After that, Liselotte’s party continued to clatter along in their carriages, ignorant of Reiss’ presence above them. They proceeded through the deep woods towards Amande. The front carriage where Liselotte and the others were riding had been filled with incessant chatter for some time now.
“…So I shut myself away in my room that day, reading two whole books before I knew it. When I finally came out in the evening, my sister was very exasperated with me,” Flora was saying happily.
“Fufu, you sure must like reading,” Liselotte interjected with a smile. “Yes!” Flora agreed happily.
Liselotte looked at Flora’s expression. So it isn’t that she’s bad at talking after all. When she came to my estate last time, too, she responded properly whenever I asked her something… she thought, analyzing Flora. Rather than being bad at speaking, Flora was probably just shy. While that was part of the reason why she didn’t speak much, Hiroaki’s enthusiastic bragging about himself probably didn’t help with allowing Flora the chance to speak, either.
In that regard, Roanna was a much better listener in how she cleverly made Hiroaki feel good about his chattering. Her difference in personality to Flora was clear.
“Ah, well I’ve read eleven books in a day before,” Hiroaki boasted.
Liselotte widened her eyes in a show of amazement. “Why, that is amazing.” “As one would expect from Sir Hiroaki. With that speed of reading, you could put a great amount of information into your head…” Roanna looked at him with reverence.
“Well, even I can’t read technical books at that speed, but if it’s popular fiction produced for entertainment, then I’ve read most of the ones produced in my world. I just forget myself and lose time reading,” Hiroaki said smugly.
“Umm, I can’t read that fast, but I think I understand. I find myself completely immersed in the world of the story when I’m reading fictional novels, too…” Flora offered hesitantly. She seemed to find it easier to join the conversation when it was about topics that interested her.
Liselotte giggled, smiling. “I would love it if the two of you could tell me a little more about the worlds you’re so immersed in and what you’re thinking about when you read,”
“Oh?” A thought seemed to occur to Hiroaki, making him grin happily. “…The world I was in, you say?” Flora’s eyes rounded in surprise.
“Yes. If you don’t mind, will you tell me about it?” Liselotte asked, peering at Flora’s face closely.
“Umm, I read novels while thinking of myself as the mirror opposite of the main character in the story. The main character that has something I don’t have moves around in a world I don’t know about. As I wonder about what the main character might be thinking or what kind of actions they will take, my mind gets more and more immersed until it feels like I’m in the world of the story, experiencing all the emotions…” Flora said, looking a little embarrassed.
“Ah, I think I get it. There aren’t many good works out there that can make you think that way, though. Most have such rough backgrounds and development that they cannot achieve that,” Hiroaki lamented.
“Then the world Sir Hiroaki speaks about is…” Liselotte began to ask, when suddenly —
“S-Stop the carriage! Monsters are in the area! Everyone, prepare for combat!” Aria’s yelling voice could be heard from outside. One beat later, the carriage came to a stop.
“Whoa, what’s going on?!” Hiroaki’s body shook as he looked around the carriage in confusion.
◇ ◇ ◇
Moments before notice of the monster attack reached Liselotte’s carriage, Aria walked in front of the carriage with Liselotte and the others inside, surveying the forest with her sharp eyes.
…That’s strange. It’s too quiet.
“What’s the matter, Aria? You seem kind of tense. Do the gazes of the knights bother you?” Cosette, who was walking next to Aria and noticed her sharp look, called out to her.
The current positions of the squad were as follows: Aria and the other female attendants were escorting the front of Liselotte’s carriage, Stewart and Alphonse each took a side to the left and right of both carriages with most of the knights, while Duke Huguenot’s carriage was protected from the rear by commanding officer Raymond and several other knights.
“No, that’s not it.” Aria shook her head with a sigh.
“But… can’t you feel them looking?” Cosette said with a happy giggle. “They just find it curious to see women holding weapons,” Aria answered flatly. Compared to the armed knights, the attendants looked distinctive in their uniforms with weapons equipped. Among them, Cosette particularly stood out by carrying her halberd.
“Well, I’m sure that’s part of it, but wouldn’t you get used to seeing that pretty quickly? I think they’re actually entranced by my beauty. What do you think?” Cosette said proudly. In reality, her appearance was far above that of an average person.
“Then wouldn’t the attention gather on you more than Aria?” Natalia said exasperatedly from where she was walking nearby.
“S-Shut up. Aria’s face is too perfect and cold. Someone cuter like me is much better. Right, Chloe?” Cosette objected, turning to the trainee attendant walking beside her.
