Vol 4 Prologue

Part 1

"Zetterlund Continent" ....

A name that is given to the land which Human and Demon beast reside on this
planet.

The land was divided by the great high rugged mountains "Aubigne",

The west side of the continent is crowded with many countries created by the
human race.

People who reside there are called the "Western Union"(Okushidentsu)

compared against the only country on the eastern side of the continent,

The country which is the sword and shield of the humanity "kingdom of
Fremmevir" located near the great sea "Bocuse", the area of the beast.

In the foothills of Aubigne mountains, there lies "Raihiara School District", the city
with the largest school facilities in the Fremmevir Kingdom is located here.

"Olvecius fort" *1 which became the base for the "silver phoenix knight order" is
located very close by. Although it was referred to as a "fort", it is not really a
facility that was for battle environments.

Therefore, almost all of its contents are "Workshop" facilities. The parking places
by the sides of the facilities are wide enough to hold various groups of "Silhouette
Knight".

The pure white knights lead the 1st squadron, The crimson knights lead the 2nd
squadron, and the 3rd squadron is made out of centaur knights. This place has
some of the most combat capabilities in Fremmevir kingdom.

The machine for knight leader is located in the deepest part of the giant knight
group,

.....An "armor warrior" with 6 arms and 2 heart with total height of 10
meters approximately, it was a huge humanoid weapon "Silhouette Knight".

These knight of steel are made in order to fight magical beast, though it must
move like a sophisticated statue, it was well ordered and filled with majesty.
But there was also,

Those who were moving around hurriedly on foot are another story.

The "Knight-Smith" group had been working to upgrade their Silhouette

Knight, continue with their bustling work.

Such a blacksmith group, raise their voices and passed instructions to the people
around.

And then appeared a muscular physique, a respectable beard in rugged

features,

It was a young dwarf.

[Good grief, nothing good out of the boy who self-indulges too much with
Silhouette Knight.]

While complaining with a bitter smile, his arm grabs his shoulder and makes a
"gokigoki" sound *2.

For a certain reason, The Silver phoenix knight order has unique Silhouette
Knights which makes it the most advanced unit in Fremmevir kingdom.

Each one of them are powerful machine but there was a need for man power to
maintain their ability and many upgrades.

Inevitably, this resulted in increased work load of the calvary's knight-smith

group.

[MASTER!! About under-body part development of "Tzendrinble", It is complete!

We re-made it with brand new Crystal Tissue.]

[The king hardship. It has been a "Long journey" anyhow. we have had to go all
out on the under-body part of Tzendrinble in particular]

Received reports from his subordinates that came rushing,

He.........

"David Hepuken" had a display of satisfaction.

He has the title of Silver phoenix knight smith corps captain.

A long part of the relationship since he took over the nick name of school days
that been call as "MASTER".

He was even familiar with it himself,

In fact, his position was nothing other than master of the smithy.

[Master-san. about upgrading and stowage of the silhouette knight, It is all

finished.]

[Oh! Pigeon boy also worked hard. with this, the rough maintenance problems
are finished.]

David looked at the young dwarven subordinate who had come.

He is "Batson Terumonen"

He is the unusual cavalry knight-smith who is more knowledgeable about

Silhouette Gear than Silhouette Knights.

From then on, one after another, reports of completed maintenance arrive to the
master.

From silhouette gear to silhouette knights,

Such as the large carriage truck drag Tzendrinble in addition,

The equipment that was owned by the Silver Phoenix Knight order really had a
wide range of variety.

When combined with such scale, it's quite a big task to get accustomed with
the simultaneous maintenance.

[The final preparation have been done, now with this guy in tow, it will probably
be a bustling journey. You guys too, just hop in already!]

Master who displays a pleased smile just skips the manifesto, the blacksmith
group respond back by swinging up their arms.

He also said the same thing to the group of the steel knights that stood
behind, while being able shine proudly somewhere.
Part 2 (Re-Edit from Darren Chaim suggestion)

On the other hand at that time,

Just what is the knight leader of silver phoenix knight order "Ernesti Echevarria"
(Eru) doing?

He is not in Olvecius fort,

He was at home together with his childhood friend located at the street corner of
Raihara school district.

[Umnn.... With me bring in this thing, the packing is almost done, right?]

Eru come from his room while holding armfuls of trunk case.

It can be see that both of his hands are holding enough to suffer,

Archid (Chid) was puzzled by that scenery.

[You can probably leave it at fort too, right? just how much you intend to bring.]

[Most of it are design notes of silhouette knight , tools for drawing and textbooks.]

[....Oh, yup, whatever, although I've feeling like this is going to end up as carefree
journey.]

Even though it was their "Outing" now, Eru still going out with the usual tools as
always , typical of Eru,

It can't be help that Chid felt a little amazed as expected.

[Oh dear, just wait a moment, Eru, you did not leave anything behind-ne? Is your
silhouette knight working properly? ]

To the ground floor, (his mansion should be at least 2 level building.)

The mother who dashed out to follow Eru with pitter-patter sounds
is Celestina Echevarria (Tina).
From such a scenery, their action are shifted swiftly to the point of the just look-
alike mother and son.

Chid who stood nearby was goofing lightly.

[Yes, of course-desu! because it will have to be in a perfect condition, we asked

them to run a firmly maintenance right now. it get carried along with everyone,
we're plan to join them later-desu.]

[If that is the case then i can be relieve-ne. ...... Eru, this will made me feel lonely
for a while , please take care yourself not to get hurt-ne. good luck on your job-
ne.]

Tina lavishly embrace Eru softly while Eru nodded and hugged his mother
strongly back too.

[Yes, It may be a little long journey, please take care yourself too-ne, dear
mother. because I will bring you back a lots of "Souvenirs" after this, please look
forward for my return.]

[Haha, a souvenir does not matter.....just working hard is good enough and come
back safely.]

From behind Tina, the father, Mathias Echevarria appeared with a wry smile.

Whenever his son leisurely perpetrated occasionally ridiculous runaways, there

was crisis that happened somewhere yet to be solve.

He may need more than the ability to get over it but the parent's worries do not
care for that. (they care about Eru more than the crisis, that was i think.)

He patted Eru head roughly as Tina walked toward to the twins of brother and
sister who are together with Eru.

[Ady-chan, Chid-kun too, be careful. both of you, please look after Eru-ne.]

[Yes, Tina-san! please leave your Eru to me. As leader assistant, I will work
hard!]
(I guess everyone know whose line is this.)

[Although i think Eru will be okay no matter what happens, roger that ]
"Adeltrud Olter" said it devoutly while move her hand from her waist to her chest,

Chid shrugged his shoulder.

After all, these twins always run rampaged together with Eru when he runaway, it
can be say that it is predictable.

Let us depart!

[Then, let us depart! First of all, let us all head toward to the imperial city, to meet
up with the knight order there-ne!]

Eru who holding a trunk case finished the farewell greetings and started running
vigorously.

The twins also running in addition.

The parents who send them off by look at the back of the kids who running
cheerfully,

They continued looking all the way until the kids disappeared from their sight.

Part 3 (Re-Edit from Darren Chaim , Ogre Rou suggestion)

West calendar, Year 1281.

The times before early summer, the time with days of pleasant weather.

At the imperial city of Fremmevir kingdoms "Kankanen",

The man's figure was proceeding at through the royal castle "Shreiber" corridor.

The man with a large solid build stature is rushing wildly.

The 2nd heir royal prince of Fremmevir kingdom, "Emurys Geijer Fremmevir"

Proceeding through the corridor, he kicked the door at the end of the
path aggressively.

[Old man.....no, your majesty. I wish to go to "Kshyperuk kingdoms" (クシエペル

カ) right now! Even without the pretext, you understand right?]

What lies ahead is the audience chamber with the king. the deepest, largest
room, The king was already at the throne,

The king "Riothamus Harus Fremmevir ",

He was displaying a lamenting expression instead of the uncaring attitude

towards his son as it was the usual etiquette,

He raises the hand, mixed with feelings of resignation.

The people who stand around were surprised at being ordered to move out.

[....Good grief, I hear it coming. This idiot son of mine, your patience is
unexpected short, although I already anticipated this once your voice could be
heard (or it may be his foot step).
Can you tell me why you suddenly want to go to Kshyperuk kingdoms?]

He was displaying a lamenting expression instead of the uncaring attitude

towards is son as was the usual etiquette,

Emurys had tears in his eyes while tightly clasping his fist. His actions befitted
the appropriate person.
[That kind of thing, it's obvious! I don't how to say this, Father. Kshyperuk
kingdoms is "our aunt's" (Martina) country, It is being invaded by
other countries!!]

From the scene of the stressful 2nd prince who was clenching his fist,

King Riothamus grumbled with expression of resignation.

[Oh, because it precisely turned out to be what I thought, that's why I'm still not
taking any action. Just where the hell you hear this sensitive news from?......
however, Emurys, none of requests have been arriving from her country. A
reason is needed for heading to the battlefields.]

[Reason? Such a thing is not needed! Our aunt is on verge of danger right now! It
is naturally for us to go help them, That should be enough isn't? ]

Riothamus nodded quite naturally.

[I see, but to deploy military force. have you forgotten? Our country right now has
limited numbers of silhouette knights. To keep the wide national border in check
is what you need to do in order to protect the people, not head out to war in other
countries.]

If only looking at just the wideness of the country,

Fremmevir kingdoms can be counted as a large country among the human

nations.

The reason the country is being treated as a frontier nation, because its
existence has infested with countless "Magical beast" all over the country.

In order to keep this country peaceful, it required many numbers of silhouette

knights.

Before the undeniable fact, Emurys involuntarily closed his mouth, and frankly
hated it,

He basically has a strong heart of chivalry.

To help his aunt, he will expose the danger to his people instead,

No one will forgive him for that.

That's why, he inevitably can't utter another word.

[Is that so? I'm got it..... Then, I will go to Kshyperuk kingdoms alone, It should
be ok if only me goes there to help aunt!!]

Once again, he immediately made a obviously rebellious action,

Riothamus is holding his forehead.

A voice reached his son from behind.

(I'm believe that Emurys already turn his back on his fathers and on verge of
leaving the audience chamber at this sentence being made.)

[Even if you go alone, just what the heck can one man can do? ]

[....I don't know! But, Aunt took care me for a long times, to do nothing while thing
are continuing like this, there is no way I can do that!]

Riothamus narrowed his eye with an absolute calm appearance,

[Then what about your name, "Emurys Geijer Fremmevir"? To go to

country during the war with a that name, do you know what it means? It's obvious
that you should know that with out saying, right?]

He suddenly stopped walking as he struck by a lightning.

[Abo...about that...]

[Until now, There were no one stupid like that, right? Certainly, this is about my
younger sister's country. But more than that, what will happens if my own son
goes there? It will be treat as a "War declaration from Fremmevir kingdoms".]

[Even you said that...Hmm! that's it, Kshyperuk kingdoms is a country on the
west side of Aubigne moutains. For them to be invading over there, the next
target after that might be our Fremmevir kingdoms! If you lend them a force
before that happens....]

[That might be possible. But even if that was the case, are you still going there
just to cause a bothersome enemy? the actions of the king will effect the country.
You, the one who will succeed the throne someday. Emurys. The choice you
make will be the country's choice, That is the basis answer. Do you have resolve
to involve the people of our country?]

Emurys falls into silence.

He can't say out even one word,

He squeezed his fist strongly enough to make his hand bleed at any moments,

His whole body is trembling.

He is about to say the whole of his feelings.

[So his majesty....father...., are you gonna forsake auntie....!?]

[Such a thing will not happen.]

Emurys' reaction was delayed as he was taken aback by the light tone that
ignored the flow from before.

[I can't allow you to go there and act alone. In order to achieve significant results,
there is a need for the competent force. although it unthinkable for us to deploy a
large force, I wonder if relying on only knight order soldiers would be a good
thing....]

When Emurys's mind listened to his fathers grave words,

A certain knight order's names just came to his mind.

There are many knight orders in Fremmevir kingdoms,

But there was only one of "knight orders" suitable in this task,

He almost involuntarily uttered it's name,

At that moments,

The king was being notified about "Their" arrival.

[Your Majesty, sorry for being late, a trio of the company of the "Silver Phonenix
Knights order" are here to establish an expedition preparation, Sir!]

Ernesti who appeared among the audience while he has been pulling Ady & Chid
in tow, he gets reverently on his knee.
This unusual event make Emurys dumbfound,

Riothamus is just nonchalantly laughing on the back of his throne.

[Dissatisfied? Emurys. Their power are very well known right? The recent
dismissed of Land Emperor (Behemoth) and Armor Queen of Beast (Queen
Shellcast, クイ-ンシェルケ-ス), They are the strongest knight order that save our
country from perils again & again, right?]

While showing a discouraged expression, Emurys scratch his head.

[I'm well aware about that...... Hey dad, in order to not let the country get involved
in this mess, the commencing from now on must be not know by anyone right?]

[Um, exactly, therefore Emurys, you must avoid using the name
"Fremmevir kingdoms" as much as possible, behave like you have no
relationship with our country, also not give a just cause to anyone.]

As being exorcised, he finally break his lifeless posture.

And regained his favored pushy & forceful stance where his brute force alone is
enough to startle others.

[....Father, This is kind of, is it not the quibblesome matter?]

[Wrong. This is something which said by the winners only. what happens?
Emurys, what is more important is push through till the end.]

Riothamus cleared his throat by pinching it and changes his his expressions into
a serious one.

[Our country now is more important than anything. "After" this, critical times may
be noisier or harder, the obstacles will happen. We need to do everything to
overcome it even though it will bring just a little peace or thing may be get
rough(issue escalation). Also, please take care my idiot
sons, Silver Phoenix Knights order.]

[It is my pleasure, our silver phoenix knights order will protect the life of royalty at
the best of it ability-gozaimasu]

On the side, Emurys had no idea what he should said but, it definitely become
troublesome for sure,

He started walking with Zuka-zuka sound (SFX ズカズカ).

[Yosh, it does't not matter! it really encouraging to be accompany with you guys.
let's go, Silver Phoenix Knights order!!]

Chasing his back who begin to walk from behind,

The Kings word reach him.

[The war between a fellow country, it better for you to see it with you own eyes.
the next era from now on will drastically change. In order to face it, Our opponent
will not limit only a magical beast anymore, right? .....and, go help Martina!, that
all I ask out of you.]

Emurys slightly looking back and vigorously nodded.

The greatest un-penetrate city of Fremmevir kingdoms,

The imperial city Kankanen surrounded by rigid wall.

Kankanen west gate,

It large enough to be enter or leave by silhouette knights,

The silver phoenix knights are gathered there with their fully equipped armament.

And the core of the troops,

The 3th squadrons of silver phoenix knights are made with the centaur knights
"Tzendrinble".

Behind the large back of Tzendrinble are connect with the huge carriage "Dray".

It display a high transportation capacity.

It is necessary capacity for a long distance march,

Which adjusted for sake of careful preparation.

On top of the wagon,

There are machine standing in knee stance.

Those silhouette knights was being treat as a luggage.

Most of it are the "Kardetolle", the state of the art formality mass production
machine.

It was the main force of the 1st & 2nd squadrons.

Of course,

There are not bring only just a silhouette knights,

There also great number of normal horse-drawn carriage that was load with
repair parts which also treat as silhouette knights consumption,

The whole of them were up to a considerable scale.

[This really look like a large family-ne]

[Then what about going to help the friendly countries, how does it
sound?. Because we're going there to fight. In other words, a lot
of necessary thing need to be done, right?]

The 3rd squadron captain "Helvi Olberg" looking around at the surrounding with
admiration.

The one who answer her is the 1st squadron captain "Edgar C Blanche".

Up until now,

The silver phoenix knights orders which having both high mobility and powerful
forces, having running around many times as they were requested to be around.

However, all of it was still within their country,

Up until now, there is still not enough reason to deploy them for support on-site
with full force, this will be their first time for expedition, there will be a lot of thing
that they could gain from this journey.
[I don't know what's happening over there, but to me it look like something big.
well, the grand-master and the other 2 seem to be present. Let's go for boarding
preparation to move out soon.]

At that place, the 2nd squadron captain "Dietrich Cunitch" appeared.

He talked the 2 people and, his voice echoed around the and multiplied at group
members.

The group members who had been care freely standing around until then begin
to quickly move to their positions.

At the castle gate exist, Emurys who brought Eru with him appeared.

Looking at the fully equipped silver phoenix knights order,

He remember "The calamity of the shell beast" incident that was said to be the
worst in recent years,

If the silver phoenix knights order did not show up to prevent the incidents.

It surely.............. while he is sinking in his thinking process,

He already arrived at the exceptionally big carriage at the front row of the knights.

On the top of that special carriage which was towed with 2 Tzendrinble horse,

A silhouette knight that flashy reflected the shiny golden color bright as the light
of day has been placed on it.

[....Yo "The gold lion"(Gordesleo). For auntie sake, you will display your full force
when the times come, you know?]

Slip through beside of Emurys who looked up at the gold lion with deep
motion, Eru look back behind the knights.

Without realizing, the line of sight of all members in that place are gathered on
him.

[His royal highness. we await your command.]

[.....Yosh,Yo-Silver phoenix knights order! Our group will proceed for the sake to
helping auntie. also to stop the war, we 're going to kick the ass of the stupid
country that caused incident!!]

From the description which is too rough in various ways, the group
members collapse their posture as it is extremely disappointing to see.

Without care, Emurys clenches his fist, and continue.

[Our opponent this times is not a beast! Our ordeal may be difficult. But with the
power of me and you guys, I believe that it will be achievable!!]

[Yesss sirr. Everyone, let's enthusiastically participate in "War", shall we?]

As if he had a screw loose, Eru who floated a happy smile with pleasure made a
conclusion with ferocious words.

The group members roar,

The silhouette knights made a high-pitch aspirate intake & exhaust sound.

Thus, the silver phoenix knights order started moving to the midst of the raging
storm in the west land.

It was the 1st times for Fremmevir kingdoms establish an expedition to the west.

Through all East and West, this year will be a history about large movement in
Zetterlund Continent.

The time of the beginning has come.

Knight's & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 29
Outbreak of War in the Western Realm Arc

The Beginning of the Grand Storm

Translator: Skythewood

Editors: Darkdhaos, Ruzenor

The land was dyed black, a darkness that was cold and gleaming, showing the
tough and thick metallic ground. And the ones that turned this land black were
giant knights covered in dark steel armour— Silhouette Knights. This was an
army of Silhouette that gave the illusion of extending into the other end of the
horizon. They were gathered here in orderly formation.

This was one of the renowned great countries within the ‘Western League of
Nation, Occident’— the capital of the Žaloudek Kingdom. The extravagant palace
was situated in the middle of the capital, and the ground paved with stone slabs
extended to its front. If one looked from the balcony jutting out from the front of
the palace, he would be able to view the entire plaza carpeted by black.

On the balcony were several figures, two men and one woman. They had been
watching the gathering of dark knights since just now, and finally, a young man
walked forward. He was a youth about 25 years old, giving off the impression of
great competence.

In concert with his steps, the low pulsing sound of the giant knights gradually
quieted down. The intake valves of the Ether Reactors were suppressed, and the
Crystal Tissues didn’t make any sound, the entire place fell into dead silence.
Seeing the dark Silhouette Knights motionless like statues, the young man
nodded with satisfaction, and spoke calmly— His voice was broadcasted to every
corner of the plaza through a certain device.

“‘Black Knights’, the pride of our nation that stands proudly in the west! We have
finally reached this moment, and my heart is deeply moved.”

The first son of King Baldomero Bilt Žaloudek, Carlitos Emden Žaloudek paused,
and surveyed the plaza slowly. His narrow eyes that gave the impression of
being sharp were full of energy, and he wanted to convey his determination to
everyone.

“Gentlemen, as you know, our Dear Leader, His Majesty Baldomero is bed
ridden due to illness, and during the times of our early forebears, our lands were
split due to despicable acts of treason. And now is the time to rebuilt our nation,
and make our Kingdom great again! The regrets of my father pains me, his son,
deeply! We have to inherit the will of His Majesty!”

Clank, clank, the Black Knights knocked their weapons on the ground,
expressing their consent wordlessly. Carlitos was pleased with what he saw, and
continued:

“In the past, these western lands are united under only one nation and one king. I
am sure that all of you know, the name of that nation was ‘Father Aburdene’, and
the league of nations in modern times… Our Kingdom of Žaloudek, Kingdom of
Kuscheperca, The Allied Union of Rocard and the ‘Eleven Flags’. However, those
are just splitted remnants of that giant nation.”

His tone became agitated, and his hands started gesturing wildly as he preached
to the Black Knights:

“Father Aburdene expelled the Demon Beast with its power and ruled humanity,
founding a utopian country! But the ambitions of fools burned this ideal to the
ground, how can we not lament this loss!? We, the Kingdom of Žaloudek is the
nation that inherited the bloodline of the fallen grand nation. We have the
responsibility, and the duty to fulfill the grudges of our ancestors!”

In response to Carlitos raising his arm, the Black Knights started moving. They
turned from statues to soldiers of dark steel, stomping their feet and banging their
shields in support of their master. The uniform sound of clashing on the stone
slabs reverberated throughout the plaza, and the ground rumoured loudly.

Carlitos raised his hand again, stopping the fervent movements of the Black
Knights, and the army of steel reverted to silence again.

“The time has come.”

This was said calmly, but reached the heart of the listeners with deep passion. All
the pilots controlling the Black Armour looked at their Holo Monitor with feverish
eyes.

“For us to unite the great Empire that fragmented dishonourably— That time has
come!”

The knights burst out a roar, and the noise of the revving of the Ether Reactor
shook the very air. No one could be certain what was being said, as the emotions
started burning.

“We will take back our lands with the entire force of the Black Knights!
Gentlemen, to war!”

Carlitos was the acting monarch in place of his father, and his words were
equivalent to the will of King Baldomero Bilt Žaloudek. The pilots spurred by the
prospect of invading their enemies maneuvered the strongest Silhouette Knights,
shaking the ground with their every step.

C.E. 1281. With the coming of spring, the Žaloudek Kingdom declared war
against the Allied Union of Rocard. One week after their declaration, Žaloudek
Kingdom mobilized more than half of their forces— six knight orders with the
Black Knights, the Green Bronze Claw Knights and the Bronze Fangs Knights in
the lead. They formed two Battalion of about 600 Silhouette Knights, then
marched to the borders.

And so began the total war that ravages the league of nations in the west—
named by those in the future as ‘Western Grand Storm’’ started.

“Allied Union of Rocard didn’t even last a month…”

In the capital of Kuscheperca Kingdom— Delvincourt, within the palace situated

at its center, there was an exceptionally large audience hall. The King— Aukusti
Vario Kuscheperca was seated on the delicately crafted throne as he said that
with a bitter expression.

The reason his brows were furrowed deeply was because of a report from the
western borders this morning. Its content was simple— the Allied Union of
Rocard had fallen. The speed at which it had fallen was beyond the expectations
of the Kuscheperca Kingdom which had been earnestly scouting out the situation
since the declaration of war by Žaloudek.

“The Allied Union of Rocard might just be a coalition of minor states and far
inferior to us in national power… But there should be proficient in defending
through long years of experience.”

“According to reports, Žaloudek relied completely on brute force in battle, and

broke through from the front without using any tactics.”

“They might be a great nation, but for Žaloudek to actually possess such
power…”

King Aukusti listened to the discussion of his gathered subjects without a hint of
emotion. The two largest countries amongst the Western League of Nations were
Žaloudek Kingdom and Kuscheperca Kingdom. Their borders weren’t connected,
with several states of the Allied Union of Rocard standing between them. Caught
in between the two giant nations, these countries so small that a gust of wind
might unroot them only survived so long because they played the role of being a
‘buffer zone’.

They did their best as small states to form a union, and made use of the military
competition between the two nations to keep both sides in check, and maneuver
between them deftly. However—

“This means that something happened in Žaloudek. Something boosted their

power drastically, strong enough to spur their expansionist ambition.”
When they heard King Aukusti make his conclusion in a low voice, the subjects
looked at each other. They couldn’t imagine what caused this situation, and this
wasn’t the only thing they had to worry about. After the fall of the Allied Union of
Rocard, there wasn’t any news that Žaloudek had stopped their march— In fact,
the reports showed that the opposite had happened.

“Their opponent might be a small nation, but they just finished a war with another
country. And yet they want to attack us? No matter how strong that nation is, that
is too foolhardy.”

Leaving Rocard aside, the Kuscheperca Kingdom was a great power and a thorn
in Žaloudek’s eyes. Even a great nation like Žaloudek didn’t have the prowess to
conquer both countries consecutively, which was why the Western League of
Nations could keep their peace. In other words, something happened in Žaloudek
Kingdom that was big enough to overturn this status quo.

The thought that ‘Kuscheperca Kingdom will be in grave danger if we don’t solve
this mystery’ flashed through King Aukusti’s mind. He couldn’t shake off this
ominous feeling, but he couldn’t show any weakness as the King.

“No matter what, since they are coming, we have to fight back.”

After hearing King Aukusti made his resolve, the gathered aristocrats all nodded
nervously, with the faces of those with territories in the west showing the most
bitter face. After all, the pride of the Žaloudek Kingdom, the Black Knights would
be attacking their territory soon.

“Muster our forces in Silda Trider with haste. Let the invaders know that they
should return to whence they came from and reevaluate their own power!”

Silda Trider was the defensive line in Kuscheperca Kingdom, known as the
absolute defense line of Kuscheperca. They will be using these forts as their
base to engage the Žaloudek army. After the King issued a clear order, the
nobles carried out his will hurriedly.

That might be so, but Žaloudek should already know about Silda Trider, and
couldn’t break through no matter how large a force they committed. Are they
confident of breaking through it…?

As he watched the aristocrats, King Aukusti’s heart darkened. Unable to shake

off the gloom of his heart, his cast his gaze to empty space as if he was looking
at the walls of the grand fortress in the far west.
After decimating the Rocard states in a blink of an eye, the Žaloudek Kingdom
built on their victory and march towards Kuscheperca Kingdom.

The area where western Kuscheperca Kingdom borders the Allied Union of
Rocard was a vast plain known as Bastol. It had few barriers, a terrain that was
easy to attack and difficult to defend. But the Kuscheperca Kingdom used its
national power to construct tall and long walls here, and these walls were known
as the First Shield of Silda Trider, Silda Uxia.

The sturdy walls weren’t just several times taller than Silhouette Knights, there
was also a fortress city behind it. With the combined defensive potential of the
both of them, it was claimed that even an army of a thousand Silhouette Knights
wouldn’t be able to overcome it.

In the face of the world renowned great wall that was the physical manifestation
of Kuscheperca Kingdom’s national power, the Žaloudek army also spread its
units out and built a large camp. Both sides deployed their entire forces in the
very first battle. In the center of the plains dyed black by the Žaloudek formation,
two figures surveyed the stone walls that covered their entire field of vision as
they conversed:

“As expected of one of the famous Silda Trider, it looks like a difficult fortress to
capture for us as well.”

“Hmmp, it’s just a symbol of fear. Afraid of losing their lands, so they closed their
gates like tortoises.”

One of them resembles the first prince of Žaloudek, but looked younger and had
an arrogant aura about him.

His name was Cristóbal Hasslo Žaloudek. As his name suggest, he was the
younger brother of Carlitos, the second prince of Žaloudek and the Commander-
in-Chief of this expedition. The burly middle aged man besides him was Doroteo
Mardones, who didn’t belong to any Knight Order, and was Cristóbal’s strategist.

Between the tense atmosphere of the two armies, the two of them were
evaluating Silda Uxia casually as if they were chattering idly. They could see
clearly from their position that the Kuscheperca Army was deployed in front of the
fortress. After all, no matter how sturdy a fortress was, it would be broken if
attacked relentlessly, so the Kuscheperca Army couldn’t rely solely on a
defensive battle.

As they watched the Kuscheperca Army that was ready to repel the Žaloudek
invaders, Carlitos revealed a cruel smile, like a beast ready to pounce.
“So Kuscheperca adopted a defensive formation huh. Just as we expected, Your
Highness.”

“It’s pitiful that they can only rely on cheap tricks. Alright, I’m fine with both sides
staring at each other… But it would be unpleasant if they think we are cowards.
Let’s start a fight.”

“Yes my liege.”

His order was enacted the next day. With the rising of the sun, the Žaloudeks
marched forth. Accompanied by bugles and gongs, the Black Knights advanced
in neat formation. Rank by rank, the majestic march of the Žaloudek army gave
the Kuscheperca Army the illusion that a black wall was moving towards them.

“So that is the new machine models of Žaloudek huh… How huge…”

The pilots on the Kuscheperca military model ‘Resvant’ all held their breath
because of the grand formation advancing on them. Their comment on the size
of the enemy machines weren’t a metaphor, the latest Silhouette Knight model of
the Žaloudek Army, the ‘Tyrant’ was at least a head taller than the Resvant. The
Tyrant had fearsome armour and unbelievable power output, their entire body
gave off a power that was on the verge of exploding.

Seeing that the Žaloudeks were attacking, the Kuschepercas prepared to

engage. Silda Uxia launched the first long distance attack, the rain of stone
launched by the catapults rained down on the Žaloudek armour. It wouldn’t be
strange if such attacks could crush the Resvant along with their shields. But the
Tyrant deflected the attack easily with their raised shields. Just how strong was
the newest Žaloudek model? The Kuschepercas were stunned that the catapult
attack didn’t have any effect.

Soon, the Žaloudek army moved into range of Silhouette Arms, and the magic
projectiles from both sides changed the surrounding terrain. Shortly after, the
Tyrants charged right into the Resvant formation. To avoid friendly fire, the
catapult attack stopped. The Tyrants tossed their shields aside and engaged in
melee attack. The sound of the two armies clashing broke out in the simple
defensive structure built in front of the fortress.

“W-What’s with these guys… So tough! Weapons are useless against them!?”

“Damn it, my sword is bouncing off them…! Arrghh!?”

In no time, the battle turned one sidedly. The Tyrants completely showed their
overwhelming power. The incredibly strong armour of the Tyrants blocked the
swords of the Resvants effortlessly, and they destroyed the Resvants with one
heavy swing of their warhammer. In the face of the onslaught of such tight ranks,
the Kuscheperca couldn’t do anything except shuffling back.

The power of Žaloudek’s new model machine was greater than the Kuscheperca
feared. Originally, the performance between the Žaloudek and Kuscheperca’s
machine wasn’t too different, but there had obviously been a revolutionary
technology breakthrough in Žaloudek recently. Even if they knew that, it was no
consolation for Kuscheperca that was losing the battle badly.

“Damn it, the Žaloudek bastards are already climbing the walls…!”

“We can’t hold the line if this goes on… Fall back! Fall back and defend the
fortress!!”

Moments later, only the foreboding black armours and crimson flames were left
on the Bastol plains. Scattered all over the surroundings were the debris of
Resvants. In contrast, the wreckages of the Black Knights were scant. The one
sided massacre left the Kuscheperca army no choice other than retreat.
Fortunately, the Black Knight’s heavy armour and massive power output were
offset by their low mobility, so they couldn’t catch up to the retreating
Kuscheperca army, who were able to escape from the devastating hammer blow.

As they watched the enemy that covered the entire plains, even though the
Kuschepercas were behind the famed infallible walls, the soldiers still fell into
despair and uneasiness. The Žaloudek overwhelmingly powerful new model— in
the face of that black tsunami, even the renowned impregnable Silda Uxia
couldn’t stand the assault forever. For the first time, they had doubts on how
impregnable the fortress was, and dispatched a messenger with the battle report
to the capital urgently, along with the hopes of all the soldiers in the fort.

The Žaloudek forces that advanced to the walls calmly prepared to lay siege.
Compared to the panicking Kuscheperca army, they were so calm that it was
terrifying, showing no signs of excitement about forcing their enemy to a
desperate situation, or any rashness with their prey right before them. The only
exception was the Commander-in Chief at the base behind them— Cristóbal,
who was laughing heartily.

“Hahaha, how delightful! They must be sending out their horses in a panic right
now!”

“That is only expected, Your Highness, what should we do next? Even the elite
Black Knights couldn’t do anything to such a high wall.”
“Why are you asking even though you know the answer. Just make a show of
attacking the walls relentlessly as planned. They will pool all their forces here
sooner or later, without knowing that they are exposing their weak point.”

When he heard Cristóbal make an ominous prediction about the future of

Kuscheperca, Doroteo could only answer with a wry smile.

The urgent message that arrived after exhausting several horses to death cast
an air of emergency onto the capital of Kuscheperca once again.

“The strength of Žaloudek is incomparable to how they were in the past, we can’t
fend them off even if we give everything we have… If this goes on, it will just be a
matter of time before Silda Uxia falls…!”

The messenger who was absolutely dejected kept bowing his head onto the
ground, and the leaders of Kuscheperca who were watching him all turned pale.
King Aukusti was worried because his ominous feeling became reality, but he
tried his best to keep a calm demeanor.

“Damn Žaloudeks… I was wondering where their confidence stemmed from, to

think they are that powerful. Are their Silhouette Knights really that strong.”

“They are truly fearsome armoured monsters, we will be struck down if we took
them on from the front… And the core of their strategy is to win by numbers, so
there aren’t any flaws to exploit.”

The King sighed deeply in his heart, and leaned by on his throne weakly. For
them, Silda Uxia was an impregnable existence. Even though the name Silda
Trida meant that there were Silda Kaksla (Second Shield Fortress) and Silda
Kormeda (Third Shield Fortress), their defensive capability weren’t as great as
Silda Uxia. It would be foolhardy to engage the enemy in a straight fight too. After
taking into account the existence of the fortress, the combat prowess between
the two armies was obvious, and there were limited countermeasures that could
be taken.

“Your Majesty, I propose alerting the western 15 counties, and gather our forces!”

When he heard the suggestion by a western aristocrat of Kuscheperca Kingdom,

King Aukusti nodded grimly. Mustering the forces was a simple and practical
method, and the Silhouette Knights of Kuscheperca, the Resvants, couldn’t
match the enemy, and would need the advantage of numbers.

The Žaloudek’s Tyrants wield extraordinary prowess, and it would be impossible

to break through the heavily armoured formation from the front. They had
experienced this already. So they had to take them out one at a time by luring
them to the fortress behind Silda Uxia. By thinning the enemy, there would
definitely be weak points. It goes without saying that this plan would require great
sacrifices. After discussing for a very long time, they couldn’t come up with a
better alternative.

The meeting ended in a heavy mood, and King Aukusti retired to his chambers.
He was known to be calm and gentle, but he couldn’t keep his cool anymore.
When he was alone, he took off mask of serenity and slammed his fist onto the
table.

“This Kingdom finally became prosperous after such a long period of peace…
And such national crisis strikes…”

Žaloudek Kingdom was shrouded in a strange air since long ago, but didn’t make
any major moves in the last decade. Now that he thought about it, they were
probably preparing for this horrific invasion all this while. As a King, he failed to
see through this and let down his guard in such time of peace, which was even
more inexcusable.

“But I will settle this crisis myself! I mustn’t leave this war to that ‘child’...!”

King Aukusti made up his mind and lifted his head. Suddenly, in this royal
chamber devoid of anyone but him, a voice called out to him.

“Father…?”

King Aukusti turned in surprise, and before him was a beautiful blooming flower
that was in the form of a human. She was King Aukusti’s only daughter, first in
the line of succession, ‘Elenora Miranda Kuscheperca. She had a sorrowful
expression as she walked to her father’s side.

“Father, I heard about it. The attacks of Žaloudek are strong, and has shakened
the defences in the west…”

“Don’t worry, Eleanora. Our Silda Trider is invincible, and the western lords are
gathering their forces to counter attack, we will drive those unruly ruffians away
soon.”

The twisted face of the monarch reverted to his gentle expression in an instant.
Instead of the dignity of a king, he looked closer to a father soothing the
uneasiness of his daughter. Eleonora will be 16 this year, and had lived in a
peaceful environment since birth, and she was raised into a gentle and refined
lady. Her personality was the furthest thing from violent, and as she was the only
child of the King, Aukusti intentionally kept distressing news from her.
“...You are right, father. I can rest easy after hearing you say that.”

Eleanora who never doubted her father showed a gentle smile like sunshine in
spring. After chatting a while more, the King watched the back of his departing
daughter and muttered softly:

“That’s right, there won’t be a problem. I will take care of this war, and not let this
fall on your shoulders.”

Unexpectedly, there were signs that the two armies separated by Silda Uxia
would be engaging in a long war.

Žaloudek displayed overwhelming strength and devastated the Kuscheperca, but

they didn’t seem enthusiastic on breaking down the tough walls of Silda Uxia.
With the Tyrant they were piloting, it was possible for them to destroy the wall.
On top of that, there weren’t any defences in front of the walls, leaving it literally
unprotected. However, the Žaloudeks was moving sluggishly. The Kuscheperca
army couldn’t fathom this behaviour, but it was a good chance for Kuscheperca
who were at a disadvantage. Reinforcement from all over the Kingdom was sent
with urgency, and they were starting to gather around the fortress.

And so, the battle at the national borders dragged on for a month, and it had
been two months since Žaloudek began its invasion. In this time, the attack of the
Žaloudeks slowly but surely damaged Silda Uxia. There were many cracks in the
walls that were the pride of Kuscheperca, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it
collapsed at any moment.

Behind it was the Kuscheperca army that had been gathered completely, and
they were relieved in finishing to muster before the walls fell. The air was thick
with the scent of an inevitable battle, with the combined forces on either side of
the walls exceeding one thousand. A large scale battle that was rarely seen
could break out at any moment.

Even though it happened on the other side of the wall, news of such a large
enemy force gathering spread to the Žaloudeks naturally. This was the moment
Cristóbal had been waiting for, and he issued the order with a smile— the
command to execute the secret mission that would decide the course of this
battle.

“It is time, summon the Steel Wing Knights! Fufu, I will be moving out too, we will
head straight into the heart of the enemy!”

“Yes Sire! I will do so at once!”

That’s right, Žaloudek who possessed such powerful forces and the Kuscheperca
army who mustered an army to match— They were waiting for such a balance,
and the moment when the Kuschepercas gathered in large numbers to overcome
the strength difference between their individual machines.

And so, during a night with dim moonlight, Žaloudek’s ‘new weapon’ became one
with the darkness and started their assault, without the Kuscheperca army
noticing.

The center of the capital of Kuscheperca, Delvincourt, was far from the western
borders. It had great national powers, and the long term stable political climate
spurred the rapid growth culturally. And so, Delvincourt was one of the most
prosperous cities in the west. However, the streets lined with elegant brick
buildings lost its usual hustle and bustle, and the entire city was shrouded in
uneasiness. News of the Žaloudek army threatening their national safety had
reached the capital through various channels, and with the war going badly, all
the pedestrians had grim faces.

On this day, one of the sentries on the outer wall of the city felt uneasiness by the
unusually quiet night. Only the crackling of the torches used for lighting could be
heard in the darkness. His attention was drawn by the sudden flow of the clouds
and stopped. It wasn’t easy to determine the flow of the clouds in the dark night,
and he gave up a short moment later. Thinking this was probably his worries
about the Žaloudek invasion playing tricks on his mind, he felt ashamed for being
so easily spooked and returned to his patrols.

However, his instinct wasn’t wrong.

The sound of canvas being blown by the wind came from somewhere, and the
unnaturally loud noise of the wind seemed wrong to him. He was standing on a
wall way above ground level and didn’t felt any wind, so where did the sound of
canvas come from?

He felt a chill down his back. Taking out a whistle from his pocket and holding it
with his lips, he surveyed the surroundings tensely, determined to not miss any
slight movements. It wasn’t long before he witnessed an incredible sight.

Coincidentally, moonlight shone through the thick clouds as if they were parted
by a giant hand. The pale moonlight fell onto the colossal figure that was
advancing through the sky. The whistle fell from the wide open mouth of the
sentry and the first thing he questioned was his eyes, then his sanity. The
colossal figure parted the wind in its wake could only be described as a ‘ship’. His
common sense was sounding alarm bells. Ships should be a transport vessel
that floats on water, and definitely couldn’t fly in the sky. On top of that, how
could such a colossal object take flight?

It didn’t appear black because of the backdrop of the moon, but because the ship
itself was painted a dark shade that blended right into the night. Even the two
‘sails’ on either side of the ship were dyed completely black, that’s why the sentry
only noticed it at such close range.

As he stood in place stiffly, the floating black ship continued getting closer. In this
windless night, only the vicinity of the ship had wind that was blowing in the
direction it was traveling in. It was too close to hide its presence, and only the
details of the external part of the ship could be made out. The sentry who was
just one step from falling into panic made his last act of reason, a cry came out
between his chattering teeth in place of the whistle.

“S-Someone…! T-There are intruders… No, it’s a ship. A black ship is attacking
from the sky!!”

During the time the sentry stumbled away, the flying ship that was still
approaching was about to cross the walls. One ship. No, two ships, three ships—
Behind the black ship spotted by the sentry, there were identical flying ships
following behind. A total of ten vessels, a large fleet. As they watch the vessels
appeared one after another, the people on the ground fell into panic. No one
could believe it, and when they witness the sight for themselves, they would be
frightened into silence. After that, when they could make out the banner of
Žaloudek on the sails, they would regain their voices in the form of screams.

This was the ace of the Žaloudek Kingdom, Steel Wing Knights, a special knight
order made up of the first functional flying ships in this world, ‘Levitate Ships’.

The shape of the Levitate Ships was strange, as if a seaborne ship had been
flipped upside down. Sails had been raised on either side of the ship, allowing it
to advance with the wind. On the smooth top of the Levitate Ship— which was
the bottom of seafaring ships— there was a part jutting up, which was the bridge
which housed the command center of the ship. Inside the bridge, all sorts of
mechanical parts were exposed, making it look messy.

There was a slightly elevated seat in the middle of the bridge. That was the seat
of the captain, but someone unexpected was seated there right now— the
Second Prince Cristóbal who should be at the western border of Silda Uxia was
here.

“Kuscheperca wimps, scrambling around like pigs that had been pricked in the
butt!”
“Anyone who didn’t know about the existence of Levitate Ships would be this
surprised… What? Ugh… Your Highness, the spotters below sent a report saying
the number of lights in the city had increased, they are probably preparing to
engage us.”

“That is just futile resistance, out sword is already at their necks. Very well, let’s
begin. All ships slow your advance!”

After receiving Cristóbal’s orders, the soldiers in the bridge opened the steel
cover on the walls that revealed steel pipes, and shouted the orders into them.
The orders would be transmitted to all parts of the ship through the sound relay
equipment.

“Attention figurehead! Reverse the direction of the Blow Engine. Retract the sail
after slowing down, prepare to defend against ground attacks!”

“Figurehead acknowledge, reversing direction of Blow Engine.”

At the bow of the ship, a statue with the top half of a Silhouette Knight could be
seen. It might be a little obnoxious to use it as a figurehead of a ship, but on
closer inspection, the head of the knight was actually moving. The part known as
the figurehead wasn’t just a simple statue, but the top half of a Silhouette Knight
was grafted there. The Silhouette Arms in its hands created whirlwinds around
the Levitate Ship, changing the ship’s course. This was the true reason why there
was sound of the wind in this windless night.

The decelerating ship glide across the sky, passing over the walls easily and
looming over the castle behind it easily.

As for the castle in the center of the capital, the guard garrison were panicking.
That wasn’t strange, since no one knew how to fight a ship flying in the sky. They
could only follow the defence procedure of a night raid and increase the number
bonfires, not even realizing that this would allow the enemy to see them and
attack more clearly.

Inside the bridge of the Levitate Ship, Cristóbal was laughing his ass off at the
foolishness of the enemy. He drew the sword on his waist as if he couldn’t sit still
anymore, and got up from the captain seat with a leap.

“Gentlemen of the Steel Wing Knights, pride of our nation! Tonight, we will take
the capital of these fools!! Offer me your best!”

The soldiers started moving to carry out his command. The communication
soldier relayed orders through the communication pipe, and the entire crew of the
Levitate Ship acted in accordance.
“Orders! Orders! Begin air dropping Tyrants, start the landing preparation! Pilots
standby inside the cockpit!”

“Starting airdrop procedures, injecting air into the Etheric Levitator!”

In the middle of the ship was a large machine, the heart of the Levitate Ship
itself— the Etheric Levitator. Many soldiers surrounded it, staring at the gauges
as they adjusted a series of levers. The Etheric Levitator was a powerful but
delicate machine. If anything went wrong, the entire ship would crash into the
ground. Hence, they need to be as swift and careful as possible. The craftsmen
wiped away the sweat on their palms after accomplishing their goal.

“Report! All Tyrants are manned, airdrop preparations complete!”

“Dilution rate is 5.21, machine is stable, descending speed is good!”

Cristóbal listened to the report of the soldiers and deepened the smile on his
face. And finally, he received the report he had been waiting for—

“Spotters report that the distance with the land is within 30! Within airdrop range,
there aren’t any attacks from the ground yet!”

“Excellent, glory to the vanguard! Open the bottom hatch! Steel Wing Knights,
attack!!”

The flat armoured bottom of the Levitate Ship opened, revealing several dark
holes. Immediately after that, Silhouette Knights flew out along with the rattling
sound of chains. No matter how sturdy a Silhouette Knight was, it would be
decimated if it fell from such a height, so the altitude of the ship needed to be
lowered, and crane lift would be needed to slow their descent midway.

After they were close enough to the ground, the Tyrants unbuckled the chains
and landed with a cloud of dust. Because of the problem with weights, each
vessel had the special roster of 2 fireteams (6 machines) of Silhouette Knights. It
was a much smaller scale than the army at the west, 60 black towering knights
still appeared in the capital of Kuscheperca. This was the first time in history that
Levitate Ships used airborne tactics. In the face of the attack that defied common
sense, the capital of Kuscheperca couldn’t defend itself.

A few hours after Žaloudek launched its sneak attack, one of the prosperous
cities of the west— Royal capital Delvincourt was ablaze, a hellish place where
the citizens scrambled to hide. Black steel giants traversed the streets lined with
brick buildings as the garrison knights of the capital city fell one after another. An
adequate amount of defenders had been stationed around the city, but they
didn’t expect the enemy to attack directly from the air. And so, only one platoon
(60 machines) rushed on scene immediately after realizing something was
amiss.

“Damn it, what kind of heavy armour is this!? The Resvants are no match for
them!!”

Just a swing of the warhammer by the Tyrants clad in black armour would send a
Resvant flying along with its shield. After hearing about the situation at the
borders, the royal guards were already prepared to face powerful foes. But the
difference was beyond their imagination, and were on a completely different level
from them. The vast gulf between the Tyrants and the Resvants was obvious to
them.

Even so, the royal guards didn’t give up. A group was about to surround and
attack the Tyrants that were moving in small groups, attempting to use numbers
to make up for firepower. But when they were tightening the encirclement, a
suspicious black figure that was obviously different from Tyrants came running
over the roofs of the buildings. The dark figure raised the sharp claw at the end of
its arm, and swiped down the head of a Resvant. The size was obviously that of
a Silhouette Knight, but its appearance was strange for a Silhouette Knight
designed after the form of a human in armour. Its torso was really slender and its
arms long and twisted.

“What’s with these guys!? Are they from Žaloudek too!?”

The surprise attack of the black figure caused some confusion, but the Resvant
team still attempted to counter. The black figure dodged the attacks easily as if it
was mocking them, its movement surprisingly agile. Using the moment when the
Resvant was unbalanced, the arm of the black figure ‘reach over’ violently, its
claw piercing the abdomen of the Resvant just like that. The Resvant caught off
guard didn’t even have the chance to evade and was silenced.

“Damn it, how dare you…!”

After seeing their comrade pierced by the arm of the alien, the other Resvants
charged at the black figure in a fit of rage. It might be nimble, but with the burden
on its arm, it won’t be able to utilize its speed. The Resvants couldn’t let this
opportunity go.

But before they could do so, another black figure blocked their way. It was a
Silhouette Knight with a similar slender body. The Resvant pilot who was blocked
clicked his tongue, and used his momentum to slash at the new opponent. When
the strike infused with wrath was about to hit the black figure, something slightly
reflective flew out from the back of the figure, hitting the entire body of the
Resvant with a hard blow. It destroyed the Resvant’s Crystal Tissue, stopping it
like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Hmmp, what a let down.”

The diminished Resvant group lost their ability to keep up the encirclement, and
the Tyrants started their counter attack. The Kuscheperca knights couldn’t do
anything and lost their lives to the heavy warhammers. The black figures left the
routing Resvant unit behind and melted into the darkness once more.

“... Kuscheperca is finished… Work hard and earn more merits then.”

One of the Silhouette Knight appearing to be the commander gave its orders,
and the other black figures nodded slightly and moved out. They hurdle buildings
nimbly as they searched for their next prey. The next target of the black unit
melting into the night was the core of the capital— The royal castle.

King Aukusti could feel slight tremors from his throne, which meant that war was
upon him. He had received plenty of bad news all this while, and no one could
grasp the entirety of the battle yet, confirming what was happening where. Or
rather, the entire capital had become a battlefield.

The Kuscheperca army committed their forces before understanding the

situation, and ended up in the foolish state of their army being dispersed. They
couldn’t do anything and were being slaughtered by the small elite Tyrant teams.

The worst outcome flashed across the mind of King Aukusti, and is face turned
gloomy. At this moment, a soldier with a gloomier face arrived with news: “A
bigger flying ship is heading this way.”

— It was certain that the enemy wanted to end this decisively.

“Is this the end…”

King Aukusti’s tired mutter was lost in the noise of his surroundings. He was
secretly grateful that no one heard that and stood up.

“Gentlemen, looks like we will have to make the final decision.”

This was the capital, there was no retreat route for them. If the capital falls, the
country was as good as destroyed. That was why the soldiers gave their all in
resistance, but it was futile as the urban battle already decided the defeat of
Kuscheperca, and the net was being tightened around them. They could use the
castle as the last bastion of defence, but during the national emergency, all the
defences were focused on the sturdy walls of the city, and the castle itself lack
defensive capabilities. Since the enemy bypassed the walls and landed directly
inside the capital, this was just a futile struggle. ‘Kuscheperca Kingdom will fall’—
King Aukusti accepted this fact.

There was something he had to do. He walked to his daughter who looked
uneasy, and surprised himself with how calm he said these words:

“The castle is surrounded. If this goes on, all the royalty would fall into their
hands. Before that, you need to hurry and escape through the hidden
passageway.”

“W-What about you, father!?”

“I… am the king of Kuscheperca, I have the obligation to fulfil my final duty.”

Tears welled in Eleanora’s eyes. She threw away the etiquettes she had been
taught since birth, and jumped into his father’s arms.

“How… How can I do that, father!? Please run with me!! There is still time…”

“I can’t, Eleanora.”

King Aukusti pushed Eleanora away gently, looking straight into her eyes and
rebuking her in a gentle voice:

“If the king is the first one to run, then I won’t be able to face the knights who are
fighting with their life on the line. I will be mocked if I hand over the ‘King’s Mount’
over without a scratch.”

“But…”

Her words were stuck in her throat. King Aukusti hugged Eleanora who was
crying uncontrollably, and shifted his gaze to the person standing beside her:

“Can I request something difficult from you, Martina?”

“Of course, I will protect Princess Eleanora with my life.”

The daughter of the former regent of Fremmeria, Martina Alt Kuscheperca, who
married, Fernando Nevarez Kuscheperca, the younger brother of King Aukusti,
nodded firmly. She then called out to the other girl who was present:

“Isadora, you two go first.”

“Yes mother. Come, we need to be quick Eleanora, there isn’t time…”

Martina’s daughter, Isadora Adalina Kuscheperca forcefully pulled away
Eleanora who refused to leave. Even though Eleanora screamed and resisted,
she was no match for the merciless Isadora. King Aukusti who watched them
leave had a face of regret.

“My apologies, Martina, for troubling you.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty… I am not speaking up for Eleanora, but wouldn’t it be
better for Your Majesty to leave with us? The King’s Mount is just a Silhouette
Knight, compared to your safety…”

“That’s true, but you have seen the enemy right, Martina? A ship sailing in the
sky had never been seen before. It is difficult to fight an airborne enemy.”

King Aukusti looked out into the night through the windows, and before him was
a black levitated ship illuminated by the blazing flames on the ground. The ship
that was one size larger than the others was also painted black, but on a closer
look, a large banner could be seen on it. There was no mistake, it was the
colours of Žaloudek Kingdom.

“... If there aren’t any royalty in the castle, the Žaloudeks will conduct a search
with that vessel. It is not that easy to escape through the secret passage and
hide from an aerial search, so the King has to be here. In order to draw their
attention here, and to slow them down.”

“... Brother-in-law.”

Martina looked at the unusually calm Aukusti, and understood that he was ready
to meet his end.

“And so, the heavy burden will fall on that child… Seems that I am neither a good
king nor father.”

“That’s not true…”

“Ever since my wife died, I doted that child very much. It will be fine under normal
circumstances, but I am not sure if she could handle such a situation… Martina,
can I leave her to you?”

“Alright, I promise you that child and I will repel the invaders one day.”

“I’m counting on you. Alright, we don’t have time to chatter… Please tell
Fernando that I will be leaving the rest to him.”
Martina bit her lips for an instant, but she composed herself and curtsied, then
chased after her daughter, leaving the man on his throne. King Aukusti closed his
eyes for a long while, and when he realized that the ship was even closer, he
showed a hearty smile.

“They might be accursed invaders, but their abilities aren’t bad. However, don’t
look down on us…!”

The King issued his final decree—

“I will take the field! Prepare the King’s Mount!”

The sound of battle that had been raging on since the invasion of the Levitate
Ship stopped gradually. Most of the Kuscheperca forces had been eliminated,
their figures gone from the capital. Black armoured knights tightened their
encirclement around the royal castle, even the Levitate Ships was closing in from
above.

At this moment, the gates of the castle opened grandly, and Silhouette Knights
appeared in formation. The Resvants were adorned with decorative sashes, as if
they were about to participate in a ceremony. The machines garrisoned in the
castle wasn’t much in terms of fighting prowess, and committing them to battle
highlighted how desperate the Kuscheperca army was.

However, the Žaloudek army ignored the Resvants, focusing their attention to the
extravagant Silhouette Knight in the center of the formation— The King’s Mount
of Kuscheperca Kingdom, Kartoga Ol Cauchard. Unfortunately, the moonlight
was dim and aside from the reflection of the torches, it was hard to appreciate its
beautiful designs. But it was enough for the Levitate Ship to target it.

Standing in the middle of the Resvants group which couldn’t hide their unease,
the Kartoga Ol Cauchard — King Aukusti who was piloting it looked up at the
giant ship in the sky calmly.

“I heard King Baldomero had fallen sick in recent years, he can’t be riding in that
thing…”

The defenseless Kartoga Ol Cauchard walked forth alone. No one attacked the
king, and a ship landed on the road in front of the castle. Unable to fathom how
such a colossal ship could move so quietly, King Aukusti watched eagerly.

“Ara, seems like the other party accepted. It couldn’t be helped…”

The machine with a yellowish brown base colour and shining brightly drew its
sword. With the blade pointing skywards, it held the sword before it as if in
prayer. It then thrust out the sword straight ahead, then turned it and stabbed it
into the ground. The Žaloudek army held their breath, this was an ancient ritual of
challenging a formal duel. Since it was a duel requested by the King’s Mount
Kartoga Ol Cauchard, there was only one man present who was qualified to
answer.

“I am Aukusti Vario Kuscheperca, King of Kuscheperca! The commander of the

Žaloudeks on that flying ship, can you hear me!?”

A machine on the Levitate Ship stood up in response to King Aukusti, the only
white armoured Silhouette Knight surrounded by a sea of black.

“I will answer you! I am the son of King Baldomero of Žaloudek, Cristóbal! The
commander of this punitive force! King Aukusti, I will be your opponent in place of
my father, the monarch!!”

“... Oh, to think King Baldomero would hand the frontlines to a child. But as the
commander, you are good enough to be my opponent! Accept my challenge
then!”

“That’s what I intent to do, King Aukusti. Enough talk, let’s converse with our
swords!!”

The white machine leapt, and the moment it landed, the flag machine of the
Žaloudek army, Alkelorix, raised its sword and shield towards Kartoga Ol
Cauchard.

“Have at you!”

“En garde!”

The Resvants and Tyrants in the vicinity all stopped to watch the duel between
these two. The strongest weapon in the world was the giant humanoid machine
called Silhouette Knights. Probably because it mimicked the design of knights, it
inherited many archaic and inefficient customs. ‘Duel between the command
machines’— that was one such ancient custom that was especially inefficient.
After all, the gate of an army, or even an entire nation would rest on the outcome
of the fight.

Kartoga Ol Cauchard didn’t just look good, this personal machine of the King also
had the best performance in the Kingdom. Even though King Aukusti’s skill was
mediocre, it should be a match for a tyrant. However, the capability of Alkelorix
was far better than Kartoga Ol Cauchard.
With a white base and gold frills, Alkelorix left a deep impression as it wield its
sword in the night— Kartoga Ol Cauchard needed to give everything to take this
blow. In this one-sided situation, Kartoga Ol Cauchard could only defend.

There is no chance of winning this duel too!? Damn Žaloudek… And that flying
ship, just what kind of secret technology have they uncovered!?

After a few exchange, the movement of Kartoga Ol Cauchard had obviously

slowed. Unable to withstand the fierce attack of Alkelorix, its Crystal Tissue was
starting to crumble. This could also be attributed to the gentle personality of
Aukusti and the war-like nature of Cristóbal.

Kartoga Ol Cauchard that fought on bravely was finally defeated. His frustration
grew and Aukusti’s rushed swing was deflected. Alkelorix slashed at the opening,
cutting deep into the abdomen of Kartoga Ol Cauchard, destroying its armour.
The Crystal Tissue was severed and the core area of the machine was damaged.
The intake valve broke down, destabilizing the mana supply. Unable to maintain
its power output, Kartoga Ol Cauchard fell quickly, its body crashing into the
ground amidst a dust cloud.

“... Ugh! W-Well done… Prince of Žaloudek, you’ve won… Come… finish this!”

King Aukusti couldn’t stand after receiving the heavy blow, and said calmly as he
shook his dizzy head. Even though his words would forfeit his life, a king can’t
lose shamefully.

“King Kuscheperca, I won this match, but you put up a good fight! Farewell!”

Cristóbal’s tone was full of glee, but he still gave a proper reply. At this instant,
Alkelorix deployed its Back Weapon it had not used yet and fired at Kartoga Ol
Cauchard. Hit at such a close range, Kartoga Ol Cauchard erupted in a flame of
explosion. Pieces of its shiny armour flew all over the place, breaking the
machine into parts and reducing the cockpit into ashes.

As they watched the wreckage of the King’s Mount blazing strongly, the soldiers
of Kuscheperca cried out in sorrow with no regards to their appearance, then
abandoned their machines and surrendered obediently. Because of their culture,
the results of the duel between the commander machines were absolute no
matter what the outcome may be. Although the Kuscheperca army didn’t have a
choice in the first place.

Right before the break of dawn, the capital city of Kuscheperca, Delvincourt fell.
At the same time, it was the end of a great nation in the west. This shocking
news first spread like wildfire in the Kuscheperca Kingdom, and then shook the
entire Western League of Nations.
After that, the ‘old’ Kingdom of Kuscheperca fell into chaos. It was inevitable
since they lost their King, but the worse thing was the death of the upper
aristocrats who had gathered at the capital which was sacked, which impacted
their territory greatly. The ones who should be taking over was a mess, and the
situation became worse as days went by.

The Žaloudek army seized the opportunity and made an incredibly bold move.
Even though they captured the old capital, they ended up isolated in the middle
of enemy grounds. Not satisfied with just the subjugation of the capital, they sent
out their ace— the Levitate Ships to attack the other parts of the country. The
strategy was as dangerous as walking on a tightwire, but it still ended with the
complete victory of Žaloudek.

Because of the new weapon that might ‘attack from anywhere’— the debut of the
Levitate Ship, the nobles of the old Kuscheperca Kingdom had to change their
tactic of focusing on the defence of the borders. Realizing the threat they were
facing, the strategy they adopted was simple, which was to position their
defences in all the important cities. But being too wary of aerial attacks meant
they couldn’t move their forces easily, and the nobles ended up trapping
themselves.

The Kingdom fell into a mire after losing their king. In order to resist the Steel
Wing Knights rampaging all over the nation, the nobles started withdrawing the
forces they dispatched to Silda Trida. Even though the famished beasts was
sharpening its claws right before them.

Seeing it from the big picture, this was a very retarded move— but the knights
mustered at the fort actually obeyed this order. The citizens losing the spiritual
pillar in the form of their king was a huge factor too. Since the backbone of the
entire nation was flimsy, they had no choice but to narrow their defences to their
home villages. In the end, they couldn’t bear seeing their home town being
attacked.

Even though they were at an impasse, a sizeable number of the defenders

abandoned Silda Uxia without a fight. It wasn’t long before the famous Silda
Trida was broken through by the Žaloudek army.
Chapter 30 Part 1.

Part 1. (Un-edited)

Dell Van Cool, Capital of Kshyperuk kingdom has fallen.

Also Kshyperuk state of war which continue to being invaded.

These situation had been report back to the homeland of Jaroudeku.

The 1st crown prince, Kratos who rule the country in place of King Bartolomeu
who was sick bedridden, blurring with the joyful look appearance on the "Throne"
located in the center of royal palace, tell the nobles who sit in roll.

[According to the report, after conquered the fallen Kshyperuk's Dell Van Cool
has been grant favorable result to our side but it not like we can dominate the
entire Kshyperuk in anytime soon. but when that happen, it almost as good as
most of the western countries lie with in our palm. the remaining miscellaneous
countries presence are noting more than flies, this will be the new founding of
strongest nation .....since the collapse of "Fil Zehnder Ar Baden"]

There were roaring around after the prince word.

Kshyperuk is a huge nation in the west as well as Jaroudeku (the coalition

country of Rokard is a bonus).

When combine their territory together,

It could be said that it will be the birth of largest nation among majority of the
west.

The west will be under one banner of Father of the world (Ancient Fil Zehnder Ar
Baden) which perish long time ago again,

It no longer just a ambition dream to fulfill anymore.

[As your gentlemen also knew, we will take action with careful prearrangement.
base on it, my younger brother, Cristobal had perform a well done job for me. as
expected of a guy with ferocious mind, exactly deserve to be called the best
sword of Jaroudeku.]

Full please laughter play along with the prince word of good mood Kratos,
The group before the throne are separate to the side as they made a way then
a 17 years old girl stepped forward.

All the sharpness gaze turn back at Kratos,

Her feature is her cloth which similar to him as the common point. (may be a
royal dress)

[Look like Cris is doing well, right? the occupation progress also proceed
steadily, probably a good time for let it handle by the hand of "This Girl" by now.
as we discussed, just appoint me as political affairs assistant]

That right, the eldest daughter of Jaroudeku king, "Katalina Camilla Jaroudeku"
said.

The brother (Kratos) nodded in response while smile wryly

[Um, Cristobal maybe lacking talent in this, he is good at war after all. that why
we have you for that purpose, show us your great support!]

The 2nd prince, Cristobal is a combat maniac, in addition, other people also
acknowledge him in that way.

Against the eldest daughter who unsuitable for war, but skilled in political ability.

In order to govern territory that now larger , it was a perfect ability fit for the job.

Received encouragement of her brother,

Katalina come down, bow along with the word of acknowledgment.

[With this, Kshyperuk kingdom invasion will be proceed without trouble, and, how
are the movement of neighboring countries?]

A man in military officer cloth came forward following response to Kratos inquiry.

He is one from knight order which most of them remaining in the country for the
sake of border security.

[Haa, here are my report, there were movement of country of loneliness (Eleven
Flag) , our Lead Bone knight order will take this invasion chance to eliminate
it. please take a loot at this, I urge you to grant us full permission on this matter.]
[How troublesome!, Just tell The Lead Bone Knights, to process with caution and
safely]

The Grand master made his deep bow and keep down like that while he back
away.

Then, After Kratos made his confirmation,

He rewarded each officers who were in charge in each task.

The order was gave out eventually,

The voice sent out to one man who stood in sulky face at the corner between the
audience.

[... "Sir Cruz!" , your work this time was indeed play a great cause. The result that
produce by "Levitate ship" , under the guidance of those ships, has bring a very
victory to us. ]

[I'm unworthy for your praise, as long as help out his royal highness and the
nation, this one incompetence intend to keeping devote both heart and soul from
now on]

Kratos smile in return instant but also made a small snorted, at the man who
silently, keep remain lower his head in his respectful manner.

[As expected from great man who keep strive for result. from now on, keep
continue to support my black knights order]

[...As your wish, then if there are 3 workshops right now, I could present you with
a newly force to supplied to the black knight order]

For the man who bow in awkward gesture behind between the audience, aside
his word content, it does not seem be fit attitude for a king officer who received a
praise from his king. in fact, any noble are looking at the situation with their
furrowed eyebrows.

[...That man, does he not seem to be unexpected rude before the very presence
of his highness a bit?]

[It all right, regard the place, certainly that his gesture is scatter bird but if he can
keep working fully for our country then the courtesy which has no real value can
be toss aside.]

Kratos carve a deep smile on his well equipped poker face. the nobles around
display their consent appearance but also not show their disturb feeling by such
ambiguous attitude.

One man who just withdraw from the conference, stripped off his jacket wildly
and took a quick pace to the corridor of the royal palace, loosen his neck and
finally took a breath. the cloth for ceremony display a grace feeling but too
cramped, almost to the point of suffocation.

there was a medium high body build under that jacket, the body seem to have
been trained utterly. this show that he was nor blacksmith or knight (but both??).

[yareyare, this really feel weird... his royal highness is perform his duty as "Proxy"
as usual. well, to received a great support in such scale, I wonder about the fact
that airship suppose to be just a mean to fly in the sky.]

The name of this man is "Horacio Cruz", who serve as Jaroudeku Kingdom head
temple of technology development for 30 years.

To put it in simple word, A central figure head in workshop of development.

It is he the one who---realized his family's theory---by proposed it to the country,

his innovative idea by applied it for weapon propose caught attention and being
evaluated.

His family leading theory, that is being call "Function Logic of Pure Ether". the
magic foundation principle which is a power that move this world,

Theoretical system that anatomize characteristic of "Ether" which could be said

that it is the ground basis of the previous era.

A technology that come by multi-derived from that point.

As conclude result, it provide a full-fledged support for Kshyperuk kingdom

invasion.

"Levitate Technology" ---to complete this technology which is the essence of

Function logic of pure ether, the first man who utilize it by show "Levitate ship" to
the world.

[Thank to his royal highness, however, the problem that happen here also
suffocated as well]

Not only a ship that can be fly in the sky that he need to do.

Furthermore,

It also overlap with completion date of new model silhouette knight which were
hasten from former schedule, could not be achieve by just thinking or only great
determination.

There were great ambition which inherited inside the royal family of Jaroudeku
kingdom.

An ambition to conquered the west by force, to become a super power nation as

legend before.

Now with the world first flight force accordance with new entirely management
logic,

Plus the new model silhouette knight with combat capability that far greater than
the old generation.

that definitely poured smolder fire seed.

[Since thing become important. the gaze of the nobles also surely a pain]

To disclose 'Function logic of pure ether" which had been his family conceal
research and study secret, had become a perfect dogma for Horacio.

It cost a huge price to realization it,

In other word, it need a national scale support.

Therefore he, betrayed his family by lent his knowledge to Jaroudeku kingdom.

This prospectus of him achieved so well until now.

[Yare-Yare , I don't know where is my airship flying right now, they should just
hurry up end the war already, I'm too also want to flying in the sky as soon as
possible.]

Horacio whose appearance still fired up and had been looking up at the sky from
the hallway for a while, resume his vitality and return to the central development
work which also his home as usual,

He walk toward to the landing site for an airship.

Airship that has been built until now were too few in numbers and its using still
not spread much.

As its developer, he was permitted to use it at his will as method of

transportation.

[Oh'yaa, I'm just arrive....]

When he reached a landing site, Horacio come across a person.

Who was trying to board the flight which set course to Kshyperuk kingdom,

It's Princess Katalina,

At that time, he remembered the conversation that had been exchanged in the
conferece.

A revelation flashed back to Haracio mind.

Soon, he took a quick pace to Katalina.

[Please excuse me, Your Highness, Katalina-sama, could you bestow me

a moment of time?]

[Are you perhaps, Sir Cruz? considerate of your great deed as your airship, then
it might be possible.]

Katalina send a suspicious gaze at Horacio who sudden appear, pointed at the
next air ship.

[We're aware about your busy-arimasu. to sum up, I would like to ask your
highness a favour-gozaimasu]

[...I must off to Kshyperuk as soon as possible, please made it briefly.]

Horacio thank her while raise up vigorously.

[As i mentioned to his highness Kratos, I plan to haste the progress of my work
about black knights and airship. however, it can be done with more room in
workshop, For that purpose, there is a need for "Information"....by the way, that
best information can be obtained from the Black knight which utilize the airship
across battlefield area sky only... we do not have information on other land of
Kshyperuk beside that.]

Katalina face display a fully eyebrows while being retreat.

[With advantage of my knowledge power, for the sake to provide further force to
our country, please allow me to accompany your highness to Kshyperuk...]

Horacio gallantly lower his head while hide his inner smile behind his expression.
(this guy just want to run away and ride airship only right? )

Chapter 30 Part 2
Part 2

Woodland, Old kshyperuk kingdom center.

A sound of cavalry and horse-drawn carriage that been travel can be heard
slowly between the tree which sunshine illuminated light through.

A large burden rest in the hand of maiden who ride the carriage.

They are moving slowly even they were not order to proceed quietly due to a cry
and seclude circumstance happen inside the main horse-drawn carriage.

The circumstances are being showed by people who ride in horse-drawn

carriages.

The fatigue was distinctively displayed on her face, the girl who has become
expressionless through her weakening body.

This very girl is no one but, Eleonora, who was suppose to be a princess of
Kshyperuk kingdom.

The wife of king Kshyperuk younger brother, Martina sat opposite her.

There are also another girl next to her who look at her(Eleonora) with care
feeling, her name is Isadora, Martina's daughter.
[Eleonora, get a hold of yourself! I also regret about what happend to his
majesty.... but, From now on, you need to support the country. also drive off
those villains out from here.]

Isadora even raise her voice when she notice that Eleonora did not response
back,

She keep shake the body which seem belong to a people who just broken sync
with the shaking of the horse-drawn carriage.

While Martina who watching the situation display an expression by increase the
wrinkle, raised her eyebrows.

Since during the escape, Eleonora had been keep up this lifeless state.

Her figure right now is very looking like a doll, un-feel the animate, as her good
look which blossom in full glory is now disappear.

Look at Isadora who scream her voice to reach out her many times yet no
reaction, It would be most likely end up futile.

They were barely escape from the royal palace with a sacrifice of the king on the
night that capital city, Dell Van Cool was attacked by the steel wing knights.

The woman and girl group are originally plan to go straight to the east.

The younger brother of Fernando who was Martina husband is the grand duke
who governing the eastern part and presence there.
There are no better place to hide the princess who need to success the throne
than that area.

But their movement were hinder by the airship of steel wing knights.

With great foresight as expect of the late knight Akatsuki, the Jaroudeku troops
was too busy and careless, occupied with the late king.

It took before long for them to notice the disappearance of the royal family.

The royal blood line of the country which reign supreme in the west.

The remaining of king family which become a problem in later time.

They had been relentlessly sought for information about the royal family that
fled while extending their hand by invade more further inside Kshyperuk domestic
area.

With the apparent appearance of ship that once across the sky, Martina group
journey turn into covert travel as top priority.

It could be say that this place is the last hope for Kshyperuk kingdom.

With the precious bloodline, the last one by any chance, the escort knights
choose to proceed with extreme caution.

For that sake, they try to avoid and keep contact city with minimum as much as
possible to prevent a leak clue about their trail.

They keep continue a big detour in the forest and get away from highway.

The hidden passage way with rough condition which not comfortable as good as
the normal one.

In such hopeless situation and nothing to support.

It can't be help nor blame as the heart of Eleonora who was pampered and
grown up in a cage bird broken at very early.

[...If she continue to be like this, Even we able escape safely, The heart on this
child may not be recover.]
The escape itself already a lot of problem, It could be said that they already
riddled with enough problem even there have no problem with the girl body, but
her mind

Martina has been struggling about Eleonora state.

Even after they arrived at grand duchy state,

They may not be able to revive Kshyperuk kingdom under legitimate banner
under Eleonora who was a lineage blood.

She is clearly critically lacking the strength enough to stand on the top which is
necessary for that purpose.

Martina suddenly glanced at the state of her own daughter who sit beside.

Isadora who still act with out losing gallant in this predicament,

Although Isadora wearing an air of worrying Eleonora,

She never give up on herself.

As expected of tomboy who put an air and mockery of the knight,

Could be said that her strength in this situation is hard to posses.

If Eleonora even has 10% of her daughter strength...,

While Martina who can't help but only think so, the horse-drawn carriage which
had continued to proceed ride is suddenly stop its movement.

Knights in the surrounding are moving in hurry, come through inside of horse-
drawn carriage.

[....What happen!?]

The horseback knight, open the window,at Martina asked sharply to the knight
who accompany.

[My apology for speak from the horseback, from our scout report, they found an
abnormal situation ahead.]

[Is it a enemy?]
[I do not know the detail. unlikely by any chance, The place is very detour from
the main road .... ]

While knight said and turned around, that moment, their ear able to heard the
sharp wind noise, also an arrow that flying at the same time, pierced though
head of knight who peek out of window.

In front of very eye of Martina who was breath taking,

The figure of knight disappear from the window and collapsed from horseback.

[Enemy Attack! Enemy Attack!]

[Impossible! it should be further ahead isn'it !?]

[Just move any way, we are sitting duck like this....Guard!?]

While the escort knights prepare to retreat for sudden attack.

The crossbow soldiers appear from the bushes one after another in the mean
time and mercilessly slaughtered them.

All members were wearing the armor of unified design.

The coat of arms painted with Jaroudeku kingdom insignia.

The surprise attack reduce number of escort knights steadily,

Coachman who ride on the royal horse-drawn carriage try to sudden accelerated
the carriage by whipping the horse.

He also one who had receive a knight training.

The speed could be said that was to be fully maximize,

However, it was too late for such a situation.

Suddenly, a light come flying with dazzling orange land on the ground in the way
of the horse-drawn carriage, follow up with an explosion.

Strong wind fan the fire overwhelm a horse and kill it.
Horse-drawn carriage was roll over 180 degree, land and bounce on the ground
about 3 times.

Full of multiple footsteps approaching from the front.

A sound of armor made from metal that hitting each other,

Further more, a high-pitched sound of drive by crystal tissue can be heard,

also the muffled intake sound of ether reactor sucking the air too.

There is no need to explain the true identity of sound origin,

A giant knight in jet-black armor that higher than trees--- a silhouette knight
is approaching slowly.

It appear not only one machines, one after another are coming from the
surrounding in total of 6 silhouette knight machines appear to en-circle around
the horse-drawn carriage.

A giant knight with armor of heavy black iron could bee seen.

Just as the other day that the capital city was trampled by the new mass
production machine of Jaroudeku kingdom, "Tyrantor".

It projected the back armed from its back, which had a trace of pale light that
prove a existence of magic bullet.

The flesh and blood soldiers are running in agonize from the foot of Tyrantor.

They are completely surround the overturned carriage that unable to move.

All of them were line up with crossbow and cane.

Then a person come out before them was a man in armor. assume to be
a captain who try to pull his men together, raised the distort voice in the form of
smile.

[The person who in the horse-drawn carriage, come out to the outside. resistance
is futile.]

Of course probably suffered a great damage above all degree by surprise, only
silence come return.
But he snorted the unpleasant-up, cast a demand again.

[Apart from us, the only survival are now only you. I'm also thinking about blow
this remain carriage too, you know?]

It seem to be blatant threat but, Tyrantor aim its weapon according to his word,
how was it?

[Please wait.]

There are sigh sound only a minute.

A really answer had been return.

The man straight himself raised flutter and eyebrows.

The door of the carriage which had been overturned is [being blown from the
inside]. **did she kick it to force open??

Jaroudeku soldiers are scaring and set up their weapons.

A figure crawling come out slowly from horse-drawn carriage.

It's Martina, she drawn herself up on top of horse-drawn carriage and glaring at
ordinary soldiers which surrounding area.

[Fuh!, to even bring along such exaggerated thing as silhouette knight. Well? you
group just gang up on one woman who not even hold a single weapon, am I not
allow to even speak? ]

Strengthening her woman tall stance on top of horse-drawn carriage and

overlooking a large surrounding area, while wearing a thin dirty dresses for a
long journey,

despite her state, She did not look lose her majesty and power

The soldiers recognize her instant, the man who was a captain also relieved, he
regain the nasty-nice attitude and recall the situation.

[My, my, my, to think that her royal highness Martina-sama was here. I almost
extremely fear that we would be not able to meet your grace face.]

[Suit yourself....]
Martina ignored the captain man word with a frown and looked around.

Her group had been completely surrounded by soldiers.

Further more, there also have silhouette knight in far away.

on the contrary, her escort knights who protect her are all already fallen.

The situation is too unfavorable.

Even use herself as a decoy, will Eleonora and Isadora be able to escape
successfully?

She bitten her lip and tighten herself for not be able to reach a conviction.

[His highness Cristobal command us to capture you lady, we can confirm your
safety.... as long as no more resistance being made, I could said that there will
no un-expect thing happen. that if you follow us peacefully, but if not, we may
need resort to do something that rashly un-call for.]

Martina eyebrows close in displeasure at the captain word that block her from
made the decision while did not even try to hide his overwhelming superiority.

Indeed, there was no room for her rebellious mind to decide what to do there.

After all, his giant knights are intimidating her in silence.

A human being can turned into ground meat instant, anymore resistance is
meaningless in front its power.

[Surely, you should already foresaw it coming...no matter whatever we do, it will
end up as a failure, those Silhouette knights are bad news.]

A chagrin down murmur could be heard from Martina,

The man captain wear up his ugly smile then continue his word,

[Ops, It may be too late to say this. but from the direction that your horse-drawn
carriage heading, there are seem be a ships appearance aimed at the east
territory. it is certainly targeted at the late king brother territory. however, it really
shame isn't? since we are, "the one who come from that direction(the east
territory)", you know?]
Up until now, Martina heart was full of chagrin of stout so this news take away all
her will power.

