Chapter III: Inglis, Age 15—The Evil Hieral Menace (3)
After the encounter at Tsira, Inglis and her group headed north out of town via their Flygear Port. They had departed quickly while discussing whether to travel directly to the capital or to visit Leclair first. They could gather information from towns along their path before they reached the point where the paths split.
Five days of recon later, they reached the town where the roads diverged. However, something wasn’t quite right. Watching from aboard the Flygear Port, they got the vague unease that the place was strangely quiet. There was absolutely no sign of human activity; something had to be amiss. They hurried to get a closer look, steering the Flygear Port directly into town instead of hiding it on the outskirts.
Grrrgggl! Grrrgggl!
As they alighted from the ship, Inglis and Rafinha’s stomachs rumbled loudly. The two were starving. Both exhaled loudly while rubbing their bellies.
“That was really loud... Are you two okay?” Leone asked.
“That was rather unladylike,” Liselotte said.
“Oh man, so much for this tense moment,” Lahti joked.
“W-Well, it’s probably been hard for Inglis and Rafinha while they’ve been eating less food than what they’re used to...” Pullum replied in their defense.
“Pullum’s right,” Ian said, further defusing the situation. “It’s thanks to their sacrifice that we’ve given so many people a respite from their hunger. Let’s just pretend we didn’t hear their stomachs.”
Grrrgggl! Grrrgggl!
“It’s not like happy thoughts are gonna fill their stomachs, though, Ian...” Lahti grumbled.
“Ha ha ha!” Everyone shared a laugh at the scene.
“Still, we’re all young noblewomen. It’s not really ladylike, is it?” Leone commented.
“It’s fine. This was something we had to do. We definitely made the right decision,” Rafinha stated firmly.
Every town and village their group had stopped at was in dire straits. Everywhere they went, they found starving inhabitants enduring the same indiscriminate requisitioning as Tsira had. In some cases, it was even worse.
Rafinha couldn’t turn a blind eye to this, and shared their stocks of food with everyone they encountered. By doing so, they’d run through even the excessive quantities of food they’d prepared, and were now in a constant state of hunger.
Rafinha was such a sweet young girl. Inglis thought it was very noble of her granddaughter-like friend, so she went along with it, but...it was still quite the painful experience.
“This is more than us being noblewomen—it was the human thing to do. If we didn’t help those people, what would have happened to them? I’m not embarrassed at all. It’s just proof we did the right thing,” Rafinha asserted.
Grrrgggl!
Even as her stomach groaned, Rafinha puffed out her chest proudly.
“Rani...”
Rafinha was stubborn at times like this. She had a solid core and never wavered on her sense of justice or her beliefs, which was one of her best qualities as a member of a ruling family and a leader of knights and subjects. Rafael, her older brother, was always on his best behavior, while Rafinha was usually a little undisciplined and sometimes even spoiled by Inglis, but the two shared this underlying trait. They were very much alike, and Inglis considered that quality necessary for a good ruler.
“If you don’t want your stomach rumbling, eat this. It’ll take your mind off of it for a little while. Here you go, here’s some sugar,” Inglis offered.
“More snow? I guess... It doesn’t really fill my stomach, but...” Rafinha sprinkled the sugar on one of the many clean clumps of snow nearby before she brought it to her mouth.
“We don’t really have any other options. And there’s plenty of snow to go around,” Inglis said.
“I guess...”
“A-Anyway, why don’t you stay here for a while? We’ll go on ahead and check out the town,” Leone suggested.
Leone and the rest of the group left Inglis and Rafinha behind to enter the town first. Inglis and Rafinha watched them go as they pushed sugary snow into their mouths. It was almost like a dessert, but it wasn’t filling at all.
“Hey, Rani. Worst-case scenario, we can catch a magicite beast and eat it, maybe?”
Rafinha paused, actually giving that some thought. “It’s probably something we should consider as emergency rations...but I haven’t seen the Prism Flow around here.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
The Prism Flow rarely fell on Alcard, which also meant there were few magicite beasts in the region. Yet, something like a Prismer had appeared and destroyed Leclair. Inglis had suspected that indicated an increase in the Prism Flow in Alcard, but she hadn’t seen evidence of that during their travels so far.
So, what could have happened...?
