Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire ♀ Volume 6 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: 200

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

In her pursuit of a feisty hieral menace, Inglis happens upon the ancient dragon she shared a fateful bond with in her previous life. Seeing the fearsome creature inspires in her but a singular thought: “Dragon meat is supposed to be really tasty.”

Inglis is excited for the chance to simultaneously solve Alcard’s famine and test her strength against the primal power of an ancient dragon...but some of her past decisions are about to come back to haunt her! Can this fierce clash bring forth new miracles?

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Chapter I: Inglis, Age 15—The Ancient Dragon and the (Former) Old King (1)

Chapter II: Inglis, Age 15—The Ancient Dragon and the (Former) Old King (2)

Chapter III: Inglis, Age 15—The Ancient Dragon and the (Former) Old King (3)

Chapter IV: Inglis, Age 15—The Ancient Dragon and the (Former) Old King (4)

Chapter V: Inglis, Age 15—The Ancient Dragon and the (Former) Old King (5)

Chapter VI: Inglis, Age 15—The Ancient Dragon and the (Former) Old King (6)

Extra: The Best Souvenir

Afterword

Color Illustrations

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Table of Contents

Color Images

Chapter I: Inglis, Age 15—The Ancient Dragon and the (Former) Old King (1)

“See? There’s a bit of a cutout at the chest, and the sleeves have fluttery details.”

“Hmm, like this?”

“Yeah, that’s it! I knew you’d get it, Rani.”

“Of course I do. Dressing you up is my thing,” Rafinha boasted. She and Inglis had spread out a sheet of paper on the deck of the damaged Flygear Port and were happily discussing its contents. Her pen raced over the paper, marking down Inglis’s requests for a ceremonial dress with winglike ornamentation. “And you want it in light blue and white? It’ll be adorable, but it might be a bit light for around here.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll be warm.”

“Huh? What do you mean? I can’t make the dress have powers like an Artifact.”

“Hm? Trust me, it’ll be fine. Think you can sew this?”

“I think so. The supplies we brought are still safe and sound.” Rafinha half climbed into one of the larger bundles. “Hmm... There it is! This’ll be perfect for what you described!” In her arms were bolts of fabric in white and light blue.

“Ooh! Great! Then, as soon as you can get to it.”

“Okay! Just leave it to me!”

“Hey, hold it, you two!” a voice chided. “We don’t have time to play around like that!”

He was one of the knights of Alcard, freed from Leclair, a man in his midtwenties who nonetheless was the highest ranking of the survivors and had taken to acting as their representative. He’d said his name was Lewin.

“Hey, we have a reason for this.” Rafinha, at least, seemed to be fully convinced.

“Huh?” Inglis asked. “Oh, yeah... This is a priestess’s habit—it’s for hearing an ancient dragon’s voice. If I wear this, I should be able to communicate with him.”

“Should” was the operative word, but Inglis had actually seen it in her past life. A woman claiming to be a priestess of the ancient dragons had worn that outfit in order to communicate with the ancient dragon Fufailbane. The ceremonial dress had seemed to contain some small tinge of mana. Furthermore, Fufailbane had become less hostile when seeing it and more willing to communicate, even if only in bemused curiosity.

The priestess had said it was a behavior learned from the custom of sacrificing maidens. Assuming the woman was right, Inglis could communicate with the ancient dragon if she observed the expected formalities. She deeply wanted to have that conversation and find out what had happened in this world while she was gone.

Besides, it’d be a plus if Fufailbane happened to attack her under the assumption that she truly was a sacrifice. If anything, she was hoping for that to come to pass. If anything, being reborn as a woman had fortunately made such a thing more likely.

“Huh? You want to talk with it?” Rafinha pointed down toward where Leclair had been. In the crater that now existed, a dragon’s tail protruded like a gigantic tree.

After driving off the hieral menace Tiffanyer, loyal to the Papal League, and putting an end to her ravages of Alcard, Inglis and her group had gotten the Flygear Port up and moving again. Tiffanyer’s attack had damaged it, but emergency repairs had made it flightworthy again, albeit only at slow speeds. It had taken around half a day to get back to it and then move it into the air, and in that time there had been no change in the tail’s condition.

“Well, I should at least ask him how he wants to be served, right?” Inglis said.

“Aha ha ha. Yeah, I guess.”

Leone gasped, raising her voice both in surprise and in disgust. “Wait, you were serious when you said you were going to eat it?!”

