The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War (LN) - Volume 8 - Chapter 2

Chapter II: Inglis, Age 15—The Two Princes (2)

A few hours after intercepting the first group of knights, another squad of Flygear-mounted knights emerged from the woods on the far side of the bridge and approached. Peering out from a dummy magicite beast at the people in the detachment’s lead Flygear, Lahti sharply remarked to Leone, “Here he comes! The one right up in front! That’s my brother, Windsel!”

“Oh! Hmm... He isn’t wasting any time.”

“Inglis was right all along!” Liselotte remarked.

“And it’s up to us to execute her plan!” Leone agreed.

They held their breath as they watched Windsel. Boldly, he alone alighted from the lead Flygear. He was gutsy. Once his knights had failed to return, he must have concluded that as the most powerful warrior among them, he would go forth to prevent further losses among his men. Leone found that admirable—but in this situation, they would use that against him!

She signaled to those around her with her eyes. When he approached a little bit closer, they’d make their move. This way, they could ignore the other knights and take only Windsel into the other dimension.

And...now! “Gift! Take us to the other dimension!” Leone planted her greatsword into the ground. Her vision twisted around her, and in the next moment her surroundings were replaced with a dark, empty void. Ahead of her, Prince Windsel stood alone. Things had gone according to plan so far. They’d successfully managed to isolate him after he came forward.

Now it was time to settle things!

“Liselotte! Let’s go!”

“Yes, Leone!”

Leone rushed forth, Liselotte flying over her head. Prince Windsel didn’t flinch as they approached. “Hmm. A Gift...” he muttered, utterly calm. “So your plan was to block the road with magicite beasts and pick off squads of Artifact-wielders as they came forth. Clever.”

“If you think so, we’d appreciate it if you surrendered immediately!” Leone said.

“Unfortunately for you, you’re alone, completely cut off!” Liselotte added.

“Hmm, you girls... You have upper-class Runes... You’re not Alcardians, then, are you? You’re not with Tiffanyer either. Then I suppose you ended up driving her out of Leclair. For that, and that alone, I thank you. I am in your debt.” Windsel bowed his head, leaving Leone and Liselotte puzzled.

“Oh, it was...” Leone trailed off, too surprised to finish.

“Y-You aren’t quite what we expected...” Liselotte remarked.

“R-Right...?” Leone had to agree. He seemed like someone they could talk over their differences with. They couldn’t help hoping for a better outcome now.

“I feel the same. You seem so innocent. Your good intent’s as clear as day... But don’t you realize what you’ve done? As one who must defend Alcard, whether Leclair is occupied by Tiffanyer or by knights of Karelia makes no difference. Whether you’re scum who abuse its people or no, the occupation must be resisted!”

“It’s not like that!” Leone protested.

“We didn’t intend to...” Liselotte said.

“Then, what were your intentions?” Windsel asked.

The two girls couldn’t look him in the eye.

They had traveled to this country to stop Alcard’s invasion of Karelia—to prevent Karelia from being caught between forces advancing from Alcard to the north and Venefic to the east. Their goal was to stop the invasion by sparking a coup, or to attack the invading army directly. There had been no clear-cut plan, only a goal, and a method of infiltrating Alcard. However, it was possible that this had only been the cover story for Inglis’s proposal to come to Alcard—and that her true goal had simply been to fight powerful foes.

If that was the case, the true goal had been accomplished and had worked out quite nicely for Leone and Liselotte themselves, but it was certainly nothing they could admit to Windsel. And those would have been Inglis’s goals, not Leone or Liselotte’s. Their own honest feelings were different.

“I-I came here to help Lahti and Pullum!” Leone insisted.

“Yes, we had no intention of invading! As soon as that’s finished, we will leave!” Liselotte agreed.

“That’s right, Windsel! Everyone’s just here to help me out!” Lahti added, coming up to the front. If they were going to talk things out with Windsel, it would be best to let him do most of the speaking. “You’ve gotta stop this! We’ve already kicked the Highlanders out! They’re the ones who destroyed Leclair and tried to make it look like the magicite beasts did it! They had us fooled from the get-go. There’s no need for Alcardians to fight other Alcardians!” He desperately tried to persuade Windsel, but his brother’s expression didn’t change.

“I’ll say one thing... Invaders and their patsies always have such words: ‘It’s for your country’s sake.’ ‘Consider it aid.’ Proclamations that they’re simply lending their assistance. Don’t you feel any shame at your hackneyed words?”

“Wha—?!”

“Ugh...!” Leone and Liselotte bit their lips, while Lahti stared at his feet.

“It’s written all over your faces—your shame,” Windsel continued.

“Eh?”

“Why do they proclaim such things? Not because they’re fools. Because it’s a simple expedient. A political convenience. To not understand that, to feel shame, it must be because those are the words of another... You’re children being led by a pied piper.”

And in truth, Inglis had been the one to orchestrate their overall plan. After Lewin had been rescued from his imprisonment in Leclair, he had joined in the planning. But from the beginning, the decision to go to Leclair had been Lahti’s, and Inglis was only there to fill in the details around that. She wasn’t manipulating them—she only provided the impetus to push Lahti’s will along. That much was also true.

“No! I just couldn’t stand to watch what Tiffanyer and Harim were doing! I saw Pullum suffering from it, and I knew I had to protect her!” Lahti insisted.

“And whose fault was that to begin with?” Windsel’s expression hardened.

“What?! What did I do?!” Lahti shot back.

“Nothing at all!”

“Wha—?!”