“If this were Karelia, it would be easy to spot the Prism Flow just by scouting from the sky with a Flygear,” Rafinha said. They hadn’t seen a single sign of the Prism Flow off in the distance from aboard the Flygear Port in Alcard.
“That’s right. I don’t know if this is just a coincidence, but even if the Prism Flow has increased here, it’s still nothing compared to its intensity in Karelia. I don’t understand what’s been happening here.”
“Ugh, the one time we do want to see magicite beasts! Anyway, all we have for now is snow. At least that won’t betray us!”
Inglis sighed. “I guess. I’m getting a little tired of the taste, so maybe I’ll try salt instead of sugar...”
“Oooh, me too.”
They added salt from their provisions rather than sugar, and they each took a bite of their new dish. Of course, it tasted only of salt—quite salty, in fact.
Inglis sighed again. “I want some meat...”
“Don’t say that, Chris. It just makes it worse.”
“Yeah, sorry.”
“Anyway, speaking of things that show up only when they’re unwanted... Where’s the Steelblood Front? You’d think with the Highlanders running wild here, they’d be first in line to wipe them out, instead of attacking Cyrene or the palace in Chiral.” Rafinha took a break to munch on some snow. “Well, I guess maybe they only operate in Karelia? But they have that huge flying battleship, so why not come here?”
“You have a point. I think they could definitely travel here—if they wanted to, that is.”
“If they’re so anti-Highlander, then why haven’t they?”
“We didn’t know what things were like here until we arrived, so it’s possible they don’t know either.”
That said, Inglis figured the Steelblood Front should possess a wider informant network than their group did. She wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d moved first, but there had been no sign of them since entering Alcard.
“I think they’re unlikely to make a move here,” Inglis said.
“But why?”
“I’ve been watching their movements, and...well, that’s my intuition.”
To be precise, Inglis was concerned with the results and consequences of the Steelblood Front’s moves. They’d raised their banner against Highland and publicly made moves to oppose individual Highlanders, but...she had to look at what had resulted from their operations, specifically the changes in people’s positions and influence. When she took that into account, it seemed almost like they had some deeper principle behind them. While it was true they attacked Highlanders who were causing harm to the surface, it didn’t seem like these were simply attacks of opportunity. The identity of their targets may have been connected to the true identity of the black-masked man.
But this was all just a possibility. Nothing more than a guess, and if wrong, it could lead her astray, so Inglis was still waiting to see what the Steelbloods’ next move would be. If they didn’t show themselves during her Alcard trip, then perhaps her guess was more likely to be true.
“And that’s what you’re hoping for, Chris? So you can fight the evil Highlanders yourself?”
“No, I’d welcome the Steelblood Front joining. I’d have more people to fight that way. Wasn’t it fun when they attacked the palace?”
“That was awful! You were the only one that enjoyed it.”
“Huh, I thought everyone was having a great time. Wouldn’t the world be more peaceful if everyone fought just for fun?”
“What?! No, that’s silly.”
“No, it isn’t. If people fought solely for enjoyment, they wouldn’t care about their differences in ideals. They wouldn’t fight for their own gain or to push those ideals on others. They wouldn’t treat combat as a way of solving problems. People would be at least a little more at peace with one another.” It was hard to think of it in any other way, having lived one life as a king leading his people and another as a young squire girl seeking to master the blade.
Rafinha shot her a disapproving look and grabbed her by the cheeks. “Don’t! Joke! Around! C’mon, be serious!”
“Whff? Wfh vhu vhu mmhm? Ehvem heen heriuf!” Inglis mumbled. Few other than Rafinha would have understood what she was saying.
“No, I don’t want to hear it! That would mean everyone was like you, Chris! And we can’t have more of you! We only even get to have one because I’m keeping an eye on you. If there were more I wouldn’t be able to keep up!”
“Haafh haafh haafh...” Inglis gave a funny-sounding laugh, her cheeks still being pulled in different directions.
“Hm? What, what’s with you?”
“Well, I know it’s a lot of work, but what about just one more of me? I know what you said, but...”
“Huh?! Wh-Why?”
“If we head to Alcard’s capital, Evel’s lab might still be there—you know, where he made all those Ians? I want to use it to make another me.”
“What?! Wait, is that the real reason you want to go to the capital?”
“It’s not the only reason, but it is one factor among many.”
