by Takehaya
The real surprise had come when she detected a fourth spell. It wasn’t something she knew, either. It was a spell she had never come across before, but she could tell where the mana for it was gathering. It was right on the back of the dragon’s neck. She hoped that attacking it might have an effect on Alunaya. It was a gamble, but Caris believed that it was a better bet than just letting things continue the way they were.
“The back of the neck, right?!”
Koutarou quickly made his decision. He felt the same way Caris did. He was willing to try anything that might give him a chance. And so while aiming for Alunaya’s neck, Koutarou put his boosters to full thrust in order to get behind him.
“Be careful, Blue Knight! He’s about to use his flame breath!”
“At this range?!”
Koutarou had assumed that Alunaya wouldn’t be able to use his flame breath once he was up close, so Caris’s warning startled him quite badly. Since Alunaya didn’t want Koutarou getting behind him, he was willing to take some collateral damage to hit him.
“Leave it to me!”
As Alunaya opened his mouth to spew flames, Clan fired several shots from her rifle. The moderately spread out lasers hit all over Alunaya’s face. Before now, that was enough stop Alunaya in his tracks for a while, but not this time. He had expected the attack and endured it while continuing to breathe fire.
The glowing white pillar of flame came straight for Koutarou. He would be able to easily dodge it with more distance between them, but evading was impossible at this range. And just as it looked like Koutarou was about to be swallowed in the torrent of flames...
“Then I’ll just do this!”
Koutarou had a sudden flash of an idea and altered the electromagnetic field generated around his sword to envelop himself as well. He poured as much of his spiritual energy into his left arm as he could. As he did, Koutarou shot forward like a bullet, instantly putting him out of the range of the fire.
“V-Veltlion, you idiot! Just... Just how reckless can you get?!”
Since Clan was monitoring the condition of Koutarou’s armor on her bracelet, she knew what he had done. He’d used the powerful electromagnetic field from his gauntlet to forcibly accelerate the armor. Not even his advanced space armor, however, could completely block out magnetism of that magnitude. Though the armor itself didn’t break, the AI spat out all kinds of errors as the onboard systems shut down.
“Not so fast, Clan!”
However, Koutarou didn’t stop moving. The armor’s functionality had been compromised, but the gauntlet on Koutarou’s left arm was still working. Koutarou used that power to push himself forward.
“I’ll show you...”
Propelled forward by the power of Kiriha’s gauntlet, Koutarou charged right at Alunaya. His sword was aimed at the back of his neck where Caris had sensed gathering mana. The armor’s systems had shut down and it was unclear whether or not they’d come back online, so Koutarou knew this was his last chance to attack.
“...exactly how reckless I can be!”
Saguratin clashed with Alunaya’s barrier. In that moment, Koutarou could see a large crystal attached to the back of Alunaya’s neck. It was the only thing glowing blue on Alunaya’s gigantic red body. Koutarou used all of his remaining strength to unleash a pulse of electricity there.
There was a white flash. The largest lightning bolt Koutarou had unleashed yet passed through Alunaya’s barrier and zapped the glowing blue crystal.
“ROOOAAAAAAARRR!”
Since Koutarou was exhausted, however, the last of his energy wasn’t enough to create sufficient electricity to shatter the crystal. Yet though the crystal remained intact, Alunaya seemed to be in great pain. He nearly doubled over in the air, his massive body wriggling like a fish out of water. The howling roars he let out echoed all the way into the town, leaving the villagers shaking in their boots. Alunaya then lost his ability to keep himself in the air and fell towards the ground.
“D-Did that do it...?”
The exhausted Koutarou also entered free fall as he watched Alunaya plummet. The armor still hadn’t rebooted, and he no longer had the strength to use his gauntlet. At this rate, Koutarou would smash into the ground at terminal velocity.
“Heh, heheh... We win... Your Highness...”
However, before Koutarou reached the ground, he lost consciousness. He was so battered and weakened from the fight that, once he relaxed after being assured of his victory, he blacked out completely.
The Holy Sword
Koutarou had avoided death by sudden encounter with the ground thanks to Clan and Caris. Caris had used her magic to slow Koutarou down, and Clan had just barely managed to catch him.
“Jeez... What a handful for a knight...”
The laser rifle that Clan had tossed aside to catch him was what ended up dashed upon the earth in Koutarou’s place. But that didn’t seem to bother her as she held on to Koutarou. She was simply relieved that he was safe.
Koutarou was immediately taken to the infirmary in the fort and was seen to by Lidith the alchemist and Fauna the priestess. However, even after he was treated, he remained unconscious. Worried, Alaia asked Lidith about Koutarou’s condition as she gazed at his sleeping face.
“Lidith, how is Layous-sama?”
“He’s injured all over, but not one of his wounds is critical. It seems like Caris’s magic was of great help.”
As an alchemist, Lidith knew some of the most advanced medical arts of the age. Alchemists were scholars who studied everything from science and pharmacology to herbalism and magic. She’d also learned a great deal as Clan’s assistant. As a result, she was able to give Koutarou much more specialized treatment than just first aid or folk medicine.
“So then when will the Blue Knight wake up, Lidith?”