“Huh, me?! No, ah, umm…” Chloe looked between Aria and Cosette’s faces, at a loss for words.
“You don’t have to take her seriously, Chloe,” Natalie said with a sigh.
“Ah, okay. But I think everyone is all very beautiful,” Chloe offered hesitantly. “Fufu, thank you. You’re a good girl, Chloe.”
Chloe’s cute, too, you know?” Natalie and Cosette both smiled happily. Chloe was taken aback and flushed red.
“N-No, that’s not true…”
Natalie and the others watched Chloe fondly. After a lull in conversation, Cosette turned to Aria.
“So anyway, you know the commanding officer of the knights? He was a little stuck up, but he’s handsome. Introduce him to me, Aria… Hm? You really are looking tense now. Is there something bothering you?”
Aria was looking at their surroundings with stern cautiousness. “…Don’t you think it’s a little too quiet?” she asked.
“Too quiet?” Natalie and Cosette exchanged a look before tilting their heads. Chloe also looked on in confusion.
“The forest. I can’t feel any of the heavy presences unique to monsters and beasts,” Aria elaborated.
“Presences… We haven’t been attacked by any monsters or beasts yet, but even they wouldn’t try anything against this many people, don’t you think?” Cosette said while glancing around.
Wild beasts were cautious creatures — Unless they were highly territorial, in their breeding season, or starving for food, they rarely attacked humans. In contrast to that, monsters were intelligent and aggressive beings. While they couldn’t speak, even the weakest monster — the goblin — could use simple equipment and swarm in groups to attack people. During the Divine War, goblins had served the Demon King’s army. For humans, they were vile and malicious creatures that were to be targeted for elimination.
“Aria’s senses are reliable, so it’s a little curious, but… Could it be possible they’re just keeping their distance from us out of caution?” Natalie offered.
“This area’s already under the jurisdiction of the Amande adventurer’s guild. If a group of monsters appeared, they’d be eliminated immediately. Ah, but maybe the monsters know that and hide away deep in the forest, building their strength instead,” Cosette joked.
Natalie’s face darkened with worry as she shivered. “…That would be terrifying. Have there been any reports recently of monster numbers dropping?”
“Mm… There was a report from the adventurer’s guild about two months ago that monster spawn rates were down a little, but it isn’t too rare to see that kind of fluctuation… Well, there is the case of the black demi-dragon, too, so we should look into it a little more once we get back to Amande,” Cosette said with a thoughtful look.
“You’re right — let’s do that. Hah, I don’t see any rest in our foreseeable future…” Natalie sighed, head drooping slightly.
“Ugh, don’t say that…” Cosette grimaced.
Aria remained alert as usual of their surroundings, when —
“S-Stop the carriage! Monsters are in the area! Everyone, prepare for combat!” she suddenly yelled, making the carriages come to a halt.
The attendants immediately responded by surrounding the carriage with Liselotte and the others, but the knights looked around dubiously. “What? Monsters? Where…?” Their lack of trust in Aria had caused them to react belatedly, naturally.
“There is an enormous number of monsters hiding in the forests to both sides of us! I don’t know how they closed in this far, but hurry and ready your shields!” Aria ordered in irritation. The knights on the outside ring protecting the carriage did as they were told, lifting their shields towards the forest with slightly sluggish movements.
“Guh!” An incredible number of stones were suddenly thrown their way, hitting the knights and carriage.
“Kyaah?!”
“Whoa, what’s going on?!”
Flora and Hiroaki’s yells could be heard from within the carriage.
“Magicae Murum.” The attendants held their hands out in the directions they were facing and all chanted a spell at the same time. Then, a spell formula appeared at their palms, the magic circle rising and transforming their magic essence into a transparent wall of energy.
Magicae Murum was, as its name implied, a magic spell that created a protective wall made of magic essence. This barrier could block outside attacks from reaching the occupants inside. Its defensive abilities were controlled by the essence and size of the area, and simply maintaining it consumed essence. Thus, it was unfeasible to kept up forever, limiting its usefulness but making it the perfect ability for catching up on what was going on, or buying time to organize. A situation just like this.
The magic barrier the attendant girls put up completely enshrouded the carriage with Liselotte and the others inside; all additional stones thrown at the carriage were deflected. However, there were still knights that were injured by the first few stones thrown. While most of the stones had been blocked by the shields, several knights were placing pressure against their injuries.
Stones were the most primitive form of long-ranged weaponry, but their force was not to be underestimated. An unarmored human could be rendered incapable of fighting in a single hit, depending on where the stones struck.
