Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire ♀ Volume 11 E-Book

Hayaken

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire ♀
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 212

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Once a heroic king, now a reborn girl in a shrunken form, Inglis is overjoyed when civil war breaks out in Highland. She rushes to join in, only to find herself outsmarted—trapped under the sea in the Greyfrier sarcophagus. Meanwhile, her friends must give their all to protect Highland’s people against their fiercest foes yet!

This extraordinary squire is about to hit a growth spurt in more ways than one!

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Chapter I: Inglis, Age 16—Far-Off Highland (6)

Chapter II: Inglis, Age 16—Far-Off Highland (7)

Chapter III: Inglis, Age 16—Far-Off Highland (8)

Chapter IV: Inglis, Age 16—Far-Off Highland (9)

Chapter V: Inglis, Age 16—Far-Off Highland (10)

Extra: Memories of the Sword Princess

Afterword

Color Illustrations

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Table of Contents

Color Images

Chapter I: Inglis, Age 16—Far-Off Highland (6)

Illuminas, the island home to the machinator—one of Highland’s Triumvirate—was aflame. And in the heart of the city, before its central laboratory, the authors of this destruction—Charlotte, Tiffanyer, and Maxwell—knelt as one before Chief Academician Wilkin, one of Illuminas’s movers and shakers.

“Huh?! What?! What’s going on?!” Shocked, Rafinha looked at each of them in turn.

Inglis, however, wasn’t so surprised. “I see. So it was you who brought Tiffanyer and the others here, Chief Academician Wilkin?”

It would be impossible for Illuminas to burn so intensely without serious preparation. And without the machinator, who acted as the city’s core, Illuminas had ground to a halt. The city was empty, so any suspicious behavior would have been quickly detected and snuffed out. Wilma was currently in command of the mechanical dragons fighting the fires across the city, but it should have been the machinator himself deploying them to eliminate the intruders. So Tiffanyer must have known in advance that the malfunction would occur, and then waited to make her arrival until the preparations for the arson were complete.

“And I assume, then, that the malfunctions and the splash landing were your doing as well,” Inglis continued.

“What?!” the rest of the group exclaimed.

“D-Dad! Is that true?!” Wilma shouted.

Wilkin listened to Inglis with a grin on his face, one which did not change even as his daughter questioned him. “That’s right, yep! When the machinator was working properly, I had to watch my step,” he responded cheerfully.

“What?! But why?! How can you smile like that?! Illuminas is being destroyed!” Wilma insisted.

“That’s right!” Rafinha agreed. “Sorry, Wilma, but I knew it! You can’t trust anyone with a face like that!”

Wilkin shared a striking resemblance to the Papal League’s Archlord Evel, an unpleasant person they had faced off against before. Both he and Evel used artificial bodies known as hi-mana coats.

“Honestly, I didn’t really mind Evel,” Inglis said. He was aggressive, even violent, but that meant he was a good sparring partner.

“We all know better than to trust your opinions of people!” Rafinha immediately fired back.

“Awww, so you don’t like me? That’s a shock. I thought I was more than kind enough to you guys,” Wilkin said.

“I’m reserving judgment for now,” Inglis said. “Though if you’re trying to be kind, may I suggest offering me a fight?”

At that, Charlotte, Tiffanyer, and Maxwell immediately rose and placed themselves between her and Wilkin as if to protect him.

Inglis chuckled. “Looks like you’re popular, Chief Academician. That’s nice to see.” That meant that the other three would join in any fight with him as well. She could have a little extra—as a treat.

“You might have gotten smaller, but your ego’s still huge,” Tiffanyer snapped.

“So, according to the Papal League, the culprit in the destruction of Illuminas will be Chief Academician Wilkin himself, and it won’t be a reason for war? Chipping away at the enemy, stripping away some valuable talent, and securing it for yourselves. Maybe the Papal League isn’t as monolithic as I thought,” Inglis said.

“Yeah, I guess,” Wilkin said. “I’m just looking for anyone who’ll take me and let me enjoy my research, you know? This is just a gesture of good faith.”

“You’re so selfish!” Wilma objected. “What was so wrong with Illuminas anyway, dad?!”

“I can’t help it, Wilma. Illuminas...well, really, all of the Triumvirate...they’re on the way out. Like a sinking ship. And I don’t wanna have to give up my research.”

“A sinking ship how?!”

“Highland’s lifespan.”

