The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 5

Chapter V: Inglis, Age 15—Dual Starlets (5)

Several days later, Inglis and Rafinha left the Royal Theater as the sun began to set.

“Ah, it’s getting pretty late,” Rafinha remarked.

“Yeah,” Inglis agreed.

Today was the final day of rehearsals, and tomorrow was the show. The pair had left later than usual to fully enjoy the last of their compensated meals, and this one was even more generous than usual.

“Ah, my tummy’s full. I’m so satisfied! Let’s go home, take a bath, and rest well! Tomorrow’s the show,” Rafinha said.

“Yes, tomorrow’s the day.”

“I can’t wait to watch your kiss!”

Inglis laughed at Rafinha’s excitement.

“Uh, what was that creepy laugh for?”

“Oh, nothing. Let’s go home.”

They climbed aboard the Star Princess, now a little worse for wear due to the malfunction of its cannon during an earlier rehearsal. In the end, Rafinha and Pullum had also painted a different Flygear an overwhelmingly adorable pink for Inglis to use in the play. She was cursed to be embarrassed no matter what.

Inglis and Rafinha activated the unit and set off for the knights’ academy. As they were flying, Rafinha pointed to a street corner.

“Ah! It’s that girl! Um...”

Inglis turned her head and saw the familiar young girl, around ten or so and adorable, with shoulder-length blonde hair. “Alina. That was her name,” she said.

She was the girl from the city who had said the Star Princess was cute. Rafinha had promised to give her a ride in it if they met again, and Inglis had made sure to remember her name and face in case Rafinha forgot.

“Ah, that’s right! Alina!”

“It slipped your mind, didn’t it?” Inglis said after a long pause.

“If you remember something, then it’s like I remembered too!”

“Well, I am your squire, so I have no objections to that.”

“Chris, let’s land by her!”

“Got it.”

As they touched down near the young girl, Rafinha smiled. “Hey there, Alina!”

“Oh! You’re that knight lady from before!” Alina said, excited.

“Ha ha ha. You remember us, don’t you? I’m Rafinha, and she’s Inglis.”

“Good afternoon! Well, good evening...” It was the time of day when that distinction was vague.

“Hey, hey, Alina. I’m here to keep my promise! Want a ride on our Flygear? It’s okay, right, Chris?”

“Yeah. It’s fine.” Inglis found it important to be true to one’s word. She agreed that they should treat Alina now; after all, they didn’t know when they’d see the girl next.

“Ah... Um...” Hesitation flashed across Alina’s face for a moment.

“What’s wrong?”

“Umm... Yes, please!”

“Great! Hop in!”

“’Kay!”

Once Alina climbed aboard, the Star Princess took off again.

“Wow! We’re really flying! This is so cool!” Alina’s eyes were wide open and shining. It reminded Inglis of when Rafinha was younger.

Rafinha giggled. “Having fun?” Both she and Inglis wore big smiles.

It raises my spirits seeing Rafinha smile like that at children. She’s grown up into a reliable young lady. Time flies. As someone who had been watching over Rafinha since she was a baby, Inglis was deeply moved.

“Yay! This is really, really fun!”

“And it’s even more fun when you go fast! Chris, give it a spin!”

“Sure!” Inglis pitched up the Flygear’s prow sharply, and it began to ascend at a steep angle.

“Whoa!” Alina exclaimed.

“Hang on tight! Chris, go ahead!”

“Here we go!” Inglis said.

Whoosh!

For a moment, their vision spun, and it felt like their hair was being pulled downward, before things returned to normal.

“Aha ha! That was great!” Alina giggled.

“Are you okay? You weren’t scared?” Rafinha asked.

“Yeah! I had my eyes open the whole time!”

“Oh, wow! That’s amazing, Alina.”

“Maybe she has a knack for it,” Inglis added.

“Really? I want to be a knight like you two when I grow up!” Alina said.

“Well, we’re not real knights yet, we’re students at the knights’ academy,” Rafinha said. “We’re like little baby knights. We still have to grow.”

“Really? But you’re so cool!”

“Thanks! You’re a good girl! ♪” Rafinha hugged Alina tightly, completely enraptured with her. “There’s even more fun ways to fly! Chris, set a course for Lake Bolt.”

“Okay, got it.”