“Kuh! Make the heavily wounded step back. Knights, continue to hold your shields at the sides and prepare for the next attack! Don’t step out of formation heedlessly — preserve your essence! Duke Huguenot, please stay down inside the carriage!” The commanding officer of Duke Huguenot’s knights, Raymond, gave his orders from behind the line with a strained voice.
“You can leave the front carriage’s protection to us!” Aria yelled towards Raymond.
“…Understood! It’s entrusted to you, Aria!” Raymond agreed shamefully. There was a delicate pause before he had responded — although they had definitely discussed the division of roles in an emergency before departure, his pride as a knight felt a sense of objection at relying on women. The rain of stones paused temporarily, when the situation suddenly changed —
“Monsters on the road to the rear!” “To the front as well!”
From the forest off to the sides, goblins and orcs swarmed onto the road before and after Liselotte’s party in a pincer attack. Their numbers were absolutely overwhelming.
“No way… One hundred, two hundred, three? Just how many are there…?” Cosette’s face stiffened.
“…Can monsters plan such an organized attack?” Natalie was also dumbfounded as she looked at the monsters spreading out before them.
“M-Monsters have appeared from the forests to the side!” Chloe yelled in a high-pitched voice.
Aria thought for a few quick seconds before speaking up. “…Lady Liselotte, this is an emergency. We will need to take down the magic wall in order to preserve essence against this extreme number of monsters. Please remain crouched down inside the carriage and do not step outside. The carriage walls should protect you from stones, at least.”
Liselotte’s reply came from within the carriage immediately. “Okay, got it!”
Aria looked at the attendants and relayed them a plan she had come up with on the spot. “You girls leave the defense to the knights and take out the monsters approaching the carriage from the sides — even if it kills you. I will handle the enemies up front. After I’ve launched my attack, release the barrier and begin your attack. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am!” the attendants all agreed together. Aria nodded in return, then looked at the knights on the sides.
“Knights at the sides, I leave the defense of the carriage to you. Leave the offense to us!” she yelled. The knights that had been frozen at the countless monsters swarming before them all trembled with a flinch. Their faces seemed to be questioning what a simple waiting attendant could do, when Aria drew her sword from the sheath at her waist with her right hand. At the same time, she held her left hand out and chanted a spell,
“Magicae Displodo.”
A large magic circle spanning several meters immediately appeared before Aria. Light from the magic circle gathered in Aria’s hand and, after a beat, a thick beam of essence shot forward. The monsters that were closing in from the front were instantly blown away.
“Wha…” Seeing that spectacle left some of the knights gaping in surprise — Aria had just used a higher middle-grade offensive magic.
It consumed much more essence compared to what it took to learn, but it had a weakness in how it was difficult to cast, and took time to activate depending on the user’s ability. However, its power was guaranteed. The knights had been surprised at how an attendant had been able to acquire such a powerful magic, and that Aria’s activation time was fairly short. But they only had a brief moment to be surprised, as in the very next moment, Aria suddenly disappeared.
Without the use of Augendae Corporis, Aria closed in on the monsters at an inhuman speed. The secret to her speed lay in the enchanted sword she wielded — an ancient artifact class of enchanted sword, to be precise. The enchanted blade Aria held glowed faintly along the blade where a formula had been carved in, granting the wielder the effects of a physical enhancement sorcery.
“Gwah?” The head of one of the monsters closing in on the front of their formation went flying. Two, three, four, and five heads went flying one after another in rapid succession.
The monsters didn’t seem to realize their heads were being cut off, each severed head wearing a curious expression. However, once that head fell to the floor and gazed upon the sight of their detached body standing before them, they realized the truth. One beat later, the body of the monsters that had been beheaded would snap and collapse. In the blink of an eye, they turned to dust, leaving nothing but an enchanted gem behind.
Meanwhile, Cosette watched Aria’s battle from beside the carriage.
“That’s the Reaper Princess for you. So reliable,” she said with a smile on her face, voicing Aria’s other nickname.
Natalie looked at Cosette in exasperation. “…Damned fool. It’d be your head flying if she heard you.”
“Ahaha. It’s fine, it’s fine. At this distance, she can’t…” Cosette laughed lightly. However, from where she was fighting several meters away, Aria met her eyes for an instant, making her freeze.
“S-She didn’t hear me, right?” Cosette said with a twitch.
