The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter 6

Extra: After-School Combat Training

“Yaaaaaah!”

On the grounds of the knights’ academy, after class let out, a large round shield bore down on Inglis, accompanied by a woman’s battle cry. The shield was large enough to almost completely block Inglis’s view of her foe, and it carried enough momentum to easily crush her tiny body.

Which is exactly what I want!

“Haaaah!” Thrusting her hands forward, she met the shield up close. The weight of it pressing down on her felt great. This would be a test of strength.

“Ngh! You may be cuter now, but your strength hasn’t changed at all!”

The face that peeked over the shield was framed by the catlike ears of her instructor Arles, one of the hieral menaces Inglis had met. All hieral menaces could bring forth the weapons they transformed into: twin blades for Eris, a gun for Ripple, a spear for Sistia, and armor for Tiffanyer. Arles transformed into a shield, so that was what she could summon for herself. Although Arles was the most mild and reserved hieral menace Inglis knew, her fighting style was a physical one, involving charges and jabs with a shield almost as large as she was. Perhaps she was physically stronger than Eris and Ripple.

“No, Miss Arles, I wouldn’t say I can fight as well as I did.”

When put into practice, the difference in Inglis’s abilities was obvious. Her older body was physically stronger than her child one. Arles’s shoves pushed her back much more than they would have.

Whenever Arles could find the time, she joined Inglis for after-school combat training. Sometimes she did so with a hint of amazement or a strained laugh, but she’d never once said she didn’t want to. That was because, to her, it was a way of thanking Inglis for her help, and it was also a teacher’s duty. Inglis, therefore, had taken what she could get, and they had trained together many times even before vacation. And she was able to judge how her strength had declined using Arles’s charges as a measure.

“I’d wanted to overwhelm you today, but—eek!” Arles screamed as Inglis hoisted her, shield and all, off the ground.

“Haaaah!” The tiny Inglis threw Arles high into the air. It was a physical feat that didn’t match her young appearance.

If Arles slammed straight back down, she would have left quite an impact, but despite wielding a heavy shield, she was extremely nimble on her own. “I’m not done yet!”

She twisted in the air to right herself, releasing her shield and doing a somersault, before propelling herself downward off it. The large shield’s weight could be used to gain momentum. It was a bold choice to abandon her shield for an attack, but the increase in momentum was proportionate.

“Yaaaah!” Arles’s kick met Inglis’s crossed arms. It couldn’t break through them, but it did push Inglis back a significant distance.

“So heavy!” Inglis’s hands tingled.

A full-force jump kick from a hieral menace left a mark. Arles had dropped her chosen weapon to use it as a springboard for a kick, leaving her wide open.

This was a perfect chance for a counterattack, one might think—but then one would be wrong. As Arles landed after her jump kick on Inglis, her shield was already back in her hand. Eris and Sistia had the special ability to twist space and deliver blows across a distance. For Arles, that manifested as being able to draw her shield into her hand from afar. That was why she could fight so boldly by discarding it.

“Here comes more!” Spinning around, Arles flung her shield toward Inglis. Not sideways, but fully vertical, with its face aimed directly toward her. It had been thrown dexterously. The approaching shield was so large that it filled Inglis’s vision from her lower viewpoint.

But how powerful will it be? It would be more deadly if rather than tossing it in such an inefficient way, she flung it normally, like a discus. Therefore, this isn’t intended to directly attack me, but to blind me.

In her small child’s body, the large shield blocked her view almost completely. The actual attack would likely be from another direction.

So, I’ll hold back until the last possible moment, and then turn on her!

“...Ah! Above! Haaah!” Inglis saw something flit across the upper edge of her vision.

Now I intercept Arles’s attack.

Inglis immediately leaped high. At the same time, she wound up a kick to intercept, but something was wrong.

“Wh—?! It’s just clothes!” It wasn’t Arles in the air up there, just the instructor’s uniform she’d been wearing.

