The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War - Chapter 479

“Oh ho ho! Now this is quite the spectacle—truly a feast for the eyes.”

The one approaching with those words was a stout, middle-aged man. His gaze was blatantly roving across their bodies, lingering on their waists and chests—it was impossible not to notice.

“Indeed…”

Of course, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar either. He gave off the same vibe as the former Highland envoy, Myynti.

Inglis felt something similar from him—but this man was Prime Minister Rigriff. Well, at least he wasn’t trying to touch them or cling to them outright. That was… relatively gentlemanly, perhaps.

Flanking Prime Minister Rigriff were a male and female Knight acting as his guards. They looked to be in their late twenties to early thirties. Both bore High Grade Rune on the backs of their right hands—clearly highly skilled knights.

They were likely members of Prime Minister Rigriff’s own knight order, much like Ymir’s. The fact that he had such capable retainers suggested his order was a powerful one.

As expected of a central figure among the eastern lords—a noble great enough to be entrusted with the position of Prime Minister.

“U-um… Prime Minister Rigriff. Is there something you need?” Arles asked, a bit tense, as she stepped slightly in front. She seemed a little intimidated by Rigriff’s impolite gaze.

“Oh no, no. Just a visit to boost morale, is all. After the Dragon God investigation, we’ll be comrades heading into battle against Venefique together, after all. Isn’t it good to meet and speak with my men now? I myself once stood on the frontlines, fighting against magic stone beasts and barbaric venefians. I’ve no intention of neglecting the battlefield.”

Despite appearances, he seemed to have some awareness of the importance of morale and presence at the front lines.

As per Inglis’ proposal, Prince Wayne had temporarily yielded command of the Holy Knight Order in exchange for permission to investigate Prime Minister Rigriff’s territory. It seemed Rigriff’s mind was already turning toward the campaign against Venefique.

The fact that he didn’t appear to suspect their ulterior motives was fortunate.

“I believe that’s a most admirable attitude.” Inglis offered a bow as she gave her response.

“Oh no, no, the truly admirable ones here are you all! Hahaha!”

Exactly what he found admirable was unclear, but his leering smile made it obvious his eyes were still crawling lasciviously over Inglis and Arles’ exposed skin.

“……”

“Uu…”

There was nothing to do here but endure it—but Arles clearly seemed to be having a hard time.

“I came here to lift your spirits, and now it seems you’ve lifted mine instead! In more ways than one! Wahahaha! Ah, don’t mind me—go ahead with your work. I’ll just stick around and observe for a bit!”

As Prime Minister Rigriff chuckled and said this, one person stepped in front of him.

“I’m sorry! But we really have to start test-running this Flygear now!”

It was Rafinha. She stepped between Prime Minister Rigriff and Arles, shielding the latter protectively.

“Come on, let’s go, Glis! Professor Arles!”

“Ah, yes, Miss Rafinha…!”

“……”

Inglis, however, was distracted by something else. Just now—Rafinha had only shielded Arles. Well, it was understandable, since Arles had looked scared, and Rafinha being kind was a good thing.

It was a good thing, indeed—but… if she was going to protect someone, Inglis kind of wished she’d included her too. That made her feel a little lonely.

“Mmm… is that so? A pity, indeed.”

Prime Minister Rigriff murmured wistfully.

“Prime Minister, sir. There are plenty of other soldiers around—perhaps you could speak to them instead.”

“I’m sure the others are eager to receive your words as well.”

While the knights by his side tried to smooth things over, Inglis and the others quietly launched the Star Princess unit.

With a light lift, the Star Princess soared from the hangar and flew alongside the airborne battleship.

“Yup! She’s totally good as new! She might even be faster than before!” Rafinha gleefully zipped around in the Star Princess. “Professor Arles, sorry for dragging you along like that. I just… couldn’t come up with a better excuse.”

“Oh no, flying like this feels wonderful. It’s a lovely change of pace…! And besides, you shielded me back there, didn’t you? Thank you for that.” Arles smiled, the wind brushing across her face, looking truly at ease.

“Glis, do you want to take the controls for a bit? I bet you’re curious how it feels.”

“…No, I’m good.”

“Hmm? What’s with the sulking? Something wrong?”

“Nothing? It’s not like I’m upset or anything that you only protected Professor Arles and totally left me out.”

“You were bothered by that? Come on, it’s not like you lost anything. Besides, you don’t have a single thing to be embarrassed about, Glis. You’re the cutest one here!”

“That’s not the point…! I was holding it in too, you know!”

“Okay, okay! I get it, I get it—I’m sorry, alright? Geez, you’re such a baby. What happened to that brave warrior spirit?”

“It’s right here! And I am not being a baby!”

Inglis gave her chest a firm thump.

“Haha, Miss Rafinha and Miss Inglis really are close,” Arles said with a warm smile as she watched the two of them banter.

“Yep! We’re cousins and childhood friends. But because of that, I’ve come to understand what it means to really care about someone. That’s why I want to help you, Professor Arles—because you’re trying to save someone you love…! I know we can help Instructor Rochefort, so let’s give it our best, okay?”

Rafinha called out to Arles with determination, looking her straight in the eyes.

“Miss Rafinha… Yes! Hehe, but now I’m not sure which one of us is the teacher anymore.”

A faint shimmer of tears welled up in Arles’ eyes. Rafinha’s words had reached her. With a pure and honest heart, Rafinha had the power to draw people in and lead them forward.

As someone who had watched over Rafinha since she was a baby, Inglis couldn’t help but feel proud of the person she’d become. Now, all she could do was give her all to make those words come true.

Inglis also truly wanted to save Rochefort. She still wanted to spar and train with him many more times. Despite appearances, there wasn’t another instructor as dedicated to one-on-one combat training as Rochefort. He was far too valuable to lose.

In that sense, Inglis and Rafinha’s feelings were perfectly aligned.

“Rani, switch with me. I want to try the test flight too.”

“Hm? Okay, sure—here you go.”

Rafinha moved behind Inglis and handed over the controls.

“Whoa…! It really is different—more responsive, and it’s faster too…!”

No surprise—the parts had been newly crafted by the Highland craftsmen of Illuminus.

“Hey Glis, want to see how fast it can go at full throttle?”

As she said that, Rafinha hugged Inglis tightly from behind. Her warmth was soft and comforting.

“Yeah, got it—here we go…!”

Inglis nodded and accelerated the Star Princess.