Natalie shook her head bluntly. “Dunno. More importantly, we should follow our orders and start fighting, too,” she said, looking between the forest on the left and the right. The monsters to the sides had also been distracted by Aria’s fighting prowess, but they were slowly returning to the task at hand, raising their voices as they glared at the knights.
“…Right. Grace!” Cosette nodded with a sigh, calling the name of another attendant nearby.
“What?!” Grace replied with a grim look.
“Natalie, Chloe, and I will handle the monsters on the right. The four of you take care of the monsters on the left. You’ll be in charge of that side.”
“Understood. Here we go! Augendae Corporis!” Cosette said. Grace immediately followed suit, chanting the magic spell to enhance her physical abilities. The other attendants successively chanted the spell, too; once they did, magic circles appeared around their bodies, revolving in circles as they enveloped their bodies and activated magic to enhance the caster’s physical abilities. Grace and the other attendants ran off — Once Cosette confirmed that, she turned to issue orders to the trainee attendant.
“Chloe, you stay alert of the front while using Photon Projectilis to take out the small fry from behind the knights on the right side. If you see any monsters throwing stones, prioritize aiming for them first. Start from the enemies at the edge, so you don’t accidentally hit any allies, okay?”
“Okay!“ Chloe responded with a stiff voice.
“Now, shall we get going, Natalie?” Cosette readied her halberd and smiled devilishly. Natalie held her two daggers and nodded, “Yes, I’m ready to go whenever.”
“Augendae Corporis—” Cosette and Natalie chanted in unison.
After the magic circle rose and enhanced their abilities, the two of them immediately ran towards the forest.
◇ ◇ ◇
As the hectic battle unfolded below, Reiss was overlooking the state of the fight from where he floated high above.
There’s one… rather incredible woman present. Liselotte Cretia’s confidant, I assume. Goodness, if this isn’t one tough guard. If I don’t approach this carefully, she might just defeat me… What a bad matchup.
Reiss looked down at Aria with his sharp eyes; she was overwhelming the monsters. At this rate, she would exterminate all the monsters coming from the front all by herself.
The guard on the left and right is also tough. While they’re not as notable as the woman in front, Liselotte Cretia’s subordinates are all talented. Thanks to their work, the flustered knights to the sides have also calmed down and started reacting properly. It seems like they’ve completely regained any advantage we had of our surprise attack.
Most of the knights were lined up along the side with their shields up, creating a barricade as though they were on high alert for a surprise attack from the side. On top of that, Liselotte’s proud attendants were massacring monsters quite far forward, so taking down that barricade would be no easy feat.
But there are still weak points. Where to aim… Reiss thought, looking at the rear of the formation.
There, the commanding officer, Raymond, was leading several other knights to stop the progression of the monsters. They were using Photon Projectilis to take out the numerous small-sized goblins and only making contact with the larger-sized orcs to repel them. Compared to the front of the formation, it would be easier to take down this side.
The girl at the front is eliminating the monsters at a much faster rate than expected. It seems the goblins and the orcs don’t stand a chance. Although, that depends on how they’re used… Reiss groaned quietly, looking at Aria once more.
Princess Flora and Liselotte Cretia are inside a carriage, though I don’t know which of the two, and it should be safe to assume the hero is riding alongside them, too. Although, there are no signs of him stepping forward for now… He thought deeply, looking down at the two carriages lined below his eyes.
For now, I’ll have the projectile squad focus their aim on the second carriage and send reinforcements to the sides. If he really refuses to show up, then I’ll simply pierce through the carriage from here. Reiss chuckled pleasantly to himself.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, inside the carriage where Liselotte and the others were hiding, Hiroaki was sitting on the floor of the carriage with his knees to his chest, tapping a leg restlessly.
“Oi, what’s going on outside? Is everything all right?” It was the umpteenth time he was asking the three girls that question.
“It’s fine. My attendants outside are the elite of the elite, especially Aria. And all of the knights of Duke Huguenot’s faction are there, too.” Liselotte nodded firmly in a calm tone, easing Hiroaki’s excitement at what was his first real combat experience.
“…Ah, but… like… Are the roads of this world really so dangerous? It’s been a while since the attack started and there are so many people out there, so how come the battle hasn’t ended yet?” Hiroaki objected gruffly, looking around the carriage somewhat nervously.
His fears stemmed from the fact that even now, at this moment, loud orders and angry yelling were still being exchanged outside. The fact that the number of stones hitting the carriage had increased wasn’t reassuring, either.
“Hero, let us believe in those outside,” Flora said.