“That hieral menace... Tiffanyer was absolute scum. That much wasn’t your fault. But what do you think was in Harim’s heart, in the hearts of the others, as she enticed them? It was fear for the future of Alcard. Our father is old... And you, the crown prince, wandered off to ‘find yourself’ in another land, driven by some sense of inferiority! Your refusal to face up to this country planted that seed of doubt in their minds and gave Tiffanyer her opening! Have you no remorse for that?!” Windsel jabbed a finger at Lahti. On the back of his hand was something they recognized.

Leone and Liselotte gasped.

“A special-class Rune?!”

“I’d thought yours was upper-class!”

“Windsel?!” Lahti said. “When I left Alcard, you didn’t—”

“Runes are mutable. Though it does require being inscribed by the baptismal tabernacle again!” Windsel clenched his fist. “Behold, Lahti! This is proof that I’ve been honing my strength for Alcard’s sake! I am prepared to face adversity for this country! While I was having this inscribed, what have you gained?! The ability to dance on strings for invaders calling themselves allies? I have lost all interest in supporting your rule as the next king! I will not take your life, but I will never allow you to set foot in Alcard again! You, or the Karelian invaders! And the traitor’s flesh and blood must be put to death!”

“Ugh...! You might be right about some things, but I’m not gonna back down! I’m not gonna run away from Alcard again! I will lead Alcard forth by my own will! That’s what I’ve decided! I’ve done some things I can’t take back, but there are still things I can do!”

“Ha! So you prattle, but you’re Runeless and can’t do a thing without relying on these little girls! Fancy words mean naught in the face of power! You may think you have me fooled, but this is a good situation for me as well. If I can crush you without harming the refugees of Leclair, that solves everything!”

Windsel shifted into a combat stance.

“Don’t make fun of me! I have my reasons too!”

As Lahti raised his voice, Leone stepped in between him and Windsel to fend Windsel off. “Lahti! Get back!”

“Leave the rest to us!” Liselotte said.

“Sorry, and thanks! I’m counting on you!” With a regretful expression on his face, Lahti backed away.

Windsel sighed. “It’s not in my nature to slay women, but if I have no choice...”

His comment gave Leone and Liselotte pause, having never been told something like that before, but they got serious quickly.

“Don’t hold back!”

“Karelian knights need no such mercy!”

Karelia, long blessed with hieral menaces, had developed a deep respect for them. The country’s knights, having witnessed those powerful women who could transform into weapons, had come to understand that women too could make their might known in battle. Thus, they felt no hesitation or reluctance facing a woman. Windsel’s words rang discordantly to a Karelian—they were clearly from a man of a country without hieral menaces.

“How brave of you. I suppose a knight is a knight, regardless of gender! I’ve taken a shine to you, whether or not you’re royal. Come, try to take my life!”

But with Windsel still not brandishing an Artifact, Leone was at a loss for how to approach him. Which weapon would a foe use? Sword? Spear? Bow? Understanding that informed one on the distance to safely keep. He surely didn’t have a hieral menace, so he would be limited to upper-class Artifacts. But he still had a special-class Rune. So fighting him would be like fighting Rafael or Leon if they were unaccompanied—a step above herself or Liselotte. Leone had been focused in her training, working hard to catch up to Leon, but she still felt it was a lofty goal. Having to achieve it right here and now made her nervous.

“Leone!”

“Ah...! Liselotte...”

“You’ll be fine! You’re not alone! You have me, and I have you! We both have these new powers! We’re stronger than we were!” Liselotte did her best to inspire Leone.

Leone had said herself that she wanted to capture her brother Leon, who also had a special-class Rune, with her own hands, and wipe the dishonor from her family name. But watching her up close, Liselotte had noticed that, whether Leone wanted to admit it or not, she respected her brother. She looked up to him. Therefore, her goal of catching up to Leon must seem even higher, even further away, than it really was. Windsel, like Leon, had a special-class Rune. And that had some special meaning to Leone. Overestimating one’s opponent led to unnecessary hesitance. That would spell trouble for them. She wouldn’t be able to show her true potential.

It was to overcome that impulse that Liselotte made her bold statement. It wasn’t wrong. After all, Inglis had said so too. When they’d asked just how strong they were now, she’d replied that two or three of them would be enough to handle a knight with a special-class Rune, if that knight wasn’t wielding a hieral menace. Liselotte, Rafinha, and Leone, each with good training and battle-hardened, bearing Artifacts with multiple Gifts or with dragon lore, were exceptionally strong even for knights with upper-class Runes.

Rafinha had grown up nearly a sister to Inglis, so she didn’t ask such questions—it was as if she knew even without asking. Perhaps their assumption was simply that Inglis would always be by Rafinha’s side, and there was no need to worry about it. Inglis’s unconditional love for Rafinha was obvious.

Leone was somewhat of the brooding type and hadn’t asked Inglis for such an evaluation out of fear that the answer may have been, “You have no chance against Leon.” Nevertheless, she did keep up well while training with Inglis.

But Liselotte was neither able to intuit the answer as Rafinha did nor as broody as Leone, so she’d been asking for such evaluations casually for some time. And that had been the most recent response.

Liselotte didn’t know anyone as enthusiastic or knowledgeable about battle as Inglis. That was why she was interested in her evaluation and had full faith that it was accurate. Inglis being Inglis, she could be expected to answer without sugarcoating her words. Once, Liselotte had asked Inglis who the second strongest in their class at the academy was behind Inglis herself, and she had answered with a profoundly hushed voice and a warning never to tell Rafinha that it was Leone. But she had also added that Rafinha and Liselotte were around the same level, half a step or so behind Leone. It would be good to hear how her evaluation had changed since then. But that would have to wait until after their safe return to Karelia.

Thankfully, Liselotte’s encouragement seemed to break Leone’s tension. “That’s right! If we both work together—!”

