**Side: Mana**
I had a feeling this might happen, but I didn’t expect my older brothers to actually come.
And since they’re even considering defeating Emperor Solemne, this means they’re serious.
“I’m so sorry, Brother Rai. I apologize for causing you so much trouble…”
Sister Hilde’s face shows genuine remorse, but she’s not to blame for any of this. No one could have predicted that Solemne would develop such a terrifying weapon as a Steam Battleship.
“No, don’t worry about it. If we don’t defeat Solemne here, the Philia Continent will definitely be engulfed in war. And Abaricia will never miss an opportunity like that. So, even though there will be casualties, we need to defeat Solemne here.”
My older brother’s words, spoken as he donned a coat and hat that were minorly altered from Yamato’s design using the leather of a Gold Dragoon and a Disaster Dragoon, were met with strong nods from Sister Elis and Sister Maruka.
I agreed with him completely.
“Although Yamato and I wiped out most of them, I don’t think that was all of them. They might have even invaded Libertà.”
“That possibility can’t be denied, but we can’t afford to extend our reach that far. Amister will have to cooperate with Torencia to bring down Solemne.”
If Libertà had come begging for help, it would have been a different story. But for Amister to go to Libertà, we’d have to pass by the coast of Retisencia by sea, which carries a significant risk for us. Going via the coast of Valentia meant passing by the coast of Solemne, which was absolutely out of the question.
“If they request aid, Torencia is more likely to receive it. However, the Saber’s Guild must also remain vigilant of Seryado Volcano, so even if a request comes, we may not be able to respond…”
That’s precisely the problem.
The reason the Saber’s Guild is on alert for Seryado Volcano is the presence of the Demise Species called the Slume Lord. No one has ever seen it, but about 180 years ago, it attacked a nearby town and severely wounded five Ancient Class adventurers before retreating. We don’t know if it’s still alive, but even so, being a Demise Species, we must remain cautious. If the Slume Lord were to make an appearance, Torencia could collapse from within. It would be troublesome for Solemne too, but they could simply deal with the Slume Lord after it returned to Seryado Volcano, and then proceed with their conquest at their leisure. Thus, we cannot afford to lower our guard.
“I could go for reconnaissance, but wouldn’t that defeat the purpose if it appeared?”
“Indeed. We can’t guarantee we’d be able to defeat it, so we’ll have to leave it be for now.”
I couldn’t help but feel that Yamato and Prim could defeat it, but even then, casualties would be unavoidable. So, we have no choice but to refrain from reconnaissance. It seems the two of them understand this as well, which saves me the trouble of explaining.
“We’ll also need to investigate the so-called Steam Battleships, so let’s go to Bestia first.”
“Yes. They’ll likely send remaining ships in the spring, so we need to hurry with our investigation.”
Presumably. Yamato and Prim sank or captured fifty-four Steam Battleships, but we don’t know how many are left. However, they wouldn’t deploy all of them just to attack Torencia, so we should assume an equal number remains. No, we must consider that some ships are already advancing on Libertà, so we might need to add more than fifty. Even so, they’ve lost nearly a quarter to a third of their fleet, which must be a huge miscalculation for Solemne.
“Is reconnaissance on Solemne also difficult?”
“It is. Even if we go by air, Athena and Eos are too conspicuous. Jade and Fluorite are the same. Fly Wind can only be used for about an hour, so if something happens, escape would be difficult, wouldn’t it?”
Fly Wind, an Engraving Magic that Yamato favors for air travel, is also used by Prim after she had it imbued into wind-attribute magic stones. However, I’ve heard that using it for more than an hour can inflict significant damage on the body, which is why there’s a limit. Even an hour covers a considerable distance, but there’s still a possibility of not being able to handle unforeseen circumstances. And apparently, its usable duration is further shortened when combined with other intervention-type Engraving Magic.
“I don’t know if it will work, but it might be worth trying to ‘convey’ it.”