[I...It can't be.... You guys!]

[As expected of clever lady, you should be able to figure it out already right? that
the pride airship fleet of our country! The Steel Wing Knight orders, are heading
to conquer "Fontanie" , the east capital city of this dukedom!]

The fact struck hard at Martina who was collapse as it was illusion.

The frighten news keep flooding, the sound of annoying blood flow could be
heard badly.

While enduring the worst premonition, she glared at man at the her brave heart.

While he pretend to be unnaturally daunted as he mock her, he keep split more

despair after stop being pretended.

[Yes , yes, look like the Prince brother himself was die in the midst of conquered
battle too or something like that. with this, the remaining royal blood in this
country is you lady only. there was no more place to escape for you anymore.]

At last, Martina was score down to her knees.

Despair, filled in her heart, sink her, and shattered all hope that support her.

(arr.....arrrr....mou, everything is over now. both Dear husband (Fernando) and

Brother in law (Augustin) are all gone... how can one girl gonna regain back this
country.....?)

The soldiers keep encircle them closer to made her give up.

No way to escape, no power to resist.

Dead-end is before her, include the captured daughter who had been shivering in
horse-drawn carriage.

The last hope which place in old Kshyperuk duchy, The princess Eleonora party
had fell into the hand Jaroudeku kingdom.

This news keep spreading enough to break the spirit of defiance that remained
in the old Kshyperuk kingdom nobles.

It was happened in west calendar years 1281,

At early summer of smell smolder season.

Jaroudeku kingdom conquered all of Kshyperuk kingdom land and complete its
invasion.

Chapter 30 Part 3.
Part 3.

The great steep peak mountains, Obinie being decorate with lightly cloud on its
top.

There are a road passing through by foot on the mountainside that place
between mountains which also indicated the end border of west countries.

The name of this highway is "East-West highway" (Occident Road) , to the east--
this path also one of the few that lead to Fremmevir Kingdom.

It was a place that swarm with Fremmevir kingdom mighty magic beast.

However,

This place was blessed as well since this is the only place in Obinie that rich
with fertile granary at the same time.

The merchants are surely flock around with exceed number on this
severe mountains since there were great demand.

That day too,

1 group of "Merchant Caravan" had visit the land of west beyond the east-west
highway.

There are an extend long procession which comprise of a number of wagon at

meandering highway for the sake to get over the slope.

They are seemed to be full-fledged merchants since they were load with
heavy luggage.
The leading carriage which was going steadily suddenly stop after saw a stop
sign.

[Is there something happen? "Young Master"]

[....something wrong. there should be custom check point around here right? or
did I got it wrong?]

There is a appearance of border check point at the tip of highway which spread
at the foothills of Obinie mountains for the sake to enter Kshyperuk kingdom.

However,

The flag that fluttering in the custom check point area was not belong to
Kshypereuk kingdom.

No matter what country flag was raised, it won't be problem as long as one did
know what happen in the country.

However, for this group, it was a situation that they lack information for trying
enter in this country.

[Is that so, the flag isn't?, then, what are you gonna do?]

[....it had been decided. let begin "Negotiation" immediately.]

Wrinkle display between eyebrows of person who was called young master.

A petite boy with child like appearance nod in return then turn around and convey
everything toward the back of the caravan.

Soon, caravan resume its movement while aim for the border checkpoint.

[....Yareyare, look like our group really unlucky, right...]

***

Soldiers group that stand guard at check point are currently set up a campfire
before the majesty of Obinie which cut blue sky.

The engraved coat of arms on their armor indicate that they are Jaroudeku men.
"Ancient Land", The easternmost land of Kshyperuk kingdom already occupied
by them.

[Hey, if there are check point at such a place then it would mean that there are
something on the other side right?]

It's a kingdom policy anyway, for having soldiers stationed on this only road in the
mountains that full of forest.

The unpopular place which have less attraction and any value.

They look up at the faint mountains continuously and have a fun chat intently in
the free time.

[What was it......um....there should be a remote country with a name of

Furanberuju.]
(it's Fremmevir kingdom but pretty that even soldiers are don't know the exact
detail.)

[Haa...it far beyond Obinie right?...no matter what place are there, there should
not be any country right? since it far beyond the end of this world.]

In this era, most of human race are living with in the "west countries".

For many people and soldiers, "The World" only being refers limited to this west
part only.

Except some merchant and the one who hold the authority, in most common
sense, Obinie mountains could be called as the end of the world.

It's reason for soldiers group which were task to "keep an eye on the end of the
world" had a very low motivation and in predicament.

The fact that there are border check point here on this very highway prove it is
being use as a road.

They also understood this reason as well , after all, This place was outside of
world's interest.

[Truly, just why this place need to be guarded....what, something there....!?]

Soldiers who tried to continue the heat chat suddenly found out the accident on
the former line of sight.
There are cloud of dust rising violently and advancing on the highway near the
forest that cover mountains surface in the mean time.

The gallop sound roar across the land and heading to this place.

It resound at regular interval, its deep melody sound familiar to the human ears
who was a soldier.

However, the sound is surely "Too Heavy" to be a horseshoe sound, as it almost

a sound generate from silhouette knight, it was full of weight and intensity.

[Wrong, it's too weird, for such a sound... to be a horse? if that the case then it
was too fast! it's will arrived soon, hurry up and close the gate!! damn, I don't
care even you have to drop it!]

Soldier who was drank a beer call out.

This border check point is installed with pull out gate function type,

It have a gimmick that allow to close the gate quickly by cut the rope that support
the gate in the case of emergency.

In response to the heartbreaking cries of soldiers who was monitoring,

The soldiers rushed over in hurry to the opening and closing device and cutting
the rope lead with a slashing axe.

The knight runners group who heard an abnormal situation also get ready for
combat while the steel gate being dropping and resounding rattle and pulley then
gate touched the ground.

The state of the art mass production machine of Jaroudeku kingdom, "Tyrantor"
are rising up and take a extraordinary readiness for war inside the check point.

The abnormality came down from the highway and appeared before their eyes.

[What the heck is this thing!? not a horse....a human? don't tell me, is it
a....silhouette knight...?]

"That Thing" appeared in the day light, with an upper body that shape resemble a
human but the lower part is exactly a horse, presented with a presence of half
human half horse.
If one take a good look at it then armor of steel could seen same as crystal tissue
sound could be heard so it's definitely a silhouette knight.

However,

The appearance before them is too bizarre for such a thing,

The solidified soldiers dropped their jaw and having a round eyes.

"That Thing" that came down lightly before them .... a centaur knight
"Tzendrinble" is stopped and look at the closed gate of the check point.

The abnormal centaur knight shape which drag 2 huge grind cavalry horse-drawn
carriage type in tow, dropped its speed which cause a big screech and spark.

While its run on the land had blow up cloud of dust and increasing,

Many variant of the horse-drawn carriage are stopped in front of the gate.

A voice from somewhere reach the stiff soldiers which stand frozen and not able
to collect their thought.

[Howdy! we are "Silver Trading Firm", and on task to carrying the trade goods
the mountain over there. would you kind to let us pass?]

[Don't said a blatant lie! no way for merchant to posses such a silly horse!!]

There was a slightly sighing voice back at him who said a retort word.

[What is this, you don't know? since mountain across the country are swarm with
magic beast which really dangerous. A special steel horse is needed!]

[Even it is a special horse, there was no such a thing here! you guys too
suspiciously! all of you, leave and get down from the machine and line up side by
side. let me examine the cargo and yours id!]

After secretly exchange nod in the back, Tyrantor corps ready their stance to
fight anytime.

Because those claim did not seem to be true, they also know noting about group
that called themselves "Silver Trading Firm" since there never have any group
that posses equipment this much.
[Hou.... Could you tell me one thing before that? about that flag, it did not seem
to belong to Kshyperuk kingdom at all right? just where are you guys come
from?]

The soldiers should have notice that the asked voice tone is slightly become
lower. however, he answer before "he realize it".

[What a slowpoke ear merchant... more suspicious of you guys. Kshypereuk

kingdom "perish" long time ago. that right! this place now belong to us , under
management of Jaroudeku kingdom!]

[...I see, so it already happen, if that the case then we don't have time to play with
yours Q&A game anymore.]

A high pitching air sound is flowing from the huge eye-catching wagon that towed
to a centaur knight.

It was a operation sound of magical converter when silhouette knight magic

engine sucking ether in the atmosphere , changing its tone.

Then immediately following with,

The cover cloth are gallantly remove and purging the steel wire that secure the
load

The golden glow radiate with in sight and reflected sunshine brilliantly.

It appear to be,

A silhouette knight with a lion design and golden armor, "Gordesleo" and inside its
cockpit, the image of check point gate is being display on holo monitor before the
bloody thirsty Emurys eyes.

[If people speak about how open the gate unnaturally then break through with a
force is also another one....!]

Jump off the horse-drawn carriage, the back arms of golden lion are activated
and deploy.

Then the armor magic script on both shoulder armor which is silhouette Arms
are open up and reveal the inside.
Emblem graph (magic emblem surgery formula) flow up with enormous
mana and immediately display a magic phenomenon.

[You are in the way!!]

The deadly weapon of the golden lion, "Howling Blast"(Shishio Todoroki) was
roar up, sound of breaking atmosphere are generated, interlocked madou
armements of multiple devices and fire an over-standard output magic strike.

It consumed a huge amount of mana in exchange to generate such a power and

send a surging overwhelm shock wave to the gate.

The steel gate that possibly robust enough to endure against a assault from duel-
class monster is not flexible enough to withstand such a shock wave.

After the crack ran across the informal wall of the base, the gate was blown away
with its momentum after being destroyed.

That huge gate flying and land a clean hit at Tyrantor which currently prepare for
war behind on that occasion gate.

Since everything were all unexpected, it did not have any time to evade that.

Tyrantor, a machine that boasting its heavy armor to withstand a blow attack was
sent flying and turned into wreck with a single blow, its large fuselage collapse
and scattered around.

This was just too crazy.

[Haa....impossible. to destroyed the gate and send the entire body of silhouette
knight flying, was such a ridiculous power really come from madou weapon!?]

[No, it is too much unreasonable!]

Confronted by the far beyond expected power, the upset are indeed ran across
the black knights.

Took advantage of that chance, the centaur knight had follow up by started
moving. purge itself from the horse-drawn carriage, Tzendrinble galloping into the
checkpoint that lose a gate.

The sound of coming horseshoe which shatter the land are growing, by equipped
with 2 ether reactor allow it to generated screaming noise characteristic which
sound like a neigh of the horse.

Tzendrinble taking the assault pattern with lengthy lance by setting up the charge
lance (assault cavalry spear).

[Kuh, this thing...]

Not waste any sprint momentum, stab its spear into black knight.

Blow up harsh at the extruded torso of black knight.

Fragment of the crumble crystal armor are jump around and scattered.

However, Tyrantor did not fallen even after receiving such an extensive damage,
it grab the spear and push the cavalry back in the reverse.

[what is this thing? isn't this insanely thick!! wait, let go of my spear!]

An unexpectedly young voice raise a cry in protest from the centaur knight.

while its broken knee destroy it balance, the black knight keep holding and did
not let go the spear.

At that moment, another 1 of Tzendrinble also came running, holding the

same cavalry spear, stab at black knight with its accelerated force.

Even for a black knight, it couldn't took anymore attack since it already suffered a
great damage from earlier attack.

The puncture spear land at torso part, destroy the armor of black knight by keep
thrusting with power, the spear did not only went through inner skeleton but
also pierce thru crystal tissue.

The upper body which sever penetrated with the 2 spears is finally fall down to
the ground gravely.

[Yo...You bastard! Just what kind of merchant are you! don't expect you would
get any mercy after this!!]

Tyrantor corps suddenly went into rage after recovered from startle.

There are 2 squads of Tyrantor (6 machines) stationed in this border check point.
Although its number are more than enough to assure the safety of check point
such as this remote place.

2 of them already destroyed in an instant.

For the knight runners of Tyrantor, both the golden lion and centaur knight deem
to be heinous dream in their eyes.

They took a readiness stance, raise up their heavy mace and shield.

By put up enough defense with no opening gap to prevent any attack from
contact Tyrantor armor.

They don't need to be fear anymore even an enemy is a young monster. They
thought that.

....At that time, The terror is roaring. it was a sound that can not be express just
a simple roar from one "Direction".

The cry of behemoth emerge as just to notify widely enormity its great strength
power.

The intense intake sound of behemoth heart are being emitted to the
surrounding, shake the land, trembling the trees.

[....everyone are so mean, why you guys start the fight when leave me behind
like this. I'm too, "Ikaruga" too, please include us too!]

Another "baggage" is start moving on the top of the remaining wagon in front of
check point.

The cover cloth is swirling burn , and suddenly blow up leave with crimson lotus
color trail.

Something just jumped into the air and penetrate their center rank.

For soldiers group which watch the situation on the top of check point, this battle
is something that go beyond their own sanity.

There are shadow cover over them.

It's unlikely a bird, it definitely not a beast either.

There was a figure with a shape similar to the huge human..... silhouette knight's
shadow. that right, a "Silhouette Knight" is flying in the sky.

It is not easy for silhouette knight to climb upon the wall of check point base
which has a height of 30 meters.

Something allow this silhouette knight able to do that, more than that, it even
jumped high up in the sky.

[Impossible.....]

Even soldiers fall into confusion, they should immediately noticed some fact.

That there are overhanging shadow from their above, that would mean its
"landing point" are the place where they are.

Those who are drank a beer are being commanded to escape immediately.

"It" landed into stone wall.

The elongated shadow that light up with the day light has reach the foot of
Tyrantor.

while no longer able to grasp a fully situation, Jaroudeku soldiers stop the
movement as being frozen somewhere.

"It" stood up slowly.

It was a knight, approximately 10 meters tall, unusual design body armor, holding
a wacky shape large sword in its hand.

However,

the most eye catching is in its back.

After all, this machine posses 4 extended further arms from the back which is
crazy thing.

The centaur knight is already enough to shocking but this, this odd presence is
also something unbelievable.

Before the horrify Jaroudeku soldiers can't be anything more than Silver Phoenix
knight grand master personal machine for Ernesti Echevarria.
The devil mask warrior which posses 6 arms, "Ikaruga", surround itself with
crystal eye in the back , gave off strangely human feeling on surface cover.

[Saaa.... Let go, Ikaruga... let begin the battle desuyo!]

tuned up by the merry Eru, main power reactor "Queen Coronet" and sub power
reactor "Behemoth Heart" are being increase its power.

The swell of raging magic being produce by the heart of giant monster flown
magic into magius jet thruster accord to Eru procedure.

Engulf its whole body with a vermilion steam like a cloth.

Ikaruga fly out again to the sky by kicking the wall of checkpoint.

Receive a back light, Ikaruga steeped into shadow.

Knight runner of Tyrantor who was only get a glimpse of the figure for a
moment, remembered the abysmal fear of odd eyeball at its back of the surface
cover, "Fitted Eye".

[Such a thing... for real?...]

Ikaruga which come from the sky, swing down 2 large swords with both hands
with its momentum as aiming for the confused Tyrantor.

Even lack the sharpness of thick sword, it eat up through Tyrantor shoulders with
the force of momentum and crushing both arms.

with the Ikaruga insane output, the large sword went through feet and gouge the
ground in perfect motion.

one of rage Tyrantor falling down with out any problem and become another
fallen.

[One down.]

the other side who was collapsed is Tyrantor, Ikaruga rise up slowup.

When look at the enemy, Ikaruga that rise up slowly after take down Tyrantor
which clad with heavy armor in a instant, fear run across the black knights.
[Kuh....damn you!! who is this guy!! go get him! attack in formation!!]

While raising a weak war cry in desperation, The black knights able to recover
from a de-morale state.

The opponent is an unusual enemy and they don't have no room nor time to
examine it's characteristic.

With thought about avoid close combat should be a good choice in this case,
start up their back arms.

When they thought they got this, Earlobe of Jaroudeku soldiers are being ringing.

Ikaruga which obtained a recoil which fledgling with erratic speed, thrust forward
with red crimson flame trail from whole body armor.

[Hyi.....!!]

Ikaruga avoid a magic bullet that from a groaning Tyrantor that shoot
reflexively with slightly kicking.

Then, draw closer into sword range at next moment.

Ikaruga maintain its momentum while swinging down a large sword.

Tyrantor which able to held up its shield in time with not only a sheer luck.

Large sword nailed down the shield and distort it by raw power causing Tyrantor
down its knee on the land.

Crystal tissue from the arm part that support its shield emerge from armor part
and bounce out , several of them become visible.

The fact that it did not its fold knee almost a miracle.

The black knight trying to struggle by push enemy back yet it was being push
back instead.

The knight runner himself cast a suspected eye.

Tyrantor which is a heavy weight machine is "Losing in strength contest".

A power which able to win against the black knight that reign supreme in the
west, The variant enemy.

The fact he heck himself about who is the other opponent can be understanding
also it can't be help that he can't do anything but stand in fear.

Then Ikaruga continue its next merciless attack at the held down Tyrantor.

4 arms that had been fold out from Ikaruga back wriggle, deploy exhibition.

Should said that 2 hands held up halberd on each hand and draw a circular
trajectory then stab at Tyrantor. (drill attack??)

By the body hammered with a blown that full of centrifugal force,

The sword went over both arms and go for Tyrantor's shoulder.

while Tyrantor lose its mean to defense due to stunned, 2 attacks strike its body.

Tyrantor that received a scathing slash bent its waist and fall down.

[Two Down!]

The remaining Tyrantor are only 2 left.

The knight runners are complete fall into panic state.

They are member of Bronze Claw knights order, as a proof of being elite, they
were gave a Tyrantor.

Even they already pass many combats and fight many times until now, but this
enemy is too much abnormal for them.

Before the unimaginable threat, they can't come up with any means to turn back
the tide.

Despite that fact, They are can only shooting their back weapons randomly from
the distance with determine to strike.

The armor warrior or Centaur knight or golden lion, they don't know which one
need to be aim first and totally confused, with that reason cause their aim
accuracy to be very rough.

Magic bullets are screaming with sound while flowing in the air, go around.
Ikaruga evade magic bullets easily while wielding its halberd.

Tyrantors keep continue its earnestly brute attack like this and drawn out its large
sword despite it still out of sword range.

[Really an excellent brute attack method ! I gonna come to you now desuyo. you
fine with it right?]

Eru, Ikaruga's large sword is not wielding naturally like the usual standard large
sword.

The moment that he operated a certain lever, Ikaruga's large sword split in half.

Inside its thick blade is clearly an unnecessary mechanism for a sword.

Silver plate, steel frame, and catalyst crystal forming up.

Ikaruga's large sword flowing with overwhelming mana which dwell on the tip of
bright installed catalyst crystal.

Which mean that this sword also serves as silhouette arms function base
weapon.

This huge chunk red sharp metal is also the latest silhouette armament, "Cannon
Sword" was its name.

The immense magic power which remain flaring was invoked, tactical magic
(Over Spell) that create by engraved magic circuit in in the coat of arms form.

A brightly brilliant shining magic bullet flying toward Tyrantor.

While the initiated magic bullets flew as it was blurring and come from outside of
common sense, the targeted black knight took a hit which impossible to evade.

This cannon sword posses destruction power rival to "Falcon" (Roar of flame
spear), a large madou weapon platform that installed on one of horse drawn
carriage, the "Chariot" (combat horse-drawn carriage).

The overwhelming firepower that was created to fight the division class monster
did not only piercing and blown away particular parts of Tyrantor's heavy armor
but totally erase its existence in explosive flame.
[3 down!]

The last Tyrantor already fled with its all power at that time.

A wise answer in a sense since there is no one left to think about how to
challenge the variant demon anymore.

The 2 squads which comprise of 6 Tyrantors that stationed here was wipe out in
the blink of an eye, there is no more ally remained.

Of course, Ikaruga did not let it happen.

Including armor deployment, it begin to rise up and spray a vermilion trail as

demon emerge from a gap of hell.

By received an overwhelming thrust from magius jet thruster, Ikaruga

appearance become disappear.

Wrong,

With obtained overwhelming speed between a moment from the rest, It reached
the fled Tyrantor instant.

The black knight didn't even have a time to leave any word.

Cannon sword stab inside th extrude rear armor and crush its spine.

Then, blade of cannon sword which remain stuck is expanding,

shoot magic bullet directly from inside Tyrantor and blast it,

Its figure transform into iron scrap in the next moment.

[4 down! .....eh? is it over already? it probably still not enough.... for Ikaruga...]

Among the remaining of afterglow explosion, Eru who pilot Ikaruga reveal his
discontent like a child who still not had enough candy snack.

Wielding and buzzing halberd at Ikaruga's back.

[look like it is inevitable-ne.....]

Leaving a genuinely regretful murmur, Ikaruga begin its transition by folding back
its arm along with halberd in the original state.

Following by rotate the Cannon sword in both hands and fixing its small auxiliary
arm and store it in the waist armor.

Finally, it raise the exceptionally large roar, a noise that bury the entire
surroundings.

Ikaruga shift back Queen Coronet power to normal output and stop the behemoth
heart function, ending combat situation.

[...If you think about Eru-kun gonna sortie, then the battle will end before we
knew it-ne.]

[Well, no matter hard that black thing is, Eru and Ikaraga probably un-stop-
able anyway.]

At that time at the border check point, the twin Tzendrinble looked at each other
after they noticed roar that shake up the battlefield.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 30

The Exiled Princess

Translator: Skythewood
Editor:Darkdhaos, Ruzenor

News that the capital city of Kuscheperca, Delvincourt, had fallen, and the results
right after the invasion were reported back to Žaloudek Kingdom. Ruling on
behalf of King Baldomero who was bedridden— The First Prince Carlitos sat on
the throne in the middle of the palace, unable to suppress his joy as he
announced to the nobles present:
“According to the reports, after successfully subjugating Delvincourt, the forces around
Kuscheperca are gradually dissolving. It won’t be long before we annex the entire
Kuscheperca under our rule. After that, the Western League of Nations is as good as ours.
The largest empire since the fall of Father Aburdene will be founded… The remaining
minor states would be nothing more than pests.”
The gathered aristocrats expressed their compliments. Žaloudek and Kuscheperca were
the two largest nation in the west. It’s as he said, the combined territory of these two
countries (along with those of the Locard Allied Union) would mean the birth of a
gigantic country spanning most of the western continent. After all the hardships
experienced by Father Aburdene during its fall, it had finally seized the entire west once
again— they were one step closer to realizing this ambition.
“As you gentlemen already know, we took action only after meticulous preparations.
With this in mind, Cristóbal’s performance has been exemplary, his prowess makes him
the strongest blade of Žaloudek.”
After hearing Carlitos’ joyous speech, the gathered nobles all expressed their agreement,
and the hall was filled with cheerful laughter. At this moment, a young woman came
before the throne, with the crowd parting to make way for her. Her sharp features
resembled Carlitos a little, and their attire were similar too.
“Cristóbal did well. The subjugation is proceeding smoothly, but it should be about time
that things become too much for that child. As agreed, I will head there to assist in the
administration.”
The eldest daughter of King Žaloudek, Catalina Camilla Žaloudek said her piece. Her
elder brother nodded with a wry smile.
“That’s right, Cristóbal is good at waging war, but has no talent in statesmanship. That’s
why we need you, do lend him your kind assistance.”
The Second Prince Cristóbal is a battle maniac— This was a well established fact for
everyone except himself. On the other hand, the First Princess Catalina wasn’t suited for
war, but excels in administrative matters. In order to govern the vast new territories, her
abilities were indispensable. With the encouragement from her brother, Catalina
answered with a curtsey and retreated from the throne.
“Consequently, we can now invade Kuscheperca Kingdom without any worries. Are
there any movements from the surrounding nations?”
A man that gave off the aura of a warrior stepped forth to answer Carlitos’ question. He
was a Knight Commander who stayed behind to defend their domestic borders.
“Yes, Your Highness. Eleven Flags made some moves when we launched our invasion,
but they had been exterminated by the Lead Bone Knights. Please don’t worry and attack
as you wish.”
“Excellent work. Tell them to keep working hard as our defenders.”
The Knight Commander bowed deeply and stepped back. Carlitos confirmed all matters
of importance, and sent his regards to those in charge. As the proceedings went on, it was
finally the turn of a man who stood in a corner of the audience hall with a long face.
“...Lord Collazo! Your work is wonderful. The Levitate Ship you invented is the vessel
that guided us to victory.”
“I am honoured for the chance to contribute to this nation. My talents are mediocre, but I
will put in my utmost effort to serve.”
Even though he said that, the man was only superficially respectful, and lowered his head
with a bored expression. Carlitos snorted softly, then reverted to his smiling face.
“Impressive. Please carry on your good work for our Black Knights.”
“... By your will. I will head for the workshop right this moment with haste, and do all I
can for the Black Knights.”
The man bowed stiffly, then left the audience hall with haste. The contents aside, his
attitude towards the acting monarch was deplorable. In fact, several nobles frowned at
this sight.
“... That man. Isn’t he rather impudent in the presence of His Highness?”
“Forget it, let him be. He might be crude in his manners, but he is valuable enough for me
to overlook his rudeness. I need him to continue slaving hard for this country.”
Carlitos deepened the smile on his handsome face. The aristocrats around him looked as
if they couldn’t accept it, but they couldn’t refute the acting King, so they just avoided
the matter with ambiguous attitudes.
After leaving the audience hall, the man hastened his pace through the palace passageway
and took off his outerwear roughly. He only exhaled in relief after loosening his tight
collar. Formal wear was elegant, but was hard to breath in. Under his outerwear was a
medium built body that didn’t look trained. From this, it was clear that the man wasn’t a
knight or a craftsman.
“Sigh, the acting king is scary. Never mind, it’s thanks to his support that the Levitate
Ship get to take to the sky.”
His name was Horacio Collazo. He had yet to celebrate his 30th birthday, but he had
already climbed to the top of Žaloudek’s national technological development, and held
the important post of central research workshop director, a fast track career.
That was because he — or rather, his clan— and the theory they propositioned, which
was acknowledged by the weapons they developed, propelling him to his current status.
His clan discovered the theory of ‘Pure Ether Usage’. The power that moves this world
was Mana, and their focus was on the form Mana had before that, Ether, which yielded a
wide variety of technologies. With the official funding by Žaloudek, they achieved a
crucial result, the ‘Etheric Levitator’. This engine that was the representation of the ‘Pure
Ether Usage’, and the first practical flying ship was born in human history.
“I am very grateful to His Highness, but this is getting overwhelming.”
The debut of the Levitate Ship coincided with the completion of the new Silhouette
Knights model, as if a powerful force was pulling the strings from behind.
The royalty of Žaloudek inherited the same ambition every generation, which was the
revival of the legendary super country that dominated the entire west through force. The
power of flight granted by a new theory, combined with combat strength that couldn’t be
matched by the old generation— the new model of Silhouette Knights fanned these
flames of ambition.
“Things are getting hairy, the sharp gazes of the nobles is sure prickly.”
Bringing the ‘Pure Ether Usage’ theory out from their home town was the wilful decision
by Horacio alone. He had a dream, and to fulfill this dream, he needed a large amount of
funds, the backing on the level of an entire country. That was the reason he went as far as
betraying his clan in order to help the Žaloudek Kingdom. From the way things were, his
plan was moving in the direction of being realized.
“Ara~ where might my Levitate Ship be soaring in now? I wish this useless war will end
already, I want to fly freely in the sky soon.”
He looked up into the sky from the corridor, and a moment later, his plain face turned
serious. He walked towards the Levitate Ship hangar with large strides again, preparing
to return to the central research workshop that was as good as his home. As only a limited
number of Levitate Ships were built so it wasn’t widespread, he had the authority to use it
as a personal means of transport as its inventor.
“Oh? That is…”
When Horacio reached the hangar, he happened to run into the princess who was about to
board a Levitate Ship to Kuscheperca, Catalina. He then recalled the conversation he
heard at the audience hall and an idea came to his mind. He hurried to Catalina.
“Pardon me, Your Highness Catalina, can I have some of your time?”
“You are… Horacio? What’s the matter? Isn’t your ship over there?”
Catalina was confused by Horacio who appeared suddenly, and pointed to the ship right
beside hers.
“I know that Your Highness. I just wish to enquire about something with you.”

“... I need to hurry to Kuscheperca, please make this quick.”

Horacio offered his thanks, then gave a long speech:
“As I have said to Prince Carlitos, my job is to strengthen the power of the Black Knights
and the Levitate Ship, but this isn’t something that can be done by being holed up inside
my workshop. I need information… And the easiest place to get those is from the
battlefield where the Black Knights and Levitate Ships are being used frequently…
Kuscheperca.”
Catalina’s eyebrows twitched.
“In order to utilize my full potential and strengthen our nation, could you allow me to go
with you to Kuscheperca?”
Horacio suppressed his urge to smile, he was bowing respectfully after all.

The forest region of old Kuscheperca Kingdom.

The sun illuminated the forest through the gaps between the tree leaves, and a group of
riders and a carriage was advancing slowly. As the road wasn’t paved, it would be too
much for the carriage to pass through the uneven path, so they had to move slowly. On
top of that, the mistresses of the carriage had to keep a low profile, which meant that they
had to travel inconspicuously.
As for the reason, it was clear by observing the people on the carriage— a girl who had a
tired looking face, and was expressionless due to being worn out. She was the princess of
Kuscheperca, Eleonora. Sitting opposite her was Martina, the wife of King
Kuscheperca’s brother. While the one sitting beside Eleonora looking on anxiously was
Isadora, Martina’s daughter.
“Eleonora, be strong. I am vexed by what happened to His Majesty too… But you will
need to support this Kingdom now, and expel those people out of the nation.”
Even though Isadora was talking to her, Eleonora had no reaction, bobbing her head like
a broken marionette. Martina frowned as she watched, and her expression grew stern.
Eleonora had been like this during their entire escape. Her beauty that had been famed
and likened to a blooming flower was now hollow and lackluster, similar to a lifeless doll
to be toyed with. Isadora couldn’t stand it and kept talking to her, but it wasn’t effective.
That night, when Delvincourt was sacked by the Steel Wing Knights, they only escaped
from the capital because of the King’s sacrifice. Their original plan was to head east,
since that was the territory of Martina’s husband— Prince Fernando. There was no better
place to hide the princess who survived.
But the Steel Wing Knights stopped their plans. As the late King Aukusti predicted, the
Žaloudek army was laxed after defeating the King, but they discovered that the other
royalties were missing shortly after. In the West, they had the practice of inheritance by
bloodline, so leaving the scion of the King alive would be a troublesome matter. This was
why when they extended their claws all over Kuscheperca, they also pursued for any
trails of the escaped royalty.
Ever since they saw the ships flying in the sky, Martina’s group decided to prioritize
secrecy on this journey. After all, along them was a person who inherited a noble
bloodline, and was the last hope of the Kingdom of Kuscheperca, so they couldn’t take
any risk. The escorting knights were also doubly cautious, careful to not let any news
leak, limiting their contact with towns to the absolute minimum, choosing to travel
through the forest far from any settlements. Such covert actions that drained resources
and energy can only be maintained by force of will and hope. For a flower raised in a
glasshouse, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had already forsaken hope.
… If this goes on, even if we escape successfully, her heart won’t be able to take it.
This escape had too many uncertainties, but the thing Martina was most concerned about
was Eleonora’s condition. After reaching the territory, Eleonora who inherited the direct
bloodline would need to become the symbol of Kuscheperca Kingdom and rebuild the
nation. But she lacked the conviction to lead the masses.
Martina peeked at her daughter. Despite the dire situation, Isadora’s heart did not falter.
Although she was concerned about Eleonora, Isadora did not show any signs of being
depressed. Isadora had always been a tomboy who liked to mimic the knights, so this was
a good quality to have under these circumstances. Martina couldn’t help but think that it
would be great if Eleonora had a tenth of Isadora’s strength.
The carriage ferrying the individuals with their own woes stopped suddenly. There was a
tense air about the knights so obvious that even those within the carriage could feel it.
“!... What’s going on!?”
Martina opened the window and asked the knights sharply. A knight mounted on the
horse turned back and replied:
“Forgive me for not dismounting. Scouts reported sighting anomalies in front of us.”
“Is it the enemy?”
“It is uncertain. But to be safe, we should make a detour…”
As the knight answered and was about to turn back, they heard a sharp whistling sound.
An arrow pierced the head of the knight. Before the gasping Martina, the figure of the
knight fell off the horse and out of her sight.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”
“How is that possible? Aren’t they further to the front!?”
“Anyway, let’s hurry. We will become targets...Hya!?”
The sudden attack threw the escorting knights into confusion. In the meantime, soldiers
with crossbows appeared from the trees one after another, decimating them mercilessly.
The ambushing troops all wore armour with the same design, with the emblem of the
Žaloudek army on them.
While the number of their knights was decreasing, the driver of the royal carriage set off
immediately. He was also a trained knight, and was right in making this judgement.
Unfortunately, he was still too late.
A sudden glaring orange light appeared on the carriages’ route of advance, and was
followed by an explosion. The intense flame and impact killed the horses instantly, and
the carriage tumbled on the ground, bouncing a couple of times.
Immediately after, heavy footsteps could be heard from the front, the clinking of steel
armour, sharp screech of the churning Crystal Tissue and the vague sound of air being
sucked into the Ether Reactor were getting closer. Its true identity goes without saying,
belonging to a black armoured giant knight— Silhouette Knights slowly appeared from
the forest.
It wasn’t just one, but six Silhouette Knights surrounded the carriage. The giant knights
in black heavy armour were the new mass produced model from Žaloudek, the Tyrant,
that ravaged the capital a few days ago. The Back Weapons protruding from their rear
were ready to fire, one of it still had signs of firing a shot recently, emitting a faint glow.
Many soldiers appeared at the feet of the Tyrant, encircling the fallen carriage tightly. A
man in standard issued armour split the group of soldiers wielding crossbows and staves,
and appeared to be the captain. Seeing no further resistance, he announced in a loud voice
with a smile:
“The people inside the carriage, come on out, it is futile to resist.”
But there was only silence. After being ambushed and taking a heavy blow from a magic
shot, this was only natural. The captain snorted unhappily and warned again:
“We are not concerned about your lives, we will be fine with blowing you away like
this.”
In concert with the open threat, a Tyrant aimed its Silhouette arms at the carriage. At this
moment—
“Wait.”
After enough time past for a sigh, there was finally a response. The man raised one
eyebrow, and the door of the fallen carriage was kicked opened from the inside. As the
Žaloudek soldiers raised their weapons in surprise, a figure climbed out of the carriage
slowly. It was Martina. She leapt on top of the carriage, and surveyed the grunt soldiers
from high ground.
“Hmmp, you even brought Silhouette Knights, making a mountain out of a molehill.
And? You don’t even dare speak to an unarmed woman without holding a weapon in
hand?”
She had a slender built for a woman and was trained, so she adopted the position of
looking down at the crowd the moment she stood on top of the carriage. Her dress was
slightly dirtied from the long journey, but her authoritative aura wasn’t affected at all, and
even intimidated the rank and files. The face of the captain was also a bit stiff, but he
remembered the current situation, and adopted a superficially respectful attitude.
“Isn’t this consort Martina? It is a great honour to meet you in person…”
“Such nerves…”
Martina frowned, ignored the captain and surveyed the surroundings. She was completely
surrounded, and there were Silhouette Knights on standby a further distance away. On the
other hand, all the knight escorts had been defeated, the situation was very dire. Even if
she used herself as a decoy, she wasn’t certain if she could let Eleonora and Isadora
escape. Unsure of her chances, she could only bite down on her lips.
“We have orders from His Highness Cristóbal to capture you, please don’t make any
futile resistance… His Highness also said that if we can confirm your identity, it doesn’t
matter if you are dead or alive. If you cooperate, I promise we won’t be too rough.”

The man’s tone implied that he had absolute control, which made Martina frown with
displeasure. But no matter how rebellious she was, she wouldn’t resist in such a situation.
After all, the giant knights that could turn human into minced meat instantly was
intimidating her silently, any resistance was meaningless in their presence.
“To think I would be a step behind… I miscalculated. No matter what, Silhouette Knights
are hard to deal with.”
When he heard the vexed murmurs of Martina, the captain showed an irritating grin and
said:.
“Ah, I forgot to tell you. From the direction the carriage was heading, you probably
planned to head into the eastern territory right? You can only seek refuge with the King’s
brother. But regrettably, we just came from the eastern territory.”
Even though Martina had a tough front despite her vexed feeling, she showed signs of
panicking for the first time.
“C-Could it be… you…!”
“You are smart enough to know the reason right? The pride of our nation, the Levitate
Ship fleet! The Steel Wing Knights had already subjugated Fontanier of the eastern
territory ahead of you!”
Martina felt the illusion of the ground beneath her feet falling away, and she could hear
her pulse pounding beside her ears. Steeling herself with the worst prediction, she
squeezed out the last ounce of her strength to glare at that man. He made a show of
looking scared, then dealt the final blow.
“Oh right, I heard the King’s brother unfortunately died during the assault. And so, the
only royalties left in this nation would be you all. There is nowhere to run.”
Martina fell on her knees weakly, her chest seized gradually to the depths of despair. The
hope that she had clung into during the entire journey had been crushed mercilessly.
Ahhh… It’s all over. Brother-in-law and my husband are gone… who will save this
Kingdom now…?
The soldiers had surrounded Martina who had given up. Nowhere to run, no strength to
fight. The troops captured Martina and the girls trembling inside the carriage.
The last hope of the old Kuscheperca Kingdom— Princess Eleonora’s group fell into the
hands of Žaloudek. This news was more than enough to eliminate the will of the old
Kuscheperca nobles.
This happened in C.E. 1281, when the early summer wind was starting to blow. Žaloudek
captured all surviving royalties of Kuscheperca and the Kingdom itself, completing the
invasion.

The towering Aubigne Mountain Range was covered in clouds, marking the borders of
the Western League of Nations. Between a valley, there was a road paved through the
earth. This road was named the ‘East-West Highway (Occident Road)’ and leads to the
east— one of the few ways leading into the Fremmevira Kingdom. Despite the powerful
demon beasts running rampant in Fremmevira Kingdom, it also held fertile lands blessed
by Aubigne. Merchants would scale the mountains and travel through here from time to
time.
On this day, there was a caravan that came to the west through the East-West Highway.
It’s convoy of wagons meandered along the relatively even roads, each one of them
carrying a vast amount of goods. They seemed to be very successful merchants.
The caravan moved smoothly, and at this moment, the leading wagon gave the signal to
stop.
“What is the matter, Young Master?”
“... Something is amiss. The flag flying at the checkpoint is different.”
A checkpoint could be seen ahead. It was built along the foot of Mount Aubigne, and was
the leading into Kuscheperca. The banner flying above it was obviously not Kuscheperca.
Those who knew what happened could guess the colours of that nation immediately. But
it was a shock to the caravan that travelled here from a long distance away.
“I see. That flag… How do you plan to proceed?”
“... Do I even need to say it, begin the ‘trade’ immediately.”
The person addressed as Young Master frowned, and the petite boy who queried him
nodded. The boy then signaled the caravan behind him, and they resumed moving
shortly.
“...Sigh, we really drew the worst lot.”
A sentry on top of the checkpoint complained as they faced the blue sky over Aubigne.
The emblem of Žaloudek Kingdom was on their armour. The influence of that Kingdom
had spread to the far east of Kuscheperca.
“Hey, since the checkpoint is built here, that means something is on the other side of the
mountain right?”
National policies aside, for the soldiers, a place with sparse population and only forest,
mountains and roads in view was terribly dull. Bored out of their mind, they stared
blankly at the mountain range that stretched beyond the horizon as they chat.
“Let me think… Eh, there should be a remote country called Flamberge over there.”
“Huh~ the other side of Aubigne isn’t remote, that is the far end of the world.”
In this era, most people resides within the Western League of Nations. Aside from the
people with power and merchants, the ‘world’ they knew was the west. With such a
world view in mind, the Aubigne Mountains was as good as the far end of the world.
That was why the soldiers deployed to the far end of the world couldn’t work up the
motivation for this task. Since there was a checkpoint and roads, that meant people would
pass through. Their rational side told them that, but to be honest, they weren’t interested
in realms outside of their world.
“Why are we guarding this place… Hey, what is that…!?”
Another soldier who was in the midst of complaining suddenly saw something in the
distance. Dust was being kicked up on the road passing through the forest, and the
tremors of horse hooves could be felt through the ground. Any soldier would be familiar
with this rhythmic sound, but it sounded ‘too heavy’. As if horses as large as Silhouette
Knights were galloping, making these terrible noise.
“Is that horses…? No, that’s too strange. Horses aren’t that fast! They will be here very
soon. Close the gate!! Just drop it!”
The shocked soldier shouted. The checkpoint’s gate was a portcullis, which could be
raised or lowered by chains. During emergencies, the ropes securing the gate could be cut
to close the entrance immediately. In response to the sentry’s cry, the other soldiers
charged to the opening mechanism and used axes to sever the ropes tied to a counter
weight. With the rattling of the sliding chains, the gate plunged onto the ground.
The moment the steel gate fell, the Silhouette Knights realized something was amiss and
prepared for battle. Žaloudek’s newest model of machine, the Tyrant, stood up and took a
stance inside the checkpoint entrance. The next second, the cause of this unnatural
situation burst onto the road and appeared before them.
“What the hell is that!? It’s not horses… Men? Could those be… Silhouette Knights?”
The ‘thing’ that appeared under the sun had the top half of a human but the bottom half of
a horse, an alien that could be more aptly described as half man half horse. The familiar
grind of Crystal Tissues under its armour meant that it was a Silhouette Knight. But in the
face of this extraordinary existence, the soldiers could only stand in place
dumbfoundedly.
Approaching at a brisk pace, that ‘thing’— the Centaur Knight Tzendrinble slowed down
when it saw that the gate of the checkpoint was closed. There were two of the strange
Centaur Knights towing an enormous wagon. It made an ear screeching sound and sparks
flew during its deceleration, kicking up a cloud of dust and leaving marks on the ground
before grounding to a halt right at the entrance.
One casual voice came from somewhere, speaking to the soldiers who had frozen on the
spot.
“Sorry to disturb~! We are the Silver Phoenix Merchants, we came from the other side of
the mountains to trade. Could you let us pass?”
“Don’t bullshit! It’s impossible for merchants to possess such messed up horses!!”
When he heard the immediate retort, that voice sighed exasperatedly:
“You all don’t know? Demon Beasts run amok in the nation on the other side of the
mountains. It is very dangerous, so we need such specialized horses!”
“It’s not a matter of it being specialized! This is too suspicious! All of you dismount from
the machine and line up before me. We will check your luggage and origins thoroughly!”
As they spoke, the Tyrant unit raised their weapon and got ready for a battle. No matter
where the Silver Phoenix Merchants came from, they didn’t think an armed group of such
a scale would follow docilely.
“Oh… Can I ask you something? That isn’t a Kuscheperca flag right? Where do you
come from?”
The soldiers didn’t notice that the voice lowered its pitch slightly, and told it the ‘obvious
truth’:
“You claim to be merchants, but are behind in learning the news. Kuscheperca had
already fallen! This place is run by us, the Žaloudek Kingdom now!”
“... I see, since it has fallen, I don’t have time to talk with you lot anymore.”
A sharp noise of air flow erupted from the giant wagon towed by the Centaur Knight, the
sound of a Silhouette Knight’s heart— it’s Ether Reactor taking in Ether and churning it
into mana. Immediately after that, the steel lines securing the cargo broke off, and the
canvas on top was uncovered. Reflecting the golden ray of the sun was Gordesleo, the
Silhouette Knight clad in golden armour and designed after the form of a lion. Emrys
who was piloting it, glared murderously at the checkpoint on his Holo Monitor.
“If you don’t open the gate, I will have to resort to violence…!!”
Gordesleo jumped off the wagon, and started sprinting. It’s back weapon was deployed
on Emrys’ command, alongside the Silhouette Arms that were concealed inside the
machine’s pauldrons. Powerful mana flowed into the Emblem Graph, and the spell was
activated.
“Outta my way!!”
The air tremored, this was the Overt spell cast by combining multiple Silhouette Arms,
the certain kill arms of Gordesleo — ‘Blast Howling’. The huge expenditure of mana
yielded the result of a powerful shockwave that went straight to the checkpoint. The
sturdy steel gate that looked strong enough to withstand the body slam of a duel class
demon beast was bent out of shape. After the joints cracked and fissures appeared on the
walls, the gate was blasted into the air along with its hinge, flying straight at the Tyrant
unit standing by behind it.
They couldn’t evade in time to the sudden change in circumstances, and the giant gate
scored a direct hit on a tyrant. The heavy armour that withstood a direct hit from a
catapult couldn’t take this blow. Its torso was bent inwards deeply, a critical hit from just
one hit. The machine collapsed and couldn’t get up again.
“Im… Impossible! The gate that could withstand a body slam of a Silhouette Knight is
destroyed! They possess Silhouette Arms with such ridiculous might!?”
“H-How dare they do this to us!”
Even the Black Knights were wavering after witnessing firepower beyond their
expectation. The Centaur Knights used the chance and took action, the Tzendrinbles
disconnected the link with the wagon and charged into the checkpoint that had lost its
gate. The unique sound that was only possible with twin Ether Reactors was like the
neigh of a horse, and their thundering hooves seemed to be threatening to break the very
ground. After passing the gate, the Tzendrinbles readied their lances like cavalries,
aiming them at the enemy.
“Y-You bastards…!”
It didn’t slow down, plunging its lance into the body of the Black Knight, sending
shattered armour and splinted Crystals into the air. However, the heavily damaged Tyrant
didn’t fall, and held tightly to the lance.
“What is this? Incredibly hard!! Hey, let go of my lance!”
An unexpectedly youthful protest came from the Centaur Knight. Although it had to drop
to one knee after losing its balance, the Black Knight still held onto the lance stubbornly.
At this moment, another Tzendrinble charged in and impaled the Black Knight again. The
heavily damaged Black Knight couldn’t withstand it. The lance pierced through its body,
breaking its armour, Crystal Tissue and Inner Skeleton. The Tyrant fell to the ground
heavily after the blow by the two lances.
“W-Why you! And you claim to be merchants! Don’t think I will let you off so easily!!”
The Tyrant Unit regained their composure quickly and roared with rage. Two platoons (6
machines) were deployed here, and normally speaking, this would be enough to protect
this far off place. But in a blink of an eye, they lost two of them.
The Tyrant eyed the ferocious Centaur Knights and Gordesleo which caused all this
cautiously, and closed in on them carefully with shields raised and hammer ready. If they
could put up a strong defence, the armour of the Tyrant could withstand any attacks, even
if the enemy was as strong as monsters.
—At this moment, there was a terrible noise which could only be described as a ‘roar’. A
feral roar to show its might to all living beings. With a tremor, the intense intake sound of
the Behemoth’s heart erupted.
“... You all are too much, starting the fight without me. Let me and Ikaruga join you!”
The other ‘cargo’ left on the wagon at the entrance of the checkpoint started moving. A
sudden burst of flame burned the canvas covering it and created a torrent of wind. A
shadow passed through the center of the flames and into the air.
The soldiers witnessing this from the top of the checkpoint were certain that they had lost
it. The figure blocked the sky above them. It didn’t look like a bird, was definitely not a
beast, an existence that had the shape of a giant human— that of a Silhouette Knight.
That’s right, a silhouette Knight was flying in the air. The checkpoint was about 30m tall,
a height not even a Silhouette Knight could scale easily. But that Silhouette Knight could
fly even higher.
“Impossible…”
The confused soldiers realized a fact quickly. If the shadow was over their head— That
meant the landing spot was where they were. The group scattered in shock, and the next
second, ‘that thing’ landed on the stone walls. With its back to the sun, its shadow
reached the Tyrants beneath it. ‘That thing’ slowly stood up before the frozen Žaloudek
army who had yet to grasp the situation.
That Silhouette Knight was strange. About 10m tall, it wore armour of unique design and
held two weirdly shaped sword in its arms. But the most prominent thing was on its
back— That crazy machine had four more arms growing on its back. The Centaur
Knights were very impactful, but the existence of this thing wasn’t far off either.
Standing before the intimidated Žaloudek soldiers was the personal machine of the Silver
Phoenix Knight Knight Commander, Ernesti Echevarria— the six armed armoured
samurai with the face of an oni, Ikaruga. It’s Eye Crystal moved beneath the mask that
resembled a human face.
“Let’s go Ikaruga… The battle starts now!”
In response to Eru’s joyous words, the main Reactor ‘Behemoth's Heart’ and secondary
Reactor ‘Queen's Coronet’ revved loudly. The violent mana produced by the hearts of the
colossal demon beast flowed into the Magius Jet Thrusters under the control of Eru, and
the machine turned red as if it was wearing a crimson outer coat. Ikaruga kicked off the
walls of the checkpoint and jumped into the air once again.
The body of Ikaruga turned black as its back was to the light, and the pilot of the Tyrant
felt a chill as he locked eyes with its Crystal Eye.
“Mon… Monster…”
Using the inertia of its fall, Ikaruga slashed down at a Tyrant with the swords held in both
arms. The blunt swords cut into the shoulders of the Tyrant through sheer brute force,
shearing its arms off. The fearsome power output of Ikaruga allowed it to cut all the way
down to the Tyrant’s feet and into the ground, causing an explosion of dust. The Tyrant
lost its balance from the impact and collapsed.
“One—”
Ikaruga stood up slowly before the maimed Tyrant. The sight of the alien shaped enemy
defeating the heavily armoured Black Knight terrorized the heart of the other knights.
“D-Damn it! What in the world are these things!! D-Don’t come here! All units fire!!”
The Black Knight screamed in fear as he tried to regain his composure. He couldn’t spare
the effort to face this bizarre adversary. Abandoning close quarter combat which was
their forte, they deployed their back weapons. But unfortunately, their opponent acted
before they did.
A series of explosions rocked the ear drums of the Žaloudek soldiers, and Ikaruga
charged forth with abnormal speed from the crimson flames bursting out from its back.
“Hyiii…!!”
The Tyrants fired off shots on reflex with a moan, but Ikaruga dodged them all with its
propellor and got within sword range at the same time. It was mere coincidence that the
Tyrant’s shield managed to block Ikaruga’s sword in time. After taking the powerful
blow from the sword, the shield twisted out of shape immediately, and the Tyrant’s feet
sunk into the ground. The arm shards of Crystal Tissue also flew out of the arm
supporting the shield, it was a miracle that it didn’t fell on its knees right there and then.
This was a power several times stronger than that of the Tyrant they knew, and a direct
hit would definitely end badly. The Black Knight struggled to push the sword back, but
only sunk in deeper. The pilot started doubting his eyes, the Tyrant was actually losing in
a competition of strength? The alien enemy was overwhelmingly stronger than the Black
Knights that ruled the battlefield in the west. He couldn’t fathom what kind of existence
he was fighting, and could only endure the fear in silence.
While the Tyrant was suppressed, Ikaruga launched its attack mercilessly. The four arms
on its back extended. Two of them held a halberd each, and attacked the Tyrant by
drawing arcs through the air. Using its centrifugal force, it sliced off the arms of the
Tyrant at the shoulder. While the Tyrant which lost its means to attack or defend stood
still on the spot, the sword attacked a second time. The Tyrant that received a terrible
blow bent at the waist and fell onto the ground.
“Two—”
There were only two Tyrants left, and the pilots were in a complete state of panic. They
belonged to the Green Bronze Claw Knights, and piloting the Tyrants were proof that
they were elites. Despite the numerous battles they had been through, the enemy before
them was beyond anything they had seen before. In the face of this extraordinary threat,
they couldn’t think of a way to achieve victory. Even so, they still fired off their back
weapon haphazardly while the enemy was still some distance away, attacking with all
they had. The shots fired at the armoured samurai, Centaur Knight and Gordesleo were
random and spastic.
The shots soared through the sky like screams of terror, and was easily deflected by the
halberd of Ikaruga, which then raised its sword against the Tyrant that was firing off
shots single mindedly. Even though Ikaruga was obviously out of sword range.
“A shoot out huh! Great, I am happy to oblige.”
The sword wielded by Eru— Ikaruga wasn’t normal. The moment a switch was pulled on
the sword, the blade split into two. From within the thick blade, a mechanism that was
obviously foreign to a sword appeared— Silver Plate, Steel Frame and Crystal Catalyst.
A shocking amount of mana flowed into the sword, and the the Crystal Catalyst at the tip
of the sword started to glow. This meant the sword also had the functionality of a
Silhouette Arms— It was the giant version and latest model of Gun Staff, ‘Sword
Cannon’.
The Overedt Spell constructed from the Emblem Graft exploded with tremendous mana,
and the glaring shot flew towards the Tyrant. The targeted Black Knight could only
watch helplessly as the shot came at it from a place that defied common sense, and got hit
before he could even dodge.
The Sword Cannon used the same spell as the large Silhouette Arms equipped on the
chariot, ‘Falconet’. The firepower used to fight Division-level demon beasts tore the
Tyrant’s heavy armour to shreds. After taking a few shots in succession, its figure finally
disappeared in an explosion of flame.
“Three—”
The last Tyrant had no regards for its image as it turned and ran. This was a wise choice
as the alien ‘fierce god’ was not an adversary he could take on. The two platoons (6
machines) were decimated in no time, and he didn’t have any allies left.
And of course, Ikaruga wouldn’t let him go. It opened its armour, and hellish flame
blasted out from the crevices.The overwhelming propulsion force of the Magius Jet
Thrusters made Ikaruga disappear. No, the truth was, it gained explosive speed from a
standstill, and drew near the Tyrant in one fell sweep. The Black Knight didn’t even have
time for last words as the Sword Cannon destroyed its back weapon and pierced into the
spine. The Sword Cannon was then deployed while inside the machine. The entire Tyrant
exploded from the shot fired inside its body, and turned into a pile of scrap metal the next
instant.
“Four… Hmm? It’s over? Not enough, Ikaruga hasn’t had enough yet…”
In the wake of the explosion, Eru who was piloting Ikaruga threw a tantrum like a kid
who didn’t get his candy. Ikaruga shook its halberd in response.
“Can’t be helped…”
After uttering the mutter from the bottom of his heart, Ikaruga folded the arms on its
back, and withdrew them together with the halberds. It then turned the Sword Cannons
around, and allowed the small sub arms secure it. After letting out an exceptionally loud
roar, the noise that echoed to the surroundings finally stopped. After the battle ended,
Ikaruga stopped the Behemoth’s Heart, and switched to the normal power output—
Queen’s Coronet.
“... I just saw Eru came, and the battle was already over.”
“Of course, no matter how tough that black thing is, there is no way it could stand up to
Eru and Ikaruga.”
At the checkpoint back then, the Tzendrinble noticed the deafening howl stopped, and
could only look at each other dumbfoundedly.

The Tzendrinble from 3rd Company of the Silver Phoenix Knights walked down the
East-West Highway one after another, while the Silhouette Gears captured the remnants
of the Žaloudek forces quickly. They were scared out of their wits after witnessing the
Tyrants being crushed, and surrendered without much resistance.
“Come look at this.”
At this moment, the Young Master— Emrys gathered the Company leaders of Silver
Phoenix Knights and laid out the map he found in the checkpoint.
“Damn it, the situation is worse than I thought! This checkpoint is located to at the
eastern border of Kuscheperca, while Žaloudek that launched the invasion is at the west
of the Western League of Nations. The two of them are equally powerful, but
Kuscheperca fell! I don’t understand, what happened to their King? And Aunt…!?”
His face twisted in pain as he spoke, and the faces of everyone turned gloomy. Everyone
knew he was worried about the safety of his aunt, which was the reason he participated in
this conflict. In other words, her well being was one of the directives of the Silver
Phoenix Knights.
“There are too much we don’t know, so we should collect intel first.”
Eru cast his gaze to his back as he said that. Understanding what his intent was, several
people nodded and slipped away quietly. The spy group for this mission— the Blue
Hawk Knights also dispatched people along. They were tasked with supporting the Silver
Phoenix Knights, and collating intel was their forte.
“It’s true that we need to investigate! But the influence of the enemy has already reached
here, it goes against my nature to just wait idly.”
After hearing Emrys said that painfully, Eru crossed his arms with a serious expression.
“Our plans has gone haywire. We were supposed to collate intel while pretending to be
merchants, and then move in the dark.”
“I have been meaning to ask. You approached so boisterously with Tzendrinble, so were
you serious about pretending to be merchants…?”
Dietrich’s retort was ignored very naturally.
“How about this? Before the collection of intel is complete, let’s ‘procure goods’ in the
vicinity.”
“We are still going with the merchant setting huh… What goods are you talking about?”
When he heard the annoyed question from Dietrich, Eru turned towards him with an
ominous smile.
“The Silhouette Knights of that Žaloudek something Kingdom of course.”
After deciding the course of action, the Silver Phoenix Knights used the captured
checkpoint as a temporary base. The supply unit continued ferrying resources in, and
people in Silhouette Gears bustled around their headquarters. Their procurements of
goods were actually a destructive job.
“From this perspective, we are acting like terrorists. Instead of merchants, how about
becoming bandits?”
Dietrich’s complaint was ignored. As the Silhouette Gears started setting up camp, the
Silhouette Knights were also taking care of the wreckage of the Tyrants. These would be
dissected and studied by knightsmiths to understand the prowess of the enemy.
“Is this…? In that case…”
Edgar who was cleaning up the scene in the white Silhouette Knight Ardiladcumber
stared the wreckage through his Holo Monitor and stopped his hands. He opened the
cockpit and jumped onto the wreckage, studying something curiously.
“Hey, what is it? Edgar, we are still in the middle of work.”
“Helvi, look at this. The design of the enemy Knight… Doesn’t it look familiar?”
Helvi tilted her head confusedly and exited her machine, then looked at the wreckage he
was pointing at. She didn’t need much time to reach the same conclusion as Edgar.
“Hmmp, I see, Back Weapons and Strand Crystal Tissue huh. Pri… Young Master said
that the enemy is a nation that was on par with Kuscheperca not too long ago right? I
understand why there is such a large gulf between them now.”
“Are you two talking about Silhouette Knights? You are discussing Silhouette Knights
right? Let me join in!”
“Wah! E-Eru, where did you come from?”
Eru came to the side of Helvi who was crossing her arms out of nowhere. Where there are
Silhouette Knights, there will be me— that’s his motto.
“You came at the right time, Ernesti, can you tell me what is going on here?”
Eru followed the gaze of the unmoved Edgar, and showed an enlightened expression.
“The black Silhouette Knights they are using have the same technology as us. Our newest
invention had been committed into live battle… It is probably as you imagined, their
technology probably stemmed from the stolen Tellestarle.”
An image from several years ago flashed through Edgar’s mind— the Silhouette that
defeated his Earlecumber and escaped. As if a string was connecting the past with the
present.
“Then these guys… the people who threatened this nation is also our enemy! They
destroyed my Earlecumber and stole Helvi’s Tellestarle…!!”
Edgar tightened his fists further. The Casadesus incident— Edgar had always bore a
grudge for the event which led to the founding of the Silver Phoenix Knights. Someone
gently held his fist that was clenched so tightly that his knuckles went white. It was
Helvi.
“Calm down, I understand how you feel. I am angry and think this is unforgivable… But
you are a captain right? How can you lose your cool so easily?”
Edgar groaned, exhaled, then relaxed his fists.
“That’s right… Sorry for making the person I promised remind me of that… I am still too
inexperienced.”
“You’re welcome, or rather, I am happy that you are angry for my sake. Thank you.”
Helvi left a soft sensation on Edgar’s cheek momentarily, then returned to her
Tzendrinble. Leaving behind the frozen Edgar.
“Ah— what the hell? I have the urge to vent by fighting the enemy, or I don’t think I can
go on.”
On the other hand, Dietrich who continued working besides them felt like abandoning his
work. He tossed aside the debris in his hand and sighed to the heavens for all sorts of
reason.
“There are plenty of enemies that we need to defeat, please don’t hold back and get as
many as you want.
“Ohh, Eru is envious of that too right! Then I will also kiss—”
“Ady, Di-Senpai’s face is becoming really interesting, so please calm down.”
Eru soothed Ady who hugged him from behind out of nowhere. The gloomy Dietrich
started to think that nothing mattered anymore, and shrugged resignedly in the end.
“... Forget about that for now, what do you think, Ernesti? That technology is ours, or
rather, you thought most of them up. And after coming full circle, they are now our
enemy.”
“Well, I am really excited.”
When heard an unexpectedly cheerful voice, Dietrich and Ady looked at each other with
a weird face.
“Not a Silhouette Knight made by our Silver Phoenix Knights, or our nation Fremmevira.
I am very curious about what technology they uncovered from the Tellestarle, and how
they made the final product. Also…”
It wasn’t clear what Eru was thinking, but he had the smile of a predator before its prey.
“At the root of all this, those machines are made with our technology, so it isn’t wrong
for all of them to belong to us. Furthermore, they are our enemy, so it will be fine to
snatch them away and make them mine right? The more Silhouette Knights, the merrier!”
“No, that’s definitely twisted reasoning…”
Dietrich felt that Eru shouldn’t say such brutish things with a smile— but realized he had
the same smile on his face.
“Just the thought that they are the same gang as the ones who stole Tellestarle makes it
impossible for me to sympathize with them. Edgar is full of drive, more so for the Young
Master. I think we should follow the instruction of the Knight Commander and make
them all sacrifices.”
Dietrich looked towards the foot of Aubigne Mountain, and the Kingdom of Kuscheperca
that expanded from then on.
The flag of the Silver Pheonix knights was hoisted in the eastern borders. The storm had
a new seed of fire, and at the same time, the ‘Silver Pheonix Merchants’ began the
operation earnestly.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 31

The Imprisoned Princess

Translator: Skythewood
Editors: Darkdhaos, Ruzenor
East of Kuscheperca. There was a strange rumour spreading among the Žaloudek that
moved here, about a ‘demon faced death god riding on a gigantic alien horse’ hunting
Silhouette Knights.

At first, most soldiers just laughed it off. It was impossible for such a frightening enemy
to lurk in the nation that fell so easily. They were brave and excelled in battles, their
absolute confidence in themselves made them let their guard down-- Until, they met it.

“We will be picked off if we split up! Stand together to bolster our defences!!”

“W-We can’t. We can’t stop it! That death god…”

His words were drowned out by a burst of air, and the nightmarish existence appeared
before the Tyrants resetting their formation in a panic. The alien charging with its head
down was accompanied by the sound of hooves that shook the very ground. Its true
identity was a humongous armoured wagon towed by two Tzendrinbles— in mode three
‘Chariot’. On the chariot was the six-armed death god with the mask of a demon, Ikaruga,
completing the formation.
In the face of the rumoured terrifying existence, no, it was much worse than the rumours,
the Black Knights couldn’t suppress their unease, but still faced it bravely. The slow
Black Knights couldn’t run away in the first place.

“I will be taking… your Silhouette Knights.”

Not a query or request, not a notification of something that had been decided. Using the
chance while the two sides were still some distance apart, Ikaruga raised the four muzzles
of the Sword Cannons on his back, and fired off crimson shots mercilessly, reducing one
of the Black Knights to burning ash. The moment their formation was broken,
Tzendrinble charged in again. The powerful blow backed by inertia sent the shield and
giant body of the armoured Black Knight flying. The last surviving Black Knight stepped
forth valiantly, but was caught by the beast slaying sword protruding from the side of the
chariot, and its body turned into the shape of a ‘く’. The heavy blade fell innumerable
shell beasts in the past, even the armour of the Black Knights couldn’t withstand it.

When the death god chariot completed its charge of destruction, only the wreckages of
the Black Knights were left in its wake. The chariot made a large turn, slowed down and
then returned to the scene of carnage.
“Yes, we procured plenty of ‘merchandize’ today too. Let’s bring it back for business
negotiation!”

“Eru seems so happy…”

“He must be having the time of his life, getting to pilot everywhere with Ikaruga to rob
Silhouette Knights…”

A short moment later, the 3rd Company arrived to pick up the remains of the Black
Knights and left. Nothing was left behind,and the mysterious unit disappeared.

Reports of Black Knight patrol teams losing contact kept happening in the eastern
territories. Rumours of the death god chariot didn’t die down, and became more
widespread, planting seeds of terror into the hearts of the frontline soldiers. Worst of all,
these rumours confused the Žaloudek army, and it would be quite some time before they
notice the existence of a fearsome enemy.

The wagon ferrying the ‘goods’ advanced with the sound of thundering hooves. It
sounded too heavy for normal horse drawn wagon as it was a colossal wagon drawn by
Centaur Knights, Tzendrinble. It was surrounded by Karrdators which protected the cargo
and convoy.
“To think the rumours were true--”

One of the nobles of old Kuscheperca Kingdom, Baron Modesto Letonmaki stared at the
row of ‘merchandize’ with his eyes wide open. That was understandable, as the wreckage
of Silhouette Knights were on the back of the wagon-- and it was the mass produced
models of Žaloudek, Tyrants.

Not just Baron Letonmaki, the nobles fighting force all use the old mass produced model
Resvants, and from the battles so far, they had seen numerous examples of them losing to
the Tyrants of Žaloudek.

“What do you think about our merchandize? Isn’t this enough for you to make up your
mind?”

Emrys presented the results of the Silver Phoenix Merchant’s procurement as he puffed
out his chest proudly. The true identity of the demon-faced death god that massacred the
Žaloudek was right before the Baron. But after the initial amazement and excitement, his
face became sullen once again.
“... Yes, I can see your abilities clearly. These are excellent merchandize, just fighting on
par with the Žaloudek we can’t stand up to is worthy of praise. However… That’s all
there is to it. Assuming we work together and win battles regionally, it would just draw
more enemy to my territory.”

Baron Letonmaki slouched his shoulders and said with a gloomy face.

“You all might be strong, but that doesn’t mean we can win. This will lead to a dead end
for you too… Isn’t that why you are wandering around like this?”

Emrys jovial mood in the beginning was like a lie, and he started sipping his tea
impatiently. The Silver Phoenix Knights might have sparked frightening rumours after
defeating numerous Black Knights, but they were reaching their limits too. There was no
doubt that they were strong, but with just three Company (30 machines), there were
overwhelmingly outnumbered. They might be great in attacking, but they were not suited
for holding ground.

“... You serve the enemy because they are too strong?”
“A weak aristocrat like me has many concerns too. I can’t even safeguard myself, lest
keep the citizens safe, how can we fight against them? On top of that, the royal bloodline
is already lost… it will be impossible for the country to unite together now.”

Even though the Silver Phoenix Knights kept contacting the aristocrats of Kuscheperca
like this, they failed to garner any good response. All of them had their reasons, but the
main factor was the lack of a King that they could swear fealty to.

“Are aunt and the others already…?”

“I don’t know, but based on what those guys said, they had definitely fallen into enemy
hands. Things aren’t looking good. Even if they are still alive…”

Emrys cut off the Baron’s words. He couldn’t accept that hypothesis calmly, and Baron
Letonmaki apologized immediately for having misspoke. Emrys aunt was the spouse of
the grandest noble in the eastern area-- Archduke Fernando. The results of the negotiation
was obvious-- Baron Letonmaki agreed to support the Silver Phoenix Merchants, but was
unwilling to commit any further. The other nobles were the same, willing to provide aid
in the dark, but reluctant to participate in the war.
“... It’s no good, no matter how many minions we defeat, no one dares to make a move.”

Emrys growled like a beast. The nobles who understood the situation but was still
hesitant, along with the lack of news on the royal family made him gloomier each day.

“Focusing on weakening the enemy had been working smoothly, it is about time to
change our policies now. Also, we need to think of a ‘special way’ for the aristocrats to
fight to, if we want to get their support...I will think more about this.”

Eru also groaned with his arms crossed, but his troubles were a little off topic.

“Isn’t there anything else we can do here…?”

Emrys who got this far on his will alone was starting to doubt too. At this moment, the
Silver Phoenix Knights that seemed to be at a dead end received a news that could
overturn the situation.
The old Kuscheperca Kingdom could be roughly divided into five zones-- The central
zone where the capital was located, and the four ‘regional zones’ to the north, south, east
and west.

The territory of the late brother of the King, Archduke Fernando Nevarez Kuscheperca,
lies in the east. He died during the Žaloudek invasion, and his territory had been seized.
Fernando was given peerage by his brother, King Aukusti, and bestowed a territory that
befitted his title of Archduke, becoming one of his brother’s subjects. He retained the
family name Kuscheperca as a sign that he hailed from the royal family, and his land was
called ‘Fontaine’. It was also known by its more common name ‘Eastern territory’. Even
though he was now the subject of the king, the Archduke was still tied to the royal family
by blood, and would definitely be seen as an obstacle on the grand scale of things, and be
eliminated.

The territory where the Archduke resides, Lacepede castle, had been taken by the
Žaloudek army and was now used as their base. The most prominent part about Lacepede
castle were the four tall towers built around it. These buildings were used for sentries in
the past, and its function had gradually been lost after the era of peace. It was now
retained simply as part of the castle’s decoration. However, it was being used not too
long ago in a completely different manner.
There was a dejected girl with unfocused eyes in the room. Her name was Eleonora-- the
princess who inherited the bloodline of Kuscheperca. This room used to imprison the
princess had some furnishing, but was definitely not appropriate lodgings for a princess.
She stared blankly at the iron bar windows and the extraordinarily sturdy door, then
sighed for the upteenth time. No matter how she looked at it, this room would never
change.

After falling into the hands of the Žaloudek army, she had been imprisoned in Lacepede
castle. This room was located in the highest level of one of the towers, dozens of meters
from the ground. The only mean of access was a long spiral staircase, and the tightest
security had been arranged to prevent her escape. However, even if she could easily
escape, whether she had the conviction was another matter.

She spent her days filled with sighs and silence. After losing her father the king and
forced onto an arduous escape,, she was forcibly separated from her aunt Martina and
cousin Isadora and locked up here. She was tormented by her helplessness each day, and
feared facing her future. It was no wonder that she became so gloomy.

But one day, a sudden change visited this quiet room.

A heavy knock came from the only door leading outside, the sudden sound surprised her.
The maid waiting quietly in the room next door walked wordlessly to the door, and after
conversing with the visitor shortly, the loud noise of the door unlocking could be heard.
Even though it was some distance away, Eleonora could feel a strong presence entering
the room. That person walked to the side of Eleonora who was trying her best to lower
her head and avoid the gaze of others.

“How are you feeling? Former Princess of Kuscheperca.”

She trembled slightly, then looked up timidly. Before her was the Second Prince of
Žaloudek, the commander-in-chief of the Žaloudek army-- Cristóbal.

“Hmmp. Seems that you are living docily now.”

In the beginning, Eleonora panicked and cried hysterically when she was locked in here.
But after a while, she became quiet and lifeless like she was now.

“I brought you good tidings today, rejoice. Your ‘use’ have been decided. In order to
stabilize the territories of old Kuscheperca, your bloodline would prove useful.”
Cristóbal wasn’t concerned about her lack of reaction, and announced with the corner of
his lips raised proudly:

“You shall be my bride.”

“H-How could it be… I refuse.”

Eleonora squeezed out words of resistance. Even though she lowered her head and was
really soft, her intent on rejecting was obvious. Cristóbal continued smiling even though
he realized this point.

“I know you wouldn’t agree so easily, but do you really think you have a choice?”

Cristóbal leaned forth and grabbed Eleonora’s wrist, even though she wanted to dodge on
reflex. He then whispered in her ears:
“You will be useless if you refuse. I will just kill you, and use the other girl we captured.”

Eleonora opened her eyes wide stiffly, with the reflection of Cristóbal’s cruel smile
reflected in them.

“Even though she is the daughter of the king’s brother, the bloodline of the royal still
flow through her. She will prove extremely useful. After all, her mother was caught too,
it wouldn’t be too hard to convince her.”

“Ah… Ahhh, how could you…”

Cristóbal let go of Eleonora, letting her collapse to the ground weakly. He then turned to
leave, as if he was done with her.

“I have a merciful side to me too, so I will give you some time to answer. That might be
so, but you better make up your mind soon. I don’t have much patience for half-hearted
answers.”
He left the room after saying these. A long while later, the dazed Eleonora finally came to
her senses.

“... I’m sorry, I’m sorry everyone… I’m sorry, father…!!”

The sound of locks could be heard from the imprisoned princess’ room, and Cristóbal
descended the spiral staircase with his back towards her. He couldn’t help sighing.
Despite getting to wed a beautiful princess renowned in the west, he had an unhappy
face.

“... What a gloomy woman, always weeping. She really don’t suit my taste.”

“Your Highness, you won’t reject the marriage for such a reason right?”

When he heard the surprised voice of Doroteo who was waiting outside, Cristóbal twisted
his face with displeasure.

“Hmmp, I will never waste the strategy my sister proposed for the domination of
Kuscheperca. I am just venting, I hate that type of woman.”
Doroteo was worried that his impatient and short tempered superior might be… But after
hearing these words, he sighed in relief.

“Oh right, I heard that recently, the eastern territory is not peaceful, Doroteo.”

Cristóbal changed the topic suddenly, hitting a weak spot in Doroteo. He hoped that his
supervising officer wouldn’t learn about them, but he still answered nonchalantly:

“Yes, those fellows didn’t learn their lesson. I thought they would settle down sooner or
later, but never imagined it would drag for so long. I have already prepared a punitive
force to be dispatched.”

“Oh? I thought the entire nation is full of gloomy cowards, to think there are people with
guts still out there. Hey, I will take down that prey…”

“You mustn’t.”
Being interrupted midway spoiled Cristóbal’s improving mood.

“My lord, you wish to lead the campaign correct? You must not do that, Your Highness is
the commander-in-chief of our Žaloudek army. Please leave such trivial matters to us,
and focus on your duties as the commander.”

Cristóbal groaned, but suppressed it.

“Then hurry up and settle those trivial matters!!”

Doroteo hurried after Cristóbal who increased his pace. Even though he wasn’t good at
handling his superior, Doroteo still acknowledged formally.
After Cristóbal left, Doroteo summoned his subordinates quickly. These men are under
the direct command of the Second Prince, and elites that had braved through numerous
battles with Doroteo.

"… That’s the situation. If we don’t solve this problem, His Highness might take an
unnecessary interest in this again."
They had served Cristóbal for years, together with Doroteo, and understood his
temperament. They could imagine the conversation easily and all showed a wry smile.

"I still need to attend to His Highness. I will leave the rest to you, Gust."

On hearing Doroteo’s command, a slender youth walked forth. He had many belts on his
waist, with swords of various sizes hanging off them. The weirdly dressed youth knocked
his knuckles together confidently and said:

"Oh, I have been waiting for you to say that. Dad. Leave it to me, I will take care of it
perfectly!”

Doroteo’s adopted son, Gustavo Mardones patted his chest and accepted the task. His
foster father showed a complicated expression at his crude but reliable son, while his
subordinates snickered quietly. The interactions between parent and child had become
common scene.
During this harmonious and turmoil atmosphere, the voice of a third party interjected
suddenly:

“Can you count me in for that job?”

The sudden appearance of the figure and voice made everyone tense. When he saw the
person came out of the shadows naturally, Doroteo narrowed his eyes and said in
surprise:

"… Lady Hietakangas… Mistress of the Copper Fangs, what business do you have with
us?”

Despite the suspicious attitude of the other party, Copper Fang Knights commander
Kerhild Hietakangas wasn’t fazed. She smiled and said to everyone:

"Don’t be so guarded. Those who threaten Žaloudek are our enemies, I just want to do
my part in defeating them.”

"I have a feeling that it would become troubling if we took you on your offer. How do
you want to help, specifically?"

"You know the forte of us Copper Fangs right? I will help you find those troubling
deathgods.”
Doroteo thought silently for a moment. After weighing Kerhild’s motives and the
problem of the enemy, and immediately conclude that the enemy was troubling because
they were hard to track. And so, he accepted the proposal.

“Fufufu, I will send my subordinates to keep you updated. Please look forward to it.”

After responding with a mischievous smile, Kerhild left. Gustavo watched her go and
said in an unwilling tone to his father:

“Dad, is this really fine?”

"… She might be a vixen and is hard to deal with, but her ability is reliable. Don’t worry,
we just need to do our job well. Gustavo, set off the moment she notifies you.”

Gustavo and the others saluted Doroteo as one. Shortly after, they left Lacepede castle on
a Levitate Ship.

The Silver Phoenix Knights received that news when they were preparing to move out
and attack as usual.

"… Are you certain that this information is reliable?"

"Yes. They are probably doing this to suppress the remnants of the Kuscheperca. They
are spreading the information earnestly. To be safe, we have confirmed this information.”

In reply to Eru’s question, Nora Frykberg of the Blue Hawk Knights nodded with her
usual poker face. When they entered the old Kuscheperca territory, they sent out the Blue
Hawk Knights at the same time and achieved results.

"I understand, I will tell this to Young Master… We are making huge progress in one
swoop.”

Eru immediately gathered the members of the knights corp. His announcement will
influence the direction they would take from now on.

"I have something to tell everyone. Before that, Young Master, do you want the good
news first or the bad news?”

“Oh? The good news then.”

When he heard Emrys half-hearted reply, Eru said with a cheerful smile:
“The good news is — We found out where Lady Martina and the other surviving royal
family are being held."

"…!! Ernesti, are you for real!? Is that so… I see, so they are fine…!!”

Emrys turned suddenly, and raised his arms as if he was going to shout at the sky. Not
just him, cheers broke out amongst the other members of the Knights.

"It’s our win after learning this! Silver Phoenix Knights, set off for the rescue right
now!!”

"Please wait a moment. I am sorry for interrupting during such a joyous atmosphere,
there is still the bad news. The Lady and the others are still alive… but there are some
troublesome matters.”

Eru restrained Emrys who was going further out of control than usual, and continued
explaining the information he just received — All the royalty including the Princess were
being imprisoned in Lacepede castle, and the prince of the Žaloudek army intended to
take the princess as his wife.

At this point, everyone could predict how Emrys would react.

"I see, very well, let’s kill that retarded prince. Invading another country and seizing a
princess, he is incorrigible!”
Emrys face looked like a demon whose veins were about to explode from rage. Not only
was his aunt Martina important to him, he also emphathized with Isadora and Princess
Eleonora Kuscheperca who lost their home nation. When he learned that his kin had
fallen into the hands of an enemy state, he was filled with wrath.