“And go as fast as you can!”

“Do you want to try out the new feature?”

“Yep! You and Lahti were working on it, right?”

“Yeah. We finished the booster.”

The Highland feature of this Flygear amplified and shot out their magic as an attack. Yua had made it explode, but rather than automatically transforming mana into magical effects like an Artifact, it amplified and ejected an already-complete spell. Inglis had worked with Lahti to modify its circuits into not only operating as a prow-mounted cannon, but also connecting directly with the engines. As Flygear engines could convert mana to thrust, that connection meant the pilot’s mana would be added to its existing fuel, producing a huge increase in speed—in other words, a booster.

Highland’s technology was far beyond what the surface regions could produce. Inglis found it fascinating. She hoped she could study engineering there if the opportunity ever presented itself. She’d create unrivaled weapons that could be her foes and continue to hone her skills. That way, she’d never have to worry about having no worthwhile opponents. That would be an extremely effective training regimen.

Hearing that the booster was ready, Rafinha let out an excited shout as her eyes lit up. “Wow! All right, let’s try it!”

“All right, here goes!”

Inglis reached for the lever controlling the new feature. There were three settings: one for the preexisting magical cannon; a direct link to the engine for the booster; and a safe mode that disabled both.

With a clunk, the lever switched from safe mode to booster mode!

Whirrrrr!

The engine was louder, a sign that it was more powerful than before.

“All right, then! We’re off!” Inglis announced.

Whooooosh!

The force of the wind on her body was also stronger than usual. “Whoa! This is so cool!” Rafinha exclaimed.

“Wow, wow, wow! It’s so fast!” Alina gasped.

“It sure is. It’s exciting, isn’t it?” Inglis asked.

They arrived at Lake Bolt, the site of the knights’ academy’s Flygear dock. It was where they always practiced.

“Next up—waveskipping!” That was what they called skimming over the surface of Lake Bolt.

“Okay.” Alina nodded.

Splssshhhhhhhhhhh!

The water sprayed around them noisily, and when they looked over their shoulders, they saw a column of water chasing them.

Alina giggled. “Aha ha! I’m getting splashed on! It’s cold, but it feels good!”

After they flew for a while, Rafinha asked, “Alina, do you want to try piloting?”

“Can I? You won’t get mad if I touch it?”

“Mm-hmm. It’s totally fine! We didn’t borrow this. It’s ours.”

“Huuh?! Where do they sell cute things like this?!”

“We didn’t buy it. We found it.”

“How did you find it?”

“Well, Alina, when you train yourself enough to beat a Highland soldier—” Inglis began.

“C’mon, Chris, don’t recommend your own path to Alina! One Chris is enough for me. We don’t need sweet girls imitating you.”

Inglis blinked. “You were there too, Rani.”

“Just because you dragged me into it! Anyway, Alina, hold it here.”

“Okay...”

“This part changes where you’re flying.”

“And this part moves you forward.”

The two explained to Alina the hand and foot motions used to make a Flygear move. Seeing her have so much fun meant they had fun too, and time passed in the blink of an eye. Soon, the sun had set, and the sky was a cloudless sea of stars. The beautiful half-moon was reflected in the waters of Lake Bolt.

“Wow, we’re up so high. I feel like I could reach out and touch the stars. They’re beautiful...” Alina said.

They had brought the Flygear up to its altitude limit and were gazing at the night sky and the scenery below. The view was beautiful, but Leone, who had a bit of a hard time with heights, probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it if she had been there.

“Alina, can you tell us something?” Inglis asked.

“What is it?”

“Have you been through the ceremony with the baptismal tabernacle?”

Inglis and Rafinha had done so at the age of six. The ceremony granted a Rune, the baptismal tabernacle inscribing it upon the bearer, unless they were Runeless.

“Huh? No, I haven’t...”

“I see. Thanks for telling us.”

While showing her how to operate the Flygear, Inglis had noticed Alina’s right hand didn’t have a Rune, so she had thought the girl was Runeless. However, Alina possessed strong mana—probably strong enough to be on a level with an upper-class Rune like Rafinha’s. It certainly didn’t feel weak enough for her to be Runeless at all. Inglis’s fight and subsequent conversation with Yua had given her a new viewpoint on the flow of mana in people and nature, but she still thought it was odd that Alina didn’t have a Rune.

