The next day—
“What…!? A change in destination…!?”
Inside one of the rooms aboard the flying battleship, Raphael raised his voice in surprise.
“That’s not what I said, Sir Raphael. It’s just a small detour. The road from my capital city, Glittar, to Fort Grilorth where the expeditionary force is stationed, has been left in ruins by the recent incursion of the Prisma. With this flying battleship, we can transport a large amount of supplies all at once. We can even deliver letters from the townspeople to the soldiers at the fort. I ask you, would you lend us your help in this matter?”
This proposal from Prime Minister Rigriff was presented in a meeting where Inglis, Raphael, and the others had gathered.
Glittar lay to the east of their current location.
Fort Grilorth, near the border with Venefique, was to the northeast—and the sealed location of the Dragon God Owlgloria was nearby as well. Since they were heading in that direction anyway, the request was to load supplies beforehand and carry them along.
It was certainly understandable—after all, a flying battleship had enormous transport capacity, and it made sense to use it for the struggling frontlines. Precisely because of that, it was a hard request for Raphael to refuse.
“Still, it does mean we’ll be delayed in reaching where the dragon is sealed…”
Even if the delay was only by a few days, those few days could prove fatal for Rochefort’s current condition.“B-but, Brother…! If we don’t hurry, Instructor Rochefort will—! Of course, we have to help the people waiting on food and letters too, but…”
“Yes. You’re right, Rani. Sir Rochefort’s condition doesn’t allow us to take our time.”
That said, the investigation into the Dragon God this time had been organized under the pretext of ensuring that, when the eastern lords’ expeditionary force marched against Venefique, the sealed dragon wouldn’t awaken and attack them from behind.
In other words, it was to eliminate any threat to the army’s rear. It wasn’t exactly a situation where they could say that Rochefort’s well-being should be placed above all else.
“Then, Brother—please allow us to go on ahead to the Dragon God’s sealing site.”
Inglis raised her hand and made the request to Raphael.
Originally, Inglis and her group were not part of the Holy Knights. They were only accompanying them for the sake of the dragon investigation. So there should be no problem with them splitting off and proceeding ahead for reconnaissance.
That way, the investigation wouldn’t be delayed, and Prime Minister Rigriff’s request wouldn’t have to be rejected outright.
“I believe this way, neither task will fall behind schedule.”
Moreover, though she couldn’t say it aloud, the real objective of this investigation was to acquire dragon meat to save Rochefort—and to destroy the road that led to Venefique’s border, so that the expeditionary army couldn’t march.
They needed to carry out sabotage under the guise of it being the dragon’s doing.
For that sabotage to succeed, it would be far more convenient if Prime Minister Rigriff and his Knights weren’t present at the scene. This wasn’t just a troublesome detour—it was, if anything, a golden opportunity.
Of course, it meant that the sabotage operation, which was supposed to be handled by the Holy Knights, would now fall to Inglis and her group.
“Glis… are you sure we can count on you?” Raphael’s careful tone made it clear he was referring to the unspoken aspects of their mission.
“Yes, Brother. Leave it to us. If we may, we’d like to use the Flygear Carrier for the separate movement.”
“Right. Prime Minister Rigriff, would that be acceptable?”
“Mm, I don’t mind. Just be sure not to overexert yourselves before the main force catches up.”
Prime Minister Rigriff nodded without hesitation and gave Inglis a word of concern. He didn’t seem to have any inkling of their hidden agenda.
“Yes. Thank you very much.”
—What kind of expression would he make when everything was over? Thinking about that made Inglis feel a little sorry for him. However, she didn’t let a hint of it show. With a graceful smile, she bowed to Prime Minister Rigriff.
“Glis, what about Instructor Rochefort? We can’t exactly bring him with us, can we?”
If the Flygear Carrier got caught up in a battle with the Dragon God, it might put a strain on his body. Rafinha’s concern was perfectly reasonable.
“Yeah… in that case, let’s have him rest on the airship. If we manage to get the dragon meat, we can bring it to him right away.”
“Right, that makes sense. Then, Professor Arles should stay on the airship—”
However, Arles shook her head at Rafinha’s suggestion.
“No, I’ll go with Inglis and the others. If there’s going to be a battle, either Ripple or I should be there. And besides, I am still your instructor. I can’t just leave dangerous work to my students… I’m sure Ross would say the same.”
“Professor Arles…”
“Then I will stay on the airship and continue looking after Professor Rochefort in your place. Please don’t worry and go with them.”
The one who earnestly volunteered was Meltina.
“Lady Meltina… thank you.”
“Then I will stay on the airship as well, together with Miss Meltina. It would be too much for her to handle alone.”
Saying so, Liselotte also offered to remain.
“Leone, please accompany Inglis and the others for the Dragon God investigation. That group will need more hands.”
“All right, Liselotte. Got it.”
“Inglis, Rafinha, I’m coming too. This is the reason I came, after all…!”
That was Mais, volunteering himself.
Mais had joined them for this investigation and had even brought along a Mecha Dragon of his own aboard the airship.
Of course, turning the Dragon God itself into a Mecha Dragon would be nearly impossible—but if there happened to be a subordinate dragon under its command, they might be able to capture it and convert it instead.
Many Mecha Dragons had been lost in the collapse of Illuminus, so being able to increase their numbers would be a great help.
“All right, Mais. Then it’s decided. Let’s go with that plan.”
Inglis, Rafinha, Leone, and Arles would go ahead to investigate the Dragon God’s seal site, while Liselotte and Meltina would remain on the airship to continue caring for Rochefort.
They, too, would split into two groups to respond to the situation as needed.
“Brother, we’ll prepare and depart right away.”
“I’m counting on you, Rani. Inglis, Leone, Lady Arles, Mais—please all be careful.”
At Raphael’s words, Inglis and the others nodded in unison.
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