Wilma furrowed her brow at him.

“Not just Illuminas—all the Triumvirate’s bits of Highland. They all come from the period of the Highland-Surface war, the last year we ever fought with the surface dwellers more than four hundred years ago... The archlords who won themselves glory were granted their own private pieces of Highland to rule as they wanted. That was the start of what became the Triumvirate.”

“And it turns out that that was too much power to hand them, and they ended up able to rival the Papal League that had previously been the legitimate rulers?” Inglis asked. This was the first time she’d heard much about Highland’s history, or how it came to have two struggling factions. Perhaps the fate of her beloved Silvare Kingdom from her previous life was hidden within this history somewhere.

Wilkin nodded approvingly. “Well, that’s what it seemed like, but that’s not how it turned out.”

“Meaning?”

“Without the Floating Circle, you don’t have a Highland, and unless you’re the Pontifex himself, you can’t make them. They last a long, long time—hundreds of years—but not forever. How long one survives is how long that part of Highland survives. And there wasn’t much life left in the Floating Circle here; I just sped it up by a little. It doesn’t matter what we do—Illuminas will never soar in the skies again.”

“That’s terrible! Then what happens to the people?!” Wilma demanded, shaken and agitated. This was clearly news to her.

“Well, I have my doubts that His Holiness is all that interested in giving a member of the Triumvirate another Floating Circle. That was a onetime-only deal. So...yeah. The Triumvirate’s a sinking ship, literally. Sooner or later—well, pretty soon, actually—they’re going to fall to the surface, just to be slaughtered by the natives for what they’ve done, or maybe they’ll be turned into magicite beasts by the Prism Flow. Neither one of those is a particularly appealing fate.”

“I see,” Inglis said. “So that’s why the Triumvirate has been so intent recently on appeasing the surface. The plan is to look like they might join forces with the surface against the Papal League, but really, their aim is to keep the surface content enough to cool down, all the while hoping the Papal League is pleased and grants new Floating Circles...” That must have been why they’d sent down new weaponry like Flygears and Flygear Ports in recent years.

“Yup, and I don’t think their bet’s gonna pay off, so I decided I’m all in on the Pontifex now. That lets me keep doing my research.”

“I see...”

Inglis hadn’t realized that the Triumvirate was on the downswing due to the limited lifespan of Floating Circles. This put a big question mark next to Karelia’s decision to deepen its relationship with the Triumvirate, including Theodore, and use the Rangers as a way to bring surface countries closer together. The reliable backing they thought they had might suddenly collapse. If the Triumvirate’s pieces of Highland came crashing down, then the supply of Flygears, Flygear Ports, and even Artifacts might be cut off. It may have been a better choice for Karelia to side with the Papal League to begin with, despite how oppressive they were.

Venefic’s General Maxwell lightly adjusted his monocle Artifact as he triumphantly said, “I understand your country believes they have firm backing from the Triumvirate, but they may well be a tower built on shifting sands. Is that really the correct choice for something to lean on? I’d recommend that you reconsider your decision.”

“What a strange coincidence. I was just thinking much the same.”

Maxwell chuckled. “A clever one, you are.”

“Hey, c’mon, Chris!” Rafinha interjected. “I don’t think that’s right! I don’t know what problems the higher-ups might have, but with Flygears and Flygear Ports, and us all working together to form the Rangers, we can protect more people than we ever could! I don’t want to give up on that!”

Leone and Liselotte nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, that’s fine. It was just a stray thought,” Inglis said. If that was Rafinha’s opinion, and Leone and Liselotte agreed, she didn’t mind following it through.

“Mm,” Maxwell continued. “Purehearted, definitely. But ignoring everything outside of what you see in front of you. Not trying to see what’s really happening. It’s what you could call naive honesty.”

“They’re children,” Tiffanyer added. “And that narrow vision is proof.”

The two looked mockingly at Rafinha. Meanwhile, Charlotte listened quietly.

“Ugh!” Rafinha had no words to offer up in return, even though she probably wanted to.

Inglis stepped in front. “I think that the only people who have ever changed the world are those who stick to that childish naivete. Don’t you?”

Herself included. Granted the divine protection of Goddess Alistia, she’d resolved to use it not for herself but for the greater good, and while she thought she’d managed to stick to that, she’d become so busy dealing with emergent situations that she hadn’t been able to see much of what was really going on. She began to understand this only after she stopped and looked back at her fervent effort.

