Chapter II: Inglis, Age 16—Rochefort’s Illness
In the nurse’s office, Principal Miriela and Arles had accompanied Rochefort; Inglis and the others waited outside so as not to get in the way. They saw the attending doctor depart, and then Miriela emerged from the room.
“Could you all come in, please? Oh, but Mr. Rochefort’s sleeping, so try to be quiet.”
“Um... Is Mr. Rochefort going to be okay?” Rafinha asked.
Miriela responded with downcast eyes, “Well, not in the long term... The doctor says he’s relapsed.”
“Ah! His illness?!” Inglis began. When Rochefort had commanded Venefic’s raid on Chiral, he had been in the late stages of a terminal illness and could have died at any moment. That was why the side effect of wielding a hieral menace, the draining of his life force, had not affected him, and he had been able to wield Arles freely.
“Yes. Remember, you fed him some of the dragon meat, and it cured him?”
“Of course...”
Fufailbane’s meat hadn’t just been extremely delicious; consuming large quantities of it could result in being imbued with dragon lore, with it acting as a panacea which could cure even incurable diseases. This was because dragon lore, the power of dragons, was extremely flexible and displayed an affinity for other life. As a result, Rochefort had survived, and he’d ended up staying in Karelia as an instructor at the knights’ academy with Arles.
“Hey, Chris,” Rafinha prompted. “Does that mean we should feed him more dragon meat? Maybe he didn’t get enough before.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” Inglis replied. “But we don’t have any of Fufailbane’s left.”
“Ugh, that’s right... We wanted Rafael to have some, so we shared it all...”
“But how about in Alcard?! We left tons of it at the camp in the ruins of Leclair! There might still be some saved!” Leone suggested.
Indeed, they had distributed large amounts of Fufailbane’s meat around Leclair as caches in case of food shortages.
“So there’s a chance! Let’s go, Inglis!”
“Yes, that’s the most likely source,” Inglis agreed. “But we don’t have time.” She would have to use her divine feat. Time was of the essence.
“But you can be there in a second with your Chris warp!” Rafinha pointed out.
Inglis laughed. “C’mon, Rani, it’s called divine feat.” But the hi-aether she’d need to use divine feat on her own, she’d used up during the Flygear race. She couldn’t use it again so soon. It took time to weave together the required amount. Meaning, she would need the aid of a hieral menace.
“What if I ask Miss Arles to come with me?” Inglis pondered aloud. “If I’m with her, I can make it there no problem.”
“Understood! Let’s go!” Arles proclaimed as she left the nurse’s office. She must have been listening in on their conversation. “Please, Inglis. So we... So we can save Ross!” She put forth her hand, and Inglis took it.
“Of course, Miss Arles!”
A dazzling light overflowed from their hands as they touched before swelling further.
“So this is what it’s like when a hieral menace transforms?!” Meltina gasped, squinting.
“Yes, it is!” Leone answered.
“It’s beautiful,” Liselotte said. Both were also squinting.
“B-But she doesn’t have a special-class Rune, so how can she wield a hieral menace?” Meltina asked.
“Huh? Well, Chris is Chris. It’s just something she does,” Rafinha explained casually as Meltina stared in awe.
“Ha ha ha, it’s almost scary how easily you accept it.”
Before their very eyes, Arles transformed into a beautiful, ornamental golden shield.
“All right, everyone, hold on to me,” Inglis instructed. With a hieral menace sublimating her aether to hi-aether, she could control this divine power. There was no need for her to gradually refine it herself.
Rafinha and the others clapped their hands onto her shoulders and arms. “Good job, Chris!”
“All right, let’s go!”
Divine feat!
The world transformed around them from a warm, brightly lit room to a wind-swept nightscape. They were in Alcard, in the center of the camp in Leclair’s ruins. Leclair itself had been destroyed, then carried away by Highland with the use of a Floating Circle, so this camp was where it would one day be rebuilt.
“I-It’s so cold. So this is Alcard...” Meltina remarked, shivering.
“But it does feel a lot warmer than before,” Inglis remarked.
“Yeah,” Leone agreed. “I guess it’s just the change in seasons, but it feels different.”
“Agreed. It’s just a little chilly.”
It was definitely an improvement from when they’d been ordered to infiltrate Alcard. The area must have been so cold because Fufailbane had rested there, and with him gone, it had returned to its normal climate.
“Then, where’s the ancient dragon meat to cure Ross?!” Arles asked, having transformed back.
“Well...you think Lahti’s still here? If he is, he should be able to tell us,” Rafinha said.
“He might be in the capital, though,” Inglis pointed out.
As they looked around, Inglis heard a voice call out to them.
“Inglis! Rafinha! Leone! Liselotte!” It was someone who clearly already knew them by name. They turned to see Lewin, a knight who was a close aide to Lahti. Likely on a night patrol, a squad of knights had accompanied him.
“Ah, Lewin. It’s been a while,” Inglis greeted him.
“Yes. When the Rangers arrived from Karelia recently, I noticed you weren’t among them. Prince Lahti and Lady Pullum were disappointed as well.”
“Lewin! Where is Lahti?!” Rafinha asked. “We need him right away!”
“Oh, of course. He’s in that cabin over there. I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you.”
“Thank you, Lewin!” Inglis said.
“Let’s go see him,” Rafinha said.
“Ah, but do knock before you—”
Lewin’s words barely reached Rafinha and the others as they ran toward the building where Lahti resided, and Rafinha slammed open the door. “Lahti! Pullum! Are you there?”
They were in plain sight as the group entered, on a sofa in the far corner and wearing light clothing, Pullum snuggled in Lahti’s arms, their bare skin touching. And it certainly wasn’t because the weather had gotten warmer.
“Whoa!”
“Eeek!”
Shocked by Rafinha’s sudden entry, the two snapped apart.
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