“Got you!” Inglis immediately felt someone grab her legs. It was, of course, Arles who had caught her. Since she’d stripped off her upper garments, she was wearing only revealing lingerie. “Like this! Hup!”

Inglis was swung toward the ground by her legs. “That’s the stuff! Haaaah!”

Aether Shell! Inglis’s hands hit the ground as if she was doing a handstand. She’d activated Aether Shell and stopped the momentum of Arles’s attack with her arms.

“Ngh! That was close!” Realizing this, Arles let go of Inglis’s legs and leaped backward to gain some distance.

Inglis also jumped up using her arms, somersaulting and returning to a normal stance. “That’s, er, certainly a bold tactic, Miss Arles...” Inglis hadn’t expected her to strip off her clothes and use them as a decoy. It had been an effective tactic, one which had caught her completely by surprise. But she felt extremely guilty looking directly at Arles’s exposed skin.

“I-I suppose. I just wanted to give you some good training while I still can... And when I realized I could outsmart you like that, they were the only things I had for a decoy. But it is a bit embarrassing...”

Tomorrow, Inglis and her friends would leave for Highland. Arles, meanwhile, would be heading for Alcard to lead her students in their new role as the Rangers, so they wouldn’t be able to train together for a while. Arles had thought long and hard about what last few things she could teach Inglis.

Inglis felt grateful for the dedication Arles showed, but also a bit apologetic. Arles was extremely kind and devoted to her students, but she was also perhaps a little too self-sacrificing. That trait sometimes led her to the most unusual behavior with no regard for herself. Inglis imagined this behavior made Rochefort worry about her, or maybe it was part of what attracted him to her.

“I... I’m sorry I went that far...but it really did catch you completely off guard, so I think it was good training.”

“Oh? That’s good. Hold on a second, though, we can finish this conversation after you get dressed.”

“Err... Yes. I’d appreciate that.” Arles picked up her uniform and put her arms through its sleeves. “Ah, but let’s not tell Ross about this, okay? He might get mad.”

“Of course, Miss Arles.”

However, it was not to remain their secret. “Too late!” someone shouted.

A face peeked out from behind Arles.

“Eeek! R-Ross?!”

“Showing off that much skin... Have you no shame, Arles?”

“S-Sorry. I thought it would be good training for Inglis...”

“I apologize, Mr. Rochefort, for pushing Miss Arles so hard.”

“Well, we do kinda have to go hard now. It seems that it was good training for you anyway.”

“I’m sorry for troubling you.” Inglis bowed politely. “Plus, we’re both ladies, so I don’t think it’s that big of a deal...right?” Inglis wasn’t fully sure whether, with her own past, it was something that should be let go. She wondered how Rochefort would view this situation if he knew the truth.

“Good thing our guests are women too.” Rochefort turned back around to face Eris and Ripple.

“Eris, Ripple!”

“I was told I’d be escorted from here tomorrow, so I was recommended to stay here tonight,” Eris said.

“And I came to see her off! I’m glad Inglis wasn’t just bullying one of us by making her take her clothes off,” Ripple teased.

“I was just on my way back from calling on these two. Seems like this was good timing,” Rochefort said.

Inglis remembered Rochefort had wanted her for something before she started training with Arles, but she’d passed it up because she already had plans. He must have gone to visit Eris and Ripple.

Arles greeted Eris and Ripple with a polite but nervous bow. “H-Hello! Pleased to meet you! I’m Arles! I’m sorry I never introduced myself earlier! Apologies for causing so much trouble for you at the battle on the border!”

That must have been what Rochefort meant by “good timing.” It was a chance for Arles to meet Eris and Ripple. Now that Inglis thought of it, Rochefort always took such pains for Arles’s sake. He was dedicated enough to have charged all the way to the capital with his last few breaths for her sake, so this wasn’t surprising at all.

“What’s past is past. Thanks to her,” Eris said while glancing at Inglis, “we kept losses to a minimum, and now we’re working together, so... If anything, we should have welcomed you earlier. I’m Eris. Pleased to meet you.” Smiling, she extended a hand to Arles.