Inglis was sure that if there were two of her, they’d see eye to eye and view each other as the perfect partner to continually spar with. That was how they’d both polish their skills. With that, there’d be no need to look for strong foes—or rather, less of a need. She’d still want to fight a variety of foes, but at least she wouldn’t have to endure the boredom of having no one to fight.
Life was short. Being unable to find a foe, no matter how much you longed for one, was regrettable. Having someone to fill that void was indispensable.
“No way. We need to free the people from the Leclair prison!” Rafinha insisted.
“Well, that’s kind of—” Inglis began.
“Aaahhhhhhhhh!” Someone shrieked in sorrow from afar.
“What was that?!” Rafinha asked.
“It sounded like Pullum,” Inglis said.
“Let’s go see what happened, Chris!”
“Yeah!”
Inglis and Rafinha dropped the snow and ran in the direction of the scream until they came across a stone church in a secluded part of town. As they entered, they saw no one, but they could hear Pullum’s sobs.
“Pullum...?! Where are you?!”
“We’re in the basement! Go to the back room on the right as you enter!” Liselotte answered.
The others had clearly made their way here first and stumbled upon something. Following her directions, Inglis and Rafinha found the entrance to the hidden staircase leading to the basement. It had been left open. Running down the dimly lit stairs, they found Leone, Lahti, and Ian. It was the entire rest of the group, but it wasn’t just them.
The bodies of several children were huddled together on the floor in a pile, unmoving.
“Ugh!” Inglis grunted on reflex.
“That’s terrible!” Rafinha cried.
The children were all unnaturally thin, obviously malnourished. With no visible injuries, they had likely died of starvation.
“They were probably hiding here away from the Highlander attack...but then no one came to help them... And...” Rafinha trailed off, heartbroken.
They didn’t even look to be ten years old yet. The adults of the town must have desperately been trying to protect them. Sadly, that heartfelt hope hadn’t come true.
“We didn’t see any adults around... Where could they be?” Ian asked.
“Probably taken to Leclair, or left fallen out there, buried in the snow...” Inglis replied. If they dug through the snow, they could have possibly found some corpses. “The closer we get to Leclair, the worse off the villages and towns are. If this keeps going, eventually, those we’ve already visited will...”
“We need to hurry! We can’t let this keep happening!” Rafinha’s eyes were filled with an intense determination.
“M-My brother... Harim did this... I-I don’t know what to say to you... I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” As his younger sister, Pullum was hurting immensely, seeing the harm he’d caused up close. She’d collapsed to the ground, unable to rise. Her voice shook, and tears were streaming down her face.
“Pullum!” Rafinha was about to say something to her, but someone stopped her.
This wasn’t Inglis’s place to speak, but one person knew how it felt. Leone glanced at the others, her eyes seeming to tell them to leave it to her.
Leone sat down next to Pullum. “Pullum... I understand it hurts. I’m certain you’re feeling like drowning in your sorrow. You feel responsible for what your own family—your own brother—did, right? You think maybe you could have done something before, but now you can’t, and you’re powerless...”
Pullum choked words through her sobs. “Y-Yes... I...I don’t know what to do now that he’s done this...!”
“I know how you feel. My brother was a holy knight before he betrayed his country to join the Steelblood Front. Everyone around us said we were a family of traitors. I felt sad and remorseful. I couldn’t do anything but cry. When I could think again, I found myself all alone with nothing...but I don’t regret that pain! It taught me that I’m me, not him. I’m going to capture him with my own hands and redeem my family’s name... You’re the same. No matter what your brother did, you’re you, not him.”
Leone’s eyes burned as she held the shaking Pullum by her shoulders and helped her to her feet.
Pullum continued to sob. “L-Leone...”
“Crying won’t change anything. It can’t fix what’s happened. So let’s cry today, and tomorrow we’ll do what we can. We’ll put an end to this as soon as possible. We won’t let your brother fall deeper into treachery. You’ll be okay. You’re not alone. There’s someone who can support you right by your side.” Leone turned to Lahti.
“Uh... Huh...?” he mumbled.
“What are you waiting for? Someone you deeply care for is hurting. You should be by her side to embrace her.”
“No, wait, I—”
“This is no time for complaining! Get to it!” Leone’s voice rumbled like thunder. It was rare for her to raise her voice in such a manner.
“Y-Yes...!” Lahti tentatively wrapped his arms around Pullum. “I-It’s okay. I’m here for you...”