“Unfortunately, the situation is like this right now. Those outside still haven’t explained what’s going on to us, and I’m not about to believe some people I don’t even know. Anyone who does is an idiot. Who would take responsibility for this?” Hiroaki had completely lost his cool, raising his voice in irritation. The girls around him were worried, too, but he seemed to be the only one who considered himself a victim, demanding someone take blame for their current state.
“…Okay,” Flora hung her head dejectedly.
The ones attacking us are monsters… I’d much prefer if he went outside and yelled his abuse at them instead. He’s just saying what he wants right now. After all that talk about protecting us, when it comes to the real thing he turns like this? What happened to your pride, the Yamata no Orochi? Geez! Liselotte wanted to rant at Hiroaki, but instead let out a small exasperated sigh. She then reached out and squeezed Flora’s hand.
“Huh?” Flora looked up in surprise at Liselotte’s face.
“Forgive me. Embarrassing as it is to admit, I’m a little afraid. Could I please hold your hand for a little while, Princess Flora?” Liselotte said, smiling gently at Flora.
“…Yes!” Flora nodded in relief. Seeing the two girls’ frail exchange finally made Hiroaki realize something.
“Ah, you must be scared, too, Roanna. Don’t worry… If it comes down to it, I’ll release my Yamata no Orochi and protect you.” Hiroaki held Roanna’s hand rather guiltily.
“I knew I could count on you,” Roanna said, leaning on Hiroaki.
After that, a silence fell over the carriage for a while. However, unable to endure the silence, Hiroaki opened his mouth.
“…But with the outside situation as chaotic as it is, having no idea of what’s going on isn’t very good. What is the commanding officer thinking?”
“I completely agree. Once the battle has ended, I shall make a report to the commanding officer,” Roanna said without missing a beat.
“Good, that — Whoa! That was a big one just now.” Hiroaki nodded, when a stone hit the carriage with a clang. That seemed to reignite Hiroaki’s concerns.
“…Oi oi, this carriage might be covered in a layer of steel, but isn’t the higher elevation making it easier to aim for?” he muttered in frustration.
“It’ll be okay. Mere stones wouldn’t be able to pierce the walls of this carriage,” Flora said encouragingly, but —
“But doesn’t that mean if something more than a stone comes flying, we’ll be in trouble? Do you have proof that won’t happen? We should act in preparation for the worst. I think it’s too risky remaining in one place when we our communications with the outside have been cut off.” Hiroaki’s thoughts had completely taken a negative turn. On top of that, he was no longer calm.
Good grief, what a bothersome personality he has. Liselotte furrowed her brow in vexation. Preparing for the worst case in an emergency wasn’t a bad thing in itself, but becoming aggressive and forcing your emotions on your surroundings was horrible.
No matter how many opposite opinions were offered, a hot tempered person like him would not be likely to lend an ear to any of it. If anything, he’d just get more stubborn and heated about it.
Just then — Ba-doom! A particularly loud impact struck the roof of the carriage, shaking it greatly. “Whoa!”
“Kyah!” Hiroaki and Flora couldn’t hold back their screams. Liselotte hurriedly held Flora close to her to protect her, when she suddenly looked up.
W-What?!
The steel plated ceiling had a huge dent in the middle.
“Wha… What fell on us just now?! There better not be a monster above us!” Hiroaki’s eyes widened in shock as he wailed.
“I don’t know!” Liselotte finally cried out, at a loss.
There’s no helping it… I’ll go outside and find out what happened. It would normally be unthinkable for the subject of an escort to voluntarily step out into the battlefield, but this emergency surpassed that custom.
However, just as Liselotte resolved herself, Hiroaki’s patience reached its limit. “Kuh! E-Enough already! I can’t stay in here any longer without knowing what’s going on outside! We’re going outside, you guys!”
He materialized the Divine Arms, Yamata no Orochi, inside the cramped carriage. Hiroaki gripped it tightly as he took Roanna by the hand and flung open the door.
“S-Sir Hiroaki?! Please hold on!” Roanna admonished him, but he didn’t listen. He jumped out of the carriage, leaving Liselotte and Flora behind.
“Hero?! Argh, how troublesome! Geez!” Liselotte frowned in annoyance as she stood up. Flora had lost her composure in her confusion.
“U-Umm, what should we do?! We have to follow the hero!”
“…We’re going to check on what’s happening outside. Make sure you do not leave my side.” Liselotte hesitated for a second before taking Flora’s hand and helping her up. She had considered leaving her inside the carriage, but it could create more of an issue if they were split up.
“O-Okay!”
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