“Yes. Fortunately, thanks to Fly Wind, I’m getting a feel for flight, so if I could convey that image…”
That’s not a bad idea, but Prim’s sense is that it requires the assumption of having wings, isn’t it?
“Convey?”
“Ah, forgive me. By ‘conveying,’ I mean communicating a new spell you wish to create to the goddess of magic. It’s possible to create new spells this way.”
“You can do that?”
Mako looks intrigued. Recently, spells like Melting, Ee-quipping, Stuttering, and Locking have been successfully conveyed, but before that, spell conveyance hadn’t succeeded for decades. All of these spells involve Yamato, so it might sound easy, but it’s actually incredibly difficult.
“It sounds interesting, maybe I’ll try it too. I’ve thought of something.”
“In that case, once we arrive in Bestia, shall we head to the Priests’ Guild?”
“The Priests’ Guild? Oh, the temple, right? It manages all religions, so it’s less likely to cause religious wars, and the believers don’t seem to argue much.”
“Indeed. I’ve never heard of religious disputes anywhere except Abaricia.”
Same here. Before the Priests’ Guild was established, there were apparently disputes, but since its creation, they’ve become almost nonexistent. The Abarician Orthodox Church is the religion of the Gradia Continent, and it’s considered a heresy on the Philia Continent, which makes things very complicated. There are rumors that Retisencia has become a vassal state of Abaricia and adopted the Abarician Orthodox faith, which is truly troublesome. Is this also considered a religious war?
“I don’t mind going to convey a spell, but once Yamato arrives in Bestia, he’ll be acting with me.”
“Huh?”
Yamato responds with a vacant look and a vacant reply, but that’s only natural. After all, he’s an Amister Sky Knight and an O-rank Order.
“That’s right. The royal family members Aria and Yuri will also be acting with me, and some people will be joining us under the guise of escorts.”
That’s also natural. If we were just delivering Sister Hilde, it would have been fine, but this time, we have to inspect Solemne’s Steam Battleships, and my older brothers have come, so escorts are absolutely necessary. Fortunately, all the Wing Crest Hunters are High Class and G-rank, so they are more than sufficient as escorts.
“In that case, besides me, it will be Meena, Lydia, and Ludia, and then Raus and Carol?”
“That would be the safest plan. Flam and Rebecca are archers, and Prim will be among those being escorted.”
For the same reason, Athena will also be escorted. Although, escorting Prim seems almost unnecessary given her overwhelming strength, and Athena, being rather ignorant of politics, will be going to the Priests’ Guild with Prim and the others.
“So, will the members not performing escort duties guide Mako while heading to the Priests’ Guild?”
“That’s fine. Oh, Rebecca can also fight in close combat, so I’m sorry, but please join the escort team.”
“Understood.”
Although the archer Flam can also fight to some extent in close combat, it’s only for self-defense, so she’s not suitable for escort duty. Moreover, considering what happened with Ed and the others, we can’t deploy everyone to our side.
The escorts decided by my older brother are: Yamato with my older brother, Lydia with Sister Elis, Ludia with Sister-in-law Maruka, Meena with Grandma Sayuri, Eos and Marisa with me, and Raus, Rebecca, and Carol with Yuri. Yamato will be wearing the Arc Order’s Coat, and while the others have completed Crest Defender Coats, there is no shortage in either skill or appearance. The escort team feels a bit thin, but except for Yuri, everyone else is High Class, so they can handle minor issues themselves. Yamato, being an Ancient Human, should deter any troublemakers. Well, picking a fight with Yamato is equivalent to picking a fight with my older brother.
**Side: Aria**
Upon arriving in Torencia’s Phantom Capital, Bestia, we were immediately taken to the castle. Bestia is a maritime city built on a small island floating in Neblina Bay, and it’s said that no matter how much the seas around Aura Island freeze, this place never does. Emperor Reinhardt and Lord Yamato will be in the castle inspecting the recently captured Steam Battleships and discussing the upcoming war with Solemne. More than half of the Wing Crest Hunters will also participate as escorts. However, I, Prim, Flam, Athena, and Mako will not be attending the meeting. Instead, we will be guided through the city of Bestia by Prim and head to Prist Guild’s Torencia Headquarters. Ah, and the Crafters Edward, Marina, Fina, Fiana, and Reina have returned to Alka. We didn’t expect things to turn out like this, so they judged they would be a hindrance and voluntarily returned.