“Wahhhh! Lahti! I... I... Waaaaah!” Relieved, Pullum cried loudly as she clung to Lahti.
“Let’s give them some space while we find somewhere in town where we can rest. We’re spending the night here, right?” Leone said, leading everyone except Pullum and Lahti back upstairs. She always carried herself in an upright and dignified fashion, but today her back seemed a bit straighter than usual, her pace a little faster.
As the others followed, Rafinha murmured quietly. “Leone’s strong... She was powerful. Persuasive too.”
“Agreed,” Liselotte said after a heavy silence.
“I never could have done that... I’ve never experienced anything like this with Rafael being my brother. Nothing I could have said would have helped.”
Indeed, Rafael was a holy knight, respected by one and all in Karelia. He was the pinnacle of the country’s knights. Gentle in nature, irreproachable in conduct, utterly impeccable—Rafinha could imagine him no other way. Comparing Harim to him was like comparing muck to the clouds. She could never understand the feeling of a sister whose fate was cast adrift by her brother’s deeds. Rafael had never caused her any trouble.
Meanwhile, Inglis didn’t consider Leon a bad person, but there was no doubt that he had hurt his family, primarily his sister, Leone. She was the one who could understand Pullum’s feelings the best.
“Compared to Leone, I’m still just a little kid...” Rafinha continued.
Inglis clapped a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. Just understanding that means you’ve grown up enough.”
This was a matter for the future, but Inglis thought that, in a way, Rafinha might end up being the one who suffered the most. However, as long as Inglis was around, she had every intention of crushing anyone or anything that might make Rafinha cry.
“Why are you trying to act like a big sister? You’re the one who does whatever you want and doesn’t have any trouble, Chris.” There was a slight sulk in Rafinha’s smile.
Inglis chuckled. “Yeah, I guess.” She walked faster, pretending to run away from Rafinha, and caught up with Leone. Then, as she passed, she subtly took out a handkerchief and pressed it into Leone’s hand.
“Thank you. You pick the oddest times to be considerate, Inglis.”
Inglis hadn’t looked at Leone’s face, but she heard her voice catch for a moment. Rafinha might have seen her as more mature, but Leone was still just a fifteen-year-old girl. Speaking of her own memories of her painful past would surely have reawakened them in herself. She had to be feeling emotionally vulnerable after such a talk. Showing such deep empathy for Pullum, and trying to cheer her up, meant showing her own wounds that she’d prefer not to touch on.
She must have desperately held back her own tears for Pullum’s sake.
“You’re welcome. C’mon, Rani. We’ll look over there. Let’s go.”
“Ah, wait, Chris!”
As Leone had suggested, the group found an abandoned house in the town. They reconvened and spent the night there after a long day.
◆◇◆
Morning came, and before Inglis’s eyes was an absolutely stunning figure. One might even say this girl was the most beautiful in the world.
Inglis was still dressed in the thin underwear in which she had slept. The exposed skin of her glamorous, perfect curves was a pale pink from the cold. Then there was the girl’s beautiful, lovely face.
Inglis couldn’t keep her eyes off her. She wanted to see her from every angle.
The room was cold enough that Inglis could see her breath, so she really ought to have dressed quickly, but it had been a long time since she had last seen her reflection in a mirror. She hummed as she stared. She couldn’t stop. Having chosen a room with a large mirror was dangerous.
She bent forward to take a closer look at herself, then turned around to appreciate the curve of her back meeting her hips.
She considered this a somewhat mature way to enjoy oneself. From every angle, she was, as always, beautiful—no flattery or bias involved. She already had the allure of an adult woman.
Her thoughts on having been reborn in a woman’s body hadn’t changed. She didn’t consider it a bad thing. After all, she never got tired of looking at herself, and she could appreciate her appearance as much as she wanted without upsetting anyone. It wasn’t like she was ogling anyone but herself. Precisely because of her past life as a man—her tastes having remained the same even now—female beauty was a captivating force. Perhaps she was the best in the world at enjoying her own.
Whoosh!
Something quickly poked under Inglis’s arms—the smooth, soft fingers of a girl—and latched onto Inglis’s chest mercilessly.
“Eek! Stop it, Rani! You always—”
“That’s my line. You always get distracted in front of a mirror and leave yourself wide open. It’s like you’re asking for a sneak attack!”