“Yes, that’s the stuff!” Their eyes met, and they nodded in agreement. “Then, I’ll make the first move!” Liselotte took to the skies and circled around behind Windsel, pincering him between herself and Leone. Keeping her distance, she fired an intense blizzard from the dragon’s-jaw-shaped tip of her halberd.

Fssssh!

Windsel still hadn’t shown his Artifact. Attacking from a distance, with the advantage of the high ground, was the safest approach. As Leone readied a swing with her greatsword, she watched Windsel’s movements. When she saw an opening, she would immediately extend her sword to attack.

“Ah, more than just a Gift of wings?”

As Windsel spoke, he leaped high to dodge. He would evade the blizzard, but Leone found his reaction a bit careless. Between leaping high and landing, he would have a hard time reorienting himself. Now was her chance.

He still doesn’t know what my Gift is! “Then—!” Leone swung her sword down diagonally. At the same time, it sprang forward, increasing its range.

“I see. You won’t miss an opening. However—!” Windsel made a strange motion in the air, as if he was tapping his greaves together. It seemed like a futile attempt at evasion—but evasion it was not. As if the tapping of his feet was a signal, a sturdy black horse with red dapple appeared immediately below him, and he fell into its saddle. The horse instantly leaped low and fast, moving out of range of Leone’s sword. “I’m sorry, but that was no opening!”

“His Gift is a horse?!” His greaves were his Artifact, and that red-spattered black horse was his Gift. Knowing that Leon’s preferred Artifact created lightning beasts, it wasn’t impossible—but those beasts were obvious temporary manifestations, while this horse seemed as if it were the real, living thing.

“Steed of flame, Sleipnir! My favored steed!” Windsel’s voice suddenly thundered. The proof this was his Gift was that the horse had rushed toward Leone at a tremendous speed, taking advantage of the opening left by her missed swing. Its heavy barding didn’t seem to affect it at all.

“Ah!” There was no time to dodge to the side, so fast was its charge. But Leone needed to find a way to avoid its onslaught. She pointed her sword toward the ground at her feet. “Extend!” Immediately thrusting forth, it sent her light form into the air, carrying her out of the horse’s path. The horse passed by where she had been, and Leone was about to land behind it—but just then, she saw a torrent of blue lightning rush before her eyes.

Its source was Windsel, who had already turned in the saddle to face her. Before she’d even noticed, he had freed his lance from the saddle and leveled it at her. It was short for a lance—the type that was easy to maneuver—and its tip was firing lightning. This was the power of a Gift.

I can’t dodge! It’s going to hit me! Just as Leone tensed in anticipation of the pain, something else collided with her, and the world turned sideways. Liselotte had slipped in and caught her in her arms.

“Liselotte! Thank you!”

“This was what I meant by working together!” After dodging, she set Leone down and again circled to pincer Windsel. In response, Windsel aimed at her in the air with his lightning. The horse’s hooves, for now, stood in place.

It was Leone’s turn to rush forward and close the gap at once. Her sword could not extend infinitely. A strike with the blade extended, from a distance, could result in the foe’s escaping to somewhere where it could not reach. But if she attacked close up, they’d have a hard time swiftly escaping even if they tried to dodge. If she wanted her blow to strike true, close range would be more reliable. It also meant less room for the horse to build up momentum.

“Yaaaah!” Holding her sword low, she swung it upward at Windsel from a distance of around ten paces. At the same time, she would activate her Gift to cover that distance—or so Windsel thought. But the sword’s blade did not extend.

“Groooooar!”

Instead, a phantasm roared and rushed at him.

This unfamiliar attack took Windsel’s full attention, and he intercepted the stream of phantasms closing in on him with lightning from his lance.

As he did, Leone took advantage of the opening, zigzagging forward.

“Over here! Yaaaah!” This time she struck from up close, taking her sword overhand to strike down at Windsel and his horse.

Windsel raised his empty left hand into its path. He wasn’t trying to evade at all. Is he trying to block it with his hand? There’s no way that will work.

But the horse’s tail moved nimbly, as if it had a will of its own, plucking another lance from the saddle and placing it in Windsel’s hand.

Claaang!

The lance and the greatsword met with a thunderous clatter.

“In that case...” I’ll test his strength! His weapon is in only one hand. Mine is in both! Despite their difference in pure strength, Leone was gradually pushing down. But before she could complete her strike, the lance in Windsel’s right hand, which had been devoted to handling the phantasms, had defeated them and could be used freely again.

“You’ll need more than that!” he barked. The lance thrust downward toward Leone.

“No, you won’t!” Leone immediately let up the pressure with her sword and leaped. Using Windsel’s own push upward, she felt herself float up and away from the lance’s thrust. Aiming for her landing point, a band of flame darted from the lance in Windsel’s left hand. This one seemed to have a flame Gift. But she’d already expected him to aim where she’d land.

Leone pointed her greatsword down and to the side, and extended its blade. It brushed the ground at an angle, changing her landing point. The flame missed, and Leone immediately brandished her sword, unleashing more phantasms.

Windsel’s right-hand lance immediately leaped to intercept them. But before he could finish...

“One more time!” The dark sword swung again, once more unleashing phantasms. The dragon lore which created them, unlike a Gift, could be used over and over without exhausting Leone. Rather than using her Rune as a conduit to draw forth her power, the dragon lore itself was imbued in her sword. She didn’t know if she could keep using it without it eventually running out, but so far it seemed that way. Its endurance was astounding.

“More, more!” Again, again! A vast number of phantasms swarmed toward Windsel.

“Well, then! You’re better than I thought!” The lance in Windsel’s left hand joined in intercepting the phantasms.

