Chapter 45

Aaaaarrrgh!! Are we there yet?”

It had been about two weeks since they left Fiminan when Akari spoke up .

“Fuyune, the next location for the purification, will still take us a week of traveling . Please bear with it . ”

“I haven’t slept properly on a bed for a long time, and my skin has gone rough from traveling at night!! Even the number of villages we stop by has decreased! How much longer will we keep on doing this!?”

“Until the journey ends . ”

“Haaaa!? Are you serious!? So, you’re going to make me live like this till the journey ends!? I can’t believe you!!”

“……”

“N-now, now, Akari, there’s just a bit until this trip ends, right?”

“Yuto……”

“When you finish purifying the last 2 sites, you will be the savior of this country . And, then, they will thank you after this time . So, let’s be a little more patient, shall we?”

“If that’s what Yuto says……”

Veins popped up on Syltina’s temples as she smiled at Akari, who said this and became docile after being comforted by Yuto .

Syltina clenches her fist at Akari’s behavior .

“Don’t hit her . I’m begging you, don’t hit her, okay?”

“Ahaha . You’re no fun, Al . It’s not like I’m going to hit her . ”

“That’s right . Yes, that’s right, isn’t it? In that case, won’t you please lower your fist?”

While Akari and Yuto had entered a world where only the two of them existed, there was Alhart frantically trying to stop Syltina from raising her fist .

((And, that’s how we are right now . ))

“Ahahahaha!! You guys must have it rough!! Thanks for your hard work!”

Even the sighs seemed to come through in the images projected by the Magic Vision as Clarina laughed and thanked Syltina at the same time .

((Geez, I thought it was a different person……))

“Sorry, sorry . But, I’m glad things seem to be going well . If this is the case, then, the purification will finish exactly by the end of the war with Rulan Kingdom . ”

((Yeah . It looks like the war is finally going to start, so we’ll have to move even more carefully from now on . ))

“Oh, and by the way, it seems like the Knights have started to hang around Manrinia, recently . I think they’re probably waiting for you so they can carry out their orders to take you to the King as soon as they find Al-kun and Sylti . ”

((Heeh . But, we won’t be arriving there until the end of the war . ))

“Well, they’re in there just in case you don’t get caught, right? I think their first choice is Fuyune, where Sylti and the others are headed to now . ”

((Ahh, that’s right . I wonder what I should do……))

“Shall I go? I’ll set up an invisibility barrier for you, okay?”

((No, it’s fine, but it means you can see from there, right? We’ll be fine, but the Saintess and the Prince are likely to make a fuss……))

“Ahh, I see . It’s troublesome, isn’t it?”

Just as the 2 were thinking of a good way to go around their dilemma, a man calls out to them .

“Umm, should we go?”

Possessing black hair and black eyes, the bespectacled man was one of the men who came back with Clarina to The Dipterous Sword’s encampment near Manrinia 2 weeks ago .

((And you are?))

“Nice to meet you, Syltina-sama . I am Keyhart, an officer serving in The Special Command Force . ”

((Ahh, from Fara’s unit…… Nice to meet you, I am Syltina . So, um, what did you mean about coming here?))

“We, The Special Command Force, are a unit under the Knight’s Commander . And, because of our extraordinary ability, the members of the squad belonging to the Special Forces have the same authority as the Squad Commander . In other words, we can issue orders to them if they are ordinary soldiers . ”

“I see . So you guys will lead those soldiers off before they run into Sylti and the others in Fuyune . ”

“Yes . ”

((That’s a very good suggestion, but if you go to Fuyune from there, won’t we arrive earlier than you?))

“If that’s the problem, then hey, don’t I have Myra?”

((Aahh, I see . ))

“Then, I and two others will come to meet you . ”

“Understood . ”

“For the time being, I’m going to give you a magic circle for Magic Vision, okay? Keyhart will be going in the same way anyway, so why not join Sylti and go back together to Manrinia? That way, you can move immediately if you meet other Knights along the way . ”

((Certainly . Can I count on you? Keyhart-san . ))

“Yes, of course . Then, please contact me when you arrive in Fuyune . ”

((Understood . I’ll be counting on you . ))

“Well, it’s just a bit more, but do your best Sylti . ”

((You, too . ))

With a final wave and a smile, the Magic Vision cuts off .

