ancient dragon into such pitiful submission. I’m honestly impressed! But it’s to my advantage as well. Now that you’ve broken his will, he’ll be a bit more receptive to what I have to say.”
“Ooh, you mean there’s something even more powerful than an ancient dragon?! I can’t wait!” Inglis’s eyes glittered.
Evel’s tone and phrasing showed that he was still confident that he had the advantage. And if that held true even though he recognized that they’d subjugated the dragon, it meant his plans extended beyond simply teaming up with Fufailbane to defeat her. If that were all he had, he would have at least shown some disappointment that the dragon hadn’t been a match for her. He wouldn’t be so confident.
That meant he had some other plan to take her down. She couldn’t wait to see the last resort of one of Highland’s archlords.
Evel sneered. “Hmph! Remember, being too perceptive spoils the fun.”
“In that case, excuse me.” As Inglis bowed her head apologetically, Evel turned to Fufailbane, who had risen.
“Now, O ancient dragon! Grant me the power to kill this woman, who wounded your pride! Listen to my voice!”
“Oooh, I knew it! Go right ahead!” This would get Fufailbane back in the fighting spirit. Inglis would get to fight him again.
“I wasn’t talking to you! Shut up!” As Evel yelled angrily, Fufailbane spoke to Inglis.
“Old king... Is he your ally?”
“No. If anything, we’re enemies, but—”
“I see,” Fufailbane responded bluntly, and he sprang into action.
“Grahhhhh!”
He opened his maw, lined with fangs, and bit down on Evel in an instant. His movements were amazingly fast for his size. The archlord was completely unable to react before being swallowed.
“Wha—?!” Before he could even finish his shout of surprise, he vanished into Fufailbane’s jaws.
Leone’s eyes went round. “Huh?! The dragon ate him?!”
“That was so fast! Over in the blink of an eye!” Liselotte remarked, astonished.
“Wh-What did he even come here for?” Rafinha asked. “Oh well, I suppose that’s for the best.”
“N-No it isn’t! That’s a waste!” Inglis yelled.
She hadn’t expected Fufailbane to immediately obey Evel, but she’d at least wanted Evel to have some kind of plan for if he was attacked. Plus, she had expected the dragon to at least hear him out. Immediately devouring him instead was completely outside of her plans.
“Hmph... I did ask. If he was not your ally, surely you would have no complaint.” A red fluid dripped from Fufailbane’s mouth as he spoke.
Inglis was sure Evel hadn’t survived. “Well... No sense complaining now, I suppose.”
“If you wish to bind me again, do as you will. But remove that revolting imitation from my sight. It is most unpleasant to see such things done to the body of one of my kind.” Fufailbane lay down and curled up.
Inglis had suspected it by the faint wafts of dragon lore coming from the fake Prismer, but this served as confirmation. Highland had created it from the body of an actual dragon. Fufailbane would best recognize his own kind.
“I see... If I help clean it up, maybe you’ll fight me?” Inglis offered.
“How many times do I have to say it?! This irks me! Let the matter rest!”
“I won’t give up! Not until you understand my passion!”
“I told you, it’s because I understand! I have no interest in someone so bloodthirsty! Perhaps I’ll find—” Fufailbane suddenly cut off midsentence. His body jerked, then began to shudder. “Ah? Gah! Agggh!”
“Huh?! Fufailbane! What’s wrong?!”
“I’m not really sure, but it seems like you were too pushy and now he’s really mad!” Rafinha said.
“That can’t be! I thought we were getting on really well!” Inglis pouted.
“B-But something’s definitely wrong with him!” Leone said.
“What’s happening?!” Liselotte gasped.
“Roooooaaaaaarrrrrrrr!”
Fufailbane let out a tremendous roar. Moments later, he came to a sudden stop, going quiet. Inglis wasn’t sure why, but one of his feet clenched and unclenched, as if he was checking to see if it moved.
Inglis watched silently, wary.
“Bwa ha ha... Excellent! It worked!” the dragon said out loud.
“Huh?! Human speech?!” Inglis was at a loss.