“I am not! Stop it, that tickles!”
“Hey, I’m jealous of what I don’t have, so I wanna touch them! You’re my squire, so what’s yours is mine. It’s okay, right?”
“It is not okay!”
“It’s so chilly in here. My hands are freezing. Let me warm them up! ♪” Rafinha shoved her hands into Inglis’s cleavage.
“Eeeeek?!” Inglis felt her body seize. Rafinha’s hands were not only cold—they were icy.
“Mmm, so warm, so squishy and bouncy... I see why Rin enjoys getting comfy in there. Right, Rin?”
The tiny magicite beast, who’d been perched on Rafinha’s shoulder, tried to assert her own claim as she climbed into Inglis’s cleavage. Between Rafinha’s hands and Rin’s scurrying, there was a traffic jam around Inglis’s chest.
“Ugh...! Just one of you is more than enough!” Inglis complained.
The commotion woke Leone and Liselotte from their slumbers. Having left Lahti to be with Pullum, the four had slept in this room.
Liselotte yawned. “Please, you two are raising quite the ruckus...”
“And so early in the morning... What’s going on?” Leone asked.
“Ah, save me, Leone!” Inglis turned to the two fighting over her cleavage. “See, look! Hers are even bigger! Go over there!” she pleaded.
“All right, Rin! Let’s go!” Rafinha announced, moments before they pounced on their new target.
“Eeek! You’re cold... And it tickles! Ah! Stop it! Not there!” Leone protested.
“Phew, saved by Leone’s noble sacrifice...” Inglis said.
The four were still making a commotion without having changed for the day when a sudden noise interrupted.
Slam!
The door swung open violently, and Lahti entered without knocking. “Listen, we’ve got trouble—aaagh!”
“Eeeeeeek!” Naturally, Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte screamed. It was a natural reaction for girls their age.
“S-Sor—oof!” Lahti began, just for Inglis to grab him by the neck and pin him to the ground.
“Lahti, no matter how friendly we are, you can’t peek at Rani in her underwear. After Duke Bilford asked me to take care of her, I can’t overlook something so rude.”
“I can’t even see her! All I see is you! Up close! They’re poking me! I’ll leave right away, I swear! Just let me go!” Lahti shouted at what he must have considered to be an unexpected turn of events.
Flustered, he left the room. Inglis and the others began to change, but Lahti was getting impatient. He called out to them from outside. “Hey, have you seen Pullum and Ian?”
“No, not since yesterday,” Rafinha said.
“Did something happen?” Inglis asked.
“Th-They’re gone! Both of them!” Lahti answered.
“What?!”
“I hope they’re just taking a walk, but...” Lahti trailed off.
Inglis could understand why he didn’t want to finish that sentence. Ian had been their enemy not too long ago. However, he was a good person at heart, and his love for his country and its people was stronger than anyone’s. Inglis hadn’t let her guard down around him, but she did trust him to a degree, and Lahti didn’t want to admit that his trust had been betrayed.
“I’m sorry, but could you help me find them?” he asked.
“That’s terrible! Of course we’ll help! Be right there!” Rafinha replied.
Inglis hurriedly stopped her as she was about to rush out the door. “Wait, Rani! You’re not even dressed yet!” She had been about to leave without a shirt. If she had, all of Inglis’s constant vigilance against bad influences would have been in vain. It would be unforgivable for a man to see her defenseless, underwear-clad form—it would be reprehensible. And Inglis would be strictly enforcing this.
“Huh...? Oh, right. I was in such a hurry that I forgot!”
“You must take greater care. Going out in your underwear is unladylike. Girls should live their daily lives with modesty and demureness—as my aunt always says.”
“I’m not sure you have room to talk, having just tackled a boy by the neck in your underwear.”
“I don’t care! It was to protect you, Rani!”
“Sure, sure. Sometimes you really do nag too much, Chris.”
“Why are you two playing around? I’m going on ahead!” Leone, who had finished changing first, rushed out of the room.
“Ah, wait...! We need to hurry!” Rafinha said.
After waiting for Rafinha to finish dressing, they joined back up and searched the city, but Pullum and Ian were nowhere to be found.
◆◇◆
“How about you?” Rafinha asked.
Leone shook her head. “No luck over here. Nothing that could give us some kind of clue.”