“That retarded prince is the worst! Forcing a girl with brute force is unforgivable!”

“That’s right! Let’s teach that insolent fool a lesson!”

The women of the Silver Phoenix Knights were also boiling with rage, especially Ady
and Helvi. The three of them waved their arms around while cursing out at the prince,
frightening the people around them. They were about to charge off immediately and
mount a rescue when Eru said lazily to their backs:

“Alright, don’t be so hasty. We shouldn’t mobilize the Knights for now.”

"What… Then how are you planning to save them!? Or do you want us to watch idly
by!?”
Eru seemed unfazed by Emrys intimidating look, and answered nonchalantly:

"The Princess is being held in Fontaine, and the Žaloudek army had set up an eastern
governance headquarters right there. In simple terms, that is one of the enemy’s
stronghold.”

"… Tch, that’s right. Even the Silver Phoenix Knights can’t infiltrate that place so
easily.”

After clearing up where the problem lies, Emrys cooled his head a little. The enemy
forces at their headquarters couldn’t be compared to such rural areas. The Silver Phoenix
Knights had been winning all their battles mainly because of the Tzendrinbles’ high
mobility. Ikaruga and Gordesleo might be powerful, but there were limits to how much a
single unit could do. If they want to attack a stronghold, the situation would be
overwhelmingly disadvantageous for the Silver Phoenix Knights.

“Also, having the entire knights corp act would be too conspicuous. The worst scenario
would be the enemy escaping with the princess, and we need to save multiple prisoners.
If they use them as hostages, the rescue mission would become very complicated.
Anyway, we have to rescue all the royals before the enemy finds out.”

Emrys’ brow furrowed into a knot again. Finding the place where the royals were
imprisoned was heartening news, but it didn’t change the fact that their targets were still
in enemy hands. Helvi and Ady also lowered their arms reluctantly.

“That’s why, the Knights corp will stay here and continue to fight, while we go get the
royals back.”

There was only one person, Eru, who was smiling cheerfully.

"How are you going to do that? We have to get them back, but we can’t do that without
combat prowess."

“No, let’s think of it from the other perspective. Since we dealt quite a heavy blow to
Žaloudek, they will definitely increase their forces to destroy our knight corps right?
Let’s aim for this. The main units of a knight corps are Silhouette Knights, but we have
another weapon… It is time for Silhouette Gears to shine.”

Gradually, Eru’s expression turned into that of a child who just thought of a prank, or one
who was showing off his favourite toy.

"While the enemy is concentrating on the main forces of the Knights Corp, we will use
the newest model of Silhouette Gears to infiltrate and rescue the princess and the
others...…Batson! It is time for Shadowlad’s debut!"

“Oh, oh!? That does— make sense, if it is that..."

Batson who was named suddenly nodded in a panic, then turned to check behind him.
The Silhouette Gear over there wasn’t a Motor Beat or a Motor Rad. The Blue Hawk
Knights led by Nora stood besides them and nodded firmly.

Emrys who had been listening to Eru quietly couldn’t help laughing out loudly:

“Fu, fufu, fuhaha, hahaha! Ernesti… You are really, fuhahaha, very good, I like this idea!
Fufufu, especially the part of making them waste their time!”

After Emrys got fired up, the people around him started moving. In the heated
atmosphere, Ady moved to Batson’s side quietly and whispered:

“Bart, even though Eru said that, he just wants to try out the new equipment right?”

"I think so too. It’s Eru after all. Sigh, let’s just keep this between us."

While Ady and Batson was whispering and nodding to each other, the preparations were
proceeding smoothly. The Knight Commander Eru decided the plan, and assigned tasks
to the members.
"I will lead the rescue team. Chid and Ady will come with us too.”

"Huh!? Us?"

Not just Ady, even Chid was panicking after being named.

"Yes. You two can pilot Motor Beat just like me, and are the pilots of the Tzendrinbles
too. In order to keep the transport and infiltration forces to the minimum, you two would
be indispensable members.”

"I see… I understand, Eru! Let’s rescue the princess together!"

Ady raised her fist stronger than usual, and Chid shrugged as if it couldn’t be helped.
Emrys who was listening quietly grabbed Eru’s head and said:

"Hey Ernesti, I want to join the rescue team, no matter what. What do you think I came
all the way here to do?”

Eru escaped the claws grabbing his head and shaking it, then agreed with a sigh. Emrys
might not be that compatible with the mission, but it was no use trying to dissuade him.

"That’s the members of the rescue team. Next… I will be handing an important task to
Edgar-sempai, Di-sempai, Helvi-sempai and the company members of the Silver Phoenix
Knights."
The Company Captains straightened their backs and gathered in front of the Knight
Commander Eru. They had an inkling about where the conversations was heading, the
main force’s mission was probably to divert the enemy’s attention. This was a dangerous
move, but their expression were determined. Eru took out a pile of paper out of nowhere,
showed it to them and said:

"In order to let the Kuschepercas fight too, I thought up a plan to remodel the Resvants.
These are the designs."

"Huh!? When did you… That’s impressive as always."

Although the Company Captains were surprised, they still took the blueprints carefully.
Eru puffed his chest proudly, then reverted to his serious expression and said:

“I hope the companies can bring this along to convince the nobles in the region. When we
successfully carry out the rescue mission, it would mean the return of the country’s
monarch. What is left would be a war to reclaim the nation. At that time, not just us, they
will need to fight too, and this is a way to give them some strength.”

The Company Captains suddenly felt the blueprints in their hands turned heavier. In a
sense, these blueprints would decide the future of this lands.
"… Really now, you are making it sound so easy."

"But this is interesting. I am more suited for defense anyway, I will make sure the plans
are handed to the aristocrats safety, and give the enemy a huge surprise.”

Not just Edgar, all the members raised their arms in a loud cheer. And so, the rescue team
and main forces stepped onto their own battlefield. The Silver Phoenix Knights that
appeared calm on the surface but was as turbulent as a storm began their plans.

"Fufu, the princess rescue plan! That sounds good… Ahh, to be rescued by Eru, I’m so
jealous…”

"Stop talking nonsense. Come, we have an important mission on hand, go get ready."

Amongst the Knights getting ready to move, Chid grabbed the collar of the dreaming
Ady and dragged her away.
The figure of dark vessels appeared over the serene skies of the eastern territories.
Advancing leisurely by means of sail, the two ships — the Žaloudek army’s secret
weapon, the Levitate Ships were commanded by Gustavo’s team from Fontaine.

"Ho, to even send out the valuable Levitate Ships, we sure are serious about this."

Gustavo sat on the captain’s seat comfortably and said in a good mood. A man who
seemed to be his subordinate replied:

"It is my humble opinion that using Levitate Ships to deal with those rabbles, is a little
overkill."

As their opponents so far was the Kuscheperca army, the man’s voice had a hint of
contempt. Not just him, the entire Žaloudek army thought the same way. When he
realized that, Gustavo showed a restless face, then quickly made a show of being relaxed
and asked:

"I’ve heard that the ‘death god’ or something enemy flees very fast! We will cut them off
from the front with the Levitate Ships and defeat them! How about it? Isn’t this perfect?
We need to settle this quick, wasting more time will just bring shame to my foster
father.”

“Haha, that’s true. Our true enemy is the patience of His Highness. That is more
frightening than the Kuscheperca weakling.”

The man left with a laugh, and Gustavo watched him go. Supporting his face casually, he
put his elbow on the captain’s seat and crossed his leg.
“... Sigh, you might mess up if you are that careless. With how the rumours of the death
god are raging, they must be a difficult bunch to deal with. No matter what, I have to
think of a way to deal with it.”

Understanding where the source of the problem lies, Gustavo was confident and fearless.
His unit headed east on the Levitate Ship.

Quite some time had passed since Ernesti led the Silhouette Gear units to rescue the
princess.

The remaining First to Third Company formed the main forces of the Silver Phoenix
Knights, and traveled around the eastern region of the old Kuscheperca Kingdom. The 1st
and 2nd Company as the core of the units, and the Tzendrinbles of 3rd Company to
facilitate their movements. The objective of the main force was to deliver the ‘Resvant
strengthening plan’ to the regional nobles and request for their aid. It would be more
efficient to split up into smaller teams, but there were several reasons why they couldn’t
move in small groups.

The main reason was the repeated hunting of Silhouette Knights by their Knight
Commander Ernesti, which infuriated the Žaloudek, prompting them to adopt
countermeasures — prohibiting patrols at platoon level (3 machines), and increasing the
scale to a minimum of company level (10 machines), or even multiple companies. For the
Silver Phoenix Knights that didn’t have their strongest ace, Ikaruga, fighting such
quantity of enemies was very dangerous.

"Seems like they have no intention of letting us finish the job easily."

"If they continue to be guarded against us, it will work to our benefit."

Because of the changes in the enemy’s nation’s movement, the main forces avoided
battle. Thanks to the Žaloudek army concentrating their forces, the encounter rate
between the two sides decreased instead. On the other hand, the existence of the main
force had been exposed, and the alien herd of horses wasn’t a mysterious rumour
anymore, but a physical entity visible to the eyes.

"No matter what, our advantage still lies with the leg power of the Tzendrinble. Let’s
detour before we run into the enemy."

Behind the horses that were towing the 2nd Company, Dietrich muttered hopefully,
but it was in vain. The herd of Tzendrinbles towing wagon was very prominent. It
was impossible to cover their tracks, so it was only a matter of time before they
were found.

"…… Evasion report, found the horse herd. Releasing the hawks to continue the hunt..."
Dark shadows of giants hid in the forest along the road. Their stature might be imposing,
but they didn’t make a sound, and their presence was as faint as phantoms. The Centaur
Knights galloping along the path didn’t detect their presence at all. Shortly later, the dark
giant moved stealthily, and several soldiers rode away on fast horses.

"… After verifying the reports, they are really there. The Vixen is really efficient."

On the bridge of the Levitate Ship, Gustavo groaned as he stroked his chin. In his line of
sight ahead was a group of alien galloping along the forest path.

"So that is the rumoured ‘death god knights’... No wonder it is so hard to locate them,
what are those horse like things? Well, no matter who the opponent is, they will fall
under my sword.”

With the strange group of horses galloping in front of him, even Gustavo who was
renowned for his bravery was surprised by this. Despite that, he composed himself and
started issuing orders to his panicking subordinates. His courage was really phenomenal.

When the airborne Gustavo discovered the 2nd Company of the Silver Phoenix
Knights on the ground, the 2nd Company also noticed the approaching Levitate
Ship.
"What is that? Am I dreaming? A ship… is flying in the sky and chasing us!"

"How should I say this… To think that aside from our Knight Commander, there are
other people who can make such things that defies common sense. The west really is a
large place."

"Captain Di, that’s not the part you should be surprised about! What should we do now!"

The 2nd Company had quite a shock when they saw the Levitate Ships, it was the first
aerial unit in the world after all. Speaking of things that could take to the sky, the most
they could think of was demon beasts. It was no surprise that the existence of the Levitate
Ships would make them lose their wits. The Žaloudek army had always treated the
Levitate Ships as a practical fighting force, but had never sent to the eastern borders. This
was a dire situation for the Silver Phoenix Knights.

“Really now, they look just like normal ships. Hmm, those are… sails? On the sails are
the flags of the Žaloudek Kingdom, so they are the enemy who are chasing us from the
air… They seemed to be faster than us, we will have to fight.”

As expected of the Silver Phoenix Knights, they recomposed themselves in no time after
sighting a never seen before flying weapon. To them, shocking things were just a walk in
the park, although they didn’t develop such bold attitudes willingly.
"All units prepare for battle! Deploy outer crust for ranged combat!”

After Dietrich gave his instructions, all the machines deployed the simple defensive
equipment on the wagon. By using the cargo, the Silhouette Knights, as cannons, they
displayed a part of the function of a chariot.

On the speeding wagons, the Karrdators deployed their back weapons and aimed towards
the sky. In their cockpits, the reticles were also trained on the enemy ships that were just
black dots on the Holo Monitor.

"… Pre-emptive strike! Start firing!!"

After gauging the range and timing the moment to attack, the Captain of 2nd Company
Dietrich gave the order, and they attacked the approaching Levitate Ships ferociously.

The sudden shots from the ground surprised the descending Levitate Ships. Looking
down from on high and thinking they had everything in their control, they never
imagined that anyone would attack the Levitate Ship immediately on sight.

"Hee, they are not afraid after seeing the Levitate Ship huh? They have guts! Let’s return
the favour, prepare the Catapult! Contact the other ship, we are going for a pincer
attack!”
One man— Gustavo calmly instructed his subordinates to attack. The calm attitude of the
commander infected the others in the bridge, and the messenger who was still a little
jittery shouted the orders to the messaging tubes hurriedly.

Windows at the sides of the Levitate Ship opened immediately, and wooden platform
appeared from inside, taking aim at the dust being kicked up on the road. At the same
time, minute adjustment was made to the Blow Engine, and the Levitate Ship started
decelerating. During this period of time, the Levitate Ship nimbly dodged through the
bullets, and the two vessels caught the Silver Phoenix Knights between them and started
moving parallel to each other.

"Don’t need to be too precise, just fire as fast as possible!!"

With a heavy thud, waves of stones were shot out of the small windows. The so called
‘catapult’ were small mechanisms mounted on the Levitate Ship. Just simple devices that
launch stone projectiles with springs, and could be easily blocked by normal Silhouette
Knights.

But it was a different matter if it was mounted on a Levitate Ship. After all, the Levitate
Ship possess altitude advantage unlike any other weapons, so even a small and weak
stone projectile would possess lethal power once it hits the ground.

The stone shells flying in with howls shattered the stone paved road with loud explosive
noise. As if in retaliation of the shots fired at them, the stone shelled at them one after
another. The pilots of the Tzendrinble shouted in a panic:

"Oh no, 2nd Company, the road surface is filled with potholes, the wagon will flip if we
continue at this speed!!”

“Well played… All 3rd Company units, uncouple your wagons! Lighten your load and
charge into the forest, get out of catapult range!”

Their brakes screeched and sparks flew alongside smoke as the uncoupled wagon started
slowing down. The 2nd Company braced themselves, absorbing the inertia of the sudden
brake. Incidentally, the dust that was kicked up became a sort of smokescreen, hiding
them from the Levitate Ships.

"Haha! They have amusing tricks, but this won’t do! All pilots get in position! Land the
ship, let us resolve this with swords!"

Right after saying that, Gustavo left the bridge and dashed for the hangar, and his
subordinates followed right behind. In the meanwhile, the colossal bodies of the ships got
closer to the ground, and their wake blew up waves of dust. Its dramatic movement gave
the illusion of it being on the verge of crashing. The sails that were used to propel the
ships acted as an air brake. The ships’ altitude was lowered to about the height of trees.
The next second, a large dark hole opened on the armoured ship, and Tyrants linked to
heavy cranes leapt out one after another. The heavy steel armour grazed the ground, and
with a loud tremor, the Black Knights descended onto the road.
After unloading all the Black Knights in one go, the Levitate Ship didn’t stop. It retrieved
its steel cables and continued going forward right above the height of the trees, then
accelerated and flew away. Levitate Ships might be powerful weapon, but only when
they were airborne. The instant when they lower their altitude and speed to unload the
Silhouette Knights was its most vulnerable moment. That was why they executed the
tasks of decelerating, descending, and unloading the Black Knights in one smooth
movement. The ship crew that performed these circus like movements were worthy of
praise.

The giant figures of the Tyrants formed a rank on the road. Four platoons, a dozen
Silhouette Knights blocked the path of the Silver Phoenix Knights’ 2nd Company.

"I thought the Levitate Ships would attack, but it is just these Black Knights. The enemy
is really busy too huh. But if the opponent are things like Silhouette Knights, I am very
familiar with them. Don’t look down on us, the 2nd Company."

Dietrich complained as he let Guyaralinde stand up on the wagon. He swivelled the neck
of the machine to survey the situation and sighed.

The 2nd Company stood off against the Tyrants who formed a horizontal wall as usual.
The Tyrants didn’t act rashly because of their advantage in numbers, and closed the
distance slowly. Not only were the machines powerful, they were intimidating when they
advanced in a tight formation too.
"We will try our best to avoid fighting… But we need to dispose the troubles that seek us
out.”

Guyaralinde drew its swords. Its Ether Reactor roared, and the mana was injected into its
body that was ready to pounce. The Karrdators marked with crimson crosses beside
Guyaralinde also raised their weapons.

"My grudge isn’t as deep as Edgar, but I have my own ideas too. You annoying people,
using the technology you stole from us and showing it off everywhere..."

Dietrich stepped on a pedal, and Guyaralinde bend its body to store up energy. Its Crystal
Tissue was as tight as bow strings, eager to unleash its energy explosively.

"… The price isn’t cheap."

Guyaralinde sprinted, the dust it kicked up giving the illusion of being a sort of explosive
shot. The Karrdators of the 2nd Company followed right behind him. They were also
known as the ‘gangbangers’ — A group specializing in offensive prowess. Uninterested
in grinding out with others, their true value lies in their attacking capabilities.

"Hmmp, you dare challenge a Tyrant head on? I will show you our power!”

The pilot inside the cockpit of the Black Knight chuckled to himself. For the Tyrants with
exceptional defence and power, a close frontal fight was exactly what they want. It was a
fact that they had defeated Resvants with twice their numbers with ease before. In their
mind, the result would be no different for this ‘Death God unit’.
In the face of the attack by the Karrdator charging straight at it, the Tyrant engaged head
on. The armour on its arms were as durable as the shields of normal machines. He
planned to parry the strike and then counter attack.

The powerful collision of steel resounded loud and heavily, followed by sharp screeches
of friction and sparks. The pilot of the Tyrant never expected this— the Karrdator might
look like a normal machine from the outside, but within it was the Strand Crystal Tissues
of the latest model. Compared to it, the power output of the Resvants was child’s play. A
sword strike destroyed the wrist guard of the Tyrant, and even hurt the Crystal Tissue
beneath it.
"I-Impossible! The Tyrant’s armour is…!? These guys are completely different from the
Resvants!”

“Oh, I can’t cut right through? The armour is tougher than it looks!”

The Tyrant stumbled back with shards of Crystal Tissues falling from it. For the
Karrdator, the heavy armour of the Tyrant was unimaginably strong. If the Tyrant was on
par with a Duel Level demon beast, the sword attack would have fell it easily.

“But no matter how hard the armour is, it’s nothing compared to the Behemoth!”

Dietrich ran through the middle of the battlefield where the two forces were facing off
against each other, and started attacking the two Tyrants right in front of him. As the
Žaloudek side had superior numbers, he had to take on two heavily armoured Black
Knights at the same time. The position of Captain sure is a thankless task— Dietrich
mocked himself internally.

That might be so, he still had a plan in mind. He activated Guyaralinde’s secret weapon
as he ran— The Magius Jet Thrusters embedded in his shoulder and waist armour.
Guyaralinde’s equipment and Jet Thrusters had much more restrictions compared to
Ikaruga, having lower power output and could only go forward. Even so, depending on
the situation, it could be a powerful technique.

A heavy and vague explosive burst pushed Guyaralinde a bit more forward from his
original position, and that was more than enough. Even though the Tyrant reacted to
match the Crimson Knight’s speed, it missed the timing to block because of that sudden
acceleration. It was possible to slow down before an attack, which was a type of feint
they were wary of. However, speeding up was completely unexpected. How could a
machine that moves on two legs accelerate at will?

Guyaralinde slashed its dual sword at amazing speed. Without giving the enemy a chance
to react, Guyaralinde swiped the heads of the two Tyrants. After the sneak attack, the
Tyrants lost their vision and had to fall back on the defensive. Although the vambrace on
the two machines parried away the sword blow, it was within Dietrich’s expectations.
Guyaralinde deployed its back weapon Kamtha firing air blades at the Tyrant’s wrist. At
point blank range, even the Tyrant’s heavy armour couldn’t withstand the damage. It’s
vambrace twisted out of shape, and shards of Crystal Tissues were blown off.
It wasn’t clear to him what wizardry the opponent was performing, but he couldn’t just
take a beating one sidedly. The pilot of the Tyrant suppressed his wrath as he forcefully
counterattacked despite being unbalanced. It might lack the usual power, but no machine
could escape unscathed from a direct hit of a Tyrant’s warhammer— But Dietrich was
one step ahead of him. Guyaralinde used the explosive air from earlier to accelerate and
retreat out of range. The pilot roared furiously, but couldn’t stop the momentum of the
warhammer and smashed it into the ground, cracking the road and raising a dust cloud.

Even with the power of the Tyrant, the machine still showed a gap after its attack. This
was more than enough for the crimson knight. The next second, a flash of lightning
appeared soundlessly— No, that was the dual swords being swung down with a speed
that others would mistake for lightning.

Suppressing his surprise, the pilot of the Tyrant backed away hurriedly, and at the same
time, he saw something in the air fell onto the ground. It was a giant arm grabbing a
warhammer— The arm of his Tyrant that had been severed at the elbow. He stepped back
with a scream, and drew his backup short mace with his left arm in a panic. The pilot’s
hand that was holding the control stick was sweating, and his heart was beating like
drums. It was impossible to cut off the thick armoured arm of the Tyrant cleanly without
extraordinary techniques. He had always thought that the armour of the Tyrant was
invincible, but suddenly, they looked as frail as a strawman.

“Stand down! You all are no match for him. It is time for ‘Swordsman’ to shine!”
Before Guyaralinde could continue his onslaught, a young and cheerful voice of a man
and a Black Knight came between the two of them. A strange machine that was unlike its
allies was actually hiding behind the dark wall of the Tyrants.

The enemy machine was similar to a standard Silhouette Knight, and looked like a old
model at a glance. But what surprised Dietrich was its overly strange feature—

"W-What the hell? … Swords? Why do you have so many swords?”

That’s right, swords. Even though swords were standard equipment for many Silhouette
Knights, but the machine before him was too ridiculous. On its head, torso, shoulders,
arms, waists and even legs— its entire body was covered by swords of various length.
The only adequate description being a bunch of swords, the weird Silhouette Knight
made Dietrich dumbfounded, but that was to be expected.

“Ah? Isn’t it obvious? Swords are strong, so carrying more swords will make me even
stronger of course.”

“Yes I see. So he is a retard…”

“You have swords too, but that’s not good enough! You are not at the level of
‘Swordsman’ yet!!”

Right after saying that, the Silhouette Knights with plenty of swords— Swordsman
pounced at Guyaralinde. Dietrich focused his attention and engaged with his dual swords.

“What chilling comedic skills! I have to handle this seriously now!”

The dual sword crimson knights clashed with the black knight with many swords. A
myriad of breathtaking, high speed blows were exchanged. In order to gain a more
advantageous position and deal out more powerful attacks, their feet didn’t even stop for
a moment. The two machine fought in very similar ways, with a tendency for strong
strikes. Compared to a single focused hit, they both preferred consecutive attacks like a
typhoon. So ferocious were their exchange that the 2nd Company hesitated on lending a
hand.

"Bunch of swords, you are too arrogant!"

A Karrdator tried to force its way into the space filled with the howls of swords. But
before that, the Swordsman sheathed its long sword and drew out a dagger as if
performing a magic trick, and flung it at the Karrdator without even looking. Despite that,
the dagger still flew towards the Karrdator with terrifying accuracy.

"Hey, stop getting in the way. You don’t even have a sword, how can you be my
opponent?"

Using the chance when its opponent was unarmed, Guyaralinde shot with its Kamtha.
The Swordsman evaded the sword shaped shot, and slid into the flank of Guyaralinde,
drawing and slashing its sword at Guyaralinde like a hurricane. Guyaralinde was already
ready for this strike, and blocked it, throwing up sparks from the clash of arms. The next
instant, Guyaralinde countered with its other arm, and the Swordsman parried with its
sword blade, drawing a circular arc in an attempt to disarm Guyaralinde. Dietrich pulled
his machine backwards in a hurry, and barely managed to avoid losing his sword. The
Swordsman with a long and short sword in either hands pressed forth towards his
retreating adversary, and started his sword dance from close range.

"Ho, that was disrespectful of me. To think you can match my swords so far, you are
pretty good, red one!"

"What a persistent fellow! I can’t be happy when you are that ecstatic!"

While the black and crimson knights were rampaging in the middle of the battlefield with
intense exchanges, the Swordsman threw out daggers at the Karrdators around him. This
put the Karrdators on edge, and the morale of 2nd Company was obviously waning.

"Follow Sir Gustavo! How can we Black Knights back down from something like this!?”
At the same time, the Black Knights that had been pushed back reignited their fighting
spirit because of the Swordsman’s might. Even though the Karrdators were powerful, the
enemy’s heavy armour remained a serious threat.

“Ugh, the bunch of sword guy… Looks retarded, but he is strong! He can spare the effort
to attack others while fighting me… No, that just means I am being suppressed!!”

Dietrich thought bitterly as he swung his swords. Not only was he the Captain, his
partnership with Guyaralinde was also the strongest unit in the 2nd Company. Being
suppressed proved how powerful the enemy was.

"But… This is bad, now of all times! Did I dragged on too long?”

What made things worse was that Dietrich could feel the movements of his machine
dulling. The reason was obvious, the fight had dragged on for too long, and the mana
pool of the machine was depleting.

“Hahaha, dual sword fellow! Your movements are getting dull!! What’s the matter!? You
can’t match me with such slow swordsmanship!”

The Swordsman suddenly increased his pressure. As Dietrich did all he could to fend his
opponent off, he felt a strong sense of dissonance. The Swordsman he was fighting didn’t
slow down at all. Since Guyaralinde’s mana pool was getting depleted, the Swordsman
and Tyrant should be slowing down too, but he couldn’t see any gaps in his enemy’s
movement. Judging from the muscle mass of the Tyrants, they should have depleted a
large amount of mana. If he was to gauge their mana reserves from their body, they
shouldn’t be able to even stand.

"Ah—? You are out of power huh. Well, I had fun, so it is time to end this!”

The sound of friction when the muscles of the Swordsman tightened was audible to
everyone in the vicinity, and was abnormally powerful. In contrast, Guyaralinde and the
Karrdators were slowing down from the lack of mana. The tables were turned in a blink
of an eye, and the 2nd Company fell into a desperate situation.

"… I admit that the we are at a disadvantage… But, aren’t you forgetting something?"

Gustavo frowned when he saw Dietrich being unfazed despite being the underdog. He is
just putting on a strong front— He refute such thoughts immediately. The pervert
obsessed with swords could understand the thinking of the adversaries he crossed swords
with. In his mind, there wasn’t any falsehood in the Crimson Knight’s fiery swords.

"… Tch, so that’s how it is!"

The next second, Gustavo finally got it. But it was too late, the battle had already
changed. The incredibly loud metal hooves echoed in the forest. After shaking off the
Levitate Ships’ attack, the Tzendrinbles from the 3rd Company were back.
"Those horses aren’t just used to draw wagons! We are outnumbered now! This isn’t
good…”

One company (10 machines) plus the 5 Tzendrinbles transporting them were numerically
superior to Gustavo’s team of twelve. Considering the unknown prowess of the Centaur
Knight, the difference might be even greater than the number suggests.

The sound of the hooves spurred Guyaralinde, and it committed its remaining mana,
taking a stance to make its certain kill move. The Ether Reactor churned with the sharp
sound of air intake at its highest power output. The tables had turned, and it was their turn
to show their ace.

The Tzendrinbles that ran through the forest charged Gustavo’s team that had obviously
been shaken. The fast and powerful thrust of the Tzendrinble’s lance was lethal to the
Black Knights damaged during their bout with the 2nd Company. After the Centaur
charged by, five Black Knights were utterly damaged, and fell on their knees.

“Wha… These horses are strong! Damn, they are good!!”

When Gustavo was about to counter with an angry roar, something unexpected by
everyone present happened. A Black Knight was incapacitated from an attack that
exploded without warning, and all of them were caught in the explosion before they
could react. However, there wasn’t any impact from the explosion, and the surroundings
were engulfed in a blinding smoke.

"Smoke… A smoke screen? Such despicable methods! Everyone retreat, we will hit our
allies if we fire carelessly. Get away from the smoke first!”

Dietrich’s vision was obscured and he was wary of sneak attacks from the enemy,
keeping his guard up as he backed away. Since they couldn’t grasp the position of their
allies, they couldn’t fire carelessly. It was the same for the 3rd Company, it was too
dangerous for the Tzendrinbles to charge into a place they couldn’t see.

"What the… hell is going on?"

Even Gustavo was backing away in confusion. He never heard of the Black Knights
having such a function. The smoke allowed him to evade the attacks of the Centaur
Knight, but he couldn’t grasp the situation.

As both sides retreated at the same time, a large gap appeared between them. As if it was
aiming for this moment, a gust of strong wind came from behind Gustavo, and the dust
lingering over the battlefield dissipated quickly.

"That is… the Levitate Ship! It’s flying back!?"

The attacks the 2nd Company were wary of didn’t came. In place of that, the ace of the
Steel Wing Knights— a Levitate Ship appeared. The Levitate Ship flew in at a low
altitude that almost touched the tree tops, opened the bottom hatches and lowered its
chains. Its intention was obvious, so the surviving Black Knights and Swordsman
grabbed onto the chain and it slowly took off. As they rose, the Swordsman gave a
parting speech:

“Tch! Let’s continue our match another time. Hey, red one, you are pretty good with your
swords. Let’s fight again if we have the chance, don’t die on me before that—!"

The moment the Levitate Ship pulled the Silhouette Knights on board, the Blow Engine
started churning loudly, increasing speed and altitude. And of course, Dietrich wouldn’t
let the enemy go so easily. The 2nd Company immediately fired off shots intensely, but
only a glancing shots hit the target. It didn’t hinder the Levitate Ship one bit, as the
equipment they had on hand couldn’t stop their foe.

"… They escaped huh? It’s regrettable, but we took a lot of damage too. And we will
need an effective weapon to take out that ship.Looks like I need to ask Ernesti to help us
prepare some things.”

Dietrich muttered vexingly as he watch the Ship picked up speed and left.

“... I see. So you are the one who did this. When did you do that?”

After boarding the Levitate Ship to escape and going to the bridge, Gustavo asked the
person on the Captain’s seat unhappily.
“Before we set off of course. This is just a trivial gift from me, but it proved useful,
right?”

Kerhild replied with a devious smile as she sat easily in her Captain’s seat. Gustavo was
furious about being interrupted when he was just getting into the fight, but it was true that
he only got out of his predicament because of her butting in midway.

“... I owe you one, but there won’t be a next time.”

After thinking for a moment, he left these parting words and went to the hangar to
check on his men. Kerhild’s smile deepened as she watched him go.

Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 31.1

Chapter 31 Part 1
Part 1. Un-edited

Recently, eastern old Kshyperuk land.

A strange rumor was flowing around while Jaroudeku army occupied this land.

Its content can be describe as "The dead reaper with devil face which stood on
the strange looking horse-drawn carriage had run rampage and hunt down their
silhouette knight".

At first, most of soldiers laughed off before this rumor.

After the fallen of Kshyperuk kingdom which lost its major threat, no more reason
for them to be afraid.

They are brave, absolutely confidence in themselves.

That why they spent time without suspect anything---and then, they met "It".

[Strengthening the defense line over there!! You will get pick off if stay separate
like that!]

[I... , Impossible, there are no way to defense it... against that reaper...]

The following words was interrupted by a neigh sound which penetrate through
air.

The very nightmare presence appearing before the Tyrantors that try to hasty
regroup its formation.
The irregular sound of horseshoe that split the land keep closing.

Its identity is a giant armored horse-drawn carriage which being pulling around by
twin Tzendrinble.

Designed as third special purpose cavalry carriage "Chariot".

Further more, the devil mask reaper in question (Ikaruga) can be fully seen on it.

When they found out that the rumored reaper turn out to be nothing more than
this very formidable presence.

The black knights (Tyrantor) confronted it while become significant upset and
more bold.

Because they can't outrun it with just only their leg.

[These wait be collect silhouette knight of you guys....I will take it!]

It did not state any question nor answer but only left a decisive declaration.

From certain distance of it, Four sword cannon are visibly being setup on both
side of Ikaruga's back.

Red magic bullet are gushing out and turn into mercilessly explosive flame fly
directly at one of black knights direction.

Follow up with Tzendrinble's jump in and begin its charge assault at the disarray
formation that collapsed.
Received such a momentum and weight assault, the bulk black knight was sent
flying regardless its armor or shield.

The last remaining black knight that stubbornly survived its charge was hit with
*Kiryuken (beast slaying blade) which extending from the war horse-drawn
carriage while run passing it.
and broke like character "く".
*A scythed blade that attached to Greek war chariot

This thick lump of metal sword is able to take out many shell beasts at once at
the time.

The armored black knight too, fall as its prey without any exception.

When the ruinous dash of the deadly horse-drawn carriage (chariot) complete its
run, only wreckage of black knights remain behind.

The war horse drawn carriage loosen its momentum by perform a large arc turn
is running back.

[Yes! yes!, we were able to stock a lot of "Merchandise" today-ne. lets head back
immediately and use it for the negotiation!]

[Eru-kun, look like you have a lot fun-ne....]

[Thank to this guy, I able to leap all i want in the world... together with the
silhouette knight, Ikaruga.]

After that, the third corps which appeared after them came to recover the wreck
of black knights.
Later after that, nothing remain behind.

The scene that patrol troops was completely spirit away had been born.

Thus, The followed incident that cut off the intelligence relay for black knight
corps during its patrol in eastern region keep happen one after another.

The rumors of death horse-drawn carriage being further spread, let alone it
disappearance already planting fear in soldiers on the front line. this become
more severed.

While this rumor continue to haunting Jaroudeku army, they still need some time
to realize the truth behind these rumors, about the presence of formidable
enemy.

A horse-drawn carriage with fully load coming while making a sound of

horseshoe echoing along the way.

A bit un-natural heavy load for the average horse-drawn carriage size, causing
an attraction.

More over, because the very wagon was attached with centaur knight
(Tzendrinble).

Accompanied with Kardetolle corp, A silhouette knight that acted as its escort.

[Somehow, the rumor is really true....?]

"Baron Modest Retonmaki" , the noble man of old Kshyperuk kingdom is looking
with wide-eyed at "Merchandise" that lie up before him.

As it was a matter of course, because the wreckage of silhouette knight that

visibly seen on the wagon---belong to Tyrantor, a mass product machine of
Jaroudeku.

The surprise did not limited to Baron Retonmaki only,

All forces that the nobles held are all older mass product generation, Leswant, it
can't match the mighty of Jaroudeku army's Tyrantor at all.

The battle so far already prove this unpleasant result.

[How is it?, my "Firm's Merchandise? don't look away with just only this, there still
more, you know? ]

Emurys proudly stretched his breast while showing the result of "Purchase
Contract" of "Silver phoenix firm".
(honestly, this masho man....)

The truth behind such a ridiculous rumor, Masked reaper that has made
victimization of Jaroudeku's army, lie in front the eye of baron.

However, although he was startled and excited at first, he went with a clouded
look later.

[.....Ah, certainly you guys power were enough for request without a doubt, It was
a splendid "Merchandise", Our hand both unexpected tied up and outdone by the
enemy such as Jaroudeku's army. This result deserve a praise, But you know...
this is just only that all. Even we manage to obtain a victory locally, a good start,
it will only end up with more enemy will come at next time.]
Baron Retonmaki speak in depression while drop his shoulder.

[We can't win this, no matter how much strong you guys are, in the end, you
guys will be only got corner..... that why even you guys, I wonder about you guys
can come out without scratch or not?]

Emurys only take a sip a cup of tea wildly in tut-tut manner despite the initiated
good mood.

The rumors spreading around due to silver phoenix knight continued to crushing
black knight at various place however, they also began to feeling the gradually
stalemate.

Even they have a high force calibers as silver phoenix knight, in the end, the
entire force when summarize all three corps still only about 30 machines , a little,
they were overwhelming inferior in numbers.

The number that currently act to "protect the land" but definitely not suitable for
act as attack force.

[....because of enemy's might, you already give up?]

[There are various speculation for the weak nobles such as us. to have a people
who even not able protect their own, why are you so against it? furthermore, the
precious royal lineage already been lost and no longer remain, it already too late.
this country will never return to its former state.]

Thus silver phoenix knights objective is working hard to contact the survived
nobles of old Kshyperuk but they got unsavory return reply instead. there were
many reason, as example, they lack the noble who able to raise a "flag" to carry
out a resistance.

[Did Aunt's group already....really?]

[I don't know. It just as you can heard from their words, They already fallen into
enemy hand. and we can't be too optimistic hope. even they still alive, they
already beyond help...]

Emurys intercepted by last word of Baron.

The earlier remark, thing like that can't be accepted easily for him.

Baron Retonmaki also apologized immediately for his gaffe slip tongue.

Martina, Emurys's Aunt, is Fernando's wife, The grand duke who is highest noble
in the eastern region.

It obviously that he to accept it by just words.

After all, although Baron Retonmaki about to acknowledge the assistance of

silver phoenix firm, to speak any more of this would be prevaricating.

unlike other noble similar to him, that only promised secretly to lend a hand but
they are all refuse to continue the fight.

[...useless bump, no matter how much we took out small fry, nobody want take
part in it.]

Emurys raised the beat up like savage beast.

For the noble to took such indecisiveness attitude situation can be understand,
further more, the bad mood raise every day when concern the whereabouts of
royal member in addition.

[Fortunately, We only came to hit in order to catch a glimpse of enemy power so

far, I guess it's time to change our plan soon, need to think for a while, for a
"special method" in fight in order to obtain the cooperation from the nobles in
addition...]

Eru still held up his arm but there was a feeling that the direction of trouble
slightly shifted in his case.

[Are there really nothing we can do in this land?....]

Even full of high enthusiasm Emurys begin to doubt.

The act of silver phoenix knights begin to show going clog up, the news that
change the entire situation begun to unfold.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 31.2

Chapter 31 Part 2
After think it for a while, I decide to change Dorotheeo name to Dorote.

Part 2.

The Ancient Kshyperuk principality can be divided roughly into five regions.

Beside the imperial city at the central area, there were "Four-way territory"
separated at East-West-North-South direction.

The king's brother, Archduke "Fernando Nevalez Kshyperuk" was lived in the
grand duchy capital there and governed the east land.

The term "was lived there" already a past tense when the Grand duke himself had
died during the invasion of Jaroudeku kingdom in the past , the land had been
took over by Fernando's younger brother, "Akatsutei" who succeed the grand
duke along with the right in throne and bestowed with this land.
*His name can be read as "Aukusti" in western name too.

Since his last name still attained "Kshyperuk" , the royal family name, his territory
is "Fernando grand duchy" or just call it "East Territory" as short version.

Even you see it like this, the archduke position is only give to someone who
connected to royal lineage.

Inevitable, now, everything are eliminated and perished in the invasion.

The east capital dukedom, "Fontanie" is now conquered by Jaroudeku kingdom,

in order to govern the east territory, "East Strategic Point" was made with a
portion of Black Jaw Knight's order which stationed in the city.

Once in the past, the royal castle that served the Archduke, the "Raspedo" Castle
is now take over by Jaroudeku's army and used as their base.

Raspedo castle has high tower placed in four directions.

The tower of the old days that had been used to lookout the surrounding,
now lose its function as time move toward to the peaceful era. you could say that
it is a decoration to the castle.

However, recently,

It was being re-used in practical way with a completely different purpose.

In it, there is a room is, A girl who wandering her line of sight in a listless
appearance.

The name of the girl, Eleonora who inherit blood line of the king. a
rightful legitimate princess.

which mean this room is being use to "imprison her", although the appearance
precisely looked modestly, it could not be call a room for accommodate the royal
family.

The girls spent her time gaze at iron bars fitted window and an
unusually sturdy door randomly, does not know when her time gonna come, she
sighed.
For not able to see a change for better outcome, this is truly a dull room.

After fallen in the hand of Jaroudeku's army, she was imprisoned here, in
Raspedo castle.

This room located on the top floor of steeple in Raspedo castle.

With the height of several ten meters from the ground, the way to get on there or
leave there is to use a single long spiral staircase only.

A tight security has been laid around the area to prevent the girl from escape this
place.

Even this place is easy to escape, whether the girl has the resolve to does it is
still another question.

She keep repeated passed the entire day with sigh and silence.

The king who was her father no longer alive.

With strong desire to escape her painfully feeling reality, plus the fact that being
isolated from her aunt, Martina and her cousin, Isadora, which also has been
imprisoned.

Caught in helpless situation,

She even turn away her eyes from the reality & her future even more.

The girl doesn't know where she can find hope and become sluggishness.

One day, something happen.

An event of visitor who came suddenly which break the silence in the room,

Only a sound of heavy knock from door was made out of a room.

For the change that happen too suddenly, she was start to trembling in fear.

A maid who was in front the door has move toward next room while conceal her
breath.

After she exchange looking several times at the door, mechanical sound which
happen from using key resounded.

It can be seen clearly from far away,

A strong omen indicate that someone gonna enter the room.

The owner of omen walking toward Eleonora who does not directly strive her line
of sight at it.

[Does the mood around here suit your taste? "Formerly" Kshyperuk princess.]

The girl shaking lightly, raise her line of sight in frightened appearance
at Cristobal, the supreme general of Jaroudeku's army ,the second Jaroudeku's
prince who stood over there.

[fuh, are you not a bit too "calm"?]

Initially, when got imprisoned in this land,

Eleronora became restless but after cry out and lament for a while, when her
emotion become sluggish, she got calmer.

[Today, I bring you the good news to you. be rejoice, the method how to "use"
you has been decided. in order to stabilize Kshyperuk region, time has come,
your bloodline will be put to use.]

Not hesitate to ignore her reaction,

Cristobal tell her in pomposity manner and distort the end of his mouth.

[You shall be become the wife of this great me]

[S...such a thing...how unpleasant...-desu]

At last,

Eleonora manage to gather her will and squeezed out her return word, a slender
voice, face down and make an intention to reject him clearly.

However, that does not disturb Cristobal's smile.

[Do you think you have a choice? I don't think so. be obediently and agree to it.]

Cristobal leaned closer, reach his hand and draw out Eleonora's arm that flee
from him reflexively and whispered to her.

[If you gonna reject that much, then you have no any value. the people that got
caught together with you, I will hasten their execution date.]

Cristobal sadism's smile reflected on the wide opened stark eyes of Elenora.
[The daughter of grand duke is it?, the continue of bloodline of who once was
king's relative. her fate depend on your decision. will this enough to motivate
you? after all, "she was caught together with her mother".]

[A....ah.... it can't be...]

Leave the collapsed Eleonora who lost all her power,

Cristobal turn back after he finish his business.

[To show you mercy, I will give you sometime to think. you better made you mind
as soon as possible and do tell me. if it take too long, I may be change my mind,
you know?]

He said it bluntly and exit the room, leave the stunned Eleonora behind.

Then after a while,

[....I'm sorry... I'm sorry...everyone...I'm sorry, father...!!]

There are nothing that the girl can do but lie down on the bed, crying out and
cover her face with her hand.

A sound was made again before the room that imprisoned princess,

It's Cristobal who went down the spiral staircase.

Unintentionally, he leaking a sigh.

It was a disappoint face for someone who gonna marry the renowned maiden of
west land.

[...seriously, women know only weeping and cry. anyway, I liked it.]

[Your highness, If you bring out such a reason like that, there no way she gonna
reject it.]

Cristobal twist his face in more displeasure at the unstoppable remark of Dorote
who was outside the room.

[Hm, of course, it sure thing. they even dispatch my younger sister in order to
reign over Kshyperuk. To not service this me is in-acceptable. however, you don't
need make a fuss about care over that hindrance, you got that?]

Dorote had been harboring a worry feeling but it seem that the lord himself did
not take it seriously, he leak a relief sigh secretly as long as he was not blame.

[By the way, this east territory seem to be busy a lot lately, Am I right? Deroteo.]

Another bitter thought is now rise up in Dorote, by Cristobal who changed the
topic there.

Because it is a topic that he want to avoid the most and no desire for his lord to
hear it.

However, he answered innocently.

[Yes, it is apparently that there was an unexpected experience fellows. we think

about deal with it soon or later.]
[Hou, I thought that people in this country always lack a ball, so there still
someone with the bone left? Oi, ...finally...a worthy prey....]

[You can't , sir!]

A restraint word just shot at Cristobal who's mood was slightly improve while
hasten his walk down step.

[Your highness gonna need to lead a punitive expedition soon right? you can't do
this no matter what, because you are our Jaroudeku's army supreme general.
please leave such a trivial matter to us, you need to fulfill your role.]

Cristobal feel incredibly annoy and unexpected bored right away but he manage
to stand it.

[then hurry up and get rid off such trivial thing!!]

while following Cristobal who haste his pace, Dorote revert his disturbed thought
face to his original compose one as the usual behavior.

After split up with Cristobal, Dorote immediately summon his men.

This subordinates are all members of 2nd prince Cristobal's forces, soldiers who
serve under Dorote's command for long time.

[...so that why, I always say we better clean up this mess early, because it gonna
unavoidable caught his highness interest.]

With long relationship history with Dorote and Cristobal, they are all know well
about his personality.

Easy to figure it out with just looking at him.

They are all unanimously wear a wry smile.

[I need to attain to his highness assistance role now, I leave this matter to you,
"Gustav".]

A young man with tall and thin body stepped out among the men after received
Dorote's word.

His strange dress was equipped with various large and small "sword" attached on
numerous belt around his hip, he answered with his fist, a self confidence
appearance.

[Ou! you can wait, Oldman! , leave it to us, because we are gonna make sure to
stop it.]

That right, this man was adopted son of Dorote, "Gustav Marudones", assure him
by hitting his chest.

The adopted father look at this really reassuring rough appearance with blank
expression while leak a sneak laugh at the men groups.

This exchange interaction between parent and child is a usual event for them.

During such a dangerous calm, they were interrupted by the voice of third party.

[About that task, would you mind to let me take part in it too? is it fine?]
A firm voice of suddenly appear figure has bind everyone there.

Dorote narrowed his questioned eyes at the person who coming from darkness
despite create the tension around the area.

[....You are... Sir Hietakannas.... "Leader of copper fang knight" right?, what in it
for us?]

The person may be look outright suspicion attitude, however, she is Copper fang
knight order's grand master, "Gerhild Hietakannas", look around everyone
with natural gloss smile.
ゲルヒルト>Geruhiruto> Gerhild * the heck how can they read "d"? I almost use
Gerhilt.

[You guys don't need to be that vigilance, anyone who stand against our
Jaroudeku'army are all our enemy equally. or you don't like if I lend a hand?]

[Although burrow outsider hand, I can only feel that trouble gonna increase. you
can take part but only help us out. is that clear?]

[Judge from the fame Steel fang knight ability, It should be enough already right?
we'll only search for that nasty death reaper for you.]

Dorote try gather his thought carefully in order to deal with the enemy and the
purpose of Gerhilt.

The most troublesome problem would be pinpoint enemy position, So he take up

the offer.

[Kukukuh, well then, I will go to dispatch my subordinate, you can expected a

good news!]
Gerhilt walk away while leaving odious laughter like enigmatic snake behind.
Gustav raise his voice against his adopted father with suspicious air while send
her off with a glance.

[Old man, Is this fine with you?]

[...although this unexpected woman fox seem to be careless but her work can be
trusted. what wrong with it? We only need to focus our task. Gustav, soon as
you received report, go sortie at once.]

Gustav and the subordinates make a salute to Dorote. after a while, An airship
that carried them depart from Raspedo Castle.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 31.3-31.4

Chapter 31 Part 3 & 4

Part 3.

The news had reached Silver Phoenix knights, It was happens during
the preparation to sortie out as usual.

[...Is that an reliable information?]

[Yes, It probably some means to held down remnants of Kshyperuk, they too
begining to give a positive reply. further more, we already prepare a back up too.
just in case.]

Blue Falcon Knight, "Nora Frykberg" answered Eru's question

with expressionless face as usual.

At the same time, The Blue Falcon knights came up with a their investigation
result after entered the territory of ancient Kshyperuk.

[Understood, the situation has been change...this should be able to convey

the young master.]

Eru immediately gathered all of knight members and tell them this important
announcement that gonna effect their future.

[By the way, first thing before I want to inform everyone. Young master, there are
good news and bad news. do you want to hear it both?]

[Hou, then let hear the good one first?]

Eru answer at came back negligent word while fully cheerful smiling.

[Then, let start off with the good news first, we found the place that appear to
held out Martina-san and other royal family who survived.]

[....!! Is it true? Silver leader (Ernesti) !? For real?...really. so they were still
alive...!!]
*Emurys already give Eru a nick name...

Emurys look back vigorously and swung up both of his arms as he barking
toward to the sky. It not just only him, the wave of joy being widespread between
members.

[If you knowing that much then, send out Silver Phoenix knights to rescue them
right now!!]

[Please wait. I'm sorry to break you now despite high spirit, but you still need to
hear the bad one before that. they are certainly alive....but apparently, the girls
were in a little awkward situation.]

Emurys who has the downside about being hasty was restrain by Eru who
explain the another information.

He start off with the royal family girl are imprisoned in Raspedo castle, then they
gonna married off to Jarodeku's prince.

When he heard it, Emurys's reaction does not betray anyone expectation.

[Oh! I see, you gonna tell me that while they cause a mess by attack the national
land, on the other hand, they now carelessly lay a hand on my cousin princess
(Helena) too? then, let go and brutally murdered that idiot prince!]
Emurys's expression at that time filled with too rough voice and stand out almost
like "Shura".
*a carnage fighting being.

His aunt, Martina is not only one that he worry about, there still include the duke
princess Isadora, her daughter too. also his acquaintance, Eleonora (Helena).

By destroyed Kshyperuk kingdom, disturb a hedge between kingdom friendship.

this already drive him in shaking rage state.

[This prince is truly idiot! To force a marry on woman, Unforgivable!]

[Yeah! That's right! such an insolent person, let go hang him!]

A angry reply emerge from silver phoenix knights'women group which particularly
came from Ady and Helvi.

Because of that, more 3 member's arm swing up in great spirit.

The surrounding girl also ride a wave and take part in it.

A laid back voice of Eru from somewhere reaching their back who jump out now
and now.

[Oh dear, oh dear, please do not be such a hurry. it's better to not move the
knights right now.]

[What!!....then how can I'm going to rescue everyone!? don't tell you plan to only
waiting and continue to watch it like this!]

Then, Eru respond in order to calm down Emurys's approaching look which really
harbor many great worry right now.

[Her royal highness being held captive in Fontanie. that place location right now,
is under the control of east strategic point Jaroudeku's force. in short, it is one of
enemy's stronghold.]

[....Cheh, you're right, It's not easy for Silver Phoenix knights to march up there,
right?]

Finally, blood up in his head went down after recognize the problem, calm has
return to Emurys.

If that was a enemy main base, then the allocation of forces that stationed in
such highly value area must be not a joke.

In the past, Silver Phoenix knights gained victory, mainly rely on mobility of
Tzendrinble and powerful silhouette knight like Ikaruga and Gordesleo.

But if the battlefield reduce to only one single horseman size then It would be
overwhelming unfavorable fight for Silver Phoenix knight which accustomed to
attack side.

[To give a example in word, It very noticeable if we move the entire knights. in
the worst case, there also a risk that they will thrown out the princess group into
the fray. after all, they did not only held out 1 person there. It will become a very
difficult situation if we handle the hostage poorly. in other word, we need to
rescue all of royal family who got imprisoned there before the enemy notice it.]

Emurys's eyebrows begin to wrinkle again.

He glad to know the location that imprisoned the royal family but there is no
change the fact that they still in the hands of the enemy.

Helvi and Ady too, were put up an arm with chagrined look on their face.

[If that the case, while our knights fighting in this area, let's go steal only the royal
members.]

[Correct, I also thought the same thing. by take advantage of the current state.
given that we still don't have any casualties against Jarodeku's army. but there
are a chance that they will increase more force in future in order to defeat our
knights. that will be their attention. the main force of knight order is usually a
silhouette knight, but we have another force as well... I will use silhouette gear.]
Unaware of Eru's expression, It was the same as child who came up with
mischief idea. or it just look like a child who boast his favorite toy?

[While Enemy's eye focus on our main force knights, we sortie an infiltrate troop
with the latest combat type silhouette gear, let go return freedom to the
imprisoned princesses shall we?...Batson! now is the time for "Shadow
Rat"(Covert type silhouette gear) come into play!]

[Oh, Ou!? you mean that thing right? if it that thing then it gonna be fine for sure!]

The panic Batson who under attack with with suddenly topic, confirmed it while
look behind.

There was a different silhouette gear than the standard Motor Lift version, "Motor
Ru-beet" park on that place.
Next to it, Blue Falcon knight members nodded powerfully at Nora.

Finally, Emurys who keep listen to the talking Eru patiently spewing a word.

[Tsk, fuh fuh, fuh ha ha, ha hah ha hah ! Silver leader... you really are, kuh haha,
Yosh! I like it! this plan! ku ku ku, In short, all of their effort gonna be
wasted, right!?]

While Emurys who showed his wit, he began to move around everyone.

Ady move gently next to Batson, asked him.

[Hey, pigeon-kun, about thing that Eru-kun mentioned, It possible that I able to
use it too-right?]

[Since we talk about Eru-kun's work then it possible. may be, it really unlike you
to ask.]
While Ady and Batson whispered and nodded at each other, the plan discussion
progress swiftly to the summary.

As a leader, Eru distribute the strategy outline that he plotted to the members.

[The rescue team will be lead by me. also Ady and Chid, please participate in this
mission too.]

[Yuck!? We too?]

Suddenly got called out, not only Ady but Chid too was full of surprise.

[If it were you two people, then you guys definitely able to pilot the Motor Ru-beet
for sure, it was the same as piloting Tzendrinble. I need a minimum manpower to
help transport and infiltrate.]

[I see...roger that, Eru-kun! let do our best and save the princess!]

[well, I guess it something like that.]

Ady swing up her fist forcefully than usual while Chid shrugged his shoulder and
look down.

At that time, Emurys who listen at conversation quietly finally grab Eru head
swiftly.

[Hey, Ernesti, I too will join the rescue team. I already giving a lot of thought and
came to the conclusion. anyway, let do it.]
translator note : Seriously, you can think? I don't believed it. :D

Shaking his head vigorously to escape Emurys's grab, Eru can only sigh.
Emurys is hardly suitable for this conceal mission but anymore deny would be
useless anyway.

[It fine you want to join the rescue team then...now, Edgard-san, Dee-san and
Helvi-san, I give the important mission at all members of Silver Phoenix knights
in addition.]

The squad captains who gathered in front of their grand master correct their
posture.

They already know how story gonna turn out, their corps will become a bait to
attract enemy attention.

A light of determination show on their facial expression.

In that imminent, Eru take out a bunch of paper from nowhere.

[In order to have everyone of Kshyperuk join the fight, This is a blueprint that I
thought, a draft to strengthening their Leswant.]

[Eh!? just when do you did it?...Should I say as expected of you?]

While the squad captains surprise, they received a bundle of paper that look like
important one.

Eru tightening his facial expression after being proudly attitude.

[With this in your hand, I want you to use it to wool every noble around the
country. while we, the rescue team will safely rescue the royal, with that way, the
king of this country will return. The battle from now on, It will be not only us who
fight, they too, need to standing confront it together. this is a means for that.]
*bait and hook :D

A bundles of paper that hold in the hand of captains were feel more heavy after
hearing such a line.

Another means for recapture strategy of Eru, the blueprint is now become a
major key that gonna influence the future of this land.

[...seriously, you surely say it like something easy.]

[But, interesting. Anyway, I'm good when come to protect something. this
blueprint, I will make sure to keep it safe and delivered it. I definitely let it blown
off right on their face, those guy.]

The rest of members also happily swing up their arm after Edgar.

beside the rescue team, the destination of other two squads already been
decided.

Silver Phoenix knights begin to move out fast like a storm but quietly.

[Fuhfuhfuh, a princess rescue strategy is it!? it sound good somehow right....Ahh

but, for Eru as the one who come to rescue her, I'm feel a little bit jealous...]

[Stop talking non-sense, we're going because it's an important role, let go
prepare our self quickly.]

During knights start moving, Chid casually grab Ady's collar who still in her's
world. dragged, and leaving just like that.
Part 4.

On top of the empty vast sky in the east territory that draw out such gentle
pattern, there was a black painted ship figure.

Sail with wind, advance thru the sky sedately.

Two "Airship", a secret weapons of Jaroudeku's army.

These ship leave Fontanie and march to the east, lead by the knight, Gustav.

[Ou ou, take it more seriouly, don't sleep too much on the precious airship.]

The men look back at Gustav who speak while sitting on captain seat in good
mood.

[Don't you think it is a bit over kill? the opponent is just merely formidable bandit.]

To mobilize this much of force against Kshyperuk's army, A hidden meaning

word of his men.

Moreover, by no means, It not only his thought since no one gonna belive that an
opponent which able match the entire Jaroudeku's army fleet really exist.

Gustav which heard that slightly smiling in amazed, he speak with a light tone
immediately.

[In the end, just what is that reaper? we only know that it's enemy, but just how
did it disappear so fast! with our superior speed of airship here, we will strike
after have it strand out! how was it? perfect right? If we do not deal with it quickly
or take too much time, It definitely create a problem to Oldman.]
[Haha, that also right. after all, our real enemy is his highness patience itself.
when compare to Kshyperuk's coward, he definitely much more worst one.]

While seeing off a man of subordinate who walk away while making people
laugh, Gustav sit cross leg and elbow slovenly on captain seat.

[...Ah...ahhh. this is a missing feeling that I yern so far, such a poor straight
dangerous one. rumors of reaper-san is noting but a rumor, Hey, I feel really
awkward. after all, we're the one who gonna killed it.]

While he seem to be understand the problem, it should be noted that he was a

fearless and full of self confidence.

The ship carrying this kind of person while heading straight to east.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 31.5-31.6

Chapter 31 Part 5 and 6.

Part 5.

It begins after the silhouette gear troops which led by Ernesti head out in order to
rescue the princess for a while.

Silver Phoenix knight order which consists of 3 squads, now, only the first squad
remain behind.

They were busy run around the east land of ancient Kshyperuk principality.

Tzendrinble from the third squad split a team to delivered the other two squads,
they are the first squad, same the second squad in tow.

The main force purpose is to tell the noble in various place about "A
strengthening Leswant draft", and seek their cooperation.

For that purpose, they split up and scatter around for the best efficiency, but the
circumstances did not go well and they only achieved a little bit.

Jaroudeku's army began to take serious measures to search and hunt down their
Grandmaster(Ernesti)'s silhouette knight.

Up until now, silhouette knight that assigned to their platoon usually strictly
limited to 3 machines or less.

But now it escalates to 10 machines at the minimum, and they began to move
several platoons at the same time.
On the contrary, this really a dangerous situation for Silver Phoenix knights which
now missing its strongest card, the demon(Ikaruga).

[Quite something that does not allow us to take it lightly.]

[That right, rather being careless, we better keep vigilant like this.]

As a result, the main force tries to avoid combat situation as much as possible.

Fortunately, thank Jaroudeku's army began to gather and concentrate their war
potential in one place, the chance of contact reduce greatly.

On the contrary,

Once they were discovered, their chance of escape also zero.

The presence of their variant knight's teams now are no longer a rumor, but fully
appear with an entity.
(TN: I guess in the past battle, they put some camouflage or robe on their knight
to conceal their characteristic.)

[At any rate, giving a situation, with Tzendrinble's leg as our advantage. we
should be able to manage it quickly before we come across an enemy.]

By horseback which pulling the second squad, Dietrich leaks a murmur.

Unfortunately, his wish did not come true.

Many numbers of the Tzendrinble unit which pull the wagon are stand out too
much.
It was impossible to hide their full figure presence, the detected problem can
happen during any time.

[....contact from "The around deer". We discovered "The gathering horse".

release a "Hawk", continue to hunt...]

In the forest along the highway, The giant black knight lurking in the gloom.

It also erected slightly sound contrary to its massive size, Almost like a ghost
presence, the centaur knights which ran on the highway would never notice its
presence in the end.

Before long, the black knight giant begins to move gently, several soldiers ran
away on horseback.

[...So It finally came out, I was really reluctant about this. It quite a problem in
itself to taking it from that "Vixen'deed".]

Gustav stroking his chin on the cormorant Airship (Levitate ship), and ahead of
his line of sight,

The number of abnormalities were running on the road through the woods.

[So that is the "reaper cavalry group". It looking too much friendly, somehow, It
look like something mix with a horse! well, Let use it as a material to sharpen
our's rust "Sword".]

It seems that the existence of variants horse-drawn carriage group that runs on
the ground exceeded far beyond his expectation who also knew as a fearless
man.
As something on the level to be reckoned and challenge his gut, he retakes his
wit immediately and starts issue his subordinates a command while got slightly
upset.

While Gustav chasing the second squad of Silver Phoenix knight on the highway
thru the sky.

At the same time, the second squad also aware the presence of flying ship
looming on the empty sky from their side.

[What is that thing? Am I dreaming? A ship...is soaring thru the sky!]

[This is too much indescribable...to think that there was another person than our's
Grandmaster, The person who build an object that out of common sense exist.
as expected of west land, such a windfall.]

[Dietrich, This not the to impress there too much! What are you going to do now
about that?]

The rest member of the second squad said that with intense, upset tone at the
first look.

For speaking, they who do not know much about a magical beast that flies in the
sky now witness an "Airship"(Levitate ship) that appeared for the first time for
military use with air superiority power in this world.

Its presence is very confusing them.

Until now, due to the airship was treat as a valuable asset for Jaroudeku's army,
it still not has been dispatched to the end of the east so far.
He is now in a really awkward situation.

[Truly, it really looks like a ship itself. Fuumu, that is... a sail, right? It's drawn out
a Jaroudeku kingdom nation flag. Which means it's enemy, moreover, It chasing
us thru the sky, Shall we greet them by shooting it down? since It seems to be
faster than our leg here.]

Even they met an unprecedented flight weapons, they get over this matter
quickly, It could not say because they are Silver Phoenix knights only but they
already passed the day of earth shattered like it was a normal everyday event
and get used to it in many bad ways.
(TN: Since the head is already weird one, I guess it can't help that the entire
knight order also mutated into weird direction too right? :D)

[Each unit, prepare to take action! begin deployment for "Add on shell"(Outer
crust)!]

Jump on Dietrich's instruction, each machine begin to expand the armor plate
that had been subsided to the wagon.

Add on shell is a platform structure of war horse-drawn carriage(Chariot) which

equipped for solely combat purpose, a simple defense mechanism that added on
the transport wagon.

A platform for an attack method that uses silhouette knight as a "Load".

In order to reduce the necessary chariot's function.

TN: think "Add on shell" as addition platform for hold silhouette knight while they
doing a high-speed combat. by using silhouette knight weapon as a turret to
defense the cargo wagon, with that way, they don't need to waste time to develop
another magic turret function of the wagon.
There, on clear area top of the wagon, Kardetolle holding up its back weapons
while glared at the sky.

Take its position, aim and lock their reticle sight to the airship which is a black
point reflected on their holo-monitor.

[...Victory to the first strike! Begin the attack!!]

The second squad that had been waiting while measuring the distance, under
one command from their's captain(Dietrich), began their fiercely direct attack at
the approaching airship.

The approaching airship that hurried drops its attitude face the suddenly magical
bullet from the ground.

For they who were too much arrogance and truly overlooking the opponent from
high ground, The airship did not expect a sudden attack.

[Wow, look like the airship still intact? Here's also return the favor, prepare the
"Catapult"! contact the other ship, use pincer attack!]

Only one person, Gustav who did not get struck by the attack and calm down his
subordinates.

The calm from the commander was transmitted to the subordinates.

While they are still panic a little bit, they shout a message of instruction to the
speaking tube.

A wooden platform appears from the inside of narrow window which immediately
opens from airship's side, and take aim at the cloud of dust that running on the
highway.

At the same time, the bow engine starts to make a fine-tuned sound.

The airship begins to loosen its speed.

While dodging the incoming magical bullet, Two airship vessels began to run in
the parallel side and attain the position to sandwich the Silver Phoenix knights.

[This is too sweet to aim, loose it!]

A stone bullet jumps out one after another from small window along with a dull
sound.

"Catapult" is tower placement that has a small sling on the airship.

It is a simple spring load mechanism that launches a stone bullet.

TN: At first, I thought it was a stone cannon because Catapult usually uses to
throw a large rock but writer use 弾 instead of 砲 , then would mean it not a large
rock that we saw in the mid age war movie, the scale should be much smaller
and less destruction power.

Originally, It does not hold a power to the extent that able to stop the silhouette
knight.

However, It would be another story if use by the flying airship.

After all, flying airship boast the absolute advantage of the potential energy as
addition factor.
Even a small powerless stone bullet, may have big destruction power by the time
it reaches the ground.

Now, the flying stone bullet begins to cobble the road on the ground together with
a roaring sound.

After the return attack, which is just a flying stone bullets came one after another,
the Tzendrinble knight runners raise their panic voice.

[This is bad! Second squad! the road already in ruined, if we keep forward at this
speed, We may end up trip somewhere!]

[It surely happen-ne... Each unit of the third squad, disconnect the wagon. After
become free, enter to the forest, escape from the sling range!]

A rapid breaking sound occurred on the highway.

The detached wagon began to decelerate, sprinkled a furious cloud of dust and
spark.

The second squad stand firms their machine, withstand the inertia that caused by
sudden braking.

The winding up a cloud of dust which un-intended happen has played the role of
smokescreen, cover and conceal their figure from flying airship.

[Haha! try to act like insolent one?, you deadly wrong! all knights, power up! get
under the ship, clad your "sword"!]

Gustav speaking while jump out of the bridge and head to the hanger in the
opposite direction, his men followed after him hastily.
When the ship's huge hull come closer to the land surface, in the meantime, Air
wave of swirling wind blow away a cloud of dust on the highway.

Its rapid mobility moving appearance which makes an illusion that the ship
almost fall.

Decelerate by using It sails which received the wind as driving force as an air
brake, It lowered the height and advanced thru the addition trees and use it as a
friction force.

The next moment, the bottom armor of flying airship open up in a big gap.

From the open hole, Black giant, Tyrantor which has been lifting by a crane come
out one by one.

Black knights that landed on the highway cause a vibration and sound while its
steel armor with a heavyweight scraping the land.

During deployment of black knights, The airship did not stop moving.

It took out the skim high trees along the highway with its crane and fly away while
raising altitude and speed.

An airship is certainly a powerful weapon but, that only truth when it flies in the
sky.

For the sake to deploy silhouette knight, it needs to drop its speed and lower the
altitude which really creates a vulnerable moment.

Therefore, for an airship to reduce its speed and descent, and furthermore,
performing the acrobatic move to drop silhouette knight.

Should say that the skill of this airship's crew was too unreasonable and deserve
a praise.

The bulky Tyrantor now line up on the highway.

In order to block the path of Silver Phoenix knight's second squad, four platoons,
lined up with a total number of 12 machines.

[Just when you thinking about the attack only came from Airship and then, Next
one after that is black one came out, Our enemy really hurry-ne, the opponent is
a familiar Silhouette knight. now, our second squad surely in trouble.]

While raising Guyaledy from the wagon, Dietrich grumbled.

TN: グウエラリンデ >guuerarinde>Guyaledy , maybe, not sure , since it an
improve version of Dietrich's Guyale.

Grasp the surrounding situation in his machine, divulge and sigh involuntarily.

The second squad and Tyrantor corp which now take a row-wall formation tactic
are now head-on glare at each other.

Tyrantor which have the number closing the distance slowly.

Engulf its body with heavy plate plus a masterpiece output inside, when to
combine it together really give them an intimidate pressure.

[I really want to avoid combat as much as possible but...look like a fire just fall on
me, need to extinguish it first-ne.]
Dietrich drew a sword.

Magic Power Converter (Ether reactor) increase in power, pouring and building
up magic power in the frame before the fight.

In the horizontal, Kardetollet which had been holding a weapon also emerge a
considered red cross pattern on its frame.

[Plus, Edgar not here either, actually, just where the hell is he right now? This is
really unpleasant, It was you guys that using the stolen technology from us who
were overwrought arrogance one...]

Dietrich's depression strongly stirrup.

Guyaledy storing up energy that flexed its body.

Crystal tissue is drawn aside like a bowstring, the force accumulates impatiently
and eagerly waiting for explosion timing.

[The price for your sin really expensive, you know?]

While Guyaledy vigorously gouges the land, it fledgling.

This is its attack method with explosion boost like an illusion.

The preparation process completes without delay.

The second squad's Kardetolle also imitate it, this is their team's specialized
signature.

Their alias name, "The mix assault middle squad".

The name did not come due to a standoff hobby but came from their attack
method which really the main core.

[Fuh, To head on crashing with this Tyrantor from the front. know your place!]

The knight runner gloated in the cockpit of the black knight.

For Tyrantor which boast its strong output and defensive power.

The battle from the front is just what they want.

In fact, They would emerge victorious even face a group of Leswant as the
opponent by itself alone.

They imagined that the result would never change even the opponent is this
"Grim reaper troops"

Tyrantor is also bracing itself from the front against thrust attack of Kardetolle.

Likewise, it also greets with an attack from the front too.

The armor that attached to the arm of the general machine equivalent to a shield
with endurance.

A counter attack to deal with the attack already prepared

A metal mass collided with a momentum, resound a dull one.

Shouting a friction sound and spark scene.

There, Tyrantor's knight runner was taken by the unexpected thing that happens.

Kardetolle which really look like a general machine on the outside, but in fact, it
was a state of the art machine that using strand crystal tissue and output that
beyond its size.

The blow from its large sword squashed Tyrantor's arm armor part.

Furthermore, It even crushed the crystal tissue joint of under armor.

[Hah, impossible, against Tyrantor's armor!? This thing is completely different

from Leswant!]

[Otto!, To survive the sword blow, such a unbelievable one, look like it really thick
armor!]

Sprinkled a piece of crystal tissue, Tyrantor doddering back as it tries to get away
from Kardetolle.

Witness Tyrantor heavy armor for the first time which really something beyond
their expectation.

Originally, if the opponent is a duel-class monster, his sword would have the
power to buried it easily.

[No matter how hard armor it is, there no way that it gonna be thicker than
"Behemoth" armor!]

Both forces now already entangled battlefield in half way.

Dietrich also initiated full frontal assaulted.

He targets two Tyrantors that looming on the front.

For Jaroudeku's army that has number advantage, he could not be allowed not to
take at least two machines of the black knight at the same time.

How far that the squad captain role he intends need to play?

He smiled down a sarcastic one.

Not hesitate at reckless action behavior.

He starts up, "Magius jet thruster" which integral mounted on the armor of
shoulder and hip--- a "Secret Weapon" of Guyaledy

Only Guyaledy that equipped the same thruster equipment as Ikaruga, but have
lower output and only use accelerate to the front.

Even so, it already enough a powerful trump card.

With dull, muffled explosion and injection sound, Guyaledy slightly extrudes from
its original position.

When to complete its charge.

The knight runners of Tyrantor who misread the moving speed of the scarlet
knight missed his chance for intercept due to sudden acceleration.

It may be slowing down before attacking.

Although they also wary that unexpected acceleration blaze as some kind of
feint.

The two machine moving its leg, while thinking "How can it accelerate freely?".

With obtained an overwhelming speed, Guyaledy runs up with the twin swords,
took advantage of the imaginary first hand, wielded a sword and aiming at the
head of Tyrantor.

Tyrantor lost its vision was in the unbearable state, It can't help but try to rotate
itself for defense. and aimed blindly .

As expected of Dietrich, he slashing the two machines at its arm which covered
with armor.

Next moment, Guyaledy start up its back weapon "Blade on the wind"(Kamasa),
firing dislocate air bullet aiming at the Tyrantor as its current state.

While the heavy armor of Tyrantor which took a hit from close range escape
damage, the armored arm got squashed and a shard of crystal scatter.

They were outwitted, and if it keeps up like this, they gonna be defeat.

While clenching in anger, Tyrantor's knight runner launch itself a forcible

counterattack from the collapsed posture.

Even the power may be decreased, a machine that withstand a blow from the
heavy-weight Tyrantor does not exist.

But Dietrich deal with it splendidly.

Guyaledy uses the burst of the air pressure itself alone, surpass more outside its
originally speed range and thrust up, and withstand the counter blow.

The knight runner only echoing in anger when his heavy blow momentum
stopped, he was thrown down on the ground.

Fallen on the cobbled road and stirred up the dust.

Before the strength of Tyrantor, it really hard to utilized the open gap that
happens immediately after its attack.

But before The crimson Knight, that gap is too fatal one.

Immediately after that, a sound echoing with any lightning flickered, wrong, it's
the twin sword with lightning convincing speed that had been pulling out as it
deceit one eyes.

The Tyrantor's knight runner got startled and try to fall back before such a god
killing move.

An object dancing in the air fell on the ground with a thud sound.

A huge arm that still holding a heavy sword, his Tyrantor was bisected, from the
arm to the elbow.

He can't help but scream from behind, a frightened voice.

He hurried up to pull out the battle mace with the remaining left arm.

A sweet bleeding in his hand grip at the control stick, his heart beating too fast, a
violently beat.
The arm of Tyrantor is covered in thick armor without any gap, to display a vivid
slash to that extent , this is not something that you can do with just an
extraordinary skill.

Until now, he always thought Tyrantor possess an invisible armor,

But now, he begins to see an appearance of the unreliable scarecrow

dramatically.

[Just hurry up and get back! It's impossible for you. It's our turn, this "Sword"
user!!]
TN: he use ore-tachi for call himself and his silhouette knight together.

Before Guyaledy can give a pursuit, A young lively male voice split along with jet
black knight made an entrance and intervene it.

An another machine that did not lurk in the back of the black iron wall.

Its intervene attack force Guyaledy to fall back.

It begins to glare unpleasantly along with its sight line,

As a result, there was a machine with the appearance different from the Tyrantor
stood there.

The enemy has the height of standard silhouette knight, also look older machine
when took a glance at it.

But Dietrich looks at such quirky features of the machine more than that.

[W...what is that? Is that a "Sword"? wearing that many swords, what are you
planning to do?]

Right, it is a "Sword" , carry many swords, a standard equipment for Silhouette

knight, also equipped a little erratic equipment in front of the machine.

At the head, at the body, nothing present in the shoulder, at the arm, surround
the waist, of course in the leg too, the whole body was full clad with various large
and small sword.

Even call that "Full Sword" would not be a wrong in the summary,

A very strange silhouette knight stood there.

Dietrich becomes instinctively speechless despite during the fight.

[Hmm? How are you gonna handle this? It obviously right? the side that has
more sword is stronger, The strongest "Sword", It's naturally right? ]

[Um, I see, you are a fool is it?]

[You too also have a sword but it clearly not the enough as this "Swordsman"
level, not my enemy!!]

With said, Silhouette knight which wearing a large amount of sword---

"Swordsman" attack Guyaledy.
TN: At first, I did not realize that it was a Gustav silhouette knight's name, pretty
sure that he doesn't have naming sense.

Dietrich returns his concentration and meet the attack with the wielding twin
sword.
[Etto, this is quite a senseless joke, I want to go sleep! The response is rip-off too
much, maybe!!]

The crimson knight's twin sword clashed with the black knight sword.

Though the repeat of return slashing increase by a breath moment.

Both knight machines run at a dizzying pace.

They never stop their leg, aimed for moment to use powerful blow and try to
seize the favorable position than the opponent.

The way of the fight of this two machines is similar in a sense.

They both give priority on the attack to extreme, in a word, they sharpening a
consecutive attack type like a storm.

The momentum occurred violently, even the second squad are hesitated to
intervene.

[This is rampage too much!]

Kardetolle can't forcibly get close and butt-in before a fiercely sword style battle.

Swordsman put a long sword away in quickness and begin to absorb magic,
pulling out the dagger from before, look at the opponent and throwing it.

Despite that, the dagger flies with a formidable accuracy and hit the Kardetolle.

[Oi Oi, Do not interfere! Our great fighting restrict to a guy with sword only! You
hear me?]
At that time, Swordsman left out an opening and Guyaledy did not miss that
chance, release "Blade of the wind".

Swordsman dodging a sharp magic bullet in blade form but take a graze
damage.

It goes around Guyaledy's side, turning into tornado movement, took up its sword
in a single moment and oppose Guyaledy's sword, causing a spark between
them.

When you think about it,

To dodge Guyaledy's counterattack plus together with Swordsman's dagger

which threw over there, manage to do circle movement while entangling with long
sword of Guyaledy and continue to dance around Dietrich's machine in the
instant and stopped the sword which aimed at its vital position.

For opponents such as Swordsman who was holding a long sword and short
sword , everything happens less than a minute,

The sword dancing resumed between close combat of both machines.

[Otto, forgive me, our "Sword" dance still not over yet,right? you have quite a
"sword", red one!]

[You are really troublesome! trouble but very pleasant too!]

While the red knight & black knight rampage around in the middle of the
battlefield, the swordplay continues to retaliate intensively.
Utilize a short gap timing, Swordsman aimed and throwing at Kardetolle around
him.

The dagger flying around in the midst of melee fight is greatly disturb the
concentration of Kardetolle, killing the second squad momentum precisely.

[Keep it up like Gustav! let push them up like this, That the way black
knight(Tyrantor) fight!]

While clashing, the black knight morale was renewed and ride the momentum
that created by Swordsman.

For Kardetolle who possess the equal power, the enemy heavy armor is a threat.

[Heh, to get entangled with this sword.... I really look stupid, He strong! to mess
around while fighting me... wrong, this is a mistake for me to "holding back"!!]

While vibrated twin sword, Dietrich did not wipe off his bitter feeling.

The only ruffian in captain rank, he and Guyaledy combination boast the
strongest duo in the second squad.

The fact that he was stopped from seizing the victory also a proof of the enemy's
strength.

[Even so... it would be bad if we keep drag on the fight.]

Moreover, he begin to feel a slightly rounding in his machine movement.

The obvious reason is, by prolonging the battle will result in the decrease of
magic saving amount (mana pool).
[Hahaha...your twin sword are slowing down!! what to do, what to do! slippy
handing sword like that, You are no match for us!]

Suddenly, Swordsman increases the pressure.