Meaning his hands are full. Now! “Yaaaah!” Leone forcefully thrust her sword. This time, instead of phantasms, the blade extended, weaving its way through the swarm of phantasms toward his throat.

“Gah!” Windsel twisted in his saddle, avoiding the thrust at his throat.

But now he was off balance. If she swept her blade to the side while continuing to extend it, she could cut him down! “Got you!” Leone put the image in her head into action.

However, the horse leaped as if sliding to the side. It moved faster than Leone’s sword. It was astonishingly fast.

As it landed, it stomped at the ground and charged straight toward her.

As though it was bounding over her swing. The horse’s speed had turned the tables. Her sword was fully extended, swinging to the side after a miss. As it leaped toward her, Windsel regained his balance.

“There!” A flurry of jabs from both lances bore down on Leone. Having just attacked and missed, she had no chance to open a gap. Her defensive movements wouldn’t be sufficient to predict and evade so many attacks.

Then I’ll—! Leone activated her Gift again. The breadth of her sword expanded many times, and she slipped it between herself and Windsel as a shield.

Klank! Klank! Klank!

“Guh! Ughhh...” Her blade struck by the lance over and over, Leone was pushed back but managed to survive the assault.

“Not bad, for a mere woman! I’m impressed!” Windsel grinned, one which seemed to Leone almost like an expression of languor.

So he feels he has that much leeway, Leone thought. But I will not bend. I will not break. I can’t lose. I believe in Liselotte fighting alongside me. He may be strong, but I can handle this.

“My gender has nothing to do with this! The strongest person I know is a girl!” she answered as she fenced with his lances.

“If you know someone like that, I’d like to meet her!”

“It’d be better if you didn’t. You might lose your confidence!” Leone was somewhat curious how Windsel, who seemed to be very sure of himself, would react if Inglis confronted him. She was certain those physical blows would be mental blows as well.

“I doubt it! Men do not follow those who do not believe in themselves!” Windsel’s work with his lances was fast and strong. Unable to keep up with the speed, Leone had used her Gift to broaden her sword and use it as a shield, but this in turn reduced her chances to counterattack, and she felt herself gradually being pushed back by force. But if she could hold out...

“Tahhhh!” Liselotte dove toward Windsel’s back. With the force of her speedy flight behind it, her halberd thrust forth. Windsel’s lances were both occupied with Leone.

His back was undefended.

Liselotte’s caught him in his blind spot!

But the thrust stopped midway with a metallic thunk!

“Ah—?!”

A metal shield—part of the horse’s barding had pulled off and moved on its own. It moved unaided as a shield and blocked Liselotte’s aerial thrust.

“A shield Artifact?!” Leone gasped. That Gift would probably move as was just seen, independently protecting its user. It was surely because he had access to such a Gift that Windsel had left an opening, enticing Liselotte to attack.

“Ah, how nice of you to drop in!” His words made it very clear. A horse, two lances, and a shield to protect Windsel on its own. Each was an upper-class Artifact. He may have had others as well. Just how many Artifacts could he use at once? This was the power of one with a special-class Rune, who could wield any Artifact. It stood as undeniable proof that he was a superior opponent.

“Leone! Get back!” Liselotte stayed at the same range, and unleashed a blizzard from the tip of her halberd.

Fssssh!

But Windsel’s shield moved to block it, dispersing the wind and ice. At the same time, Leone saw the horse’s tail move and lengthen, trying to bind her feet from her blind spot.

“Liselotte! Your feet! The horse’s tail!” But Liselotte didn’t seem to hear her voice. “Liselotte! Can’t you hear me?” Leone called out again, to no avail.

“It seems it’s just a little too noisy!” Windsel’s voice entered her ears.

It was then that Leone realized. This was because of the blizzard Liselotte had conjured. Windsel was pincered between them, and Liselotte’s blizzard blew from the other side. The sound it made drowned out Leone’s voice.

“Ah! Th-That’s it!” A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Leone. A breakthrough in their tactics against Windsel—but first, she needed to save Liselotte. The horse’s tail had tangled around her leg, pulling her down and violently slamming her against the ground.

“Huh?!” Leone, wanting to help, rushed toward Liselotte—but as if to take the wind out of her sails, the horse twisted and flicked its tail, sending Liselotte toward her.

“Aaaah!”

“Liselotte! Oomph!” Leone firmly caught Liselotte as she was tossed away. Her body ached from the impact, but that didn’t matter. “Are you okay?!”

“Leone! I’m sorry...”

“No, it’s okay! Now we’re even!”

As they spoke, Windsel was on to his next move. “Haaah!” With lightning swirling around the tip of the lance in his right hand, he plunged it into the ground. The lightning spread out from the lance instantly, in a circular pattern. Leone and Liselotte, on the ground, were struck with it.

“Aaaaggghhh!”

Pain ran through their whole bodies. Even as they tried to pull themselves away, the convulsions made it impossible.

Windsel also plunged the lance in his left hand into the ground. From there sprang forth a circle of flame.

“Eeek!” They found themselves sent flying by the blast of heat.

“Ngh! We still have a chance!”

“What is it, Leone?!”

Leone and Liselotte managed to struggle to their feet, supporting their weight on their weapons. They couldn’t tell whether it was from being struck by lightning or enveloped in flame, but their heads were swimming. But they hadn’t lost yet! It wasn’t over yet!

It was then that they noticed Windsel and his steed seem to suddenly grow in size. But he hadn’t grown at all. What he had done was gotten closer.

Slam!

The impact of the horse’s charge sent Leone and Liselotte flying even farther. It was so intense that Leone’s greatsword fell from her hands. Fortunately, it rolled and rattled its way back in front of her. “Ah! The dimension’s fading! I need to hurry!”