“Of course!” Arles said.

As she shook Eris’s hand, Ripple took her other one and jerked it up and down energetically. “Me too! I’m Ripple! That was you who I heard over telepathy before, yeah? That’s great! Finally, another demihuman!”

“Yes, it’s good to see you, Lady Ripple!”

“Just Ripple’s fine. And I’ll just call you Arles, no stuffy titles, okay?”

“S-Sure, Ripple!” Arles smiled happily.

“You can speak casually with me as well. No need for formalities,” Eris added.

“Sure, Eris!”

The acceptance of her seniors put Arles at ease. She had never even met another hieral menace before, and befriending people who were like her was an encouraging experience.

“Hey, hey, Arles. Mind if I touch your ears?” Ripple asked.

“Go right ahead.”

“Thanks. So they really are cat ears... Guess that makes you one of the cat-eared demihumans?”

“Yes, that’s right. And you have dog ears?”

“Yeah. But I’ve never seen any of us with cat ears before... I’d heard you were already wiped out...”

“Huh?! But some people in my village had dog ears... Though I don’t think there are any of us left other than you or me now...”

“What might that mean, Ripple?” Inglis asked.

“It seems like Arles and I are from different generations from before we became hieral menaces. I’m not sure how long apart, but she probably came first, and me later. Before I became one, I remember being told that we were the last of the demihumans. As far as I knew, we were all turned into magicite beasts by the prism flow...”

“My group did keep getting caught in it and losing people. I suppose that is what happened afterward...” Arles said.

“That’s just what the prism flow does to us demihumans, so...I can’t see any other way it could have turned out. We were just washed away by it. It’s hard to accept that as our fate, but...”

“Yes, indeed... It has been difficult.”

“Does it take that long to become a hieral menace?” Inglis asked Eris and the others.

“We were put to sleep during the process, so I can’t say for sure, but I have the feeling it differs a lot from person to person. I’m sure there were many who were only put to sleep, not going through with the procedure... But when one is needed, surely one of them will be chosen?” Eris said.

“I saw a lot of other sleeping girls. I wonder what happened to them, how they’re doing now... I don’t know. When I awakened, I immediately got sent to the surface,” Ripple said.

“With a large enough collection of samples, try enough and one will work. It seems like only a small number of them end up as hieral menaces,” Arles said.

“We were each very lucky,” the three said as one.

After a pause, Inglis said, “Doesn’t sound like the trip up to Highland is all fun and games, then.”

“That’s right,” Eris agreed. “I’m honestly not that familiar with the details...but I think you should steel yourself for what you’re going to see. It will definitely be an eye-opening experience. I’m sure that’s why Miriela and Theodore chose to send you there.”

“Really. I kinda hope it doesn’t shock you too much, but... You know, it’s not really somewhere I’d recommend.” Ripple looked a bit conflicted.

“I’m looking forward to it, though,” Inglis said. “Just imagining all of Highland’s most powerful defensive weapons and deadly creatures somehow going berserk and attacking me all at once excites me.”

Eris sighed. “You child, always stirring the pot...”

“Ha ha ha, well, that’s Inglis for you,” Ripple pointed out. “But aren’t you worried, Inglis? Like for Rafinha and the others?”

“Yes,” Eris agreed. “I feel like it would have been better with just me and you.”

“Nope! I don’t want Rani and me to spend so long apart! I’m her squire, so it’s only a given that I should be by her side!” Inglis said.

“I... I suppose I expected you to say that... I’d imagine that’s why the principal included her and the others as well.”

“So then where’s Rafinha now? Since you’re supposed to be by her side?” Ripple pointed out.

“It’s an emergency situation. She was kept after class for added lessons. She didn’t score well on the surprise exam after vacation.”

“Ha ha ha, well that definitely sounds like an emergency,” Ripple said.

“She should be just about done, and she’ll probably come looking here after... But enough about that! Since we’re all together, why don’t we get some practice in?”