While handling the attack desperately, Dietrich was carrying another kind of
doubt.

Swordsman fighting motion did "Not dull at all".

The muscle tissue of Swordsman and Tyrantor should be slow down after keep
up the melee combat like the reduced mana pool Guyaledy.

But the enemy's movement did not look decline a little bit.

Especially a massive size of Tyrantor, it should consume a large amount of mana

according to its body size.

It really not feel funny a little bit to guessing the mana pool for that size.

[Hah--h? Had you worn out already? well, It already fun enough. well then, I
should wrap thing up now!]

The muscles tissue of Swordsman creaks intensely, leaking a sound to the

surrounding. filling up with an unnatural force.

Against Guyaledy and Kardetolle which the movement got duller due to lack of
magic.

Tide of the situation changing in an instant, the second squad had been forced
into the corner.

[...certainly, we're at the disadvantage right now. I will admit it...but you guys did
not forget something right?]

Dietrich's word did not lose a courage in such a situation, Gustav asked back
with an eyebrow.

He just only acts bravely? Nope, He denies it.

He always obsession in transformation of the sword,

(TN: A sword fetish, A perverted swordsman....)

He tries to understand his enemy'word by merging sword together.

In his view, remembered his intensive swordplay and the raging fire of the
crimson knight which rising in strength, It's useless, he not able to make a
connection.

[...keh, I got it!]

The next moment when Gustav's thought arrive at the answer, it also too late, the
game changer already arrived in that place.

Echoing out of the wood, there a sound of horseshoe full of weight.

After escaped the attack from Airship, Tzendrinble of the third squad come back
to the battlefield.

[That horse did not only use for transportation? and there was a few of them! this
is bad....]
One company (10 machines) of the second squad plus 5 Tzendrinble of the third
squad in addition, now have the number than Gustav squad (12 machines) , plus
the fighting ability of centaur knight still unknown in addition, he could not
maintain the current force ratio calculation.

Encouraged by the horseshoe, Guyaledy pouring its last remaining mana and
taking the dealy stance.

The running sound of ether reactor with the maximum output, go punch through
with shrilly voice.

Their trump card return and now they don't need to holding back.

Gustav corps are slightly upset, they completely forgot about the horse and now
Tzendrinble charge attack coming out from the woods.

The cavalry assault (lance charge) with a speed of 10 times possess a fatal
destruction power to the black knight which already got damaged from battle with
the second squad.
(TN: I think it's 10 times of normal silhouette knight thrust power.)

Exactly 5 black knights went into total destruction after got run up by the centaur
knight that charge at their flank, they all down to their knee.

[Na...this horse...too cheat! fuck this, How dare of you!!]

Gustav barking while trying to force back the fight but an unexpected situation
that "benefits everyone" happens.

The black knight who was stranded by the charge attack caused a large
explosion without any warning.

An instant reaction caught up everything in the explosion regardless friend or foe

who was on the spot.

But this explosion does not have destruction power at all, rather,
It causing a thick smoke around the surrounding which blinds the vision in few
step range instead.

[A smoke...blindfold? such a nasty tactic! Fall back! We gonna crash at each

other if being careless. get out of smoke first!]

Dietrich who lose the sight is wary about enemy's surprise attack, he falls back
and strengthened his guard.

Experienced an unknown situation, he couldn't afford to be careless.

Same as the third squad, it takes a risk to keep Tzendrinble's rush while don't
see anything ahead.

[What the hell is this...what happen?]

And, even Gustav also retreated while got puzzled himself too.

He never heard there was such a function on the black knight.

Because they were able to escape from centaur knight by this smoke, it was not
a bad situation for him.

By retreated together, the distance between two armies was wider.

When he trying to seek the opportunity, a blowing gust came through behind
Gustav.

The smoke that was lying on the battlefield went blow away in the wind.

[This is.... a flying ship! did it just come back!?]

The second squad takes caution for its attack.

Instead,

Before their eyes, there was an appearance of an airship which serves as a

trump card for the Steel Wing knights.

The airship appeared with low altitude almost touch the tree on the highway,
dropped a chain from the open hanger at its bottom.

The intention is obviousness, the surviving black knights and Swordsman grab
the chain of a crane that hung down from the airship and soaring up in the sky.

while rise up, a voice came down from Swordsman.

[Tch! seem like we need to re-organize. Oi, You are a good sword holder, Red
one, until we meet again in next war, you better not die!]

The airship takes the boarding silhouette knight inside, start to increase the
speed and altitude with a loud voice of wind engine.

Of course, Dietrich did not have the intention to let it run away silently,

The second squad immediately release an attack and give a chase.

However, only a few shot manage to scratch the airship.

It was impossible to stop it with their current equipment.

[...so.....they escape?..quite an annoying. anyway, we can't really ignore that

airship which is an effective weapon of the enemy. time to asked the
grandmaster(Enesti), we need to prepare something about this.]

Dietrich muttered with frustration while send-off the leaving flying airship with a
glance.

Part 6.

[...I see, this is your doing is it? just when the hell on earth you in charge!]

While leaving the place by riding on the airship, Gustav asked the person who
sat on the captain seat with moody tone.

[Well, before the departure, this is just a little favor, don't you agree? this is my
job too, isn't?]

Gerhild who sedately sitting in the captain seat answered with odious tone to his
question.

His game got interrupted, Gustav is angry.

But by the girl's interfere trick, they had escaped the predicament which was the
fact.

[I will say thank....only this time, but do remember, there is no second chance.]
After only left a word with little thought, he heads to the hanger to see his
subordinates condition.

While sending off his back, Gerhild floated a deep smile.

Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 32

Infiltrating Lacepede Castle

Translator: Skythewood
Editors: Darkdhaos, Ruzenor

In the Žaloudek eastern governance house within Fontaine city, the territory of the former
Archduke Fernando was prosperous as it laid along the East-West Highway(Occident
Road) and the trade route on it. In one corner of the city was an area of shops that was
usually bustling with life. However, such scenes were gone after the city fell into the
hands of the Žaloudek Kingdom, and it became a dead market place.

And now, the place was occupied by the Tyrants of the Žaloudek army. The giant
swiveling eyeballs all around the city gaze blankly at the streets, surveilling every actions
of the people on the streets.

“... When I first visited this place, it was so crowded that just walking on the street took a
lot of effort. What happened here? It was such a lively city back then…”

A man who looked like a merchant grumbled as he walked along the side of the road,
wary of the Black Knights’ gaze. There wasn’t any other merchants around him, and the
few scant citizens on the streets were walking briskly as if they were trying not to appear
conspicuous.

“I see, no wonder the Žaloudek Kingdom wants a firm hold of this territory quickly.
From the looks of things, they can’t gain much from the city.

The person besides him was a servant boy wearing a low hood. He was small in stature
and answered the man. The man turned into a corner with an unhappy face. They walked
along the deserted alley and finally reached an old abandoned warehouse.

“Really now, I didn’t think I will ever need to be so secretive inside this city.”

The merchant sat down with a pomf, took off his coat and scratched his hair. He was the
Second Prince of Fremmevira Kingdom, Emrys. By the way, the one pretending to be his
servant boy was Ernesti. They used the disguise of the Silver Phoenix Merchant boldly,
and infiltrated Fontaine. Although there wasn’t any point in disguising as a merchant with
the chaotic economic situation of Fontaine.

“We got the gist of the city’s situation, and the surroundings of our target, Lacepede
Castle.”
"I will lead the way if there is any emergency, I remember the rough layout of the city. I
had been in their care… How about it? Is it time to move yet?”

After Emrys said that, he shifted his gaze to the depths of the warehouse. This warehouse
used to be owned by a well off merchant and had plenty of room. After it was abandoned,
the place was emptied, but it was now filled with bulky full body armour that had been
painted a dark shade of green. These were the ‘merchandize’ they smuggled in by
pretending to be the Silver Phoenix Merchant.

“We are ready for your command. The invisible 12 Silhouette Gears ‘Shadowlad’ divided
into four platoons, and the Knight Commander’s old Silhouette Gear model ‘Motor Beat’
are ready to go.”

Nora stepped out of the shadows and knelt on one knee to answer Emrys’ question. She
was followed by several men and women. On paper, they were gathered here as the
Silhouette Gear unit of the Silver Phoenix Knights, but they were actually spies from the
Blue Hawk Knights.

By the way, the dark green Silhouette Gear ’Shadowlad’ was originally designed for the
Blue Hawks with their spy activities in mind. The one who came up with the idea was the
liaison person attached to the Silver Phoenix Knights, Nora. After witnessing the exploits
of the Silhouette Gear, she was certain that it was suited for her ‘primary trade’.

The new weapon known as Silhouette Gear possessed abilities craved by the Blue Hawks
that was mainly an intelligence agency, which was ‘fast reaction, strong and
exceptionally quiet during operations’.

The biggest difference between the Silhouette Gears and Silhouette Knights wasn’t their
size, but the possession of an Ether Reactor. Missing an Ether Reactor might seem to be a
flaw on the surface, but it was actually an advantage. After all, Ether Reactor was very
noisy when in operation. Silhouette Knights used for stealth work tend to sacrifice its
internal mechanism to suppress the noise, resulting in low combat capability, a major
flaw. Silhouette Gears wouldn’t have such an issue.

In the first place, the combat power of Silhouette Gears were far beneath that of
Silhouette Knights. But compared to humans, they were a big threat, just right for the
Blue Hawks who mainly deals with humans. The Shadowlad was crafted under such a
background, and became the core of the battleplan this time, a good chance for them to
shine.

"Well then, everyone… The Kuscheperca royals rescue plan will commence when the
sun sets today."
Everyone nodded slowly after hearing Eru’s orders. This was the first time in history that
a Silhouette Gear unit was used in special operations.

Shortly after dusk, the streets of Fontaine turned silent. Energetic merchants already left
the streets, and the citizens returned to their homes early out of fear for the Black
Knights. Only a deathly silence was left, broken by the occasional footsteps of giants.

The faint sound of Crystal Tissues churning could be heard from the patrolling Tyrants
who surveyed its surroundings. The optical reception device of the Silhouette Knight—
its Crystal Eyeball couldn’t see in the dark, that’s why bonfires were lit around the streets
for illumination. After confirming there wasn’t anyone around from the flickering light of
the fire, the Black Knight continued striding forward.

However, he was completely wrong.

On the roof of the interconnected buildings inside Fontaine city, several figures dashed
by quietly. Leading the way was a dark blue Silhouette Gear— Motor Beat, piloted by
the Knight Commander of the Silver Phoenix Knights, Ernesti. Behind him was Chid and
Ady who were also piloting Motor Beats. Further back was the Shadowlad manned by
Emrys, and the Shadowlads of the Blue Hawk Knights followed in silence.

Under the dim moonlight, the group became literally shadows. They leapt over one
building after another with the power of the Crystal Tissues supported by the Inner
Skeleton.The band of shadows ran without glancing sideways. The Silhouette Gears were
powered by the mana of the pilot, and they showed no signs of faltering even when
moving at full speed. From this, it was clear that everyone was familiar with the
operation of the Silhouette Gears.

Moments later, they passed through the commercial district and into the city center.
Before them was the former center of governance surrounded by sturdy walls and moats
— Lacepede Castle.

“... According to intel, the royals are imprisoned in the high towers at the four corners of
Lacepede. The top of the towers are used as their cells, and our targets are there. I don’t
know which tower they are in, so we need to split up and attack at the same time.”

Besides Eru were the Silhouette Gears of Chid, Ady and Emrys. The four of them were
the team leaders, and would each command a group to different objectives.
“First priority is the safety of the royals. It is fine to exterminate anyone who gets in our
way. Please move quietly, swiftly and accurately… Well then, let’s go!”

On the order of the Knight Commander, the shadow spread as one, and dash in four
different directions quietly.

The walls of Lacepede Castle was guarded by sentries and Tyrants, but they couldn’t be
blamed for not noticing the Silhouette Gears that infiltrated under the cover of night.
After all, the enemy would first need to get past Fontaine city that was patrolled by the
Black Knights before they could get to Lacepede Castle. There wasn’t many who would
dare sneak into the lair of the Žaloudek army.

Passing through the blind spot created by the darkness, the Silhouette Gears charged out
of the city, and ran for the moat and leapt.

Arrowheads were launched from their wrists with a swoosh. With the magical
phenomenon of exploding air as its propelling force, the arrows flew out, with a Silver
nerve attached to it. This was a device called Anchor Wire. When its tip reached the wall,
it transformed into a clamp and locked firmly in place. With that spot as a pivot, the
Silhouette Gears swung over the moat like a pendulum, and then grabbed onto the
towering walls.

Silhouette Gears were machines that strengthened the movements of humans with Crystal
Tissue. Its powerful Strand Crystal Tissue could even outperform demon beasts its size in
terms of strength. The moat used to guard against men, horses and Silhouette Knights
was useless against this new weapon.

The Silhouette Gears scaling the wall extended their limbs as they surveyed the
surroundings. The Shadowlad’s blade like fingers hung onto the protruding parts of the
wall, and climbed up nimbly. The 30m wall was far taller than a Silhouette Knight, but
the shadows scaled it easily without any problems.

A sentry patrolled the top of the walls. There had been no major incidents since the
Žaloudek army occupied the territory, and the guard was laxed in his vigilance. It was
clear that he was just going through the motions.

As he walked casually, he heard the sound of the wind and stopped. Raising his gas lamp
to check the surroundings, he didn’t see anything out of the norm. After observing a
while more, the sentry shift the gaslamp before him and prepared to return to his patrol
route—
— There was a sudden noise of something spinning and the thud of the wall being
kicked. A large shadow was illuminated by the light of the gaslamp. After landing
soundlessly, the figure used a blade that was dyed black to stab the sentry.

The shadow threw down the corpse after confirming that the sentry who dropped his
gaslamp was dead. Not just him, the other sentries on the wall was disposed of swiftly by
shadows appearing one after another.

“No signs of the enemy.”

“Next will be a race against time, sprint there in one go.

Eru’s Motor Beat overlooked the central courtyard from the wall. Compared to the tight
security at the walls and the city, the internal surveillance was laxed. Bonfires were
sparse, and there were many dark spots in the courtyard.

After confirming that quickly, he jumped down from the edge of the wall easily. The
shadow leapt from a height much taller than a Silhouette Knight. If he landed just like
this, even Motor Beat would be damaged. Fortunately, the pilot wasn’t any normal
person.

The Motor Beat extended its arm as it drew near the surface and created a magical
phenomenon. This was a concentration of air used as a cushion, 'Air Suspension' magic.
By doing this, the Motor Beat negated the impact of the fall, and landed quietly in the
courtyard.

Immediately after that, the Shadowlads also jumped. The limbs of Shadowlads were
specially designed, with multiple joints that was bonded by Strand Crystal Tissues. Its
flexible structure absorbed most of the impact, and could also reduce noise. All the
Shadowlads landed safely with stances of beasts.

There were guards in the courtyard too, but they didn’t notice the movement of the
shadows. Not only were the infiltrators concealed in the shadow, they were very quiet
despite their large stature and had a faint sense of presence. There were limits to how
observant the guards could be too.

There were hordes of soldiers in the other part of the castle, but not one man noticed the
infiltrators. Their guard was laxed because of the security on the walls and in the city, but
the more important reason was the Silhouette Gears sneaking in from a blind spot, which
made this impossible mission possible.
The group ran in the dark in silence, and reached the foot of their assigned towers in no
time.

"… This should be the place."

Eru shot an Anchor Wire towards the top of the tall tower. After confirming it was
secured, he wound up the cable, using the pulling force to jump onto the outer wall of the
tower and started running up. The Shadowlads were right behind him.

In order to imprison the valuable prisoners— royalties of the old Kuscheperca Kingdom,
water tight security was deployed inside the tower. But their focus was around the room
at the top of the towers, and the stairs leading there. After all, who could imagine that
someone would scale the walls of the tower that was much taller than the city walls?
Climbing the wall that lacked any places to hold on to would be a daunting task even for
experts. Even if someone could reach the top, there wasn’t any entrance save a window
too small for human passage.

Unfortunately, such common sense wasn’t applicable for Silhouette Gears.

After reaching the top, Motor Beat shot out Anchors to lock itself onto the wall, then use
its powerful muscles to destroy the area around the small window. The stone walls
crumbled, and a hole big enough for a huge full plate armour was made. It had given up
any attempt of being quiet.

"… How vulgar of you to barge into a lady’s chamber in the middle of the night. Identify
yourself.”

Before Eru finished surveying the room, a soft accusatory voice reached his ears. He
turned and saw only one spot in the dim room had a light, and a lady was sitting there on
a chair with a book in her hand.

"There was some inconvenience in getting in, please forgive my transgression. You are
Archduchess Martina, I presume?”

“Yes I am. However, I haven’t heard your answer to my question, or did you not hear it?”
She was Martina Alt Kuscheperca — who was married to the late brother of the King,
Fernando, and also Emrys’ aunt. Eru nodded and after a quick bow, took out a badge
from his person. Engraved on it was the flag of Fremmevira Kingdom, surrounded by a
Silver Phoenix

The calm Martina showed an expression of surprise for the first time.

"… That insignia. Did my brother sent his men here?"

"Yes. Time is pressing so I will be brief. We are here with His Highness Emrys to rescue
you.”

The sound of the door being unlocked came from the entrance. The guards on watch
probably sensed that something was wrong and started to act.

"… That fool, venturing to such a place! Alright, on account of the badge and that name,
I will believe you. But the Princess and my daughter are also trapped here, I can’t escape
alone.”
"I understand, please don’t worry. We have sent people to rescue the two of them, similar
to this place. We made the preparation to spirit all three of you away.”

Martina closed her eyes to think for a short moment, then closed her book with a thud and
tossed it aside.

“Fine, after hearing you say that, I have no reason to linger in this damn cramp place. My
cute knight, please lead the way.”

“By your orders. Escaping might be a little rough, and I seek your kind understanding for
that.”

“Haha, of course! Let’s get out from here and surprise those fellows!”

She spoke in a manner similar to her nephew, which made Eru smile wryly. He got on
Motor Beat again, and carried Martina by manipulating its giant arms.

“This way please… Hii!”

Right after saying that, Motor Beat jumped out of the large hole it came in from without
any hesitation.

“What was that noise!?”

The next second, the soldiers flood into the room after throwing the door open. The
tightly secured door became an obstacle in their attempt to stop the escape instead. When
the guards stepped into the room, it was only empty, with just the icy night squall
blowing in from the destroyed window.

"How is it possible… to escape from this tower!? Send men to give chase, quick!!”

The whistles of the soldiers echoed throughout Lacepede Castle.

At the moment Motor Beat destroyed the wall, the other Silhouette Gears team also
reached the other towers at almost the same time.
"It’s me, Emrys! Who is imprisoned here!? I’m here to save you!!”

"…!? Eh, Rys-nii!? That voice… Is it really Rys-nii?

"Oh, Isadora!? Great, you sound lively.."

Emrys who got in after destroying the window like Eru did got off the Shadowlad and
took off his helmet.. Martina’s daughter Isadora recognized his face, recovered from her
daze and thrown herself into the arms of Emrys.

"Ara, it’s fine now Isadora… Hey, don’t cry, so even you will be afraid after getting
captured huh."

"N-Not at all. I just feel bored after being locked up… No, eh..."
Seeing her stutter and wiping her tears, Emrys rubbed her head happily. Isadora got away
from him in a hurry, her hair in a mess.

“Haha, it will be fine now. Since we are here, the retarded Prince won’t be able to do as
he please. Let’s hurry on out of here!”

After Emrys got onto his Shadowlad and prepared to leave, a soft laughter reached his
ears.

"Fufu, this is funny. Emrys is actually calling someone dumb!"

As Emrys dorn on his Silhouette Gear swiftly, he said gloomily:

"What do you mean by that? Forget it, time to split. Come with me, Isadora!"

He carried Isadora in one arm and used Shadowlad to send a signal. His subordinates
waiting outside the tower checked surroundings, and started moving to guide him.
"It will be a bit rough, hold on tight!"

"Huh? Wait, Rys-nii… How did you get up here… Hyiii…!?”

Isadora who only felt puzzled nor didn’t manage to find out before they jumped out from
the top of the tower.

Towers were erected on the four corners of Lacepede Castle, and the Princess Eleanora
was imprisoned in one of them. In the dim room that didn’t even have a lamp, she didn’t
do anything and spent her time in a daze. Her entire body was devoid of strength, as if
she had been locked away for ten years. However, she had been here for less than a year.

The lackluster Eleanora was like a withered flower. The Second Kingdom of the
Žaloudek Kingdom, Cristóbal announced their marriage — which meant she would wed
the murderer of her father and destroyer of her country— This news was a heavy blow to
the Princess who was raised delicately. She couldn’t accept this, but she would be killed
if she rejects, and her cousin Isadora would be forced to take her place. With no other
path to take, her heart weakened by her peaceful life was devastated.

In the end, she gave up resisting, and spent her days in gloom.

My way of life is much like a plant...

The blooming flower that was treated with extreme care was now abandoned like the
moss on the ground. She finally realized that she never took the initiative to decide
anything before.

She laid back onto her bed, and slowly scanned the room, stopping her gaze at the wall .
It was a dark, boring room. Her heart was just like this dull room, locked behind thick
and stifling walls without any freedom. It might look like an impressive tower from the
outside, but the inside was barren.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, staining the sheets. What should she do? What should she
had done? She couldn’t solve the problem or offer any resistance. A sense of weakness
got into every pore of her body, and she lost the strength to even sit up.
"…… Please, someone save me…"

Her faint words was proof of her will as a human, the last resistance she could give.
These words softer than the brushing of leaves spread into the air around her—

In an instant, her field of vision exploded with a bang. The hard steel bars of the windows
fell off, and the sturdy stone wall collapsed.

Was it the power of Eleanora’s words? Of course not. A tall unfamiliar knight emerged
from the breach in the wall, and he entered the room after enlarging the hole with his
enormous strength.

Eleanora couldn’t get up, and watched the situation unfolding before her motionlessly.
More accurately speaking, she wasn’t staying still because of a lack of reaction, but
because she was too surprised.

"Okay, anyone here? Well… Oh!?"

The armoured knight had a cheerful voice that didn’t fit the place. The arm he raised
made the screeching sound of string coiling, and fire magic appeared at his fingertips. It
illuminated the surroundings, and also lit up the figure of Eleanora lying stiffly on her
bed.

Chid who barged into the tower inside Motor Beat also stood dazed on the spot. The
flickering light revealed a petite figure of a beautiful girl about his age.

… Wah— I hit the jackpot? She must be the Princess right? … She is as small as Eru
and… really gorgeous.

The truth was, Eleanora was frail both physically and mentally, and her beauty that got
her the name Flower of Kuscheperca was gone.However, Chid couldn’t see that clearly in
the dim room, so she appeared dreamlike and enchanting.

Neither of them knew how to react, and they just stared at each other wordlessly for some
time. Finally, Chid got back to his senses and asked her quickly:
"Erm, ah— You are the Princess of Kuscheperca correct?"

"……Yes. And you are?"

The sudden visit and unexpected situation baffled Eleanora, and she answered honestly.
Her delightful voice as beautiful as birds chirping reached Chid’s ears.
"I am erm… Sent from this place.”

Chid secured his Motor Beat and opened the armour. His helmet and armour popped
open, the parts covering his abdomen, waist and legs opened too. He removed his armour,
and took out a badge, proffering it to Eleanora. She thought a bulky knight would be
under that armour, and widened her eyes in surprise when she saw the youth appeared
under it. She hesitated for a moment, then inspected the badge timidly. Her education as a
Princess made her realize quickly what the emblem on it mean.

"This is from Fremmevira Kingdom… Could it be, Aunt Martina’s…?"

“Yup, that’s it! We are here to rescue Lady Martina and the Princess… We are here to
save you.”
Eleanora needed some time to understand what Chid was saying. Rescue, escape, but
who? From where? Thought fragments flash through her mind. She was confused and
subconsciously, she just wanted to grab a helping hand. But her limbs didn’t move, it
wasn’t that easy to wipe her mental trauma away.

“After I escape… what will happen next?”

Chid who thought the Princess would follow him immediately tilted his head at this
unexpected query.

"It’s meaningless to run. The country had been taken… And father is already gone…”

She was sobbing at the end. Her fragile heart couldn’t withstand anymore despair, so she
was afraid of the uncertain future. She feared leaving this place, and couldn’t grab the
hand of the knight.

She is a cute and frail just like she looks. Different from Eru after all. It’s weird for me to
use Eru as the standard anyway.
Chid shook his head, clearing his head of his childhood friend who become stronger with
every adversity he faced. He need to focus on the girl in front of him right now. She was
unlike his childhood friend who was similar to a puny human shaped demon beast, and
felt like a glass art piece that would shatter with just a touch.

“It will be fine, we have powerful allies. If we leave this place, we can send the invaders
flying with our fist, and take back this country.”

Even after hearing this, Eleanora showed no signs of pulling herself together, and looked
even more sullen instead. Chid started breaking out in cold sweat, wondering if he said
something wrong.

"I… am very weak. I am a Princess, but I don’t know anything, and can’t do anything.
Fighting wars aside, I can’t even leave this place…”

“What’s the problem with being weak, knights like us will be your strongest weapon, we
will dorn on armour and go to war with our swords.”
When she heard his polite reply, Eleanora raised her head and said:

"Who would want to follow someone like me? Who would listen to the words of a
tool…”

As she spoke, she remembered Cristóbal and started trembling. His face was twisted in
her memories into a feral alien that feast on human flesh. Sooner or later, she would
become his sacrifice.

“There is. At least I am willing.”

Chid said to her with firm determination, and reached out to Motor Beat behind him.
Powered by the spell constructed by his mana, the mechanical armour was activated. It’s
Crystal Tissue creaked, and the steel armour slowly covered his limbs. Finally, the chest
plate was closed, and his figure disappeared from Eleonora’s eyes, replaced by a knight
in heavy armour.

“I will be your knight and protect you. I will wield my sword for your sake, and commit
to my duties as a knight.”
Eleanora looked up at the huge armour in silence. The armoured knight with the youth
inside it was illuminated by the faint light. They might be different, but his figure
overlapped with the people who fell in battle to protect her in the past.

"… My knight… Are you willing to live for me, and safeguard me?"

Motor Beat took a step back. Chid recalled the knight etiquettes he learned in school, and
performed the most respectful rite of fealty.

“Your Highness, please bestow your first command to your loyal knight.”

Chid then waited. After a suffocating silence, he finally heard a faint reply.

“... I dislike this place. I don’t want to marry the enemy who killed my father… please
take me away from here.”
“By your will!”

He held Eleanora’s outreached hand, and felt a cold and soft sensation. Chid forcefully
chuck these feelings to a corner of his mind, and carried her delicate body with Motor
Beat as carefully as possible.

A moment later, the Silhouette Gear jumped from the top of the tower, and the Princess
in its arms screamed, disrupting the silence of the night.

The Motor Beat piloted by Eru carried Martina in its arms, and stepped off the top floor
of the tower. It couldn’t really be called ‘stepping off’, and was closer to freefalling, a
bold manner of escaping. It felt like suicide, but Martina still gritted her teeth, enduring it
silently. Ambrosius daughter had guts too.

No matter how tall the tower, you would reach the ground in a blink of an eye. As they
approached the ground with great speed, even Martina couldn’t help gasping. At this
moment, Motor Beat reached out the hand that wasn’t holding her, and shot out a
glittering Arrowhead with a sharp screech. The Anchor Wire flew through the night sky,
and was used to slow Eru’s descent. Finally, he deployed an Air Suspension spell, and the
compressed air caught Motor Beat by absorbing the force, allowing them to land safely.
Eru stood up nonchalantly, and the other Shadowlad also jumped one after another.

“... Sigh… I was mentally prepared, but this is too rough. Are you really a knight? We
did escape, but you really lack common sense!”

Even though Eru was used to such mobility, others might not be able to keep up. When
he heard the loud protest of Martina who was breaking out in cold sweat from fear, he
just answered casually.

“This is normal for Fremmevira Kingdom’s knights.”

Horrifying imaginations filled her mind as she wondered what kind of demonic place the
home she left quite some time ago had become. By the way, even though there was
plenty of problems with the way Eru put it, it was certainly true for the Silver Phoenix
Knights

At the same time, the other teams had also got away successfully and returned to Eru’s
side.
“Oh, well done Ernesti! My aunt is safe too!”

A familiar annoying voice made her turn her head, and she saw Emrys piloting a
Shadowlad and holding Isadora in his arms. Martina believed in Eru and betted on him,
and was relieved when she saw her daughter had been rescued.

The next one to meet them was the team led by Ady, who returned empty handed.

“Our target is empty! Ah, being carried by Eru, so envious…”

Ady’s murmurs was rightfully ignored. Shortly after that, Chid arrived with Eleonora in
his arms, and the Silver Phoenix Knights successfully rescued all the captured royalty of
Kuscheperca.

“All the royalties that are locked up is here right? Okay, let’s leave with haste.”
“That is true, but the castle is already in an uproar. They will definitely lock down the
gates, how are you planning to escape? Can we fight our way out with these forces?”

It was natural for Martina to be uneasy, it was questioning the strength of infantry that
was normal in the past. But the Silhouette Gears didn’t have such restrictions. Eru
answered with a smile:

“By the way, we don’t need to pass through the gates.”

Everyone ran towards the wall, and several Anchor Wire shot out and embed it into the
wall. Speed was of the essence for a plan revolving around fleeing. With no need to
remain covert, the group used ‘Aero Thrust’ magic unhesitantly, giving the Silhouette
Gear an explosive acceleration. Using the momentum, they dashed up the vertical wall as
if they were running on flat ground.

With the dumbstruck Martina and others in tow, the Silhouette Gear team scaled the wall
easily, and threw themselves into the darkness. The counteractive force of ‘Aero Thrust’
even enabled them to leap over the moat.

As if the group was traveling through a deserted area, the Silhouette Gears ran along the
roofs of the rows of buildings. They mana capacity of each individual might vary, but the
speed of Silhouette Gears still exceed that of horses for short distances. Before the chaos
in the castle spread into the city, the Silver Phoenix Knights’ Silhouette Gear unit
escaped Fontaine.

At this point, Lacepede Castle was in complete chaos, with the collation of intel a mess
and unable to make any moves. After all, the sentries posted all over the place were
killed, and it wasn’t clear where the intruders came from, or where they escaped to. But
from the panicked state the tower guards were in, it was clear that the Kuscheperca
Royals had been taken away.

“D-Damn it, what a serious lapse! How am I supposed to explain this to His Highness!?”

The commander of the city— Doroteo’s roar fell like thunder, his wrath even stopped the
movements of the soldiers around him, and silence fell. He was usually calm and mild,
but he was roaring like an erupting volcano.

“What happened to the thieves!? Where did they escaped too!? Anyone see the enemy!?”
“W-Well… The gate sentries didn’t see any signs of the thieves escaping. There are no
survivors amongst the patrols that encountered the enemy, we don’t have any intel…”

As he listened to the illogical report of his subordinate, Doroteo grit his teeth tight.
Realizing he was about to erupt again, the soldier took half a step back, but Doroteo just
turned silent. It was pointless to vent on the troops, the important thing is to figure out the
next course of action.

He must not allow the Kuscheperca royals escape. Since they were taken, he had to take
them back. No matter what.

"Damn it…! I can’t waste anymore time. Send out all the soldiers in the castle and city,
and search the place thoroughly! In the worst case scenario, the thieves would have
absconded from the city! Ready the Levitate Ship immediately, and search the region
outside the city with them… We must not let them escape!!”

After saying that, he immediately took action. Making his way past the hurrying soldiers,
he charge for the hangar.
Who exactly are these thieves… the remnants of the Kuscheperca? They actually kept
such a powerful group in reserve? That is unbelievable. No matter who they are, I will
eliminate anyone who get in the way of His Highness!

Doroteo Mardones— the famed general of Žaloudek Kingdom started his pursuit of the
royals.

The Silhouette Gear team left Fontaine swiftly, and headed straight into the forest around
the city, intending to throw any pursuers off their tracks. Something that was necessary
for them to make a safe escape was also hidden there.

“It’s a little rough, are you still doing alright? We will changing our mode of transport
soon. It will take some time to prepare, please wait a moment.”

Martina who was finally liberated from the arms of Motor Beat could barely stand
properly. After that intense force march, even the strong willed Martina looked
exhausted.
“You call that a little… What an exciting experience. However, Žaloudek will send
pursuers, it won’t be easy to shake them off, what exactly are we…”

When Martina noticed the object in front of her, her voice started trailing off. Basked
under the moonlight was a giant alien kneeling down in the forest, a being resembling
both horse and man. It was the majestic visage of the Centaur Knight Tzendrinble.

"What in the world…"

Without any regards for Martina and the others, the members of the Silver Phoenix
Knights got ready swiftly. There were two Tzendrinble and two wagons here. They
jumped onto one of the wagon, then dismounted from their Silhouette Gears and started
tying them down. Chid and Ady then dissapeared into the cockpit of the Tzendrinbles.
The dormant Ether Reactors were revived, and the stirred Centaur Knights neighed as
they woke.

Martina and the others could only stare with their eyes wide open, and were only pulled
back to reality by Eru’s voice:
"Alright then, please get onto the wagon. We will be setting off immediately, and try to
pull away as fast as possible under the cover of night.”

“O-Okay…”

Standing behind Martina who barely managed to squeeze out this answer, Isadora
pinched her own cheeks, wondering if she was dreaming. It was already a shock to see
the knights rescue them in Silhouette Gears, but the impact of seeing the Centaur Knights
was much greater.

They never heard of Silhouette Knights that had gone beyond the form of humans, but
since Emrys was here, that meant these creations hailed from Fremmevira Kingdom.
Even though their hearts were filled with doubts, they still walked towards the wagon as
instructed.

"… I haven’t been back for a while, but how exactly does Fremmevira Kingdom looks
like now…?"
"Haha! Please look forward to seeing that. Aunt, this way!”

Martina couldn’t suppress her sigh of resignation and Emrys responded by clenching his
fist victoriously for some reason, and started introducing the machines to them. They
were brought to the waiting room situated on the wagon, a place originally meant for
pilots to rest on long voyages. It was well furnished with all sorts of facilities.

Behind Martina and Isadora who boarded with curiosity, Eleonora herself was at a loss.

"…Is this real life…?"

She only made up her mind and escaped here because she trusted that young knight, but
the scene before her lack a sense of reality. She was beginning to doubt her ability to
differentiate between reality and fantasy. Was being rescued and escaping Lacepede
Castle just a nice dream conjured by her frail mind? Too much happened in one night,
beyond what her weak spirit could take.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness.”

Someone in the Centaur Knight told Eleonora who was in a daze-like state. It was the
voice of the young knight who whisked her away. For some reason, she could sense the
presence of the youth from the Crystal Eyeball of the fearsome looking Centaur Knight.

“Leave it to me, Tzendrinble and I will definitely take you to safety."

The words of her knight pulled her back to reality immediately. She was the one who
gave the order, and wished for him to render his aid. If she couldn’t trust him, then who
could she trust? Eleonora squeezed out her last bits of resolve, and stood up.

“... Alright, I will be counting on you…”

Her soft voice was drowned out by the loud churning noise of the Silhouette Knight.
However, it had definitely reached that youth.

“Ohh — Chid… I had never seen you so fired up before… Are you that enamoured by
beautiful princesses?”

"Shut up, I’m just... Erm, doing my part as a member of the Silver Phoenix Knights…"
“Oh— Oh fufufu ohh, that feels right, wonderful! I feel fired up too!”

"Ah—! You are definitely mistaking something, Ady!!"

As the two bickered, all the preparations were done. Eru’s voice came from the Silhouette
Knight on the wagon:

“Alright alright, enough you two. Everyone is ready. Well then, Silver Phoenix
Knights… move out!"

With a neigh, the two Tzendrinbles moved off, heading towards the eastern borders of the
old Kuscheperca Kingdom. After rescuing the captured Princess, the knights set off with
powerful strides.

A Levitate Ship rode the winds as it overlooked the breaking dawn at the Aubigne
mountains.
With the sound of the wind audible through the glass window Doroteo leaned back on the
Captain’s seat. He shielded the glaring morning sun that annoyed him with one hand.

He set off with his unit from Fountaine, and rushed towards the east of the old
Kuscheperca Kingdom. As the airborne Levitate Ship wasn’t affected by the terrain, it
was much faster than other modes of transportation like carriages or Silhouette Knights.
They had penetrated deeply into the eastern territories.

"……There… the escaped royals should be down there somewhere."

Doroteo stared at the map of the old Kuscheperca Kingdom in front of the Captain’s seat.
This map wasn’t made hastily, but a highly accurate map they took from Lacepede
Castle.

There were many benefits to using Levitate Ships as transports, but it had its own
problems too. Route choices was the biggest difference. On land, the cities and streets
would determine the route, and could be used as landmarks. It was a completely different
matter when looking down from the sky. It required an imagination capable of matching
the information from the compass and map with the sights and terrain seen from the air—
such capabilities similar to naval navigators were needed. Hence, the strategic value of a
highly accurate map was immeasurable.

“As expected, the only possibility is the east.”

Large amount of text was annotated on the map, the mark of the discussion Doroteo had
with the navigator to decide their course. They weren’t moving mindlessly, and there
were reasons why they chose the eastern route.

Firstly, Doroteo predicted that the royals would escape to the west, since they didn’t have
any allies even if they ran from Fontaine to the central zone of old Kuscheperca.

At that moment, he remembered the rumours of an unknown enemy rampaging in the

east. Linking the unexpected rescue raid of the royals with the unrest in the east was a
natural deduction.

"The possible route are either here or here. If we make use of the Levitate Ship, we can
catch up no matter which path they choose."
They then locked onto the route along the highways, under the assumption that the
fleeing royals would prioritize speed. They were caught in a remote path, and probably
would try to avoid the same mistake. Hence, no matter what transportation mode they
use, it would definitely be on the highway that facilitates swift movements.

The remaining problem would be the search area. It was extremely difficult to search at
night, so Doroteo’s team had been focusing on moving fast. With the break of dawn, they
had to reduce their search radius. No matter how much advantage the Levitate Ship had
in speed and terrain, they didn’t have the leisure to search slowly.

Doroteo contemplated for a moment as the sail of the Levitate Ship bloated up. They
could move freely by using the Blow Engine, but the weather also affect them greatly.

“... Another gust of wind blowing to the east. Is this a tailwind, or…”

A sharp light filled his eyes as he hurriedly issued orders to his subordinates. In the
meantime, the sail caught the wind and increased the speed of the vessel. As he listened
to the sound of friction from the ship, he gritted his fangs, waiting for the opportunity that
would be coming.
As they hold towards the rising sun, the Silver Phoenix Knights who were escorting
Martina and the others went through the Pan-Kucher road of the old Kuscheperca
Kingdom, galloping at full speed.

“Look mother, we already reached here before dawn. Their appearance isn’t the only
thing that is ridiculous about them.”

“Being weirdly shaped is one thing… But Silhouette Knights that can run faster and
longer than horses, what kind of joke is this?”

After hearing the blunt way Martina and her daughter described them, Emrys responded
with a shrug. Halt the design of Tzendrinble mimicked that of a horse, its main focus was
on mobility. With two Ether Reactors, its endurance was superb, and would show its true
value in long distance travel. The fatigue of the pilots aside, it could theoretically run
through the entire continent without needing to resupply. Ady and Chid pulled an all
nighter, and the grounds they covered was astonishing. It was only natural for Martina to
be stumped.
"Tzendrinble… Just why was such a strange Silhouette Knight made? Rys-Nii, your
subordinate is a little strange.”

“Is that so? Since horses are the knights best friend, I think this is a good idea. And when
I saw it for the first time, I really want to try riding it!”

“Rys-Nii is the only one who will think so…”

Emrys tilted his head and grunted.

“It’s thanks to them that we can save you like this and take you away, isn’t that great
points?”

Martina and Isadora looked at each other. They knew this very well and were extremely
grateful, but their weary common sense just found it hard to accept.

“Don’t fret the small matters. At this speed, we can probably shake off any pursuers.”
“That’s right. After we link up with the main forces, it will be our time to attack! I still
have a score to settle with that rumoured retard Prince!”

When she heard Emrys said that arrogantly, Martina turned to him with a serious face and
said:

“Rys, listen well. You might have an unbelievably powerful band of knights with you,
but the Žaloudek Kingdom is not an enemy to be trifled with. Our knights couldn’t match
them despite giving everything they had. Their existence is unpleasant, but you can’t
send your troops out so rashly…”

The time for idle chat was over. Alarm bells in the waiting room rang sharply. This was a
simple device connected to the cockpit of Tzendrinble for communication. The sound of
the bell indicates the message being sent. That bell earlier was—

"Abnormality alert… Speak of the devil. They are actually on the tail of the
Tzendrinbles. You are right aunt, I am looking down on them too much."
Right after saying that, Emrys turned and charged out of the room like the wind, and head
for the cockpit of Gordesleo. Martina and the others could only stare with eyes wide open
at the sudden turn of events, and quickly understood what Emrys meant.

“How could it be, we already made it this far… No, how is this possible… With the
speed of the Centaur Knights, they actually caught up at this place… What is going on!?”

Martina pounced on the window of the waiting room, and stared at the scene at the back
with wide eyes. In the clear blue skies, she could see a black dot. She understood what
they were in no time—

"Žaloudek Kingdom’s …Levitate Ship!"

The sails on both sides of the Levitate Ship was inflated to their limits, pulling the ship
forward. Doroteo stood at the front of the bridge and looked with a telescope, his lips
under his moustache opened in a chilling smile:

“What great timing to catch that wind, I betted on it, thinking it was some kind of
divination… And won the gamble. I finally found you, Kuscheperca’s royals! I won’t let
you escape…!!”
He pushed his aging body and crossed the bridge in one breath. Handing the telescope to
a subordinate, he issued orders with a voice as loud as a bell.

"Move the Levitate Ship right on top of their head!! Then drop the Black Knights directly
on them. We have to secure the royals here. Use the catapult to stop them!”

"Yes Sir, accelerating and lowering altitude!! Ready the catapults!”

His subordinates repeated the order and took actions simultaneously. The figurehead
raised its manapool output to maximum and activated the Blow Engine, creating intense
air flow around the ship. The Levitate Ship accelerated further as it descended. Their
speed outpaced Tzendrinble greatly right now.

As the Levitate Ship drew near with amazing speed, Chid and Ady who was piloting the
Tzendrinble was mesmerized.

“Hey… What is that!? A ship, a ship is coming!”

"Normal ships can’t fly… Right? So someone other than Eru thought of such a weird
idea…”

The two of them were excited at seeing the Levitate Ship for the first time, and even
forgot that was their pursuers and started bickering. However, that all stopped when the
Levitate Ship suddenly shot out something.

“Eh, oh no! They are attacking!”

As they changed their direction hurriedly, stone shells fell around Tzendrinble. The
powerful shelling shook their very being as it bored through the ground with a deafening
boom. Although the enemy didn’t aim accurately and only a few shots hit the road, the
craters it made and the way it crashed through the woods made Chid and Ady break out
in cold sweat.

“Damn it, they will catch up like this. That will be terrible right?”
The Tzendrinbles slowed down as they dodged nimbly, and the Levitate Ship closed the
gap mercilessly.

At this time, Doroteo and his men inside the Levitate Ship was ready to launch. He sat in
the cockpit of the Tyrant, and the pilots of the other six Black Knights was also in
position. He worked on the next set of controls, and had already issued all the relevant
commands. The knights deftly manipulated the Blow Engine, bringing the Levitate Ship
right on top of the Centaur Knights. They had lowered their altitude so much that the ship
was brushing the tips of the trees. The Levitate Ship was ready to open the hatch at its
belly to drop the Black Knights.

“Target locked, we need to focus. Let’s go and finish them off in one fell sweep!”

“Yes Sir!!”

The Centaur Knights seemed to be panicking as the Levitate Ship approached gradually

The next second, the canvas flew off the cargo on the wagon, and the alien-shaped demon
god Ikaruga was activated. It let loose a roar, and the four arms on its back deployed
speedily. Inside the cockpit, Eru ignored the tensed situation and leaned forth with his
face plastered on the Holo Monitor. He showed a cute and strong willed smile, then
muttured:

"Ahhh… Such, such a thing actually exist! Air Ship… Amazing, so amazing! The ship is
floating in the air. Not a balloon or flying ship, it has sails… No, I don’t understand, it
can’t be explained with the principles of the other world, earth. This must be, must be
something wonderful I didn’t know about right!?”

The ear-shattering roar rose like a crescendo. Normal controls couldn’t keep up with
Ikaruga’s complicated system, so Eru had to use his excellent calculation ability to
command it directly. Hence, his will was the demon god’s will, and it was already
prepared for mayhem.

"You two keep the Tzendrinbles running. That ship flying in the air… I will take it!!”

Eru instructed, and then piloted Ikaruga to jump from the wagon. After landing, Ikaruga
unleashed the massive amount of mana within it, and the Magius Jet Thrusters howled,
accelerating furiously at the rate that would leave the Tzendrinbles in the dust. With the
hearts of the two demon beast — Behemoth and Queen Shell Case installed, it was a
unique demon god in this world. The reactionary force from Ikaruga blew the paved
stones on the road away as it blasted into the sky.
"What is that!? It, it is… charging this way!?”

Ikaruga used the powerful propelling force of its Magius Jet Thrusters to soar in the air,
making a beeline for the Levitate Ship. He wasn’t thinking about anything, and was only
taking the shortest route for the Levitate Ship, powered just by his desire for it.

Despite its excellent hovering function, it was just a ship that was propelled by the wind.
It was impossible for the vessel to escape the pursuit of a demon god flying at high speed
with flames burning behind it. On top of that, the Levitate Ship was lowered to a height
to intercept the Tzendrinbles. The crew in the bridge screamed when they witnessed this
scene from the bridge, they didn’t know what that burning Silhouette Knight was, or
rather, they couldn’t figure out what exactly was happening. While they were falling into
a state of panic, Ikaruga collided strongly with the ship.

"What happened? Something wrong!? What happened to the air drop procedure!?”

Doroteo who was waiting to launch inside the cargo bay felt something was amiss from
the shaking of the ship.
"Hii! I-I don’t know! Something is wrong… Is that a Silhouette Knight!? It flew in the air
and landed on the ship!!"

As he listened to confused report of his subordinate, Doroteo stared at the walls of the
vessel. There was a creaking sound on the outside, and he quickly realized— that was the
sound of something crawling on the outer wall. He felt a chill, and after a short hesitation,
he activated his Tyrant.

Ikaruga was blown off along with the wall he was clinging onto, and it started falling.
Even Eru was caught off guard by this as he used his Magius Jet Thruster to adjust his
posture, then pulled away.

A large hole was ripped open on the body of the Levitate Ship, revealing a Tyrant with its
back weapon deployed. The Tyrant must had felt threatened, and used the crude means of
blowing the enemy away along with the wall. It then continued its merciless assault on
the airborne Ikaruga.

“Ahaha, that’s a nice reaction, I’m impressed! Please accept my response in kind!”
Ikaruga dodged the projectiles with its jets, then drew the Sword Cannon on its waist.
The sword splitted, and mechanism inside converted a large amount of mana into flames.
His counter attack was ferocious, as his shot kept piercing into the Levitate Ship like
infernal fire. The spiraling flames penetrated the walls and turned the inside of the ship
into a sea of fire, blasting off the walls of the vessel with ease. The Levitate Ship’s
armour could withstand a normal powered shot, but was never intended to endure the
demon-like power output of Ikaruga.

“Impossible, what intense might…! No, if this goes on, the Levitate Ship will crash!!"

Several options flashed through Doroteo’s mind in an instant. In order to capture the
Kuscheperca royals, he needed to airdrop the Black Knights. But if he ignored the flying
demon god alone, the Levitate Ship would crash in no time. He wasn’t sure if the Black
Knights could stop him, but the only thing he was certain of was that losing the Levitate
Ship meant his plans had failed.

“Ugh, oooohhhh!!!!”

After thinking it through, Doroteo made his call. His Tyrant lifted its shield and braved
the incoming shots. The shield twisted from the direct hit of the intense projectile, and
Crystal Shards fell from all over its body. Just a few shots made the machine fell on its
knees, but the tough Tyrant could still move a little.

"… Turn around right now! Get out of here!!”

Doroteo’s subordinate also charged forth after witnessing his action. As they sacrificed
more Black Knights to block the shots, the Levitate Ship changed its course unsteadily.

“Huh? You came all this way, and is already going off? You can’t do that, I won’t let you
escape… Hmm?”

The fired up Eru was about to pursue when he noticed the commotion behind him.
Several black shadows ran across the road, chasing after Tzendrinble.

“Is that a guerilla unit? They are good…”

Eru hesitated. With Ikaruga’s power, he could catch up with the Levitate Ship and bring
it down easily. But that meant abandoning Tzendrinble. His own motives aside, the top
priority of the Silver Phoenix Knights should be the rescue of the Kuscheperca royals,
and their safe return. What little rationality he had left stopped his desire.

"Fufu… Alright, I will keep that ship on my tab for now. The next time we meet, I will
feast on it and dine on every single bit of its spare parts.!”

Eru left these words of frustration, turned Ikaruga and shot out streams of flames and heat
waves, charging towards Tzendrinble at incredible speed.

Going back to the time before the Levitate Ship encountered the Tzendrinbles.

Several shadows sprinted along the forest that stretched on either side of the road. By
comparing its relative size to the trees around it, the figures were 10m tall giants,
Silhouette Knights. But their speed was blindingly fast, probably twice that of a normal
Silhouette Knight. The strangest thing about them was that the shadows didn’t make
much noise while they run. Not just the movement of their Crystal Tissue, even the intake
valve of their Ether Reactor was quiet, the entire body itself had a faint sense of presence.
Because it prioritizes speed, their body appeared exceptionally slender, to the extent that
it could be described as frail. The most prominent thing about them was their protruding
shoulders and sharp claws. Another feature was their head, which was devoid of any
design, entirely smooth save the two holes for its eyes. Faceless— That was the
impression the silent and phantom-like machine gave others.

There wasn’t just one phantoms. Two, three— several of them were sprinting in the
forest, and in the direction of their advance was the charging Centaur Knight. The
objective of the phantoms was obvious, they sped up and drew near to the road, and after
a powerful stride, bashed out of the forest and onto the road. It didn’t make any sound
during this time, and only the shadows on the ground proved they really was there.
Bracing the razor sharp claws on its arms, one machine sneaked close to the galloping
Tzendrinbles, and was about to rip through their armour—

“Who are you lot!? Reinforcements!?”

— But was blocked by a powerful cleaved along with an angry roar, and deflected back
into the forest. The one who swung the sword was Gordesleo on the wagon, piloted by
Emrys. As Gordesleo didn’t have any effective weapons against the Levitate Ship, it
stayed behind to guard the wagon.
“That was a close one! Did you people used that Levitate Ship as a decoy? What a
sinister scheme!!”

Gordesleo got up from its knees and lift its large sword. It couldn’t initiate any attack as
he was on a wagon towed by Tzendrinble, and Emrys must really detest this situation
where he could only defend.

He didn’t have to wait very long for the phantoms to launch another wave of attack. They
flew in from the forest from every direction, targeting the wagon towed by Tzendrinble.
Gordesleo barely managed to ward them off with his sword, his unstable foothold
hindered his counterattack and he couldn’t move freely. He could fend them off for now,
but his sword strike didn’t feel solid, and the number of enemy remained the same.
Emrys could feel the frustration in his chest building.

“I would have turned them into scrap by now if we were fighting on solid ground! But I
can’t let Tzendrinble stop either.”

He wasn’t the only one who was anxious.

“They just have to pick the moment Eru isn’t around and attack! Can’t we shake them
off!?”

The Tzendrinbles wield their lance to fend off the assaulting phantoms. But they were
running with a wagon in tow, their defences were full of holes, much less offence. The
phantoms understood this too, and attacked the backs of the Tzendrinbles ferociously.
Despite their valiant efforts, the situation was dire for the Silver Phoenix Knights. On top
of that, they were outnumbered, and the number of close calls they had was increasing.

The phantoms pounced again and again, Gordesleo and Tzendrinble swung their weapons
to keep them at bay over and over again, but started losing focus. They were in the midst
of a long distance travel, so it was only natural for them to accumulate a lot of fatigue.

Finally, they committed a fatal mistake. A phantom used that chance to pounce in.

“Crap! I can’t dodge…”

The phantom closed in on the blindspot on Tzendrinble’s flank, its hand reaching for the
defenceless belly of the horse. That was the secret weapon of the phantoms, and was
powerful enough to pierce through a Silhouette Knight. Right as the claw was about to
puncture the belly—

A long fire lance flew in from distance without warning and pierced the stomach of the
phantom. The phantom had light armour in order to prioritize speed, and blew up
instantly into wreckage. Something that was on fire was destroying the road as it charged
in with a cloud of dust in its wake.

“How… dare you interrupt my wonderful time with the Air Ship…!"

It was the six armed demon faced armoured samurai shouting angrily with thundering
flames in its trail—Ikaruga.Once Ikaruga caught up with Tzendrinble, it adjusted its
speed by spurting up scorching flames, and landed directly on the wagon.

“Even though you can’t take the place of that ship… you will still pay with your lives.”

It deployed the arms on its back, and grabbed the back up Sword Cannons on the wagon.
The way it stood looked just like a porcupine, with six Sword Cannons aimed at different
directions. With a terrifying howl, the mana within the machine boiled over, and was
unleashed in the form of projectiles.

The phantoms who sought refuge in the forest was blown apart along with the trees that
concealed them. Even the phantoms escaping at full speed couldn’t escape and
disappeared in a sea of flames as the demon god fell one phantom after another. It didn’t
take much time for all the phantoms to be reduced to wreckage. Ikaruga finally let up
after the surrounding terrain became unrecognizable.

An unsteady Levitate Ship was moving towards the setting sun.

It was the ship of Doroteo’s group who barely managed to escape the palms of the demon
god. Most of its walls had fallen, and even its steel structure was twisted into a terrible
state. Forced to flee at top speed in such a sorry condition, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this
wreck reach its limits at any moment.

Safeguarding the ‘Etheric Levitator’ was the silver lining of this tragedy. If it was
destroyed, the Levitate Ship wouldn’t be able to fly anymore.
"… Lower the altitude, it will be meaningless if we crash.”

Doroteo who was sitting in the Captain’s seat said gloomingly. Since the battle with the
demon god, there hadn’t been any sign of their enemy catching up. On the other hand, it
was getting dangerous for the vessel to remain airborne. His subordinates obeyed the
orders strictly, and landed the ship.

Since the ship was out of commission, they would need to return by piloting the Tyrants.
And even the Tyrants suffered heavy damage when they protected the ship, and wasn’t
reliable as a mean of transport.

After disembarking the ship, there was something Doroteo’s team had to do, which was
to destroy the Levitate Ship. Levitate Ships were the secret weapon of the Žaloudek
Kingdom. It was on the verge of breaking down, but they couldn’t abandon it while it
could still move. The Tyrant piloted by Doroteo raised its Battle Ram stiffly.

His hands on the control stick was on the verge of shaking. Losing the ship, losing the
Black Knights and even failing in his mission to capture the enemy royalty. It was
difficult to make up for this mistake, he had literally lost everything. Even if he made it
back alive, he probably won’t have a place in the Žaloudek army anymore. I should just
perish here along with the ship — Such suicidal thoughts flashed across his mind

At this moment, one his subordinates who was watching yelled and pointed to the sky. In
the crimson sky in front of them was a black dot, and they quickly recognized that was an
approaching Levitate Ship.

Under the night sky littered by the stars, two Levitate Ships headed to the west. One
unscathed vessel towing a ship so heavily damaged that it was a miracle for it to be even
floating. And of course, that was Doroteo’s ship. They maintained just enough altitude to
fly, and were ready to abandon ship if anything goes wrong.

Having dismounted from the Tyrant, Doroteo glanced at the machines they recovered and
the faces of his subordinate and seemed a little relieved. But his face turned sullen
quickly, and left in crude strides as if he was trying to shake all this away. He went from
the cargo bay to the bridge, and surveyed it from the ladder he was scaling. He was
staring at one spot— the person seated in the middle of the bridge.

"……Lady Hietakangas, so it was you."

He said the name of the female knight who occupied the captain’s seat so naturally. She
belonged to an order of knights from Žaloudek Kingdom, the knight commander leading
the Copper Fang Knights, Kerhild Hietakangas. She was wearing an annoying smile that
never seemed to change, as she sat relaxed on the chair with her hand supporting her
chin.

“That’s right, you got a problem with that?”

“... Of course not. You saved my subordinates, I can’t thank you enough…”

The two of them didn’t have much of a relationship. Truthfully speaking, most people
didn’t feel much affection for Kerhild who worked in the shady side of business. Seeing
Doroteo’s unusually frail expression, she asked curiously:

“What happened? You climbed to your position by your own merits, not by kissing the
ass of the prince. But look at you now, this isn’t normal.”

Doroteo had a bitter face as he recount his failures in recent days.

"… That’s what happened. Age is getting to me. The enemy has nightmarish powers that
exceed those of normal Silhouette Knights. To think I am rendered so helpless, how
incompetent.”
Even the seasoned veteran found the demon god that forced them to this dead end to be
an incredible opponent. The combined effort of him, his subordinates and the Levitate
Ship was ravaged so badly by that one machine.

“... This is the end for me. I can’t make up for this loss even if I pay for it with my life.”

The man before Kerhild was no longer the top general of the Žaloudek army known for
his boldness and calm mind. Seeing how weak he seemed to be, Kerhild frowned and
lashed out at him:

“Tch! You think presenting your wrinkled head mean you are taking responsibility? How
incredibly foolish.”

"… Then… How do you think I should compensate such a grave mistake?"

“War maniacs are really…! Listen up, it is true that losing the Levitate Ship, the Black
Knights and the royals are terrible. But, it is even worst to not bring back any intel on the
enemy.”
Kerhild’s Copper Fang Knights was a spy organization, mainly charged with the collation
of intelligence. Depending on the circumstances, the intel might have higher priority than
their lives. Her view that ran contrary with that of knights sent Doroteo into deep thought.
His sullen eyes regained some of its light.

“You are right. The enemy was obviously abnormal, and will definitely be an obstacle in
the ambition of His Highness. I need to convey the details so His Highness can make
adequate preparations. Whatever happens to this head after that don’t matter.”

Even though he had a bit more life in him, Doroteo was still saying the same thing.
Kerhild looked up in exasperation.

"Yes. Since you are going to die, then do that after duking it out with the enemy.”

He even responded with a nod seriously to this joke-like response. Kerhild was starting to
get tired of his foolishness.
In old Kuscheperca’s capital, Delvincourt. Ever since King Aukusti’s death after his duel,
this city became Žaloudek Kingdom’s largest base. With the invasion of Kuscheperca
almost complete, it will be designated as the capital of the Kuscheperca territories —
ruled by Žaloudek Kingdom, the governance house would be in the old royal castle.

Under the grey and gloomy sky, a Levitate Ship reached Delvincourt. After its masters
were changed, a ‘harbour’ for Levitate Ships to dock in was built in Delvincourt. Even
though it was just clearing out a piece of land and constructing ramps to access the
vessels easily, it was still used frequently as a military stronghold, and the ship that just
reached also found a spot to land.

Shortly later, in the audience hall of the central governance house— which used to be a
royal castle— the unhappy voice of Žaloudek Kingdom’s Second Prince Cristóbal•哈斯
洛•Žaloudek could be heard.

“What did you say— The Princess was taken away…!?"

The Prince rose from the throne that used to belong to the King of Kuscheperca
agitatedly. The man who was prostrating with his head to the ground before him, his most
trusted right hand man—Doroteo Mardones’ Levitate Ship just landed, and reported to
his master right away.
"Doroteo… how can a man like you not know the value of that wench!? You let her slip
away into the hands of mere bandits, and even let the Black Knights and Levitate Ship
suffer serious damage as you shamelessly flee here, what is the meaning of this!?”

Cristóbal’s angry roar resounded in the hall once more. In the face of the nonstop
accusations thrown at him, Doroteo remained prostrated on the floor without a word.

"That’s enough, Cristóbal. As the commander-in-chief, how can you lose your
composure?”

A nonchalant voice sounded out from the entrance of the hall, restraining Cristóbal’s
rampage. It was Cristóbal’s elder sister — The First Princess Catalina.

"Sister… But!!"

"Calm down. You should understand Doroteo’s capabilities and loyalty very well
correct? Admonishing him any further would just be a waste of time, the important thing
is to understand what exactly happened.”
Her calm analysis made Cristóbal flinch. He exhaled deeply to steady himself, then tried
to act calm as he turned towards Doroteo and said:

"… Raise your head. Report the entire incident in detail. I will decide on your
punishment after hearing it.”

“Yes my liege!”

Doroteo finally raised his head, but kept his body low as he reported on the thieves who
infiltrated Lacepede Castle.

"… And so, when I realized it, all the Kuscheperca royalties had been taken. My
incompetence is to blame, I am willing to accept any punishment Your Highness metes
out."

As he listened, Cristóbal’s expression turned sour. To them, the royals of Kuscheperca—

Especially Princess Eleanora, was a ‘tool’ to stabilize their rule over the Kuscheperca
territories. Although Žaloudek possessed overwhelming military power and could do as
they pleased with the lands of Kuscheperca, it was always better to have less problems.

“Not just the Princess, but all of them were taken. Unbelievable, you were actually had
by the weaklings of the Kuscheperca army…"

After thinking about it calmly, Cristóbal started feeling doubtful. He knew Doroteo for a
long time, and he might be getting a bit old, but Doroteo still ranked amongst the top five
of the Žaloudek army. He couldn’t imagine him being toyed by the Kuscheperca soldiers
that were no more than prey to them. As he pondered with a palm on his head, Catalina
who was also contemplating lift her head and said:

"I think that even if Kuscheperca attacked with a thousand men, it would be impossible
for them to seized the royals under Doroteo’s watch. Then the ones behind this
incident… are agents from another nation.”

“Damn it, so that’s what happened! Tchh, I thought they will only act much later, but
they actually barged in at this crucial moment!”

After hearing what his sister said, Cristóbal groaned with a bitter face. He thought of a
problematic possibility. Assuming the ones who took the royals were nobles of old
Kuscheperca, it wouldn’t be that much of a problem. It is still a problem, but they just
need to take advantage of their military forces to suppress them again. However, if a third
nation was behind this, then things would become tremendously complicated. If the
‘legitimacy’ known as the royals were taken, it would be very troublesome.

He already knew that other nations would interfere sooner or later, but for the Žaloudek
Kingdom who spent a huge amount of time to prepare and launched their campaign with
lightning speed, they completely didn’t expect a nation to respond this quickly.

“... What comes to mind are the Eleven Flags interfering in a roundabout way, or the
remnants of Locard Allied Union.”

Cristóbal’s guesses were rejected by Catalina who shook her head.

"No matter what, the problem is that in order to control the nobles of Kuscheperca, we
had already send out news that you and Eleanora would be getting married. It would be a
huge disgrace if we lost her.”

Catalina’s fine face was frowning from anxiety, this incident wasn’t pleasant for her, the
administrator who proposed the plan. At this moment, Doroteo who kept his head
lowered quietly interjected:
“Pardon my interruption, but I don’t think they belong to those groups.”

“Oh? What are your reasons for such a claim?”

Cristóbal urged him to go on suspiciously. But before he spoke, Doroteo slowly removed
his sheathed sword, and respectfully presented it to Cristóbal.

“... What is the meaning of this?”

"From this point on, my words are absolutely true, if Your Highness so much as suspect
it… Please cut my head off immediately.”

When he heard that, Cristóbal gritted his teeth, and Catalina also raised her eyebrows.
Since Doroteo bet his life on his words, that would mean—

“The incident is that hard to believe?”

Doroteo affirmed with a silent nod, with his sword held high with his palms. Cristóbal
considered briefly, took the sword and unsheathed it. The workmanship was crude, but it
was clear that it had been carefully maintained from its shiny blade.
.
“Hmmp, I won’t doubt you, but I accept your resolve. Don’t hold back on ceremony,
speak.”

“Thank you for Your Highness for your mercy… After the royals escaped, I gave chase
on the Levitate Ship… And found them escaping along the highway on Silhouette
Knights with its top half human, and bottom half horse."

Cristóbal exhaled deeply, swallowing his urge to say ‘How is that possible’. His blade
never left Doroteo’s neck all this while, and Cristóbal wasn’t foolish enough to doubt
Doroteo’s words.

"I finally understand why you are betting your head on this… What kind of monster is
that? An ancient demon beast that had gone extinct?”
“Forgive me for being blunt, they seemed to be Silhouette Knights crafted by the hands
of men. They were extraordinary fast, as if they were warhorses, and I wouldn’t have
caught up if I didn’t have the Levitate Ship."

Cristóbal frowned. Their mass produced machine Tyrants were perfect in defence and
offence, their only flaw being its slow speed. Opponents that had the characteristics of
warhorses were their nemesis. This much was ridiculous enough, but he didn’t expect
Doroteo to only get into the main point now,

"That wasn’t our only foe. We attempted to close in with the Levitate Ship to seize the
royals, but we encountered a demon god like adversary with multiple arms with flames
sprouting from it, flying in the air. It damaged the Levitate Ship with powerful weapons I
had never seen before…”

"… Wait, hold on Doroteo! What are you talking about!?”

Cristóbal who was listening to Doroteo’s report carefully interrupted when he realized the
contents were becoming ridiculous.

"I am talking about the enemy’s Silhouette Knight of course. Before we even landed, that
thing flew into the air and almost sunk our Levitate Ship. Aside from that, it’s magic
projectile attacks were strong enough to stagger the Black Knights with just one shot, so
we had to abandon our pursuit… If Your Highness think these are all just my excuse to
escape the blame, please use that sword to…”

“Tch! Stop blabbering about that! This thing is… really hard to imagine.”

Even Cristóbal couldn’t help moaning. The report Doroteo made with his life on the line
couldn’t be false, but a part of his mind was certain that he had mistaken something. At
the side of Cristóbal who had fallen into confusion, Catalina noticed a fact:

"… It might be a Silhouette Knight more powerful than the Black Knights. Leaving its
weird appearance aside, it meant its country of origin possess an advanced level of
technology. Doroteo, are you insinuating that the nation didn’t ‘develop new technology’,
but ‘already possess such technology’?”

She probably wasn’t certain, so she was asking quietly. Doroteo nodded in agreement:

“I have one point to add, amongst the escaping royals is the spouse of the late Archduke
Fernando — Martina Alt Kuscheperca… She was a princess from Fremmevira Kingdom.
And the direction they fled in, the east, was where that country lies."
"You mean the demon beast watch dogs? Those country bumpkins are here to join in the
fun huh?”

They thought of many possible enemy states, but not Fremmevira. After all, that country
was outside the Western League of Nations (Occident). They had some run-ins with them
in the past, but lost interest quickly.

“Perhaps they are doing this out of kinship, or they just want to seize Kuscheperca’s
lands. The more serious problem was, the royals who escaped has linked up with a force
powerful enough to stand up against the Black Knights. I think their numbers are limited,
but the situation doesn’t look good.”

Catalina felt that there was a need to amend the original battle plan. After identifying the
enemy, it wasn’t clear how it would affect future developments. The only certain thing
was that they had fallen one step behind the complete domination of the Kuscheperca
territory.

When Cristóbal heard this news, he turned dramatically, walked to the throne and sat
down again. He was obviously emotional, but his expression had a hint of something
other than rage.
"… Fuhahaha! Things are becoming interesting. Adversaries that surpasses the Black
Knights! There isn’t any thrill no matter how many Kuscheperca soldiers we defeat, I
was just starting to get bored."

Catalina behind him was obviously frowning. Even though her brother was a royal, his
personality was violent and craved battle instead of statesmanship. Always seeking
‘worthy foes’ was a bad habit of his.

“Cris, this is not the time for you to amuse yourself.”

“I know sis. Just find the enemy, and send troops to take them out. War is my forte, I will
leave the aftermath in your hands.”

Cristóbal got up like an uncaged beast. He was the Commander-in-chief of the invasion
force, this fact didn’t change when the main directive changed from invasion to
occupation. On the other hand, Catalina oversees all administrative matters, and would
have a hard time stopping Cristóbal in his military decisions.
“In that case, we need to hurry with the attack on the eastern territories… and crush them
early, there is no time to waste. The royal family still lives, and is scheming a
counterattack. If this news spreads, the regional resistance movements will intensify.”

His expression was lively, and didn’t look like he was describing the disadvantage of his
army. Since the royals were rescued, their opponent would definitely spread the news
quickly. After all, the main reason Kuscheperca collapsed so quickly was because the
royal family which was the heart of the Kingdom went missing. And so, the opposite
would apply too.
“A tool just needs to be used docilely. How dare you defy me, I will make you and the
bumpkins from the other side of the mountain pay for this with your lives!”

Crushing the enemy’s plan to resurrect their resistance efforts was the utmost joy for him.
Seeing Cristóbal on the verge of launching an attack, Doroteo tried restraining him:

“Please wait. The number of Black Knights deployed in the east has decreased, and we
know the enemy is more powerful. It wouldn’t be wise for Your Highness to go there
directly…”

That’s the result of the Silver Phoenix Knights active efforts. Although the Žaloudek
Kingdom still ruled the territory, they didn’t have the forces to launch a punitive
campaign. Cristóbal’s mood worsened immediately, and Catalina said resignedly before
his emotions plummeted completely:
"Cris, Draw some of the Black Skull Knights stationed in the south over. And commit the
former Kuscheperca forces too. They can’t match the Black Knights, but they are still
Silhouette Knights."

“This is such a hassle. But if we want to crush them before that country intervenes, we
will need to muster sufficient forces too.”

Cristóbal groaned, then sat back onto the throne.

The direction Žaloudek Kingdom will be taken had been set, and his written orders were
sent to the territories around Kuscheperca very soon. The Black Skull Knights— the best
elites of the Žaloudek army set off towards the east, closing their encirclement net around
the Kuscheperca royals.

After concluding his report, Doroteo left the audience hall with heavy steps. He had
relayed all the information he needed to, but the fact that he committed a serious blunder,
and even troubled his lord to take action personally. That was the biggest thing he
couldn’t forgive himself for.

"…Dad."

"Gustavo, I heard. You lost too."

The adopted son Gustavo walked towards his sullen father. He suffered great losses in his
fight with the Silver Phoenix Knights, so both parent and child failed in their task.

"I am sorry, this is too unsightly. Did His Highness said anything? Did he lectured you
sternly?”

“We won’t be seeing any action for the time being. His Highness wants us to stand by
until we are needed again.”

The chair Doroteo sat on squeaked, and he sighed. Frankly speaking, his punishment had
been put on hold. It was an unforgivable mistake, but considering the developments in the
future, it would be a pity to execute such an excellent general like him. So before the
issue in the east is resolves, he would need to reflect on his actions behind closed doors.

“The enemy I fought was a real challenge, in a completely different league from the
strawmans from Kuscheperca. Now is the time they need our swords.”

“We have to bear with it for now… Sooner or later, we will get to bet our lives on the
line and restore our honour. That death god won’t be sitting pretty in the meantime.”

The image of the destructive god flashed across his mind. Its existence will definitely
spell disaster for the Žaloudek Kingdom, Doroteo was certain of that. He had decided
how he would spend his life that had been spared.

While parent and child were wallowing in their sorrows, a subordinate appeared,
reporting the visit of an unexpected guest.

“Apologies for disturbing your rest. Lord Doroteo, can I have a word?”

"You are… Lord Collazo… correct? I remember that you should be stationed back in our
home nation, what brings you to the front lines?”
The visitor was the Central Workshop Director of Žaloudek Kingdom, Horacio Collazo.
Doroteo got up to meet the guest with his head tilted in confusion. He couldn’t
understand why a non-combat personnel came all the way to the foremost frontline in
Kuscheperca territory.

“Nothing much, I just need to keep challenging myself in order to do more for the sake of
His Majesty. Hence, I hope everyone can provide me with your opinions from the
battlefield.”

As a general and pilot,Doroteo couldn’t understand the thoughts of a technical personnel,

but he could feel the sincerity of the other party. He happened to be confined to quarters
and had plenty of time, so Doroteo agreed to the request with a nod.

"Since this is the request of Lord Collazo, I will do what I can. So, what information do
you need?”

After hearing that, Horacio twisted the corners of his lips in a smile, and spoke
persistently stubborn words”
"… I heard a Levitate Ship had been taken down, so I hope you can tell me how the
enemy looked like in detail…”

At this moment, Doroteo felt something completely different from the usual Horacio he
knew, an eerie passion and spirit.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 32.1

Chapter 32 Part 1.
Hmnn.... An Exo-suit arc...

Part 1.

"Fontanie"city, the home base of Jaruodeku kingdom's army east strategic point
division.

Originally, it was a capital city of Fernando dukedom, a place that flourished as

the part of trade route leading from the east-west highway.

There is a compartment zone in the corner of the city that had been constructed
by the poised merchant.

In the past, It was daily basis crowded with a lot of people who were coming and
going.

But now, the former prosperity has gone after the city fall in the hand of
Jaroudeku kingdom, it is completely quiet.

The thing that had appeared in this place instead was a Tyrantor, Jaroudeku's
army silhouette knight.

The black giant stands regards at such a town corner, sweep its crystal eye a
vacant gaze, dominated every people who walk down the road with its sharp
look.

[...When I came to this city at the first time, it was a hard time because there was
too many people move on the road. then, what with this plight state? ...for the
town that used to be overflowing with lively...]

Avoid the black knight's line of sight, the man with merchant cloth grumble while
walking down the street corner.

If look at him closely, he doesn't look like a trader with the profession at all.

Leaving with trotting pace while avoiding the public gaze of the resident.

[I see, It seem like Jaroudeku kingdom is rushing stabilize this occupied

area, but with this current state, they rather kind of missed a good taste, right?]
TN: Lacking of management skill.

A petite boy who looks like a nobleman manservant was wearing a low over
one's eye currently walking next to him and give a supportive response.

The man kept his disappointed appearance while walking to the back of the
street.

They proceeding to the low popular road and arrived at the old abandoned
warehouse at the street corner.

[God grief, avoiding the public gaze is certainly inconvenient.]

The man with merchant appearance throw off his jacket and plunk sit down.
disguised with leathery and hairstyle, Emurys, the second prince of Fremmevir
kingdom was there.

Without a doubt, the one who wears a small dress is Ernesti.

They are boldly disguised as the merchant of "Silver Firm", sneaking in Fontanie.
To tell the truth, It is really not much meaningful cover since the economy of
Fontanie is in a state of confusion.

[For now, I roughly understand the state of city and able to grasp the surrounding
state of our objective, Raspedo castle.]

[Just leave it to the guide when it needs since this one already burned mostly
geography of this town in the head. it was a common knowledge! ...then, how
about it, shouldn't we moving soon?]

Then, Emurys turn his line of sight to the back of the warehouse.

This warehouse that previously owned by a merchant is quite a large stores in its
own way, It has enough space.

It got deserted after clear out its goods but now a large systemic armor painted
with dark green color had been arranged in a row instead.

They are disguised as a silver firm's "commodities", in the crowded box shape.

[As your command, the old silhouette gear (Motor beat) of your grandmaster
excellency, under "re-modification" of our Blue Falcon knights. now, it's all covert
specializes purpose silhouette gear. one platoon with twelve units in totals]

In the first place, the dark green silhouette gear here and there, "Shadow Rat" is
a special silhouette gear that has been created for castle hawk knights sake
which mainly focuses on intelligence activities.
TN: they certainly use "shirotaka" (castle falcon) not "aitaka"(blue falcon)

The one came up with this idea was Nora who was dispatched to silver phoenix
knights as a liaison officer.

She witnesses the success of silver phoenix knights operation with silhouette
gear and came up with a conviction that it has its own "professional".

The new weapon silhouette gear had the capability to provide covert support for
those who are responsible for gathering intelligence such as Blue falcon knight.

That is "skilled in maneuverability, quiet while demonstrating a better large power

output".

The difference between silhouette knight and silhouette gear mainly focus on the
presence or absence of ether reactor than its different size.

At first look, it seems to be a disadvantage that there is no furnace, but actually, it

was an advantage.

After all, ether reactor is something accompanied by a considerable noise in its

operation.

For covert type silhouette knight that has been designed so far,

The internal mechanism that oppressed by the mechanism of suppressing the

noise has set a major drawback extremely to a combat capability.

Silhouette gear doesn't have such a problem.

In the first place,

Silhouette gear is much less combat capability compared to silhouette knight.

However, silhouette gear warfare can be said that it was a deadly force for flesh
and blood enemy.

It was the best choice for Blue falcon knight with its interpersonal mission.

Such a history gave a birth to Shadow Rat, now, as the core of this strategy, its
ability is what it need.

[Then, everyone.... we will begin Kshyperuk royal rescue operation after today'
sunset.]

Received Eru's instruction, everyone slowly nodded.

The operation of special forces that utilized silhouette gear for the first time in this
world, begun to move.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 32.2

Chapter 32 Part 2.
Indeed a jail breaking event. >_<

Part 2.

The town of Fontanie went into slumber shortly after day fall.

The appearance of energetic merchants went soured and head back to their
resident early due to the intimidate appearance of Tyrantor.

The remaining is nothing but a deadly silence and just a footsteps sound of the
giants that occasionally break it.

While playing a faintly sound of driving the crystal tissue, The Tyrantor stand
patrolling and look around with its crystal eyeball which is a visual device of
silhouette knight but it did not mean that it can see thru the darkness.

For that reason, A torches have been placed here and there all of the street
corner.

Without any person figure among the wavering light, the black knight kept
walking slowly.

But that was a big mistake.

There are shadows galloping on the roof of the building connected to the
Fontanie city without any sound making.

The one machine that advance to the top painted with dark blue tone.
Silhouette gear "Motor Beat"--- by utilized this craft, Silver Phoenix knights
leader, Ernesti. Chid also Ady, all rode on the Motor Beat, chasing Emurys who
riding on the Shadow Rat.

Apart of them are Blue Falcon knights who went over without a sound.

Under the dim moonlight, they have been turning into a literal shadow.

A steel skeleton frame supports the whole body, by uplifting the crystal muscle
that connects to its limb, it keeps repeat leaping from building to the buiding.