“I also didn’t see anything out of the ordinary,” Liselotte said.
“Our supplies seem undisturbed. It doesn’t look like they took a Flygear either,” Inglis said. As far as she could tell, there was nothing out of place about the Flygear Port’s cargo or the Flygears it carried. Furthermore, she hadn’t seen any sign of footprints leading out of town.
“Meaning... They’ve disappeared?!” Lahti shouted, panicking.
If they left neither on foot nor by Flygear... Inglis thought.
“The only thing I can think of is that someone may have taken them away via a different method of transportation,” Leone offered.
Inglis couldn’t say for sure, but she had a feeling that Leone’s suspicion was correct. However, it was still unclear whether Ian was a victim as well. He could have assisted an external actor.
“And the person coming from outside to do that would be...” Inglis murmured.
“In that case, there’s one obvious suspect,” Liselotte said.
“Harim...!” Lahti exclaimed.
He was naturally someone they needed to be wary of. Given the current situation in Alcard, he was a member of the only hostile force present. The Steelbloods hadn’t shown themselves yet, and Alcard’s armed forces were mobilizing on the Karelian border. Tiffanyer’s faction, based in Leclair, was the only group within Alcard that clearly recognized the knights’ academy students as an enemy.
“But Harim hadn’t seen Pullum...” Lahti said.
He raised a good point. Pullum had stayed hidden when they’d faced Harim.
“Meaning...” Inglis trailed off into her own thoughts. There was the possibility that Ian, who was now missing, had guided him.
“We don’t know that for sure,” Rafinha said. “He may have seen her from far away, or maybe heard from other Highlanders we fought since leaving Tsira that she’s with us. We don’t know enough yet. What if Ian tried to protect Pullum and was taken prisoner with her?” Despite the circumstances, she still wanted to believe in Ian.
Leone nodded. “I agree with Rafinha. What we need to focus on now is finding Pullum and saving her.”
“From what we’ve heard so far, there’s only one place she could be,” Inglis said.
In fact, the operational base for Tiffanyer’s faction was one of the places they’d been considering traveling to.
“Leclair. It’s gotta be Leclair,” Lahti declared.
“We hadn’t come to a decision on whether to go to the capital or Leclair, but it seems that choice has been made for us,” Leone said.
“Yes! Let’s hurry to Leclair!” Liselotte agreed.
“Yes! Let’s leave right away!” Rafinha announced.
Inglis had been patiently waiting for their thoughts, but she needed to step in now. “Wait a minute. We have to think this through, or—”
“Chriiis. Do you really still want to go to the capital first while our friends are in danger? If you say something lame, like ‘I want to fight a lot’ or ‘I want to play around in Evel’s lab,’ I’m going to be mad,” Rafinha said, her fierce eyes focused on Inglis.
“I don’t think those are silly matters, but beyond that, there’s something that needs to be considered here and now—by Lahti.” Inglis turned her gaze to him.
“Huh? Me?”
“If we seek out the enemy in Leclair, there’s definitely going to be a fight on our hands. If we wipe out our foes, save Pullum, and stop the scorched-earth requisitioning... That’s going to be a big deal, right?”
Rafinha tilted her head. “That sounds like a good thing to me. What’s the problem?”
“If we—that is, Karelian knights—do something so significant, it will have major repercussions. From the perspective of the civilians, it will seem like Karelia helped them in their time of need, and Alcard itself will be discredited. Consequently, on the Karelian side, it wouldn’t be surprising for some to want to bite off some land—they’ll believe they’ll be welcomed as liberators.”
“That isn’t what we’d be trying to do, though,” Rafinha replied.
“But Inglis is right. That might happen,” Leone said.
“That could happen from any of our plans, though, right? No matter when we show ourselves...” Rafinha commented.
“Exactly. That’s why Lahti will need to operate in the open. If Lahti cooperates with Karelian knights to capture Leclair, it will be seen as his own effort, and the people’s sympathies won’t drift from Alcard,” Inglis pointed out.
If Alcard’s prince himself liberated Alcard, the populace would be unlikely to support Karelia. But even if this solved the larger geopolitical problem, it would create personal problems for Lahti himself.
“So that should be fine, then. What’s the problem with that?” Rafinha asked.