Forcing herself to her knees, Leone somehow managed to grip the greatsword’s hilt. Somehow, she managed to keep the Gift of the dimension going, but she panicked once she looked to the side.

“L-Liselotte...! Are you okay?!” Staggering to her feet, Leone cried out to Liselotte, who was lying on the ground beside her. But there was no response.

Liselotte lay on the ground, having lost consciousness from the impact.

“Liselotte! Liselotte! Wake up!” A silver point flicked in front of Leone’s eyes as she called out. It was the tip of one of Windsel’s lances. “Ah!”

“It’s over. Give up,” Windsel said, his voice level and quiet. “You don’t have to blame yourself. You fought well. Without so many Artifacts, it may have been me who found myself on the back foot. I’m grateful for them, even if they did come from that scum of a woman.”

Leone didn’t know what to do or say.

“Now, lay down your Artifact. What created this place was your Gift, right? Release it for me.”

She said nothing. Her gaze flitted over to Liselotte, who was still on the ground. If she woke up, she’d have a chance to attack Windsel from the side.

“Ah, you’re waiting for your friend to regain consciousness. Unfortunately for you, I don’t have time to spare!” Windsel put all his strength into his lance. Its surface sparked with lightning from its Gift. “This is the last time I’ll ask. Give up. Surrender.”

Leone’s lips were drawn into a straight line as she remained silent. She would wait until the very last moment for Liselotte. She would believe in her.

“Quite the stubborn one, aren’t you? I suppose I have no choice.”

Just as Windsel sighed, Leone saw someone crashing toward him from the side. “Huh...?!”

It wasn’t Liselotte; she was still unconscious. Whoever it was, they were far faster than an ordinary person. They were wearing a hood that obscured their face, but they weren’t dressed like Lewin or the other knights; they must have been one of the civilian refugees who’d joined in the operation.

“Who are you?!” Windsel, noticing, turned his focus.

At the same time, the person leaped up, and their hood fell back, revealing their face.

“Leon?!” his sister yelped.

But I thought he went back to Karelia with Inglis and Rafinha! When did he—?!

He’d infiltrated before, hiding among the refugees, and he must have done so again to join the operation. Leone and the others had been so focused on their own tasks that they hadn’t noticed.

“Sorry! Even someone like me can’t stand back and let their little sister be beaten!”

“A special-class Rune?!” Windsel gasped. “No!”

Leon’s gauntlet Artifact struck forth, and Windsel’s lance Artifact moved to intercept. It seemed like their weapons would collide—but they didn’t. Windsel’s lance pierced through Leon’s gauntlet easily. “What?!”

Leon grinned—then shone brightly and exploded.

“Whoa?!” Caught up in the brilliant blast, Windsel was unhorsed. He had been caught completely off guard. “Gah... Was that a trap?!” He rose, obviously frustrated.

“That was...” Leone began. That was an explosion like the lightning beasts produced by Leon’s gauntlets, but this time Leon exploded!

It had taken her by surprise, leaving her thinking for a second that Leon had left the fight as quickly as he’d entered.

“It’s a mimic, I guess you call it. This Artifact set doesn’t make lightning beasts, it makes lightning mimics. I guess that’s new gear for you. Gotta do something new and flashy. I’m not the one who made it, so...” Leon walked over to Leone to stand next to her. The gauntlets he’d previously used had been destroyed in the battle with the larval Prismer that Ripple had summoned. The Artifact he had now was a replacement, made for him by the Steelblood Front.

“Brother! What are you doing here?!”

Leon’s response was to awkwardly scratch the back of his head before giving a noncommittal grunt. “Rafinha kinda beat some sense into me. But I still couldn’t bear to face you, so I snuck in instead. And I couldn’t just stand by during that, so... Sorry, but I had to step in.”

“I apologize for not being strong enough.”

“C’mon, don’t worry about that. The guy’s right about one thing—you did fight well. You’ve gotten stronger. As your brother, I’m glad to see it, even if it didn’t turn out so well this time.”

“Brother!”

Leone leaned in for a hug, only for Leon to brush her off in a fluster.

“Whoa! Better not touch!”

That was when she realized. This one’s a mimic too?

“Anyway,” Leon continued, “get your friend up. Don’t want to leave her dreaming too long.”

“O-Okay! Got it!” Leone rushed to Liselotte’s side, wrapped her arms around her, and lifted her up. “Liselotte! Liselotte! Are you all right?! Get up!”

“Mmm... Huh?! The fight?! My apologies, I—!” Liselotte sprang to her feet and surveyed the surroundings. “Er...?! Leon! And so many of him!”

She rubbed her eyes and checked again, but she wasn’t mistaken. While Leon and Leone had talked, about a dozen Leons had surrounded Windsel.

“That’s the Gift of his new Artifact!” Leone explained, unable to hide her excitement. “He snuck in by disguising himself as one of the refugees!”

Liselotte chuckled. “You seem pleased, Leone.”

“Do I?”

“There isn’t anything wrong with that. You don’t have to be so stubborn anymore.”

“What do you mean, stubborn?!”

“He saved us, didn’t he? Any help is something to appreciate. Though I’m afraid we also need to reflect on our own failures.”

“Yes, you’re right.” Leone nodded.

Windsel, surrounded by the many Leon mimics, managed to clap his greaves together and remount. “Ah, I see a power like Karelia is quite fertile in talent. So the plan was to wear me down with skilled upper-class knights, and then the holy knight with a special-class Rune would be waiting in the wings.”