“Eh? With all of us?!” Eris asked.

“You want to fight four-on-one?!” Ripple asked.

“Of course, if I have the opportunity! How often do I get the chance for great practice like this?!”

Three hieral menaces and a top-tier knight with a special-class Rune! I couldn’t line up opponents like this if I tried! she thought in excitement.

Arles turned to Eris and Ripple. “W-Well? Would you two like to join in?”

“Well, I don’t really mind,” Eris said, hesitating a bit. “But I can’t use my blades right now, so I’ll only be bare-handed.”

Ripple looked askance. “But if all four of us lost at once, that would be kind of... I mean, I wouldn’t want to tell anyone, and it would be embarrassing for us hieral menaces...”

“That’s not true, Ripple. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone stronger than Inglis... And she’ll be wielding us in the end, so we’re the ones who need to train harder so we’re not a burden on her.”

“Wow, Eris! I can’t believe you’re that hyped up about it! Do you have a fever? Did your weapon being damaged do something to your personality?” Ripple theatrically pressed her hand to Eris’s forehead.

“Absolutely not! Just... If we want things to keep going like they have, we can keep going like we have...but if we want change, we need to change ourselves first.”

“Well, if you’re that motivated, Eris, I don’t see a problem with it.”

Rochefort laughed. “Well, I have to assert my authority as a teacher sometimes. Today’s a schoolyard four-on-one, and I’ll get to try out this new gear I’ve been gifted. This time we’re gonna win.” He grinned, just like Eris and the others had.

“New gear?” Inglis asked.

“Yeah, this.” Rochefort showed Inglis a familiar Artifact.

“That’s...Dragon Claw?! His Majesty wielded that!”

It was an Artifact well beyond others, one of a pair with Rafael’s Dragon Fang. While Dragon Fang carried the power of red dragon lore, Dragon Claw used blue dragon lore. It could be assumed, based on the nature of its power, that Dragon Claw was made from the claw of a being similar to the divine dragon Fufailbane—maybe even from a claw of Fufailbane himself.

Fufailbane had been sealed underground by King Inglis and had slept since then until recently being forced awake; had the claw been collected even earlier than that? It was a mystery.

Does that mean there are other beings like Fufailbane out there? If so, I’d like to meet them, Inglis thought.

“Yeah, he gave it to me when I went to pick these two up at the palace,” Rochefort said. “I really don’t get him. First, without reservations, he hires an enemy general who tried to kill him, but then he gives that guy his own weapon.”

“But I think it was a correct assessment of your skill,” Eris said.

“Yeah,” Ripple agreed. “You could use the armor right away. It took a while for Rafael to figure it out.”

“It must be that His Majesty has great expectations of you!” Inglis said. She had hoped—she thought vainly—for Rochefort to get a powerful Artifact and increase his strength too. That meant only good things for her training.

“As a sparring partner for you, you mean?”

“Among other reasons!”

Primarily for worldwide exploits as a member of the Rangers, and the key to peace with Venefic. That’s what Inglis expected the king’s reasoning to have been, but she couldn’t argue with that assessment as a secondary reason. Rochefort had many hopes pinned upon him.

“But that can’t be argued with, so... You want to try out that secondary reason, then? Not very mature of you!” Rochefort unsheathed Dragon Claw’s azure blade and held it on high.

“Gwoooooohhhh!”

A dragon’s roar rang out, and Rochefort was covered with azure armor the color of the blade. Hard wings extended from its back. He laughed heartily. “It’s no hieral menace, but it’s not bad! All right, I’ll take you on!”

But Inglis didn’t respond to his invitation. Usually, she’d rush up punching with a sparkling grin, but this time she just watched intently.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, sorry, Mr. Rochefort! Could you turn off the armor and then turn it back on again?”

“Huh? Sure, easy enough.” He did as Inglis asked.

“Gwoooooohhhh!”

“There you go. Now bring it!”