Rafinha, Leone, Liselotte—they were all young. Of course they were caught up in what they saw happening in front of them. Of course their field of vision was narrow. That was fine. The naivete that Maxwell and Tiffanyer sneered at was something Inglis thought might change the world if seen through. Rather than people naturally leaving that childlike honesty behind as one grew up, she believed they struggled to maintain it.

Maxwell laughed. “And you think she’ll change the world?”

“Well, who knows?” Inglis couldn’t tell. Honestly, she didn’t care. She was going to stick by this sweet girl and watch over her as she grew up, just as any loving grandparent would do. That was enough for Inglis.

“A few have that power, but most are crushed and disappear,” Maxwell pointed out.

“Yes, I suppose. That’s convenient for me.” If the world wanted to crush that spark out of Rafinha, that meant conflict. If that led to fights, it meant Inglis could be happy both fighting off opponents and helping Rafinha. A good thing for both of them.

“If you want to change the world so badly, how about changing it so we can get new Floating Circles?” Wilkin asked. “If they weren’t dying, I wouldn’t have to take the side that I am.” He placed his hands together a bit pleadingly and looked at Rafinha.

“Why don’t you figure out how to make them, then?! I thought you were supposed to be some genius researcher!” she shot back.

“Oh, sheesh, ha ha ha. That’s right, that’s kind of awkward. Guess I’ve gotta work real hard over with the Altar to get to that point!” Wilkin replied coyly, a bit self-consciously, though it didn’t hold him back.

“You can’t, dad! I won’t allow it!” Wilma protested. “I want you to stay here and help us restore Illuminas!”

“No, wait, wait, Wilma. That’s not how it works, if anything you should be coming with me.”

“Huh?! Why?”

“Why are you so surprised? Of course you’d follow! You’re my daughter. I wouldn’t leave my daughter behind, would I?”

“That’s absurd! Altar, Throne, it doesn’t matter! I am the knight-captain of Illuminas, and my responsibility is to protect it!” Wilma argued.

Wilkin shook his head, his usual grin replaced with a calm and serious expression. “That responsibility wasn’t anything you wanted, though, was it? You were born so sickly, you wouldn’t have survived without that mechanical body. And a knight’s duty came along with it. I know you had such a hard time with that... Didn’t you, Wilma?”

“D-Dad...”

“I wish I could have given you a hi-mana coat, but that wasn’t possible. The machinator wouldn’t approve it. Well, maybe he just didn’t want me to give special treatment to my own daughter. Anyway, his word is law in Illuminas, so doesn’t it feel like the whole place crashing down because he can’t get a new Floating Circle is exactly what he deserves? That’s why nothing’s come of the research into how to make a new one—kind of.” Wilkin’s grin gradually returned. “Maybe if I’d really been able to focus my effort on it? Ah ha ha ha, I guess I’m kinda bitter.”

“I take it back. Maybe someone can have that face and still be a good person,” Rafinha murmured.

Inglis chuckled. “You seem a bit conflicted over there, Rani.”

“Well of course I am! It’s not like I have any good memories of Evel.”

“I remember having a good time.”

“Of course you do, because you’re you!”

While they were conversing, Wilkin stretched his hand toward Wilma. “Come with your dad, Wilma. You’ve tried your best. It must have been really hard on you. I know how kind your heart is, but you’ve done enough. If we go to the Papal League, we can even get you a hi-mana coat.”

“Wilma...” Rafinha searched for words, her expression conflicted as she watched Wilma. If Wilma did decide to go with Wilkin, Rafinha wouldn’t be able to stop her.

“Dad! I’m happy you feel that way...but even if this wasn’t something I wanted, even if it was hard, it’s something I’ve become proud of! I have no intention of stepping down as knight-captain of Illuminas!”

Wilkin’s shoulders dropped. “I see... Wilma, you’ve gotten so strong... I’m overjoyed to see how you’ve grown up, but I can’t just go along with that. It’s obvious what would happen to you if I leave you here.” He glanced over at Tiffanyer and the others. “You three—sorry, but can you bring her along with us? I know it’s a lot of work, but think of it as helping a father in trouble.”

“Very well.” Charlotte nodded.

A creepy smile rose to Tiffanyer’s lips. “I might have to break a few limbs, is that okay?”

“Those parts are mechanical, so sure! Go for it!”

“The mechanical dragons she’s controlling are helping with civil defense... Wiping them out wouldn’t hurt.” Maxwell didn’t seem to object either.