“Huh? Wait, doesn’t everyone have the ceremony when they turn six?” Rafinha asked.

“There are exceptions to everything, Rani.”

Rafinha was thinking about the environment in which they lived, and the world for people who, if not knights or nobles themselves, were close to them. There was a harsher world out there. This was where Rafinha’s naivete, or maybe you could call it an overly optimistic view of people and things, came into play.

“If you say so...” Rafinha said. “Hey, Alina. Didn’t your mom and dad bring you to your baptism?”

Baptism, the bestowing of a Rune, could be performed in churches throughout the land. It was not uncommon either for a powerful noble to have their own baptismal tabernacle, and for it to be used by their subjects far and wide for a small fee, if not completely for free.

It was necessary for all who lived on the surface to discover those who had potential as knights and cultivate them into a force that could protect people and the places where they lived. There was no reason to restrict baptisms.

Even the poorest, if they received a Rune, had a path to knighthood—and with it, an escape from poverty. Inglis was sure Rafinha was focusing on that and unable to think a step beyond.

“I don’t have a mom or a dad,” Alina answered with a sad smile.

“Oh, ah, I see,” Rafinha said awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I asked without thinking.”

“It’s okay. You’re a nice person.”

Alina must have realized that Rafinha didn’t intend to be rude. It would be understandable to get angry at such a question, but Alina’s response showed she was more mature than that. Inglis wondered if the girl was unnaturally used to being hurt.

“Mom and dad sold me... So I couldn’t be baptized...”

It was no wonder she hadn’t been baptized. She had been bought to use as labor, but if her potential as a knight was recognized, she’d no longer work for the person who had bought her. There was no reason for her master to take that risk. Inglis wondered if the small mark on her upper arm was some trafficker’s brand. She was curious, but there was no way she could respectfully broach the subject. Even telling Alina she might have potential as a knight might only be cruel.

“Servitude?! Isn’t that banned?! That’s terrible!” Rafinha cried.

“Well, in Ymir it is. The duke has done his best to stamp it out,” Inglis explained.

No matter how casual one might appear in front of one’s family—especially one’s daughter—Duke Bilford was an honorable man. If he’d been Hero-King Inglis’s vassal, he would probably have been entrusted with a certain amount of territory. Duke Bilford was a man worthy of it.

“But even the kingdom’s laws forbid it!” Rafinha stubbornly persisted.

“The king’s policy stretches only as far as his own lands. He decides nothing for the nobles.”

“This is the capital! It’s under his direct control!”

“But we don’t know if she was sold somewhere else and then brought here.”

“Well, that’s not okay either! We need to investigate and crack down on this!”

“I don’t think they’re going to.”

“Why?”

“The Highlanders are free to pluck away whoever they’d like, are they not? If we were to crack down, we’d have to enforce such a policy on them as well. They’d take that as a direct attack. If the state wants to avoid that disaster, it has to avoid universal enforcement, but then the public would act as if the ban was directed specifically at them. They might even rebel in response.”

Even if the acts clearly happened in the royal demesne, officials could disregard them as something that had happened in another noble’s lands rather than admitting it was a local problem. The very proscription of forced servitude under the royal code was nothing but a contradiction in itself.

Inglis thought that if one were to stray from concepts like their conscience or morality, then it would be better that there was no law banning servitude so that those driven by righteous indignation like Rafinha wouldn’t lack for a cause.

Calls of “The king does not follow his own law!” could otherwise only be met with acknowledgment. When people were convinced of their justification, they usually acted in an extreme manner.

And they had seen one such person—Leon.

Conditions in Karelia had driven even a holy knight like Leon to defect. However, there was no way to reduce or eliminate the ban on servitude to fit material conditions. A king who removed such a humane law would only be a fool pronouncing his own cruelty and inhumanity. He would lose his power to keep the country united.

Inglis knew King Carlias was not such a fool. He recognized the contradictions of having the law but not enforcing it universally; he was left with no choice but to cheat and lie his way through.

“Theodore would never do that!” Rafinha insisted.

“Remember what Theodore said. Few Highlanders agree with him.”

