Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 286

The Wing Crest charged towards the enemy’s main camp immediately after reuniting with the main force.

We defeated several Antlion Queens and Antlion Princesses along the way, but their sheer numbers made them troublesome.

However, thanks to that, Athena seemed to have a chance to evolve into an Ancient Dragonian.

“Yamato, over there!”

“He was trying to escape after all!”

At Prim’s gaze, the figure of Prince Airgaitz of Solemne appeared.

His imperial guards seemed to be desperately protecting Prince Airgaitz from the Antlions, but they were outnumbered. Moreover, their opponents were Anomalous Species, and quite a few of the guards had already fallen to the ground.

I don’t know if the Antlions understood that this was their main camp, but they were attacking not only the right flank but also the left flank, making retreat impossible then.

“Get out of the way!”

I accelerated with Accelerating Magic and cut down the Antlions near Prince Airgaitz with a single stroke.

Well, the Antlion Princess reacted to me, so I defeated her with my second stroke.

“W-Who are you!?”

“Who am I? If you’re not from the Solemne Army, there’s only one answer, isn’t there?”

Only the Solemne Army and the Allied Forces are here on the Klagen Plain.

“T-The Allied Forces!”

“There are others besides us?”

I gave a quick glance, then returned my gaze to the Antlions.

Although it was against my will, I couldn’t let the Antlions take Prince Airgaitz’s life.

“Y-Yes, I understand! You are betraying the Allied Forces and joining our side!”

I felt like cracking open his head to see what was inside, wondering how he figured that out.

Apparently, it was because I was turning my back to the prince and protecting him from the Antlions, but it was amazing how he could reach such a naive conclusion based on that alone.

“As if. I came here against my will simply because I couldn’t let the Antlions take your life. After all, Emperor Reinhardt desires your head.”

Hilde also did, but since Trencia had already settled on the Emperor’s head, Reinhardt’s name alone should be enough.

“T-Then you are an enemy of His Highness!”

Of course, I’m an enemy.

Or rather, did you think I might be an ally?

You’re near the Prince, so you must be part of the imperial guard, but aren’t you a little too dim-witted?

It’s understandable that you’d want to escape reality after being attacked by an unexpected horde of Antlions, but still.

“I-Impossible! A sword made from the superior iron produced during the manufacturing process of the steam battleship!”

The imperial guard who swung his sword at me received it without me doing anything. However, the sword felt like it had merely brushed against something, and it broke easily.

You say superior iron, but you probably mean steel, right?

Normal Class attacks can be blocked normally with Mana Rings, and the Crest Defender Coat also uses the hides of Gold Dragoons, Disaster Dragoons, and eight elemental Dragoons, so maybe that alone would have been enough.

The reason I knew the imperial guard was Normal Class is that upon evolving into an Ancient Class, you can perceive not only your own mana but also the surrounding mana. The absolute amount of mana between Normal Class and High Class is clearly different, so that much can be quickly discerned. Furthermore, Solemne cannot use Innate Magic, so their mana reinforcement is not as refined as Mana Rings. Therefore, even High Class attacks could likely be nullified by strengthening the Mana Rings a little more.

“So it was made from steel during the steam battleship manufacturing process. That’s amazing in itself, but how could a Normal Class attack possibly affect an Ancient Class?”

Steel is iron with a small amount of carbon, so it seems Solemne was able to develop an alloy. Swords made from accidentally discovered steel are quite common even in Amister, so I’ve seen them before. In fact, the Iron Spear that Prim bought immediately after meeting me was also made of steel. Although it broke quickly because it couldn’t withstand the mana of High Class.

“An-An Ancient Class!?”

“Didn’t you know? I evolved into an Ancient Human six months ago, and Amister announced it afterward.”

To be precise, it was announced five months ago. It was also announced at the same time that I was an O-Rank Order, so I was keeping an eye on information related to Solemne, thinking they might do something? Well, I wasn’t paying that much attention.

“I-Impossible… So, Amister had O-Rank Orders serving in their army!?”

“No, you should have realized that much sooner. Even if I weren’t serving, Amister has nearly twenty Ancient Classes now, so no matter how many tens of thousands of Solemne soldiers gathered, the outcome wouldn’t have changed.”

Given the number of Antlions we’re fighting, it’s natural that some people would have evolved.