The shadows group had continued ran without shaking also looking around.

To move the silhouette gear's arm and leg, there is a need to energy supply with
mana of the pilot themselves.

Now looking at their pace, while running at full power, there is no a trace of
slowing down or lack in motion which prove that all members here are
considerably familiar with silhouette gear.

Before long, they ran through the city and arrived at the center of the town.

The robust towering walls that surrounded by a moat, the former royal castle,
Raspedo castle. stood before their sight.

[...by our spies information, the royal family is held captive in the four sides
standing spire of Raspedo castle. the uppermost part had become a prison, it
appears that they were imprisoned there. out of the four spire, I do not know
whether they contain anymore personal. because to hit all at once will consume
our entire division hand.]

Child who next to Eru along with Ady and Emurys lined up with their silhouette
gear. each one of them will lead the divided platoon.

[Our most priority goal, is to successfully ensure the safety of royal custody. deal
with anyone who stand in our way...but not necessary to entirely eliminated them.
be quiet, be quick, please do it safely... then, let's go!]

Received the signal from the grandmaster, the shadows divided into four
directions and fledgling without a sound.

Both Tyrantor and soldiers were placed on the surrounded wall of Raspedo
castle as the security team.

But none of them aware the existence of silhouette gear that running in the dark
night.

It would be cruel to blame them since the numbers of the black knight that guard
the Raspedo castle are less than the numbers of Fontanie city' patrolling guard.

No one would expect such a bold enemy that coming all the way here to sneak in
the home territory of Jaroudeku's army.

Silhouette gear that jumped out of the city took advantage of blind spot that
darkness created with a flying momentum, rush over the moat with a directly
jumped into the air.

An arrowhead fly upright while making a sound faintly from the arm's portion.

Drive by an atmosphere's explosion that caused by the magic phenomenon, the

flying arrowhead is connected with a silver wire.

It was an equipment called a wire anchor.

The tip of arrowhead changing form into sharp scissor, reach and fixed itself with
the wall.

As it became a reference point,

The silhouette gear acted as a cornerstone of the pendulum while jump over the
moat in the area, one after another keep going and clung to the sheer wall.

Silhouette gear is a machine that strengthens a human movement with the power
of crystal tissue.

Because it utilizing the strand crystal tissue that particularly strong output, it even
possible to exert a force that greater than a monster that same size as human or
horse.

Assuming a moat as an obstacle to silhouette knight, it had been rendered into a

meaningless before this new weapon.

Silhouette gear that clung to the walls examine its surrounding state and
stretched a large limb.

The tip of Shadow Rat's five fingers fitted with a sharp blade.

While hooked on the ledge on the wall, they began to climb the walls while
displaying a surprising dexterity.

The walls are high up to 30 meters, exceed the height of silhouette knight itself.
The shadows reached and enter the top without any difficulty.

There was a sentry patrolling on the walls.

For Jaroudeku'army occupied Fontanie city without any much commotion.

The soldiers on sentry duty already lack vigilant and a restless one, they are
already seen in a vivid plight state from their appearance.

His ear picked up a distraction, a sound like wind flows up from somewhere.

He halted and check around with a torch in his hand, light up the area, nothing
abnormal.

While inspecting the surrounding not too long, he shrugged, turn his torch back to
the previous direction and resumes his patrolling---A shrill rotation sound echo
again, a dull sound kicking the stone walls.

During the time he turns the torch toward the sound, someone just popping out of
the shadow.

the stick out blade painted with a matte black color, the shadow also stood
against him without any sound.

The guard's death was confirmed with the very torch dropping on the ground, the
shadow throws away the corpse.

Not only just him, the other sentries who were on the wall are quickly eliminated
by the shadow that appeared one after another.
[No remaining enemy around.]

[From now on, we have to race against the time, let run through it at once!]

Eru's motor beat overlooking the courtyard from the walls.

Compared the wall's stringency with the city's monitoring, look like the inside was
the negligent one.

Also less torch here.

There is still a much dark spot in the garden.

Seen it quickly, he casually jump out beyond the edges of the walls.

The shadows dancing into the air from the top of the walls of formidable height
that surpass silhouette knight many times.

Motor beat should get inevitable destructed.

By no mean, he is not an extraordinary person.

While motor beat was on the verge touching the ground, it was displayed the
magic phenomenon at its protruding hand.

Collecting the air and create a cushion with the magic "Air Suspension".

By relief all impact from the fall, the motor beat landed in the courtyard quietly.

Followed it, a shadow figure has been falling one after another.
The limb of Shadow Rat made from a special structure, wrapped with a powerful
strand type crystal tissue joint that divided into many stages.

It can be move flexibly in order to absorb the shock and incidentally suppress the
sound at the same time.

Shadow Rat fell and take up a beast like movement, slide into the safe landing.

Although there was a guard in the courtyard, they were not aware of all shadows
in the least.

A decent size shadows perfectly hide in many darkness spots and because they
do it almost silently , their presence is really significantly small one.

There also a limit to the guard's attention.

In the end, there were a lot of soldiers in the castle.

But none of them manage to notice the presence of intruders.

As they let their guard down in the castle due to their strict security control over
the city.

More than anything, the silhouette gear is kept lurking in the unknown blind spot
which makes all of this possible despite the difficulty.

They ran through the darkness without leaking even a slightly sound, soon they
will scattering and reached to the base of the destination steeple that placed on
all directions of Raspedo castle.
[...This is the place right?]

Eru looked up at the towering spire and fire the wire anchor far above on him.

After he checked the fixed resistance, he launched himself flying with the hoisting
wire on the outer wall of the tower with a momentum.

Soon, the Shadow Rat followed him.

Because this place imprisoned the royal family of the ancient Kshyperuk
principality, a very important presence, the exceptionally strong security had
been placed at the steeple.

They kept the focus on the bottom stairs that allow people to up and down but
none on the above top and its vicinity.

Who gonna thought that there are people who able to rise up on the towering that
higher that the wall itself by climbing it?

Even start climbing from the poor outer wall as a starting point, it still difficult
even that person already gained a considerable training.

Moreover, even somebody manage to reach the top, there is no such a doorway.
there is only just a small enhance fitted window that human can't pass.

Unfortunately, such a logic and common sense don't apply on silhouette gear.

The motor beat that reached the top, implanted its wire anchor solidly on the wall
and constantly destroyed the surrounding of said window with its powerful
muscle strength.
Abandon the conceal activity, it destroyed the stone walls, entering into a huge
systemic reinforce room.

[...For forcibly breaking into women's room on such a midnight...it's enough to

call a culpable one, just who on earth are you?]

A quiet challenge greeting came faster than Eru can even look around.

When he turned at the sound origin, at a dim room place with just only a lamplit.

Young blooming aged women sat on the chair there with one book in her hand.
TN: 妙齢 eternal seventeen....again? if K&M gone into anime adaptation, I highly
hope that Kikuko Inoue will cast Martina's roles. just how old is Martina???
another young mother...

[Since the location is such a place, some of the irreverent should be pardoned
sometimes, it can't be helped right? Are you the grand duchess Martina?]

[You are indeed right. Still, I yet to heard your reply from the previous question?]

This woman is indeed, "Martina Orto Kshyperuk"---who married to the former

Fernando duke.

Basically, she is Emurys's aunt.

Eru nodded, take out the emblem from his bosom and quickly form a small bow.

What engraved there is the nation flag of Fremmevir kingdom with silver phoenix
appearance at its surrounding.

Martina who keeps composed until now reveals her surprise for the first time.
[...that proof. did you received from brother's hand?]

[At your will, I will be brief since the situation has been imminent. We, the
servants of Emurys highness came in order to rescue you royalty.]

A sound of lock removing can be heard from the entrance of the room.

The soldiers indeed perceive an abnormal and began to inspect it.

[...seriously, that fool....to a place like this! fine, as you state, I will trust you. but
this place still caught the royal highness princess and my daughter. I will not run
away alone!]

[We're aware of that, please be assured. the other personal already heading
toward the other place same as this place, because we already planned to
extract you all at once.]

Martina only has a little time to nominal thinking.

Soon she closed the book and throw it wildly.

TN: lol....poor book.

[Good, then there is no reason to hole up in a cramped place like this, could you
show me the way, cute knight-kun?]
TN: even Martina who was an eternal seventeen women called Eru "可愛い"
(kawaii), I guess his charm work at all female age range. as a girl stuffed toy...

[At your will, the escaping may be a little rough, therefore I like to beg you a
pardon.]
[Haha! just quickly breaking out clearly under their nose directly! isn't that good? ]

Eru re-enter the motor beat while made a wry smile, he really want to protest
against the decision like aunt like nephew of her.

He moved its huge arm and embracing Martina.

[If that the case then, I will escort you out...for sure!]

By his word, they came dancing out of the large hole without any hesitation.

[What on earth is that sound?]

Immediately after this, the soldiers who opened the door wildly got crowded
collapsed.

They put up a lot of locking mechanism to prevent the royal family escape but
now it becomes their hindrance instead.

The soldier depressing, when they entered, the room already become completely
empty, only a cold air that flowing thru the broken window from outside remain
behind.

[Fool...even escape away from this tower! , Oi, go assemble the surrounding
barricade!]

Soldiers sounded the horn, alarming the entire Raspedo Castle.

All of the Motor beat destroyed the outer wall, begin to invade the spire, the
silhouette gear troops arrived and enter the steeple in addition. everything
happens almost the same time at four directions.

[I am Emurys! who was imprisoned here!? I came to help!!]

TN: this guy just seriously stated his name in the covert operation?? even his
father (the king) keep repeat to hide the name...such a hilarious one, I like it.

[...!? that voice, Emurys-nii!? is it really Emrys-nii? ]

[Ou. Is that you, Isadora? Yosh, your sound surely lively isn't?]

Emurys who entered inside by breaking the window area similar to Eru, remove
his helmet and descent down from the Silver Rat seat.
Showing his face under it, Martina's daughter, Isadora bounce back from her
stunned and jump to his chest immediately.

[Otto. It alright now, Isadora. ....Oi, Don't cry, as expected, you scared cause you
are caught right?]

[Tch, Wrong, ...It not that... this... because it was a little crowded and cramped...]
TN: ping-pong!! Tsundere flag raised!!

Isadora wipes her tears and becomes flustered, Emurys teased and stroking the
girl in the good mood.

Her hair becomes fluffy, Isadora escaped from his hand in a hurry.

[Haha, if you are healthy then it all good. now that we came here, you don't need
to worry about that degradation idiot prince, let get out of here immediately!]

A small laugh and giggle reach Emurys's conscious thru his ears while he returns
to Shadow Rat and made preparation for escape.

[Fufu, this is surely strange. Rys-nii called other people a fool!]

While Emurys quickly suit up silhouette gear, he moaned with discouraging

appearance.

[What the heck is that mean? nevermind, time to pull out. come here, Isadora!]

Stuffed Isadora in one hand, Emurys'Shadow Rat send out the signal. there is a
man who waiting outside the steeple that keeps check around, he began to
move in order to lead him.
[Since it will become a little rough, hold on me tightly!]

[eh, wait a sec....Rys-nii, come to think of it again, how come you reach
her...e....Hyi...yahhh!?]

Isadora who reaches the suspicion at that time doesn't have any time to think,
they leaped out from the top of the spire, dancing in the air.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 32.3

Chapter 32 Part 3.
Part 3.

The Princess Elleonora was caught in one of the spires that have been placed in
four directions of Raspedo castle.

In a room where is no light, the girl spent her time loosely without doing anything.

Almost as she was imprisoned here for 10 years, completely lost her all life
energy.

Actually, It still not reach even one year.

Now, Elleonora who lost her energy is looking exactly like the wilting exhausted
flower.

Forced to comply the pronouncement of marriage by Cristobal, the second prince

of Jaroudeku kingdom---that means that she gonna married off to the man, the
ringleader who murdered her father---destroyed her country.

All of the facts was too harsh and disservice for the sheltered princess who was
raised with care among a butterfly and flower.

Hardly to accept it, however, her continuing denial will result in the execution of
the next target, her's cousin, Isadora.

No way out, Every choice are sealed.

Until then, she only wishes for a peacefully slumbering, almost as her heart
could break too easily at any moment.

Before long, the girl gave up the resistance and just spent the presence day after
day in the gloomy state.

(The way I lived so far, almost like a plant...)

TN: inner voice...

She, who was once being got admiring as a large blossoming flower, now got
abandoned as a moss that crawling to the land.

She realized it.

The fact that until now she never decided anything by herself.

While face down on the bed, she stared at the wall of the room by slowly crawling
her line of sight.

Such a dark, dreary room.

Her mental now is also similar to this room.

Surrounded by a thick wall with a few living reason end up suffocating oneself.

It may look like a respected tower from the outside but its content is empty.

A tear fell on her cheek and made a stain on the sheets.

Wondered what she should do in this world, what she can do.
It is not possible to resolve the difficulty but it was lacking any antidepressant will.

While tasted a sense of helplessness, the girl's limbs spreading ahead.

Even the power to stand up already long gone and not exist anymore.

[...please. somebody, help me...]

A slender tweet spun a "word", a proof of people's intention.

The last resistance that she could do in order to oppose her fate.

A faint voice than a whispered sound, floating along the ambient air---.

At that moment, her vision got shaking around.

The grate that fitted at the window got blown off, a stone wall that supposed to
have a considerable robust got destroyed.

Does Elleonora'word hidden an unknown power ? of course, nope.

It has been destroyed by the hole in the wall, a large build knight that she was
never seen before entering the room by penetrating the wall.

It demonstrated its ferocious force by breaking the around wall, it was the work of
this armored knight.

Elleonora is not even get up, she keeps remain her sight on the situation before
her with no reaction.

Rather than she did not respond, she was not able to react due to the too much
surprising element.

[I-yah, etto...!? who, there--?]

A voice of lighter tone leaks from such the armored knight.

The arm that pulls down the string with was lifted up with barely sound and
manifest the magic of fire in its hand.

The light spreading around and speculated at Elleonora who was frozen on the
couch.

Chid who rush in by manipulating the Motor beat into the interior of the spire,
cease his motion before the instant sight.

In the light that lit up vividly, a petite figure has emerged.

Probably much as his time of the year, a beautiful girl lie before him.

(....Uwah! this is, did I just hit a jackpot? maybe, but furthermore, she is a
princess, right? ...how should I say, she so small just like Eru, also...extremely
beautiful too.)
(TN: chid's inner voice...)

Actually, the current Elleonora is fully haggard both mentally and physically, she
did not possess a vestige that has been praised beauty as a large blossom
flower right now.

But there is not much face detail that could be seen in the dim light room, rather
that, should call it just a Child's temporary impression.
Although they had been staring at each other for some time during the silence as
both two people lost their reaction, at last, the wit return to Chid, he hastily asks
her a question.

[eh...ah... that. Kshyperuk's princess, would you kindly come with me?]

[...yes. a-no, you are, ...hah?]

While Elleonora got too much puzzled by the visited abruptly situation, she
involuntarily obediently replies him back.

A sweet voice such as a birdsong tickled Chid's ear.

[I am..., eh... ah...this is such an awkward.]

Chid went back and secured his motor beat, open up the armor part. a chest
armor and a helmet rashly, open its apart until around the thigh, belly, and waist
area.

Exit from the armor, he removes the emblem from his bosom and held it out
before Elleonora.

Elleonora who focus her eyes sticks to the knight with robust and height, round
off her eye on the appearance of the boy who emerges from the bottom armor of
its.

After got over the slight hesitation, the girl timidly inspects the emblem's detail.

The girl has received an education of the princess. soon she understands the
meaning in this depicted emblem.
[This is, Fremmevir kingdom...are you perhaps from ....like aunt Martina?]

[Ah! exactly! then I...came to rescued...the lady...who like Martina...the

princess...]
TN: This is interesting, his word really does not connect, Is Elleonora really that
charming?

It takes a while for Elleonora in order to understand the meaning of the word that
Chid shoot out.

To help, to escape, who? from where? the girl's mind came across with a
fragment of thought.

But she not able to reach the conclusion.

She wants to try clinging on the offered helping hand but the girl hand and feet
won't budge and did not move at all.

The resignation had scooped her mind, it not easily to wipe it out.

[Run away from here?...then, where on earth am I gonna run to?]

Even he just immediately come up with something called an escaping, Chid was
thinking and tilted his neck over before the unexpected question.

[No matter place I go, it will be useless. this country already been ruined...and
another thing, father is no...longer here anymore.]

Tear fall out at her latter half remark, even her word is withered.

Her weak heart can no longer endure any more despair.

Fear toward a blank future, that why she was motionless before this opportunity.

Even with the helping hand of powerful knight would be meaningless before her
state.

(While she keep such an apparent, she was a small frail princess inside? ...I was
wrong when assumed her to be the same as Eru...or maybe use Eru as a
standard is already wrong in the first place...did I made a mistake at many points
until now?)

Chid shook his head, after all, It's too much difficult to ignore the impression of
his small childhood friend who never stops moving forward in his head.

He must concentrate on the girl who in front of his eyes right now.

Unlike that monster in the form of the young child, this girl is more like a delicate
glasswork that would be immediately broken after being touched.
[All right, we are still here as your ally. once we got out of here, let go splashing
on those guys who attacked you, let show them that you gonna regain back this
country.]

Once she heard it, far from cheer up, Elleonora went sinking even deeper.

Look like it was a wrong word, Chid soaked up in a cold sweat.

[I am...weak. not able to do anything even I was called a princess, without

anything. fight? where? I can't even move myself-desu...]

[Isn't fine for being weak? after all, the fight should be carried out by a knight, the
strong person like us who fight with sword and armor.]

The return word came back with the diffidence, Elleonora who headed down until
now raise up her face.

[ Who will listen...word is nothing more than a tool...who will follow and fight for
someone like me?]

Recalled the figure of saying Cristobal, the girl was trembling.

Such an acne in her memory turned into a different form.

It became such a beast that sip her a flesh and blood.

As this rate, she will become a hollow one.

[There is one, after all, I am here.]

Chid stretched out his hand from to the back of the motor beat, conveying her
with a clearly great will and determination.

Supplied by his magic, the assembled magic surgery formula crying, the
armored machine begins to move.

Strumming the crystal tissue, the armor expanding and covering his hand and
feet, sealed the chest armor part.

His appearance disappears from Elleonora eyes.

Instead, one knight clad in a heavy armor is now standing before her.

[In order to reprise you as a knight, I will wield the sword for your sake, I will
protect you as your's knight.]
TN: the very line of the part!!

Elleonora who still remains silent looking up at the huge armor.

The armored knight and the boy who inside it floats up a small fire.

Now, their appearance is completely different to her, once it seemed to overlap

with those who have lost their life from the fight in order to protect her.

[...mine...knight...can you protect me without dying?]

Chid remembered the knight gesture that he learn at the school, took the
audience bow with a superlative great respect.

The motor beat down on its knee.

[Your royal highness. please give me my first responsibility as your knight.]

Chid just keep waiting, while the heavily remain silent passed, before long, a
small murmur came out and reached him.

[...this place is...so disgusting. I am, why I have to married to the man who killed
my father, I don't want to... please take me out of this place.]

[At your will!]

Elleonora grabbed the outstretched hand.

The chilly and soft feeling sense from the touching at Chid's hand assault his
mind suffered an attack from such a weak small girl, Chid desperately collects his
remaining consciousness in order to move the motor beat.

After a while that silhouette gear jumps off the tower, a slender scream
resounded on the silence night.

Continue to Part 4.

PS. quite an epic part...a knight swearing scene...not much you gonna seen in
similar robot novel.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 32.4

Chapter 32 Part 4.
Hmm...is google's time just mess up? pretty sure that it was 21 hours ago since
part 3.

Part 4.

The motor beat that Eru rode on jumped from the top floor of the steeple while
holding Martina in its arm.

Even you said that it was a pullout, it just a simply free-falling no matter how
much you looking at it.

Leaving from the tower in such a very bold way.

However, it does not seem like a suiciding act at all since Martina withstood it
without leaking any sound or clenched her teeth.

She just simply sitting normally as expected for the only daughter of Ambrosius.

Although the spire is very high but with a free-fall movement, it just only a blink of
the eye to them when they almost reach the ground.

Look at the ground that closing in rapidly, Martina indeed gasped.

At that time, motor beat extends the another arm and embracing her tightly, firing
a shining silver arrowhead along with the sharp blowing sound.

The wire anchor flying penetrate an air of the night and pierces into the wall.
With its support, the motor beat reduces the falling impact velocity.

A sound of "Air Suspension" magic activated on the verge of the ground can be
heard.

A mass of compressed of the air lifts the motor beat on behalf of the ground
softly.

In addition, motor beat also fully killed the remaining falling momentum
completely and rise up as it is as it was nothing unusual.

At its surrounding, the other Shadow Rat are getting out and show themselves
one after another.

[...Hah...even I already prepared, It still a little rough. are you, are you really a
knight!? It truly that we really "escaping" for sure but... this is beyond calling
insane too much!]

For Eru, this is just a simple maneuver that he familiar with but it not the case for
the other person.

Listening to the protest voice of Martina who tries hard to calm down, however,
he answered back with a cool look.

[If it just this much then it just a normal thing for knight of Fremmevir, you know?]

Martina floated a horrible imagination in the sky, while she did not return home
for a while, did her home just turn into some kind of a den of thieves?
TN: 魔窟- den of thieves,red-light district --- or may be I should use a circus?
Word of the incidentally Eru had fully misled her somehow, It not an entire false
but it just a truth limited to the Silver Phoenix knight order only.

Aside from that, the other troops begin to link up with Eru who reach the meeting
point first.

[Ou, look like aunty also made it safely! silver leader too, good work!]

Looking back to the familiar sultry voice origin, Emurys's Shadow Rat which got a
handful with Isadora stood there.

Martina greatly relieved at the fact that she saw her daughter also made it out,
although she betting on the decision to believe Eru's word.

Soon, Ady's troops also linked up but she was empty-handed.

[My side was miss! ah, to cling on Eru-kun tightly like that...so jealous!!]

Ady's groaned was splendidly ignored as usual.

Then a little late later, Chid join up while he got handful hugging Elleonora as the
last one.

Silver Phoenix knights manage to successfully rescue every member of

Kshyperuk royal family that being held captive.

[Now that all royal family who had been caught are all gathered, seem like we
don't have any trouble, right? Yosh, let get away from this place, shall we?]

[Even you said that but the commotion already spread around the castle. they will
definitely focus on a gate, how are you gonna slip out! can you overcome them
with only this much war potential?]

Martina who harboring anxiety having been understood the obvious fact, she
doubts about this "conventional war potential" which mainly composed of
infantry.

Eru replied her with a smile.

[In the first place, there is no need for us to go at the gates.]

After his words, everyone starts running toward "to the wall".

Running without wire anchor and standing against the walls.

What they need to devote in order to escape is a speed.

Using the magic "Aero Thrust" without hesitation, the party got throw up secretly.
TN: Aero Thrust : a magic that creates an air compressed propulsion.

The sound of air compressed explosion roaring while the frame of silhouette gear
accelerating with an explosive speed.

They just leave it to the propulsion momentum, went up with strange ran with a
speed on the towering walls that vertically from the ground.

The stuffed Martina group lost for words as such a thing before their eyes.

The silhouette gear troops that overcame the walls excellently are the existence
that massively lacks common sense as they just came jump out and head toward
the darkness.
They rebound themselves with a recoil from "Aero Thrust" explosion, the
silhouette gear troops flew out to the other side of the moat easily.

For them, it is just a button for pressing when met with such as obstacles.

Silhouette gear troops entered the city, run through the top of roof realm.

Depending on a mana pool size of each individual, the speed performance of

silhouette gear is even greater than a horse in short distance travel.

Faster than the laid security network can relay a news about the confusion in the
castle to the city security, Silver Phoenix knight armor troops are on verge of its
departure from Fontanie city.

At that time, Raspedo castle still under the confusion state without any intel, a full
complexity state, they were not able to take any action.

After all, the guard who was stationed there still not clearly understands where
does the intruder come from or where did they leave after they were outwitted in
the middle of the night.

However, this is not normally commotion for the guard who was assigned to
protect the spire since all Kshyperuk's royal family are now certainly escaped.

[D, Damn you. what a, what a blunder! how the heck I gonna report this to his
highness!!]

Dorote who is the commander was entrusted with the castle responsibility yelling
out a thundering roar.
A full fierce anger roar enough to involuntarily silence and stop the moment of the
surrounding soldiers.

He usually an relatively mild person but now blown up with an anger like a furious
volcano.

[What happen to the thief!? where does it run to!? Is there anyone who saw their
figure!!]

[A, about that...the soldiers who protect the castle gate reported that they did not
see any thief appearance. Soldiers at that time appeared to be patrolling so we
end up not able to got any intel....]

Dorote raises a creak and clenches his teeth after got flustered by heard his
subordinates reporting

The soldiers who foresaw the eruption fall back a half step on their own but
Dorote remain silent.

Punishing all soldiers here would be meaningless, rather that, he must think for
the next move.

The escaping of Kshyperuk royal family must not be allowed.

If they were stolen, then it must be recovered back at all cost.

For that reason, He will do everything regardless the method.

[At this rate...Damn it! mobilize the entire soldiers in the city to scan thoroughly
the entire area range! if theif already escaped from the town at a worst case!
then, Airship!! go immediately prep the flying airship. send it out to searching the
outside town area...don't let them escape at all cost, whatever it takes!!]

Immediately after he saying, the soldiers start hurriedly running fiercely to the "Air
Field".

[Did you said "Thief"!? who on earth is them...remnants of Kshyperuk? there is

no way they have such a force. that would be an unexpected explanation to the
story. but no matter who is it, those who get in the way of his highness, I will
crushed them until nothing remain!]

Dorote Marudonness---the person who was a loyal old veteran to Jaroudeku

kingdom is now risk everything in order to track back the royal family.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 32.5-32.6

Chapter 32 Part 5 & 6

Part 5.

The silhouette gear troops escaped from Fontanie with quickness such as gale
heading into the woods as it is near the city.

Use the simple forest to hide from the deployed pursuers because they escape
safely from the castle.

[Although It has become a little rough way, Did you get hurt somewhere? since
we already made a preparation, please wait a moment. the transportation from
now on will be changed.]

Martina who finally got off from motor beat's arm starts to rise up with an
unsteady step.

The mind of the woman did not hide the color of fatigue that been through a
forced fiercely marching.

[You called that "a little"? hey, that was quite an exciting experience. but
Jaroudeku's pursuer will be catching soon. To outrun them is not an easy task,
how on earth are you plan to do from here?...]

During the time she saying, Martina's voice become lighter and lighter when she
noticed the presence that lies before her eyes.

Shine with the moonlight, illuminate a huge variant figure crouched in the forest.

It was a variant figure of half man half horse, the majestic figure of centaur
knight, Tzendrinble.

[... this thing...just what in the world is this?]

Martina group which got breathtaking, gazing at such a mysterious thing while
every member of Silver Phoenix knights is deftly preparing.

Two units of Tzendrinble along with two wagons were stand by at this place.

They walk to the wagon and hop on one of them while silhouette gears being
stored in another one.

Then Chid and Ady jumped up and entering the cockpit of Tzendrinble.

The ether reactor which was set in an inactive mode now starting up, the centaur
knight leak a neigh as a sign of awakening.

A voice reached Martina who remained stunned looking at how they proceed with
preparation , Eru's voice pulling her conscious back to real world.

[then, Everyone, please get on the wagon. we will leave soon. since if we didn't
go soon, we will not able to get away from this place far enough as we planned.]

[Y...yes...]

Martina who finally only answered him shortly pinched Isadora's cheek who was
stand behind and still in her own's world.

The girl group already got startled at the knight who ride in silhouette gear scene
but this centaur knight had delivered more impact than that.
Also, they never heard about any silhouette knight in another form than a human
form before.

Emurys who rose up here saying that this thing was made in Fremmevir
kingdom.

The girl group twisted their neck before an unexpected mind exhausted question
and answer while they got across the street on the wagon.

[...I have not gone back for while, Just what on earth happening in Fremmevir
kingdom...?]

[Ha Ha! there still more to see after this. then, Aunty, you should take a loot at
this!]

They did not amazed at Emurys's appearance while he guiding them but they
wonder why Emurys showing the guts pose while he at it instead.
TN: hmnn...must be some kind of Macho Pose!! just imagine that someone
makes a weird pose that shows off his muscle while that person also guiding you
on something....

The girl group was guided to the waiting room inside the wagon.

Originally, It was a room that a knight runner use for rest when they on the long
distance travel, the internal may look a bit over cheap in its own way.

Elleonora is just only one who still in embarrassment behind Martina group who
got on board with curiosity.

[...This is...a reality...really happen...?]

Believed in the boy's word that he would become Her knight, thus, she hardened
her resolve to escape, the scene in front of her eye is too realistic as almost a lie.

Her mind can no longer successfully recognize the reality, thus, she finally begun
to think.

About the help coming, about got stuck in Raspedo castle too, her weak heart
had witnessed a good scene of convenience too much.

This event has many things happen too much at once.

That is, It was a thing that easily exceeds the permissible amount of her frail
spirit.

[It gonna be fine, Your royal highness.]

A word flew from the centaur knight toward such a half-sleep person as her.

A voice of boy knight reaches out to her, it was a huge, fearsome, centaur knight
but the girl wonders why she can clearly see the boy figure behind its crystal
eyeball.

[Just leave it to me, I and this Tzendrinble will definitely escort you to the safe
place.]

Her knight's word pulled her back to the harsh reality. because it was her's
command, and he answered it. how can she not believe in this knight? After
gathering a bit of determination, the girl goes stand up.

[...Yes, please do...]

Her slender voice would have been drowned out immediately in this place due to
a driving acoustic of silhouette knight, however, the boy's ear clearly heard it.

[Hou hou! Chid...you just suddenly looking motivated-ne! As I thought, Chid is still
a boy after all... did you already fallen for the beautiful princess?]

[Shut it. I just...that it, it...is a duty...as members of silver phoenix knight order!]

[Houuu---Uho ho ho ho ho. good, good for you, I wish to get motivated like that
too! just like that.]

[Garghh!! You will make the other people misunderstand it, Ady!!]

While the two siblings chatting at each other, all preparation has been completed.

Eru voice came from silhouette knight which got carried on the wagon.

[Yeah, yeah, both you two, surely energetic. get ready. then, Silver Phoenix
knight...let it's begins!]

The two Tzendrinble begin to move. with a neigh sound.

Head toward an end of the eastern side of Old Kshyperuk kingdom.

The fledgling knight becomes strong by rescuing the bound princess.

Part 6.

One flying airship rowing thru the wind and hop on Obinie's ridges at dawn.

Dorote had been sitting deeply on the captain's seat while listening to a sound of
wind torrent that came thru a glass window.

Basking in the dazzling morning sun in dazzling, he putting up a hand in

frustrating.

He and this airship which carrying his troops had left Fontanie and heading
toward the east of Old Kshyperuk castle in over all night.

For the airship going the sky that not affected by the terrain, it advances
extremely fast compared to existing mobile means such as horse-drawn carriage
and silhouette knight.

They already stepped big forward into the east.

[...Where...where the hell in this land...the fled royal family should be somewhere
around here!]

The line of sight of Dorote pouring around a map for possible location of Old
Kshyperuk royal family on the captain's seat.

It's not something that he made recently with haste but it was an extremely detail
one.

He borrowed it from Raspedo castle with him.

Moving by flying airship may be fast but there also a con since
the way to read the course is completely different.

If going by land then road and the city itself are already a course mark.

But now they have seen it all from a bird's eye view, all of the circumstances will
be different.

A compass and a map, see the scenery view from above to the terrain and
imagine collates it all---had replaced the land's navigator, It require such
capability.

From such a situation, the strategic value of a high precision map had been
growing even more.

[Impossible, so it heading east?]

A number was seen writing on the map.

To determine the course, Dorote and "Air Navigator" group who traces all lead
sign debate together.

They did not just jump on random guesswork.

There was a good reason for that they took a course to the east.

First, Dorote has been specular that royal family will run not away to the west.
because west of Fontanie mean fled to the central of Old Kshyperuk kingdom
which they have no ally there.

He was remembered at that time.

For some time, the rumors about an unidentified enemy had a rampage in the
land of the east, the unstable east area.

And now, the royal family suddenly got took away.

Everything leads to a single conclusion so it was no unusual thought.

[Seem like the course they were taken, is around this place. We can catch them
with the airship.]

Next, he set a course along the highway.

Predicting that the escaped royal family would focus on the speed.

They have one chance to caught them in a middle way secretly since the wheel
track from the beginning still not trodden here.

If the royal family move by used any means, they will use a highway in order to
move quickly.

The remaining question is a searching "range".

Since it extremely difficult to searches in the midnight, they had been devoted to
just moving so far.

Now it already dawns, they must narrow down where to search.

With a certain course of a search, no matter how much fast the airship flying,
they will not leeway.

Airship movement becomes possible by using a "Blow Engine" and it strongly

affected by the weather.

[...also...even the wind is flowing to the east?... what a favorable one...]

Dorote gives a command to the subordinates while a full sharp light up in the
back of his pupil.

by sail with wind blow in the meantime, the airship increases its speed.

A creak of the hull that sounds occasionally reach his ears, he sharpens his
fangs quietly toward the mission time.

Chapter 32 Part 7.
Part 7.

While Martina group basking in a morning light, Silver Phoenix knights carried
them with a running non-stop speed on "Kshyeru road" passing through Old
Kshyperuk kingdom.

[Mother, look! for reached another place like this in over a night really look like an
absurd scene.]

[I hope that my eyes play trick on me but...that thing, to be faster than a horse,
furthermore, a long run silhouette knight...truly an absurdity...]

Emurys just only answered with his shrugged at Martina's openly chatting
between mother and daughter,

The imitation of half horse, Tzendrinble packed with a performance that

specializes in moving ability.

Furthermore, it also had a tough endurance due to its equipped two units of ether
reactor which allow it to display a real potential in the long distance movement
more than anything.

Even taken a fatigue of knight runner into account, by theoretically, it still

possible to cross the continent without any replenishment.

As a result of running through the night by Ady and Chid, the distance that they
traveled is beyond common sense and greatly took back the Martina group.

[Tzendrinble...is it...to able completed this strange silhouette knight, Rys-nii's

subordinates is a bit of strange...]

[Is that so? may be because a horse is an ally of the knight, I thought that was a
good idea too, but rather than, when I saw this guy for the first time, I did want to
jump on it for the first try...]

[To think of such a thing really like Rys-nii...]

Emury just puzzled and made a Hm! sound.

[Isn't fine? with it, we were able to help everyone in this way. after all, it will take
him away.]

Martina and Isadora looked at each other.

They also knew each other long enough, no need to say more.

But anymore un-commonsense would definitely be a total exhaustion to their

mind.

[So, in the end, you never been involved with "Detail thing", right? surely, we
should able to outrun from the hand of pursuer if it was this fast.]

[For now, we will link up with the main force. then after that, I like to make an
attack! because I still did not return the favor to that rumor idiot prince.]

Martina has turned around with a tightening facial expression to Emurys who
proudly assured her.

[Rys, listen carefully, certainly, you had led the strong knight more than I thought.
but the enemy is the Jaroudeku kingdom, not a small fry enemy. the knights who
try to protect our country got a countless mortality, despite that, they still unmatch
for them. but for you to carelessly said that you gonna launch a fight...I am the
one here who disagree with it.]

You can call this conversation until now a leisure one but that was up to this
point.

Suddenly, a bell that fitted in the waiting room resound.

TN: resound with a Klang! Kang! Kan! sound as SFX sound.

This is just a simple function in the Tzendrinble cockpit, something for use as a
means to communication.

You can tell the meaning by verifying the tone ring of a bell same as a code and
the meaning of today's tone is....

["Abnormality, be vigilant" huh?... by the rumors, don't tell me that they have a
thing that able to chasing Tzendrinble. look like it is as Aunty said, I'm so pissing
off!]

As he saying, Emurys had jumped out of the waiting room like a gust.

He heads toward the cockpit of the golden lion (Gordesleo) that sitting on the
wagon.

Martina who was left behind rounded her eyes at the sudden situation and
immediately understood the meaning of his tweet.

[How...It can't be, We already been this far....no, don't tell me...how...can even
enemy catching up in this place...with the speed of centaur knight!]

Martina jump to the window of the waiting room, peek out at the landscape
behind with her wide open eyes.

There was a black point as a stain on the clear sky at a spreading dawn.

She doesn't need much time to figure out.

[Airship...of Jaroudeku kingdom!]

The flying airship is stretching its sail to the end of left and right side while
screeching at a mast of the hull.

While peeping with a telescope at the front distant view mirror of the bridge,
Dorote floated a ghastly smile that covered his beard mouth.

[When you follow the wind, they also lead you to whatever thing that riding it...I
bet this is my win! I finally found you. Kshypreuk's royalties! you shall not
escape...!!]

Overflowing with a spirit of old man, he crossed the bridge to breathe.

He passing the telescope to his subordinates and issue a command.

[Get the airship above them!! We gonna drop a Tyrantor on them directly. The
royalty surely in our hand here now, we will take them along the way, First,
release the sealed "Catapult"!]

[Roger that, speed up, lower the altitude!! prepare the catapult!]

The men recite his order and begin to move at once.

The wind engine equipment is driving to challenge the output limit from mana
pool that owns by the centaur knight, it caused a strong air current around the
ship.

While above the normal further speed, airship begin lower the altitude platform.

The upcoming speed of the ship at that time far exceeded Tzendrinble.
With the flying airship caught up with an unbelievable speed from their behind,
Chid & Ady who piloted Tzendrinble had been staring at such a scene which
stunned in a middle way.

[Oi oi...what the hell is that, that thing! it's a ship, a ship flying in the sky!]

[Ship is not usually fly, right?---right?? to think of that there is a person who
makes a strange thing like Eru-kun...]

Both of them got curious at the appearance of the airship which they saw for the
first time.

They chatting this and that while forgets that it's the enemy's pursuers. suddenly,
The airship is about come up with something and they were forced back to the
reality.

[Keh, Not good! It starts attacking!]

While changing the course in a hurry, a stone bullet was downpour around
Tzendrinble.

The stone bullet that flew with a gravity moment went gouge the ground and
echoing a sound along the way.

The aim is sketchy, only a few shots manage to hit a highway.

Judge from a result of this degree's attack, look like the penetrate power is no
joke as a tree went sinking in the land, Chid and Ady break out in a cold sweat.

[Kusso! at this rate, It will catch up. Is this not quite a bit of sneaky?]

The speed of Tzendrinble that shook its course is falling.

The airship keeps chasing and closing without a gap.

At that time, Dorote was made a sortie preparation in the airship.

His body already sat in the cockpit of Tyrantor,

All knight runners already sitting inside in the cockpit of six Tyrantor that lined up.

He quickly on the next move, for that reason, he is gonna lead his squad directly
himself.

The airship's figurehead that fitted with a wind engine release a great artificially
wind, the airship take a hunched course over the centaur knight.

It keeps advancing while lower the altitude enough hit the around tree, despite
that, it does not stop the black knight that soon will be dropping from its belly.

[The time is now, we must take this opportunity, end this in one's breath, let's go!]

[Contact!!]

The centaur knight is disturbed by the looming airship.

In the next moment, the luggage that placed on the top of the wagon blowing its
cover.

Emitted a roar, openly extending the four arms of its back, the irregular demon,
Ikaruga begins to move.

in the cockpit, Eru ignores everything but the kitchen sink as the situation
become tense, his eyes, his face glued at the holo-monitor.

His face is lovely but his blooming smile was filling with crucially intense intention
one.

[Arrr...My god,....My goddd! An airship...amazing, It's amazing! It really floating

with its entire hull. wrong.... It did not sail like a "Ballon Airship". I don't
understand, It does not match the rule of "that world"(Earth). surely that there
must be something that I don't know, surely.... there must be something nice up
there, right!?]
[TN: this is a reason that you should not show the toy to a child, right?]

He moves with a rapid speed while sprinkling a roar.

The maneuver of Ikaruga was too much complicated to the point that it can't be
deal with the normal conventional method, It needs a direct control support from
the computer knowledge that Eru possing. with that, his intentions become a will
of the demon which had begun to crazy dashing out bravely.

[Both of you, please continue to keep Tzendrinble marching like this, about that
thing, that flying airship, I will..."Itadakimasu"!!]
TN: いただきます expression of gratitude before meals
Ikaragu's body jump off from the carriage after told Tzendrinble in a modest way.

Ikaruga landed on a highway and unleashing a huge magical power which stored
in its body.

Magius jet thruster starts roaring up, create a fierce acceleration that even left the
Tzendrinble behind.

The demon god, the one machine in the world that incorporated with a heart that
once belongs to the monsters such as Behemoth & Shell cast Queen.

Ikaruga is soaring up, blowing off to the sky while cobbling a road as a reaction.

[What the hell is that thing!? It...It coming this way!?]

Ikaruga rose up red in the sky with the massive output power of magius jet
thruster, flying to the airship in just a straight line.

It purely seeks to aim only for the airship, without any hesitation, ram on it with a
collision course which packed with the shortest distance momentum.

Even there is a certain excellent function that allows the airship in the sky for a
long period of time, it still needs to rely on the wind as its driving propulsion.

To said that such a thing will escape from the demon who flying at a high speed
of an explosive flame would be a ground baseless talk.

Moreover, it was a place that was close to the Airship that catching up with
Tzendrinble.

Sailors who got attacked all look at the figure from the bridge and screaming at
their best before such an abnormal situation.

First of all, as they looked at the unknown silhouette knight clad in flame, they do
not know what's going on.

Then, while they are in fear and confusion at the exciting sound that Ikaruga
released.

[What wrong? Is there something happen!? What happen to the dropping

sequence?]
The waiting Dorote who was impatiently and eager to joining in the war has
noticed that something happen.

[Hyiii, W....We don't know! A...Abnormality....Silhouette knight is here!? it just

dropped and clinging on our ship, sir!!]

Heard his subordinates who report in confusion tone, Dorote stares blankly at the
hull wall. MISHIRI! MISHIRI! a creaking sound raising on the outer plate.
TN: ミシリ SFX sound.

He immediately understood that something just crawls up on the airship.

The horror run up to his back.

After hesitated for a moment, Dorote immediately starts up his Tyrantor.

He blows up the outer plate that Ikaruga had clung on from the inside and
destroyed the scaffold, causing Ikaruga to fall.

Eru is indeed startle but he manages with the injection from magius jet thruster
and sustain himself in the midair vertically, and end up with a distance behind.

An appearance of Tyrantor that raised up its back weapon looking through a

large hole that opened in the fuselage of the flying airship.

It's the one that Dorote piloted.

He has perceived the anomaly threat and utilizing the powerful back weapon to
blow out the outer hull that enemy clung on.

Dorote still keep shooting from there.

[Ahaha, nice reaction. you look superb! here you go, my return the favored shot!
for your unreserved attack.]

Dodging the attack with the great mobility, Ikaruga unpacks a sword cannon that
attached to its waist.

The internal mechanism turned expanding the blade and firing a large number of
magic cannon, a too much fierce counter attack.

A flame bullet shot by sword cannon piercing the flying airship one after another,
the sprayed of roar flame penetrate the outer wall, evelopped internal in flames.

Causing a continuous explosion and blowing off the wall.

Penetrate an armor that decorated the flying airship which made by assuming
that it can withstand against normal power bullet.

Before a unique demon output of Ikaruga that greater than another machine, it
was an unexpected.

[Absudity!! what a power.... Not good, at this rate, the airship will fall!!]

In that moment, Dorote's mind came across with many choices.

To capture Kshyperuk's royal, for that reason they must drop the black knight at
all cost but if this sky demon was left uncheck for, the flying airship will become
easily fallen.

In the first place, can he defeat it with a black knight? he was not fully
confidence. just one thing that he certain, at this rate, the airship will definitely fall
and his plan will fail along with it.

[Damnnnnnn ittttttttt!!!]

By thinking around, his decision was made.

Dorote's Tyrantor holding up a shield at the exposed hole in the flying airship hull.

He received a direct hit of roaring flame that exceeds the usual blow power, a
fragment of crystal tissue came off and scatter by the blown that shook his entire
body from his shield.

He was on his knee in just a few shots, the one that specialize in robustness as
Tyrantor is now barely moving.

[...Emergency turning! now! leave this area immediately!!]

The men who saw Dorote's behavior followed it instantly.

Furthermore, the airship is taking an unsteadily changing course to prevented

more destruction of the black knight from the magic attack.

[A-re? even I took too much a trouble to coming all the way here, are you done
already? that no good-desu. I still not satisfy....yet?]

While remaining in the frenzy, Eru who is trying to give a chase look back behind
the commotion.

There are something following the Tzendrinble, shadows running along the
highway.

[That is...A detached force!....now you finally done it!...]

In that moment, Eru was lost in thought.

The remaining power of Ikaruga probably enough to chasing the airship at this
rate.

But he will leave Tzendrinble behind .

The goal of Silver Phoenix knights to assure the safety and bring back
Kshyperuk's royalty is now overriding his own goal.

With little reason left in a corner of his mind, he halted his desire.

[Fuuu...Fine. that ship, I will let you have it for now. when we met again... I will
eat it to my heart's content, without leaving any piece of its part.]

Eru turn around Ikaruga after left a word of wholehearted chagrin.

Leave by flipping the heat haze explosive flame, Ikaruga flew back fast to the
original position of Tzendrinble
Chapter 32 Part 8.
Part 8.

Go back on the time before the airship encountered the Tzendrinble.

There is a shadow run dashing in the forest that spread around a highway.

When to compare it with the surrounding area, the shadows is a huge figure with
the height of 10 meters, in another word, it was a silhouette knight.

Nevertheless, its speed is unusual, it was fast than an average silhouette knight
speed many times.

There is still more strange part, in addition, the shadows hardly make any noise
when running.

Not to mention about the muscles driving's sound, even the intake and exhaust
sound of Ether reactor also can't be heard, its presence was an unbelievable
thin.

Its silhouette knight frame is very slender, highly skilled in agility.

It could be said that it was paper thin build among the type, there was a strange
sharp claw at both of its hand and shoulders.

Further strange characteristic would be its head.

There is nothing that can be said about the design in its head, beside holes to
ensure its viewing field, it just has a smooth curved surface.

A "Nonfacial characteristic" being---is moving without a sound, its impression can

be assumed as one that belongs to a ghost.

The number of ghosts is not only one. two machines, three machines---An
assembled troops of such a machines is progressing by jump up and down in the
forest.

On their path, there a figure of centaur knight which ran on a highway.

The purpose of this ghost is so clear.

They just suddenly increase their speed and heading to the road.
Before long, they just step forward a huge leap and danced on top of the
highway.

Only a shadow presence that just falls on the road soundlessly.

They drew near without alert the Tzendrinble which focus on the running and
pouncing on it---with sharp claws in their both hand.

[Oi, newcomer!? Who the hell are you!?]

An attack of a large sword that swinging with a storm's speed repelled and sent
the ghost flying back into a forest.

The wielder of such a sword can be no one except Emurys's Gordesleo which
stood on top of the wagon.

Golden lion does not have a valid weapon against an airship, so, It remains to
stick with this wagon to escort the horse-drawn carriage.

[That was a close one! don't tell me that the airship was a decoy? that really a
nasty tactic!!]

Emurys re-stance his golden lion with a sword and now, kneeling on the top of
the wagon.

Because Tzendrinble is on the move, it was impossible for him to launch a further
attack.

Such a situation that can't do anything but waiting is really unpleasant for him.

Without teasing him too much, the ghost comes attacking again.

It runs pala pala and jumps out of the woods, aim for catching the wagon that
towed by Tzendrinble again.

For the unstable foothold such as a moving wagon, It extremely immobile limited
place for the golden lion to swing its large sword around.

Although he manages to push the enemy away, it really not easy to reduce its
number with a sword.

The irritation being to accumulate in Emurys's mind.

[If this was a land battle, I would turn them into iron scrap long time ago! it is
regrettable but we can't stop the Tzendrinble either...]

He is not only one who harbored an impatience.

[Geezz, this thing. Just when Eru still not back! We need to shake this thing off,
somehow...]

Tzendrinble is wielding a spear cavalry but it can't attack the ghost.

Because it is continuing to run and pulling the wagon, far from a decent fight, it
even can't fight back at all, by unable to have one's way with but the defense
only has turned this into in a desperate situation.

Also, look like the ghosts also understand that fact as well, it only come
persistence from behind Tzendrinble.

They were in a battle that vastly outnumbered and the situation is too bad.

Gradually, turning into a dangerous situation.

The ghosts have jumped in unison again.

Gold lion and Tzendrinble was restrained to brandishing their specialized

weapon.

Gradually, their power of concentration has been torn down and piled up a
fatigue.

Finally, one ghost machine manages to slip out from their overwatch and jump on
the wagon at the different period.

[This is bad! I can't evade it....]

The ghost is jumped into the bosom of Tzendrinble.

Its arm rushing with at a furious speed and aiming at the belly of the defenseless
horse.

The concealed weapon of a ghost packed with enough power to penetrate

silhouette knight frame.
The moment before the very sharp claws gonna gouged into the belly of
Tzendrinble.

A very long spear of flame pierced the belly of a ghost before it can land its
attack.

A blast turns the thin armor of a ghost that emphasis on quickness into
smithereens and debris in an instant.

There is a thing that jumped follow the flame while blowing off the dust cloud of
destruction on the highway.

[You guys are.....how dare of you, because of you guys, the airship got to
escape! allow me to express my thank!...]

Release an explosive flame and thunderous sound, shooting words that burning
with anger, it is the masked devil with six arms, Ikaruga.

When Ikaruga catching up to Tzendrinble, it flying with the speed as a crimson

flame, and keeping like that, Soon, it landed on the top of the wagon.

[You guys really not worth enough as an airship replacement...you will pay with
your body]

Ikaruga which just landed on the wagon stretching out its folded arms from the
back grabbed a reserved sword cannon that stored on the wagon.

Its figure rises almost like a hedgehog, direct its sword cannon in all direction.

Increased its stretch, the demon is roaring.

The terrifying magic that stored in the body is now release,

A destruction attack is keep emitting from the sword cannon.

Shot at every tree, blow and penetrated everything includes the ghost that jumps
into a forest too.

For the ghost that tries to break away with its high-speed sprint, it can't avoid the
surround explosion and got caught with it and decimated.

With the hand of furious demon that keep non-stop slaughtered every single
ghost machines, all ghost are turned into a corpse in no time.
Ikaruga just incidentally rewrite the entire landscape.
Chapter 32 Part 9.
Part 9.

A lone flying airship staggering soar in the sky of dusk.

Suffered from a magic attack of the raging demon, Dorote's airship somehow
barely escaped from it.

It was a fierce appearance that burned down many sections of the outer walls
even distorted the steel frame.

Because they fled with maximum speed in that state which creates and piled up
a strain, now, the hull is in bad shape and soon will reach its limit.

The only blessing among this unfortunate fate is that Ether floating device still
intact.

Once this thing broke down, the airship will be not able to float in a sky anymore.

[...lower the altitude. don't crash it.]

Dorote who sat on the captain's seat, spit out the word in a gloomy state.

Go back to the time that fights the demon, how come that it did not give a chase?

In vice versa, there must be anything that poses a threat greater than this ship.

The men have quietly followed his instructions, the ship landed on the ground.

Now that the ship in no longer usable, they have no choice but go back with
Tyrantor's foot from here.

Even that Tyrantor which got damaged and destroyed by protecting the airship
also in a plight for transportation purpose.

Before Dorote's squad who got off the ship leaves this place, there is something
that they must do.

That is destroyed the airship.

The airship is a unique and crucial weapon of Jaroudeku kingdom.

Although it got a heavy damage and not able to fly anymore, he can't leave it in
that state.

Dorote manipulates Tyrantor raise its small battle hammer in a jerk motion.

He applies an unnecessary force on the control stick that he hold, trembling even
now.

Lose the ship, lose the black knight.

Furthermore, fail to recover the fled Kshyperuk's royalty.

A grave blunder that he does not dare to ask a pardon.

Almost as Dorote has lost everything.

It would be better if he was sunk together with the airship---such a masochistic

thinking is now piling up in his mind.

At that time, one of his men who watched the entire situation pointed beyond a
sky noisily.

Beyond the line of sight of all members, there is a black point that has been a
stain in the sky.

That is an approaching airship which gonna reach them soon.

Two vessels of airship are advancing toward the west under the twinkling night
star.

One intact airship, behind it, the second airship that has a trace of mysterious
damaged on its hull is towing by the first one from behind.

Without saying that one belong to Dorote's fleet.

It advances steadily and takes a cruise with intending to pick them up.

Dorote who leave Tyrantor cockpit looking at the picking airship and the face of
his subordinates, he showed a look of relief.

But his face distorts immediately, take a rough walk foot step from the hanger to
the bridge.
An appearance of Dorote who went up the ladder appears into the scene of the
bridge.

He keeps an eye on them in one place.

At the person who sat on the captain'seat who take up position in that place

[...So, as expected, it's you, Sir Gerhild.]

he walks to captain seat and called the name of the female knight who sat on it.

One of the knights of Jaroudeku kingdom was sitting there, the Grandmaster who
led his Steel Fang knights, Gerhild Hietakannas.

While She always abiding with her leering smile, she breaks the greeting.

[Yeah, it's me, or there is something that you want to complain?]

[....Oh no..you jest, I am truly grateful on behalf of my subordinates....]

Their relationship is not that much close.

If anything, Gerhild is more like a person who stand behind the scenes of the
surrounding.

Witness at emaciation appearance of the unnatural Dorote, she express her

doubts.

[So, What happen? Aren't you his highness best men? being got truly slapping
like that. isn't that a bit sorrowful state? It's not what am I thinking right?]

Dorote did not hide his bitter situation, he groaning at the whole situation include
his blunder from the other day.

[....and that is all of my stories, maybe I really go senile. It was shameless to

accept that we got defeated by some silhouette knight in the night, moreover, it
was a completely beaten.]

The demon who cornered them was an unbelievable enemy even for the veteran
warrior as Dorote.

[...my fate is sealed and done. this blunder would probably cost my life.]
The cool and daring air of Jaroudeku military instructor do not exist there at him
anymore.

By looking at his feeble appearance, Gerhild spat out a word while frowning.

[Tch! by giving that dedicated wrinkle neck, you think that gonna redeem the
mistake? I really can not say amazing...]

[...Then...then, how the heck I have to do in order to atone for this, this grave
blunder?]

[This is why a warmonger is....! Listen! the royal family got escaped , lost both the
airship and black knight, both of them are worse. but the worst is you come back
home without having any single bit of information about the enemy.]

Gerhild led the Copper Fang knights which are a group that stands between
them.

Their main role is collecting information also assassination depending on the

case.

Dorote becomes thoughtful with a word of different logic from the knight.

Determine to make an atonement, he slightly forces a comeback.

[But, as I say about the situation, the enemy is clearly outlandish as this was a
grave blunder, It will reach his highness ears soon. now, We must make a
comeback at the situation, I will gladly offer my neck on the plate at a later time.]

Changing by a little wind, the usual dialogue can be heard, Gerhild is tentatively
looked up to heaven as she did not have to give him any more medicine.

[How refreshing, well, if you gonna die anyway then, you should die when fought
the enemy and drag them to their death at least]

The girl teasing him as she seriously nodded while saying her word of joke.
Chapter 32 Part 10&11
Finally completed a chapter and an arc...

Part 10

The ancient Kshyperuk kingdom capital, Dell Van Cool.

After the end of King Agusty's duel, this city had turned into the biggest military
base of Jaroudeku invasion force.
TN: gonna change King's name from Akatsuki to Agusty

The current progress of invasion of Kshyperuk kingdom almost nearly complete

as they took control over the royal castle in the center of the capital that belong to
the Kshyperuk kingdom in the center of the capital.

One airship was fly under a clear sky and arriving at Dell Van Cool.

It takes a landing at the "Air Field" that being built in Dell Van Cool after the
owner of this city has changed.

The place is just a simple leveling bare ground, make it easy to land and take off,
it being used a lot by the airship as this was a Jaroudeku's army base.

Now, one airship is on verge of landing, it tries to find a vacant place to land.

Then, after a while, at the "Audience Chamber" in the middle of the royal castle,
the relic that once belongs to the royal, a displeasure voice of Cristobal Hasslo
Jaroudeku, The second prince of Jaroudeku kingdom, was echoed.

[What did you say?...the princess...was taken away!?]

He went trembling in rage and risen up, as soon as he kicks up the throne that
belongs to the Kshyperuk king, one man knee down.

Dorotea Mardones, who served as the right arm of Cristobal, his confidant
subordinate.

He was immediately summoned as soon as he arrived in this city via the previous
flight airship.

[Dorote...A man such as your caliber should know how valuable that princess is!!
and you allow the thief to take her away, got the airship destroyed and
nonchalantly fled back with the remaining black knight? What kind of the heck of
blunder is this? Hahhh!!]

The roar unleashed by Cristobal is re-sound into the room again.

While receiving a single-mindedly fly out rebuke one after another, Dorote did not
attempt to refute and still keep his knee down like that.

[Would you wake up already? Cris. how long are you gonna keep this up? for the
supreme commander to be distraught as this degree.]

A cool voice came from the entrance between the audience reached the frenzy
Cristobal.

The first princess Catalina, Cristobal's sister stood there.

[Elder sister....but!]

[Calm down a bit. you should be the best person who knew about sir Mardones's
ability and his loyalty, right? it would be a waste of time to keep blame him like
that. the first thing that we need to do is thinking about what happen next.]

By received a cool pointed out guidance, Cristobal finally feels like to let it go and
calm his mind somehow with a deep breath, He just looks calm on the surface
and turns to Dorote.

[...raise your face, first, what happen? tell me everything without leaving any
small detail. I will think about your punishment after that.]

[Haa!]

Dorote finally rises his face up, however, he still kneeling while groaning told him
about thief attacking the Raspedo castle.

[...then, by the time that I noticed it, all members royal family of Kshyperuk was
already taken away. I am unworthy of your trust and don't have any excuse on
this matter, I already prepare to receive your punishment.]

While listening, Cristobal's expression had been filled with bitterness.

For them, the princess among the royalty of Kshyperuk, Elleonora is a necessary
"Tool" in order to stable their govern over Kshyperuk territory.
The current power that Jaroudeku kingdom possess already overwhelming, It
does not require any extra effort in order to dominate and get Kshyperuk territory
under its control.

[To think that it not only the princess but the other royal members too?
Unbelievable, for you to got defeated by such a weakling enemy as Kshyperuk
soldiers...]

While Cristobal had been examined the word of calm Dorote, he suddenly felt
that something wrong.

He knew Dorote for a long time.

Somehow, it was like a senior-junior relationship, Dorote was always called the
hand of Jaroudeku's army, some even called him the maker.

It would be a more logical reason if Kshyperuk's soldiers were the one who being
hunted down, He unable to find an answer.

Catalina who sinking in her thought while stood beside him also had a similar
idea, She looks up.

[You...are right. even the castle was attacked by 1000 men of Kshyperuk's
soldiers, It still impossible for them to take away the royal family that guarded by
Dorote. If that the case, does that mean the one who behind this should be...a
soldier from "A different country" , right?]

[Damn you, so that what it is about! Tch, although, I thought that someone may
make a move. to got an extra interrupted at the endgame!]

Cristobal growing in bitter look while listening to his elder sister's word.

They had reached the conclusion, a very nasty possibility.

If you take away the royal family. then, the nobles in the old Kshyperuk is not a
small problem.

A simple story but also troublesome let just say that they just need to conquer
them again with their war potential.

However, if another country is the one who caused this then the story become
more complex.
After all, It will interfere via "The greatest righteous person" of the royal family.

Nothing but a trouble.

They also considered about interference from the other countries beforehand and
already prepare a countermeasure.

Since Jaroudeku kingdom had been carefully prepared for a long time for their
invasion.

But this event was quickly fully exceeded their expectation different from the
early correspondence from other countries until now.

[...It understandable that "The isolated country"(Elves Flags) lay a hand in this
matter or there still a remnant of Rokard Coalition?]

Catalina shooked her head at Cristobal's murmured, it none of them.

[The problem is, we already spreading the news about Elleonora's marriage in
order to subdue Kshyperuk's nobles. now, they were taken away soon after this
happen, Our reputation is totally ruined.]

Deep wrinkles appearing on Catalina's neat facial due to her irritation.

This is a great unpleasant development for the girl who was placed as a political
assistant.

Dorote who still manage to keep his head on the neck until now is breaking into
their conversation

[Allow me humbly to say. I do not think them are involved in this matter.]

[Hou? I guess you have a reason for that statement, right?]

Though he was being doubted, he still encourages to continue his story.

However, before Dorote speaking again, he leisurely removes his sword from his
hip and hands it over to Cristobal.

[...this is, what the heck is it! what is it for?]

[There is no any single bit of falsehood in my earlier report. but, if you doubted in
my word from now then...please behead me with this sword immediately.]
Cristobal grinding his teeth out of vexation at that word while Catalina lifting her
eyebrows.

In another word, Dorote declared to betting his life with his word.

When you reverse thinking, his word could mean...

[To go that far, the story that hard to be believable was truth?]

Dorote did not reply but continues telling his story while kneeling silently.

Cristobal receives a sword after he thought for a while and immediately unsheath
it.

It is a clunky white blade but well kept one that reflecting a dull light.

[Fuh, I guess it still not too late to doubt your word. but, I had received your
resolve. speak without any regret!]

[I am grateful and happy at your benevolence, You highness...then, after the

royal family escaped, We had to chase them with an airship...the enemy was
used a silhouette knight that the upper body is a human but the lower body is in
horse figure, they used it to flee on the highway.]

Cristobal involuntarily swallowed the word "It can't be" , He takes a deep breath.

As he speaking now, Dorote neck is accompanied by a drawn sword that

Cristobal hold.

The story was unbelievable enough to make him hesitate since Cristobal was not
a stupid person.

[You really do a good job by risking your neck, what is this thing about? rather, Is
it not a simple "Magical Beast" that gone into extinction since the old time?]

[With all due respect, it definitely a silhouette knight that clearly made by a
human hand. my lord. It has an extraordinary speed exactly as a cavalry horse,
without an airship, we probably wouldn't able to hold a candle to catch up with it.]

Cristobal eyebrows shrinking.

Their mass production machine, Tyrantor is a machine that boasts power both in
an offensive and defensive, the only drawback was its slow speed via the foot.

An enemy with such a feature like a cavalry would be their bad compatibility.

The story until now was a grave matter but Dorote's story after this gonna be an
earth-shattering report.

[The enemy did not only just have that. in order to retake the royal family, we
attempt to chase it by airship. therefore, They even brought out a demon clad in
flame with multiple arms. such an enemy able "jumped up in the sky", it was a
powerful silhouette knight that I never see anywhere before that able to
destroyed our flying airship with just its weapon...]

[...what an innovation, Oi, Wait a bit, Wait, Dorote, You, what are you talking
about!?]

Cristobal was in his mid-thought while hearing Dorote's report, he notices a

ridiculous fact and begins to inquire it in a hurry.

[Of course, it about enemy's silhouette knight. after all, we did not
descent "Down" even once. That guy just flew from the opposite direction,
wrecked us, my airship with only one machine. moreover, its blow strong enough
to shake the black knight. so, I was forced to give up on the pursuit...If you are
doubted and think that I made a prevarication, please use that sword to.... ]

[Arghhh... You are so dull, that thing does not matter anymore. however, such a
story...but, it just sound like an imagination]

Cristobal indeed leaked a groaning voice.

There is no any lie in the report that risked with Dorote's life.

They have completely discarded the thought to blame him.

Catalina was aware such a fact besides Cristobal who was still in confusion.

[...in alternate meaning, there was a silhouette knight that powerful than the black
knight. rather, it was a completely another level. then it must be a country with
technical capability. Hey, Dorote, by any chance, did you thinking about "A
country that successfully develops new technology" not "A country that already
possesses the technology a time ago"?]

Dorote assent replies back to his murmur question that lack of conviction.
[Although this is just my speculation, there is a duchess of archduke Ferdinan,
the formerly younger brother of the king among the royal family that escaped,
Martina Ortho Kshperuk...that women came from "Fremmevir kingdom" to
married him. Furthermore, the direction that they fled to is also "East". the same
direction to that country.]

[The "Country of Magical Beast"(Fremmevir)? Did you mean that a person from
that bumpkin country may butt in this matter?]

They had been expected many of enemy but Fremmevir kingdom is the one that
unexpected for them.

The reason due to that country is placed outside the west countries group
(Okushiden).

There is only once that they only dabble interact with it as an opponent, after
that, it far out of their interest.

[This may be some of their comrade agreement, they may probably try to skim
some of Kshyperuk territory. The main problem is now, the royal family who
escaped already join force with an enemy that powerful than the black knight. I
don't think they have a lot of numbers but we can't be too much optimism.]

Catalina makes sure to make an adjustment to their strategy that already been
planned.

Although the identity was guessed out, how much it gonna effect their plan in the
future is still unknown.

For now, it already too late for their Kshyperuk territory unification plan.

Cristobal who heard this turn made a rough snort and plunk sit down on the
throne.

His state filled with many emotion but the anger never floating in his face.

[...kukuh hahahah, Isn't thing become more interesting a bit? An enemy that
stronger than black knight! is now backing up the Kshyperuk, there is no more
any pleasure than beating it. look like I will not get bored for a while.]

Catalina clearly frowns behind him.

It was well known in her royal family that her brother trait is about violent and
war, he always asking for "An enemy to be crushed"

It was his bad habit.

[Cris, you better not make light of the current situation.]

[I knew, Elder sister, I will lead the army directly to crush the enemy. war is my
specialty, I will ask you to look after the rear.]

Cristobal stood up vigorously as the beast that loses its chain.

Even after becoming the supreme commander of the invasion army, his nature
never changed.

For Catalina who was bestowed with a political authority is hard for her to
suppress him when it comes to fighting.

[I will carry out an attack on the east territory as soon as possible, we must choke
their life out of it. if we waste too much time, the royal family will launch their
counter attack for sure. It wouldn't be a funny story if the resistance spreading out
because of it.]

Even he say about the disadvantage, his expression filled with lively and shining.

Since the situation progress to this point, it already inevitable too late to
recapture the royal family.

The royal family will act as a center of this country resistance force.

In vice versa, If you took them out, the collapsing rate of Kshyperuk kingdom will
be accelerated.

[Tool should always stay as a tool and get obedient used. resistance is a crime
and needs to be redeemed with their life including the bumpkin company that
came from beyond the mountains.]

Crush the plan of revival and resistance of the adversary.

that's his supremacy pleasure.

While he being sunk in his expectations, Dorote's word pressing him.

[Please wait a moment, the black knight that stationed in the eastern part was
now greatly reduced in number. this proves how much strong of the enemy is
and how much trouble we have now.]

The results of Silver Phoenix knights rampage.

Now, Jaroudeku kingdom enforcement is cut apart, the available force becomes
less and less.

It doesn't take much time for Cristobal's mood being to swoop and falling to the
ground, Catalina interrupted at that moment.

[Crish, Let re-assign the soldiers from the Black Jaw knights that stationed in the
north and south, also calling the original force of Kshyperuk. Although, it inferior
to the black knight, it still a silhouette knight.]

[That useless thing... however, look like I had no choice since we need an extra
number in order to put an end on their breath.]

Cristobal tired and re-sitting on the throne.

With all of that, Jaroudeku kingdom course of action was settled.

The order was dispatch to a various area in Kshyperuk immediately in order to

get the Black Jaw knight---an elite of Jaroudeku's army as a reinforcement.

It begun to move with an aim at the eastern sector followed the Kshyperuk royal.

It starts to narrow the target area and gradually become a siege.

Part 11.

Dorote walked away from the audience chamber after he finished his report.

His pace filled with a heavy weight, the answer is clearly.

He committed a grave blunder that can't be wipe out with time and effort, it's
unforgivable for him.

[...Oldman.]

[Gustav, I heard it, look like you failed too.]

He was disheartened to get greeted by his adopted son, Gustav.

Gustav too was received a major damage from Silver Phoenix knights, now, both
parent and child were in the same boat.

[I'm sorry. it went pretty bad. so, what did his royal highness saying? a good
scolding?]

[Look like I need to stay still for a while and refrain from speaking unless it
necessary depends on the time.]

Dorote leaks a sigh when he sitting on the chair with a screeching sound of
GISHIRI.
TN: ギシリ SFX sound.

He says it clearly that his punishment has been postponed.

It was an unexpected blunder.

When he thinking about his punishment in the future, It really an unbearable pain
for the excellent commander.

As a result rather than got executed from the eastern part failure, he was put on
house arrest instead.

[The enemy that fought with us, is quite strong. It can't be compared to
Kshyperuk goons, now, it is the time that our sword are necessary the most.]

[Endure it for now. ....surely, I will wipe out this stigma with their lives, they must
pay, especially the demon there.]

The appearance of the incarnation of destruction crossing his mind.

It gonna be a big calamity presence for any Jaroudeku kingdom's soldiers.

Dorote never doubts in this premonition.

He decided to use even his own life that lives until now for a long time.

When their depression aligned, his subordinate come tells him about the
unexpected visitor.

[excuse me for an absence. sir Mardones, can you spare me a little bit of your
time?]

[So...it was sir Cruz. sure, but for a man who should hole up in the home country,
what are you doing in this front line area?]

Dorote answering him, Horacio Cruz, the head of Jaroudeku development

workshop, while inclining his head with a doubt.

He is not a combat personal. so, there must be a reason for coming to the
forefront like Kshyperuk territory that he did not know.

[No, no, this is not a big deal, I just want to use this incompetence body of mine
to help his highness majesty. in order to overcome the constantly new challenge,
I want to hear the thought about implementation from everyone.]

From the knight runner commander view of Dorote, he always does not
understand the thinking concept of technical personal but he sincere think it has
own way of thinking.

Since he now has a lot of free time due to house arrest.

He nodded and accepted the offer.

[Such that thing, but we did not cooperate with each other much. what do you
want to talk about?]

At that moment, Horacio's expression filled with a burning smile.

A muddy sticky vocal leaked from his opened mouth.

[....I heard that there is an enemy when you are using the airship, please
carefully tell me about its appearance at that time with full detail...]

At that time, Horio's figure before Dorote's eyes turns into a different person that
he met so far.

It was the one that makes he felt a disgusting spirit and passion.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 33

Princess of the Fallen Kingdom Arc

Hoisting the flag of the Silver Phoenix

Translator: Skythewood
Editors: Darkdhaos, Ruzenor
Illustration cleaned by Hiiro

Change Note: I have been grouping the mechas with infantry numbers (e.g. 10 guys in a
squad), but I realized that it should be thinking of them as tanks (e.g. 3 tanks in a
platoon). Was just being stubborn and using the wrong terms. Fixed all past iteration.

In the eastern territory of the old Kuscheperca Kingdom. Stretching all the way to the
foot of the Aubigne Mountain Range, these lands were mostly covered by forest with
undulating terrain. The Pan-Kucher road was paved through the vast forest, connecting
the various regions of Kuscheperca.

"... Even though Fontaine had fallen, the atmosphere in this forest remains the same."

Martina who leaned out of the wagon to survey the scenery frowned as the wind blew in
her face. The lush greenery seemed oblivious of how the nation was suffering, and was
serene as usual. As they went further away from Fontaine, the melancholy in her heart
became lighter. That city which was currently under the rule of Žaloudek Kingdom’s
eastern governance house used to be the territory of his late husband, Archduke
Fernando. That’s right, the Lacepede Castle they were held captive in was the place she
used to reside in, and where her late husband was murdered. No matter how strong a
woman she was, there was still a limit. If she was kept there any longer, it wouldn’t be
hard to imagine her doing something rash because she couldn’t take it anymore.

"We are finally taking the first step. I will retake this Kingdom from the hands of those
bastards, Fernando my love… Please watch over me."

She had a mission, a mission entrusted to her by her brother-in-law, the king, and her
husband. Martina’s heavy words filled with determination were lost in the wind blowing
through the forest. No one heard her murmurs, but her nephew who should be sound
asleep inside the waiting room changed his breathing pattern unnaturally for a beat. The
two Tzendrinbles and the wagon they were towing continued to move, heading towards
the grand and sturdy Aubigne Mountains.

C.E. 1281, this turbulent year was worthy of a special mention even in the long history of
the western continent.

The countries located in the west of Zetterlund Continent—known collectively as the

Western League of Nations. Amongst them, the powerful Žaloudek kingdom’ invaded its
neighbouring country suddenly, which started what was known as the ‘Western Grand
Storm’ by future generations.

The Žaloudek Kingdom committed overwhelming forces, and conquered the Locard
Allied Union in a blink of an eye, and proceeded to invade Kuscheperca Kingdom
thereafter. The Žaloudek Kingdom and Kuscheperca Kingdom were both large and
prominent nations in the west, and were virtually equal in their military might. In the
beginning, the surrounding nations also thought that this would be a drawn out war. But
the Žaloudek Kingdom took full advantage of their powerful Silhouette Knights made
with revolutionary technology, and together with the first practical application of an
airborne weapon, Levitate Ships, turned the battle into a one-sided affair.

The result was surprising. In just half a year, Kuscheperca had fallen.

"Rys-Nii, where exactly is this wagon going? Are we going over the mountains?"

Isadora stretched her limbs that had gotten stiff from sitting inside the entire day, and
asked Emrys. Since their escape from Fontaine, they had been traveling during daytime
for several days. Considering Tzendrinble’s speed, they should have travelled quite some
distance, and will cross the Aubigne mountains into Fremmevira Kingdom if they kept up
this pace. Taking into account Emrys’ status, it was definitely possible for them to seek
refuge there temporarily.
"No, I can’t give that side any trouble. I already promised my dad. Our destination is
somewhere closer.”

"The Centaur Knights arrived here very quickly, but what are you planning to do in this
country? The Black Knights will surround us very soon."

Seeing Isadora lower her eyes gloomily, Emrys puffed his chest out confidently for some
reason and declared:

"Don’t worry Isadora. We didn’t come here without a plan, of course we are prepared to
strike back…! The Silver Phoenix Knights will take care of that!"

"Rys-Nii, at least say that they are doing so on your orders..."

Isadora didn’t understand where his confidence was coming from, and felt worried. She
turned her gaze to the wagon travelling beside them with such a thought in mind. On it
was the six armed demon god in standby, it was the machine that fended off the Levitate
Ship by itself. She realized she was holding onto some expectations— Since his
subordinates controlled such fearsome weapons, he must have some unimaginable plan.

And soon, she would witness just what the Silver Phoenix Knights could do—

Shortly later, a scene different from the forest appeared in front of them, it was the city
that became prosperous as a relay station situated right next to Pan-Kucher road,
Missillier. The Tzendrinbles that had been travelling at top speed eased their pace when
the city came into sight. Missillier was surrounded by crude walls, and a flag was flown
on top of it. It wasn’t the flag of Žaloudek Kingdom, but one that bore the emblem of a
Silver Phoenix. Tzendrinble waved a flag in response, and the gates opened to receive
them.

“Phew, that was tiring… Tzen-chan worked hard too!”

“They were the one running, but we the pilots are tired too.”

The Tzendrinbles passed through the gate with the sound of intake valves that seemed
exhausted. When the people in the city noticed that and looked their way, the Tzendrinble
had already reached the hangar. The pilots Chid and Ady looked completely worn out,
and after uncoupling the wagon, they entered the workshop with wavering footsteps. The
two machines had been worked really hard in this long journey, and would need a
complete overhaul. The craftsmen who came to take over thanked the twins for their hard
work, and started unloading the Silhouette Gears on the wagon.

"Rys, is this city fine? Although it didn’t appear to be under Žaloudek’s rule from how
easily we waltz in here..."

"Don’t worry aunt. See that flag? The Silver Phoenix is our trademark."

The door to the waiting room on the wagon opened, and Martina pushed her face out. The
loud noises coming from around her made her squint. Craftsmen bustled around in
Silhouette Gears to unload the cargo, and in the workshop besides the hangar were a
group assembling Silhouette Knights. This place had all the liveliness that Fontaine had
lost.

After being freed from imprisonment, they felt deeply moved by the lively scene. Behind
them, Ikaruga made noises unique to Crystal Tissues and stood up.

"I will hand Ikaruga over to the guys in the workshop. Young Master, please take
everyone to their lodgings.”
Emrys raised his hand to acknowledge, and led Martina and the others in the direction of
the city center. They didn’t walk for long when a carriage came to a stop before them. A
man rushed out of the carriage. He was Baron Modesto Letonmaki, a minor noble who
held a small piece of land in the east.

"Ohh! Lady Martina, you are safe. Lord Emrys did mention that… Ahh!!"

He noticed the person hiding behind Martina, and got down on one knee with a deep
bow, even though they were on the side of the road.

"Princess Eleanora, you must have had a hard journey. I am relieved to see that you are
well."

Eleanora Miranda Kuscheperca, the only child left behind by King Aukusti who fell in
battle, the sole heir to the throne by her royal Kuscheperca bloodline. When they heard
Baron Letonmaki’s passionate words, everyone understood what was happening and also
bowed on their knees.
Eleanora who was raised in a delicate environment wasn’t used to such a direct display of
fealty. In place of the troubled Eleanora, Martina announced to all those around her:

"Lord Letonmaki, and everyone present, please rise. I am honoured by everyone’s

gesture, but ever since we were rescued, the Princess just arrived after a long journey and
is tired. I hope you can be so kind and lead us to a place for us to settle down.”

“Yes, pardon my lack of consideration. Allow me to lead you to your lodgings, this way
please.”

Baron Letonmaki stood up and ushered them onto the carriage, instructing the driver to
head for the center of the city.

"You had a long journey too, Lady Martina. Aren’t you tired?"

"I am a little tired, but I don’t have the leisure of rest with the way the nation is. I want to
discuss plans for the future immediately..."

As Martina dragged her exhausted body to act, Emrys interjected suddenly:

"Lord Letonmaki, why don’t we continue the ‘trade’ we talked about last time? Everyone
is here anyway.”

“Yes, they can’t wait anymore. We have questions about those blueprints you sent us.”

A short while later, they reached a large building in the city center. Letonmaki ordered
his servants to bring the Princess and Isadora to the room, and led Emrys and Martina to
the war conference room. There was already a large group waiting for them in there.