However, Inglis had learned that the law dated back decades. There had been a time when the king who decreed it judged it safe. Inglis had to assume that the Highlanders had not been as lawless then. Relations must have been close to peaceful.

So why did the Highlanders’ position suddenly change? What happened? If I ask Ambassador Theodore about the situation in Highland, I might be able to find out...

“So then we teach a lesson to anyone who won’t listen to Theodore!”

“Join the Steelblood Front, you mean?” Inglis asked.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Rafinha pounded on her back, and Inglis grimaced. “Ow!”

“So what am I supposed to do?!” Rafinha yelled.

I may have upset her just now. “That’s up to you, Rani. I only want to know if you think there’s a better chance of improving lives down that route...but no matter what, I’ll be with you to the end.”

Rafinha paused, thinking. “And if I say I want to join them?”

“Then I’ll need to apologize to the man in the mask and to Sistia. I wonder if they’d forgive me.”

“Sheesh, Chris, you push everything onto me.”

“In exchange, I’ll become the strongest person in the world. Use me as you will.”

“Sure, sure. Sorry, Alina. I was insensitive. I’m really, really sorry!” Rafinha bowed deeply.

It’s definitely rare for a girl her age to apologize so sincerely to a child, Inglis thought.

“Um... Thanks for worrying about me... But it’s okay. The village where I lived was attacked by magicite beasts, and it’s gone now. Mom, dad, everyone... So I think of it as them saving me, letting me escape.”

“Alina...” Rafinha trailed off before wrapping her arms around the young girl.

“You’re amazing. You’re so strong.” Inglis patted Alina’s head.

“You’re making such a big deal... Where I am now isn’t that bad...” Alina smiled, but Inglis could tell it was forced. “Thank you! This was a lot of fun! But I need to go home now...”

Inglis suddenly realized how late it had become. It was no time for a child to be out walking alone.

“Oh! Let’s bring you home, then! Chris, if you will.”

“You’re right. Let’s be on our way.”

The Star Princess left Lake Bolt at a slower pace than it had arrived.

◆◇◆

Alina lived in an old mansion in a back alley a few doors away from Knoak Boulevard. Knoak Boulevard was the neighborhood with the most shops in the capital, and it had the Royal Theater as well. The boulevard was gorgeous—but where there was light, there was also shadow. Alina lived with the owner of a shop on the boulevard, doing his menial chores.

The apparent store owner shouted angrily at her when she returned. “You were out there just wandering around rather than doing your job, weren’t you?!” He raised his hand to slap her without hesitation.

Thwap!

Rather than the sound of the slap, it was Inglis grabbing him by the wrist before he could hit Alina. “Please do not strike her.”

“Gah...?!”

“I’m the one who took Alina for a tour. You have my apologies. If you’re going to hit someone, please raise your hand against me instead.”

“Tch... That outfit of yours. You’re from the knights’ academy? I don’t wanna make an enemy of a future knight.” The man relented with a click of his tongue.

Maybe this kind of thing was why Alina hesitated for a moment when we invited her, Inglis thought. She probably came along anyway because she had been truly looking forward to it and didn’t know if she’d ever get another chance to ride in a Flygear. Poor girl.

“You already have.” Rafinha directed a piercing glare at him.

Inglis considered this as staying calm for Rafinha. She could have loudly admonished him for placing a young girl into servitude. It wouldn’t be a good idea to make a scene in front of him—for Alina’s sake.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions,” Inglis said.

“Like what? Make it quick.”

“Before that, can Alina go to bed?”

“Yeah, sure. C’mon, get inside! You’ve got an early day tomorrow!” the shop owner barked.

“Y-Yes! Thanks for today. Good night!” With that said, Alina retreated inside the building.

Deeper inside, Inglis saw a number of children around Alina’s age, watching her from a distance. She wondered if they were in the same situation as Alina. Some of them looked like the kids who’d been calling the Star Princess lame. Inglis and Rafinha must have run into them when they were running errands for the owner.

“Ah! Wait, Alina!” Rafinha called out, suddenly remembering something.

“What is it?” she asked, poking her head outside.

“Here!” Rafinha announced, proffering a ticket to the play tomorrow at the Royal Theater. Count Weismar had given Inglis and Rafinha several tickets. Even after reserving three for Duke Bilford and their mothers, they had some left. “There’s a play tomorrow at the Royal Theater. The knights’ academy is involved, and we’ll even be performing. Want to come see?”