Up until now, Fufailbane had communicated in Draconic with the use of dragon lore. He might well have been capable of human speech, but given his pride, he would have had no intention of using it.
“H-He talked! I heard him!” Rafinha yelped.
“I heard him too!” Leone said.
“Myself as well!” Liselotte said.
“So that was human speech—was it Evel speaking?!” Inglis exclaimed.
“Whaaat?!” the others shrieked.
Now in Fufailbane’s form, Evel smugly appreciated the shocked reactions of Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte.
“Did you think I’d be taken down that easily? Too bad!” he taunted. “Why do you think I left my will in that piece of scrap for so long?! Why did I bother drawing you here rather than blowing you all up with it along the way?! It was all to perfect this Mind Blast technique! It overwhelms the spirit of a sentient being and replaces their will with my own! An ancient dragon is a proud beast, one that must not be at the mercy of a human. This was a whole lot faster than talking anyway!”
Inglis had a good idea of what had gone on with Evel’s plan. “I see... So, forcing your will into Ian was an experiment. And when Ian went missing from our group, it was to further enhance the results.”
“That’s right! I buried this mechanical dragon underneath the capital and led you here so you’d be around only once my preparations were complete!”
“Oh, I get it! That’s why you kidnapped Pullum!” Rafinha said.
“You knew that if Pullum was missing, we’d come straight to Leclair!” Leone said.
“You tricked us!” Liselotte accused.
“Well, I hadn’t expected that woman—Tiffanyer—would be so ineffective that you’d dig up the ancient dragon, but I suppose with how things have turned out, it’s become a nonissue! Ha ha ha ha!” Evel cackled.
“Congratulations. Now, then, shall we put it to the test?” Inglis offered. “You have a wonderful guinea pig right here to work with.” She proudly patted her chest.
Fufailbane’s might with Evel’s will was the perfect combination. He, at least, would be sure to fight her over and over.
Evel chuckled as the dragon. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Do you really think this is all? You said it yourself—there’s something more powerful than an ancient dragon. Now be silent and watch.”
“Ooh! My apologies. I can’t wait to see!”
“Hmph! Stop being so pleased about this! I will see terror and despair written across your face! Prepare yourself!”
“Yes! Will do!” Inglis’s eyes sparkled in anticipation.
Evel used Fufailbane’s form to hiss in disgust. “How impudent you are! Truly as vexing as possible!” He turned to the nearby fake Prismer. “To me, mechanical dragon! For Highland’s future! To become a shield that protects the pontifex! A Guardian is born!”
The false Prismer began to shine dazzlingly. Countless long, thin arms sprang forth all along it and wrapped around Fufailbane. The intense glow grew greater still, eating away at the ancient dragon’s body, and the light grew even brighter, resonating with Fufailbane. Inglis could hardly keep her eyes open.
“I-It’s so bright! I can’t see!” Rafinha cried.
“Don’t look directly at it, Rani,” Inglis instructed. “Look down, and follow its shadow on the ground. You too, Leone and Liselotte!”
“Understood!”
“I shall!”
With a complex harmony of sounds weaving together—mechanical creaking, the dull thud of a strike hitting flesh, squelching as if something was being stirred together—the two tremendous shadows on the ground merged into one.
As a single form became clear, the light faded little by little, and what Inglis and the others saw was something far larger than Fufailbane or the mechanical dragon on their own.
“Wow, amazing!” Inglis said.
The basis of this new being was Fufailbane, but it was studded all over its joints and head with robust armor. Its legs had lengthened, and now it could stand upright. A number of cannons worthy of a Highland flying battleship protruded from its mechanized parts. In particular, the two huge cannons protruding from its shoulders were breathtaking; Inglis thought they might pack even more power than Fufailbane’s dragon breath attack. The strength of the dragon lore she could feel from its entire form was even more focused. Combined with the mana from Highlander technology, it served as an evolution of an ancient dragon—tougher, fiercer, and practically herculean.
“Wh-What’s that?!” Rafinha gasped as she cowered, awestruck. “It’s like Mr. Dragon was combined with a Highland ship!”
“It’s so intense! Is this Highland’s true power?!” Leone asked.