“Hate to say it, but I’m no holy knight of Karelia. Former holy knight, sure, but I’m with the Steelblood Front. I don’t have ties to Karelia anymore.”

“The Steelblood Front? Ah, the anti-Highland guerrillas. But why would they involve themselves in this war?”

“Well, it’s also nothing to do with our collective stance. This is personal. A big brother backs his little sister up in fights. That’s all.”

“An overprotective brother, then. I think your sister can handle herself quite well.”

“Well, thanks,” Leon said with an air of sarcasm. “Anyway, I kinda caused some trouble for her in the past... And even if this doesn’t take that back, I can at least look good in front of her!” The many Leons began to swirl around Windsel. Even Leone and Liselotte didn’t know which one was the real one.

“You can try, at least!” Windsel probably had trouble telling them apart as well. Bringing the bases of his lances together, he formed them into one double lance. And each shaft began to lengthen, like Leone’s greatsword could, though they hadn’t broadened. Only Windsel himself knew whether they could do that... “There!”

The twin lance spun at high speed. The lightning and flame cast from each intertwined into a tornado, sweeping over the area around Windsel.

Leone gasped. “L-Look at that!”

“Drawing close to that would spell disaster!” Liselotte said.

If the Leon mimics moved in, they’d self-destruct, catching Windsel in a blast he couldn’t avoid. That was why Windsel had chosen a precise yet wide-area attack that would catch them without letting them approach. He refused to play along with the game of determining which was real and which was fake.

“Nice! That’s pretty flashy!” The Leons still moved forward swiftly. As they did, several were caught by Windsel’s attack and exploded, but each time, a new Leon took its place. At times, some closed almost to melee range, but the steed which gave Windsel the height advantage simply leaped away.

It was a hard-fought battle. The thunder of Windsel’s flaming, shocking lances. The thunder of the exploding-mimic Leons struck by them. Their continuous overlap was as spectacular a noise as it was a sight. Neither could manage to strike a decisive blow, and the struggle between their Gifts continued. It would go on, perhaps, until one was so exhausted that they could no longer maintain their powers.

“At this rate, we won’t be able to raise a hand against him!” Liselotte said, but the fight was so intense that Leone could barely hear Liselotte speak from next to her.

Leone was stuck in place for a moment, but then she let out a soft gasp, realizing something. The opening she’d thought of before Leon had arrived—that probably still existed. She moved toward what could make it happen.

“Leone?! What are you doing?!”

“We can’t raise a hand—but we can raise our voice! Pullum!” Leone called out to Pullum, who was in the front lines of those watching that battle.

“Y-Yes! What is it?!”

“Lend us your power! Use your Gift to enhance Leon’s Artifact! If you do...”

Liselotte, though, objected to Leone’s idea. “Wait, Leone! Doesn’t the music of Pullum’s harp enhance all Artifacts? That will just strengthen Windsel’s as well! And if anything, he has more!”

“Yes... If he can hear it! But look! Their attacks are so loud that the harp’s music won’t reach! So it will only help Leon!” Leone pointed to Windsel, enveloped in a storm of flame and lightning.

Liselotte nodded in agreement. “Perhaps! You may be right!”

“I hope so! C’mon, Pullum!”

“But Leone, which one is really your brother?” Pullum asked.

“Ugh... Maybe if I call out to him!”

“Nah, you don’t need to,” Pullum answered with a smile—in Leon’s voice.

“Wh—?!”

As Leone and Liselotte watched in surprise, Pullum transformed into Leon. “Best part of this new Artifact’s that I can disguise myself too. Comes in handy with the company I keep! Did you hear that, Pullum? We’re counting on you!”

At Leon’s call, the real Pullum stepped forward. “Yes, I heard! Here I go!” The beautiful melody of her harp filled the air, and Leon’s Artifact glowed brighter.

“Hmm... This sure is a boost! Okay, how about this?!” Leon let loose a battle cry and created another wave of mimic Leons. Altogether, there must have been dozens. “Seems like the tyranny of the majority is the answer here! Everyone, go for it!”

“All right!” The many Leon mimics cheered as they rushed toward Windsel.

Windsel had been able to keep up—until now. Suddenly, there was a mass of mimics surrounding him. Even as he moved to avoid them, the sheer number meant one was always close. Gradually, he had a harder and harder time responding.

And one finally closed in.

“All right! Follow me!” that mimic yelled with a smile. It immediately exploded.

Once Windsel’s defenses had been pierced, there was no way to stop the follow-up. Before he could get away to a safe distance, the other Leons swarmed in.

“Agh! Unhand me!” Windsel grunted.

As if to drown out his voice, the Leons piled on top of each other. Windsel was buried under a mountain of men, and with a tremendous flash of light and a thunderous sound, they exploded.

Kaboom!

“Man, I get a chill watching myself blow up...but isn’t this new Artifact something?” Leon quietly murmured.

“Brother! Windsel, my brother! Are you okay?!” Lahti called out and rushed forward.

“Prince Windsel!” Pullum cried as they waited for the smoke to clear.

“No, Lahti! He’s still—!”

“Pullum! That may be dangerous!” Liselotte’s voice overlapped with Leone’s.

Fortunately, their worry was unfounded, as Windsel had collapsed, with smoke coming from all over his body. “Ugh... You got me. I can’t believe you still had a trick up your sleeve!” Windsel had been so focused on his own attack that he hadn’t noticed the details of their plan.

“We never hid what we were doing. We just worked together... Thanks.” Leon smiled at Leone, Liselotte, and Pullum.

“Gah! I am not...defeated yet!” Windsel shuddered as he tried to push himself to his feet with his lance. It was astounding he could still struggle to his feet in his state.