“If Lahti does so, everyone will thank him for it,” Inglis explained. “They’ll consider him the hero who saved Alcard. From there... That would propel Lahti in a specific direction. The people will be sure to support his immediate succession too. If he wanted to avoid that, we could talk to his father, the king, and ask him to name a figurehead. Regardless, if we do this, Lahti will have no choice but to take a leading role in politics.”
If they were to proceed without talking with the king of Alcard, all credit would go to Lahti, which would place the king’s own position in jeopardy. He’d be seen as having done nothing during a time of crisis. Even if Lahti himself had no intention of taking power immediately, radicals could lead a coup to install him on the throne.
Inglis understood that Lahti’s heart was telling him to save Pullum, but it was also important to lay political groundwork. They stood at a crossroads that would have a major impact on Lahti’s future.
“Are you okay with that, Lahti? Are you prepared to take power?” Inglis asked. “There will be no turning back.”
“I...” Lahti hesitated.
“If they took Pullum specifically, they no doubt have plans for her, so we need to make haste...but I’m also sure she’ll be safe for the time being. I don’t think we’ll be too late if we speak with the king in the capital first... Do you still wish to go to Leclair first? If you do, I’ll be with you, but...”
This was especially relevant because Lahti had left his country to study in Karelia. If he wanted to stay there rather than to inherit the crown, charging into Leclair would make that no longer possible. He needed to be prepared for all outcomes. It was better to recognize the significance of the choice which lay before you, rather than to simply let your momentum carry you down an unknown but irreversible path.
King Inglis had been first a hero, then a hero-king, prioritizing the people’s hopes and dreams. Before long, those choices had sealed the hero-king’s path in life. It was because she’d had those experiences that she was able to recognize the crossroads Lahti now stood at. And, being aware of it, it was only kind to point it out to him. After all, Lahti was her friend.
“You still have time to think. Consider it well before you decide.” Then Inglis turned to Rafinha. “Are you angry with me?”
Rafinha had said moments before she’d be mad if Inglis had said something stupid. She wondered if Rafinha was displeased with her.
But for some reason, Rafinha hesitantly said, “I’m sorry...”
“You don’t have to apologize.”
“Inglis, you really do come out of nowhere with the sharpest thinking... I wonder how your train of thought works...” Leone said. She was equally impressed as she was surprised.
“Indeed. She usually seems like she’s only concerned with eating and fighting, but that isn’t the whole story,” Liselotte said with a smile.
They seemed to have seriously valued her argument.
“I suppose it’s just life experience that’s taught me a lot.” Inglis was being honest, but of course Rafinha and the others looked at her in obvious confusion, not sure what she meant.
Lahti had made up his mind. He looked determined, resolute. “We can’t wait that long! I’m going to Leclair!”
“You’re sure? No regrets?” Inglis asked.
“I’m certain! This isn’t just about Pullum. There are people like those children who are starving to death. Can they wait? We need to take back the food hoarded in Leclair and distribute it!”
“Agreed. That much is true.”
“And, honestly... There were times when I didn’t want to succeed my father. I have an older brother, but he’s not my father’s biological son—he’s technically my cousin, but my uncle died young—so they always told me I was the crown prince. The thing is, I’m Runeless, and my brother isn’t. He’s talented too. I figured with me gone, he’d inherit the throne, and Alcard would do well... Much of the court felt the same, including Harim. He was good friends with my brother.”
Inglis was familiar with some of the details. Pullum and Ian had filled her in on some of the history while Lahti wasn’t around, since it had been information relevant to their mission in Alcard.
Lahti continued. “But... What you just said strengthened my resolve. I’ll go to Leclair, save Pullum and the people who are suffering, and if that means becoming king, so be it. If I do that, and then I...”
“And then?” Inglis asked.
“Ah, er... Whatever. Just forget about it.”
“No, tell me what you meant. That way we can all help.”
“R-Really? Then... With what Harim’s doing, he’s bringing dishonor to his family, isn’t he?”
“Their family is a part of the king’s retinue, right?”
“Yeah. They’ve been well-known for generations, but I don’t know what will happen to them because of Harim. If I become king, though, I can protect Pullum no matter what happens.”
“I see. If you’re king and Pullum is queen, no one will be able to object. It might be the best way to protect her. Is that what you meant?”