“S-So this is what he was after!” Liselotte said.
The mechanical ancient dragon clenched its mechanical fists as it spoke Evel’s words. “Breathtaking, isn’t it?! Power beyond even a legendary ancient dragon—a mechanical dragon based on Fufailbane. A mechanical ancient dragon, then! Power fitting to become a shield protecting the pontifex! He may call turning an ancient dragon into a weapon a sin, but it’s the duty of an archlord to protect him no matter what!”
Inglis chuckled. “How wonderful! It looks so striking. It looks so cool! And I can feel its power! I see no shortcomings in you. I’d be glad to take you on!”
This mechanical ancient dragon was the perfect foe to test the dragonscale sword she’d worked so hard to forge. This being had to be a greater challenge than Fufailbane, who was still a great foe. In that case, it was probably the most powerful opponent she’d yet faced in both of her lifetimes. This fight would take her development to new heights. She couldn’t help but tremble in anticipation. I really am glad I came to Alcard.
“Haaaah!” Activating Aether Shell, she leaped from the Star Princess and landed straight in front of the mechanical ancient dragon. The dragonscale sword she gripped was immersed in aether, but it showed no signs of breaking. How resilient would it be? How strong would it be? She was extremely excited to find out. “Go ahead, come at me from any angle!” She lightly hefted the massive sword on her shoulders—it being as large as she was tall—ready to strike at any moment.
Evel cackled. “And now you want to fight the mechanical ancient dragon?!” he challenged.
“Yes! I won’t disappoint you!”
“How arrogant!” Every cannon but those on its shoulders fired a volley of light at Inglis.
Blam, blam, blam!
An overwhelming number of blasts fell around her, churning up the dirt and snow and blocking her vision. However, as she’d expected, none hit her. It was clearly just suppressive fire.
Her heart leaped in excitement, eager for what would come next.
Her vision cleared, and she looked forth, only to see the mechanical ancient dragon soar off, disappearing into the yonder clouds above.
“Huh?! Errr, what’s wrong?! Where are you going?!”
“I’m returning to Highland! I told you! The mechanical ancient dragon is a shield to protect the pontifex from the throne faction! It’s a valuable military asset! As if I’d waste my time on you, a mere rank-and-file soldier! That would gain me nothing. Know your place!”
Evel had called her arrogant--and now that he had the power of the mechanical ancient dragon, that was no mere boast. At this point, he meant that he saw no value in fighting her and had no intention of doing so. Inglis had assumed he’d been acting haughty due to his personality, but she’d misunderstood his intentions.
“That’s not fair!” Inglis whined. “Not only do you block me from a good fight, but you’re not even stepping in yourself instead?!”
“Like I care! I don’t recall making any promises! But it sure is nice to see you so frustrated! Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!” Evel’s laughter hung in the air, while he disappeared into the far-off clouds.
“Ugh... Now how am I gonna try out the sword I worked so hard on?” Inglis slumped her shoulders.
Rafinha descended from the Star Princess and softly approached her. “Ahh. Well, I guess he was right about one thing.”
“Huh?”
“Terror and despair are written all over your face. At least despair definitely is. Anyway, cheer up. It’ll be all right.” For once, Rafinha’s and Inglis’s positions were switched, with Rafinha patting Inglis’s head to calm her.
“Rani, I think I may have made some mistakes in life...”
“Well, yeah, I know, but...you’re only realizing that now?”
“I guess there are situations where if you’re not a big enough fish, someone will ignore you... Maybe if I wanted to fight that mechanical ancient dragon, I needed to establish my own country and go to war with Highland... Should I have taken that position as a knight captain?”
“C’mon, you’re making another mistake by dwelling on it. Stop.”
“Ugh... Well, Rani, can’t you become someone important for me so I can fight that thing?”
“No way! Why don’t you marry Rafael? Then you’d at least be a duchess. I think he’ll always be a bigger deal than I am.”
“Absolutely not! I have no intention of getting married—”
It was only then that Leone and Liselotte rejoined the pair.
“Well, I don’t think Evel’s coming back, so all’s well that ends well,” Leone said. “We’ve got plenty of food stored up, so we’ll be fine for now.”