“Well, I suppose we shouldn’t be too surprised,” Liselotte said. “But if they keep saying that...” Liselotte’s concern was immediately confirmed by Lewin’s increasing skepticism. The Alcardian knight didn’t know how to take what he was hearing.

“No, no, wait!” he shouted. “That thing doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere, so we should just leave it alone. Maybe post a small guard. More importantly, we need to get to the capital and report to His Majesty that we’ve driven off the hieral menace.”

“Isn’t that why we lent Flygears to send messengers to the capital and the army on the border?” Inglis asked.

“No, Prince Lahti must make his triumphant entrance!” Lewin insisted. “Otherwise, his great deeds will—”

“Be swept under the rug by opportunists who did nothing themselves?”

“That’s right. Prince Lahti saved my life, and in return I offer it up to him! For his sake!”

Inglis understood what Lewin meant: they must not be late to make their move in the machinations which would soon envelop the political leadership.

And he seemed to truly want to devote himself to Lahti. On the other hand, doing so was also an advantageous career move. That much was undeniable. Were Lahti to become king, he would need allies. But...it was still too early for them to move hastily.

She shook her head. “No. We can’t. It’s too soon. We still have important things to do here.”

“What do you mean?” Lewin asked.

“Indeed, we’re no longer under threat from the hieral menace of Highland. Nonetheless, the people around Leclair are still without food, suffering from her plundering. If the situation continues like this, many are sure to starve. What difference would it make, then, if we simply left? Would not their fates be the same as if we’d failed to stop her?”

Lewin finally realized the severity of their circumstances. Perhaps he’d been imprisoned in Leclair for so long that he possessed no idea of the larger situation affecting the country.

“If that’s the case, then we must address it. When did this happen? Have you seen it firsthand?”

“Just recently. On our way here, we saw many people going hungry,” Rafinha answered.

“She’s right. I was with them. We have to do something about this—and fast.” Lahti’s confirmation was enough to thoroughly persuade Lewin.

“Ugh, I see... But wait, then shouldn’t Prince Lahti head to the capital immediately?” Lewin suggested. “We must petition His Majesty to set up food aid for the people! It can be sent from the army on the border! If the prince is there, I think it will be easier to proceed.”

“But will it really go so smoothly? This is a race against time,” Inglis objected.

“If there’s no food in the area, then we have no choice but to bring it in from areas that do have it, right?” Lewin continued. “Anyway, we need to do our utmost—”

“Hold on. There is food here. See?” Inglis pointed down at the dragon’s tail.

The conversation had turned, once again, to the ancient dragon Fufailbane.

“What?! Y-You’re going to kill it and distribute it as food to the people?”

“Yeah. That seems to be the quickest solution, doesn’t it?” Inglis smiled at the stunned knight.

Without that assumption, she wouldn’t have allowed Tiffanyer, Harim, and the Highlanders to leave with Leclair, which presumably still held the stolen food. In that case, taking back the town would have been necessary.

However, that would also have made negotiations more complex. Reclaiming the food would have taken time. Tiffanyer could have regained consciousness and brought the negotiations to an impasse. As lovely and pure a maiden as she looked, her mind was cunning and calculating. She was fundamentally different from Eris and Ripple, beautiful in both body and spirit. She’d have imposed some burdensome conditions upon them once she knew their goal. Plus, she may have had some idea that her predecessor, Evel, had plans for the ancient dragon, so perhaps she would have refused to leave at all.

If that had happened, Inglis would have had to finish Tiffanyer off forcefully—if she had done so, and then been forced to deal with the unexpectedly awakened dragon while exhausted, it would have been nothing short of a crisis. Therefore, the best choice at the time had been to come to an agreement with Harim, who seemed to prioritize Tiffanyer’s safety, while the hieral menace was not a thorn in their side.

Additionally, she could pursue the ancient dragon rather than emptying Leclair’s stores. That way, she could both fight the dragon without Tiffanyer’s interference and enjoy dragon meat, which was supposed to be delicious. Inglis had already planned this out before the negotiations.

Thanks to the dragon’s continued slumber, Inglis had taken half a day to recover from her fatigue. With one night’s sleep, she’d be back to peak performance. Her concerns had turned out to be unnecessary, but she’d had no way of knowing ahead of time. Inglis was glad she’d made the decision she had.

“We’ll resolve this food shortage right here. Plus, if everyone can see Lahti involved, it’ll improve his popularity even more. It’s too early to leave, because he has one more grand accomplishment here,” Inglis explained.

She needed to make sure that Lahti got the credit and the acclaim. Having it forced on her instead would be trouble.