“Stop this, Windsel! If this goes any further, you’ll die! Surrender like a man!” Lahti pleaded.

“Silence! Even now you’re a weakling who’s done nothing for yourself! I could kill you in a single breath, even in this state! Don’t take my restraint as an excuse for baseless boasting!”

“Like hell you could!”

“What?!”

“You can barely stand right now! But if you think you really can, give it a try. And if you can’t, surrender!” Lahti challenged Windsel.

Leone could only hear it as recklessness. “Wait, Lahti! That’s going too far!”

“Indeed!” Liselotte chimed in. “You can’t issue such a challenge so casually!”

“Lahti! Leone and Liselotte fought so hard for you! You can’t just throw that away!” Pullum said.

The three were in agreement, but Leon shrugged his shoulders at their comments.

“Eh, nothing wrong with that. They might be stepbrothers, but they’re still brothers, and sometimes that means doing their talking with their fists.”

“Leon!” Leone protested. “Don’t be so blasé about it! We can’t let anything happen to Lahti! Not after all we’ve been through!”

“Calm down, Leone. He knows. That’s why he said what he did. Don’t you think he has his reasons?” Leon softly chided.

Lahti looked over at her and then to Leon and nodded. Leon returned the gesture.

“See? C’mon, believe in your friend,” he said to his sister.

His smile, mischievous as it was, brought a strange sense of security and trust to Leone. It always had. She no longer had reason to doubt it. She could finally reply to him with her full trust in him. “I understand. If you say so...”

“If you have Leone’s trust, then you have mine as well,” Liselotte said.

“Yes! Agreed!” Pullum also took a wait-and-see approach.

“Then, come, Lahti!” Windsel boomed. “I won’t hold back any longer! Your blood will be on your own hands!”

“The same goes for you!” Lahti barked back. There was no one left to stop them. Shouting, Lahti charged straight toward Windsel. It really was just an ordinary charge, surprising in its ordinariness. Even Leone could have easily handled it. There was no way Windsel couldn’t realize that.

“You’ll need to attack me with more heart than that!” As Windsel had said, he was no longer holding back. His lance thrust toward Lahti, crackling with lightning.

“Ah—!” Lahti’s head dipped, and he brought his arms before himself as protection, but he maintained his charge, using his arms as a shield. He intended to smash straight into Windsel. Leone couldn’t imagine how he could endure it. The lightning caught Lahti’s arms, and his sleeves were torn away from inside out.

“Wh—?!” Leone gasped.

Yes, the sleeves were torn, but not from the lightning. The nature of the incongruity immediately became clear. His arms had transformed, becoming far stouter, far longer. They were no longer human, in shape or color. Their blue scales were as clear and beautiful as a mirror. Lahti grew a tail, and his whole body began to swell. 

“Groooowr!”

His shout became a roar!

“Wh—?!”

“A dragon?!”

“He’s just like the ancient dragon!”

In terms of size, compared to Fufailbane, he was like a child next to an adult, if not an infant next to an adult, but he was still many times larger than a normal human—around the size of a medium magicite beast. His mighty scales repelled the lightning of Windsel’s lance, and the mass of his body bowled into Windsel.

“Agh!” Caught by surprise, and unable to stand up to such a weighty blow, Windsel was sent flying.

“Gwahhhhh!” Lahti’s shout mixed with a dragon’s roar. The dragon gave chase, leaping into the air and smashing down on Windsel.

Craaash!

“Heh heh heh... How about that, Windsel?! Give up yet?!” Lahti’s dragon maw twisted into a grin as he brought Windsel down. But Windsel didn’t respond. “Hmm? Wait, are you okay?!” Lahti hurriedly moved away, and brought his draconic snout down toward Windsel to check on him.

Leon approached. “He’ll be fine. He’s knocked out, but he’s a tough guy. Hey, someone, get me a rope! Gotta make sure he can’t cause any trouble when he wakes up! Get those Artifacts off him too!” he called to Lewin and his knights, who moved in unison.

“Lahti?! What happened to you?! Are you okay?!” Pullum worriedly rushed to Lahti’s side, and Leone turned her attention there as well.

“Was... Was that the effect of dragon lore?!”

“We received its blessings as well, but to actually become a dragon...” Liselotte began.

“Inglis said I was probably the one most suited to dragon lore, and that I’d definitely have something awaken...so I’ve been practicing.”

It was amazing how even having eaten just a little of the dragon’s meat, he had still become able to understand Draconic. Inglis had said that having shown his aptitude for dragon lore, he would probably show changes like she had, or like those seen in Leone and Liselotte’s Artifacts. It could be his last line of defense. She had also added that he should try to eat more of the remaining dragon meat.

Inglis had said all of this to him before leaving, and she had been right. He was amazed at how accurate her predictions had been. Amazed and grateful.

“And...I had Leon as my spotter during my late-night practice,” Lahti admitted hesitantly.

“My brother?! You mean you knew he was here?!” Leone gasped.

“So the dragon roars I’ve been hearing at night were you practicing...” Liselotte pondered.

“Well, he noticed me when I came back... So we struck a deal, I’d spot for him and he’d let me in,” Leon admitted.

“Sorry for keeping secrets, but even Lewin said that you can’t fool your enemies if you can’t fool your friends.”

“No, it’s fine,” Leone said, smiling at Lahti. “We made it through all right.”

“All’s well that ends well,” Liselotte intoned.

Lewin strode over. “Prince Lahti! We’ve restrained Prince Windsel. Let’s announce his capture to the remaining enemy forces and demand their surrender!”

“Yeah...” Lahti said.

“Once that’s over, what do we do with him?” Leon asked Lahti and Lewin.