After confirming the disconnection, Clarina turns to face Keyhart who had been standing behind .

“So you’re going with Lunard-kun and Sesshura-kun, right?”

“Yes, because it’s easier for me to work with them . Is that alright?”

“It’s fine . I still have to draw the magic circle, so you can’t leave until tomorrow . ”

“Understood . Then, I’ll be off to relay it to the two . ”

“Then, I’ll be talking to Heine-kun . It’s a pretty important task, so I’m counting on you . ”

“Yes . ”

Clarina stands up with a stretch and smiles as she sees off Keyhart who firmly nodded and walked away .

Standing at the hill overlooking the encampment laid out by The Dipterous Sword, Clarina smiled deeply at the sight .

“Everything is going exactly as planned . All that’s left is for the war between the nations to end with Rulan Kingdom’s victory and for Sylti’s party to end the purification journey in Manrinia . Once we’re done with that, we just need to add the finishing touches . ”

When Clarina and Rain landed in Manrinia a few months ago, it was just the two of them and several of their comrades who came along .

But now, almost all of the influential allies Syltina made during her time in Rideiran Kingdom and almost half of The Special Command Unit who have been sent to gather supplies from each region have also gathered, causing their numbers to swell into a large group .

”How incompetent are the people of this country to not even notice such a large number of moves!?”

Chuckling, Clarina snaps her fingers . As if in response to the sound, something covered the whole camp and glowed slightly .

“Well, I did prepare a lot of things to keep them from noticing, so, as the Witch of Foresight, it’s only natural to get this kind of result!”

Smiling with satisfaction at the invisible wards that have been activated throughout the entire camp with no problems, Clarina noticed a figure coming up the hill and gave a big wave as he walked toward her .

“Ooooi!! Hein-kun, nice timing!”

“Nice timing…… I just had a strange feeling so I went here, but if you don’t need anything from me, can I go back?”

The person who possessed short, silver hair and deep crimson eyes returned a wry smile at Clarina who waved and smiled .

This person was Heine Milberia, the Vice-Captain of the Royal Knight Order and The Special Command Force .

“I’m just kidding!! You can’t go back yet . I have something to tell you, so listen to me . ”

Heine laughs out loud at Clarina who hurriedly tries to keep him from leaving and urges her to talk .

“I will be sending out Keyhart-kun, Lunard-kun, and Sesshura-kun to work on a different task tomorrow . ”

“Aaah, those 3, huh? Got it . What did you ask them to do?”

“I didn’t ask him, it’s more like he took it upon himself . I am sending them to take care of the Knights who are probably lying in wait at Sylti and her party’s next destination . Then, they’re going to join Sylti and head together to Manrinia . ”

“I see . Those 3 will do their job well, so rest assured . ”

“Yeah . ”

“Are there any other messages from the others?”

“I received word from Kamina-kun, who is working with the Rulan Kingdom army . He said they’ll be landing in 3 days . ”

Clarina remembers the communications she just received yesterday .

The youth known to the public as The Ingenious General, Kamina Roulans reported to her with a joyful look in his golden eyes that peeked from his fine, brown hair .

“After 3 days…… the war will probably start at the same time . After all, the Kingdom of Rideiran doesn’t want to fight this war . I’m sure they want to finish it before the people find out about it . Well, unfortunately, it’s only a matter of time before they find out . ”

“The second-largest port in the country, Rakayan, is a battlefield, so they can’t hide it . I’m certain the battle won’t take too long to finish . Kamina-kun was very enthusiastic . ”

“Relative to his second name, he really loves to fight, doesn’t he?”

“Fufufu . That’s where Rideiran Kingdom experiences its first despair . They will be defeated by an enemy that is supposed to be weaker than them by an overwhelming difference in power . ”

“What do you think happens after that?

Clarina laughs at Heine’s question .