Lahti gulped. “I... I think it’s a bit soon to go there...but yeah. Everything else aside, even though I’m Runeless, she’s protected me. Now I want to protect her! It might seem like a weak excuse for becoming king, but it’s how I feel! If it’s for her sake, I’ll do anything, even become king!”
Inglis chuckled. “I see.” It was immature reasoning, but Inglis didn’t mind that. She had been not much different, finding herself on a path she couldn’t turn back from without having thought it through. She had also become king without a second thought. No matter Lahti’s reasons, they were acceptable so long as he behaved like a proper king afterward.
Most importantly, he was making a conscious decision, which would help him avoid any regrets. And as immature as it may have been, his reasoning fit his age—plus, it pleased the similarly immature sensibilities of the girls around him.
“I like that!” Rafinha agreed. “So you save Pullum, and then propose to her on the spot! I’m getting fired up!”
“Being able to make people happy through our actions really makes it feel like we’re doing something worthwhile,” Leone added.
“I’d love to see it for my own future reference! You two finding happiness like that!” Liselotte said.
Rafinha’s, Leone’s, and Liselotte’s eyes gleamed.
“Wait, why are you assuming you’ll see?” Lahti protested. “There’s no way I could do that in front of other people!”
“It’s fine! We wanna watch!” Rafinha exclaimed. “We’re going to do our best to save Pullum, so let us in on the treat! It’s every girl’s dream! C’mon, Chris, you want to watch too, right?”
“I’m not that interested. Fighting a hieral menace will be enough for me. In any case, we’re all motivated, right?”
“Yes, extremely!” Leone announced.
Liselotte pumped her fist in the air passionately. “We’ll do our best! Let’s break into Leclair and save Pullum!”
“Yeah!” Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte were all on the same page. Actually, Inglis was a little annoyed at their enthusiasm; it would mean fewer foes for her.
“Ugh... If only I were strong, if I had a Rune, I could say something cool like, ‘I’m going to save Pullum with my own hands!’” Lahti groaned.
“It’ll be fine,” Inglis reassured him. “Once you’re king, you won’t need martial prowess. A king has his own role to fulfill, and pure strength isn’t necessary.”
If that weren’t true, King Inglis wouldn’t have made such a request to the goddess Alistia.
Thinking back on it, Inglis wondered whether Alistia would have reincarnated her as a man again if she’d thought to ask it of her. It had never occurred to her to ask, and thus she’d been reborn as the daughter of a knight captain... Nonetheless, she didn’t mind how things had turned out. She’d learned the upsides of living as a woman as well. She had no regrets, and she was sure she’d continue to enjoy living as Inglis Eucus.
“A king doesn’t need martial prowess, huh... Sure, my old man isn’t that strong either, but...”
“See? You needn’t worry. If you were strong, then what would I do with myself?”
“What are you even doing here...? No, wait, I don’t need to ask.”
Needless to say, Inglis was there both to gain real-world experience against powerful foes and to enjoy the delicious cuisine of Alcard. In the end, both Lahti’s country Alcard and Karelia would benefit, so it was okay to have some fun with such a good excuse. She chuckled. “Just leave it to me. I’ll be good.”
“I wish we could leave it at that, but...my brother’s strong...”
“How strong? Do you think he’ll fight me after we go to Leclair?”
“K-Knock it off! That’ll just mean big trouble later!”
“But the more experience I can get, the better.”
Inglis’s stomach rumbled a loud grrrgl! Her hunger had been so constant in Alcard that such a sound was now merely a normal part of the background noise.
“Anyway,” she began, not outright addressing her grumbling stomach, “first things first—Leclair. I’ll be able to fight, and with all the food they have hoarded, there’ll be plenty to eat.”
“That’s right, Chris! After Leclair falls, we’ll finally be able to feast on some Alcardian cooking! We need to do our best. For our bellies!”
“Yeah, we’ll finally be able to try some of the famous spicy food.”
“I can’t wait! I’m just gonna eat, and eat, and eat...”
“We’ve been holding out so long...”
“Hey, hey, wait, don’t eat too much!” Lahti objected. “That food was stolen from the country’s people! We need to give it back! Are you even listening?!”
At any rate, they had a destination. First, they would narrow their focus to the battle against the hieral menace. Inglis hoped delicious food and more battles lay ahead.
“All right, let’s get going.” The group hurriedly made their preparations, then set out for Leclair.
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