“Indeed. If Inglis was right about the ancient dragon causing the harsh climate here, we would have needed to move him along eventually anyway,” Liselotte pointed out.
“Yeah,” Rafinha said. “I guess you don’t get to keep him, Chris. I feel sorry for Mr. Dragon, but it’s for the best. I’m sure Ian would be happy for Leclair to recover and grow warm enough for a healthy harvest.”
“Yes. I’m sure he would,” Leone agreed.
“That seems to be what he wished for most of all...” Liselotte said.
Rafinha and the others looked somberly up at the sky, the dragon now absent. Inglis watched them but couldn’t find anything to say; she just sighed deeply. “I wish I could have fought the mechanical ancient dragon...”
“Well, it’s long gone, so stop worrying about it. C’mon, I want to see how Pullum is doing. Let’s head back. You can have a nice big helping of meat to distract you. Nothing like a tasty meal to help you forget your sorrows!” Rafinha insisted.
Inglis paused, coming to a realization. “That’s right! I’ll help myself to that meat! I’m gonna eat and eat and eat, no holding back!”
“Right, right! And I’ll help out!”
Leone whispered to Liselotte, “They were holding back before?”
“Well...I suppose what goes on in their stomachs is completely ineffable.”
In any case, Inglis and the others returned to the camp.
◆◇◆
With formality, Lahti addressed the crowd from in front of the house at the center of the encampment. “Listen up, everyone!” Pullum was standing beside him, uncomfortable as she stared at the ground.
Pullum had already regained consciousness by the time Inglis returned to camp. After a short rest for everyone to calm down, Lahti had gathered his people. Inglis and the others stood a short distance from the crowd, near Lewin and his knights, and kept watch. Due to the recent events, both the civilians and the knights were on edge.
“Fifh! Vih camh lef ah gahzown! Vih hohnhoh vuh meh hehhuh! (Chris! We can’t let our guard down! We don’t know what might happen!)”
“Ehnow. Vuh illee oheh, Rahi! (I know. But it’ll be okay, Rani!)”
In the midst of all this, Inglis and Rafinha were hard at work, keeping their mouths busy. They carried plates piled high with grilled skewers of meat. They had said they wanted to make up for the disappointment of not being able to fight the mechanical ancient dragon—and they sure were soothing their souls by eating and eating and eating. They’d fall into a spiral if it weren’t for the meat as a distraction.
“Are you saying not to let your guard down?” Leone asked. Inglis and Rafinha nodded fervently in response. “I’m not sure how this counts as being on alert, though. Sheesh...”
“No matter how you look at it, they’re slacking off,” Liselotte said.
As the two sighed in exasperation at their friends, Lahti continued speaking to the people. “I’ve heard in more detail about the disturbance just now. First, rest assured, I have no intention of punishing anyone.”
That, at least, brought a sense of relief to the crowd. The leader of the commotion had been Ian, and he’d even raised his blade against the knights. Plus, Pullum had been seriously injured. It would not have been surprising if Lahti had ordered the arrest of everyone involved.
“I have no intention of punishing her either.” Lahti approached Pullum and placed a hand on her shoulder. “What Harim did was unforgivable. I understand that some of you may not want to forgive his sister, Pullum—I cannot tell you how to feel. No matter how much I say they’re different people, it’s not that simple.”
“Fmmmm...” Inglis ate with great relish as she listened to Lahti. The ancient dragon’s meat was delicious even at a time like this.
From a logical perspective, each person was responsible for their own deeds. Blaming Pullum for what Harim had done was contemptible, but it was also true that the people had nowhere else to lay their blame. Leone, too, had been placed in a difficult situation because of similar circumstances. A good king was lawful and just—but a good king also followed the hearts of his people. And when viewed in the context of the current situation, those two things contradicted each other. The right choice varied depending on who you asked, and even the same words, offered to the people, might have different results depending on who spoke them. At times like these, it was best to show clear leadership.
“That’s why I’m going to be honest with you about my own feelings!” Lahti’s eyes filled with determination. “As prince of this country, I declare that I will take her—that I will take Pullum as my queen!”