Charl climbed up beside the bed and watched over Koutarou with Alaia. She had no doubt that he would wake up. He had promised to let her ride a horse after all, and he always kept his promises. But for all her bravado, she was still worried. Her lips were pressed into a frown as she looked on at the sleeping Koutarou.
“I can’t say for sure... It all depends on Lord Veltlion.”
“Princess Charl, I’ll do my best to make sure Layous-sama wakes up as fast as possible!”
“Yeah! Please do, Fauna!”
As a priestess of the Goddess of Dawn, Fauna could manipulate spiritual energy. She had been using her powers to stimulate Koutarou’s natural healing and speed up his recovery for a while now. It was something like a stronger version of Sanae’s massages. And since Fauna was an experienced practitioner of the healing arts as a priestess, her help would ensure Koutarou recovered at least twice as fast as normal.
The truth was that Clan could have used the medical kit she had on board the Cradle to heal Koutarou even faster. But Clan knew that there was a finite limit to how much the med kit could be used, and it would be impossible to find supplementary supplies for it in this day and age. So as long as Koutarou’s injuries could be healed using the techniques of this age, she held off on resorting to the med kit.
“Thank goodness... Layous-sama is all right...”
With her friends, Alaia was finally able to relax some. Based on their words and attitudes, she knew that Koutarou would be fine. Alaia revealed a small smile as she wiped away a tear that had begun to form in her eye.
When Koutarou had been dragged in unconscious, Alaia felt like her heart would stop. It was like watching her world crumble in front of her. If nothing else, it was a confirmation of just how strongly she felt about him. And it was the strength of that emotion that left her feeling unsure even when other people said that he was okay. Those were just words. It wasn’t until after Koutarou was treated that she was able to get a real feel for the situation. Between seeing him for herself and the reassurance of her close companions, she was finally put at ease.
“What a lucky man. It’s hard to believe that he’d make it out okay after a fight with a mon
ster like that.”
“He’s always been a lucky man. After all―”
He’s the man I tried to kill but couldn’t.
Those were the words that almost left Clan’s mouth, but she chose to hold them in. Even though it was the truth, saying it out loud wouldn’t do her any favors now. Moreover, admitting Koutarou was her enemy right now would leave a bad taste in her mouth. So Clan kept her thoughts to herself and smiled softly before continuing.
“After all, there are always people praying for his safety.”
“You can say that again. I need the Blue Knight alive. He still hasn’t made good on his promise to feed me well.”
Unaware of Clan’s true feelings, Caris nodded repeatedly in agreement. Watching Caris with a certain degree of amusement, Clan repeated her words to herself.
There are always people praying for his safety, huh? Now that I think about it, that was true even before...
Clan recalled Koutarou’s life on Earth. He lived with five girls in a small apartment. Clan’s rival, Theia, was one of those girls, and she too had started out as Koutarou’s enemy. But as time passed, hostilities ceased and they began respecting each other. The same was mostly true for the other girls too. All five were probably worried sick about Koutarou even now. That was why Koutarou was trying to return home.
Heh, I guess that makes me the sixth...
Clan wasn’t much different. She had tried to kill Koutarou, but now she was worried for him. Moreover, Koutarou had offered to let her live with him if she ended up with no home to return to herself.
Koutarou was stupid, awkward, and barely capable of taking care of himself. As the invaders attacked one after another, he’d ended up getting involved in each of their troubles. In fact, that’s exactly how he’d gotten cast through space and time. And now even if he wanted to return home, he couldn’t. If he’d been a little more selfish or discerning, this probably wouldn’t have ever happened. But that simply wasn’t awkward, kind-hearted Koutarou’s lot. In a sense, he was a true underdog.
Yet even so, he was remarkably fortunate. There really was always someone worried about him, and that became his drive to survive. Knowing that, Clan too was certain that Koutarou would awaken. It just wasn’t in his nature to stay down. Everyone loved that silly, stubborn side of his.
“...He really is a lucky man...”
He very well may be the only man to ever have four princesses fawn over him so.
Clan smiled at the sleeping Koutarou. She felt it was odd, but right now she could honestly admit that even she was worried about him.
“This is bad, Princess Alaia! You’ll never believe who Flair-sama has come back with!”
But the peaceful moment was interrupted when Mary entered the infirmary with a pale face.
Flair had made this most unusual discovery when she went out to investigate what happened to Alunaya. Thanks to Koutarou’s attack, Alunaya had crashed into a forest south of the fort. Flair led a small troop into the woods to try and discern what had become of him. But no matter how hard they looked, he was nowhere to be found. They found splintered and knocked over trees that seemed like evidence he’d landed in the area, but nothing of the dragon himself. Considering his size, it was hard to believe he was hiding anywhere, so Flair assumed that he must have flown off and ended up calling off the search.
On their way home, however, Flair crossed paths with a familiar face. It was such an unexpected encounter that Flair wasn’t sure what to make of it, much less what to do with the man. At first she thought about killing him, but in the end, she decided that Alaia should be the one to make the call, so she brought him back to the Raustor fort.
“You’re quite brave to show your face here.”