The appearance of the Antlion Empress at this timing was unexpected for us as well. However, after the fall of Deseo, Hilde is set to govern as the representative of both Amister and Torencia. Therefore, the subjugation of the Antlion Empress was planned to happen soon, so let’s consider this as an early execution of that plan.

“I-Impossible…”

Prince Airgaitz is in despair, but it’s his own fault.

“I’ll tell you this as well. The reason the Antlion Empress came here is because you gathered over ten thousand soldiers. I don’t think the Solemne Army, no matter how many tens of thousands they gathered, could defeat an Antlion Empress, but demi-humans have intelligence too. So, feeling threatened by that number, the Antlion Empress also gathered her forces. While this timing was unexpected for us, if it had been just one more day, we wouldn’t have had to do anything.”

Not only are there many of them, but the Queens and Princesses are also abnormally numerous. It’s likely that almost all of the individuals produced by the Antlion Empress have been deployed. Unlike the Slume Lord, which has been active normally for over a hundred years, it’s natural that there would be a considerable number of Queens and Princesses.

“So you thought cannons could defeat even Demise Species, huh? To think you believed such toys could work against Demise Species, you’re truly deluded. Just as they were ineffective against us, even an iron mass like that wouldn’t be able to scratch a Demise Species.”

The power of cannons is estimated to be comparable to S-rank monsters. Therefore, they are a considerable threat to Normal Class, but it’s questionable whether they would be effective against High Class with properly equipped gear. Even more so, their slow flight speed meant they were practically asking to be dodged. In fact, they were easily intercepted.

“It appears the main force has arrived. Good for you, Prince. Now you won’t be known as an incompetent killed by demi-humans, but as an enemy general defeated by the Allied Forces.”

Dying at the hands of an enemy army brings far more posthumous honor than dying at the hands of demi-humans. Well, in later generations, you’ll probably be remembered disgracefully as a foolish member of the royal family who rashly challenged numerous Ancient Classes.

Incidentally, while I was engaging in a pointless conversation with Prince Airgaitz, the members of Wing Crest continued to defeat the Antlions. Raus is also trying his best, but he says that even evolving into High Class causes him severe growing pains, so I’ve been having him fight as little as possible. He just turned fourteen; I’ll try to keep him from evolving until he’s at least sixteen, preferably until he’s an adult.

Side Rex

Marie, who had evolved into an Ancient Ogre, Mr. Bout, who had evolved into an Ancient Ulfy, and Certina, who had evolved into an Ancient Lamia, were successively defeating the attacking Antlions, and finally, our main force reached the Solemne main camp. It seemed Wing Crest had already cleared the path for us, as there were no Antlions in the Solemne main camp.

Also, Athena’s mana has increased; perhaps she evolved into an Ancient Dragonian? It wouldn’t be strange for her to evolve after facing so many Antlions. Conversely, Raus seems to be fighting less, but that’s unavoidable. Rebecca and Carol also mentioned that after evolving into High Class, they occasionally experience severe body pain, making it difficult to even walk, and they experienced such episodes several times during the march. It seems the pain during growth is even more intense when minors evolve into High Class. Carol seems to be managing, but Raus and Rebecca looked truly miserable. Therefore, it’s hard to say what would happen if they evolved into Ancient Class. Sayuri, who is also an O-rank Healer, mentioned the same thing. That’s probably why Yamato is making sure Raus doesn’t push himself too hard. After all, Raus is already level sixty.

“I expected it, but the main camp is a mess.”

“It can’t be helped. After all, there were six Queens and twenty-three Princesses.”

H.R.H. Manalease replied to Emperor Reinhardt’s muttering. Six Queens? That many? However, with Athena’s evolution into an Ancient Dragonian, the Ancient Classes in Wing Crest present here now number ten. Moreover, three of them even have achievements in defeating Demise Species. Therefore, Antlions, let alone Solemne soldiers, wouldn’t stand a chance, no matter how many tens of thousands gathered.

“We’ve been waiting. So, who’s going to do it?”

Yamato, who was casually enduring the Solemne soldiers’ attacks like a gentle breeze, appeared utterly bizarre from an outsider’s perspective. Numerous Solemne soldiers were attacking Yamato with swords, spears, and axes, but their weapons were successively breaking before his mana reinforcement. Yet, Yamato himself was not only unharmed but showed no sign of even noticing he was being attacked.