“Gah! Try it!” Wilma barked.

“Chris, let’s protect Wilma! We need to save Eris, Myce, the evacuated Highlanders, and Princess Meltina from Venefic too! And even Charlotte!” Rafinha said.

“Indeed we do, Rani.” Inglis chuckled. “Sounds like a busy day.”

“The shelters are below! They’re the level above the Greyfrier sarcophagus! Her Highness is inside the sarcophagus!” Wilma pointed toward the central laboratory.

“Which means we just have to protect the central laboratory,” Inglis summarized. That was an easy task to understand. The trio of Maxwell, Tiffanyer, and Charlotte would be focused on Wilma, so Inglis only needed to concern herself with intercepting them.

“I wonder, will it really be that simple for you?” Maxwell grinned as he brought a finger to his monocle.

Rrrrrrumble...!

Inglis could feel her footing sway again. “Ah!”

“What?!” Rafinha gasped.

Although it wasn’t as strong yet as the initial wave of explosions, they could clearly feel the intensity increasing.

“Below us?!” Leone began.

“Something’s rising up!” Liselotte said.

Thump!

A hole opened in the ground near them from which Maxwell’s faceless giant leaped out.

“It’s that giant from before!” Rafinha yelled. “I thought you blew it away, Chris!”

It had disappeared in the direction of the beaches near the arsenal, but now it split the earth and reappeared.

“Hmm, it changed its form and slipped underground, then circled around beneath us. How underhanded, to do that while we’re talking!” Inglis said.

“This is war, not sport! Especially with how much of a grudge you’ve earned yourself!”

“And how exactly did I earn it?”

“Maybe you should ask yourself that!”

Well, Inglis thought. I did attack his giant without warning, and there was that conversation that didn’t go so well. And before that I took Rochefort and Arles prisoner, captured their flying battleship, and fought off Venefic’s strategy of using the Prismer.

I guess there might be a lot he’d be angry with me about, as a Venefic general. “Well, I do suppose that, as a loyal and patriotic servant of Venefic, you might not be able to stomach me.”

As she watched Maxwell, she realized something: Maxwell, like Rochefort, had a special-class Rune. She could see its rainbow glimmer on the back of his right hand, but it kept disappearing, then reappearing again. It was blinking. She’d never seen a special-class Rune do that before.

Maxwell’s monocle Artifact had the powerful ability of creating and controlling the undying. It must have been an Artifact on a level with Dragon Claw or Dragon Fang, a superclass Artifact so to say. The eerie aura of the undying that it emitted seemed to be eating away at Maxwell himself. Its blinking seemed like proof.

“No, wait, that’s not— What are you?” she asked.

Maxwell laughed. “Aren’t there more important things than chatter right now?”

“Chris!” Rafinha said. “The ground! It’s collapsing!” Cracks ran from the hole the giant had made, spreading rapidly into gaping fissures.

Krrraaaak!

Illuminas, already heavily affected by the explosions, was at its limit. The land separated from the central area by the fissures began to sink into the sea.

“Th-The island’s breaking apart!” Leone yelled.

She was right. The land separated from the central laboratory area along the cracks and immediately slipped away into the depths. Weak as the Floating Circle had become, it could still keep things afloat in water—but once physically cut off, they would inevitably drown.

“This part is going to tip over!” Liselotte shouted with urgency.

The central landmass with the laboratory and the Floating Circle shuddered and began to angle itself as well. It wasn’t sinking immediately like the others, but with its center of mass disturbed by its newly marred form, it had definitely tilted. At this rate, it might eventually sink too. It seemed to Inglis like she could no longer just enjoy a fight with the enemies who were after Wilma.

“We can’t let this happen! We need to evacuate the civilians! If the island sinks, they’ll be in danger!” Wilma yelled.

“But where can we evacuate them to?! The arsenal was destroyed, and so was the ship we were on!” Rafinha said.

“As long as that’s still there, we’ll be fine!” Inglis pointed to a flying battleship floating high above Illuminas. It was the Aethelstan Trading ship that Maxwell and the others had arrived in, holding position safely out of danger in the opposite direction from the arsenal. They could take it for their own and use it to evacuate the people of Illuminas.

“Do you really think I’d let you? I’m not here just to hand out ships!” Maxwell said.

“Ah!” Rafinha gasped. “It’s climbing away!”