“No, sorry, could you one more time?”

“What’s gotten into you?” 

“Gwoooooohhhh!”

“Just once more... Just once more! Please!”

“C’mon, first you tell me to fight, then you tell me to wait? What a selfish student.”

“Gwoooooohhhh!”

“Is that enough? I’m getting tired of this.”

“Yes! I think I get it now! Thank you!”

“Get it? Get what?”

“Let me show you what I learned!”

Inglis crossed her arms in front of her body and rested an index finger on each shoulder. From there, she traced down across her chest, her waist, her legs, covering herself with dragon lore wherever her fingers touched.

“Gwohhhh!”

Inglis was clad in the azure armor of Dragon Claw.

“Whaaaaat?!” Rochefort shouted.

“Is that—?!” Eris gasped.

“That’s Dragon Claw’s armor, isn’t it?!” Ripple asked.

“Y-Yes! I can feel the same strong power from it as from Ross’s!” Arles said.

However, it was a kiddy size commensurate with Inglis’s current stature, and had no wings. Recreating the wings seemed difficult, so she’d had to give up on those. And she didn’t know if she could do it again in her normal body; covering a larger surface came with more difficulty controlling it.

“It’s a little bit different, honestly... But I did use that as reference!” In form it was like the armor from Dragon Claw, but in material it was ice created by Inglis’s magic. She’d adjusted the control of the mana for an ice blade to take the form of armor. Then she’d woven in the dragon lore which covered her to create dragon magic armor. Dragon magic, dragon ice armor, she could call it. This was the first time she’d seen Dragon Claw’s armor be activated, but if she focused on the flows of mana involved it was surprisingly simple. One time wasn’t enough for her to replicate it immediately, but a few tries and she had pulled it off. The material and strength were a bit different, but it should also produce a strengthening effect like Dragon Claw’s. “All right, now let’s get to practice!” Inglis beamed adorably as she took up her stance.

“Hey, hey, I think you’ve got this all wrong. This was supposed to be me regaining authority as a teacher with a new weapon, but you’ve gone and copied it?” Rochefort complained.

“She’s so difficult to keep up with!” Eris said.

“Being with the Paladins is rough work, but it seems like you have your hands full too, Arles! After all, you have to deal with Inglis!” Ripple said.

“I-I’ll do my best!” Arles said. “I’m not very confident though!”

Now, to try out my new dragon magic with the perfect sparring partners! Inglis thought.

But then another person appeared—Rafinha had finished up her make-up work. Exhausted, she mumbled, “Ugh... I’m finally done...”

“Ah, Rani. Good job. You worked hard.”

“Ughhhhhh! I’m exhausted! We’re going off to Highland tomorrow, so why do I have to sit through more lectures?!”

“At the end of the day, we’re students at the knights’ academy. Studying is important.”

“All that work with my head took a lot out of my belly... Let’s go to the cafeteria and get something to eat, Chris!” Rafinha scooped Inglis up without waiting for an answer.

“Ah, um. I was just in the middle of training...”

“Never mind that! Let’s eat! I can’t take it anymore!”

“Yeah, when you’re tired, that’s the time for dessert. Let’s eat plenty of sweets, okay?”

“Yeah! Here we go! If you’ll excuse us!”

“I’m sorry, Rani seems to be hungry, so we’ll have to leave the training for later. Pardon us.” Inglis managed the politest bow she could to Rochefort and the others as Rafinha dragged her off.

“That kid... She just steals someone’s tricks and then makes her escape.” Rochefort hunched his shoulders in exasperation.

“So, now what, Eris?” Ripple asked. “Should we go get something too?”

“I think maybe it’s more important for us to get some training in while we have the chance, honestly...”

“Whaaat? Just us?”

“I suppose,” Arles agreed. “Inglis gets stronger in no time at all. We shouldn’t rest easy.”

“Then I guess let’s do that. Say what you will about me, I’m dedicated to my students,” Rochefort said.

The four nodded to each other and began their combat training.