“I-I see! So that’s what you were thinking. Forgive me, I didn’t realize you’d put so much thought into it.” Lewin bowed his head, suddenly seeing Inglis in a new light.

Rafinha, a twinkle in her eye, was even more enthusiastic. “That sounds great! Good job, Chris! Turns out you care about more than tasty food! You’re so grown-up!” Rafinha hugged Inglis and patted her on the head.

Inglis was pleased so long as Rafinha was happy, but... “Wait, Rani, why are you responding like that now? I thought you went along with it because you knew.”

“Huh? Nah, there’s just no arguing with you when you’re hungry. And besides, I’ve got an empty tummy too...” Rafinha giggled and stuck out her tongue. It was an obvious excuse, but from the perspective of an ersatz grandparent, a forgivably adorable one.

Remaining silent, Inglis turned her gaze to Leone and Liselotte.

“That sounds great! It’s a really good idea!” Leone beamed, proud of Inglis.

“Yes, it sounds wonderful,” Liselotte agreed.

From what Inglis could tell, no one had understood her intentions at first. How depressing. Just what did they think of her normally? “Anyway, that’s what I’ve got planned. Please make me that outfit when you can.”

“Got it!” Rafinha replied. “That makes me even more motivated!”

“Let me help too!” Pullum said. “I’m sure I’ll be able to help out somehow.”

“Thanks, Pullum! Let’s get started then!” Rafinha said, full of cheer.

“I should get something to eat before the fight...” Inglis said. The Flygear Port still had a little bit of food left on it. With all the meat that would be coming from the ancient dragon, surely it was fine to finish off what they had. Staying hungry for too long would leave her unable to show her full power.

“No fair, Chris! I’m hungry too! Don’t take it all for yourself!”

“But you need to get to sewing in a hurry...”

“My hands shake when I’m hungry! I won’t be able to sew anything nice! I don’t want to make anything you’d be embarrassed to wear, so I need to eat first!”

Pullum laughed. “Then I’ll get started, Rafinha. You go ahead and eat.”

“Okay! Thanks, Pullum.”

“In that case...” Inglis began.

“Leone, could you make us something?” Inglis and Rafinha intoned in unison, with wide smiles.

“You’re always so quick to ask me to do it...” Leone grumbled.

“It’s because you make such tasty food,” the two replied.

“Well, that’s nice to hear, but... Okay. Just hold on a minute.”

Doubt crossed Lewin’s face again as he watched the girls. He turned to Lahti. “Er, Prince Lahti... Is it really a good idea to leave such dangerous matters to these ladies? They seem like normal girls... Cute, of course, but can spindly little things like them take on a dragon?”

“Hm? They’ll be fine. You won’t be seeing them in that light for long.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Once you see them eat, you won’t think they’re cute. Once you see them fight, you won’t think they’re spindly. Inglis chased off a hieral menace basically on her own, right? If she can’t do anything about a dragon, there isn’t anyone in this country who can.”

“Sh-She’s that strong?” Lewin gasped.

“Listen, Lahti, I don’t know what you mean by that, but I haven’t forgotten what you promised before we came to Leclair!” Rafinha interjected. “There’s plenty of time while we wait for dinner, so now’s your chance! Come over here and say it!”

Before they’d traveled to Leclair from the other Alcardian towns, Lahti had said that he wouldn’t hesitate to use his power as king to protect Pullum. The girl had been left in a tenuous position by her brother’s betrayal to side with Tiffanyer. At the time, Rafinha and the other girls had gotten excited over the idea that he would—for example—rescue Pullum and then propose to her. Rafinha was excited to bring that back up.

“That’s absurd! This isn’t the time! Not until we deal with this mess completely! And don’t use such a significant thing as small talk while you wait for dinner!”

“Whaaat? But you promised!” she whined.

“I didn’t promise anything like that to begin with!”

“What are you talking about? It sounds like fun,” Pullum interjected.

“Whoa, it’s nothing, absolutely nothing! Hurry up and get Inglis’s outfit made! We don’t have any time to waste!” Flustered, Lahti changed the subject.

◆◇◆

And finally...

“Wow, it looks great! Chris, you’re adorable! It’s perfect on you! You can work any outfit, so it’s really worth making things for you to wear.”

Rafinha, dark circles under her eyes, held up a hand mirror reflecting Inglis. As stern and dignified as the priestess’s outfit itself was, the amount of skin visible around her shoulders and cleavage exuded exactly the opposite sort of glamor. To sum it up, Inglis was fascinatingly attractive. She only wished she had a bigger mirror to fully enjoy the view in.