The Baron announced loudly when he stepped into the room:

“Good news everyone. The Silver Phoenix Merchant rescued Her Highness Martina and
Isadora, and even saved Princess Eleanora!”

A loud cheer shook the entire conference room. Not too long ago, Žaloudek released
news that Second Prince Cristóbal will be marrying Princess Eleanora, which hit the
surviving nobles hard. Unable to offer any resistance, this marriage will mark a clear end
of the royal bloodline, a cruel announcement of Kuscheperca’s defeat.
Now that the Princess was saved from the claws of Žaloudek, it was only natural for them
to be surprised and happy. Inside the rowdy conference room, Martina looked at each of
their faces and asked in surprise:

“Why is everyone gathered here…”

The conference room was filled with the nobles of old eastern Kuscheperca Kingdom.
Martina was the archduchess, and was well connected in the eastern territories, most of
the nobles present had dealings with her. They all had one other common point, which
was their relatively lower noble peerage.

“Allow me to give you a brief explanation.”

Baron Letonmaki who led them here explained the situation— After capturing the royals
of Kuscheperca, Žaloudek Kingdom quickly extended their reach all over the nation, and
their next target was the grand nobles in the nation. A lot of them died in battle alongside
the king when the capital fell, and the survivors were left on their own, defeated one by
one by the Black Knights. Some of them surrender to the enemy to save their own live,
but their military asset and wealth were confiscated, stripping them of their aristocratic
power. Žaloudek kingdom, brutally executed their invasion utterly.
With most of the grand nobles eliminated, the lower ranked nobles were ignored. Taking
out all the nobles would take a lot of effort, and completely destroying the governance
system would be to Žaloudek’s disadvantage instead. In the end, they only sent out
periodic patrols to inspect on the weaker nobles to maintain superficial control over them.

"... While we were being suppressed, a group proposed an interesting ‘business deal’ to
us.”

Baron Letonmaki looked straight ahead as if he was implying something, and Emrys
patted his chest proudly. When Martina’s face changed from confusion to irritation,
Emrys showed a wide devious smile, then straightened his expression and posture,
adopting respectful mannerism jokingly:

“Thank you for your kind introduction, we are the Silver Phoenix Merchants, a caravan
that just happened to be passing by. We came from the east on the other side of the
mountain, and saw that Kuscheperca Kingdom seemed to have met with some trouble.
We know that it isn’t our business to intrude, but we couldn’t restrain ourselves from
lending a helping hand.”
When they heard Emrys’ stiff and monotonous lines, even Martina who had been talking
all this while turned quiet, unable to answer.

“Merchants you say…? No, that’s too fake right? It is obvious that Rio-Nii sent you all
here to help.”

“Oh! But Dad said no matter how fake it is, the first one to say it will win!”

“Really now… I am really touched by how considerate Rio-Nii is…”

Martina could only answer with a sigh. Despite bringing an extraordinarily strong
Silhouette Knights unit, her nephew still insisted that they weren’t here for ‘international
diplomacy’. She understood the reasons why they had to go about it in this way, but their
cover story still made her speechless.

“It is thanks to the aid of their merchant group that all of us can gather here like this.”

The Silver Phoenix Merchants who arrived in the eastern territories performed
‘procurement’ that was actually attacks on the Žaloudek army. After suffering losses on
multiple occasions, the aggravated Žaloudek army started consolidating their forces to
counter. In the end, the patrols frequency in the east fell drastically, and they overlooked
their vigilance over the weaker nobles.

“Next, the merchants… Lord Emrys headed towards Fontaine to rescue the Princess, and
notified us to gather at the same time. We have completed our given tasks, and would do
whatever we can to recover our nation’s territory.”

The nobles present also nodded in agreement. Even though she could see the
determination on their faces, Martina still shook her head slowly and said:

“I am grateful that you think that way, but how should we go about taking back our
Kingdom? It is vexing to say this… But our Silhouette Knights, the Resvants are far
inferior to their Black Knights, and have no chance of winning in a proper fight. We have
not won even once, and we can’t depend solely on Rys and his men correct?”

From their experience after multiple encounters, three Resvants could roughly match one
Tyrant, which was the consensus of the two armies. This meant that to defeat one Tyrant,
three Resvants would need to attack it in concert.
Practically speaking, things weren’t so simple. Žaloudek army’s tight rank formation
which was like a wall widens their strength difference. In the face of the tight enemy
formation that was difficult to defeat with numbers resulted in losses after losses for the
Kuscheperca army. And the Levitate Ships dealt the final blow to them. The never before
seen weapon that moves freely in the sky overturned the world’s strategical and tactical
rules.

“Hmmp, we are not the only ones who will fight… But leave that aside for now. Aunt,
and everyone here, we are merchants after all, so we hope you will purchase these
merchandize.”

Emrys walked before the group in high spirits and snapped his finger. A petite youth
entered the conference room as if he couldn’t wait any longer. With his silver hair
bobbing on his head, he had a bright smile on his cute face. Knight Commander of the
Silver Phoenix Knights, Ernesti spoke in a casual tone:

“Pardon for the sudden entrance, I will now introduce the latest merchandize from the
Silver Phoenix Merchants to everyone. First of all, I will confirm this, the two biggest
problem before us— The difference in performance between your knights and the
enemy’s knights, and the means to fight against the Levitate Ships. The Resvants
couldn’t handle either of them.”
Edgar and Dietrich who appeared behind Eru suddenly were quietly assembling a
blackboard nimbly with practiced hands. Eru quickly pasted some papers onto the board
and smiled:

“And so, we the Silver Phoenix Merchants have prepared a proposal to resolve these
issues. Please take a look at the design plans I had given out. Like this…”

Eru’s blue eyes had a creepy shine about them, and he looked very happy. He then started
his briefing, something he was familiar with in his old job as an engineer.

“According to your explanation, if we use this, we can take part in the battle too.
However, this isn’t the only issue.”

After Eru finished his presentation, the Kuscheperca nobles in the conference room were
still groaning with a stern face. Considering how futile their resistance had been, the
Silver Phoenix Merchants’ proposal was plausible, but the wariness of the weak nobles
kept them from agreeing so easily.
“The biggest problem would be time. That design is excellent, but it would take time to
craft, and I don’t think Žaloudek will give us time to prepare after the Princess had
escaped. If we don’t make it them in time, we will be destroyed.”

“Don’t worry, we already expected this and took measures to stall the enemy. That will
buy us some time.”

Eru answered all the questions raised without hesitation. At this moment, Martina said:

“One more point, we might be able to fend off the enemy forces being transferred to the
other territories, but their troops already garrisoned in the east can’t be overlooked either.
If they found out that we are making those sort of things during their patrol, we won’t
have any excuse then.”

Martina’s query was very possible. Eru answered her with an exceptionally brilliant
smile:
“Don’t worry, we took care of most of the enemy in the east during our earlier
procurement, and we will continue to do so.”

“I-I see…”

Everyone present knew the exploits of the Silver Phoenix Merchants well, and they were
even named ‘deathgod’ by the Žaloudek army, so Eru was definitely not putting on a
strong front.

“How about it, aunt? The Silver Phoenix’s merchandize are ‘safety’ and ‘combat
prowess’, let’s sign a contract until the country is taken back!”

"...Fu, fufu. I really can’t stand you, dummy. Why not then, it’s a deal!”

When she saw Emrys making such a bold declaration with a fearless smile, Martina
finally regain her usual composure and smiled. The two of them had similar smile, which
made their blood relation prominent.
As Emrys and Martina made the decision to sign the contract, an unexpected person
halted them from behind:

“Please wait, Young Master. Lady Martina and you are relatives, but this is a matter that
will decide the survival of a nation. Since we are merchants, we can’t provide aid solely
on good will. We have to ask for proper compensation too.”

It was Eru who spoke out. Seeing him going off script, Emrys said in a panic:

“Hey, Ernesti, why are you bringing that up all of a sudden!? The merchant thing is just
an excuse, we are not…”

“No, don’t interrupt for now, Rys. He is right and I can accept that. It is unpleasant to rely
on your good will one sidedly.”

Martina faced Eru with a firm attitude. For the sake of her late husband and the late king,
she had to protect Eleanora and restore the Kingdom. And the Silver Phoenix Merchant
was an indispensable force for that. She knew Emrys temperament well, and understood
that an organization couldn’t act out of good will alone, and work done should be
rewarded with adequate remuneration.
She stared at the petite youth before her, who led a strange and powerful organization
called the Silver Phoenix Merchants (Knights). He had the appearance of a young child,
but was able to infiltrate the city with a weirdly shaped Silhouette Knight and wrecked
havoc. She didn’t dare to underestimate this youth. Eru met her strong gaze and said
slowly:

"The compensation we would like are Silhouette Knights. From now on, we want the
rights to all enemy Silhouette Knights defeated by us.”

“...Ah? That’s all?”

“Yes, that’s the only condition.”

Martina considered the pros and cons quickly in her heart. She had to rely on their
strength for now, but her army would become the main forces sooner or later. Before that
happens, there wouldn’t be any losses to her if they took the defeated enemy machines as
remuneration. At the root of all this, just thinking about the adequate reward for
reclaiming the territories of a kingdom would be stupefying enough, and Eru’s request
was trivial in comparison.
“Alright, if that is all you need, then it wouldn’t be a problem. We have no objections.”

She had her suspicions, but still nodded in agreement. The relieved Martina didn’t
realized that Emrys who was protesting loudly had shut his mouth.

“Alright then! It’s a deal. We are in agreement then… I will utterly destroy all the
enemies, and turned them all into my property!”

Eru also nodded, a vicious killing intent mixed into his dreamy smile. At this moment,
Emrys who had traveled with him and gradually understood Eru’s character felt a chill,
and understood one thing—

He didn’t say it is the Silver Phoenix Merchant’s property, but his property… There’s no
mistake, Ernesti intend to take every single enemy machine out, and claim it all for
himself!!
He wanted to stop him, but dismissed that thought after deliberating further. It wouldn’t
matter as long as the enemy was defeated. Eru and his aunt agreed on this point too, so it
would be fine—

And so, the remnants of the old Kuscheperca Kingdom army signed a contract with the
Silver Phoenix Merchants, and the war became even more unpredictable.

“A loser should just act like a loser and obey their orders. How dare they make us waste
so much effort.”

The black group advanced along the Pan-Kucher road, every step they took shaking the
paved stones under their feet. The intimidating group of black contrasted with their
surroundings. They were the Black Skull Knights despatched from the northern region of
Kuscheperca, and included 40 Tyrants and 20 conscripted Resvants, forming a battalion.

“Battalion commander, it would be better to not speak of this. Be wary of the Silhouette
Knight’s broadcast system receiving unnecessary information.”
His deputy walked to the side of the Tyrant the commander was piloting, and advised him
quietly. A few days ago, they received a written order, which was signed off by both
Princess Catalina and Prince Cristóbal. It meant that the importance of the document was
equivalent to a decree, and took the highest priority on the field. Their orders were to
capture the Kuscheperca royals that escaped, and to destroy any resistance forces. News
of the royals escaping was a top secret, and only the battalion commander and his deputy
knew about this. The other knights were only told they were here to put down the unrest
in the east. That was only natural, after all, the royals escaped— or rather, they were
kidnapped— which would lower the morale of the Žaloudek army drastically. It would
also boost the will of the Kuscheperca remnants and invite unnecessary trouble.

“I get it, don’t need to nag… But really, who is the one who let that wench escape? And
we, the glorious Black Skull Knights have to come clean up the mess..."

The battalion commander shooed his deputy away and turned off his broadcast. The
Black Skull Knights was an exceptionally elite group in the Žaloudek army, and was
given more important missions than other knight corps. So when they were tasked to
clean up some other people’s mess, they weren’t too happy about it.

A short moment later, the battalion arrived at a fort located next to the road. This fort
served as a stronghold of sorts, but was abandoned due to the threat from Levitate Ships.
Keeping their guard up, the battalion entered the deserted fort.
"It is completely abandoned, and nothing is left behind. Never mind, we will perform
maintenance on the Black Knights after meeting the supply team. Deploy the sentries!
We will be staying here temporarily.”

After the commander gave his orders, the troops started moving. As it was abandoned
without a fight, there were no signs of damage to the fort, and could be utilized
immediately. The battalion was getting tired from their long march to the south, and
decided to have a good rest to perform maintenance with the facilities here.

After the arrival of the main forces, the supply unit also moved into the fort. They were
well supplied and there was a full range of facilities inside the fort. With things going
well, they didn’t have any worries and it was only natural for them to let down their
guard. They didn’t have any doubts and focus on resting up.

— The incident happened at midnight, the second day after they moved into the fort.

Sentries patrolled on top of the walls that surrounded the fort. Despite their assigned task,
the sentries were unfocused, and it was clear they were just going through the motions.
Light from oil lamps flickered onto the wall as they walked absent mindedly. Suddenly,
the light was gone. The lights that were lit all over the walls were engulfed by darkness
one by one.

In place of them, shadows appeared on the walls. Collapsed at their feet were the corpses
of the sentries, and the oil lamp knocked down onto the floor revealed their true identity.
Full plated armour that were 2.5m tall— the Silhouette Gear Shadowlad.

The Shadowlads surveyed the inside of the fort from the walls. As the fort belonged
originally to the Kuscheperca army, they had already investigated its internal structure
beforehand. After watching cautiously, they grasped the situation of the Žaloudek army.
With a short exchange of hand gestures, they continued with their operation.

In the middle of the night, an earth shattering explosion woke the Žaloudek army.

“W-What is that ruckus!?”

The battalion commander who was sleeping inside a room charged out with his sword,
and asked those around him loudly. One subordinate ran to him and answered:
“Reporting! I-It’s an enemy attack! The enemy set fire to the fort!”

“What did you say!? What are the sentries doing!?... No, leave that for later. Send men to
put out the fire. The others are to engage the enemy, don’t let them leave this place
alive!!”

The battalion commander had an ominous feeling when he saw his subordinates
stuttering, and pushed them to take action.

“B-But… The enemy are wearing strange equipment like a mini Silhouette Knight, and
human soldiers are no match for them! And they scaled the walls in an instant, and had
already escaped outside.”

“How is that possible, what are those things!?... Damn it! Send my orders to the pilots,
tell them to pursue in their Silhouette Knight! We can’t let them off so easily!”

The pilots took action after receiving their orders. Several Tyrants and Resvants stood up,
and took off to chase the attackers. The attackers escaped into the forest on the side of the
road, and moved in the dense vegetation, which was a difficult terrain for the Silhouette
Knight. This worked to the Silhouette Gears; advantage. However, the forest that was
dim in the day was pitch dark at night. No matter how fast the attackers try to escape,
there was still a limit.

The Tyrants deployed their back weapons and fired at the forest. The ensuring explosive
flames exposed the Silhouette Gears that were hidden in the dark. The enraged Silhouette
Knights started chasing intensely. Even though Silhouette Gears could run faster than
horses, it was still slower than Silhouette Knights and the gap between them closed
gradually. During this time, the Tyrants kept shooting with their back weapons. They
couldn’t score direct hits because the trees were in their way, but the fire helped them
stay on target. The Silhouette Knights hastened their pace.

— But they didn’t know that the pilot under the armour of the Shadowlad was smiling
deviously.

The Shadowlad dodged randomly. When they reached a certain point, they lowered their
stance and passed under something that was intertwined between the trees. One of the
Tyrants was in hot pursuit, its eyes fixated on where the Silhouette Gears were going and
not on the trap by its feet. Immediately after that, its feet tangled on something and it fell
down hard. With no time to brace itself, its face planted onto the ground directly. It
crushed its armour and slid quite a distance from its inertia.

The Silhouette Knights behind did an emergency brake, but it was too late. Several
machines couldn’t react in time and was tripped by the trap, falling into a heap.
“What’s going on, there seem to be something… T-They tied steel cables!?”

“Damn thieves! Setting a trap in the forest!”

Visibility was already poor as it was night, and the Silhouette Knights were inside a
forest that was hard to maneuver in, so it was virtually impossible to notice such stealthy
traps. In the meantime, the Silhouette Gears gradually disappeared from their sights.
There would be traps ahead even if they continue their pursuit. It was impossible to catch
up to the target if they had to watch out for traps too, and their angry curses echoed
throughout the forest in the night.

“T-That concludes the details of how the thieves escaped…”

The Silhouette Knight team reported to the battalion commander after returning to the
fort. The commander’s face twisted from anger and he lashed out:

“Damn thieves! They are well prepared… Just whose forces are they from!? Forget it,
how’s the fire extinguishing going?”
“Sir, we let the Silhouette Knights help in putting out the fire too, but the enemy seemed
to have used demon beast oil. The fire is still out of control.”

Demon beast oil was a type of oil extracted from a demon beast found in the east of
Aubigne. Once ignited, it was difficult to put out, a common tool used in sabotage
missions.

“Damn it… The more I hear about them, the more disgusted I get. What items got
burned?”

“Sir, according to reports, we lost a portion of our food supply, and the enemy mainly
targeted the Silhouette Knight’s spare parts.”

When he heard that, the battalion commander finally reached his limits, and was on the
verge on venting it out on the surrounding. But his subordinates were before him, so he
restrained himself. Losing food supply was serious, but the lost of spare parts were even
worse. The Black Knights might be formidable in battle, but its heavy armour was a huge
burden on their legs. They were tough enough to hold its own weight, but to bring out its
full potential, frequent maintenance of its legs was a necessity. The part that would run
into problems the most was the Crystal Tissue. The Žaloudek’s bulk of Silhouette
Knights were Tyrants which uses Strand Crystal Tissue. And amongst the destroyed
supplies were a large number of Strand Crystal Tissue spare parts.

“How did this happen, this will seriously delay us…! This is a direct order from His
Highness, we can’t give up so easily!”

The battalion commander and his deputy looked at each other. The expedition force
wouldn’t receive frequent resupply, and they had to make do with the resources they have
on hand for quite a long period of time.

“There’s nothing we can do about that. Oh right, the conscripted Resvants have normal
Crystal Tissues, so modify them for our use. We need to inform the Knightsmith early, so
they can prepare the Strand Crystal Tissue early."

The problem was that normal Crystal Tissues couldn’t be used on the Tyrants directly,
and needed to be modified into the form of strands.

As they had to make haphazard adjustment, the maintenance team had the additional task
of crafting Strand Crystal Tissues on top of their original duties, and their burden during
their journey increased.
The night raids were mainly aimed at their resources, but losses in terms of manpower
and combat readiness were minimal. And so, the Žaloudek army resumed their march
after just a short delay. And as expected, their enemy wasn’t satisfied with just
sabotaging them once.

The second incident happened when they were advancing along the road.

A sudden rain of arrows as if they were launched from a siege weapon was fired onto the
Žaloudek forces from the forest. The Silhouette Knights defended immediately, but the
powerful bolts were aimed at the workhorses of the supply unit, which caught the soldiers
in the vicinity too. The attackers ignored the counter attacks by the incensed Silhouette
Knights, and they fled without even checking the effectiveness of their assault.

Once again, steel cables were laid carefully in the forest, forcing the Silhouette Knights to
abandon their pursuit.

As their horses were killed, they had to slow their pace. They maintain a state of high
alert after the repeated attacks, which slowed their speed even further. Their losses were
no longer negligible, and the Žaloudek army didn’t think the attacks would be ending.
The unit was determined to ‘get them back next time’, but the attackers already switched
targets to another unit.

They targeted the supply unit instead. When the supply unit was still in northern
Kuscheperca which should be under the control of Žaloudek Kingdom and relaxed their
vigilance, they suffered heavy losses from an unexpected fire attack.

"Tch, there is no end to this, those bastards! Their objective is the supply line huh. We
already suppressed them with our Levitate Ships, but it looks like there are still fellows
with guts out there.”

The reason their supply lines had been smooth in the past was thanks to the Levitate
Ships. It was easy to spot a Silhouette Knight’s movement from the air, and in fact there
were actually several sneak attacks by the old Kuscheperca army, but trying to break
through Žaloudek Kingdom’s forces was no different from suicide.

In contrast, these attackers didn’t use Silhouette Knights, but opt for mini Silhouette
Knights machine instead. It would be difficult to track them from the air since they use
the forest to hide themselves.
While the Žaloudek army was at a loss, the supply team was attacked several more times.
The only things they could do were assign more escorts to the supply team, which
reduced the number of attacks, but slowed the supply speed.

The stagnation in supply had more serious repercussion than they thought, and the
advancing Black Skull Knights gradually fell into a state of supply shortage. Silhouette
Knights were weapons that consume a large amount of resource, even more so for the
Black Knights with their huge bodies. There was a limit to how far they could go with the
supplies they had on hand, and would just increase the burden on the maintenance team
traveling with the unit.

The proud and confident Žaloudek army that had always overwhelmed the Kuscheperca
army one sidedly were becoming tense and hysterical. That slowed their progress even
further, and the journey which was supposed to be smooth sailing was filled with
turbulence.

On a knoll some distance away from the path the Black Skull Knights were traversing, a
group was watching them.

"... The enemy is becoming more vigilant. It is time to withdraw, we have achieved the
effect of stalling their movement.”
Nora from the Blue Hawk Knights muttered quietly behind her were several camouflaged
Shadowlad, which made it hard to detect from far. Her subordinates waiting at the side
nodded in agreement. Nora took part in the activities of the Silver Phoenix Knights, and
was familiar with the controls of Silhouette Gears. Her skills were recognized, and she
was made the commander of the sabotage team.

All the attacks against the Žaloudek army was her doing. Spies were proficient in
disruption and covert operations, and having the Silhouette Gears made them even better.

"The rest would be the job of the Silver Phoenix Knights main forces and the nobles.
Let’s hurry back to base and prepare for the next mission."

She turned her gaze to the east. To ready themselves for the real fight that was to come,
the shadows ran through the forest as swift as the wind.
On the other hand although the Black Skull Knights battalion suffered heavy losses after
being attacked several times, they still reached their next destination. The army wasn’t as
arrogant as before, and walls which cut off the forest and roads were getting nearer. That
was the gates that blocked the way from the north to the east— the Gedeon city fortress.

This city was well known for being the junction between the East West Highway leading
to Fremmevira, and the Pan-Kucher road that joins the north with the south. That was
why it was surrounded by sturdy walls, a city with strong defenses.

“... All units halt.”

The lack of supplies and exhaustion would make it dangerous for even an elite unit like
the Black Skull Knights to carry on marching.

Under such circumstances, it was easy to see how relieved they were to reach a city that
could serve as a base. When they were about to reach the gates, the battalion commander
issued the orders to stop the advance. When his deputy enquired his commander in
confusion, the commander’s Tyrant pointed at ‘that thing’.

"... Why aren’t our flags hanging there? Or rather, whose banners are those?”
The flags on the walls of Gedeon city fortress were fluttering in the wind, the emblem of
a Silver Phoenix spreading its wings was on it. The flag was a way to announce the
allegiance of one’s forces and to differentiate between friends and foes. Since the flags of
Žaloudek Kingdom weren’t flying here, it could only mean one thing.

"...Fools. They only rescued one little wench, and they are letting it get to their heads!”

The battalion commander utter in rage, and ordered all units to prepare for battle. Since
the other party had made their intention to rebel clear, then there was only one thing they
should do.

“They are probably getting cocky just because they are hiding in their shells, but that’s
useless before the Black Knights! My troops are in high spirits, don’t think we will show
any mercy!”

And so, the Black Skull Knights that suffered greatly from various sabotages finally
found a way to vent their frustration. The entire army was full of fighting spirit, and was
also upset that the stronghold that should be their safe haven had been occupied. They
should have been exhausted from the long journey, but their rage made them forget even
that as the unit deployed in formation, and advanced with an imposing air.
"Prepare for siege battle! Ready the Battering Rams! Crush those fools!!"

At the forefront of the formation in a horizontal line was Tyrants wielding small
Battering Rams. The powerful Tyrant could destroy walls even if they used smaller sized
Battering Rams, and so they developed the tactic of letting all the machines wield small
Battering Rams to attack the walls.

In the face of the black tide, Gedeon city fortress didn’t show any reaction. After all, the
mass produced machines from Kuscheperca was no match for the Black Knights, and this
fact had been proven time and again. Therefore, the Kuscheperca didn’t engage the
enemy outside the wall, and planned to make use of the wall to defend from the start.
This was the usual scene in all the Black Knights earlier skirmishes with the
Kuschepercas, so the Black Knights approached the walls without suspecting anything.
When they entered Silhouette Arms attack range, they finally saw the Kuscheperca
Silhouette Knights taking position on the walls. The front ranks of the Tyrants paid them
no mind, their armour could take several shots from their Silhouette Arms without any
problem.

And so, the first to realize that something was wrong was the battalion commander
standing by in the back line.
"What is… that? They are shaped differently from the strawman Resvants!”

The Silhouette Knights formed a line on top of the walls of Gedeon city fortress, and the
Resvants had a completely different appearance. The machine was surrounded by a thick
layer of additional armour, and their ‘barrel-like’ shape made them look like towers on
the walls.

As the battalion commander watched on in surprise, four Silhouette Arms reached out
from the back of the mysterious Silhouette Knights and aimed towards the front. They
seemed to have harnessed the technology known as back weapons of the Žaloudek Army.
Together with the two arms protruding out from the gaps of their armour, each of the
Silhouette Knights lined up in a row had a total of six Silhouette Arms. When he
understood what he was seeing, an ending that was completely different from what he
was expecting flashed across his mind—

“It’s not that they are not approaching, they just didn’t need to!? Damn it, the Black
Knights will..."

He was a step late in his yell, as the Silhouette Knights fired in unison the very next
second. Their Silhouette Arms launched a higher volume of projectiles that were also
more powerful in a continuous barrage. The ferocious bulletstorm landed on the heads of
the Black Knights, and constructed a large wall of fire, attempting to burn the Black
Knights along with the ground they stood on into ash.

Not just that, the catapults inside the fort also used this chance to launch their attacks.
The Black Knights were having a hard time dealing with the volley of shots, and the
boulders falling from a different angle made things worse. Even with the heavy armour
that was the pride of the Tyrants, they needed to defend themselves in order to guard
themselves from the boulders, and the invincible rank formation showed gaps for the first
time.

The Tyrants didn’t just take hits one sidedly, and deployed their back weapons to fight
back. Their shots hit Kuscheperca’s Silhouette Knight, that just stood still. But its heavy
armour protected it, and was unhurt even after several shots. The gulf between their range
attack power was clear.

"Damn it, what the hell are they! Their Silhouette Arms can fire consecutive shots!?”

The attacks from the catapults and Silhouette Arms forced the Žaloudek army into a
tough situation, and they started feeling that something was amiss. Silhouette Arms were
powerful weapons, but it consumes large amount of mana with its usage. If they attacked
continuously with Silhouette Arms, their manapool will run dry, forcing them to stop. But
they showed no signs of stopping since the start of the battle. It was obvious the enemy
was using some sort of gimmick.
“Damn it, they can’t win in melee combat, so they don’t plan to let us get close from the
start? Trivial tricks… Oh no, our losses are mounting. We have to pull back for now!
Relay the orders!”

Veins appeared on the forehead of the battalion commander, who roared his orders. Even
though the Tyrants wore heavy armour, the fierce attacks from the enemy were powerful
enough to damage it, so the slow Tyrants would need to pay a heavy price before they
reach the wall. Their objective here was for a long term invasion campaign, and even
ignoring this point, the repeated sneak attacks exhausted them heavily, and they couldn’t
afford to suffer too much casualties.

For the first time since the Žaloudek army started this war, they suffered a defeat in a
siege battle.

When they saw the Black Skull Knights retreat, the Kuscheperca troops moved in a panic
on top of Gedeon city fortress’ wall.

"The Žaloudek army is retreating! Vido team, ceasefire!"

“We don’t know when they will be back. Infantry, use this chance to reload the catapult!”

"Keep your Silhouette Arms deployed. Vido team to maintain current position to deter
them, and wait for your manapool to recover!"

The Silhouette Knights in line formation kept their Silhouette Arms raised as their Ether
Reactor made intense sound of air intake. These Silhouette Knights with the appearance
of barrels were Resvant Vido, machines built according to the blueprint proposed by
Ernesti, and distributed by the Silver Phoenix Merchants. Using the mass produced
Resvants of the old Kuscheperca army as the base, it was a simple modification with the
installation of Back Weapons and Capacity Frames to increase mana storage.

The main component of this modification was the additional armour that covered the
entire machine, the ‘Wall Robe’. Not only did it improve defenses, it was made entirely
from Capacity Frame. With this, a Resvant could store more mana than normal. The huge
amount of mana storage and multiple guns made it a machine that specialized in ranged
attacks. Unfortunately, the hasty modification made its flaw really obvious. The weight
of the Wall Robe also rendered the machine virtually immobile, turning it into a machine
used exclusively for fort defense. But even such a failure of a machine was enough to
intimidate the Žaloudek army that wasn’t aware of the truth.
“Look… Those Žaloudek bastards have left the road! We defended the city successfully!
We won!”

Seeing the Black Skull Knights retreat from the walls, there was first a commotion
amongst the soldiers, which finally erupted into cheers.

In the group of rowdy soldiers, several of the commanders appraised the situation calmly.

“We finally won a battle. But we only chased them off once. Their damage is minimal,
and will definitely be back. If we can keep them on their toes and stay away for now, that
would be great.”

The Resvant Vidos that lacked mobility were well suited for base defense, but on the
other hand, they were poor for offensive actions. The threat of the Žaloudek army was far
from over, but they still immersed themselves in the victory they won for the time being.
Chapter 33 Part 1
Hence, here come a new arc, most of story will focus on Eleonora.

Part 1

Old Kshyperuk kingdom, east territory.

The land next to foothills of Aubigne mountains that rich with numerous forest
that covered the entire area.

"The wide Kshyeru road", the main highway lie down in the spread forests of
Kshyperuk territory have connected a various place together.

[...Although Fontanie had fallen, the air in this forest did not change a single
bit....]

Martina's face showed out of the wagon, she frowns at the scenery with a fierce
blowing wind.

With this lush forest landscape, it harder to attack this country, that fact still did
not change after she witnesses the scenery of this place.

The gloomy that piled up in her heart finally melt away while she gets away from
Fontanie.

The homeland of her husband, Archduke Fernando, now, become the east
strategic point garrison base of Jaroudeku kingdom that located in the town.

That right, till the other day, they have been caught in Raspedo castle which
once a home of the women.

A place that her husband, the archduke was killed.

No matter how much strong of her will, there still a limit.

To got imprisoned in that place, become a prisoner, it's not much hard to imagine
that how much it become an unbearable pain for her.

[From now on, I can start, I will definitely take this country back from the hand of
those guys. Dears(Fernando)...please, watch over us.]

She is now has a purpose that inherited from her husband who served his
brother, the king.

A muttering with heavy determination faces away among the wind through the
forest.

Nobody should hear such a tweet. but, only a nephew who should have been
sleeping in the waiting room. his breathing just went unnatural pace at such a
time.

The two Tzendrinble pulling the wagon and run on fire along the highway.

It's destination, the ridges of the majestic Aubigne.

West calendar years 1281.

this year is truly a disorderly noteworthy year among the long time history.

Jaroudeku kingdom, the name of major power country among "the west
countries"(Okushiden)---that represent the countries that exist on the west side of
Zetterlund continent, suddenly begin its invasion in the neighboring countries.

the begin of "Large western regions war" or know the other name as "Grand
western storm war".

Jaroudeku kingdom turns the table with its overwhelming force than any
countries, went overrun the whole coalition of Rokard that adjacent to its border
in the blink of an eye, furthermore, It still riding on the tide of war to invade
"Kshyperuk kingdom".

Jaroudeku kingdom and Kshyperuk kingdom are both major power country in the
west, their power almost rival and always opposing each other.

At first, the neighboring countries all thought that the fighting between them
would continue for a long time.

However, Jaroudeku kingdom has a lot of newly technology innovation, they

bring out a powerful silhouette knight and even introduced the very first practical
aviation weapon in the human history, The "Airship".

They gained a one-sided tactical advantage.

Betrayed every expectation, Jaroudeku kingdom forced a total destruction to the

enemy and end the war after only six months since the war started.
[Rys-nii, So, where does this horse-drawn carriage is heading? perhaps over
beyond the mountains?]

Isadora who next to Emurys asked him while stretching her sloppy rigid limbs
fatigued from the ride.

After escaped from Fontanie a few days ago, They ran almost the entire day.

They should gain a lot of distance judging from Tzendrinble speed if they keep
heading to east at this rate, it obviously that they will reach Fremmevir kingdom
that located beyond the mountains.

From Emurys's social status point of view, this is a country that he went into
emigration once in the past.

[Nope, it would be a problem to go home. you see....because I made a promise

with my father. So, our destination is on this side.]

[So, are you going to stay in this domestic area? I admitted that this centaur
knight is very fast. but at this rate, I could foresee that all black knights will come
pouring from every direction.]

Emurys try to cheer up Isadora who cast her glance down with a melancholy
look, although it was unnecessary to stretch his chest.

[Hey, Isadora, Cheer up! We did not come here with an empty hand. now, the
preparation to counter attack is proceeding quietly too! ...along with everyone
from Silver Phoenix knight order!]

[...leave it to Rys-nii's indication is kind of...atleast there still...]

If thinking about his usual confidence basis, It's not easy for Isadora to get rid of
her anxiety.

While she was thinking, her eyes settled on the wagon that runs side by side.

There is a single knight that overwhelming an airship with its six demonic arms
take a standing posture on the roof.

If it was the man who piloted this thing then something unimaginable may
happen...
The girl was well aware that her holding an expectation for it.

And soon, she will realize.

About what on earth that Silver Phoenix knights gonna committed in this land.

Soon, before long, The woods with different color appeared along their way.

"Mishre", the post town that snuggled on the wide Kshyeru road.
TN: ミシリエ --- name of the post town.

Tzendrinble that continue ran at full speed until now finally begin to slow down
before the town.

Mishre surrounded with a rough wall and up there, a flag had been raised.

The flag does not belong to Jaroudeku kingdom and a silver phoenix was drawn
on it.

Tzendrinble raises up a flag as a signal then the gate greeted them by beginning
to open up.

[Auu, this is really tired as expected...Tzen-chan too, you did a good job-ne.]

[Theses guys are running pretty well and smooth control too, I think I may be got
addicted.]

Tzendrinble release a tired intake aspirated sound while passing the wicket on
the gate.

A lot of people from the surrounding come greeted the Tzendrinble at the parking
lot when they noticed its arrive.

When separated the wagon from their machines and heading for the workshop
both Chid and Ady were totally exhausted from their knight runner task.

These two machines were overuse too much with the long journey,
they are going to need a careful maintenance once.

The knight smiths feel gratefulness toward the twin who turnover, they unload
and carry a silhouette gear that stored in the remaining wagon.
[Rys, this town is safe isn't? you really don't mean that it already conquered by
Jaroudeku, right?]

[Please be at ease, Aunty. You should already see the flag, right? The silver
phoenix that craves on the flag is very our proof.]

Martina's appearance emerge from the door of waiting room in the wagon that
opened.

She narrowing her eyes at the origin of hustle and bustle noise that flew into her
very ears as soon as she came out.

The knight smiths are using a silhouette gear to run around the place and easily
lift and lay down the goods.

She looks at the figure of silhouette knight during it assembly state at the
workshop near a parking lot.

This place seems to be full of a liveliness that now lost in Fontanie.

She felt like being released from a prison with the scenery that long time no see
and then she heard a hustle and bustle sound from behind.

A beating sound of crystal tissue came from Ikaruga that stood up.

[I gonna drop Ikaruga in the workshop. young master, please bring everyone to
the mansion.]

Emurys returned his ok by raised his hand and leading Martina group to the
center of town.

However, without many walks, a horse-drawn carriage appeared before them

while they are wading through a passer.

A man just came out from the stopping carriage.

He is Baron Modest Retonmaki, one of the small nobles with the corner territory
of the east sector.

[Ou! Ms. Martina, So you're safe and sound. although I heard the story from
Emurys-dono still...Arrr]

He noticed the person who was hiding behind Martina with hesitation, without
care that this place was a roadside, he was taking a gratitude action by
immediately deeply down his knee.

[Your royal highness princess Eleonora. It was a truly divine blessing that you
survived in this hardship.]

Eleonora Miranda Kshyperuk. the memento of king Agusty who was killed, the
only legitimate person with the right to take over the throne among Kshyperuk
royal family lineage.

Those who around went on their knee one after another after heard the full
emotion voice of baron Retonmaki.

Eleonora who was raised up as a cage bird is unfamiliar against such a direct
action.

On behalf of she who still in a confusion, Martina step up and tell the
surrounding.

[Retonmaki-dono, and everyone please raise your face. the painful feeling of
gentlemen is well understood for her royal highness. however, due to the long
journey to this place, her royal highness had become tired. I want you to guide us
to the resting place first.]

[Ha! I'm really rude. therefore, we will guide you, please come this way.]

Baron Retonmaki who stood up invited the women groups into the carriage and
told the coachman to go the center of the town.

[Ms. Martina, you too also experienced a long journey same as her highness,
aren't you tired?]

[...you may be right but because we only have a little remaining time of the
current situation, I do not think that I have that kind of luxury time. I want to talk
about what to do from now on immediately....]

She suppressed her her fatigue and on the verge of resumes her walk but before
that happen, Emurys interrupted her.

[If that the case then, Retonmaki-dono, do you want to resume our "Negotiation"
from the other day? I wonder how much gathered here now...]

[Ah, about that, they are impatiently waited here, maybe they want to talk about
"an example of blueprint" that they received from you guys on the other days.]

Not too long after that, they reached the large exceptionally building in the center
of the town.

Baron Retonmaki told his employee to guide Isadora and the princess to their
room while he starts walking to guided Emurys and Martina by himself.

They heading to the room that designed as a meeting place, a lot of people
already inside the room.

Baron Retonmaki immediately speaking as soon as he entered the room.

[Everyone, Hear me out, We got a good news! the silver trading firm, Ms. Martina
and Ms. Isadora, furthermore even her royal highness princess Eleonora too are
here now, our salvation had arrived!]

The pleasure is shaking the meeting room.

Just on the other day, Jaroudeku kingdom has issued the news about "the
marriage between the second prince Cristobal & princess Eleonora" which really
delivered an impact blow to the surviving nobles.

For them who already disadvantage against the mighty power of Jaroudeku
kingdom, this development will eliminate the royal lineage right which means a
totally cruel defeated for them.

By know that the princess was rescued from the evil hand of Jaroudeku,
there is no more surprise that will bring them more joy than this news.

Martina looks dubious at the people group who are lineup in the conference room
that basked with delight air.

[All of you lords(Kikun), Why on earth are you gathered in this place...]
TN: 貴君 = you (primarily used by men in letters to their equals or inferiors).

Those people who have gathered in this meeting room are all the nobles of east
Kshperuk territory.

Martina is the grand duchess of archduke Ferdinan which her existence really
famous in the east, most of the nobles who are here were her acquainted.

There is also an unfamiliar face among them in addition.

Everyone in this scope is all relatively low-level nobles.

[Now, I'm about to explaining the situation, shall we start?]

Baron Retonmaki who served as a speaker explained the history development up

to now.

While Jaroudeku kingdom lay its hand to captured the Kshyperuk royal family,
they also stretched its aggression hand throughout the remaining Kshyperuk
kingdom territory at the same time.

Their next target is a large number of noble who remain within the country.

Many already fallen along with the king when the imperial city was attacked.

Those who remain are being isolated by the chaos and entirely become the
victim of the mighty power of black knight.

Some of them manage to survive but they were disarmed, got confiscated of their
property and got stripped of their nobility.

Jaroudeku kingdom is overwhelming and went thoroughly at them.

The remaining majority of nobles, the high-rank nobles who survived are
gathered at this place.

It would take too much time and effort in order to eliminate all nobles. after all, it
would be inconvenient for Jaroudeku kingdom if the govern structure is totally
collapsed.

So, they only conduct a regular patrol in order to subdue and eliminated the weak
nobles.

[...now, let me introducing the one who brought up the quite interesting
"Negotiation" which spreading around...]

Emurys proudly hit his chest at the previous meaning look of Baron Retonmaki.

While Martina's face which floated with question change into amazed,
Emurys's smiling at her with a mischievous boy smile and quickly revert into an
indeed contrived reverential positive attitude one.
[Now, just as our introduced, We, "The silver trading firm", are a mere of trade
and commerce company. We hailed from the land beyond the far east mountains
and judged that Kshyperuk situation is clearly in a difficult state. So, we
purposing you an uncalled trading by offering our help, we can't just let this
opportunity pass unnoticed, you see?]

Martina was speechless at the monotone lines as it was a reading speech which
really clearly sounds unusual for her.

[You say a merchant is it...? no, no matter how much you pushing it...isn't a bit
too much? are you not shameless about your statement? no matter how much I
thinking, you guys definitely an elite who came under the direct order of Rio-
Brother right?]

[Ou! Father did say that no matter how much shameless he is, the winner is still a
winner!]

[...that it, the thoughtfulness of Rio-Brother that hidden inside this quest is
already leaked out...you know!]

Martina sighed.

To even take along an overwhelming unique silhouette knight as this much, It

goes without saying that her nephew is trying to help her "country" by entered
this east territory.

This means that she who can't understand his unnatural word can only amazed.

[Due to their firm aid, we are able to gather here.]

Silver trading firm who reached the east territory had keeping perform a raid
aginst Jaroudeku army under the guise of "Contract"

By reducing their number, Jaroudeku army becomes enraged as keep

concentrated their force as a countermeasure.

As a result, The patrol force in the east territory is reducing its frequency of
patrol.

At the same time, it weakening the observation that put on the small and weak
nobles.

[Then, allow me to introduce...Emurys-dono, the one who rescued the princess in

order to aid our country and stood behind the scenes that passed around the
news to gathered us, which develop to the current situation, in order to allow us,
the powerless regained back this country.]

The nobles who gathered for such an occasion too nodded to the grave word of
Baron Retonmaki.

Their mind is clearly showed in their face expression. However, Martina slowly
shakes her head in denying.

[I'm delighted at your lords feeling. however, to say regain back the country, how
are you gonna do that? In the first place, it really sad but our silhouette knight,
"Leswant" is clearly inferior to their overwhelming black knight. This is a clearly
no chance battle. We never able to manage to grasp any single victory against
them. don't tell me that you gonna have Rys group deal with them all, right?]

They are crossing sword many times, they need three Leswant to subdue one
Tyrantor and they need to go all at once in order to stop it.

Furthermore, it not simple as saying since Jaroudeku army is used the column
wall type formation tactics that protect their side.

Before they able to manage to gang up on Tyrantor with their superior number
advantage, Kshyperuk army already suffered a major casualty.

And there still one thing that nailed their coffin, an airship.

With an existence that soars freely in the sky, their unique aviation tactics
rendered all of the strategies into useless.

[...fuh, To fight them with only just us is certainly impossible...rather than it, First,
we gathered everyone here because we want to sell them our product, after all,
we are the merchant, aunty.]

Emurys thumb up in the front with good spirit, then, a petite boy is appearing in
the conference room as he waiting for the signal.

The grand master of Silver Phoenix knight order, Ernesti begin to speak with a
cool voice while floating a smile with adorable features like his flopping silver-
purple hair.

[Now, this may be a bit of arrogant remark but it is an explanation about our new
product. let us begin with the review of the prerequisite factor, shall we? your
guys have two current biggest problems, one is about the enemy knight that
overwhelming you guys and the another one is a countermeasure for an airship.
also, this is about a heavily modification that will apply on Leswant.]

Before everyone knew it, Edgar and Dietrich already appeared behind Eru,
silently assembled a blackboard. Eru is quickly attached a few sheet of paper on
the blackboard and smile softly.

[This is our, Silver trading firm offering to your solution. please look at the
"designed documents" that we distributed to you before time and....]

While his blue eyes are shining with hauntingly light, his state of that time is really
terribly happy and start to explain the detail with a professional presentation.
Chapter 33 Part 2.
Part 2

[As long as you heard the current explanation, there should not be any problem.
Our group too was able to put a fight with "this".]

Although Eru's explanation had ended, the facial expression of Kshperuk nobles
who gathered in this meeting room still remains tense.

If you think about their situation until now, this presentation of the silver trading
firm can be treated as a great hope for them who was powerless.

However, the weak nobles still on their vigilance, they did not agree immediately.

[The main problem should be time, I think. The design of "this" is too good, It
gonna definitely take sometimes. But, now, Jaroudeku kingdom already lost its
grasp on her royal highness princess. I do not think that they gonna leisurely
waiting for us. If we can't make this in time before the deployment deadline, We
definitely will be crushed.]

[Please rest assured. We already anticipated this matter, We had been prepared
a trick that will allow you to earn some time to made it thoroughly.]

Eru keep answered at the flooding question without any stagnation.

Martina could only open her mouth widely at such a scene.

[There still more thing, you may be able to deal with the enemy force that coming
from the another territory in time but what about the one that already deployed in
the east area? before I came here, they already have a large number of patrol
force. we can't just ignore them, right?]

Martina pointed at the most critical question.

And Eru just answered with a great smile for such a question.

[Please be assured. In the first place, the enemy force in the east territory
already been reduced in number due to our previous "Contract". also the same
from now on, as long as the contract still in effect.]

[...I, Is that so...]

All people who gathered in this place already well-known about the rampage that
keeps happening around of the silver trading firm.

However, they did not know why Jaroudeku army called it a grim reaper 's
rampage and no one dare enough to ask that question too.

[How was it? Aunty. Our silver trading firm's offering such as "safety" and "war
potential". If you want to start the first step in order to regain back this country.
then this is the place, I assured you!]

[...fuh, fu fu fuh. seriously...this is really a madness deal. not bad , not bad at
all...I accept the contract!]

Got lured by the words along with the clear-cut smile and fearless appearance,
Martina too finally allow herself to smile again.

The smiles of two people are indeed similar as expected of the one who shares
the same blood in their veins.

At the time that Emurys and Martina on verge of exchanged their "Contract"
agreement, they were stopped by the raised voice of the person who behind
them.

[Please wait a moment, Young master. Although you are the relative of Ms.
Martina but this is involved with the fate of the country itself. We too also claimed
that we're a merchant, We can't go around and help on the request without an
appropriate remuneration.]

It was Eru, He was panicked at Emurys's behavior that deviated from the plan
due to the flow of conversation.

[Oi, Silver leader! just what did you say so suddenly! The silver trading firm is just
a public cover. in reality, We are totally different....]

[No, be quiet for a moment, Emurys. his word is not a mistake. We too agree with
him. It would be inconvenient for our grace if we only take without giving anything
back.]

With her bold heart, Martina turns back at Eru.

Now, she has the mission, to protect Eleonora and take back the country at all
cost for the late king and her husband sake.
For that sake, the power of this silver trading firm is indeed necessary.

She may get used to Emurys's temperament but she also well aware that
organization relationship does not work that way.

They still lacking a thing to compensate their business partner.

The woman patiently observes the little boy in front of her eyes.

The one who supervise all the people of the silver trading firm(the knight order)
that possess both unique trait and power.

Appeared in the form of a young child yet piloted the unique silhouette knight and
infiltrated the castle, completed the mission that impossible.

Even a part of emotion such as despise or obligation never appeared on the

child's face.

While receiving such a strong gaze, Eru is slowly speaking.

[Our group already decided about our payment, It's a silhouette knight-desu. We
want the ownership of every spoil part of "enemy silhouette knight" that we
crushed.

[....Ha? just that only?]

[Yes, just only that-desu.]

Martina thought that as a suicide choice but she doesn't have any choice except
rely on their power for the time being. So, they would be the greatest of her ally.

Until then, They will keep defeated the enemy for their rewarding.

After all, the enemy hand will not able to reached her easily with that.

In the first place, it already becomes a ridiculous thinking about the reward, just
what is the suitable reward that equals to a country?

Compared to her ordinary knowledge about a reward so far, his request is

nothing but a small favor.

[well, "If it only this much" then there is no problem at all, We don't have any
objection.]
Even there still some distrust remain, the woman chose to ignore it and nodded
her head.

But Martina who already holding a relief feeling did not notice it all, about Emurys
who was clamoring about it at the start began to quiet at the midway of
conversation.

[Okay, then I guess we got a deal isn't... we will certainly fulfill our promise.
....then no matter how much enemy we eliminated by crushed , broke or slashed,
everything will belong to me, is that correct?...]

Eru nodded with a melting smile but his furious murderous intention was leaked
along with it.

At that time, Emurys who working along with him knew well about his personality,
he began to horrify understood the meaning in that line.

(...it's not "Everything belong to the silver trading firm" but "Everything is mine"
instead? Did he really say that?...this is definitely not a misunderstood because
Ernesti did not intend to leave any single machine behind, don't tell me that he
gonna earnestly.....every single enemy so he can get his hand on them all?!..)

Before he gonna involuntarily stop the talking, he comes up with a better idea.

Since there is no problem with eliminated the enemy as soon as possible,

furthermore, both Eru and his aunt also agreed in this matter then it should not a
problem isn't?...

thus, Old Kshyperuk principality remnants army accepted the contract of the
silver trading firm.

Immediately after that time, the tide of battle begins to greatly shift again.
Chapter 33 Part 3.
Part 3

[The loser should really accept their fate quietly like the loser one, so we can end
this without a trouble.]

The black line existence is moving and shaking a cobbled stone that paved the
wide Kshyeru road.

The true identity on this intimidate being that contrast to the nature background is
the Black Jaw knights which directly marching from the north Kshyperuk territory.

A group that composes of 40 units of Tyrantor---and 20 units of Leswant that

gained by requisitioned order, the number almost exactly as a battalion scale.

[...it very rare for the battalion commander himself opens his mouth like that, look
like your silhouette knight's loudspeaker just picking up the unnecessary line.]

The man who was assigned as his adjutant of this battalion adjusting his speed
to match the battalion commander's Tyrantor and chided him.

Just on the other day, they just received the command that arrived from the HQ,
it was made and signed up with join signature names of princess Cataline and
prince Cristobal.

Which mean this order can be comparable to the royal decree that usually means
for issue the highest priority instruction and important one.

The contents are about pursuing the escaped Kshyperuk royal family and
eliminated the rebel forces.

The escaping news of the royal family is very one of greatest confidential even
the battalion commander and his adjutant don't know the detail too.

Most of their knights are thinking that this is just a simple eastern area
subjugation mission only.

Rather than they escaped, they were taken away instead---the reason behind
this concealment is because they fear that this fact will definitely cause a great
discourage on Jaroudeku army and pump up the rebel morale instead, this
probably leads to their unexpected damage.
[I knew that. So, don't make a fuse, would you?. ....geez, just who is the pussy
one here...for such a worrywart on the little thing like that in our glory Black Jaw
knight order....]

While pushing away his troublesome adjutant, the battalion command disables
his loudspeaker.

Black Jaw knights is an elite troop of Jaroudeku army, they were bestowed with
many important positions than the other knight order.

Most of it is about dealing with the mismanagement area.

The battalion seems to have arrived at the fort that located along the highway.

This fort seems like to be used as a border checkpoint, it was abandoned in

order to escape from the airship's threat in the initial stage of the war.

The battalion is entering the unmanned fort while being vigilance.

[Look like it was a completely deserted. as expected, nothing good remains

behind. well, it's fine, I too want to get this inspection over ASAP , start
maintenance on the black knight and put up the sentry, we will stay here for a
while.]

the battalion commander issued his command and the soldiers began to move all
at once.

Since it wasn't abandoned due to battle damage, there is no problem that will
hinder them from using it at all.

As it stated that they just took a long journey from the north, their fatigue from the
long distance travel is piled up, they need to rest and perform the maintenance
with the equipment in this place.

What following the battalion from behind is the logistic corps that carried the
supply goods, it coming and entering the fort.

There seem to be facilities to stored their goods in this fort.

There is no anxiety on their facial expression and their tension also decreasing
as it was a nature logic which proved that all of them are well temperament
control group.
Then,

The incident happened---on the middle night of the second day that they used
this fort.

The guards which had been circulated on top of the walls around the perimeter of
the fort at that time are very involuntarily careless as they are pretending to do
the guard role.

The lacking motivation Tyrantor's search light that keeping stagger projected on
the walls.

Inadvertently, that light disappears.

One light .... two light then, the light that was supposed to be around the walls
had been swallowed by the darkness one by one after another.

A shadow appeared on the walls instead of it.

It easily rolled up the guard corpse at its feet and lifted up the torch that fell the
ground, the true identity of the shadow is a full cloth armor with total height of 2.5
meters, the silhouette gear "Shadow Rat"

Shadow Rat glanced at the interior state from the walls.

This fort originally belonged to Kshyperuk army. So, they already did a pre-
investigation before time in order to grasp the whole internal structure picture.

The Shadow Rat group are carefully looking around from the top of the wall to
observed the current state of Jaroudeku army encampment.

After the quick observation, they are all starting to take action at once.

The ruckus sound that roaring in the late of midnight awaken the entire
Jaroudeku army.

[...J...Just what is this commotion!?]

The battalion commander who had been falling asleep in a requisitioned room
jumped out of the room with a sword in his hand and shouting.

The soldier who was his subordinate come hurries up at him.

[Plase forgive me, sir! i..it's an enemy attack! they just set a fire inside the fort!]

[What did you say!? just what the hell are the guard doing!? ...Nah, leave that
aside for now, just get some soldiers put off the fire first! the rest go deal with the
enemy, do not let them leave this fort alive!!]

The battalion commander heard the reply of the soldiers with an uncomfortable
tone causing him to have a bad feeling.

[Ar...It about the enemy, sir!.... the enemy are using a strange small size of
silhouette knight, our flesh and blood soldiers are no match at all! furthermore,
those guys already climb over the walls and run away to the outside, Sir.]

[Haa? just what ridiculous thing are you saying!?....forget it, forget about the fire,
go get the knight runners, send out the silhouette knight to chasing them at
once!]

After received the instruction, the knight runners are immediately moving.

Several machines of Tyrantor and Leswant are starting up and began to sortie in
order to chase the escaped assailant.

The direction that assailant escaped to is a forest along the highway.

Silhouette knight is a giant weapon that hard to move in the lush forest which
richly in trees.

But even it is an advantage for a silhouette gear, a dim forest on the midnight
really hindered field of vision which is limited how fast they can run.

Tyrantor starts up its back-weapon, and shoot out into the woods.

The black scenery that silhouette gear blend in darkness is elegantly blown up
with explosive flame.

The angered silhouette knight troops fiercely following it.

Although silhouette gear can run faster than a horse, it still can't match the speed
of running silhouette knight that larger in size, the distance between them is keep
shrinking.

In the meantime, Tyrantor's back weapon is shooting out a bullet but the
surround trees become a shield of their target unexpectedly.

It lost the sight of the target during the flame explosion of the trees, the silhouette
knight corps increasing their speed to run faster.

---underneath the armor of Shadow Rat, the wearer floating up a smile.

The Shadow Rat group did not just run blindly, it runs to the destination in their
mind, through the "gimmick" that placed at the lower part and stretched around
the bottom area of trees.

There, the enraged Tyrantor still following them vigorously.

The Tyrantor got distracted with the appearance of silhouette gear, end up not
able to noticed the gimmick at its foot.

Immediately after that, the Tyrantor's foot hit something on the front and fall
vigorously

It was a powerful falling to the front, its armor got squashed, hit the ground and
keep skate with the remaining momentum.

The rest of silhouette knights which followed it closely from behind try to do an
emergency stop in a hurry but, it already too late.

Several silhouette knight fall into the trap of the gimmick and ungraceful went
down, tumbled

[What happening? there was something down there, the thing that stretched
around is... a steel wire!?]

[Kusso! such a thief trick! they set up a gimmick trap in the woods!]

The poor visibility in the dark night already enough to makes it difficult for
silhouette knight to march in the forest. So, it almost impossible for them to notice
such an inconspicuous trap.

During that chaos time, they already lost a track of silhouette gear from their
view.

However, if they continue to chase it again, they probably meet the same trap
again.
If they wary about the trap too much, they will not able to catch the silhouette
gear.

An angered sound is venting loudly in the wood of night.

[...b, by the time we came out from that zone, the thief already all gone....]

The captain of silhouette knight squad who returns to the fort is now reporting his
result to the battalion commander while soaking in cold sweat.

Once the battalion commander heard it, he raises up his voice while distorting his
facial expression.

[Dame those annoying thief! they really come thoughtful prepared...just what the
heck is that thing!? Kusso, So, what becoming of the fire situation in the fort?]

[Ha! , We already try put it off with the silhouette knight but it obviously that the
enemy was set up the fire with "Demon Beast Oil". even now, the flame is still
strongly burning and struggling, Sir!]

Demon Beast Oil is an oil which extracts from the monster that living from the
east side of Aubigne, a special oil that rich with fat.

Once it lit up, it will burn vigorously and hard to extinguish, a perfect tool for
sabotage operation.

[Damn them all...over and over again, damn. So where and what did they burn!?]

[Ha! some of the army provision and the especially spare parts of silhouette
knight, many of them were targeted.]

At that time, the irritation of the battalion commander already reached its peak.

Although he was almost involuntarily burst out his anger, the fact that his
subordinates still stood before him make him swallowed it back somehow.

Among the goods that were burned, the army provision is already a big problem
but the spare part for the silhouette is the most serious problem by many times.

While the black knight displays its mighty power in combat, at the same time, it
also takes a heavy burden from the rotation of its part.

Most of the factor that reduces its durability is its own weight, in order to have it
continuing display a high performance, a regular maintenance on its body is
necessary.

So, the main question is about the crystal tissue that using here.

The main force of Jaroudeku army composes of Tyrantor which is utilized a

strand-type crystal tissue.

Now, that rope-type crystal tissue spare part for the sake of maintenance was
lost among the goods that were destroyed.

[What did you say? at this rate, isn't it gonna be the main problem for marching
operation? ....this is a direct royal command from his highness himself, you
know? such a whining is not allowed!]

The battalion commander and his adjutant looked at each other, they are the
expedition troops, so, no way that they gonna received an often replenishment
supply.

They need to makeshift with what was left behind in order meet the expectation.

[It can't help. I just remembered it, there should be a normal type crystal tissue
for the requisition Leswant left, right? let use it as a replacement. go tell the
blacksmith guys since the strand type is no longer available now.]

The new question now is, could Tyrantor used the normal tradition crystal tissue
as its spare part? since it was supposed to resupply with a rope type.

As a result of this specific order, the involving technician corps had to do the
makeshift maintenance with an original type rather than the supposed strain type,
this result will cause a heavy burden to the unit when it marching

The damaged from the sabotage under the moonlight was focus on the goods,
human life but the damage in strategic view was small, in the end, Jaroudeku
army had resumed its march that already late behind the schedule again.

But of course, no one says that the sabotage is ended with just this one.

The following incident happening when they are progressing on the highway.

A large arrow attack was suddenly flying and raining upon the marching
Jaroudeku army, it was fired from the siege weapon that lay in the forest from the
side of the highway.
Although their silhouette knight raised up their shield in a hurry, most of the arrow
end up targeting at the wagon of the logistic corps which enraged the soldiers.

Once the assailant sidelong glance at the coming silhouette knight group, they
skillfully retreat.

Moreover, a steel wire is laid out around the entire forest, the same trap that the
pursuit force tasted on the night which forced the silhouette knight to stop
chasing them half way at that time.

By travel on the horseback a long time, their legs became dull.

Furthermore, since they becoming more wary about the repeating attack, their
marching speed are even more slowly.

Most every one of Jaroudeku army did not expect that the attack will happen
during their march. So, what follow after that is, they are enraged and acted
separately, the assailant easily switch the location and aimed at the other
different target.

The main target is the logistic corps that transporting a goods for the invasion
troops.

They are marching from the northern territory of Kshyperuk which already
dominated by the Jaroudeku kingdom.

With that reason, they let their guard down and end up as most of the supplies
are burned from the raid, a serious damage.

[Ei , again and again, this is so damn annoying, They just aim for the supply that
comes this way only, even we had the airship pressing them from the sky, Are
those guys fearless or something?]

Up until now, Jaroudeku army was able to re-supply safely without a problem due
to the existence of airship.

They can easily found a silhouette knight from the sky, So, the attempt of Old
Kshyperuk army that tries to attack a supply line ended up with failure and was
crushed in advance many times.

Before the great advantage being from the sky of Jaroudeku kingdom, such an
attempt is not different than a suicidal act.
But the assailant in this time did not use a silhouette knight. Rather, they are
using a small size silhouette knight instead.

To discover the assailant that skillfully hide in the forest from the sky is prove to
be extremely difficult.

Thus, Jaroudeku army can only afford to do a standstill defensive while the
supply units end up received an attacked many times.

In order counter this, the supply unit begin to increase the number of their escort.
despite they got attacked fewer as a result, their movement becomes inevitable
slowly in exchange.

This becoming more serious situation than they thought.

Due to the raid, the Black Jaw knight order gradually begun to run low on
supplies.

A silhouette knight is a weapon that cost a ton of capital and it even more
expensive when coming to the large black knight.

Even the supplies that they holding also has a limit.

Furthermore, the maintenance corps haul a big load in order to come here.

By one-sidely destroyed the Kshyperuk army so far make Jarodeuku army

become more arrogance.

They are unaware themselves that they now begin to get nerve and tingling,
even their movement become more dull and duller.

As the marching in the favorable weather suddenly hung up with the storm on the
horizon.

The black jaw knights marching on the highway begin to get far and farther in
distance on the slightly elevated mountain.

The appearance of them from there can be seen as a crowded population.

[...look like the enemy's vigilance has become quite strict. It should probably be
the time soon, right? Our effort in laying foundation has come out quite well.]
The one who muttered is Nora of the Blue Falcon knights, what behind her from
the distance is the array line of the decorated Shadow Rat.

The men from her group also return the girl question with their nod.

By participated in the activities of Silver Phoenix knights so far, Nora also learns
how to manipulate silhouette gear, she led the silhouette gear troops

The assault that acted on Jaroudeku army at this place so far was all work of this
girl group.

A group consists of people with many talents combination with a silhouette gear.

[From now on, It will be the work of the main force of Silver Phoenix knights and
the nobles. Our group should hurry up get back and prepare for the next move.]

The cool pupil stared at the land of the east, she earnestly prepares the stage
that will become a full-scale crashing.

The shadow group left the area and ran away through the forest with such a gale
speed.
Chapter 33 Part 4 & 5
Part 4

The Black Jaw knights battalion was under attack from time to time and received
a considerable damage but on the other hand, they still manage to reach their
next destination somehow.

Now, they walking silently and become less talkative as the high morale that
accompanied them at the beginning stage now mysteriously disappears, soon,
the appearance of the walls that cut off the highway come into their view.

For anyone who came from the north, this walls belongs to the city that known as
the gate of the east, "The Fortress City Jeedon" is outstanding appear before
them.

This city had been established a trade route with Fremmevir kingdom via the
"East-West highway" and also leading to the north-south road of Kshyperuk, it
very well known as the very important strategic point.

For that sake, The city itself was surrounded by a solid circle walls which
designed to give a high defense capability to the city.

[...All forces, halt immediately!]

They already running low on supplies plus piled up a lot of fatigue to the point
that probably dangerous even for the elite Black Jaw knights.

It can't help that the soldiers feel relief in their mind since they had reached the
city that can be used a base for resting.

However, The battalion commander ordered them to stop before they can enter
the city.

The battalion commander manipulated his Tyrantor to point its finger at "That" to
his adjutant who sent him a puzzled look.

[...Why is "Our army's flag" did not raised up in that city? nah, what the heck in
the world is "That flag"?]

A portrait of a silver phoenix which spread its wing was drawn on the flag that
proudly fluttering on the fortress city Jeedon's wall.
"Flag" is something that used to display the affiliation of the force in order to
identify friend or foe.

The reason that Jaroudeku kingdom's flag did not raise on it can be only one
meaning.

[....how stupid. as expected of pussy person level, figure it out by yourself, would
you!]

The battalion commander shouts a dispute and ordered the entire battalion to
prepare for combat.

The rebellious intent is so clear, there is only one thing can be done.

[Since the city was very well protected by the thick walls, they probably got
conceited, right? Look like they have some smart ass soldier but it's useless
before our black knight, don't expect that you guys will receive any mercy!]

Until now since they came to this land, the Black Jaw knight was continue being
harassed by the sabotage act. right now, they want to use this chance to venting
their frustration.

For the city that was supposed to be their resting place after long distance travel
betrayed them as soon as they reached it, this really adds the furious fuel to their
emotion even they are exhausted.

They fold their rank quickly and advance by walking with intimidating air.

[Front Wall Formation!! front row used sword stance! go crushed those fools!]

Tyrantors that on the front row of row wall type formation ready its stance with a
war mace
TN: war mace = a small version of battle hammer.

Tyrantor already possesses a great power, when it used a war mace in large
number, it can do damage on the walls.

That why a battle hammer was miniaturization into war mace, in order to attack
the walls with sheer strength numbers, A tradition tactic by destroying all target at
once.

The fortress city Jeedon did not show any reaction against the black wave that
surging before it.
Since it really hard for the mass production type of Kshyperuk to win against
Jaroudeku's black knight.

It was a fact that repeated in history many times that Kshyperuk side always
fights by the wall, not on the field and end up turn into a siege campaign.

They always saw it every time on the battlefield, alway a sight.

That why the black knights pushing forward without suspect anything and about
to entering the silhouette arms range from the walls.

When they step on that range, the Kshyperuk's silhouette knight finally shows
themselves on the walls

The black knights who move forward did not give them much an attention since
some stray shot from silhouette arms won't do much damage to the heavily
armored Tyrantor, They calmly thought like that.

However, the battalion commander who observing the entire situation from afar is
the first and foremost one who noticed about the abnormality.

[What...is that thing? It's not a Leswant ...It's "a different type"!?]

The lined up of silhouette knights that appeared on the fortress city Jeedon's
walls had a great different form from Leswant.

The machines that appeared from the spire that integrated with the walls had an
armor which is strangely round almost like a "Cylinder" attached around its
frame.

Hence, The mysterious silhouette knights are extending "4" silhouette arms from
their back and stretch it forward before the line of sight of the puzzled battalion
commander.

It possesses the same back armed system that was adopted in Jaroudeku army.

Its arm also grabs its silhouette arms that attached at the gap between the
addition armor along with the other 4 armed.

The silhouette knight that able wield six silhouette armament at the same time
just lined up on the walls, the battalion commander had reached the conclusion
the moment that he witness such a scene.
[...It not that they did not approach us but there is no need for them to approach
in the beginning! this is bad. that thing will...black knight.... ]

His shouted already way too late at that time.

In the next moment, the lined up silhouette knights that take a shoot stance
released their magic bullet all at once.

The destruction power is far beyond the standard silhouette arms.

With the hex gun that continues to shoot a magic bullet in succession, The storm
of the ferocious magic bullet is poured down upon the black knight, created a
tremendous explosive of a flame wall.

Develop the momentum that sent every black knight crumbled on the ground.

And it not only just that.

While he staring at such a scene, a sling attack begins to fly out from the fort.

The black knights already devoted in defense against the storm of magic bullet.
and now, they took a direct hit from the stone bullets that just comes flying at
them from a different angle

No matter how much thick armor that Tyrantor had, If they took a direct hit from a
stone bullet without defence, they will not come out unscathed from it.

The pride of invisible row wall type formation that they boasted is now being
ripping apart for the first time.

Despite that, Tyrantor too did not yield on receiving only, it tries to retaliate by
start up its back armed and fired.

Its shot landed a direct hit at the Kshyperuk's silhouette knight that stood on the
top of the walls but the surrounding armor is too thick plus only a few shot
manage hit it.

The distance between two silhouettes, the altitude, greatly reduces the accuracy
of the black knight's bullet.

[Kusso! Just what the heck is that thing! How can it still able to shooting
silhouette arms non-stop like this!?]
A stone throwing and magic bullet attack, under attack by this two type of
projectile weapon cause Jaroudeku army to struggled, eventually, they begin to
feel a discomfort.

A magic weapon is a powerful weapon but it consumes a lot of magic in order to

use it.

If they continue to shoot a large volley of attack like this, their mana pool should
run out soon.

However, they still able to shooting continuously without stopping.

It so clear that the enemy must have some trick behind it.

[Damn it, Since this is not a strength contest, they purposely keep up the
distance from the beginning!? How impudent!...At this rate, we will take too much
damage, messenger, tell the entire battalion to fall back at once!]

The battalion commander shouts an instruction while smiling with a blue vein on
his forehead.

Tyrantor has a heavy armor but the enemy attack powerful enough to punch
through it.

With low mobility---It's inevitable that Tyrantor gonna take a great damage before
it can reach the walls.

They have to deal with this place with a long term invasion strategy instead.

Right now, even without an enemy, the black knight troops already exhausted by
a piled up fatigue.

They are not in a state that allows them to combat at all.

Now, Jaroudeku army who started this war tasted its first defeated in the fort
capture campaign in the history.

While confirming the retreat of Black Jaw knights, Kshyperuk soldiers who stood
above the fortress city Jeedon's walls being to move in a hurry.

[Jaroudeku army is retreating! Vid's squad! Cease fire!]

[Now is our chance to do resupply before they come back, All soldiers hurry up
the sling reloading!]

[Lower your silhouette arms, Vid's squad keep it like that in order to threaten
them while recovering mana pool at the same time.]

The silhouette knight squad that sit in the row is releasing an intense intake and
aspiration sound from ether reactor while holding their silhouette arms.

The name of the machine that having a shape like a cylinder is "Leswant Quad"

It was a machine that builds from the blueprint that handed ou in a various place
by the silver trading firm, from Ernesti's proposal.

By used a Leswant, the mass production machine of The Ancient Kshyperuk

army as a base, It was upgraded with the multiple back armed "Capacitive Ram"
which just simply attached on its back.
TN: Capacitive Ram type silhouette arms - as Its name suggest, a weapon that
already stores an energy inside the gun and can shoot out right away, A mana
support from silhouette knight's ether reactor is not necessary. I think.... [An
energy gun with power bank built-in function] if you ask me...

The main focus of this upgrading is the "Wall Robe", a large addition armor
that covers the machine frame.

A Capacitive Ram needs to use with this strong armor as the armor itself has a
built in mana pool larger than the amount that one Leswant can possess.

Leswant Quad has an enormous mana pool due to its large capacity and can
wield multiple silhouette arms at the same time, it is a machine that extremely
specialized for single-minded attack from range

Unfortunately, Its existence was a rush job and lack a lot of adjustment from the
start plus the weight of wall robe really too far heavy for moving, as a result, it
can only use in defense situation only.

In the end, It's some kind of defective machine, even so, it already strong enough
to deal with Jaroudeku who did not know this fact.

[Look...That Jaroudeku army, are fall back on the highway! We really did it! We
had protected this town, We won!]

The scenery of the retreated black knights who had left the vicinity of the city
spreading to every soldier's mind.

Not too long, they begin to groans and finally become an explosive delight cheer.

The commander is relatively calm while watching the situation among the
delighted soldiers.

[Finally, a victory isn't? Although, we just able to drove them away just once.
even the damage they receive is not a little, they probably come back to attack
gain. may be, I should keep a tab on them with a high alert.]

Leswant Quad which has a high aptitude for base defense does not allow them
to pursuit or attack, its mobility it too low.

Still, they decided to rejoice the victory in front of them for now as Jaroudeku
army has completely retreated.

Part 5.

The news about the victory of the fortress city Jeedon is now, spreading around
the local area.

This news will definitely raise an unstoppable great momentum that grows the
rebellion next to the princess Eleonora's retaken news without a doubt.

Until now, only Silver Phoenix knights can match Jaroudeku army toe to toe.

However, If only them able to fight then in a true sense, it is not a victory at all.

By obtained the new Leswant Quad here, the ancient Kshyperuk nobles is now
able to prominence step up in the battlefield one after another.

The domination power of the east strategic Jaroudeku army force begin to
unstable by a revolt of the small nobles, the land of the east is turning back into a
"Battlefield" once again.

Furthermore, the Black Jaw knights were completely struck between the north to
a south route of east territory by the defense line of Leswant Quad.

The Jaroudeku already received an unexpectedly large damage by the sabotage

of silhouette gear troops before time.

Now, their plan is messed up as they need to re-schedule many times.

The east upheaval that happened in a short period of time had forced Jaroudeku
army to reorganization and renew their prospect while Kshyperuk remnants army
which only has Leswant Quad too was in a state that unable to move.

The battlefield is heading to a state of equilibrium which a tranquility visit upon

the western grand storm.

West calender, Year 1281, the fall is now approaching.

Half year ago that Jaroudeku kingdom made its declaration of war.

Now, the fight is about to enter a new phase.

Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 34

The Worries of the Princess

Translator: Skythewood
Editors: Darkdhaos, Ruzenor
Typeset by Hiiro / Frozen

At the easternmost part of old Kuscheperca Kingdom’s eastern territories, there was a
city called Missillier.

From the workshops built all over the city, one could see the dramatic change that
happened to this city recently.

In the workshop which runs through the day and night, a heat wave unlike that of pure
crafting works lingered in the air. The heat stemmed from a machine that kept moving all
over the place. The machine used purely for crafting was 2.5m tall, and its crude
appearance wasn’t like the armour worn by human. Powered by the mana of the pilot, it
used Strand Crystal Tissue to move its limbs— This machine was the Silhouette Gear,
Motor Rad. Most of the knightsmith were working using Motor Rad.

“Hey! You there! There’s a fellow who exhausted his mana, bring him out to rest! No
matter how busy it is, don’t push yourself, it will be even more problematic if you
collapse!... It’s fine to start slow, you will get used to it in time no matter how much you
detest it!”
A loud roar pierced through the noise that filled the workshop, and was answered by
acknowledgement that came from all sides. If they ignored the Kuscheperca knightsmith
who had not gotten used to the Silhouette Gears, they would reach their limits really
quickly.

The one who yelled earlier happened to have found a knightsmith who was pushing
himself too much while doing his rounds, and gave his advice. The surprising thing was,
he could continually do crafting works while he walked around to supervise others.
Although he was working with a Silhouette Gear like others, on closer inspection, his
machine was obviously different from others.

It had fast yet delicate hands used for precision works, and powerful arms for heavy
lifting, which totals into four arms. It had the default ‘steel fencing’ installed to protect
the pilot, but additional shelves of tools were built on top of it, while crates with screws
and metal plates were tied to its legs. Probably to support the heavy weight of the
machine, its legs were thicker than usual to ensure stability. The person who was
operating this stout four-armed machine was working at extraordinary speed, and was an
amazing sight to behold.

And that man was the Chief Knightsmith of the Silver Phoenix Knights— the Boss,
David Hepken in his majestic personal Silhouette Gear ‘Mobile Workshop’.
In Fremmevira Kingdom, the Silver Phoenix Knights had the highest ration of
knightsmith that uses Silhouette Gears. They all use Motor Beat directly in the beginning,
but in pursuit of better efficiency, they started modifying their own Silhouette Gears later.
And among them, the Dwarves Fist which the Boss claimed to have ‘most items needed
in a workshop’ was the most prominent. Its mechanical crane arm could easily lift large
spare parts that couldn’t be handled by humans and hold it in place, making it a breeze to
work on; the five fingers that was as nimble as those on Shadowlads replicated the fine
techniques of the Dwarves. Its powerful strength was immensely helpful for working on
steel parts.

On top of that, it was equipped with Magius Weld Gun for hot wielding. Aside from
crafting that required large forges, everything from metal sculpting to assembly could be
done by this machine alone. It was that ridiculous a thing.

"Boss—! Can you spare me some time—!?"

As the Boss deftly used the four arms to work, a voice pierced through the noisy
workshop and halted him.

"Oh, isn’t that Ernesti? Hold on, let me finish up here!!”

The Boss gave some instructions to the people around him, completed his task at hand,
then walked out of the workshop with heavy strides. The one who called for him— Eru
observed the working knightsmith intriguely as he waited for the Boss.

“Hmm, looks like the introduction of Motor Beat is going smoothly.”

“Hmm, they say they had never seen such a thing before and looked unwilling, but they
turned docile after I show a bit of what Mobile Workshop could do. Anyway, we are
urging them to make Silhouette Gears quickly and to get used to them fast. It is easy to
make the machine for work purposes, so they should be able assemble the numbers in no
time.”

“I did intimidate them a little.”— the Boss said, and Eru nodded satisfactorily. It was
much quicker to mass produce Silhouette Gears than Silhouette Knights, and equip the
entire team. The plan was to turn the tables for the remnants of the old Kuscheperca army
by introducing Silhouette Gears and mass producing them.

“There doesn’t seem to be any problem with the progress, we made some headway into
the next phase of the project. First is..."
"Oh, I thought you would mention that. I just got the detailed design plans for the
Resvants.”

When he saw the Boss waving a stack of paper, Eru said with a wry smile:

“As expected of the Boss, you are really quick.”

“Thank you for the compliment. We’ve known each other for quite some time after all.
Even though I know nuts about fighting, I could tell that the Resvants can’t put up a good
fight without some modification. At best, it is just a bit stronger than our Karrdator.”

Eru took the plans proffered by the Boss and nodded in agreement:

“That’s right, a new machine with adequate performance still need to be designed, and
there isn’t much time to do so. I want to use the designs for Karrdatolle directly.”
“... That’s still a ‘specialty’ of our country right? Even if they are our allied nation, we
can’t leak confidential information so easily correct?"

"Actually I got permission from Old Master(the King), so I can do as I please by my own
judgement.”

“Maybe Old Master gave permission to the wrong person…”

The Boss controlled Mobile Workshop nimbly to stroke his beard and sighed deeply.

“I’m not really using that directly, I’m just referencing the design of the Karrdatolle as
the foundation to overhaul the Resvants. But from the current situation, the time
limitation plays a major factor, I don’t know if we can afford to take it easy.”

“Sigh, this is a big problem. If I don’t push the knightsmith here hard, we will probably
be working through the night again.”
The Boss didn’t seem troubled at all, and even clasped his fist with his hand while
smiling with his warface. At his core, he was just another hopeless weirdo who likes to
fiddle with machines.

“One more thing, I would like to ask you to make the weapon ‘we need to use’.”

“Hold back a little, this tasklist is already the most difficult one in recent times. What are
you talking about?”