The blended gasps of various emotions became an uproar.
“Huhhhhh?!”
“Oh?!”
“Wh-What?!”
“If Harim’s crimes are Pullum’s, then Pullum’s crimes are my own! And I will dedicate my life to atoning for them! I will rebuild Leclair and make it more prosperous than ever before! So...please give us time to continue our work! Please!” Lahti punctuated his passion with a deep bow to the crowd.
“Um... Lahti! I...” Pullum began.
“What, don’t tell me now you don’t want to! I already said it!”
“B-But... That’s so...” Her sniffles turned to sobs.
Lahti panicked. “This is no time to cry! Quick, bow too!”
“O-Okay!”
And as the two bowed to the crowd—
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
Rafinha, beside Inglis, was the first to begin the applause. “Vahfoo! Vahfahfeh! Cahnhazhurayhuh! (That’s good! That’s perfect! Congratulations!)” she said with her mouth still full of ancient dragon meat. She was moved to tears, chewing and clapping. She was quite busy.
“Rahi!” Inglis interjected. “Vey whu vi ahle fu uhnuhfaeh ooh lifaeh! (Rani! They won’t be able to understand you like that!)”
“Both of you! Come on, let’s do this properly!” Leone scolded as she gave her own applause to Lahti and Pullum.
“We’re in full agreement! We support you!” Liselotte cheered.
Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte shone with maidenly yearning. Inglis didn’t share their enthusiasm, and she focused on a different point; as someone with no interest in marriage, if she were in that position, she’d have no choice but to refuse. However, rejecting someone so publicly would cause deep embarrassment to the other person. Fortunately, there were no real worries of Pullum rejecting Lahti, so it turned out well in the end.
And Inglis couldn’t really criticize the choice to handle things this way. It had been naive and awkward, but charming all the same.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
The applause grew, spreading through the crowd as others joined in. The people here all had their own stories, but in the end, they’d gathered in this encampment because they admired Prince Lahti, who had freed Leclair and meant to rebuild it. Some would follow Lahti’s lead no matter what, and others would be moved by his determination and attitude. Surely some were not yet convinced, but were willing to trust him and see where that led.
One person from the crowd said, “I believe in Pullum! She put herself in harm’s way to save me! That can’t have been an empty gesture! She really cares about us!”
Several of the people were beginning to believe in Pullum. Her injury seemed to have stirred something in others’ hearts. Most importantly, there was no need to worry about the day’s chaos being repeated in the near future.
“All right, now prove to us that you’re serious! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Rafinha began to chant at Lahti and Pullum. Her calls, like something a drunkard would say, were a bit unbecoming.
“Wha—?! What are you talking about, you idiot?! I can’t do that in front of this many people! Not for our first time!” Lahti’s face turned bright red.
“R-Rani...come on. You’re embarrassing them,” Inglis said.
“But I think it’s important that they prove they’re serious! Right?!”
“Yes!” Leone said.
“Indeed,” Liselotte chimed in. The two of them were normally more polite than Rafinha was, but this time Inglis thought they were all being ridiculous. As the crowd around them began to cheer, a strange sense of anticipation settled over Lahti and Pullum.
“Good grief,” Inglis muttered. This wasn’t going to be put to rest so easily. She had no avenue to do so, and all she could do was watch while continuing her meal.
Pullum stepped closer to Lahti, getting on her tiptoes, and gently placed her lips on his. Lahti’s eyes sprung wide.
“Whoooooo!” The crowd went wild.
“Wh-What are you doing, Pullum?! I thought you were more modest than this!” Lahti protested.
Pullum laughed. “This is my answer. ’Til death do us part.” A beaming smile spread across her tear-drenched cheeks. She absolutely glowed.
“Y-Yeah,” he stammered. “You got it.”
As the two smiled at each other, Rafinha couldn’t contain her excitement. “Did you see that? Did you see that?! So daring!”
“Yes. Quite the learning experience!” Liselotte agreed.