The obvious first priority was to use him to secure a surrender...but what would become of Windsel after? Leone was curious as well. They’d fought, but he hadn’t seemed like a terrible person.

“There’s no need for restraints. Once that’s over, execute me,” came the calm voice of Windsel, still bound, as he opened his eyes.

“That’s absurd!” Lahti responded. “I would never!”

“What’s so absurd about it?” Windsel asked. “If you’re to be king, I’m a rebel who bared his fangs at the crown. That can’t be ignored. It would set a poor example.”

“But... But—!”

“I was mistaken about you, I’ll admit that. But for that reason...I will not drag you down any further.”

“Prince Lahti, what Prince Windsel says has its merits,” Lewin advised. “At the very least, we cannot allow him to remain in this land. He himself has demanded as much.”

“But he has a special-class Rune!” Lahti protested. “We can’t kill or exile someone like that!”

“Were he a simple rebel, it would perhaps be fine to turn him to your own ends. But this is bad blood amongst royalty. It cannot be solved so simply.”

“And I have no interest in fighting for anywhere but Alcard,” Windsel agreed. “Give the order. Have me cut down. It will only reinforce your legitimacy as the new king—a king who defeated, then killed, even one with a special-class Rune.”

“I told you, I don’t want to!” Lahti said.

“Then, perhaps order me to commit suicide? I don’t mind, but it seems a bit cold.”

“I’m not trying to be cold! I’m trying to tell you that I don’t want to lose you! Hey, Lewin! Isn’t there some other option?! Didn’t Inglis say what to do after we won?!”

“No, as I said before, she simply said that we must settle things.”

“Ugh...! How do I handle this...?”

This was not a matter for Leone or Liselotte to interfere in. Frustrated, their teeth gritted, they could only watch as it unfolded. Leone stared at the ground, and then she felt Leon pat her shoulder before he crouched down next to Windsel.

“Hey. I get the impression that you don’t much like Highlanders.”

“Of course I don’t! Tiffanyer and those who sold their souls to her for a stigmata deserve nothing but slow deaths!”

“Yeah, that’s the stuff! Feel like making it happen? Come with me, and it just might.”

“You said you were with the Steelblood Front. Are you trying to recruit me? Telling me to join you by reducing myself to nothing but a guerrilla fighter?”

“C’mon, it ain’t that bad. You may want to fight for Alcard, but Alcard doesn’t have a place for you anymore. We do. We fight not for a specific country but for all. And Alcard’s included in that.”

“Big words. Are you going to talk about ‘for all mankind’ next?”

“Maybe the big guy would. He dresses a bit creepy, but he’s the real deal.”

“And how about you?”

“I guess I’m the kind of guy who thinks something needs to be changed from how the Highlanders squeeze us tighter and tighter. Somebody’s gotta do it, and it became my calling.”

“My goals aren’t quite so lofty. I hate scum like that.”

“That’s fine. Everyone has their own reasons. Everyone ends up somewhere where they can fight for what they believe in. We can drive out those who have ravaged Alcard, so why don’t you join us and think about your next step after we crush them? That way would save your brother a lot of grief. You’d be able to help him out from a distance. It’s not good for siblings to make each other sad. Although, I don’t really have room to talk.”

“My brother...” Windsel looked over at Lahti.

“Brother! That’s great! Go for it! Stop talking about how you need to die for the country to move on! Please, live!”

Windsel paused at Lahti’s words. “Very well. I suppose that’s not so bad.”

“Brother! Thank you, Leon!”

“That’s wonderful!” Pullum added. “Thank you so much!” They both looked like a heavy weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

Leon chuckled. “Eh. That’s another arrow in our quiver, and a sharp one at that. Gives me an excuse for what I’ve been up to.”

It was a very Leon-like statement, and Leone couldn’t help but smile.

“Then, Prince Lahti,” Lewin said. “Let’s call for their surrender.”

“Yeah, that’s right! Leone, can you take us back?”

“Understood.” Leone released the Gift that had created the dimension, and they returned to where they had begun. The blowing snow, the dragon’s tails disguised as magicite beasts, and the mounds of snow and ice concealing them were back. Having been shielded from the icy wind inside that dimension, the sudden return had everyone shivering.

“Followers of His Royal Highness Prince Windsel! Listen well!” Lewin announced from their forefront.

“The war is over!” Lahti continued from his side. “There’s no need to keep fighting!”

“What?!” the response came.

“Those weren’t magicite beasts?!”

“Prince Windsel is with them!” The enemy soldiers were bewildered.

“Everyone, hear their words and heed them! Understood?” Windsel spoke to his knights.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness!”

It seemed like the aftermath was going to go well. In this more relaxed atmosphere, Leone approached her brother. “Thank you.”

But even though her words were grateful, Leon turned to her, his hands pressed together, and bowed deeply. “I’m sorry, Leone!”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s not good for siblings to make each other sad! I just said that, but I really had no right to. Especially not in front of you. I’m sorry!”

“Then... How about, from now on, you make me smile instead? That would be enough. It’s true, you leaving for the Steelblood Front caused me a lot of trouble. But now, you’ve saved my friends from sorrow... That just about makes things even.” Leone smiled softly at Leon.

“Leone...”

“Inglis told me all about what was going on, about holy knights and hieral menaces... So, I want you to follow the path you believe in. In the meantime, I’ll follow mine. It’ll be fine. My friends are here for me.”

In response, Leon hugged her tightly. “You really are a good kid. A little sister like you is wasted on me.”

How many years had it been since she’d felt the warmth of family, the warmth of her brother? She wasn’t sad, but her vision still became cloudy. She looked over to Liselotte, who had tears of her own in her eyes.