“Rex.”

“Me? Not Your Majesty?”

I was a little surprised to be singled out. I thought His Majesty himself would be the one to claim the head.

“If you aim to become the Grand Order’s Master, you should claim a head or two, shouldn’t you?”

I would prefer to decline, but I know that’s not possible… I guess I have no choice.

“Understood.”

Resigned, I took a step forward from the main force.

“Are you His Highness Prince Airgaitz of Solemne? I, General Order Rex Fallheight of the Allied Forces, will take your head.”

“D-Don’t come near!”

Prince Airgaitz is desperately trying to escape, but unfortunately, he has nowhere to run. With me stepping forward, the Solemne soldiers who were likely protecting him, possibly the imperial guard, have already been dispatched by Yamato. And with Yamato nearby, it’s a given that he’ll be caught the moment he tries to flee.

“Stop struggling. This war was started by you, wasn’t it?”

Saying that, Yamato circled behind Prince Airgaitz and shoved him towards me.

“D-Don’t come near! I-I am the next Emperor of the glorious Solemne! For a lowly Amister to take my life!? That’s beyond presumption!”

“Glory? Where is the glory for a nation that, despite owing a great debt to the Ancient Classes Kazushi and Elie’s, declared war on Torencia the moment they passed away, and dispatched troops every year?”

According to a senior Order who married into the Torencia royal family and was dispatched there, the war expenses grew each year, forcing them to increase taxes in some years. The Saber’s Guild, like the Order’s Guild, does not reject those who are willing, but they also suffer casualties every year, so the death benefits alone must be considerable. However, what angered Torencia the most was that despite being saved from national crises multiple times by the Royal Ancestors Kazushi and Elie’s, they declared war the moment they passed away. Many of the Sabers and Hunters who served them also lost their lives at that time.

I raised my sword, named Delight Sword, and slowly, step by step, advanced towards Prince Airgaitz.

“D-Don’t come near!”

Prince Airgaitz attempted to halt my advance with wind magic, but to me, it was no more than a gentle breeze. Judging from his mana, he appears to be Normal Class, so he could not even inflict a scratch on me.

“W-What the hell!!”

Without even considering why his wind magic was ineffective, he gripped his sword tightly and rushed at me. I caught the sword with my left hand and crushed it. It felt harder than an ordinary iron sword, but to an Ancient Class, it was no different than an egg.

“Wha!?”

“It’s understandable that you don’t know, but please don’t think that such a thing can inflict a wound on an Ancient Class.”

“W-What did you say!? Could it be… could it be that you are also an Ancient Human!?”

“It’s not just me. There are over twenty Ancient Classes on this battlefield.”

There were sixteen at the start of the battle, but with Rosemary, Athena, Bout, and Certina having evolved, it’s not impossible for others to have evolved as well.

Prince Airgaitz was speechless. However, Yamato’s status as an Ancient Human was announced five months ago, and Prim’s status as an Ancient Foxy was announced a month later. At that point, there were already two of them, and moreover, Prim is like a sister to Emperor Hildegard. Even without Amister’s intervention, there was a distinct possibility of them clashing with Ancient Classes. Despite this, Solemne, emboldened by the development of steam battleships and cannons, advanced into Torencia, attacked Valentia and Bacion, and pushed Libertà to the brink of destruction. It was easily imaginable that even Amister, which is usually slow to act in warfare, would eventually join forces with one of the nations. They must have had absolute confidence in their steam battleships, but sadly, they were of no use against us. Furthermore, it even resulted in summoning the Antlion Empress, a Demise Species. Thus, Solemne’s destruction can be entirely attributed to their own actions.

“Prince Airgaitz Ruin Solemne. With your head, we will proceed to Deseo. You will likely not go to the underworld, but I sincerely pray for your soul.”

After saying that, I swung Delight Sword horizontally. At that moment, Prince Airgaitz’s head, with a look of despair, flew into the air, and his body fell backward.

“I, General Order Rex Fallheight, have claimed the head of Prince Airgaitz Ruin Solemne, the first prince of the Solemne Empire!”

Holding the captured head high, I raised my voice as if to echo across the battlefield, declaring the conclusion.