“That must be nice... I guess for me it’ll go a little different, though.” Leone was happy for them, but she also felt a bit forlorn at her own circumstances. She didn’t have a prince who would share her worst moments and protect her. She had to shoulder the stigma attached to the Olfas all by herself.
“Well, Leone, at least you have us, right?” Inglis said.
“That’s right! What Chris said!” Rafinha agreed.
“Precisely. We’re not princes, but we can make up for that in number,” Liselotte said.
Leone laughed. “You all make a good point. Thank you.”
As joy and hope for the future of the land filled the square, a voice suddenly called out from overhead.
“Prince Lahti! Prince Lahti!”
A single Flygear had swooped in at full speed. It was from the Flygear Port and was used by messengers.
“Huh?! Yeah! I’m here! What happened?!”
“Major trouble, Your Highness! Prince Windsel’s forces, which were posted on the border, are now marching this way!”
“What?! Why’s my brother sending an army here?!”
“Isn’t it obvious, Prince Lahti?! He plans to take the credit and prestige you’ve earned for himself!” Captain Lewin warned, ever loyal to Lahti.
“What?!”
Inglis agreed with Lewin’s read on the situation. “A succession struggle, huh. Sounds likely.”
“But how foolish he is to abandon the standoff with Karelia and turn his forces on us!” Lewin insisted.
“He might have signed a ceasefire with the Karelian forces,” Inglis suggested.
“That is possible...but while our forces are still small, if he’s trying to strangle us in the cradle, he’s made the wrong choice. In a certain way, the advantage lies with us.”
“How so?”
“You, Inglis. With your power, a moderate gap in numbers doesn’t matter. And letting him make a move he can’t take back will tilt the future in our favor.”
“I see. That makes sense.”
Lewin paused before getting to the point. “So, can we rely on you? Can we rely on you to use your power at full force for Prince Lahti?”
Inglis laughed. “I suppose you can.”
As Inglis grinned boldly, Rafinha objected. “H-Hey, hold it, Chris! You can’t just get involved directly like that!”
“It won’t cause any problems if I don’t kill anyone. I promise I’ll only knock them out.”
“I suppose that might work,” Lewin pondered.
“No, wait, even if you’re just trying to knock them out, no attacking them out of nowhere! We need to talk it out first!” Rafinha insisted.
Another Flygear arrived. “Prince Lahti! Prince Lahti! Is the prince here?!”
“Again?! I’m here! What is it?!”
“Your Highness! I’m the messenger who was sent to the Karelian army!” the knight aboard the second Flygear began. They had wanted to inform Duke Bilford and the others with the Karelian army of what had happened here, as well as to ask him to wait before entering Alcard. “I’ve been informed of the situation on the Karelian side. The Paladins have been routed on the eastern front with Venefic and are retreating in disorder! Only minimal forces have been left on the front with Alcard as they turn to reinforce!”
“Whaaat?!” Rafinha and the others raised their voices in shock.
“No way... My brother lost?!” Rafinha cried.
“I-I can’t believe it!” Leone said. “Even though the Paladins are so strong?!”
“Yes,” Liselotte said. “Even with two hieral menaces. How?!”
“Do you know the cause of their defeat?” Inglis asked the messenger calmly.
“During the battle, the frozen Prismer which was placed near the border revived and began to advance on Chiral! The Paladins’ formation fell apart as they regrouped to hold it back!”
Inglis blinked in surprise. “Understood. Thank you.” Inglis bowed politely to the knight.
“Things are bad... Where do we even go?” Leone asked.
“If we leave here in a hurry, things will be bad here too!” Rafinha insisted. “I know Rafael, Eris, and Ripple will be fine! We just have to believe in them, while we do what we can here. Once that’s over, we’ll head back to Karelia!”
“I agree!” Liselotte said. “Despite your worry about Rafael, you would still see things through here... I’m impressed, Rafinha.”
Rafinha chuckled. “I am the little sister of a holy knight! Chris, you’re okay with that, right? You’ll get to fight the force closing in on us, and then a Prismer!”
“No, that won’t work. We need to go back and deal with that Prismer before things become disastrous in Karelia!”
Inglis’s refutation and shake of her head came as a heavy rebuttal to the determined air of the group.
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