Flair brought the man to a meeting room near the entrance to the fort. Upon seeing him, Alaia’s normally gentle expression turned icy. Behind Alaia stood Clan, Charl, and the other girls, but they said nothing and simply watched as things unfolded. They were planning on leaving this to Alaia and Flair.
“You can say that again, ‘Princess’ Alaia.”
The man, however, showed no sign of being shaken by Alaia’s cold stare. Remarkably, the corners of his lips turned up into sly grin. It was as if he had no idea he was in the heart of enemy territory.
“Such a brazen attitude... What business do you have, Copper Knight Dextro?”
Copper Knight Dextro. It was a name Alaia and the others would never forget. Dextro was a copper-rank knight of the Melcemhein family, who was loyal to Maxfern and made up a portion of the coup d’etat army.
In the past, Dextro had personally taken on the mission of pursuing Alaia. In an attempt to corner her, he’d poisoned a small town’s water supply. It was a cruel, indiscriminant scheme that sickened many innocent villagers. Alaia and the others had fortunately managed to get through the crisis, but they would never forgive Dextro for what he’d done.
“Before we talk, take these off me. They’re just so uncomfortable.”
Dextro indicated the shackles binding his hands and feet. Since he was considered an extremely dangerous man, Flair had taken every precaution—including restraints—before taking him to Alaia.
“Don’t be stupid. We’re not foolish enough to set you free.”
Flair was quick to reject Dextro’s request. She wasn’t willing to take any chances when Alaia’s safety was involved.
“Jeez, you must be dense. I wouldn’t do anything that would risk my life.”
Dextro jangled the shackles around his wrists and slumped his shoulders in an exaggerated fashion, but it seemed Flair’s response was about what he expected. He simply sighed and moved on as he began to explain things.
“I came here to make a deal with you lot.”
“...A deal?”
Alaia narrowed her eyes. She was skeptical.
“Yeah, that’s right. I have some information you’ll be interested in. Moreover, it’s incredibly urgent. I want you to accept my demands in exchange for telling you.”
“There is no way we would make a deal with you!”
Flair quickly rejected Dextro once more. She would never dream of conceding to a deal with such a despicable man, both for Alaia’s sake and her own pride as a knight.
“What are your demands, Dextro?”
However, Alaia’s reaction was the opposite of Flair’s.
“Your Highness! You can’t fall for this man’s trickery!”
“Flair, if that’s really why this man has come here, we won’t lose anything by hearing what he has to say.”
Alaia knew just how calculating Dextro was, and she knew that he’d taken a great risk to come here and talk to them. Alaia most likely wouldn’t kill him because she valued the lives of her citizens, but there was nothing stopping Flair, for example. In fact, she’d almost cut him down on sight. Yet despite knowing the danger it would put him in, Dextro had come to make a deal. That meant that whatever he had to bargain with was worth a risk like that.
“As expected from Princess Alaia. You’re a cut above that hard-headed woman.”
“Dextro, you bastard!”
“Calm down, Flair.”
Alaia held Flair back and stepped up to Dextro. She was planning on hearing his terms.
“Tell me your demands, Dextro.”
“I only have one demand. I want you to protect my position, even if you win this war.”
“Your position?”
“Yeah,” Dextro said with a nod and a grin. “I was sure it would only be a matter of time before your silly little Reborn Forthorthian Army would be quashed, but now you’ve even gone and taken over Raustor. Your numbers are still no match for Maxfern, but it looks like that might be changing soon. If rumor spreads that the Blue Knight defeated a dragon, I bet you’ll have recruits flooding in left and right.”
“And what of it?”
Flair glared daggers at Dextro, and Dextro responded with a sneer.
“Well, if you’d let me finish, the short of it is that th
ere’s a chance you lot might win this war. I’d wager your chances are fifty-fifty.”
“So that’s it...”
Alaia now saw why Dextro had dared to appear before them. Her expression turned even more serious as she gave him a stern glare.
“Honestly, I don’t really care who wins, but there’s no denying I’ll be in hot water if you do. I’m sure you’d love to put me on trial for war crimes and all that. I might even get executed.”
“Of course! That’s what you deserve after what you’ve done!”
If Maxfern’s coup d’etat army were to lose, Dextro wouldn’t just lose his position. He’d have to face the law for what he’d done during the coup, including the atrocity of poisoning an entire village. It would depend on the trial, but he likely wouldn’t be able to avoid the death penalty. If he was lucky, he’d just spend the rest of his life behind bars. Either way, his future looked bleak if Maxfern’s coup didn’t succeed.
“So you’re selling us information to buy amnesty in advance, are you?”
Alaia saw exactly where this was going.
“Precisely, Princess Alaia. I couldn’t give a damn if you or Maxfern ends up on the throne, but I have a certain investment in saving my own hide. So don’t you think it’d be in my interest to make sure I’m sitting pretty, no matter who wins?”
Dextro wanted to secure his future regardless of who won, and he intended to buy that with Alaia by giving her critical information. That was why he’d appeared, even knowing the risks. It was all to save himself.
“You’re saying the information you have is worth that much?”
“Indeed I am. Both for this army, and for you personally. But you better decide quickly, because this information will be worthless soon.”