“It really is,” Pullum agreed, just as exhausted as Rafinha. “Her skin’s so clear, and her chest... I wish mine were like that.” No matter how tired she was, the gleam in her eyes was obvious.

“Why not take the chance to see how it feels? It’s so soft and supple.” Rafinha poked at Inglis.

“Knock it off, Rani...! Don’t just go around poking at people’s chests!” Inglis protested.

“I deserve it after working myself to the bone for this. You’re paying me back with your body.”

“Agh!”

“C’mon, Pullum,” Rafinha continued. “Go ahead and touch! It’s fine.”

“O-Okay, just to see what it feels like... Wow, this is amazing! She really is soft and supple.”

“Ugh... Isn’t that enough?” Inglis complained. “Come on, this is embarrassing.”

“How about you, Liselotte?” Rafinha asked. “You can touch all you want.”

The group was inside a tent on the Flygear Port’s deck. Inglis, Rafinha, Pullum, Leone, and Liselotte were using it as their sleeping arrangements. Lahti and Lewin, as well as the other knights of Alcard and the civilian survivors, each had their own tents. The deep, round hull and spacious deck of a Flygear Port were designed to allow a large number of people to rest safely in the air. It could operate as a mobile base for dozens of troops.

In any case, Liselotte cleared her throat in response to Rafinha’s invitation. “That’s rather immodest. I don’t approve.”

Liselotte was a lady of class—in more ways than one, Inglis thought. Though that social position also applied to the least modest among them: a certain Lady Bilford.

Thank goodness. That should change the course of the conversation.

Liselotte continued after a pause. “But if you insist... It is educational to study what one doesn’t have.”

“Even you, Liselotte?!” Inglis protested. Rafinha and Pullum were slender, and not particularly well endowed. Liselotte’s build was average. But it seemed she still harbored some curiosity.

“Then go riiight ahead! ♪” Rafinha announced. “C’mon, they’re jiggly!”

“Wow, they’re so heavy. Amazing.”

There was only one person Inglis could look to in this situation. “Save me, Leone!”

“Aha ha... Do your best...” Leone had taken shelter in the far corner of the tent to protect herself, defensively covering her chest with her arms. She knew that she was the next target.

“Leone! How cruel!”

“C’mon, I’ve got Rin to deal with over here!” Rin had set up camp in Leone’s cleavage, so in a sense Leone was at least holding her off. Otherwise, the tiny magicite beast would have joined in as well.

“C’mon, if you keep looking away, I’m going to squeeze them more,” Rafinha taunted.

“Eek! Stop touching them like that!” Inglis protested. “Isn’t that enough?! I need to get to the dragon!”

“Hmm, I guess we can stop. We’ve enjoyed Chris’s springiness plenty.” With Rafinha’s announcement, the three’s attacks ceased.

“Yes,” Pullum agreed. “It was incredible. I really am jealous.”

“I learned quite a bit,” Liselotte remarked.

“Phew, it’s finally over... Anyway, enough playing around. I’m going to where that dragon is now,” Inglis announced. “Rani, Pullum, you must be tired. You can rest.”

“No, I’ll go too,” Rafinha said. “We’re going to be eating tasty dragon meat, right? I don’t want to sleep through that!”

“I want to do anything I can to help too!” Pullum agreed. “If there’s anything I can do to help the people my brother took food from...!”

“Then let’s go together! That’ll be nice, right, Chris?!”

“Yes,” Inglis agreed. “There’s a favor I wanted from you two anyway...”

“Of course, we’ll help too,” Leone announced.

“Indeed we will. Let’s all go together,” Liselotte agreed.

Inglis and the others left their tent and boarded their Flygears, ready to descend to the ruins of Leclair where the ancient dragon’s tail protruded from the ground.

◆◇◆

Three Flygears took off from the deck of the Flygear Port. The Star Princess carried Inglis and Rafinha; the other two were part of the ship’s complement, carrying Leone and Liselotte, and Lahti and Pullum, respectively.

In truth, it would have been better for Lahti to stay behind on the Flygear Port, but he simply wouldn’t hear of it. Both a sense of responsibility as the nominal commander of the expedition and concern for Pullum had played a part in his participation.

“Why don’t we land some distance from the dragon and walk the rest? It might be dangerous if we approach him suddenly,” Inglis suggested. She brought the Star Princess to the ground a safe distance from the protruding tail.

“But why so far away, Chris?” Rafinha asked as they walked to the dragon’s tail.

