CH 129

「We’re here already, so why don’t we have fun?」

The battlefield grew increasingly noisy as the Highland’s battleship began to retaliate. This clamor, this ambiance…This was a battlefield. A place where blood boiled.

「I won’t have fun. But……!」

Rafinha pointed to the city that spread out around the Royal Palace. Stray shells from the battleships of both the Ironblood Chain Brigade and the Highland went astray there. Any normal house would be pulverized if they were to receive even one of those shells.

「I need to do something! If we don’t stop them soon, more and more innocent people will be involved! Let’s do it, Glis!」

The look on Rafinha’s eyes strained. It was very much like Rafinha with her strong sense of justice. It seemed like she couldn’t overlook the fact that the weak, ordinary citizens were swallowed into the battle.

That was a praiseworthy mindset. Inglis Eux had no aspiration to uphold the betterment of the world, but she didn’t deny Rafinha who did. In fact, it was something she found charming.

「Oh. You’re getting motivated, Rani.」 「I have to, after seeing that! I’ll try to obstruct the bombardings!」 「How will you do it?」 「Like this!」

Rafinha pulled her white bow Artifact hard. An arrow of light appeared in her hand, growing thicker and larger as time went by.

「GOOO!!!」

As the light arrow reached its utmost size, Rafinha shot it to the sky.

「Burst! And coil around!」

The huge light arrow split into countless smaller light arrows. Each arrow left a trail of light behind them, and instead of landing on the two Battleships, they began to orbit close to their turrets.

「I see. A blind, is it.」

The idea was to substitute smokescreens with a large number of light arrows. If Rafinha kept these arrows from landing, the light arrows would be able to maintain their light trails for a long time and continue to obscure the view for the gunmen.

「Yeah. That will stop them from bombarding properly, won’t it?」 「But still, you managed to make your arrows coil around without landing. You’re amazing.」

As they were actually confused by trails of light flying around them, the momentum of both battleships’ bombardment was slowing down. Watching Rafinha’s growth was akin to watching Inglis’ own granddaughter’s growth. She couldn’t help but genuinely felt happy for her.

「Huhum. Even I grow stronger too! Now, I’ll keep firing these to stop the bombardments, so you go and stop Ironblood Chain Brigade’s ship, Glis!」 「Yeah. Got it!」

Inglis walked further forward from where they landed, reaching the very tip of the bow of the ship’s hull. She then thrust her palm out towards the Ironblood Chain Brigade’s ship.

From there, the pale light of Ether swirled and condensed. The light swelled bigger and bigger as seconds passed and quickly turned into a huge bullet of light.

「Ether Strike!」

KABOOOOOOMMMM————!!!

It landed squarely on the bow of the battleship, piercing the hull and penetrating the stern… or how it should be.

In truth, as soon as the strike hit the hull, destroying the bow, it collided with another huge, pale light of something.

Bashuuuuu~u~u~u~u~tsu！

「——!?」

The result of the two light’s crash deviated the strike upward from its trajectory to penetrate the Battleship and instead went higher up and disappeared deep into the sky, only scraping off the ship’s exterior.

「……To think he could parry that!」

There was only one person Inglis knew might be able to do it. Inglis focused on the destroyed and exposed interior of the battleship. There, on what must have been the bridge, was a man in a black iron mask and an all-black garb and cloak.

「I knew it……!」

The Black Mask leader! Although, I don’t see Cystia or Leon nearby! There were a number of men who seemed to be his subordinate, their fingers pointing at Inglis.

「That girl did all this!?」 「I-, is she a maid from the castle!?」 「Why does a maid have so much power!? Wh-, what the hell actually happened!?」

Seeing the occasion, let’s respond to them with a heartfelt mood.

「Welcome. Will you mind if I’m the one to receive you with hospitality? That was but a greeting.」

Inglis smiled and gave them a polite bow.

「H-, hospitality!?」 「That was just a greeting……!? What kind of maid does that!?」 「Outrageous! If things went poorly, our ship would’ve gone down with that alone!」

Black Mask then suppressed his dismayed men.

「Be careful, everyone. The more beautiful a rose is, the sharper and more poisonous its thorns will be. Look, isn’t she beautiful?」 「Y-, yeah」 「She is!」 「Frankly speaking, she’s cute……」 「That’s how it is. She might kill us all if we are not careful.」 「「「…………」」」 「I shall be the one to stop her. You people will continue with the mission, I will hold her off.」 「「「Sir yes sir!!」」」

After hearing his men’s reply, Black Mask kicked the floor and leapt far forward. He then landed near Inglis on top of Highland’s Battleship.

「Good gracious. I thought I let you know our plans so that you wouldn’t interfere? Are you sure to abandon your plan to save the Hyrule Menace?」 「……The Principal and everyone are doing their best over there, so it should be fine.」 「Too bad for you! We won’t let things go as you, a guerrilla organization, want it!」

Rafinha, who was positioned behind the Black Mask and effectively pinched him between her and Inglis, raised her voice.

「And if we overlooked your assault without taking any action, we would be treated like we were your collaborators. Rani and I are here to protect His Majesty the King and the Highland’s Envoy.」 「Hmm. I thought you would overlook it, as the Knight Academy is siding with the Prince’s Faction.」

In fact, it was unlikely for that line of thought not to cross Principal Miliera’s mind, but… it was no time for worrying about factions, as it was more about the fact that both factions could very well be under rubbles if the mission failed.

「Aren’t you afraid of the risk for both operations failing due to the splitting of your group’s military strength?」 「I don’t see it that way.」

Inglis quietly shook her head.

「If I can finish my mission here before their operation is over, I can participate in both fights, and that will make me twice as happy.」 「……Good gracious, how very valiant. Talking about valiant, however, would you please tell me where the Highland’s Envoy is? If you’re so sure to win, you won’t mind telling me his position, I’m sure?」 「……I’m terribly sorry, I don’t know about it.」

It was no lie. After all, she had kicked him so far away that she could no longer see him.

「I see, that’s a shame.」 「There’s no use for you to know that! That brat has no intention to!」 「!? You can’t, Rani!!」

Inglis activated Ether Armor and went to Rafinha’s back at full speed, covering the latter’s mouth with her hands.

「Mgggh……!?」

Inglis knew what Rafinha wanted to say. There was no point for the brigade to try to stop the negotiation that involved handing over territories to Highland, since Abel never had any intention to negotiate with the Kingdom in the first place

The Black Mask had gotten it wrong. Inglis could point out that it was a tactical blunder on his part. She could, but…

「You can’t! You mustn’t say it!」

If she did, there was a risk that the brigade would lose the will to continue their mission and left altogether. That was not a good thing. Inglis hadn’t fought just yet.

「How fast. It appears that you have grown more proficient than the last time we met.」 「While that may be true, I had no means to measure it for sure. Having you here is just excellent.」 「…So you’re using a person as your test subject.」

Black Mask looked a bit disapproving.

「I’m sorry for that, but I’m counting on you.」

Inglis gave Black Mask a wide smile.

「There is no other way, it seems.」

Saying so, Black Mask’s body was also enveloped in the pale brilliance of Ether.

「Well then, as we haven’t much time, let us start this already.」

Inglis let go of her hand that covered Rafinha’s mouth and then stepped over to Black Mask.