“We are more or less prepared to fight against Silhouette Knights, but there are other
problems. We still have to deal with those Levitate Ships, so I want to prepare at least
one type of ‘anti-air weapon’.”

What Eru said surprised the Boss. Because he heard that Eru and Ikuruga almost took
down a Levitate Ship on the way back after rescuing the Kuscheperca royals.

“Do you and Ikaruga need such a thing?”

“No, this is for everyone aside from me and Ikaruga. Frankly speaking, Di-Senpai felt it
was a pity that the Levitate Ship got away last time. It just need to hit the ships a little.
Letting them know that ‘the air isn’t a safe place’ would be a good way of keeping them
in check.”

After hearing Eru’s explanation, the Boss acknowledged and agreed to the job. Despite
how competent he was, he couldn’t think of any weapon that could deal with a ship
flying in the sky. However, it was easy for Eru who had made so many strange equipment
to invent something like that. Anyway, turning these ideas into reality was his job, and he
had never thought of refuting that point.

"... We will just need time now. Will we finish the new machines and anti air weapons
first, or will the opponent complete their preparations and attack before us? Come, let’s
sprint hard everyone. Whether they will catch up to us, or we will shake them off, the real
battle (festival) is coming. Isn’t that worth waiting for?”

After finding a definite goal, a satisfied smile appeared on Eru’s cute face. But in the
Boss’ eyes, that was a hellish smile of the devil.

Missillier’s workshop zone gradually expanded. In the city center nearby, there was a
mansion where the escaped Kuscheperca royals were lodging in. It used to belong to a
certain merchant, but was abandoned because he got caught in the flames of war, and was
seized and used by the nobles. The previous owner was doing really well, and its scale
was rather grand for a rural province. Aside from the royals, the Silver Phoenix
Merchants that was using this city as its base.

Martina watched the bustling city scene outside the window and said with a sigh:

“Seeing how lively they are, I almost forgot that the Kuscheperca had already fallen.”

The people traversing the streets were full of life, and didn’t have any sign of sadness that
their kingdom had fallen. Fueling their movements were the common consensus of the
citizens and soldiers that they were working to take back their nation.

“In order to respond to their efforts, we still have an important problem to resolve. Which
is the vanguard of this resistance plan, the guide post who would lead the way to the
restoration of Kuscheperca Kingdom… the monarch.”

Her words made Emrys who was sipping tea at the same table lift his head and ask:
“So Ellie will be the Queen? That is true by her birthright, but forgive me for being blunt,
I don’t think she can handle the heavy burden of leading a country. No, in the first place,
she can’t lead troops into battle.”

"… I know that too, but it is exactly because this is a time like this, that we have to do
this the proper way, Rys.”

Eleonora was the only daughter of the late King Aukusti , and was already 16 years old,
an adult. According to the customs of this period, she was recognized as first in the line
of succession. Going about it properly, she was definitely the correct choice— and this
was a headache for Martina.

“That might be so, but more importantly, how is Ellie? Are her wounds healed?”

“She isn’t doing too well. No, she is recovering fine, but she is shutting herself in her
room.”

When she heard Emrys’ question, Isadora who was sitting at the side said as she shook
her head. Eleonora who already lacked physical endurance was frail in both mind and
body during her captivity in Lacepede Castle, and had been bedridden ever since she
escaped here. She got better as time went by, but she was still unwilling to come out from
her room.

“Tch! Aunt, I don’t agree with this. Even though this is tradition, sending a weak girl to
the frontlines is not something a sane man would do!”

“No matter what, that is the obligation of the royals and those who inherit the bloodline
of the king. There are times we will need to suppress our own emotions, and stand up for
the sake of the people and state. I have to let Eleonora… understand this.”

Martina stopped Emrys who was about to speak again. She could empathize with
Eleonora— caught in a war, losing her father and the heavy burden of being a princess
was crushing her, confining her to her room. When he saw Martina’s troubled face,
Emrys swallowed the words he wanted to speak. Martina expressed her determination to
Emrys who still couldn’t accept this:

"Rys, being a princess is too great a burden for that child, I can understand that. But a
leader in chaotic times… have to stand before the masses, and will only be recognized by
the people as the heir to the throne when she leads them to victory. This is the only way
for that child to be Queen...!"
Martina lowered her gaze. This was the only duty the king entrusted to her, or a parting
gift of sorts. The complicated relationship between king and country, and the troubling
influence of blood relations could be seen. And she wasn’t the only one with this opinion.
After escaping her, the nobles also viewed the existence of the princess as a banner.
Willing or not, people around Eleonora will not just watch idly by.

“Aunt… Even so, this will be a little, no a big burden on Ellie. Will things go so
smoothly?”

“I won’t let her shoulder all this alone of course. My plan is for us to help her out with
the actual administration.”

A suffocating silence filled the room. In the end, Emrys scratched his head and sighed.
He might be from another nation, but he was still a member of a royal family. He also
understood what she was saying, and even though he couldn’t accept it, he could only
agree to this.

"Aunt, you are serious… Alright, sorry for blabbering so much, but what are you going to
do? She won’t even leave her room, much less lead everyone?”
“That’s true. We also tried all means to convince her, but to be honest, it doesn’t look
good. If possible… I would like to request the aid of the Silver Phoenix Merchants to
cheer that child up.”

And finally, a bold and fearless expression returned to Emrys’ face—

“Leave it to us!”

This was the workshop used by the Silver Phoenix Knights. Emrys surveyed his
comrades that gathered around him, and said in a volume loud enough for everyone to
hear:

“And that is why, I would like to borrow your strength! Help Ellie gain back her courage.
Tell her that we are here for her, and there is no need to worry. Something like that!”

After accepting Martina’s request, he immediately explained the situation to the Silver
Phoenix Merchants and asked for their aid. They felt troubled about taking on the
momentous task of convincing the princess, but surprises like these were normal for the
Silver Phoenix Merchants. They focused on the task and started an earnest discussion:
“We should tell her the glorious exploits of 2nd Company in detail…”

“No, we knightsmiths should introduce the wonderful capabilities of the new model
machine to Her Highness…”

“But that’s the princess? Will she understand?”

Several good ideas came up during their debate, but there wasn’t any specific proposal
that looked great. After the dialogue died down, Eru who had been listening quietly said:

“Well then, we could tell Her Highness the achievements of the Silver Phoenix Knights.
But she should have already heard that. She might not come out after hearing that, so we
should prepare another topic.”

As he spoke, Eru tidied his thoughts quickly:

“... Yes, we should gather some intel. Young Master studied in this country in the past
right? Have you heard about what the Princess interests are?”

Emrys frowned and crossed his arms at this question and said:

“What she would be interested in… That stumped me. To be honest, I spent most of my
time with aunt and didn’t speak much with Ellie. Ugh… Oh right! If Isadora is in a bad
mood, she will feel better if I practice swordsmanship with her. Very well, I will take
Ellie for a spin in Gordesleo, she will become cheerful in no time!”

“Rejected. Yup, I shouldn’t have asked Young Master. Let’s change our approach. The
opinion of girls her age is also important, so any ideas, Ady?”

“We just need to cheer up the princess right? Leave it to me! Hufufu, the princess is cute
and small just like Eru. I already want to talk to her, and give her a hug..."

“No, rejected. This idea is terrible."

Even Eru felt like retorting— That is the way to cheer yourself up! But he dismissed the
idea in the end. Chid who was sitting beside Ady asked Eru:

“Do you have any ideas, Eru?”

“... If it’s a Silhouette Knight or Silhouette Gear, I can get the gist on where the problem
lies and how to repair it.”

“These people won’t do, all of them are useless…”

Seeing how fruitless the situation was, Chid couldn’t help looking into the sky and sigh.
Ady who was beside him smacked her fist into her palm and said:

“Then Chid, you…! That’s right! Didn’t you swore fealty to Her Highness? Now is your
chance to show your cool side!”

Everyone present turned their gaze onto Chid at this moment. Chid even felt physical
pressure from this, and took a few steps back.
“Eh! Why are you bringing this up now!? ...E-Erm, listen to me everyone, that…
although that is true…”

As he tried to fudge over it with a laugh, his arm was grabbed by someone. Chid turned
his head with a start, and saw Eru who was smiling gently before him.

“I see… Then it is decided. This is the Knight Commander’s orders, you have to cheer
the Princess up, Chid.”

“Hey, that’s too sly…! Ahh, alright, I get it! Damn it, don’t blame me if it ends badly!!”

After knowing he couldn’t escape, Chid yelled in resignation. He stepped onto the
arduous battlefield alone.

Shortly after this, Chid followed Isadora from the mansion used as the base of the Silver
Phoenix Knights, and headed down the corridor leading to Princess Eleonora’s room.
“Think, think damn it… If it is Eru, he will feel better by throwing him into a workshop;
Ady will cheer up if Eru is with her… Ah damn it, those two are useless as reference!!”

Chid was incredibly frail and was mumbling rubbish. He was wracking his brain because
of the heavy responsibility entrusted to him, which made Isadora who was watching
beside him very worried. That might be so, he was still the person recommended by the
Silver Phoenix Knights, and was the one who rescued Eleonora from Lacepede Castle, so
she could only leave it to him. Both of them harboured their own worries and reached the
Princess’ quarters very quickly.

“We are here. Are you ready?”

“... The guys from my Knight Corps are too optimistic. I don’t recall ever encouraging
anyone before… Hmm? Ah, no problem, I will do my best.”

His response suggested the contrary, but Isadora ignored that and knocked the door. After
explaining her intention to visit, she waited for the maids in the living room to receive her
as usual.

The quarters where the Princess resided had two rooms. Maids who doubled as guards
waited in the outer room, while the Princess’ chambers was the room further in.
As they waited for the Princess to groom herself, the curious gazes of the maids stabbed
onto the youth brought by Isadora like needles. It was rare to see someone other than a
noble visiting after all. From his facial features, he appeared to be similar in age to the
Princess. He had a well proportioned and lean body, wearing the typical attire of pilot
with his leather light armour. The most intriguing thing was his aura of being forced into
a corner.

“Welcome Isadora. So today too.... Hmm? E-Erm, Mr Archid…”

Princess Eleonora appeared very quickly, and showed a surprised expression when she
saw the person besides Isadora. In her never changing shut-in lifestyle, the only thing that
changed was Isadora’s daily visits and chats. As someone of the same gender and age,
Isadora was the family she was most open to.

But recently, under the instructions of her mother, Isadora mentioned more frequently
about Eleonora becoming Queen, so Eleonora found this time gradually becoming hard to
relax. Even so, she still welcomed Isadora’s visits.

Standing before Eleonora who was at a loss because of this unexpected meeting, Chid
bowed stiffly. This was their first meeting after escaping to Missillier. Back then, they
met inside the dim Lacepede Castle, but this time, it was under the bright sunlight. Chid
raised his head with a complicated expression, his wavering gaze staring at mid air. After
escaping imprisonment, the recuperating Eleonora had gradually recovered her beauty as
the flower of Kuscheperca. Unrelated to the how bright the room was, the youth found
the scene before him to be too brilliant for his eyes.

Eleonora didn’t understand what he was troubled about, and cast a confused gaze to
Isadora quizzically. Isadora shrugged unhappily and said:

“You can’t just shut yourself in here. You are the daughter of King Aukusti, and has the
obligation to understand the situation this nation is in. That’s why we picked someone to
come here and convince you.”

Isadora sat down forcefully, and signalled Chid to sit down too. Chid braced himself
mentally, then walked to a chair like a malfunctioning Silhouette Knight. Seeing
Isadora’s being so forceful made Eleonora turn gloomy.

“Why? Isadora… I already told you plenty of times, I really can’t take up the heavy
burden of being a kingdom’s monarch…”
“That’s not true, the aristocrats are preparing to strike back against the Žaloudeks right
now. That’s because you— the inheritor of the royal bloodline has returned, and leading
them is your obligation as a royal."

Royal bloodline— Isadora’s words stirred a certain memory in Eleonora’s head.

—The face of the uncouth man who declared that he would exploit the ‘blood of the
Royal Kuscheperca’ flowing in her veins. He wasn’t saying it to another human being,
and was just disposing of a useless tool, a proclamation of her death. She felt a sudden
chill and slowly hugged herself.

“Will it be… a war again? Can we really win?”

Mistaking that Eleonora said that because she lacked confidence, Isadora expanded on
the topic:

“Don’t worry Eleonora, we are also getting stronger, and had won a few battles with the
new power we got, so…”
The explanation would be the mission of the Silver Phoenix Merchant member— Chid’s
task. But when Isadora turned back and looked, Chid was just listening seriously and kept
quiet.

“There were many knights in the capital back then, but not only my father, the knights
also…! Even if we have a chance of winning, no, no matter what, people will die and
blood will be shed if there is war. The next time might be aunt or you, even Rys-Nii
might not be able to escape…”

Fear appeared clearly on Eleonora’s face. She lowered her head and refused to say
anymore. Isadora reached out her hand troublingly—

“... Princess Eleonora.”

Before that, Eleonora’s knight interjected calmly. Eleonora raised her head with eyes
seeking for something to rely on.

“I agree with you wholeheartedly that it will be best if no one sacrificed their lives. But
the problem is, if we don’t fight or resist, the problem won’t be solved. When such a
situation arises, we knights will pick up our swords.”
Chid looked at Eleonora straight in her eyes. Although he revealed a bit of his true nature
and his tone was obviously cruder, no one admonished him, probably because they were
awed by his aura.

“If they come at us with swords, we should counter with blades. We should face the
challenge bravely with indomitable will. Whether our efforts will bear fruit is another
matter.”

“Even if… there are sacrifices, we have to steel ourselves for it. Is that what you want to
say…?”

In Eleonora’s entire life, no one had spoken so frankly to her before. Complicated
feelings welled up, and she looked up at Chid with tears in her eyes and said:

“What should I do if… you fall in battle? Even my father who told me not to worry, and
said he will protect me… just like that…!!”
Her sadness drowned out her words and she hid her face in her palms. Isadora just
watched over her quietly, while Chid scratched his head troublingly.

Not just him, all the knights of Fremmevira Kingdom won’t hesitate to fight, and will
strive for a quick and decisive resolution. This was the influence of his environment, and
the reason why all the citizens had the tendency of not hesitating. For a princess from
another nation who was raised in a tender environment, this was probably hard to
imagine.

Was it a fluke? Because he didn’t understand the other party completely, Chid
successfully found the biggest reason of unease the Princess had. Chid calmed himself
slightly, then framed his words carefully:

“That means… Erm, you only think so because you don’t know.”

In the end, Chid ignored the gloomy air in the room and said resolutely:

“Princess Eleonora, let’s go outside!!”

He said out of nowhere. Not just Eleonora, even Isadora raised her head and looked at
him with a face of shock.

“If you just stay in this room, you won’t be able to see how the country actually is, and if
we really can fight. You might hate war, but I hope you can make your judgement after
seeing it and understanding it with your own eyes. So let’s go and see… how this country
is like!”

To him, this was the obvious conclusion. Unless there was a need to make a snap
decision, collating intel would be the basics of tactics. Leaving that aside, Chid was also a
man of action, and he extended his hand to Eleonora to show his sincerity.

She looked blankly at the hand reaching out for her, this was the second time he offered
her his hand. The first was when he took her away from the prison of stone, and the
second time, he wanted to whisk her away from the prison of her heart. What both had in
common was that she would be liberated in some way.

She didn’t hesitate too long before deciding to trust him once more. She trust that he
wasn’t doing this because of anyone else’s plans or scheme, and purely out of his will to
help her as her knight.
And so, escorted by her knight, the Princess took one step into the outside world.

Even Chid himself didn’t know where his spirit came from, and it only lasted until they
left the room.

It took all he had to keep from keeling over. He only said all that on the spur of the
moment, and now that he thought about it, that was really disrespectful towards a royal.
He wanted to hug his head to escape from reality, but there was a more serious problem
before that—

“Mr Archid? What is the matter?”

— That he was holding the delicate hand of the Princess. He did that in order to lead her
out of the room, but why do they have to hold hands? He felt from the bottom of his heart
that— Spirit was a scary thing.

“Ah, oh, it’s fine, I will show you around properly. First…”
As he was turning his head, he saw his sister Ady and childhood friend Eru with their
ears to the wall eavesdropping.

"……Ah!"

When their eyes met, Chid was shocked, while the two stopped their movements with a
meaningful smile. Their gaze fell on the Chid’s hand that was holding Eleonora’s hand.

“Wut arr chew doching here!”

“Chid, you are speaking in a dialect I’ve never heard of! Eh, calm down. I see, I
completely understand Chid. The Princess is so cute after all. Of course you will want to
help her!! All boys dream of becoming a knight that will escort a princess!”

“Uwah, what a maddening way of putting it, I’m angry now Ady! And on top of that, it’s
frustrating how similar my taste is to yours… Ah, that’s not what I want to say, damn
it!!”

Chid couldn’t think of any excuse and Ady made her own conclusion. Eru just looked at
the two of them with a smile.
“Don’t worry, I will help too! Gather everyone in the Knight Corps, let the princess see
how amazing we are! Fufufu, I am overflowing with drive right now!”

"Uwahhh you are sure reliable… But why do you have to… Ah— damn it…"

Ady who got compromising information on Chid was unusually excited. Chid couldn’t be
bothered to explain further and just sighed into the heavens.

A soft giggle came from Chid’s side. He turned his head with a start and saw Eleonora
laughing. The gloomy air about her was gone, although her face was still a bit frail, she
seemed livelier and energetic.

“Mr Archid is right, I couldn’t see anything by shutting myself in my room. It sure is
lively outside.”
If Ady wasn’t here to tease him, Chid probably would have laughed with her. But right
now, he could only squeeze out a stiff smile.

“Come Chid, don’t just stand there. As a knight, you have to escort your mistress
properly. I will go get everyone.”

“That’s right, let’s go! Ah, it’s nice seeing the Princess standing besides Eru… how nice
and cute!”

"Ady, you really don’t change no matter where you are…"

The group brought Eleonora to visit noisily. Regarding the Silver Phoenix Knights and
the new Silhouette Knights, there were too many things they needed to tell her. In the
end, they decided to bring Eleonora to the workshop. By the way, Chid was still holding
her hand on their way to the workshop.

“Yes, this is wonderful. Ellie has cheered up now!”

After the Princess and her group left, Isadora said to someone who was standing tall
before her:

“So you are here too, Rys-Nii. Eavesdropping is a bad habit.”

“Hmm? There’s no way I would eavesdrop! I am just staying put in the next room
because I don’t want to disturb their conversation!”

“... You are the only one who can accept such a ridiculous reason…”

The speechless Isadora could only shake her head, but she recovered in no
time. The two of them walked briskly to catch up with the Princess.
Chapter 34 Part 1.
Well, sorry for late but I was occupied during these 3-4 days.
And Part 2. is also large, I hope I can complete it in a week.

Part 1

Mishre, The town that existed at the end of the east, among the cities in the
ancient Kshperuk kingdom's eastern territory.

Recently, the city that once known as a post town had been changed
dramatically.

Now, there is a various workshop spread over the place as the symbol of the
town

The town atmosphere is dominated by a hot air that leaked from the workshop
that continues to work non-stop regard day or night.

Its source is moving around in a factory, the machine with the total height
approximately 2.5 meters, suited up by the people is currently moving a complete
set of strand-type crystal tissue around with the supply mana from its wielder.

All process of work that done pure by the machine power.

That machine is a silhouette gear. "Motor Lift"

Most of the blacksmith in this factory is now using this Motor Lift to performing all
task that involved with smith work.

[Ou! You there! The one that looks run dry of mana, go take a break for a while!
You will drop dead if you keep it up like that, I don't want an unnecessary
problem! ...for the newbie, progress a little bit is good enough, you will get used
to it before you even know it, you know?]

A strong shout came flying through the blacksmith workshop which filled with the
noisy sound of smith work.

Then the reply also came back with a loud voice to the origin of warning voice.

One man is keep instructing Kshyperuk's blacksmith group who not familiar
working with a silhouette gear, as they would reach their limit as soon as he
leaves them alone.
He is the origin of the voice that yelling around here and there while supervising
all the work lie with his reasonable blacksmith look.

Furthermore, it even more surprising that he did that while he too in the middle of
his blacksmith work.

He also uses a silhouette gear to work same as the other blacksmiths. however,
His unit appearance was clearly different from other.

By used its arms as a crane to do heavy lifting work, the entire four arms from
both sides is swiftly handling the work with high precision.

There also a cover that called "Iron Fence" to protect the wielder, a rack for
storing various tools is added on it.

Furthermore, a storage box to store a material such as screws and piece of iron
was attached to its underbody.

Its leg is very heavily thick with high stability looking, probably to support its
weight.

As a result,

It is nothing more than four arms with a sense of stability, a very stocky one,
however, it had continued to working with bewildering momentum.

Quite a strange sight.

This thing---is the captain of Silver Phoenix knights blacksmith corp aka David
Hepuken--personal silhouette gear, alias, "Dowbuzzfist" (Heavy Mobile
Workshop) in a brave figure.

He is one of silver phoenix's blacksmith corp of Fremmevir kingdom that used

silhouette gear to do blacksmith work in order to enhance their ability.

They initially purely work with silhouette gear, eventually, even him also has a
personal silhouette gear of his own, it very efficiently to do the work since it was
his own custom.

His unit almost has every function that needs in this kind of work, a crane arm
that can lightly lift a difficult huge part for a human power also grab and handle
the work firmly.
Its arm also have five fingers same as "Shadow Rat" since with the exclusive
dwarves knowledge, he can easily reproduce the technology and make a
powerful machine part

Furthermore, It equipped with magic type torch for welding work which allows this
sole unit to rival the entire large scale blast furnace ability, quite a ridiculous thing
to finished this stuff.

[Master-san! Can I have a minute---!]

Anyway, a voice is coming through the full noisy sound in workplace call out the
master who is currently manipulating his four arms to the full extent.

[Ou, so it's you, silver boy! wait a bit, after I finished this thing!]

Master had round up his work and issued a further instruction to the surrounding
and went out from the work while sounding a profusely heavy footstep.

Eru, the one who called him is merry looking at the blacksmith group's
appearance in the workshop.

[um, um, look like the Motor Lift's introduce is going well-ne]

[fuh, At first, they really reluctant at it since they never see one before, but after I
demonstrated it with my Dowbuzzfist, they become obediently used it in one go.
Well, for the time being, now, we are focusing on creating more silhouette gear fo
their colleagues after they got used to it. I think we probably got a lot of them
immediately since it easy to create a standard type for the work(Motor Lift).]

The another reason is Master's group existence also terrifying them to that extent
too.

Eru nodded with satisfaction.

The mass production of silhouette gear can be done with a different ratio than a
silhouette knight.

Soon, there will be a plenty number of it.

They introduced a silhouette gear and mass produced it in order to rebuild the
Kshyperuk remnants army which currently in a bad shape.
[Look like this is a good place for preparation-ne. Let's proceed to jump ahead to
the next stage since we got more helping hands. First, let us...]

[Ou, I thinking about breaking the ice with those guys soon, gonna use them for
this detailed Leswant's blueprint that I got.]

Eru reply to Master who took out a bunch of paper and shake it around with his
wry juvenile smile.

[As expect of true friend, you really not good at socializing with people-ne.]

[Ou, you bet, well, It thank to the sloppy socialize relation with you for a long
time, I think. Furthermore, this is my field of work, and somehow, I relly don't
appreciate at this new Leswant looking. It completely looks like Kardator from
head to toe!]

Eru who received a bundle of paper from Master assent with his words.

[Eh? but in the end, the new model must at least have enough performance,
isn't? right? As its designer, I have no choice but to use the design of "Kardetolle"
since there is no time to think a new one.]

[...To even bring out our "exclusive goods"... not matter how much friendly of this
country is, I think that you give it away too lightly.]

[To tell the truth, I was allowed to have some good discretion from his majesty
the king so we should have the permission.]

[I also thought that his majesty too, is not the type who easily forgive people...]

Master leaked a long breath and stroking his beard while his heavy mobile
workshop's arm is swiftly moving around.

[Because there is nothing else that useful more than this, by used Kardetolle as a
base structure, this definitely revives Leswant again for sure. Since our situation
really is limited with not much time, It not like we can do it leisurely.]

[Yare-yare, Isn't this young pal also merciless a little bit? to asking the individual
blacksmiths here to do a specification task, this is not something that can be
done in day to day even without sleep.]

Master is slapping his fist while smiling a very likely fearless smile.
Somehow, He wants to ask a question since he gonna betting on it.

[There still one more thing, it about use production's hand of "Our team" that is
what I really want to ask.]

[Just drop the refrain, this gonna be one hell of strict order for the first time in a
while, right? then, what is the problem?]

[It is about our remaining problem, I think we do need to prepare one of "Ground
to Air Equipment", After all, I did not manage to capture an airship last time, It is
not cool at all. this thing is necessary for the silhouette knight to fight it
somehow.]

Master is floating a surprise thought as Eru's dialogue.

Because he had heard that Eru and Ikaruga almost dominated an airship during
the rescue of Kshyperuk royal family.

[Is such a problem necessary for you and Ikaruga?]

[Nope, but this is for the other people except me and Ikaruga. to tell the truth,
The airship was retreated with a mortifying thought from Dee-san before. So, I
want to put something that can threaten them a bit, they may be more hesitate if
"the sky is not safe anymore".]

Master return a nod at Eru's explanation while thinking whether such thing
possible or not.

As expected of Eru, Master Himself never thought about a weapon that use to
fight a ship the fly in the sky before.

However, this may be a simple thing for Eru who created a number of bizarre
equipment so far.

Which every one of it was actually done by Master's hand.

So there is no need to thinking about whether or not anymore.

[The rest thing that we need is a time for us to complete the new model. We
better roll out the ground to air equipment as soon as possible since the enemy
will definite attack us soon with their ready condition. well, let have everyone do
their best, shall we? since we were chased here, there is no place to retreat
anymore, It gonna be a real war starting from this place, Isn't fun that way?]
Eru is smiling a very fulfilling smile in lovely features with his clear purpose, but to
master's vision, It was a smiling of young demon with hell looking.
Chapter 34 Part 2.
Part 2

The survived Kshyperuk royalties lived in the mansion at the center of the city
which surrounded with forge section that currently expanding in Mishre after they
fled to this town.

The mansion once belonged to a merchant who abandoned it due to the

spreading threat of war.

That merchant must be rich to some extent since the size of this mansion really
large and inside was luxury decorated too much for a countryside area.

Besides the royal family, the member of Silver trading firm also used this
mansion as their base of operation.

While Martina looking out from the rooftops window, at the use environment
which heavily soaked with hot air from the forge, She sighed and murmur.

[When looking at this busy town that so lively almost make me forget the fact that
Kshyperuk kingdom is now in ruined...]

The town is full of many people that coming and going, overflowing with vitality, It
did not have any sign of the town that belonged to a defeated kingdom in any
aspect.

The source of enthusiasm that filled this city comes from the resident and
soldiers who dearly wish to regain back their country with all their might.

[We need to do our best to answer their expectation. But, before that happen, We
still need to solve our biggest problem first, a leader who raise the liberation flag
as a beacon of new Kshyperuk kingdom and its next king as well...]

Emurys who is now sipping tea on the seat is looking up by her word.

[So, Ellen(Eleonora) is gonna be a new king in the end? Although from the
bloodline perspective, that is a correct answer. however, as you say a moment
ago, that girl need to play the king role too, I don't think she gonna survive at
standing up in this early stage of war.]

[...I am well aware at such a fact. but, because it is precisely like that, she needs
to pass the ordeal at all cost, Rys(Emurys).]
Eleonora who was the only daughter of the previous king already turned 16 years
old.

She already counted as an adult.

Therefore, by this country tradition, the fact that she is the most qualifies person
to ascend the throne really torment Martina's heart.

[You're right, It up to Ellen from now on, and does her injury already healed?]

[It not like I can say yes...nope, her physical condition already recovered but she
still shut herself away in the room and never come out.]

Isadora who sat next to him is slow shook her head at Emurys's question.

The physical condition damage that Eleonora received by lived an imprisoned life
in well-balanced castle already recovered after she secluded herself in her room
since she arrived this town.

However, despite her physical condition recovered overtime already, she never
comes out of the room since then.

[Tch, Aunty, You really not holding back regard this matter. even her lineage is
correct, to say it bluntly, having this weak girl bear all the full brunt in this mess
really a very decent logical thought but heartless.]

[No matter what you think, this is what mean to be a royal family. I too was born
with this blood of the obligation. There is a time when you must act for the sake
of people and country even it means twist your own feeling. Eleonora too...must
understand this.]

Martina stop Emurys who was about to open his mouth in order to reply with her
gesture.

She also knew about Eleonora's condition as well.

The loss of her father, the situation of war, moreover, the pressure from princess
current position itself is crushing her, in the end, she shut herself in the room.

Emurys look at Martina's painfully face and swallowed back his word.

Matina told her inner thought that she never mean to disclose to the standstill
Emurys.

[Rys. The queen position is too much a burden for that child, I'm too understand
that. But, That girl is the only legitimate heir to the throne and the only one that
people will accept, in order to win this war, there is no other way than make that
girl into "The queen"...]

Martina glanced down.

This is the last will of the late king, she can do nothing but fulfilled it as a farewell
gift.

This is how the relation between the complexity bloodline of "King" and "Country"
working.

However, this is not her intent.

Since escaped to this land, The nobles too also view the princess as their banner
of morale.

More wish and expectation keep flooding in, The surrounding never left the
princess alone.

[Aunty...nevertheless, to suggest that have she does something that she dislikes,
is it gonna be fine that way?]

[Of course, I do not intend to let that child carry everything. in practical saying,
We too will aid her as much as possible.]

A heavy silence filled out the entire room.

Soon, Emurys sigh while scratching his head.

He too was another country royal family member, It's not like he can't understand
Martina's hardship.

It just that he still far from being convinced.

[really a serious matter isn't? .... I get it. no use to speak more further. But, how
are you going to do? even leave alone about have Ellen take the leading role,
She did not even come out of her room even once all this time, right?]

[You're right. We too already try everything in our hand to persuade her. honestly
speaking, If it possible...I want to burrow Rys's men, the silver trading firm assist.
please lend your strength to that child.]

At last, The fearless look of Emurys has returned.

[If it something like that, leave it to me!]

They change places to the workshop that currently using by silver trading firm's
member.

Emurys yelled out through the entire surrounding, gathered every attention on
him.

[....with such a reason, I want to borrow you guys knowledge! Now that we're all
here, nothing to worry! let's find a way to encourage Ellen.]

After received consultation from Martina, He immediately gathered every

member of Silver trading firm and explained the situation in order to seek out
their wisdom.

The main issue is how to persuade the princess but it end up in confusion
chatting, such a surprise really a daily occurrence happen in the silver trading
firm.

Soon, they calm down and start a lively discussion.

[If that the case, allow me to show off our glorious veterans of my second
squad....]

[No, this task should belong to us, the blacksmith corp, we will show her our new
great performance...]

[the other party is a princess, right? I wonder that sort of thing will really
transmit...]

During the brainstorm of suggestion, none of them were useful despite a lot of it
was offered, All of them lack a concreteness and unresponsive.

Then, Eru who keep listening until now break into in talking with a suitable timing.

[Indeed, you have a point. I don't think that show her about our silver trading
firm's great achievement would getting through, why we not try figure first about
how to make the princess come out from her room? prepare a suitable topic in
advance may be a good answer.]

while saying that, Eru is quickly coming up with his own thinking.

[...right, We should collect a little more intel-ne. wasn't young master studied in
this country in the part? Um, don't you know any topic that will cheer up the
princess?]

gets who heard it folded his arm under his furrowed eyebrows.

[A topic like that...isn't? this is really difficult. To be frankly, because I always live
in Aunty's place, I did not know much about Ellen preference. Ummm....Oh, that
right, If it was Isadora, her mood would improve in one go with a swordplay.
yosh, let have her ride on my Gordesleo here, she would definitely feel refreshing
in one shot...]

[Ok, dismissed. fuhhh, I really should not rely on the young master in the first
place. let's change our way of thinking here, it probably more wise to ask an
opinion of the same gender in close age. So, Ady, what do you think about it? no
luck at all?]

[As long as it cheered up the princess is fine right? leave it to me! Ummm,
princess really very beautiful and cute isn' she? I could try to suggest her to hug
Eru-run who are very small...]

[Yes, dismissed. somehow the suggestion becomes less and less common
sense and with zero applicable.]

For the sake of his own health, he shut off the retort before it could discourage
him any more than this

Chid who next to the dissatisfaction Ady ask Eru in return.

[Eru, You don't have any good idea at all?]

[...If it was a silhouette knight and silhouette gear, you would know how to fix it by
keeping listen to sound indication....]

[No good, these guys are completely useless bunch....]

Chid instinctively look up in the sky before the helpless situation.

Ady who stand beside him just notice something and slap her hand.
[A person such as Chid wound not.... Ah, I know it, You, didn't you swear an oath
of a knight to the princess? now is the time, when you need to show off your cool
side!!]

The line of sight of everyone in that place is immediately focused on Chid.

He instinctively backed away a few steps after noticed a sudden pressure was
pressed on him there.

[Keh! Ady, do you really need to say it right now? ....wait, You guys got it wrong,
it is not something like that, just wait a bit. everyone. this is.....well, it may be like
that, I guess...]

hahaha, While he tries to laugh it off to dodge the bullet, someone just grabs his
arm.

When he turn back and try to shake it off, Eru who floated a very gentle smile is
there.

[So it is like this...then, It has been decided-ne, It's grandmaster holy command-
desu. please cheer up the royal highness princess, do it wholeheartedly, Chid]

[Oi, Isn't unfair to say like that?..... Arrr, Fine. I got it! What happens from now on
is not my fault, you know?]

Unable to run away, Chid accepted his fate and leak out a desperation cry.

Thus, he heading off to one of the most difficult battlefields in his life.

After a while, Chid was accompanied by Isadora to the one corner of the building
that was a base of silver trading firm, a corridor that leads to the room of princess
Eleonora

[This place really a relic...also the workshop atmosphere around here definitely
cheer up the mood if it was Eru, Ady's mood would improve immediately if we
gave her Eru....Oh shit, this is so useless, Isn't anything that I can use as a
reference a bit!?]

While walking, Chid appearance at that time was filled with helpless and fully
delirium mental state.
Somehow, he shook his head and mustered his concentration in order to deal
with the important mission before his eyes, Isadora who next by also looked
nerve.

Although he came here as the person who was elected by the silver trading firm,
he only comes here because of his's deed that rescue Eleonora at Raspedo
castle.

In the meantime, they had arrived at the very destination room.

[We have arrive, Are you ready?]

[...In the end, the knight guys in our homeland always too much positive, so the
word for encouragement was totally ignored and completely forget.....eh? ar.....
Yes, I will try my best.]

It was the reply that not re-assuring you at all but Isadora chooses to ignore it
and knock the door.

She informs the maids about their purpose of visit. then, the maids leave with a
swift movement.

The room that they lived is divided into two rooms in the middle.

At the first one was use as a guest reception room and the later one was a
princess living chamber.

The room where the live is, divided into two rooms in the middle.

While waiting for princess's preparation, the curious gazes of the maids are stuck
at the boy who was brought by Isadora like a glue.

Since a boy who not a noble is really rare at this place.

A completely smooth face same as the princess.

A tall, well-balance body without any waste proportion in the light leather suit
which is a typical suit of knight runner uniform.

somehow, the atmosphere in this corner become more and more strangely.

[Welcome, Isadora. today too....eh, ah, Archid, what....?]

Princess Eleonora who finally show up gets startled at the moment that she saw
the person next to Isadora.

Back to the time that she still lived in the imperial capital city, She did not much
leave the castle or even her own room. compared to now, it didn't change much
since then. It was Isadora who visited her every day for chitchat.

As the person who was the same age, same gender. to her, Isadora is the
closest relative and the most person that she can share up her thought.

But recently, Isadora has completely followed her mother's intention. She came
to persuade Eleonora to become the queen many times.

Thank to this topic that they talked every day to now make Eleonora feel more
and more uncomfortable.

But there is no reason for her to not welcome Isadora.

Before she could say anything at this surprising encounter, Chid bows down in
motion.

It is a first time that they meet up face to face since arrived at this town of Mishre.

In Raspedo castle, it was under the dim lamplight but, now they are under the
bright day of light.

When Chid looked up, his eyes swim around and speechless at the scenery.

Eleonora who escaped from the prison and already recovered now is full of the
charming trait of the maiden who was hailed as the renown beauty of Kshyperuk.

Regardless of the lights of the room, it was too much for the boy.

While he still dazed, Eleonora sends a puzzled gaze to Isadora as to ask a

question.

She calmly shrugged her shoulders.

[We can't allow you, the daughter of the late king, Agusty-sama keeps
melancholy in this room forever. You have a duty to know the current situation of
this country. that why I bring a person that you probably listen to.]

Isadora arrived at the seat, gave a wink to Chid to follow her step.
He who already determine to do his best proceeds toward the seat with an
awkward movement unfit for knight runner.

Eleonora had a clouded look which really unusually for her appearance before
the current situation.

[Why, Isadora...I thought that we talk about this many times. I will not become the
queen...]

[There is no way that will happen, right? as now, the nobles want to launch a
counterattack at Jaroudeku. since now, you who was the royal bloodline is
returned. they want you to lead them. this is also a duty of royal family too, you
know?]

----to say that use the "Kshyperuk royal blood"which flowing in her, the line which
was told to her by a haughty detestable man.

That word was said to her like a disposal tool which will be throw away when it
become unusable.

Remember the terror at that time, the girl has slowly hugged herself.

[Do I really need to fight?....can I really win?]

Misunderstanding at her lack of self-confidence word, Isadora try to encourage

her.

[It gonna be all right, Eleonora. It not like us will remain like this forever. we have
obtained a new force, and win some battle already. that why a story like...]

At the current discussion, It should be the Chid's role who was a member of
Silver trading firm to continue and encourage her with their current achievement.

However, when Isadora look back. Chid keep remained silent in his serious face.

[Back then, there was a lot of the knight in the imperial city. even they said they
gonna win yet....father too, the knights too... all of them...this is wrong, there
alway a sacrifice in every war as long as the royal blood still flowing in my vein,
Aunty and Isadora. the reason that we made this far because of Rys-san...]

While saying, Eleonora's expression is clearly fear without hiding.

As the girl refused to hear any more word make Isadora at her witt end but one
hand stretched out to her.

[...Royal highness princess Eleonora.]

Her knight asked ahead in a quiet tone.

Eleonora raises up her face which was cast down.

[It better when no one has to be a sacrifice, I sincerely agree with it. but there will
be a time that you can't solve the problem without a fight, at such a time, We, the
knight will take up the sword.]

Chid clearly stared at Eleonora.

Although his tone is a little bit clutter, stuttered manner, unfitted for a person who
points out a line like this.

[If you start off with a sword, It shall return with a sword. that is always the result
that comes from fight standing view.]

[As a result...are you try to tell me that..someone already prepared and left to be
the sacrifice?]

In the past, Elenora did not much come across with this kind of talk with a heavy
feeling.

She is now full of emotion, looked up with teary eyes.

[So you will fight and once it needs a sacrifice...How would you do?
father already promised me...he told me not to worry...he said he will protect me
and yet.....!?]

The later part couldn't say out in a word anymore.

She covered her face with her hands while Isadora quietly observing the
situation.

Chid scratching his head at his end wit.

It not just only him, the other Fremmevir kingdom's knight is ready to fight.

But it not like he just go ahead with it or assume that resolve gonna solve every
problem.

The people of this country have different way of thinking due to their raised
environment

Chid calm down. finally, carefully looking for a resolve word.

[So, in another word, This is it! I should stop try to do something that I didn't
familiar with.]

Chid say out his word clearly, in the room which now engulfs with heavy feeling
from the previous discussion.

[Eleonora-sama, Just go outside already!]

With his word which not holding back and no any context, not only Eleonora,
even Isadora also dumbfounded and look up at him.

[To holed up in the room all the time, whether what happen to the country or
we're really fighting or not, you will never able to see it at all, right? it fine for you
to hate fighting but you know? in order to know something exactly or determine
something, you need to see it in order to do that...so go to see it as the re-
present of this country!]

For him, this is a very simple and natural logic.

As long as he does not require to promptly response, gather the intel before an
act is the basic tactic.

All of this time, this was the first action that he does naturally in this room.

As he stated his own reason and stretch out his hand to Eleonora, the girl stares
at the outstretched hand while stunned.

This is a second time that he reach out to her.

The first time, to free her from the prison of stone and this second time, to break
her free from the prison of the mind.

The both thing in common is she was trapped in the cage.

Not much time of suffering that pass.

She decided to belive in him again, the one who move to help her, who looked at
the situation from another perspective, her knight.

With the hand of her knight. now, the princess took one step forward into outside
world.

Once he knows again, he already outside the room.

Chid want to yell out and almost involuntarily on his knee.

His earlier word is nothing but a spurred thought that poped out in the heat of the
moment.

To think that he splash such a whopping lacking manner word to the royal family
party.... he suffered an involuntarily headached.

But right now, this is more serious problems.

[Archid-sama? is there something wrong?]

The main issue for him right now is the princess's hand.

There is no problem about escort someone out of her room but why their hand
still holding hand of each other?

Right now, He was scared the most since they were alone, only able to came out
with a thought from basis thinking process.

[A, ah, everything is fine, I definitely properly show you around... First, let's...]

When he turned around, he discovered the figure of his sister and his old
playmate stuck their side to the wall and ear dropping.
[.......naa!]

Chid stunned in his blush face. right now, he still holding the beauty princess's
hand.

[You guys...what are you doing there!]

[Chid, why I never hear the earlier word before? well, well. calm down. I see, I
see, I got it now, Chid. Princess is cute isn'she? I too want to touch her!! arrrr, I
envy you so much, a knight who escort the princess! the dream of every boy
isn't? am I right?]

[How can you say something annoying like this, I will get mad, Ady! what are you
trying to say? say something creepy like that! Arrr,shit, this is no different from
your hobby!]

Aside from Chid who can't keep up with an excuse, another person is made a
consent along with Ady without permission.

It was Eru who is now fully smiling while looking at the two people.

[All right, of course, I too will help out! let's gathered all the knights, and find a
good place to show the princess around! fufufuh, um, Now I really infected with a
motivation too!!]

[how reassuring...but you know? out of all thing...the cat is out of the bag
already...]

The princess observes the playfulness of the trio, at Chid who got teased and
pile up the tension, at he who gave up about stop them and just looked up at the
sky.

A small laughter just coming out from his side.

It was Eleonora who laughing next to him.

From her current looking, the discouraging atmosphere until now completely
disappears.

Although her's haggard expression still remains, It seems that liveliness had
returned to her again.

[It is just as Archid-sama said, I wouldn't see anything at all if still holed up even
there is so much interesting outside the room.]

Chid was not able to laugh together with her word thank to Ady's teasing.

But as he right now, a smile is the only thing that he can manage.

[Then, Chid, It not good at all for you to stay dazed like that. If you, a knight does
not properly escort the princess, it will make everyone look bad too.]

[Yeah, yeah, let's hurry up! arrr, for princess to lined up with Eru...this is it...this is
the best...So cute!]

[Ady, how far are you going to rotten....]

They guide Eleonora around while noisily chatting.

about Silver Phoenix knights, about new silhouette knight model, plenty thing to
talk about.

Then, Eleonora was guided to workshop area.

Incidentally, while they moving to engineering section, It turns out that Chid still
remains holding hand with the princess.

[Thank goodness! seem like Ellen was able to come out at last!]

Isadora who came out of the room after the princess group left is standing in front
of next room and yell out.

[Rys-nii too, eavesdropping is a bad manner, you know?]

[Eh? it not like I was hiding or something, I do it majestically! but since I don't
want to join the conversation, that why I waited in the next room!]

[...such an excuse...only Rys-nii would use it...]

No longer amazed at the word, Isadora shook her head and walk away.

Emurys got speechless and after he retakes back his mind, he chases after the
girl and the princess group.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 35

The Princess’ Stratagem

Translator: Skythewood
Editors: Darkdhaos, Ruzenor

Delvincourt— The city that used to be the capital of Kuscheperca Kingdom was now the
central governance house set up by the Žaloudek Kingdom in its Kuscheperca province.
They kept the castle, and used it as the residence for the Žaloudek royals.

There were two Žaloudek royals in the castle. One was the commander-in-chief of the
invasion army, Second Prince Cristóbal, and the other was his Chief of Administration,
the First Princess Catalina.

Catalina was seated in a corner of the former royal castle while enjoying a fragrant cup of
tea elegantly. It wasn’t really a tea party, but she got to spend this time at her own leisure.
After a while, she asked the only other participant:

“Would you like a cup too? This is imported from our home nation. The tea here is nice
too, but this familiar fragrance is more calming.”
“No need, there’s no meaning in making a fuss over someone like me.”

A woman appeared on the opposite side of the table suddenly, she was Kerhild
Hietakangas — Knight Commander of the Copper Fang Knights. She turned down the
Princess’ suggestion, and sat down without asking for permission. Catalina paid no heed
to her insolence and continued sipping her tea. After putting down her tea cup with a
clink, Catalina got to the point as if she was just chatting idly:

“The Eastern territories… You should know about what is happening in eastern
Kuscheperca, correct?"

“Yes, I know a little. Collating intel is our mission after all.”

As if she had guessed where the conversation was going with just that sentence, Kerhild
answered with an overt attitude of impatience. Maybe she already knew what Catalina
was going to ask the moment she was summoned here.

"The remnants of the Kuscheperca committed a new model of Silhouette Knights, which
stalled the progress of the unit pursuing the royals. This is unpleasant news, but the
bigger problem is the lack of intel from the east. Terrorists were running havoc there
earlier, and probably caused a lot of damage.”
Catalina’s smile locked on to the unmoving and quiet Kerhild, who was like a statue
playing the role of a perfect listener.

"……Silver Phoenix Merchants, that’s what they call themselves."

"I know."

“Is that so? That’s good. They claim to be merchants, but who knows where their
allegiance lies. I heard that they gave the Kuscheperca remnants the new Silhouette
Knights, and are actually the terrorists."

The uprising of the nobles caused the eastern Žaloudek army to fall into chaos, and their
intel reports were greatly hindered. Only by consolidating bits and pieces of intel that
leaked out, Catalina could finally grasp the general situation in the eastern territories.

“We can’t ignore them, but even if we make a move, the enemy’s new model would be
rather difficult to deal with. And if this dragged on, Crist won’t be able to endure it, and
might charge there with his troops."
“Yes… That is really a headache, I know how you feel.”

Catalina made a show of sighing, and Kerhild replied half-heartedly.

“And so, I would like to request the Copper Fang Knights to take action by locating the
base of the Silver Phoenix Merchants and destroy them. This is just the right job for the
Copper Fang Knights correct?”

Kerhild started weighing the potential threat of the enemy and the combat prowess of the
Copper Fang Knights, and concluded that this was extremely dangerous.

Well then, even though she didn’t give a direct order, this is still a request by a royal.
How should I skirt away from this...

No matter how troubled she was, she couldn’t just keep quiet. When she was about to
speak, Catalina cut her off with a soft voice:
“If you succeed in this mission… I will give some of Kuscheperca’s land as a reward.
And of course, It will be complemented with the adequate noble peerage.”

Kerhild grit her teeth audibly, stiffened her body and her expression became twisted. Her
dark gaze wasn’t something she should be showing to a royal.

“Are you… serious? Can you guarantee this…?”

“Fufu, are you doubting me? That’s only natural. I am generous in rewarding those who
meet my expectations, and your eagerness in invading Kuscheperca didn’t stem from
winning war merits, but for the sake of winning your own territory… In order to restore
the fallen Hietakangas family, am I right?”

Kerhild didn’t answer, and only made a show of straightening her posture.

“Leave it to me, Your Highness Catalina. We the Copper Fang Knights will do all we can
to accomplish this task."
“That’s wonderful. I expect good results…”

Catalina said with satisfaction, but Kerhild was gone in the brief moment when she
shifted her gaze

“... She’s good. Maybe the fangs of the copper snake will catch the prey. Wars aren’t
fought only on the surface, I wish Crist can learn a little about this.”

Catalina called for someone to clear away the cold tea. She had much to do, as the mess
in the east had shaken the governance system in the Kuscheperca territory. She would
need to suppress the chaos, and wished that her brother would take more interest in
statesmanship.

In the old Kuscheperca Kingdom, when they spoke of Silhouette Knights built in a
workshop, that usually meant the mass produced model, Resvants. However, what was
being built inside the workshop in Missillier city was a completely different machine.
The giant structure on the maintenance platform— the part of the Inner Skeleton that
corresponds to the ribs of a human was wide open to accommodate the cockpit, while the
heart of the machine — its Ether Reactor and Magius engine was installed into its
abdomen. Countless silver cables — Silver Nerves extended out from the exposed heart,
and into the grey fiber all over its body— in its Crystal Tissue.

Among these half finished products were some that were almost done. These had the
visage of a Resvant, but its body was one size larger and laid bare was its powerful build.
From its design that focused on close quarters combat, it was easy to see that it was
created to stand against the Black Knights.

In the vicinity of the half finished giants, Knightsmiths in Silhouette Gears bustled
around. Using Silhouette Gears that were much more powerful than humans, they carried
the heavy spare parts swiftly with ease, proceeding with their work at abnormal speed.
With the support of the Silver Phoenix Merchants, the mass produced model of the old
Kuscheperca Kingdom had been completely overhauled. Even though the plan was put
together hastily, the production line had been going on smoothly. Designing a brand new
machine should be tedious process, but as they could use Karrdatolle for reference, the
design was completed in a very short amount of time. And of course, Eru’s enthusiastic
participation played a part too.
Strictly speaking, the biggest obstacle of the production was that the Kuscheperca
knightsmiths weren’t used to the controls. After all, they had to learn skills very different
from what they knew to craft the new machine designed by Fremmevira, and they needed
time to familiarize themselves with the Silhouette Gear, which was a revolutionary tool.
That might be so, but these problems would be resolved after they had gotten used to it.
In order to be ready for the moment to fight back, they unite as one and work together on
the production.

Further in from the new machine crafting zone, there was another group crafting
something different. It was Eru, Boss and Batson— members of the Silver Phoenix
Knights. The Boss controlled the four armed Silhouette Gear ‘Mobile Workshop’ and
deftly assembled the giant parts it was holding. Batson who was besides him was
working hard like an assistant, performing modifications to all sorts of parts.

“Ugh, it is a little big but there aren’t any complicated mechanism. It’s easy for us to craft
this, however, the ones using it will have a hard time. It will be more difficult than using
Back Weapons.”

“That’s true, the pilots probably aren’t used to this—"

The Dwarves were assembling a strange contraption that had several rails. It was too big
for even Silhouette Knights to wield it by hand.
“Hmm, as expected, that’s the problem. The only thing we can change… is the addition
of assist function to the Magius Engine. I understand, I will handle that part.”

Eru looked at the device. It was a modification of an existing technology, but to

accomplish so much in such a short notice made it clear how skilled the Boss was. The
Boss was top classed as a knightsmith, but in the realms of constructing scripts in the
Magius Engine, Eru was the best. The efforts of these two played a large hand in all the
special equipment created by the Silver Phoenix Knights.

“When you finished the prototype, let me test it for you… Watching the anti-air device
being completed day by day, I really feel like having a go with the Levitate Ships. It
would be nice if a vessel just happen to fly by for us to test it?”

“... It’s fine if just the Silver Phoenix Knights are around, but the locals will go insane if
they heard you.”

The Boss manipulated ‘Mobile Workshop’ nimbly with a look of resignation.

Considering the fact that Levitate Ships ravaged this nation badly, this wasn’t something
to joke about. Eru lift his index finger to his lips, showing a mischievous smile as he
gestured for the others to keep it a secret.
As they continued their work, a guest visited them. It was Ady who was holding a basket
of light snacks.

“Thank you for your hard work everyone— are you hungry? Have some snacks!”

“Oh, I want.”

“Sorry for the trouble, I was just feeling a tad hungry. I will help myself then.”

The Boss got down from Mobile Workshop and stretched his shoulders with a crack. Eru
who was groaning with his head over the design plans also put down his pen. In the
meantime, Batson deftly tidied up the table, allowing Ady to lay out the dishes. The Boss
eagerly reached for the food that had been cut into easy to eat portions, then said after
taking a bite:

"… This is surprisingly good."

"Big— Boss— Why is it a surprise!? I learned cooking properly from Mom and Aunt
Tina! I won’t make something strange!!”

Ady who used this chance to slip into the seat besides Eru turned mad, and the Boss
raised his hands in surrender in a hurry:

“Alright alright, that’s my bad. Who is Aunt Tina?”

“That’s my mother. Hmm, you are getting better at cooking, this is nice.”

Eru complimented her as if he was trying to ease the mood, and Ady hugged him with a
brilliant smile. Eru just continued eating nonchalantly. The Boss shifted his gaze back
and forth between them, and sighed as if to say ‘I don’t get you two at all’.

“... The boy’s mother huh. I have nothing to say if that is fine with you.”

“Nobody loses out anyway, so it’s fine right?”

After seeing Batson took large bites without a care in the world, the Boss shrugs and
continued enjoying his meal.

The workshops street of Missillier operated throughout the night. Maybe they were
pressed by the operational needs of the workshop, or this was their usual way of working,
the trio never stopped working. Deep into the night, Eru suddenly raised his hands and
cheered:

“Alright, the script is basically done! Next would be implementing it with the physical
object, and adjust it after tests… Wah!”

A pair of hands reached from behind him, and grabbed his arms that were raised high. It
goes without saying that they belonged to Eru’s aide, Ady.

“Hey~ Eru, let’s call it a day. I know you are hardworking, but it isn’t good to tire
yourself out. This is a good place to stop right?”

“Hmm… That’s true. Let’s rest for today, and start again tomorrow morning.”
Be it fighting battles or crafting equipment, if Eru was left alone, he would be too
engrossed in it and will keep working nonstop. Stopping the Knight Commander who
didn’t know how to restrain himself had gradually become the job of Ady, the
Commander’s aide. Eru was aware of that, so he agreed obediently as he scratched his
cheek.

“Oh, we are stopping now for today too? Let’s pack up then.”

"Okay— Thank you for your hard work Boss."

At the same time, their conversation also became a signal for the Boss and the others to
stop for the day, the scene that repeated itself day after day. After a simple clean up, they
headed towards the mansion they were using as a dormitory. The Silver Phoenix
Merchants which had the roles of being the most powerful combat unit and equipment
developers had more than adequate amenities. The Knight Commander Eru was even
assigned a personal room.

Ady followed Eru who was heading to his room as if this was the most natural thing in
the world, then entered his quarters, and followed him onto his bed. Eru could only hold
his head exasperatedly and said:
"……Ady. I think I am saying the same thing every day. You also got your own room, so
go back there to sleep.”

“That might be so! But listen, Eru. Even though this is an allied nation, we can’t leave an
important person like you alone! As a member of the Silver Phoenix Knights, and the
Commander’s aide, I am volunteering to be your bodyguard! … So let’s sleep together.”

“I don’t get how you arrived at that conclusion…”

Eru was dumbfounded, but didn’t pursue the matter. This happens too often, and
reminding Ady about it was useless too. Ady got between the sheets, snuggled next to
Eru and gently embraced him in her arms.

“Hufufu, hugging Eru is so comfortable. This is so healing… and soothing, I can sleep
tight tonight~”

Ady hugged him tight and brushed his hair. Eru said with a sigh:
“This kid is really… Did I pamper you too much? You never grow out of your habit of
acting spoiled. And don’t think I will be your hug pillow forever, I might have a growth
spurt in the future.”

"Hmm—? Let’s talk about it when you are taller than me."

"… Meanie."

Eru turned away and pretended to sleep out of spite. Ady didn’t mind as she patted his
head happily, and closed her eyes after bidding him good night. A short while later, the
sound of steady breathing came from their bed.

Even later into the night. The moving clouds covered the faint moonlight, making the
night even darker. Inside the forest where even the vegetation seemed to be sleeping,
giant figures sprinted by. They were painted a shade of black that merges into the night,
and the figures were a head taller than the trees around them. Moving almost silently,
they grazed past the forest like the wind. The huge shadows finally made it out of the
vegetation, and could see the light from the city in front of them. It would be quite some
time before the bustling city fall into deep slumber. A giant hid in the forest, and pointed
to the front with very slight movements.

Acting under its command, numerous figures appeared, as if they materialized from the
very forest. Dressed in attire that melded into the darkness and silent movements, the
human figures that were as difficult to spot as the giants advanced quietly.

No matter how lively Missillier was, it would still fall into slumber deep into the night.
There were still activities ongoing in the city, which was a testament to the bustling city.
The dark figures avoided the bright areas, and dashed from shadows to shadows, such as
the roofs of houses and deserted alleyways as their checkpoint. Their goal was the center
of the city, the mansion where the Kuscheperca royal and the Silver Phoenix Knights
were based.

Deep into the night when almost everyone was asleep, intruders appeared in the building
with the ice cold air of the night. Sentries were posted everywhere, but that was
meaningless for the shadows who had completely covered their tracks. The mansion
wasn’t built for defence in the first place, so the shadows tread quietly across the silent
corridors. After signalling each other with hand gestures, they split up.

An intruder clad entirely in black and moved like the darkness itself ran soundlessly
inside the mansion, and reached a certain room very quickly. He opened the door quietly
and peeked inside. There were two rooms inside, light and several maids could be seen in
the room closer to the entrance. They were maids, and also bodyguards for the person in
the room further in. This room must belong to someone with very high status. The
shadow smirked under the scarf wrapped around his face.

He drew his dagger silently. Potent poison was applied to the blade, just a grazing wound
was enough to kill. He then slid into the room from that gap— He didn’t make any
sound, but the slight air movement was enough for the maids to detect the intruder. The
intruder threw his daggers, aiming at the maids who were about to scream— Even though
he threw several daggers at one go, they still flew in an accurate arc, piercing the throats
of the maids.

The poison on the daggers reaped the lives of the maids quickly. The intruder was afraid
that the sound of the maids collapsing would wake the mistress of the room, but that
worry was unnecessary.

He picked up a lamp and walked deeper in, drawing near the bed to confirm the identity
of the person sleeping there. There was no mistake, she was Princess Eleonora of the old
Kuscheperca Kingdom.

After ascertaining that, the intruder took out a cloth and bottle. He then pressed the cloth
that had been stained by the fluids from the bottle onto Eleonora’s mouth. She resisted for
a while, and stopped abruptly. The bottle contained powerful anesthetics, so even if he
was a bit rough during the abduction process, she wouldn’t wake up.
The orders of the shadows intruding the mansion was to capture the Princess on sight if
possible, and to kill her if that wasn’t an option. If he could whisk her away, the mission
would be a success. The shadow’s smile deepened under the scarf around his face. As he
was preparing to leave the room— he encountered something unexpected.

Suddenly, a loud crack of thunder shook every corner of the mansion like thunder. The
thunder stopped moving guardedly, focusing on his ears and trying to grasp the situation.
It was a little cloudy, but the weather was stable and unlikely for thunder to suddenly
crack. The abnormal situation that happened suddenly was signs of a ‘magical
phenomenon. When he thought this far, he immediately charged towards the entrance of
the room to escape—

Someone kicked open the door at this moment, and barged into the room to block his
way. It was Chid. When he saw the person the figure was carrying on his shoulder, he let
loose a feral growl:

“Hey, who do you think you are taking away?”

The figure didn’t answer, and threw a dagger without a second glance. Chid wielded his
Bayonet Staff calmly in response to this sudden attack. The magic script ‘Spark Dart’ he
already compiled spread into several weak purple lightning that shot down the daggers. It
also stunned the figure before he could move and immobilize him. All these attacks
avoided the princess, and hit their targets accurately.

Even though the black figure was a trained veteran, he couldn’t withstand the lightning
attacks for too long. As his body spasm in a strange dance, the princess on his shoulders
fell off. The moment he saw that, Chid moved at full speed, using the immense strength
from physical boost to kick the black figure. The figure flew away in the shape of a ‘<’ as
if he had collided with a bull, and stopped moving after hitting the wall.

The princess who had been tossed onto the ground crudely showed no signs of waking
up. Chid held her with a worried face, and placed his hand onto her mouth to check her
breathing.

“... Good, she’s fine.”

Chid sighed in relief after feeling her gentle breathing. Her life wasn’t in danger, she was
just sleeping. Chid guessed that she had fell into deep slumber after being forced to inhale
some sort of drugs.

“... Just who are the ones intruding? No matter what, staying here seems like a bad idea.”
He alone might not be enough to protect the unconscious Princess. Chid carefully picked
up the Princess, and headed over to meet the other members of the Silver Phoenix
Knights.

Turning the clock back a little.

Another shadow also infiltrated a different room. He looked quietly in the dark,
confirming the room’s layout, and saw the bed at the end of the room, amongst the things
scattered all over the floor. He got closer, and saw that there was two person’s worth of
bulge under the sheets, and their breathing was also light. Seeing that his target was fast
asleep, he drew his dagger and swung the poisoned blade. The ones sleeping would
probably fall into eternal slumber without even knowing what happened. He cautiously
approached the edge of the bed, and raised his lethal blade high—

In that instant, the sheets were thrown up. Despite the sheets obscuring his vision, he still
stabbed his dagger out steadily. He only felt the soft sensation of cutting cloth without
piercing flesh. As the sheets fell onto the feet of the shadow that retreated hastily,
someone who was sleeping just now was standing behind it— Ady.

She made no effort in hiding her displeasure, asking the intruder:

“... Hey, who are you? You didn’t come to wake us right? I was sleeping so soundly with
Eru, how dare you interfere…!!”

The intruder didn’t respond, and only threw a dagger silently. He will win if the blade
grazed her skin. But before it reached its target, Ady swung the Bayonet Staff in her
hands. She had a habit of keeping her weapon within arm’s reach when she sleep.

Immediately after that, her powerful processing prowess compiled a spell in a matter of
seconds— A thunder shook the entire building with its sudden bright flare. Ady didn’t
hesitate in unleashing a Middle spell ‘Riot Sparrow’. The lightning that could even take
out a mid level demon beast connect with the dagger and the intruder, blasting him
outside.

“I will punish all who interrupt my healing time with lightning!”

Not just the Silver Phoenix Knights, all knights from Fremmevira Kingdom had to deal
with nocturnal demon beasts occasionally, so they were trained to be alert of their
surroundings even when they slept. The intruder might be skilled for a human, but his
skills were far from a demon beasts.
"Ady, we still need to interrogate him for intel, don’t kill him off just like that.”

As Eru got down from the other side of the bed, he reminded Ady in a soothing voice.
She then inspected the intruder who got blown away unhappily. He was black from burns
and spasming, but was still alive.

"No problem, he is quite lucky. He is still breathing, just knocked out.”

She seemed rather furious about being disturbed, as she kicked the intruder who was on
the verge of dying.

“Is that so? Let’s leave the rest to the experts then. That thunder earlier should have
woken everyone, let’s do a patrol and see if there are any other victims or intruders.”

“Ughh, such a rare opportunity to sleep with Eru… Alright, but really! I will remember
this…!!”

Eru groomed himself swiftly, then left the room with the growling Ady in tow.
The crack of thunder in the middle of the night was enough to wake everyone in the
mansion. Knight from the Silver Phoenix Corps all got up after grabbing their swords. As
expected of knights who hailing from Fremmevira Kingdom, their speed in waking up
and grasping the situation was exceptional. It didn’t take long for them to get ready for
combat.

The infiltrators didn’t dare intrude into the common rooms where the knights resided in,
picking on the less secured single bedrooms. Unfortunately for the intruders, even though
their targets the Kuscheperca royals are in the mansion, it was also the base of the Silver
Phoenix Knights. Even though it was the middle of the night, their actions were still swift
and ruthless. When the shadows who melded into the darkness got exposed by the
magical light, the knights didn’t hesitate in finishing them off in one hit.

The knights who charge out of their rooms gathered together and formed teams
unconsciously.

"Edgar! We are fine here, any casualties in 1st Company!?”

“Luckily, there are none. The first thunder came from Ernesti’s room right?”
“I think so… Oh right, what about the Princess!?"

"Hmmp, of course she is fine!"

They turned their heads to look, only to find Emrys who said these proudly as he escorted
Martina and Isadora. Chid who was holding Eleonora carefully was also with them.

“Looks like everyone is fine, next would be to check if the non-human members are
okay.”

Eru who joined them with Ady in tow surveyed his surroundings to check the situation.
Everyone in the Silver Phoenix Knights understood what he meant. The next second,
Edgar led his 1st Company and sprinted for the workshop.

"Ara, seems like he was still very bothered. Well then, the 2nd Company will protect the
royals… I think the roles had been reversed. Anyway, give it all you have got.”
Dietrich shrugged, and started giving instructions to his Company members.

The shadows didn’t just infiltrate the mansion. As the Silver Phoenix Knights expected,
they appeared in the workshop of Missillier City too.

Icy air filled the workshop. When they saw the rows of Silhouette Knight on the
maintenance platform, the intruders smile deviously. Splitting up, they got into the pilot
seats nimbly. Even if the design of the cockpits were different, the fundamental structure
of the Silhouette Knights were all similar, and so were their operation methods. And so,
they didn’t hesitate in pulling the lever that activates the Ether Reactor.

— However, there wasn’t any response. The Ether Reactor did not supply any mana, and
the Silhouette Knight quickly exhausted what mana it had and stopped. The intruder
pulled the lever frantically, but the Ether Reactor remained silent, even the Magius
Engine was not responding. The intruder felt it was strange, and wondered if this machine
had broken down. But not just him, his comrades around him showed no signs of success
either. It was baffling why no one could activate the Silhouette Knights.
As their plan prioritized secrecy, they infiltrated without their Silhouette Knights. If they
couldn’t hijack the Silhouette Knights here, they would be outmatched. They tried
everything they could to start up the machine, but didn’t realize that was a fatal mistake.

With a clank, the dull metallic sound came from the open chest armour. The intruder lift
his head in a hurry, and his vision was filled by the massive body of the crafting use
Silhouette Gear Motor Rad. Edgar who was riding on it glared at the intruder with gritted
teeth and said:

"……Ernesti was right to be worried. You fools, do you think the same trick will work
twice?”

The intruder tried to resist by drawing his dagger, but he was smacked down mercilessly
by an iron fist. The arm strength of a Silhouette Gear powered by Crystal Tissue was
enough to kill, but Edgar didn’t seem to care. Hijacking Silhouette Knight— This scene
overlapped with his past memories, and his mood was at its lowest point.

Similar scenes were happening to the Silhouette Knights around them. The 1st Company
that operated Silhouette Gears just in case, gradually disposed of the intruders, and
‘cleaned’ up in no time. After they finished, Edgar ordered his Company:
"1st Company, board your machines! The intruders might not just be humans, we have to
secure the area around the city! … This will be a long night. Will the honour of the Silver
Phoenix Knights— No, the honour of 1st Company on the line, I swear that our machines
won’t be hijacked a second time!!"

The united group acknowledged loudly as one. They boarded their machines in the
workshops, drew their ‘silver short sword’ from their waist and inserted them into the
‘Pattern Identificator’. With the link connected, the Magius Engine responded
immediately. The Ether Reactor growled, and started the energy for the giant to move—
mana. The steel giants stirred from their slumber one by one, and breathed sharply.
Controlled by the pilot, their bodies trembled, and then stood up with the grinding sound
of the Crystal Tissues.

The commander machine of 1st Company— The white knight Ardiladcumber walked
across the workshop with majestic strides, followed by the Karrdatolle of his members.
The 1st Company went through the door of the workshop, and rushed onto the battlefield
to protect the city.

"… Did all of them fail!?"

Inside the forest near Missillier, Kerhild groaned behind her binoculars. The identity of
the group in black that infiltrated Missillier— was actually the Copper Fang Knights
commanded by her. This spy organization under the Žaloudek Army came to the city
where the remnants of the old Kuscheperca army was based under the orders of First
Princess Catalina.

They might be a knight corps in name, but they were still different from knights, and
were specially trained spies. They were suited for small group and long term infiltration
plans, and such sabotaging work should be their forte.

But the scene they saw from their binoculars crushed their confidence. With the dark sky
as its backdrop, the white knight stood tall over the city, and Silhouette Knights which
looked like its subordinates stood with him. There were no signs of her minions hijacking
any machines, and none of them returned to her.

Kerhild gripped her binoculars anxiously.

“How can I report such failures back. I finally got hold of my chance…! Brace
yourselves, we are going!!”
Tension broke the silence. Under her direction, black giants stood up in the forest. It had
armour black in colour and a slender body, sharp claws protrude from its unusually long
arms— These were the Copper Fang Knights’ faceless Phantoms, Wittendora. Several
years ago, they were almost wiped out during their mission to Fremmevira Kingdom. But
thanks to the ‘memento’ they got back then, their merits were acknowledged, and they
received permission to return to their home nation. They were even given newly
developed Silhouette Knights and rebuild their Knight Corps.

The Phantoms rearing to go made revving noise, which reached the ears of the 1st
Company who were protecting the city.

"… So they are hiding huh. Don’t let any one of them pass!!”

Ardiladcumber drew its sword and activated its flexible coat at the same time. The
Karrdatolle painted with white crosses also raised their shields and drew their swords
alongside their captain.

The black figures dashed at them through the dark forest. Edgar saw the movements of
the enemy through the Holo Monitor and opened his eyes wide. Their mobility was
beyond that of normal Silhouette Knights. They were not as fast as the half man half
horse Tzendrinble, but their speed was still amazing. Due to the work nature of the
Copper Fang Knights, the Wittendora was designed to fulfill completely different
functions from normal knights. The Strand Crystal Tissue hidden inside its slender body
provided it with enormous power, which would be converted into overwhelming speed.

After getting right before 1st Company, the Phantoms leaped high into the sky with its
speed and power. Their enormous weight didn’t seem to be reflected in their movement,
they were as light on their feet as stunt actors. The 1st Company suppressed their surprise
and braced their shield against the aerial threat.

“Haaaahhh!!”

The Wittendoras didn’t have weapons, and only relied on their sharp claws. With this
point in mind, the 1st Company immediately kept a distance where swords would be
more advantageous. As they were thinking that they had seized the initiative, the
Wittendoras activated the special device in its pauldron, which extended their arms
tremendously. This was a secret weapon called ‘Shoot Claw’, which enabled it to attack
the knights from an unexpected distance.

They were completely caught off guard. In melee combat at close range, misjudging
distance could be lethal. Many of the machines couldn’t dodge or defend in time, and the
Karrdatolle’s armour flew out with sparks and a metallic screech. Ignoring the defenders
whose formation was a mess, the Wittendora pilots controlled their machines to land after
doing a flip. After absorbing the impact of the landing with the flexibility of their bodies,
they launched a follow up attack immediately.
“These guys are good at performing tricks, but just this much…!"

Edgar was surprised by the attack from the extended arm, but he fended it off with his
exceptional reaction speed.

Ardiladcumber activated the flexible coat on his shoulder pauldrons, and strengthened the
machine body by expending a large amount of mana. Sparks flew on the surface of the
armour, and parried the attack of the Wittendora. But that wasn’t the end of the
Phantom’s attack. Since it had two arms, the other arm clawed at Ardiladcumber that just
fended off the first attack.

Flexible coat couldn’t dodge the first extendable claw attack as the distance was too
close, and had to block it. But the Wittendora’s attack was a two hit combo that utilized
both arms, and its pilot was sure that he had won. The body of the Wittendora might be
slender, but the Shoot Claws that were full of Strand Crystal Tissue was powerful enough
to pierce the Outer Skin of a Silhouette Knight.

All the paths of his opponents had been sealed. If it was a normal knight, this would
probably end as he expected. But once again, Edgar made use of his extraordinary ability
to adapt.
The moment he saw the other arm move, Edgar quickly shift his shield onto his
opponent’s line of attack. In order to keep from interfering with its flexible coat,
Ardiladcumber’s shield was a size smaller, and its mobility proved useful at this very
instant. The Shoot Claws hit the shield straight on, and sunk in with the sound of metallic
twisting. After his assumption had been overturned, the pilot of the Wittendoras couldn’t
react momentarily. This slight hesitation was fatal before a pilot like Edgar. As he kept
the arm of the Wittendora at bay, he retracted his flexible coat.

"Let me show you the power of Ardiladcumber!!"

Edgar yelled and step into his pedal, and Ardiladcumber which had been transformed into
a hunk of hard steel collided strongly with the Wittendora. The Wittendora was designed
to be light, and had weak Outer Skin. In a battle with an adversary that was heavier and
stronger than it, the Wittendora was helpless. Its black armour cracked and twisted, and
Crystal shards were scattered all over the place.

The Wittendora that was wrecked hit the ground hard and turned still. Edgar immediately
followed up with an attack. Ardiladcumber took a step forward and swing its sword,
cutting the fragile body of its enemy into two.
After completely annihilating his foe, Edgar confirmed the situation around him— the
knights of 1st Company seemed to be having a hard fight. The surprise attack of the
enemy was very effective, and they were covered in black armour, making it hard to
discern the Phantoms that were sprinting at high speed. Difficult opponents to engage at
night.

“Looks like we need some lighting.”

Edgar muttered, then activated his flexible coat, deploying the Silhouette Arms inside.
The reticle locked onto its target in the darkness of the night, a Phantom who was in a
close fight with a Karrdatolle just happened to be in his range. Edgar pulled the trigger
immediately, and the flame shots found the Phantoms accurately, exploding into a
blossoming flower of fire in its body. The defeated Phantom fell on the spot, reduced into
a burning heap.

The illumination from the center of the battlefield revealed the bodies of the Phantoms
that had melded with the dark. After stripping off the Phantoms’ coat of darkness, the 1st
Company could finally see their appearance clearly.

“The enemy is agile but frail. Don’t be fooled, engage them calmly!"

Since they could locate the enemy easily, the counter attacks of the 1st Company became
more effective. The fragile bodies of the Phantoms fell one after another to the swords of
the Silhouette Knights. It didn’t take long for the 1st Company to build on their success
and wipe out all their enemy.

Right before dawn breaks, Missillier City reverted to its silence in the night. The
wreckage of many Phantoms were littered around the city, and the 1st Company
remained vigilant.

Inside the mansion, the members of 2nd Company stood guard in various positions. The
Kuscheperca royals were led to the center of the mansion, where the iron wall defence of
Eru, Chid, Ady and Emrys watched over them.

"The battles outside had ceased too, have we won…? Launching a night raid and
targeting Ellie, what despicable people. I hate such underhanded schemes.”

“This is war, Young Master. Assassinating the key personnel of the enemy will keep the
amount of trouble and damage down too. But it is true that the fight wasn’t satisfying,
they should have sent more Silhouette Knight."
“Sometimes, I feel your thinking is weird.”

Emrys glared at Eru besides him exasperatedly. He then averted his eyes and tried to
muddle it by saying:

“Cough cough! Leaving that aside, the Žaloudek Kingdom that had always done thing by
force had started resorting to night raids. Such sneak attacks might seem effective, but it
is actually a risky gamble. Looks like they are getting anxious.”

"… We haven’t taken the eastern territory yet, are they really that worried?"

Of the royals who showed signs of fatigue and nervousness, only Martina appeared
composed. But what Eru said troubled her.

“Because we committed the Vido into battle, they couldn’t overwhelm us as easily as
before. My guess is they want to settle it before things become out of hand? Because the
longer we drag this, the more it is to our advantage."
In fact, the next generation of Resvants were being modified with haste, and their combat
prowess would increase with time. It wasn’t clear how much Žaloudek knew, but it was
clear how frantic the enemy was.

"We are at least strong enough to be seen as a threat by them. This incident is proof of
that—"

When she heard that, Martina opened her eyes wide and amended her understanding of
the situation. The night raid incident ended with Eru’s soft muttering.

That morning, the Silver Phoenix Knights inspected the battlefield around the city.

They recovered many wreckages of Wittendora from the place where the Silhouette
Knights fought. As for the spies that infiltrated the mansion and workshop, they were
either dead or captured after their battle with the Silver Phoenix Knights

As they confirmed the results of the battle, the name of the Copper Fang Knights
Knight Commander 'Kerhild Hietakangas' was not present.

Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 36

Mobilization of the Black Skull Knights
Translator: Skythewood
Editors: Darkdhaos, Ruzenor

The sound of glass shattering echoed in the room.

This was the former capital of Delvincourt, which now served as the governance house of
the Kuscheperca province. In the audience hall inside the castle at the center of the city,
the commander-in-chief of the Žaloudek Army— Second Prince Cristóbal, was glaring at
the report he just received.

“Just how much time and effort do you need to deal with that little wench and a few
thieves!? You still dare to call yourselves the elites of Žaloudek!?"

It had been three months since he ordered the Black Skull Knights to pursue the
Kuscheperca royals and exterminate the terrorists. The report detailing the results
achieved during this period was clutched in his hand, all wrinkled. There were two main
points—

First was the status of the unit garrisoned in the eastern territories. The resistance group
that Cristóbal called ‘thieves’ had cut off the combat powers in all regions, and the
survivors of the old Kuscheperca aristocracy had been raising the flag of revolt one after
another. As they were equipped with new machine models that specialized in long range
combat, the Tyrants had difficulty in facing them, much less suppressing them.

The other point was the Black Skull Knights diverted from the northern and southern
territories to the east. Their neigh stoppable march was stalled by the sabotage actions of
mini Silhouette Knights. Aside from that, the tower shaped new machine models that
specialized in long range attacks proved incredibly strong in base defences, which gave
the Black Skull Knights a tough time. There were reports of the enemy’s harassing
actions in all the provinces— The precise details were written in the reports.

And in conclusion, the report stated that overwhelming the enemy with the machine’s
superior performance was no longer feasible. It wouldn’t be easy to take the east, and
more time would be needed to muster the forces. It was natural for Cristóbal who didn’t
have much patience to fume with rage. Cristóbal paid no heed to the attendants frantically
clearing up the broken pieces of the glass he threw out in fury, and composed himself and
his emotions.

“Is this the proverbial cornered rat? How persistent…!”

Cristóbal rested his elbow heavily onto the throne, his gaze seemed to be focusing on a
spot in mid air. He wasn’t trying to escape from reality, but was actually analysing his
enemy clearly.
“The troublesome one isn’t the wench, but the thieves… No, damn those original
machine models! It would be terrible if we give them more time.”