“To be prepared if it suddenly leaps from the ground and attacks us?” Leone pondered.

Leone’s observation wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t the only thing about which they needed to remain cautious—there was an entirely different thing one also needed to keep in mind when dealing with an ancient dragon.

“A dragon strong enough to be called an ancient dragon turns the very energy around itself into guardians—they’re called phantasms, or projections,” Inglis explained.

The power around a dragon was something different from mana or magic, and its effects were stronger than all-too-inefficient magic. The flames or blizzard that a dragon breathed forth required none of the chanting or gestures of magic, yet they possessed far more power. However, unlike magic which shared some common traits, dragons’ power varied greatly from one to the next. Their power was less a science and more individual traits.

“And you want to be on guard for those?” Leone asked.

“Yes. If we approach suddenly, the guardians might surround us and destroy our Flygears.” Inglis wouldn’t regret things coming to blows, but losing their Flygears in the process could cause some inconveniences.

“I’ve never heard that about dragons before,” Leone remarked. “You sure know a lot, Inglis.”

“I hadn’t heard such a thing either,” Liselotte agreed. “You must have read quite the rare book.”

“Is there really a book like that in Ymir’s archives?” Rafinha asked. “I don’t remember seeing one.”

“There have to be plenty of books you wouldn’t know, Rani,” Inglis replied. “You’re not much of a reader.”

“Oh, whatever! I may not have read them, but I played enough hide-and-seek in there that I’d at least remember the covers. Hmm...”

“Maybe you should try opening them?” Inglis responded.

In fact, there was no such book. Inglis’s knowledge came from her past life as King Inglis. Some rare books during that period had indeed documented dragons, and people had still known of them. But judging from Leone’s and Liselotte’s reactions, dragons had been completely forgotten in the modern world. The same was true of mana, and the knowledge and techniques of magic used to control it.

“You two are going back home next vacation at the academy, right?” Leone asked. “Can you bring that book with you and show it to me? I’m curious.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Liselotte agreed. “I’d like to see it as well.”

Their passion for learning was commendable, but Inglis would have preferred this in any other context. “Well, um...” Inglis began, but stopped herself as pale blue patches of mist blocked their path. “Ah, be careful. They’re coming.”

“Grrr...”

“Gwohhh!”

They loomed threateningly, taking the form of dragons’ heads. Each radiated a malevolence thick enough that even a well-trained knight might have lost his will to fight. When Inglis had fought an ancient dragon in a previous life, more than a few had thrown down their arms in terror.

“What are those?!” Rafinha gasped.

“Th-They’re not to be trifled with. Compared to a magicite beast...” Leone trailed off.

“Yes... This is far worse than facing a magicite beast. This intense malevolence, this hostility!” Liselotte said.

That trio usually seemed like a group of ordinary girls, but they were more than that. Not only were they well trained, they were future upper-class knights. They may have been startled by the sudden apparitions, but they weren’t shaken to the core. Their determination was reliable.

They were no Silva, who had a special-class Rune, or Yua, who was her own thing entirely, but they were still plenty powerful. If they’d been under Inglis’s command in her past life, she’d have expected fine work from them.

“More and more are appearing!” Pullum shouted.

Before Inglis’s eyes, the phantoms appeared and gathered, almost forming a wall.

“These are phantasms, physical manifestations of a dragon’s energy. They’re transparent, but they bite—and it’ll hurt, so be careful. They’re watching us now, but if we step within a certain area, they’ll attack,” Inglis explained.

“The pain itself would be the least of our problems!” Rafinha said.

Leone eyed them. “Right. With their strength...”

“Inglis made the correct call earlier,” Liselotte said. “If we had approached suddenly, we would have lost our Flygears and had nowhere to escape to.”

“You all wait here,” Inglis instructed. “I’ll approach them. If this outfit is effective, they won’t attack.”

In her previous life, she’d seen an ancient dragon’s phantasms avoid harming a priestess. If the two here didn’t lunge at Inglis, she could presume that she’d be able to communicate with the ancient dragon Fufailbane. She wanted that very much.

She tested the phantasms first. “Here I go.”

“You’re probably going to be disappointed if you don’t get to fight them, Chris,” Rafinha remarked.

“No, that would be fine. Besides, I could take a break to change so that they’d attack me.”

“Aha ha ha... What a shocker...”

“Wouldn’t it be great to have foes I could fight endlessly? Looks like I’ve stumbled upon something truly valuable. ♪”

“That sounds like the kind of longing that should be left to tasty food and cute clothes...” Rafinha sighed deeply.