Pinning the ship down, capturing it, and loading the people of Illuminas on board was a tall ask. Just shooting it down would be easy, but that wouldn’t accomplish what they wanted. And if they took too much time, the land they were on might sink.

“The mechanical dragons! Load the people on them! At least they won’t have to sink along with Illuminas!” Inglis said.

“Great idea!” Rafinha nodded.

The mechanical dragons which had been engaged in firefighting were lacking a task now that the city itself had mostly sunk. It made sense to use them in the evacuation. They were huge; each one could carry a large number of people. And fortunately, it seemed like they could use the hole the faceless giant had opened when it appeared in order to go underground. Well, “fortunate” wasn’t quite the right word given that this rescue wouldn’t have been necessary if not for the hole tearing Illuminas apart.

“Mechanical dragon squadron! Enter that hole, and proceed to the emergency shelters!” Light rose from Wilma’s black armor, and the dragons, following their orders, flew near at once.

As they tried to enter the hole, the giant jumped up, trying to grab one. “Stop them, giant!” Maxwell ordered.

“I won’t let you get in the way!” Inglis yelled. Aether Shell! Wrapped in the pale blue light of aether, she leaped forth, but she was clearly a step behind and could only insert herself between the giant and the mechanical dragon. Smash the giant away, and protect the dragon! “Haaah!”

But her tiny fist did not reach the giant. The haft of a golden halberd stopped it.

Clong!

It was Charlotte. She had kept up with Inglis even with Aether Shell active.

“Ugh! Such a heavy fist for such a little girl!”

“Good job! I knew you could do it!”

Inglis was overjoyed by Charlotte’s capabilities. They were clearly a cut above those of the hieral menaces she’d known before. If she really was Liselotte’s mother, did that mean their aptitude was hereditary? Wilkin had said that Liselotte had extremely high aptitude. If Charlotte did as well, maybe their relationship was the reason for her extraordinary ability. And if that was the case, then if Liselotte ever became a hieral menace herself, she could be just as strong.

Inglis and Charlotte’s momentum canceled each other out, and they both landed. That was enough of an opening for the faceless giant to weave by Inglis. It grabbed the tail of one of the mechanical dragons and slammed it into the ground.

Ba-thump!

The shock of the massive beast’s impact shook the earth.

“Ah! The mechanical dragon!” Rafinha gasped.

“Hyaaah!” But Leone’s dark blade had become gigantic and now swung down precisely toward where the giant had thrust its arm.

“Leone! Nice!” Rafinha said.

“Excellent work!” Liselotte said.

“But...! I can’t cut through it!”

The blade carved into the giant’s arm but couldn’t cut all the way through. The dragon, still caught, thrashed back and forth on the ground trying to break free.

“Ah! I know! Then—!” Rafinha drew back Shiny Flow as far as she could. “Leone! Don’t let up! Keep pressing!” As she spoke, she let loose an arrow of aqua-colored light, one imbued with its healing Gift. It struck Leone’s greatsword, and the blade of the sword began to glow with the healing light. As it did, it bit more deeply into the giant’s arm.

“Tch! A healing Gift?!” Maxwell spat in disgust.

“Healing power hurts the undying, right? Wasn’t that how it worked?!”

“Good job, Rani! You remembered well!” Inglis called out as she exchanged punches for halberd thrusts and cuts with Charlotte. Rafinha was steadily growing too.

“Now I can cut it!” Leone said.

“I’ll lend you my help too! Yaaaaaah!” Pale wings sprouted from Liselotte’s back, and she took flight before suddenly diving, her halberd swinging down. That pushed Leone’s sword the rest of the way, completely severing the giant’s arm.

“All right!” Rafinha and the others cheered.

The mechanical dragon, freed, spread its wings to take flight again. But in the next moment, a golden gleam flew toward its neck.

Fwoosh!

The dragon’s head was severed from its body forcefully enough to seem like it had popped off. Left headless, its body crumpled to the ground and lay still.

“Eeeeeeek!” the group of girls shrieked at the mechanical dragon, beheaded in a flash.

Tiffanyer giggled. “Awww, now isn’t that so sad? After you got yourselves all worked up too.” She smiled from behind her golden armor.

Tiffanyer’s transformed form was not a sword or a spear, but armor. Arles, formerly of Venefic’s army and now an instructor at the knights’ academy, was a shield hieral menace as well; sometimes these beings took on defensive forms rather than offensive ones.