“Huuuh?! You’ll be on stage?! That’s amazing!”

Alina’s eyes were shining brightly, but as Rafinha passed her the ticket, the man grabbed it and pushed it back onto Rafinha. “She doesn’t need your ticket.”

“Why?! Can’t you let her catch a break for a little bit?!”

The man sighed in exasperation. “You don’t have to tell me that.” Thrusting his hand into his own pocket, the man pulled forth tickets to the very same play. It was a whole bundle, enough for not just her, but all the children there.

“Ahh! Those are—!” Rafinha began.

“I told you. If anyone else wants one, give it to them.”

“Sorry...” Rafinha shrank back.

“Now listen up! Get your butts in bed, okay?!” At the man’s shout, the children scattered.

“Do your best! I’m looking forward to it!” Alina called out as she left.

The man turned back to Inglis. “Anyway, what were you going to ask me?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Pardon me.” I was going to ask how much it would cost to buy Alina from him. In other words, how much it would take to buy her freedom. That’s probably a bit too forward, though.

“Then let me ask one,” he began.

“What?”

“Well, I did buy the kids from elsewhere and put them to work, but their parents had them up for sale. If I didn’t buy them, they might well have been killed off so there were fewer mouths to feed, so it’s no worse than dying to a magicite beast or of starvation. Now I know a lot of the students at the knights’ academy are young nobles, so you might not even be able to imagine this, but... You get the picture?”

He’s trying to play it off as a necessary evil. And how someone will take that... Well, that depends on the listener. Some would nod and accept it as good. Some would reject his choice as evil.

“Thank you for your opinion.”

As for me... I don’t listen. I’m here to fight and to be by Rafinha’s side. Ideology, advocacy, good, evil... I don’t need those. All I need are strong foes, delicious food, pretty clothes, and Rafinha nearby.

“Thank you.” Rafinha was obviously dissatisfied, but she swallowed any other remarks she had wanted to say.

“Let’s go, Rani.”

“Yeah. I’m coming.”

Once they boarded the Star Princess and were alone, Rafinha let out a long sigh, thinking of what they’d just heard. “I can’t believe this...”

“Being frustrated about what you can and cannot do is a part of growing up.” It may have been depressing for Rafinha, but Inglis welcomed the events of the day. She could tell Rafinha was going to keep maturing as a person.

“That sure doesn’t seem like a part of becoming an adult from what I’ve seen.”

“Life is hard, I know,” Inglis said with sincerity. “Anyway, let’s get back on track and do our best tomorrow. Gotta make sure Alina enjoys the show, right? My mom, Aunt Irina, and Duke Bilford will be there too.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

As the Star Princess gently drifted over the rooftops, they heard voices from below.

“So you’re saying to sacrifice even him, Diego?!”

“It’s not like that. We have our duty to fulfill. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“But...!”

“Then let me ask you: are you going to let this chance slip away? What are we even here for, then? We don’t have the time.”

Inglis recognized one of the voices. It was a boy’s soft, gentle voice she’d heard a lot of lately.

“Is... Is that Ian?” Rafinha recognized it too.

“It definitely is.”

“I wonder if he’s renting a room here? Ah, or maybe he’s handing out tickets?”

“Maybe.”

The Royal Theater was nearby, so Inglis wouldn’t be surprised by that, but that didn’t seem to be what was happening. He was talking with a large, burly man with short, reddish-brown hair. It wasn’t winter, but the man was wearing heavy clothing that almost completely covered him below the neck.

“We should tell him about it and try to get him to understand!” Ian insisted.

“That’s too dangerous. I can’t comply.”

“Ugh...!”

“No turning back now. Be prepared.”

“I already have been! Ever since that day!”

“Then there’s nothing more to say.” The man turned around and left.

“I wonder what they were talking about,” Rafinha said. “I couldn’t really hear, but I think they were arguing. I wonder if it was about the troupe?”

“It isn’t polite to eavesdrop.”

“But it seemed like a pretty big deal, didn’t it? I wonder if everything’s okay.”

“Anyway, let’s go home.” Inglis pointed the prow of the Star Princess toward the academy’s dorms.

Tomorrow was showtime.