“A city floating on the sea. It’s beautiful.”
“I’ve been here a few times, and I always think so.”
Mako is a guest who just arrived via Helios Orb. I was surprised too, but since a hole opened up in the sky and Mako appeared from it, there’s no room for doubt. While Long-distance Teleportation Magic, Traveling, involves a magic circle appearing, Mako’s case was different.
As we tour the city from the Beast Carriage pulled by Fluorite, Prim guides us. Bestia is located in a snowy country, so there’s a slight accumulation of snow, but it doesn’t seem particularly cold. There are many rivers and bridges, but because they flow into Neblina Bay, these rivers don’t freeze either.
“It really has a ‘medieval European’ atmosphere. But the people on the street are wearing a mix of Japanese and Western clothing, which feels really odd.”
For me, it’s a sight that makes me feel like I’ve truly arrived in Torencia. But for our guest, Mako, it seems to be different. “Chūsei Yōroppa?” “Wafuuku to yōfuku?” She uses words I don’t quite understand, but I assume they refer to things from her world.
“Yamato and Lady Sayuri also said something similar. Well, I suppose it’s because guests were involved in its founding.”
“And Miko-chan’s shrine maiden outfit was also brought by a guest?”
“Yes. Yamato found it somewhat odd.”
“Well, he is the son of a shrine priest, so it’s natural for him to find it a bit strange.”
The conversation even drifts to my priestly attire. Indeed, it’s said that the priestly robes of the Priests’ Guild were designed by Shinichi Mibu, who was both a guest and the spouse of the first Pope. They are said to be the clothes worn by priests and shrine maidens in Shinichi’s world, but since they’ve become the official priestly attire of the Priests’ Guild, I can’t help but feel it’s just how things are.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Aria. I didn’t mean to speak ill of those clothes.”
“It’s alright. Yamato-sama also said he finds them odd.”
Yamato-sama comes from a household where he sees such clothes on a daily basis, so he has indeed mentioned finding them odd. I could only reply that I couldn’t help that. Besides, to me, they are nothing more than the priestly robes of the Priests’ Guild.
“Somehow, Aria, you don’t seem like a typical Prist.”
“I’m often told that. I’ve also been told to show more respect to the gods and to perform my duties diligently.”
I believe I do show respect and diligently perform my duties, but other Priests apparently didn’t see it that way. The teachings of the Bascion faith state that the gods prefer to be treated like friends rather than revered, and I believe I am faithfully adhering to that teaching.
“I see. Is that why you were chosen as the Oracle Shrine Maiden?”
“What do you mean?”
“My world also has religions, and gods are revered, but we don’t even know if they’re real. Especially in the country I lived in, reverence was superficial, and people only offered prayers haphazardly when in real trouble. So, I think Priests would find it an unbelievable world.”
Yamato and I, and probably others too, continued Mako. Indeed, it sounds like something a Prist would get angry about. As for me, I can only think, “Is that so?”
“So, Aria, what do you mean?”
“In the Helios Orb, gods are quite an approachable presence, aren’t they? But we don’t quite grasp that feeling, so if a regular Prist were sent as a shrine maiden, it might actually create awkwardness. However, you, Aria, are a little different from a regular Prist, if I may say so. You’re more akin to us.”
“So, that’s why Aria became Yamato’s Oracle Shrine Maiden?”
“I suppose that’s the case.”
From the guests’ perspective, I appear that way. I’ve never been told something like that before, and somehow, I feel a little embarrassed. I never understood why I was chosen as the Oracle Shrine Maiden, so if you think that way, I’m grateful. However, the possibility that the gods chose me out of sheer amusement still remains, so I can’t fully accept it.
