CH 17

“Kyaran Goudes. She is in the second year of high school, has talent in magic, has red curly hair, and her Phantom Beast is a cub bear. She remembered being 6th in the [spring].

She is also famous at the Academy. Her strong-willed attitude is the result of her unshakable efforts, and she has a fan club that is sometimes derisively referred to as [cronies].

In the scenario, she is the character who helps Emilia because she hates crookedness. She is not the kind of person who would kidnap Emilia. I hope she didn’t come to rescue Emilia from house arrest or something like that.

I was relatively calm. I already have a plan in case of emergencies.

“Cheatan, I request a report. Has Emilia come to your location?”

I took out a small crystal necklace from my chest. The light blue, transparent necklace feeds on the owner’s magic and allows for long-distance communication with registered individuals. It is a common thing in this country.

[Yes, Rebecca-sama. About 15 minutes ago, Emilia-sama appeared suddenly with a red-haired woman. She is tied up with a rope made of magic, but she does not seem to have any injuries. They seem to be talking and there doesn’t seem to be any immediate danger at the moment. The area is surrounded by a barrier and we can’t hear their voices. Should we attempt to enter?]”

“No. I’ll head over with a few people within 20 minutes. If something happens before we arrive, please enter, but don’t do anything reckless.”

[Understood]

Emilia and the others are in a temple that’s about 15 minutes away by horse. It’s not currently in use and was originally the place Rebecca was supposed to take them. It’s close by. I left people there because I thought it would be a good place for her to be taken by someone else. It’s fortunate that my suspicions were correct.

However, it was just in case she was kidnapped. As we didn’t know how long it would take, there were only him and two other followers who were just as trustworthy as the guy I just mentioned.

Emilia suddenly disappeared and reappeared, and it was almost certainly a transfer magic. It was commonly used in [spring], so I got used to it, but I felt uneasy with the three of them with the opponent using such a high-difficulty magic that most humans were not allowed to even try.

Out of the knights of security, six people were gathered who were particularly good at magic and got on horses. Eventually, we ended up going to help with the target of the strategy.

While riding the horse, I chant “stay calm” in my mind.

It’s alright. Emilia will come back without anything happening. Because that girl properly took her own eggs.

The temple during the off-season is dim and eerie. As reported, there was a barrier in the prayer hall where Emilia and Kyaran were.

It’s not just about blocking voices. I realized that only women under a certain age are allowed in, when everyone else was blocked by the barrier except for me. This must be part of the scenario. It seems like it’s not possible to just barge in with a large group of people.

I decided to have the knights make efforts to disable the barrier, even if it takes time, and I entered the temple alone. Suddenly, I hear a loud voice.

I wonder how far the conversation has progressed? I didn’t confidently enter, but instead lowered my posture and observed the situation.

The shrine had long chairs arranged in a concentric circle, and the center was empty. Emilia and Kyaran were facing each other there.

I looked at Emilia, who was making a loud noise, and confirmed that she wasn’t injured and patted my chest. However, she was still tied up with ropes. If it were not made by magic, I could have torn them apart with even a chain.

Even though I could confirm Emilia’s appearance, I couldn’t feel relieved.

Just when I entered, a woman with lush red hair was about to smash an egg held in both hands onto the floor.

“No, no, stop!”

You don’t have to shout so loud, Emilia. Look.

Just before the egg hit the floor, a thick tail protruded and broke the shell open. The Phantom Beast was revealed in full as it was slammed onto the floor by the impact. Its god-like appearance was so overwhelming that it made one want to bow down in front of it. The eight other tails spreading out with a sense of presence. Its body glimmered in a copper color and it looked down at Kyaran with its massive physique and bright red eyes.

“Kyuubi…?”

Emilia muttered.

Yes, that is what people call the beast. Emilia’s holy magic and the holy energy of the temple had awakened it and it was born as the noble queen of foxes.

The one who was most surprised was Emilia. Faced with a Phantom Beast of a mass that could not possibly have fit inside an egg, she was at a loss for words and froze up.

In the scenario, Rebecca is knocked down and the Kyuubi cuts Emilia’s rope, allowing her to regain her composure and tell Rebecca “I won’t lose to you and I will never do this again.” and tries to leave. But Rebecca uses a [sealing charm] taken from the Duke’s safe to temporarily subdue the Kyuubi and take advantage of Emilia, causing her to fall into trouble again and one of the targets of the strategy will come to break the barrier and help her… this is the flow of events.

I will quickly retrieve Emilia while I have the chance. I don’t want Kyaran to have the sealing charm. It’ll be safe once we’re out of the temple, and unlike the target, I don’t have to make a cool appearance, so let’s get Emilia and get out of here as soon as possible.

I quickly approached Emilia. By the time Kyaran noticed my intrusion, I had already helped Emilia stand up and we were running towards the door together. The Kyuubi will follow us.

Great, perfect. We made it!

Just as we were about to reach the door, a human appeared and blocked our way.

***

TL: Kyuubi = Nine Tailed Fox