The escape of the Princess and the new weapons of the remnants of old Kuscheperca. The
shadow of Fremmevira’s demon beast guards could be seen in all these. He felt a sting of
bitterness in his heart. If Žaloudek Kingdom had to fight a nation where the new
Silhouette Knights were developed from, it would certainly be a huge threat. That might
be so, but who would have thought that their presence would have such a big influence
on the war?

In the beginning, Žaloudek Army adopted the blitzkrieg attack. This revolutionary tactic
uses Levitate Ship to destroy the core of the enemy, with the superior power output of the
new Silhouette Knight as support. They were well prepared for the invasion of
Kuscheperca. And the truth was, they were just one step away from completely
conquering Kuscheperca. But right now, not only were the royals kidnapped, the
Žaloudeks were also being suppressed on the battlefront, and this was the crucial moment
where the outcome of the war would be decided.

“We can’t drag this on… I have to be ready to bet it all.”

After considering the situation, Cristóbal made his decision.

His eyes fell on the laid out Kuscheperca territory map. There were many chess pieces
representing the Black Knights placed at the junction linking the north south highway to
the east. A piece with a crown was placed in the east, symbolizing the Kuscheperca
royals.

He picked up the ship-shaped pieces that had been scattered all over the map, which of
course represented their aces, the Levitate Ships. He then smacked them down onto a
certain spot on the map. On that spot of the map, was the name of the city where the
eastern governance house was located— Fontaine.

“It is done to do things the old fashioned way… Relay the orders, I am mobilizing the
unit garrisoning the central territories. Recall the Steel Wing Knights! Use our remaining
forces to the largest extent, and take down the east in one shot. Ready the men, I will be
leading this expedition personally!!”

On Cristóbal’s orders, his attendants all ran off in a hurry. Caught up in his agitated
emotions, Cristóbal continued staring at the map, with an ominous feeling in his heart—
an intense battle was waiting for him in the east.
And soon after that, the First Princess Catalina rushed to him as if she was taking the
place of the guards who ran off, with an anxious expression she rarely showed.

"Crist! I just heard that you are going to heading there directly with your troops? Know
where you stand! How can the Commander-in-Chief act so brashly…”

It was rare sight, seeing Cristóbal cut her off:

“... Sister, you seemed to be scheming something and dispatching your minions huh? I
won’t say anything more, but since the situation didn’t turn for the better, I take it that
they failed right?”

Catalina was dumbstruck. She didn’t expect Crist to know that the Copper Fang Knights
failed.

“We have wasted too much time! It is too late for tricks now. If we don’t act now, the
situation will only become worse.”
Even Catalina who didn’t understand warfare agreed with this point. On the hand,
because Cristóbal was proficient in waging war and possessed the instinct of a general,
his sensitive nose could sniff out this danger. A firm light shone in his eyes, and Catalina
understood that she couldn’t stop her brother no matter how she tried. She sighed, and
pointed quietly to a spot on the map and said:

“The escaped royals and the demon beast guard from Fremmevira are here. They are
using a small relay station city as their base.”

Although the Copper Fang Knights failed, it wasn’t a complete loss. They obtained an
intel that the remnants of the old Kuschepercas were based there.

Cristóbal glanced at the tip of his sister’s finger, then said with a ferocious smile:

“I’m impressed, thank you sister. We are moving out! We will head for Fontaine first,
then we will crush the thieves in Missillier next!!”

And so, Cristóbal let the Black Skull Knights main forces garrisoned in the central
governance house, and set off for the eastern governance house Fontaine. After the place
was assaulted by the Silver Phoenix Knights and lost the royals, it had sealed the city
gates. But now, they were opened again to receive Cristóbal.
And one short week later, Fontaine was filled with the air of war once again. The Black
Skull Knights main forces that came to this city with Cristóbal— one full brigade (a
hundred odd machines) started advancing towards the east.

The Black Knights advanced on stone paved roads. Flying above them was the ace in the
hole of the Žaloudek Kingdom— ten Levitate Ships. Most of the Levitate Ships of the
Steel Wing Knights had congregated here, this was practically a large invasion.

— The Žaloudek Army began their march.

It was impossible for such a huge army to be covert, and news reached Missillier, the
remnants of the old Kuscheperca army and the Silver Phoenix Knights.

The advancing Žaloudek Army and the remnants of the old Kuscheperca army would
clash sooner or later.
The vanguard of the Žaloudek Army traveling on the Pan-Kucher road was about to reach
the Aubigne Mountains. The further away they were from the central regions, the more
dangerous the terrain gets, and Baron Letonmaki’s territories were no exception.

Most of Baron Letonmaki’s land was between the valleys of the Aubigne Mountain
Range, it was infertile and unsuitable for agricultural development. But that was the
reason it was a good place to defend the east. Large towns and forts were built along the
few main roads within the Baron’s territories, which usually served as the rest stop for
passing merchants. Aside from that, the undulating terrain also functions as natural forts.

"… How nostalgic, to think we will be carrying out our original duties.”

A row of conical ‘tower-like’ figures were lined up along the wall that cut off the valley.
These were Resvant Vido which got the nickname Tower Knights because of their
appearance. As they were direct modification of the mass produced models, producing
them was fast. Most of the old mass produced models had been modified and deployed to
guard the crucial checkpoints.

“Sir, the deployment of the Tower Knights has been completed… And those who want to
retreat back to Missillier have set off.”
“I see. You may leave too, I won’t blame you.”

Two men were conversing on top of the walls. One of them was lord of the Letonmaki
Barony— Baron Modesto Letonmaki. Besides him was the Knight Commander leading
the Resvant Vidos.

“You are not leaving either, Sir. Are you jesting with me? Our raison d’être is to act as a
shield in moments like this, how can we run so easily? The men who stayed behind feel
the same way.”

Baron Letonmaki smiled wryly after hearing the Knight Commander’s answer. The
Žaloudek Army was upon them, and even with the power of the Resvant Vidos, a minor
noble stood no chance against them.

"… Just a bit more. The state of the art weapons designed by the Silver Phoenix
Merchants are in the midst of production, but they still need more time to finish.”
The latest model of Silhouette Knights was being crafted in Missillier. On the other hand,
they wouldn’t be able to match the Žaloudek Kingdom if they don’t produce more of
them.

And so, they chose to stay despite knowing they would be outnumbered. Letonmaki
announced the dire situation to his entire force ahead of time, and permitted anyone to
retrograde to Missillier and fight another day. Despite that, most of the soldiers stayed
behind, displaying their pride as soldiers.

“Well then, so as to not shame our ancestors in these lands, we have to do our best to
hinder them. Seems that our invited guests are here.”

Everyone present noticed without needing the Baron to notify them.

Black steel giants approached menacingly, dragging steps with steam emitting from
them, entering the valley along the narrow mountain path. They then got into their usual
rank formation and advanced solemnly as they trained the pikes in their hands forward.
The black wall and the stone walls faced off against each other some distance away.

The Žaloudek army was collected before the virtually indestructible terrain and didn’t
even stop. Their overly calm demeanour even made the Letonmaki Barony’s army shiver.
Despite their advantage in terrain, they were gradually crushed by the aura of the enemy
closing in. The Knight Commander kept his binoculars, and admonished his daunted men
loudly:

“Fear not! The new Resvants you are piloting possesses unmatched defences! Think
about your brethrens fighting in other parts of the Kingdom! There is nothing to fear. We
will burn them all if they come near the wall!!”

The Resvant Vidos were the nemesis of the Tyrants of Žaloudek Kingdom. The Tyrants
might have the upper hand in melee combat, but the wall was a great obstacle for them.
The tower-shaped Silhouette Knights possessed unrivaled base defence prowess, and
could destroy the slow Tyrants horde before they drew near. That was the reason why
they could ground the Žaloudek Army invasion to a halt.

The pilots of the Vidos regain their composure and morale. Bracing themselves with a
powerful roar, the tower-shaped machines with their Wall Robes deployed their
Silhouette Arms, readying themselves to engage. They aimed at the black wall of steel,
then the Knight Commander boarded his own Vido, and instructed loudly with the
broadcast device inside his machine:

“You have permission to fire once the enemy enters our attack range! Don’t let any of
them pass!”
The Silhouette Arms protruding out of the wall like thorns locked onto the Black
Knights. The pilots gripped their controls tightly out of nervousness, and the trembling in
their hands affected their back weapons, and even made their reticles waver.

It was clear to the Žaloudek Army that the Baron’s army was ready for them. In the face
of firepower that could pierce heavy armour, their movements changed. They were still
advancing, but their formation was different.

“Those guys… are not using a tight formation?”

The Black Knights who had always crush the enemy with their tight rank formation
splitted into several smaller groups, and advanced while keeping some distance from
each other.

“They are using their brains too huh, trying to keep us from focusing our fire…”

The Knight Commander quickly realized the enemy’s intention and muttered bitterly. In
order to break through the heavy armour of the Tyrants, they would concentrate the fire
from their Silhouette Arms on them. The Žaloudek Army realized that maintaining the
tight formation suitable for close combat was disadvantageous, that was why they spread
out.

No matter what, there was only one thing the Baron’s army needed to do. The moment
the Tyrants got into range, a hail of projectiles rained mercilessly from the walls. The
bullets of destruction flashing orange fell onto the head of the Žaloudek Army that had
splitted up by platoons. The Tyrants were drowning in explosions and flames.

In the past, the Žaloudek Army would choose to advance forcefully, but they reacted
differently this time — they retreated swiftly when they saw the projectiles raining down
on them.

When the Knight Commander saw this, he couldn’t help clicking his tongue. Projectiles
compiled by magic had the restriction of ‘effective range’, because the source of mana in
the air — Ether, will disrupt the movement of the projectile. Once they pass the effective
range, the projectile will crumble quickly and disappear.

After the Tyrants left the effective range of the Vido, they parried the projectiles easily
without even taking a stance. The dissipating projectiles were nothing for their heavy
armour. The soldiers observing from the walls announced this result to the entire army,
and the firing stopped. Calm returned to the battlefield.
Immediately after that, the sound of trumpets and gongs rang out from the Žaloudek
Army. With instructions coming from behind, the Tyrants renewed their advance. Their
pace was already slow, but it became even more cautious now as they moved into the
effective range of the Silhouette Arms. The Baron’s army didn’t attack this time as the
observers on the wall stared intently with binoculars, trying to grasp the distance between
them and the enemy. Messengers ran more frequently, increasing the speed of
communications.

“Don’t act rashly, wait for the observers’ instruction before commencing fire!”

“No, not yet… It won’t cause enough damage right now, wait until they get into a
distance where they can’t flee anymore!”

The Baron’s army had to act cautiously. There were two fatal flaws with the Resvant
Vido which was equipped with multiple Silhouette Arms and possessed overwhelming
firepower. First was its obvious lack of mobility. And the other was its slow mana
regeneration speed. The Wall Robe which was made entirely from Capacity Frame had
extraordinary mana storage, but the Ether Reactor was still the same. Once they exhaust
their mana, they would need a very long time to recover. The time needed for this would
be fatal during a battle.

In order to defeat the Tyrants with concentrated fire, they had to avoid wasting bullets
needlessly.
“Damn it, what a tease.”

Not only did they change their formation, the movements of the Žaloudek Army was
extremely careful. Betting their lives on the line, gauging range and mana power. Their
tactics in offense and defence was like walking on a tight wire. The Black Knights
advanced another step — and wasn’t attacked. They edged forward again— the
projectiles still weren’t coming.

At this moment, the Black Knights stopped their advance. They were within effective
range, but still too far away. The Knight Commander leading the Barony army was in a
dilemma, agonizing about starting the attack. Their enemy was still too far, ready to
retreat at any moment. Should they launch an attack anyway to keep them in check?
Instead of a battle between armies, this was closer to a melee fight aimed at each other’s
weak point. The valley which was now a battlefield was filled with tension so thick you
could cut it with a knife.

A sudden gust of wind blew across the stagnant battlefield, unsettling the balance of the
battle. This wind wasn’t a work of nature, and came along with a shadow that blocked out
the sun above — And it wasn’t the shadows of the clouds. In the cloudy sky, something
darker with a clearer silhouette than the clouds appeared. The Barony Army didn’t need
too much time to figure out what it was. Since they could see their shadows, it meant they
were close enough physically to be discerned with the naked eye.
—Levitate Ships.

Žaloudek Army didn’t only have the Black Knights, they also have the ace that destroyed
the Kuscheperca Kingdom — the Steel Wing Knights. Baron Letonmaki, who saw the 10
Levitate Ships groaned angrily.

The airborne ship wasn’t affected by the terrain and drifted over the mountains easily,
ignoring the walls and reaching right on top of the gates. For the Levitate Ships, the
natural barriers Baron Letonmaki took so much pride in were meaningless. Going by past
experience, the soldiers in the Barony could easily imagine what the Levitate Ships
would do next. The Knight Commander of the Barony shouted with spittle flying:

“... Oh no! Tower Knights, aim for the Levitate Ships! Don’t let them land!!”

The Vidos trained their reticles to the air, and the worst footsteps they could imagine
reached their ears — moving in concert with the Levitate Ships, the Black Skull Knights
advanced once again. There was no caution in their actions this time as they pushed forth
like water from a broken dam. If they are not engaged immediately, the Black Knights
will reach the walls in no time. A pincer attack from land and air caused the mind of the
Barony army to go numb.
“Tower Knights, aim for the Levitate Ships, ignore the Black Knights…! There is no
retreat for us in the first place, so take down as many ships as we can for our brethrens
behind us!!”

They were checkmated. After realizing that, Baron Letonmaki made up his mind and
issued the order. They knew very well what fate awaited them when they stayed behind
for this battle, so there was nothing to regret.

Vido endured the terror of the approaching Black Knights, lift their heads as one and
opened fire at the Levitate Ships floating leisurely in the air. The orange rain flew
towards the sky, and exploded into fireworks in the air.

However, the Levitate ships continued to advance nonchalantly. The first practical flying
weapon — the Levitate Ships, was designed with the engagement enemies on the ground
in mind. Hence, its body that looked like an overturned seafaring vessel had a bottom
reinforced with steel into sturdy armour, and could handle a few projectile shots easily.
At this moment, several of the vessels, suddenly descended at a steep angle, and brushed
right over the top of the walls without even slowing.
The Resvant Vidos possessed an aiming function that was tied to its firing system, but
aiming was still done manually by the pilots. The machine itself was a rushed job, and the
pilots weren’t trained to shoot flying targets, so even the occasional lucky shot that
landed couldn’t pierce the armour. The Levitate Ships forcibly air dropped the Silhouette
Knights under such conditions, the hatch at its bottom opening and machines tied to wires
jumped out one after another.

They were painted black, which was the standard of the Žaloudek Army, but its body was
thin and slender. These weren’t Tyrants, but the Wittendoras of the Copper Fang Knights.

The Wittendora detached its wire in mid air, from a height that would destroy a Tyrant
from its own weight. Its unique design for intel purposes allowed the Wittendora to used
the flexibility of its body to absorb the impact, and land on the walls.

The Wittendoras’ Crystal Tissue screeched loudly as they pounced on the Vido. Although
the Vido had powerful defences in the form of its Wall Robe, but its weight was also its
shackles, slowing its movements down. Making it unsuitable for close quarters combat.
In the eyes of the light Wittendora, they were as slow as tortoises, the difference in their
mobility was obvious. On top of that, the Wall Robes had gaps all over the place because
of the deployed Silhouette Arms, so the Wittendora could easily go behind the machines
and target the weak points one after another. Some used Stilettos, while others struck
directly with their claws, destroying one Vido after another.
“Tower Knight units, fight at your own discretion! It’s fine to abandon your robe, take
down as many of them as you can!”

Heavy metal clunked onto the ground loudly as the Resvant Vidos ditched their Wall
Robes. In times of emergencies and great danger, the Robes had the function to be
uncoupled. And now was that time.

Once they abandoned their advantage of the Wall Robe, what was left was a normal
Resvant with back weapons. Despite their valiant efforts to fight with their Silhouette
Arms, the Wittendora obviously held the upper hand in melee combat. The Tower
Knights that stood tall in defence of the wall fell like broken bits of a comb.

The Barony that had been forced to a corner received another sign that their end was near
— an intense trembling came from under their feet as the Black Knights finally made it to
the wall. Discarding their halberd in favour of mini battering rams, they started knocking
down the walls. The Strand Crystal Tissues inside their black steel body churned, and
even the sturdy steel made city gate couldn’t stand up to the fully powered mini battering
ram, and was bent out of shape quickly.

After multiple hits, the gate was twisted like waves, and finally broke down as the limit
of its endurance was reached. The footfalls of destruction soon followed. In the wake of
the dust that had been kicked up, the Black Knights flooded in. With their defences
broken through, the Resvant Vidos fell to the battering rams before they could bring their
opponents down. Before the might of the Black Knights’ armour, their projectiles and
blades were laughably weak.

The Barony army lost the power to turn the tide of battle.

"… So this is the true might of the Žaloudek Army…"

As he watched the fort being ravaged, Baron Letonmaki’s knees turned weak and he fell
on his knees. He wasn’t considered a target since he wasn’t piloting a Silhouette Knight
and was still safe in the chaos. But that was just a matter of time. The Black Knights was
pouring into the gates, and after they suppressed the Silhouette Knights, their infantry
will follow right behind.

"Princess, Lady Martina, forgive my incompetence… Lord Emrys, I will leave the rest to
y…”

Baron Letonmaki’s last words were drowned out by the thundering footsteps of the Black
Knights.
After the Black Skull Knights trampled over Baron Letonmaki’s lands, they resumed
their march as if nothing ever happened.

News of Baron Letonmaki’s territory falling reached Missillier quickly on horseback.

“I see, the enemy main forces have started moving! The earlier night raid exposed our
base, so I knew it is just a matter of time before they attacked…”

Emrys who heard the news groaned with a solemn face. The Silver Phoenix Merchants
still needed more time to complete all the new machines. From the speed of the Žaloudek
Army’s advance, it wasn’t clear if they could make it in time.

"We have prepared ourselves mentally, if the time calls for it, we the Silver Phoenix
Knights will stop them.”

With the Tzendrinble’s leg power, this proposal was now plausible. As he headed for the
workshop to prepare for that, Martina appeared before him.
"A-Aunt…"

Emrys was speechless when he saw his aunt’s appearance. She didn’t wear her usual
dress, but clothes that resembled those of a man, which prioritized mobility. With leather
armour fixed over her clothes, it was clear she was dressed for battle.

“I heard the news, war is upon us, we can’t waste the time Lord Letonmaki bought for us.
After all, we stayed in this city for the sake of the inevitable battle.”

“Of course, I don’t plan to lose! But Aunt, from the way that you are dressed, are you
planning to take the field?

Seeing her nephew worrying about her, Martina shook her head with a wry smile and
said:

“That’s impossible. I will leave the fighting to you, I don’t think we will be of much use.
It is better for me to be prepared, I don’t want to become a burden.”
That night when the old capital Delvincourt fell, she felt deep regret that she couldn’t do
anything other than fleeing. No, her flight should have been done better.

There was no terrain more suited for defence than Baron Letonmaki’s territory, so the
Žaloudek Army will flood in sooner or later. In that case, they would need to be fully
prepared to avoid the same mistake.

“... Alright. Leave the rest to us, we will definitely get the weapons ready in time and
teach those guys a painful lesson. I won’t let the Black Knights or the Levitate Ships
come near Aunt and the others again!”

Since the start of the war, no one in the Kuscheperca Army could defeat the Levitate
Ship. In a fight against the Žaloudek Army that included Levitate Ships, the Silver
Phoenix Knights was the only Knight Corps that didn’t lose to them, and even gave the
remnant army of the old Kuscheperca new weapons.

“Yes Emrys. I believe in all of you.”

Both sides did their best in preparation for the arrival of that moment — time passed
steadily towards the final battle.

After passing through Baron Letonmaki’s territory, there was nothing to stop the
Žaloudek Army. All the forts along the Pan-Kucher road had been abandoned to avoid
the threat of the Levitate Ships during the early stage of the war. Even the garrison in
most of the territories had been withdrawn.

“Consolidating their forces? That wench is timid as usual.”

The Second Prince of Žaloudek Kingdom, Cristóbal led this eastern invasion force
personally. Riding on the special command vessel that served as the flagship, and
positioned himself at the rearmost of the unit. He could survey the entire Žaloudek Army
formation from there clearly. The neat advancing ranks of Black Skull Knights and the
Steel Wing Knights’ Levitate Ships flying in formation like two spread wings — Just the
combat forces here were enough to subjugate a mid-sized country. Using it to deal with
the remnants of the old Kuscheperca Kingdom that wasn’t even a proper nation was
overkill.
He was not taking the damages his forces had suffered lightly, and was planning to
eliminate the royals and the demon beast guards in one fell swoop, that’s why he
mobilized all the men he could get.

“But it is boring when nothing happens.”

His words invoked light laughter on the bridge of the Levitate Ship. For this to be the
extent of the remnant’s final surge was too unsightly, that was their consensus. Their
advance had been too smooth, as if they were traveling through no man’s sky. It was
proceeding so well that the slow Tyrants were moving at a quicker pace than expected.

It didn’t take long for the Žaloudek Army to reach Missillier. Their adversary had
withdrawn all their forces to this base, and Missillier which was originally a rest stop
town would be packed tightly with the Tower Knights. Seems like their opponent had
prepared the firepower to put up a fair fight. Since they couldn’t win against the Black
Skull Knights on the open field, the remnants of the old Kuscheperca Army could only
adopt a defensive tactic.

The corner of Cristóbal’s lips curled up fearlessly. During the battle in Baron
Letonmaki’s territory, all the weak points of the Tower Knights had been exposed, and
they were no longer a threat to his Black Skull Knights.
“Alright, all units halt! Rest up and ready the men. The enemy’s funeral is coming…!”

The Žaloudek Army obeyed his command, and set up a makeshift base along the road.
Having the chance to strike the final blow to the enemy raised their morale, but they had
accumulated a lot of fatigue during their long campaign. The soldiers needed to rest
before the battle, and they had no reason to panic. They just needed to regain their
endurance, and devastate the enemy at their peak.

There was a group watching the Žaloudek Army base from a distance. Hidden in the
forest around the camp, the Silhouette Gears — Shadowlad was camouflaged with the
colours of the background. After the Blue Hawk Knights retreated from the Žaloudek
Army at Fontaine, They had been spying on their troop movements.

The Žaloudek Army had no intentions of hiding their troop movements. After all,
Missillier had their backs to Mount Aubigne and there was nowhere to run. Speaking in
terms of military tactics, they had their backs to the wall. In the first place, it was
impossible to hide such a large force anyway. They probably knew that and stopped
hiding, opting to intimidate the enemy by marching forth openly.
The Blue Hawk Knights were still hiding in the forest quietly, predicting the enemy’s
action accurately from their speed. All this was to grasp the moment the Žaloudek Army
would begin their attack.

After resting for a day and a night, the soldiers had more or less recovered their strength,
and couldn’t wait for the orders to crush the enemy.

“Those remnants must be scared out of their wits. No, maybe they didn’t have any
officers left to lead them?”

The sneak attack they were prepared for during their rest didn’t happen, and Cristóbal
still looked displeased. He thought a prey forced into a corner would bear its fangs, but
the remnants of the Kuscheperca army still hid behind their walls.

“Even the pride of a grand Kingdom is gone before the might of our Levitate Ships.
Hmmp, don’t let your guard down even if the enemy are scared out of their wits. Proceed
as planned, get into position!”

He issued the order to the whole army, and the Žaloudeks began moving in the still of the
night. Their plan was the same one they used when they attacked Delvincourt, which was
a night raid with Levitate Ships.
During the battle in Baron Letonmaki’s territory, it had been confirmed that it was
difficult for the projectiles from the Tower Knights to bring down the Levitate Ships.
However, Missillier had gathered all their forces from the surrounding regions, so even
the Levitate Ships couldn’t go near openly in the day, so they chose to launch a night raid
instead. It would be harder to aim at the Levitate Ships under the cover of night compared
to the day. The night will protect them, and hinder the senses of the old Kuscheperca
remnant army.

Once they successfully draw near and take down the enemy base, the rest would be
simple. Be it the Kuscheperca’s mass produced Resvants, or the modified Tower Knights
Resvant Vidos, their close quarter combat abilities were lacking. Once they took down
the Tower Knights, their Black Skull Knights main forces could break through from the
front, and decimate the enemy forces in one go — This was the plan to achieve complete
victory.

"Gentlemen of the Steel Wing Knights, it is time for you to take the stage. Go with the
wind and bring us victory! Infiltrate the sky of the city!”

The black sails on both sides of the vessels became bloated as the Blow Engine filled
them. The Levitate Ship glided across the night sky with the sound of the wind, and
closed in on the slumbering Missillier city. Missillier was still even at this point of time.
Although the night was advantageous for them, the Steel Wing Knights was still prepared
to face some resistance. This situation was beyond disappointing, and felt chilling
instead. After all, the Kuscheperca Kingdom lost their old capital Delvincourt from the
exact same night raid, so how could they not be wary of this?

With no regards to their confusion, the Levitate Ships approached Missillier smoothly.
Suppressing their doubts, the Steel Wing Knights started their descent and slowed down.
Inside the vessels, preparations were made to airdrop the Black Skull Knights—

At this moment, a faint flash appeared on the ground.

It was a blazing bullet with an orange trail, projected magically. It flew straight into the
air, but wasn’t aiming to hit the Levitate Ships.

This projectile had a unique mechanism. At its core was a metallic casing which was
sealed with magic before it was launched. The casing was extremely thin, and it would
melt from the heat of the flame around it, resulting in its content coming into contact with
the fire some moments later.

Sealed within the metallic casing was metallic powder, when it is heated by the flame
magic, it would combust intensely. The bright balls of light exploding in the night sky
one after another had the same effect of illumination flares from the other world.
In the forest around Missillier, spies from the Blue Hawk Knights were deployed there in
advance. In this world without radar, they could only rely on the detection network
powered by manpower — 'Barrier'. They waited in this forest day and night, and finally
accomplished their mission wonderfully. It wasn’t true that the old Kuscheperca remnant
army wasn’t prepared for night raids. On the contrary, this was the moment they were
waiting for — the chance to seize the initiative.

The man made satellite was brilliant and glaring, revealing the intruders hiding in the
darkness.

There was a rustle of movements in a corner of the forest as if they were waiting for this
cue. The Blue Hawk Knights weren’t the only ones who melded into the dark. Aside
from the Steel Wing Knights, there were other hunters waiting eagerly for this moment.

Their Ether Reactor revved loudly, and the covers that had been painted the same colour
as the forest was unveiled, exposing the gigantic body beneath it. Because of the horn on
its head and its bottom half being a horse, it was 15m tall. It was the Centaur Knight
Tzendrinble, which even had a carriage attached to it.
"Hufufufufu, so you meddlesome people are finally here. In order to ambush you lot, I
couldn’t spend time with Eru! I won’t forgive you!! In order to give souvenirs to Eru,
victory for Chid and for me to vent, I will take all of you down…!”

Seated inside the cockpit of the Tzendrinble was Ady who was exhaling some sort of
black substance as she gripped the control sticks tightly. Her beloved Tzendrinble seemed
to be responding to its mistress’ killing intent as its Ether Reactor roared violently. There
was no telling when the Žaloudek Army would attack, so the Tzendrinbles and their
pilots, including Ady, were ordered to standby outside the city. And of course, she had to
act separately from Eru, unable to neither dine nor sleep together. That’s why she was
exhaling miasma as she glared at the Levitate Ships murderously.

“Uwah— that’s scary. But I agree to bringing them all down. In order to protect Ellie, I
won’t let them win.”

Beside Ady’s machine that was burning with fighting spirit, Chid’s Tzendrinble has also
started up. More Centaur Knights behind them began to move, they were the 3rd
Company of the Silver Phoenix Knights, the Centaur Knight company.

“They are finally here! They made us wait really long… Alright everyone, let us get to
work!”
Following Helvi’s lead, the members of 3rd Company also aimed through their Holo
Monitors at the Levitate Ship illuminated by the flares. They then activated the new
weapon installed onto the horse body of the Tzendrinbles.

It was a device of unknown purposes that had several rails placed in parallel. On top of it
was the same number of giant reels of wire as there were rails. At the end of the rails
were javelins, secured perpendicular to the ground.

“Let’s do it! Vertical Launched Javelin Thrower, fire!!”

Ady shouted a little too excitedly. Flames erupted from the javelins placed on the rails,
and they flew into the sky, surrounded by sparkling light. The javelin changed its
direction by adjusting the direction of its jets. The long tail of flame bursting out from its
tail tore through the night air and sped ahead.

The identity of this device in the language of this world was ‘Large Assault Wire
Javelin’. In earth language, it would be wire guided missiles. This long range wire
controlled weapon, the Missile Javelin, was made by using the Silhouette Knights’
javelin, adding in catalyst crystal to control its thrust and angle, then attaching Silver
Nerves to upload mana and magic scripts. This was the anti air weapon invented by Eru
to be used by the Tzendrinbles, the Vertical Launched Javelin Thrower.

The Levitate Ship floating in the night air also noticed the mysterious object approaching
with erupting flames The Levitate Ships could accelerate by using the Blow Engine, but
it couldn’t turn quickly to evade the speeding Javelins that were tracking them.

The Missile Javelins reached the limits of its Silver Nerves quickly, and after losing its
mana supply, the Missile Javelins continued flying with its momentum. After gaining
enough speed and power, the javelins stabbed one by one into the flank of the Levitate
Ship. The Levitate Ship couldn't do anything about the speeding javelins. They might
have expected magical projectiles from the ground, a physical attack caught them off
guard.

The Missile Javelin destroyed the armour and stabbed deep into the inside of the Levitate
Ship. Some pierced the Tyrants parked in the hangar, while others ravaged the interior
structure of the vessel. One of it happen to stab into the Etheric Levitator right in the
center of the Levitate Ship, and the highly concentrated Ether within spewed out onto the
already ravaged ship, lowering its density.

The next second, the body of the vessel started to tilt. By using the unique characteristics
of highly concentrated and pure Ether, a lifting force known as ‘float field’, which was
how the Levitate Ship was staying airborne. As the seal of the device had been broken,
Ether density fell and the Levitate Ship lost the field to support its weight.

The vessel that was floating leisurely just a moment ago fell like a ship sailing over a
waterfall, and couldn’t right itself no matter how much wind it generated. Under the pull
of gravity, the Levitate Ship continued to accelerate and finally crashed into the forest. Its
potential energy was converted to destructive power as the Levitate Ship returned to the
embrace of the earth, kicking up dust with a deep thud. The overwhelming destructive
force destroyed it beyond recognition, decimating the Tyrants on board along with it.

“That’s one~! It’s hard to control, but can be managed! Again, again! I want to get them
all!”

Ady who was in a great mood because her first shot worked perfectly prepared to shoot
another in high spirits. The giant reels attached to the Tzendrinble started spinning at high
speed, retracting the Silver Nerves that were attached to the Missile Javelin. In the
meantime, several Silhouette Gears appeared on the wagon behind the Centaur Knight
and took out a pile of javelins. They placed the Javelins onto the rails deftly, then
connected the retracted Silver Nerves onto them.

The Vertical Launched Javelin Thrower did not have auto reload function, and could only
be reloaded manually. And of course, this duty was taken up by the strong and agile
Silhouette Gears. After the Silhouette Gears announced loudly that the loading was
complete, they returned back onto the wagon. Once the area was cleared, the Missile
Javelin flew into the air again with a trail of fire.

The controls were basically the same as Wire Anchors. When the Silver Nerves were still
attached, the pilot of the Tzendrinble could control the direction of its flight, so the
number of shots that could be fired at one time was dependent on the pilot’s capability.

The ones deployed here were the twins who were taught personally by Eru and the
trained members of the 3rd Company. Javelins flew into the air one after another, filling
the night sky with twinkling stars.

All was silent inside the bridge of the Levitate Ship. Nobody could grasp the situation,
and they only knew a ship had been sunk without any warning, in a way beyond their
imagination. Their status as masters of the sky had been overturned, and they were the
one being hunted one sidedly. Ironically, the thing that pulled the dazed crew back to
their senses was the second wave of Missile Javelins attack. The vessel shook once again,
and the cabin turned into a hellish place where screams echoed and fade.

“D-Damn it! Damn it!! How is this possible… It’s a trap!? How can this be… They are
insane! Are they waiting to be forced into a corner!? Tell the Figurehead to turn back
right now! Speed up and get away from those lights!! Run into the darkness, we will just
be targets if we stay like this!”
The Steel Wing Knights acting as vanguards fell into extreme confusion. The man made
star fired from the ground illuminated the vicinity, while the strange harpoons spurting
out flames kept assaulting the Levitate Ship. It was impossible to keep one’s cool under
such circumstances.

“Try to zigzag our approach, don’t head in a straight line! And lower the altitude, it’s fine
to be a bit rough, airdrop the Tyrants!”

When they heard their orders, the crew forgot to repeat it back to the Captain, and turned
back towards him instead. He wanted to airdrop the Tyrants — in the face of a dangerous
ambush, they didn’t think this was a rational decision.

“... Let the Tyrants land to find the attackers, and destroy them! We will be sunk if this
carries on anyway. We have to get them back before we fall!!”

As the first vessel was taken down too cleanly, they didn’t realize that the attacks from
the Missile Javelin wasn’t that devastating every time, and would only be so destructive
if it hits the Etheric Levitator right at the center. Without any prior knowledge about the
structure of the Levitate Ships, the Silver Phoenix Knights didn’t aim for any weak
points, and only sunk a Levitate Ship by luck.
That might be so, but there was no way for the ship crew to know the truth. The Levitate
Ships descended quickly as they charged forth. They planned to airdrop the Tyrants
forcefully, then exit the battlefield after lightening its load. Right before they reached
airdrop height, the crew stared at the altitude meter and prayed.

“The Vertical Launched Javelin Thrower is really powerful, but we can’t bring them
down if we don’t aim for its weak point, there is still much to improve.”

In such a large scale battle (festival), there was no way a robot nerd will just shut up and
watch. Eru sat inside the cockpit of his personal machine — the oni faced six armed
samurai Ikaruga as he watched the performance of the Missile Javelin piercing through
the night and the Levitate Ships sailing through them. One ship had several Missile
Javelins stuck onto it, but it still broke through the heavy encirclement. Eru then locked
onto that ship, and inputted commands to Ikaruga.

Ikaruga activated the Magius Jet Thrusters on its shoulders and waist, and a high pitched
air intake noise erupted. The thrusters became louder and shot out intense flames
downwards, scorching the earth with its dancing fire. During this time, the demon beast
heart known as Behemoth's Heart and Queen’s Coronet gush out mana wildly, bestowing
the demon god with endless power.
The next second, Ikaruga took to the air with its immense propulsion force. It ignored the
laws of aerodynamics completely, breaking free from the pull of gravity with its immense
thrusting force alone. This burning comet flew beyond the height of the Levitate Ship in
one shot.

“Come, let me show you the power of Ikaruga. We have prepared many programmes for
you! Please enjoy the in-built Wire Anchor, Rahu Fist!”

Eru tapped on his keyboard cheerfully, and switched the functions of the four arms on
Ikaruga’s back. The secured wrist started moving, with its Physical Boost spell weakened
intentionally, and uncoupling its Crystal Tissue and Inner Skeleton link. Steel cables with
Silver Nerves in them were connected to the hand, which produced the same effect as
Anchor Wire.

In an instant, the Crystal Tissue inside the hand jettisoned out with the Crystal Tissue
inside it as the catalyst. Similar to Magius Jet Thrusters, it was a propulsion system
similar to Air Compression and explosion spells. The four liberated Rahu Fists left a fiery
trail behind them as they flew through the air, rattling towards the Levitate Ship under
Eru’s guidance. With its neat rows of sharp fingers strengthened with Physical Boost, the
Rahu Fist stabbed into the Levitate Ship easily, and performed its original function as
hands, grabbing onto the inside of the Levitate Ship to secure itself.
“Caught you~! I won’t let you escape this time!!”

Eru tapped his keyboard excitedly, and the reels turned angrily because of the inputted
command, pulling Ikaruga’s body up at an incredible speed. When it was near enough,
Ikaruga shot its jet in the opposite direction to stop its inertia, allowing it to land heavily
onto the ship.

—The crew on the bridge of the Levitate Ship witnessed all that.

At first they thought it was just a shadow casted onto the Levitate Ship, but as they
looked closer, the shadow landed before them, blocking the moonlight from their eyes.
With a roar louder than the explosive Javelins, the noise from its air intake valves shook
the entire vessel. With the moon as its backdrop, the six armed alien creaked its arms,
covered by coat of red on its armour.

Fear beyond their imaginations stemmed from their hearts, and the crew’s rational mind
refused to accept this reality. At this moment, the moonlight mischievously lit up the
machine’s oni-like face — seeing that rage filled mask with his own eyes made the
captain’s expression even more twisted.
“M-Monster…"
That was his last word. The demon god that appeared on the ship lifted its great sword
mercilessly, and smashed it down into the bridge. After receiving this destructive strike,
the bridge was decimated in an instant. The sword then splitted into half, revealing
complicated Silver Plates within it, which was a Silhouette Arm. The demon god injected
enormous amount of mana into the Sword Cannon, which was a composite Silhouette
Arm.

Following that, the Sword Cannon shot out bright flames that pierced the wreckage of the
bridge, straight into the interior of the Levitate Ship. The impact of the flame burned the
ship’s interior into crisp, and the force that had nowhere to vent shattered the bottom
hatch, spewing outside.

The Etheric Levitator was destroyed easily, and the Levitate Ship started tilting after
losing its levitate field. The demon god was certain that his work was done at this point,
and leapt from the ship—

“That’s one, the battle (festival) is just starting. There are other guests waiting… I have to
increase the pace!”
There were still other Levitate Ships forced to scramble around by the Missile Javelins.
Ikaruga activated the Magius Jet Thrusters once again, and flew towards his next prey.

Despite being shot by harpoons and the attack of a demon god of avarice… the Steel
Wing Knights might have diminished numbers, but there were ships which airdropped
the Black Knights successfully.

After dropping the Tyrants, the Levitate Ships immediately turned to escape. This was a
death trap for the Levitate Ships, and they had no other options but to run.

The Tyrants that made landfall couldn’t spare a second thought for the hastily leaving
Levitate Ships, and ran for the woods immediately. The Steel Wing Knights suffered
heavy losses in this battle, and they were determined to make the ones who caused this
pay. After all, they had future to speak of. The Tyrants lacked mobility, and the Levitate
Ships won’t be coming back. With no chance of survival, they were now suicide squads.
Their mentality changed from being confident of victory to one with solemn resolve as
they advanced.

Only their footsteps could be heard in the forest shrouded in darkness, and the occasional
sound of something heavy crashing onto the ground. The demon god and the Centaur
Knights were only focused on their targets in the air, so they might be able to move
unabated without being discovered. As a spark of hope was ignited in the hearts of the
Black Knights’ pilots—
Several Silhouette Knight came out of the darkness and blocked their path. From their
vague outline in the darkness, they seemed to be the mass produced machines of the
Kuscheperca, Resvants.

“Hmmp, what can mere strawmans do…!?"

When they saw these machines took up battle stances, the pilots of the Black Knights felt
a strong sense of dissonance. The Kuscheperca army should understand from experience
that Resvants were no match for Tyrants. Why did they sent out such machines at this
critical juncture—

“Well met, Black Knights, this will be your end…!”

With no regards for their confusion, the mysterious machine charged them after making
this announcement in a low voice. The Kuscheperca pilot wasn’t controlling a Resvant,
although its appearance was the same, it was more advanced and powerful.
At that instant, the Black Knights had a hunch that they were the new machines of
Kuscheperca. Their prediction proved accurate, they were the newest machine model
developed by utilizing the technology provided by the Silver Phoenix Merchants —
‘Revantier'. They were limited in numbers, but there were enough of them to be deployed
around Missillier.

“Our new knights won’t lose to you, Black Knights! Experience the humiliation we felt
all this while!”

The ground tremored along with the roar of that knight. Without any gimmicks, both
parties charged and collided into each other. If things didn’t change, the Kuscheperca
knights wouldn’t be able to withstand the attack of the Tyrants, and be slaughtered by
them. But it was different this time, Revantier blocked the mace of its opponent with its
great sword. Although its feet sunk into the ground and the machine groaned under the
weight, the Revantier still took this blow steadily.

“How can this be!? He blocked a blow from the Black Knight!”

This machine that had been modified with the design of the Kardatolle used Strand
Crystal Tissue all over its body, and had the power output that lives up to its name of a
new machine model. The heavy Tyrant still had the upper hand in maximum power
output, but it wasn’t as one-sided as before. And this meant that the Black Knights with
their inferior numbers was at a disadvantage.
In contrast with the shaken Black Knights, the Revantiers had a boost in morale from
withstanding the blow and began a fierce counterattack. The maces which the Black
Knights were so proud of didn’t hit the Revantiers, and were surrounded by multiple
machines and taken down one by one instead. The Black Knights that made titanfall from
the Levitate Ships were taken down one by one, and their numbers diminished gradually.

As time passes by, the battles inside Missillier became lesser, leaving behind a substantial
number of Levitate Ship wreckages and Black Knights corpses in their place — The Steel
Wing Knights was at the brink of destruction.

The fate of the Levitate Ships illuminated by the flares could be seen from the back of the
formation too.

The Black Skull Knights who were supposed to advance after the Steel Wing Knights
assault looked shocked, even forgetting their orders to move in. Sights of the Levitate
Ships, the overlord of the sky sinking one by one were burned into their retina. The
invincible Levitate Ships that won all its battle since the war broke out had finally been
woken from its wonderful dream. In the face of disaster, they finally realized — They
were just a type of weapon, and will be destroyed by another weapon one day.
Feeling as though they were in a nightmare, the Black Skull Knights hesitated on what
they should do.

Realistically speaking, since the Levitate Ships’ assault failed, it would be very difficult
to take Missillier with brute force, and they will need to pay heavily in blood if they wish
to advance. That might be so, but they still had an army despite being forced to such a
state by the enemy, it wouldn’t be easy to admit defeat so easily.

The moment of hesitation proved to be fatal and decided their fate. Orange lights lighted
up everywhere within Missillier City. After disposing of their greatest threat, the Levitate
Ships, the remnants of the old Kuscheperca Army had nothing to be worried about and
raised the torch of counterattack. The Resvant Vidos got into formation, and advanced
slowly but steadily, with the small number of Revantier in the middle of their formation
of their infantry unit.

At the very head of this army was an especially prominent group, the strongest Knight
Corp of Fremmevira Kingdom led by the Oni faced samurai — the Silver Phoenix
Knights. Ikaruga wasn’t satisfied with devouring the Levitate Ships, and turned his sights
to his next target, the Black Knights.

“The fusée of counterattack is rising, it’s our turn to strike back!”

The demon god Ikaruga swings its Sword Cannon in place of a commander’s baton. With
this as their cue, the remnants of the old Kuscheperca army began their attack as one.
Knights & Magic Volume 4 Chapter 37

The Nightmare of Missillier

Translator: Skythewood
Editors: Darkdhaos, Ruzenor
In the far east, behind the vague visage of Mount Aubigne, a brilliant light was shining.

With their backs to the radiant sun rise, the remnants of the old Kuscheperca Army
poured out from Missillier City. The Levitate Ships that ruled the skies with ease were
gone. Those giant black ships that symbolized the victory of the Žaloudek army were
reduced to scraps under the power of the Magius Harpoon and the ravages of the demon
god. Nothing can stand in the way of the old Kuscheperca remnant army now. They
marched with their spirits burning bright, as if they were venting the melancholy of
having their nation destroyed and being forced into a corner.

In contrast to their high spirit, their pace remained slow. Although they had committed
the newest model of machine, the Revantier into the fray, the bulk of their units were still
the Tower Knights. Their speed was even slower than the Black Knights.

At this moment, the Black Skull Knights who were standing stiffly in place snapped back
to their senses because of the echoes of the enemy’s advancing footsteps.

“Y-Your Highness… The enemy is coming! Your orders please!”

Everyone on the bridge of the flagship at the very rear of the Žaloudek army cast their
gaze to Cristóbal. The destruction of the Steel Wing Knights completely overturned their
strategy; should they retreat or engage? Only their commander could decide their path.

A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. Since their plans had been foiled, they should
retreat for now and reorganize his army. But Cristóbal couldn’t issue that order.

After committing the strongest forces of the Žaloudek army, the Black Skull Knights, and
the unprecedented aerial battle unit, the Steel Wing Knights, how could he answer to his
elder sister who was staying behind in the old capital? On top of that, the Black Skull
Knights had no losses yet, which complicated matters. We can still fight— this fact
twisted his thinking.

“…Black Knights unit, adopt wall formation. The enemy is upon us, we will be striking
back! Valiant knights of Žaloudek, fear not. The enemy are just motley mobs of a
defeated army, no one can defeat the Black Knights in an open battlefield. Unleash your
power to your heart’s content, and show them the might of the Black Skull Knights!!"

After considering briefly, he gave his command. The Žaloudek army obeyed the orders
issued from the flagships, and prepared to engage the enemy with mediocre fighting
spirits. Their forces didn’t head into the forest surrounding Missillier but waited in
formation on the plains. The bulky Knights of black steel formed ranks with their pike
raised, appearing undaunted and dignified. Very quickly, the soldiers waved away the
doubts in their heart, their trust in the brilliance of the black steel superseded the unease
in their hearts.

There was no warcry or rustling of their armour as an unnatural silence fell on them. The
Black Knights trained the tips of their pikes towards the forest intently and kept still.
They held their position with every second, and finally, metallic reflection could be seen
from the darkness of the forest. It was the main bulk of the Kuscheperca machines,
shaped like towers and equipped with Wall Capes — Resvant Vidos.

When both parties enter into visual range, a shootout started without a word. The serenity
of the woods was replaced by the noise of battle.

“Front rank, bear shields and advance! Lock them in the forest!!”

The Tyrants in tight formation at the very head of the group took large strides forward.
With pikes and heavy shields in hand, their armour was exceptionally thick even amongst
the Black Knights. They blocked the spell projectiles raining down on them from the
forest, and pushed forth with brute force.
The tactic of the Žaloudek army was to deploy in the plains where they could move
easily, and trap the enemy where it was hard to maneuver. Hence, they equipped the
Tyrants which already had outstanding defences with shields, and closed the distance by
relying on brute strength. This strategy was meant to defend against the Tower Knights
who possessed powerful long range attacks.

The storm of bullets shredded the woods. In the face of the endless tides of flames, the
Tyrant advanced without stopping. Not only were their machines tough, it was also
obvious how disciplined the Black Skull Knights were, from their refusal to back down in
the face of the hail of attacks.

Despite suffering damage from the continuous stream of intensive fire, the Black Knights
were close to entering pike attack range. The Tower Knights had zero melee combat
capability, and victory would be theirs if they got close enough.

“We caught you, Kuscheperca strawman! Massacre them, charge, charge!! Glory to the
Žaloudek Kingdom!!"

Deflecting the projectiles with their black steel armour, they charged ferociously into the
enemy formation. The heavy pikes were changed into force of destruction directed at the
Tower Knights. The clash of the two armies sounded like a distant roar of thunder and
their collision shook the very earth.

On the other hand, inside Missillier City.

Inside the mansion at the city center, Princess Eleonora clasped her hands tightly in
devout prayer. She might be praying to god or maybe to her late father.

She felt as if a blade was held to her throat, which kept her up all night. For her, this night
was longer that that fateful night in the old capital Delvincourt. Not just her, be it knights
or non-combatants, all of them waited for the break of dawn with a heart of prayer.

This was a desperate gamble for the remnants army of the old Kuscheperca Kingdom.
Even though this was for the sake of war, their heart — the royals were exposed to direct
danger. If they lose, they will be done for this time.
This desperate battle was all for the sake of congregating the Levitate Ships in one place.
Levitate Ships could soar freely in the sky, appear anywhere and possessed powerful
combat abilities. Eliminating the Levitate Ships that wrought all sorts of hardship on the
Kuscheperca kingdom since the war begun was the top priority, and at the same time, the
greatest obstacle.

To have a decisive battle with the Levitate Ships, they used a certain tactic. It wasn’t
anything special, they just scattered some baits. The Copper Fang Knights’ raid meant the
Žaloudek army knew about Missillier which they were using as a base. With the
uprisings in the east, the Žaloudek army would definitely target the escaped royals in
order to subdue them quickly. And as expected, Žaloudek sent a large punitive army to
the east, which included the Steel Wing Knights who possessed Levitate Ships.

The rest was simple. By staying in Missillier even after their position was exposed, the
Žaloudek army would naturally gathered their forces in one place. For the sake of victory,
they had to get most of the enemy to muster at one place. This plan was on the verge of
insanity, and they would be crushed by overwhelming forces if they made one false
move, an incredibly risky gamble.

The Kuscheperca army won the bet tonight. The devastating harpoons of destruction
crafted by the Silver Phoenix Knights attacked the Žaloudek army, and just as they
planned, fended off the Levitate Ships and pulled the battlefield back down to earth.
Before them was the main forces of the Žaloudek army basking in the peaceful sun — the
Black Skull Knights. Compared to the aerial battle which was aided by the powerful
weapons of the Silver Phoenix Knights and their members, the battle on the ground was a
clash royale, no one could predict the outcome.

“I heard that the vanguards had engaged the enemy.”

“... I see…”

Martina came to the side of the praying Eleonora, and updated her on the situation.

Eleonora relaxed her trembling fingers, and raised her pale face. Even though this was a
war against invaders, ordering the soldiers to take the field was still her duty as the
Princess. She just needed to give the word, but it was still a heavy burden for a young girl
of 16.

She didn’t have the ability to command troops on the battlefield. The only thing she could
do was to suppress the pain in her heart and pray for victory.
“Ellie, this isn’t good for your health. Emrys will work hard on the war, it will be better
for you to rest.”

Her abnormal demeanour worried Martina, who counseled her softly. The young Princess
looked so tired that she might snap in two at any moment. She wasn’t doing so well yet,
and it would be a huge problem if the Princess forced herself and fell ill. However,
Eleonora just shook her head slowly and replied:

“The soldiers are risking their lives in their battle with the invaders. No matter how
helpless I am as a Princess, how can I just slumber in comfort? And my knight is there
too…”

The firm determination of the Princess made Martina open her eyes wide in surprise. The
bird that was too afraid to come out of her cage just days ago was spreading her wings
and soaring. However, she wondered where she got her unexpectedly stubborn
personality from.

Martina felt a glimmer of hope from the country shrouded in dark clouds. With a heart of
prayer, her thoughts were with her countrymen in the forest on the outskirt of Missillier.
In response to the Black Knights charging in for melee combat, the remnants of the old
Kuscheperca took drastic measures.

The row of Tower Knights that formed a wall similar to the Žaloudek army split, forming
numerous gaps. Appearing from the space between them were the knights standing by
behind them, who then challenged the approaching Black Knights. They were the
infantry unit of the newest machine models, the Revantier.

A golden light barged into the middle of the battlefield—

“Hahaha! I won’t let you go near the city!”

The Gordesleo piloted by Emrys charged a Tyrant. As both machines had high power
output, their collision sent a gust of wind flying outwards.

“You lot! Are you trying to compete against a Tyrant in strength!?”

Not just Gordesleo, the Revantiers around them also took on the Tyrants in melee
combat. The Tower Knights which formed the bulk of the Kuscheperca forces were not
proficient in close quarters combat, but the Tyrants who forcefully closed the distance
were stumped by the appearance of the Revantiers.

Placing the Tower knights that were clearly flawed at the front to entice the enemy — the
Žaloudek army fell for the scheme of the Kuscheperca army again.

As the pikes of the Žaloudek turned blunt and they lost their charging momentum, the
Vido unit slowly adjusted their position, shifting from a head to head formation to a loose
encirclement. The Revantiers led by Gordesleo could take the Tyrants head on, but their
numbers were limited. Their task was to keep the enemy in check during this crucial
moment. The Resvant Vidos’ multiple Silhouette Arms gleamed with the glow of mana
menacingly, they were the true offensive prowess of the Kuscheperca.

A storm of projectile smashed into the Žaloudek army. They couldn’t get near as their
spears were blocked by the Revantiers, catching the Žaloudek army in a dilemma inside
the forest. During this time, the Black Knights exposed to the magical bullets fell one
after another.
“Ugh, we are taking too many losses…! Retreat for now to regroup!!”

The Company commander at the front lines roared angrily. The tide of the battle was
obviously going badly for them, and they needed to reorganize. The Žaloudek army gave
up on their assault, and switched to retreating while focusing on defence. They managed
to stall the Kuscheperca army that wanted to push their advantage as they backed away
from the forest.

But what awaited them in the plains was a hellish scene.

Going back slightly in time.

Moments before the two army collided in the forest, the Black Skull Knights in the
middle of the formation prepared for battle. The Black Skull Knights at the first ranks
might be elites, but as the battle turned intense, it would take a heavy toll on them. It
won’t be long before the ranks switches, with the middle rank taking their place.
The middle ranks advanced slowly and cautiously in high spirits — At this very moment,
numerous shadows appeared from the sky.

They looked up warily, and saw Missile Javelins launched from beyond the forest
drawing an arc in the sky as they flew towards them. Its heavy weight and speed allowed
it to pierce the tough armour of the Black Knights easily, pinning the machine onto the
ground. With each sharp metallic groan, a Black Knight was secured to the ground like
some strange objet d'art.

“How is this possible! The Javelins reaching this position isn’t possible! Ugh, raise your
shields high, the next wave is coming!”

The surviving Black Knights fell into panic. They would never let their guard down on
the battlefield, but they never expected deadly attacks to rain down on them so far from
the frontlines. The fact was, normal Javelins couldn’t fly over the forest, but the Silver
Phoenix Knights’ Magius Javelins launched by the Vertical Launched Javelin Thrower
made the impossible possible.

After recognizing the danger, the Black Knights lifted their shields over their heads, as
expected of veteran warriors of hundreds of battles. However, an alien machine with a
red trail blazing behind it flew through the sky as if it was mocking their wariness.
“Found~~ you! There are! So~~ many~~!!”

It was Ikaruga. It followed the Magius Javelins as it crossed the air above the forest, and
used its inertia to charge into the midst of the Black Skull Knights. The incredible thing
was — the shields raised by the Black Knights became the perfect landing spot for
Ikaruga. The Black Knight who took the impact equivalent to a falling comet collapsed
from the force, its Strand Crystal Tissue snapping and its joints shattering. Trapped
between its shield and the ground, it was crushed in an instant.

“There are too many obstacles in the forest which makes it hard to maneuver in, so I
came here to intrude on you!”

The perfect landing spot allowed Ikaruga to disperse the impact of his landing. It then
raised its Sword Cannon in a natural movement, and shot a dazzling magic projectile
after it changed into Silhouette Arms mode.

Only the vast mana supply of Ikaruga could manifest such a powerful shot, dragging the
Black Skull Knights into a torrent of flames. The Black Skull Knights in neat formation
then fell into a state that was worse than confusion.
“Don’t back down! Let the fool who barged into our encirclement understand his own
limits!!”

They had yet to grasp the situation, but their fighting spirit still spurred them to
counterattack decisively. Deploying their back weapons, they shot out a powerful barrage
of shots. The lone demon god that charged into the center of the unit alone was as good
as surrounded, and normally, it would need to pay for its idiocy.

“Nice reactions… In that case, I will answer with the full power of Ikaruga!!”

However, before the shots landed, Eru inputted commands into his keyboard. The flames
from the Magius Jet Thrusters shot downwards like a cloak around Ikaruga, sending it
into the sky again. After deftly escaping the encirclement of the enemy, Eru acted as if it
was his turn to attack and activated Ikaruga’s long range tracking weapon, Rahu Fists.
The palm of the four arms on its back broke off, and flew out with a fiery tail behind it.
The Tyrants’ were fatally slow to react to the enemy’s extraordinary agility and attack
prowess. The Rahu Fists accelerated fiercely and pierced into the Tyrant’s armour as if it
was nothing. Ikaruga’s vast mana supply strengthened the Rahu Fists further, bestowing
it with a toughness that rivals the Tyrant’s armour.
“Ugh, a bizarre attack! You think you can defeat the Black Knights with just that…!?”

The power of the Rahu Fist that could pierce the armour of the Black Knights was not to
be taken lightly, but the Tyrants weren’t so weak that they would fall with one hit. With
the Rahu Fists still embedded in their armour, the Black Knights trained their back
weapons at the airborne enemy, intending to take it down.

"Now, Ikaruga. Show them your might! The true function of the long range weapon Rahu
Fist… Explosion!!”

Eru sent a magic spell to the Rahu Fists via direct control, with a combination of Air
Compression and Flame magic scripted into it. The next instant, the fire exploded from
inside the Tyrants hit by the Rahu Fists. Using the same mechanism as the Magius Jet
Thrusters, an explosion was triggered inside those machines. The Tyrants might be proud
of their heavy armour, but there was nothing they could do if they were burned from the
inside. The four Black Knights were reduced to scraps in an instant, and spew out flames
and spare parts.

“Hie, Hiiiieee… !?"

The pilot that was hit by an arm that flew behind wailed, his mind refusing to accept this
situation. For the Žaloudek pilots who had absolute faith in the armour of the Black
Knights, the sight of their machine being blown to bits was enough to crumble their
psychological support.

While their mind was still shrouded in fear, they descended into further panic by the
deafening roar of the demon god. The main Reactor ‘Behemoth’s Heart’ howled at its
loudest volume, and Ikaruga which was engulfed in the flames of its Jet Thrusters landed
once again. The strange large swords in both its arms severed the arms of the Tyrants in
one swing, while its murderous hands danced in the air in search of its next prey.

“What’s the matter? There are still so many many many many of you, come at me bro!
Let us keep on fighting in our Silhouette Knight!"

For Eru, the battlefield where his beloved machine could unleash its full potential was a
paradise. He piloted Ikaruga excitedly, charging deliberately in the direction where there
were more enemies. The Sword Cannons slashed at the shocked Tyrants, Projectiles burst
into flames and the Rahu Fist punched through the chaos, reducing one Tyrant after
another into scrap.

The greatest misfortune of the Black Skull Knights was how poorly their Black Knights
matched against Ikaruga. The Black Knights retaliated with all their might, but Ikaruga
dodged them easily with the mobility of its Magius Jet Thrusters. On the other hand, they
couldn’t evade the unnaturally swift attacks of Ikaruga. No matter how much pride they
had in their strength, it would be meaningless if they couldn’t hit, but their heavy armour
couldn’t block Ikaruga’s ridiculously strong firepower.

Even if they want to surround it with numbers, the demon god could move on the ground
nimbly, and even take to the sky. Its agility was beyond their imagination, not an enemy
the Black Knights could handle.

“M-Monster! You fucking monster——!!"

In the end, they could only watch helplessly before the rampaging demon god.

The Black Skull Knights who were being massacred one sidedly saw a greater threat that
appeared mercilessly before them. A large group of cavalry charged out of the forest with
a head full of steam, it was the 3rd Company’s Tzendrinble with their wagons in tow.
After finishing their long range Missile Javelins attacks, they switched to an assault
loadout immediately and charged here. On the wagon were the 1st and 2nd Company that
were shooting magic projectiles.

“The Knight Commander is wrecking havoc. The enemy’s formation and focus is in
disarray. Let’s grind away at them from the outside, let’s go!!”
The Tzendrinble piloted by the 3rd Company Captain Helvi neighed loudly, and with this
as the signal, the cavalry charged as one.

Lances thrust by the Tzendrinbles pierced the Black Knights in their path, and the
Kardartolle on the wagons shot in all directions. The demon guy rampaged in the middle,
while the cavalry cut down the Black Knights from the outside.

“What is… What is with these people! Impossible, the elites of the Black Knights fell so
easily…! Ahhh, monster… That damn Death God!”

Like a sand castle hit by a huge wave, the Black Skull Knights were decimated in no
time. No way to fortify their defences, no means of attack and finally, nowhere to run.
The Žaloudek army’s middle rank was routed. Sounds of explosion and metal being crush
filled the battlefield, and they faced annihilation.

— Could this be called a tragedy? What the vanguard of the Žaloudek army saw on their
retreat was this hellish scene.
They were supposed to link up with the middle rank that was conserving its energy, but
the sights before them were too devastating. Fires burning brightly and the wreckage of
the Black Knights filled their field of vision. Just what happened, how were the Black
Knights destroyed so thoroughly? All this was beyond their imagination.

“How could this be… What happened to the middle rank!? Just what did they face!?”

The remnants of the old Kuscheperca army were still closing in on them from behind, so
they had to retreat from the woods and step into the plains of destruction. After taking a
step forward, they immediately discovered a being that was moving in the devastated
battlefield. They thought it was an ally who survived for a moment, but ditched that
thought quickly.

Noticing the group emerging from the forest, ‘that thing’ turned its head. How could that
thing be an ally? Their army would never have a Silhouette Knight with six arms and a
human face twisted in fury.

Dust rose from behind that thing. Centaur Knights trampled over the remains of the Black
Knights scattered all over the place, pulling a giant wagon behind it. Putting two and two
together, they realized the ones that caused this carnage were none other than this demon
god and the alien cavalry behind it.
“Demon faced, Death God…!”

The remnants army of the old Kuscheperca Kingdom was still marching closer from
behind. The vanguard shouldn’t have fought long with the enemy, so how did they
wrought such carnage in such a short time? No one present could fathom this.

Shortly after that, the main forces of the old Kuscheperca remnant army finally caught up
with the Žaloudek army that couldn’t move after witnessing this terrifying scene, and
launched their attack. There was no time to hesitate— despite the apparent danger before
them, their only way to survive was to head into the barren plains.

With solemn determination, the vanguard of the Black Skull Knights challenged the
Silver Phoenix Knights valiantly, and was wiped out in short order.

The elites of the Žaloudek army, the Black Skull Knights were decimated.
From beginning to the end, Cristóbal could only watch the entire process in a daze. He
couldn’t be blamed, as everyone in the bridge of the flagship were in the same state. No
one could keep up with the development of the battle.

The situation was already beyond salvation, and Cristóbal realized that there was no way
to win this battle. He couldn’t find any chance to obtain victory.

Right now, the only ones still alive were the flagship and a handful of the forces in the
rearguard, the fact that the command structure still being intact was a miracle. In the face
of such utter destruction, it wouldn’t be strange if the army falls apart and desert. Their
only options was to accept complete annihilation, or try to let some of them escape before
the end.

“Those are… the Centaur Knights Doroteo mentioned, and the demon god!! Impossible.
How could such a thing exist…!?”

At this moment, Cristóbal remembered— the alien Silhouette Knight that snatched the
Kuscheperca royals from Fontaine, and single handedly destroyed the Levitate Ship
commanded by Doroteo. Cristóbal thought he believed the testimony Doroteo betted his
life on, but he actually still held reservations in his heart. If he accepted Doroteo’s words
and took precautions, he would’ve adopted a different tactic for this war. His heart was
filled with regrets.

“Notify the army to retreat… Retreat! Before those monsters catches us… Hurry!!”

His mouth turned dry without him realizing it. Just how many soldiers still have their wits
about them to act on this command that came too late? Even so, they still took action
frantically.

The Blow Engine activated, and the flagship started to turn around. The few scant
surviving Black Knights also chased after the retreating ship to leave the battlefield, they
had to get away from this place of despair before that rampaging monster notice them.
They no longer had the pride of the Žaloudek army elites, and terror pushed their feet to
flee.

Unfortunately, their hopes were for naught as the sound of hooves behind them grew
closer. The ground units comprised of the slow Black Knights could never escape the
Tzendrinble.

The 3rd Company began their pursuit, and caught the Black Knights that were trailing
behind.
“Your Highness, p-please look! The ground units are under attack, if this goes on, even if
they are the Black Knights…!!”

“So what!? You want me to save them? With our numbers, we will just die together.
Forget about them, tell the Figurehead to increase power to the Blow Engine, leave this
place as fast as we can!!”

As the flagship in the sky peered down at the chaotic battle on the ground, the Blow
Engine was turned to its highest setting. Airdropping the Silhouette Knights on the
Levitate Ship to reinforce them would just be an act of futility, so their judgement was
adequate. However, whether they could escape the enemy’s attack was a different matter.

"There’s another vessel! It’s escaping!!"

“It’s great that you came! How can I let you leave so easily!?”

Two Tzendrinbles splitted off from the 3rd Company, it was the machines piloted by
Chid and Ady. Unlike the machines from 3rd Company outfitted with assault gear, they
still had the Vertical Launched Javelin Thrower attached to them. The instant they
discovered the fleeing flagship, they shot out all of their Missile Javelins.

The ships shook violently, and Cristóbal understood that the enemy had closed their jaws
on them.

“Ugghhh!? Damn it, damage, damage report! We are still airborne!! Don’t slow down.
We have to get to Fontaine no matter what…!!”

He ordered in a panic, but was dumbstruck when he saw the scene outside the bridge
window.

Something was charging towards the Levitate Ship from below, engulfed in flames and
roaring loudly. A demon god of destruction not from this world caught the Levitate Ship
by using the overwhelming speed of the Magius Jet Thrusters, and landed on the ship.

“How can this be, it can fly to such heights!? What is this monster…”
Cristóbal got up and left the captain’s seat, glaring at the demon god. At this moment, the
demon god turned its head and locked eyes with him, sending deep terror down his spine.
What madness was this? The demon god wore a mask of an extremely furious man. Not
just its prowess, even its appearance was beyond the common sense of Silhouette
Knights.

“D-Damn it… You monster! I don’t fear you!!”

The fire in his heart overwhelmed his terror, it was rage. Ironically— Cristóbal came to
his senses because of the rage in his heart. He leapt up from his seat immediately, and ran
for the Levitate Ship’s hangar.

“Looks like it is time to put an end to this.”

Eru manipulated the demon god Ikaruga in a relaxed manner. As he was ready to take his
first step on the flagship, a section at the top of the ship opened. He watched intrigued as
a Silhouette Knight appeared from the hole through an elevator device.

“You monster! Who permitted you to stand on this vessel? How dare you be so insolent
towards the Second Prince of the Žaloudek Kingdom!?"
With white armour decorated with gold trimmings and a shimmering emblem, this
elegant machine was obviously on a different level from mass produced machines. This
was the Commander machine of the Žaloudek Kingdom that destroyed the King’s mount
'Kartoga Ol Cauchard' of Kuscheperca Kingdom, Alkelorix'.

Cristóbal inside its cockpit glared at the demon god with bloodshot eyes. The expensive
personal machines of the royals, Alkelorix, had the best performance within the entire
Žaloudek army, and Cristóbal was confident of his own capabilities. Despite that, his
chances were grim, and the only thing that kept him going was his pride in not going
down without a fight.

“Look at what you have done, you destroyed my army! And even dare lay your hands on
my ship? This is unforgivable. You should feel honoured that I am executing you
personally!”

Cristóbal encouraged himself, and let Alkelorix drew its sword. Eru who was in the
cockpit of the demon god smiled—
“I see, since there is a royalty here, that means this is a flagship huh. Your machine’s
back weapon and combat equipment seemed to be a standard equipment. It looks majestic
and full of confidence… I am looking forward to this.”

The air intake valves of the Magius Jet Thrusters roared and the demon god raised its
Sword Cannon, taking one step forward. Just this was enough to terrify Cristóbal and
make him feel as if his heart had been gripped. He pushed himself on, and charged with
Alkelorix. The top of the Levitate Ship was narrow, so they were in sword range right
from the start, and there was no meaning in schemes or conserving one’s power.

With the smooth movement of a machine of the highest grade, it slashed ferociously as it
deployed its back weapon, firing intensely at the demon god. If the enemy was a normal
Silhouette Knight, the overwhelming attacks would have ended the battle —
unfortunately, this didn’t apply to the demon god. Supported by its vast mana output, the
demon god swung its heavy Sword Cannon deftly, deflecting the projectiles easily, and
even broke Alkelorix’s sword.

“T-That easily… is my attack just child’s play to you!?”

Cristóbal groaned as his machine stumbled backwards, and he drew his backup blade
while trembling. His all out attack was parried easily, would his life be forfeit when the
demon god switches from defence to offence? His instinct as a warrior warned him of the
danger, but he didn’t have the chips on hand to overturn this situation.
“... Wait, pilot of the demon god! You should be from the land of the demon beast
guardians, Fremmevira right? Why? Why are you helping Kuscheperca! Because of the
kinship between the royal families!? Or are the demon beast guardians eyeing this
land!?”

With no alternatives, he had to talk his way out of this in place of his weapons. He wasn’t
as good with words as his brother or sister, but he couldn’t ask for much under such
circumstances

“No, the one who took the field for kinship is the Young Master. I am just wielding my
sword as part of my obligation as a knight, and enjoy the battles(festival) with Silhouette
Knights.”

The cute voice didn’t match the appearance of the demon god knight with a ferocious
mask at all, confusing Cristóbal. At the same time, he found a glimmer of hope in that
answer.

“Ha, haha! So your actions had nothing to do with your beliefs and your nation. Then
come to my side with your monstrous Silhouette Knight! It would too much of a waste
for you to be just a knight, if you follow me, I will bestow you with whatever position
you want! Also, the goal of Žaloudek is to restore the ancient grand nation of Father
Aburdene, and we will seize the entire Western League of Nations one day. In that case,
the battlefield you yearn for is set for you! How about it!?”

For someone as arrogant as him, this was the most sincere persuasion he could offer.

“Hmm, I might not look like it, but I have been given a very high position in my
Kingdom. Can you offer me anything comparable to that?”

He thought he would be rejected unhesitatingly, but the better than expected reply made
Cristóbal continued:

“Fufu, you don’t need to worry about that. I am the Second Prince, and the Commander-
in-Chief of the Žaloudek Kingdom! Our national power is not something that a backwater
demon beast guard country can compare with, and I can easily give you a status two
times better than before…! How about it? If you want to, I will prepare a peerage for
you!”

Alkelorix opened its arms wide as if to welcome Ikaruga, and the smile on Cristóbal’s
face deepened.
He was treating the demon god’s words as haggling the price. In other words, the demon
god had taken the bait. Offering better benefits was a natural choice in negotiations.

Convinced that he had persuaded the demon god the conditions he offered was
undeniably enticing. The technology of a single Silhouette Knights that could turn the
tide of war and its pilot— if he could obtain these, offering peerage was nothing at all.
After all, with the vast land under their feet known as Kuscheperca Kingdom, Cristóbal
could give him as much as it as he wish.

The composure and arrogance that Cristóbal regained was shattered by Eru’s next
words—

“Ohh, well then… The full authority over the development and production of the
Silhouette Knights of your country, as well as full control over their distribution and the
command of all your Knight Corps, will be handed over to me?”

When he heard that, Cristóbal doubted his ears and turned silent. Confusion then rose and
finally, rage erupted, making him shake his fist and shout:
“What… manner of joke is this!? A mere knight… No, it is the same even if you are a
noble! Aside from the King, no one would have such authority!”

“I am not joking. In fact, I have such authority in my nation. The Knights I brought here
just happen to be the forces I can mobilize immediately.”

Eru smiled deviously as he said that, and the demon god started counting its fingers along
with his words:

“First, I have the authority to act in the name of His Majesty for the national development
of Silhouette Knight, the development itself is led by me anyway; I have authority over
the details of supply, it is just too much hassle so I didn’t bother with that; As for the
priority in deployment of the Knight Corps, I have command authority over all Knight
Corps in the event of a disaster level demon beast attack. Depending on the
circumstances, my orders might even supercede that of the King. I don’t want to manage
territory at all, so I don’t need the Peerage!”

Cristóbal was lucky that he was seated inside Alkelorix. Why? Because he was showing
an undignified dumb face.
What the demon god said was beyond his comprehension. Which Kingdom in the world
would grant such powers to a knight that didn’t even have a peerage? If he agree to such
terms, it will only be possible by granting Eru a position similar to a royal like Cristóbal,
so there was no way he would agree. It was only natural for Cristóbal to think this way
since he didn’t know about Eru’s glorious exploits, and how he was seen as the last line
of defence in a national crisis. This robot nerd had the passion to change an entire
Kingdom, which was beyond his imagination.

His entire body started to shiver. Seeing the enemy turned silent, Eru folded his arms as if
he had expected this, and felt he had been too mean.

“If you don’t want to die, how about this? If you dismount from that Silhouette Knight, I
won’t attack. And of course, I will take your machine.”

This was the biggest kindness Eru could offer. For the pure robot enthusiast, there wasn’t
any concept of showing mercy to an enemy Silhouette Knight. But conversely, if
someone dismount from their Silhouette Knight, they would no longer be a target, and it
didn’t matter what happens to them.

“... Why you… Just how much do you look down on me!? Before our might, anyone who
oppose us are fools!! You madman, do you think I will put myself at your mercy!?”
However, Cristóbal’s mental state was at the brink of breaking down. Eru’s twisted
kindness could no longer reach him, and all he could hear was an ultimatum.

With no regards with the difference in ability and cramped footholds, and launched his
attacks powered by his rage. Alkelorix swung its backup blade, and charged forth with a
barrage of magic projectiles. Ikaruga didn’t just defend this time. It dodged the projectiles
with its Magius Jet Thrusters, then used its explosive speed to swing its Sword Cannon,
shattering Alkelorix’s sword along with its right hand.

The powerful impact made Alkelorix lose its balance, and it staggered back in a weird
dance. At this moment, Rahu Fists flew in from a blind spot stabbed into the legs of
Alkelorix. Hellish explosion burst out, blowing the legs into pieces. Alkelorix almost fell
off the flagship after losing an arm and both legs, and was stepped on by Ikaruga at the
last moment before slipping off.

"It’s no good, I am bad at showing mercy to Silhouette Knights (robots). This is your last
chance. Are you going to dismount and hand the machine over to me?”

Inside the cockpit of the tumbling Alkelorix, Cristóbal shook his heavy head. As his
conscious cleared, he understood completely that he had been defeated.
In an instant, blood rushed into his brain and he pulled his control stick rashly. Alkelorix
only intact left arm swiped hard at Ikaruga’s leg. The attack that could break its own fist
made Ikaruga withdraw its leg. Without any support, Alkelorix rolled off the Levitate
Ship and into the air.

“Hahahaha, hahaha…! You monster! I won’t let you have your way! I didn’t lose to you,
I chose a noble death by my own will…!!”

Before he finished, Alkelorix reached the ground. The impact kicked up a dust cloud,
splintering its body. Even a Silhouette Knight with hardening script couldn’t take the
impact from falling from such a height. Eru watched the Second Prince of Žaloudek who
chose to go down with his flagship, and said with respect:

“To die with your machine, that’s great resolve. Including the ship sailing in the air, I had
a great time playing with your weapons, what a nice ‘battlefield’. It isn’t much, let me
pray that you will have a wonderful next life.”

He offered his well wishes for his enemy rather sincerely, and immediately took the next
course of action. Ikaruga turned and pointed his Sword Cannon at the bridge of the
flagship. The murderous Silhouette Arms did not hide its lethal killing intent, locking on
to the crew.

“Alright, the people controlling this ship should be able to hear me right? Land the ship
immediately, and yield control over to me. As you can see, resistance is futile.”

The crew who could only watch idly as the event unfolded before them shivered as if
they were struck by lightning, and surrendered. The flagship landed slowly, marking the
conclusion of the battle at Missillier.

"… I don’t understand. What are you saying?"

The First Princess Catalina who was standing besides the throne stared at the Black Skull
Knights soldier who kowtowing his head onto the ground, and asked in an emotionless
tone.
“Y-Your Highness!! The result of attacking Missillier… The Black Skull Knights lost
90% of their Black Knights. 10 out of the 24 Levitate Ships of the Steel Wing Knights
were… sunk! None of the ships returned unscathed!”

Several days had passed since the battle, and the remnants of the Black Skull Knights
returned to the Žaloudek army central governance house. The reports by the surviving
soldier were beyond shocking, and stabbed deep into Catalina’s chest.

This was only natural. After all, the Žaloudek Kingdom committed their main forces, the
Black Skull Knights, including 100 of their elite machines, but ended in an
unprecedented disastrous defeat. Less than one company of Black Knights made it back
to Delvincourt. However, what shocked Catalina the most was the soldier’s next words—

“Also, Prince Cristóbal who was commanding from the flagship… dueled with the
enemy who boarded the Levitate Ship… and fell from the sky, killed in action!!”

Catalina showed a dazed expression for quite some time, a face she usually won’t show
to anyone. She slowly grasped the situation, and felt a chill from the ends of her limbs.

The Black Skull Knights were annihilated, and her brother was dead. Was he too careless
and underestimated the enemy? The excellent results from earlier battles did make them
arrogant, but the losses this time is still too heavy. It was impossible for an army to move
with the aim of self destruction? With the Steel Wing Knights and multiple Levitate
Ships committed, she couldn’t think of any reason why they would lose.

Admist the confusion, she realized— Since Cristóbal was dead, she was now the
Commander-in -Chief of the Žaloudek army, and could show no further signs of
wavering before her subordinates.

"… I understand. Leave me...!"

She couldn’t conceal the trembling in her voice. She squeezed out these words with the
last of her rationality. She needed some time to compose herself.

After the Black Skull Knights soldiers left in a great hurry, Catalina immediately
dismissed everyone in the audience hall. Her emotions were on the verge of exploding,
and to hide her unsightly appearance from others, she chased them all away.

Sobbings came from the lonely audience hall. All the education she received as a royal
couldn’t stop her from losing her emotions, her sibling bond with Cristóbal made her
weep in sadness.
She didn’t remain sad for too long. After shedding tears of sorrow, what she felt was
fury. The rage of her kin being taken away made her choose her next course of action—

“I won’t forgive.. The enemy that killed Crist. But even if I want to avenge him, the
defeat this time is too unsightly. After losing the Black Skull Knights, we lack the combat
capability."

Once she regained her calm, she agonized with how serious the situation was.

The Black Skull Knights suffered serious losses, but it was the sinking of the Levitate
Ship that was the bigger problem. Levitate Ships were an invincible existence so far, and
the main reason that the Žaloudek army remained undefeated. But now, 10 of them were
lost in one battle. The influence of this was more dire than the destruction of the Black
Knights. However, she couldn’t tell immediately how bad it would be.

"We need to increase the number of Black Knights… No. To get back at them, Levitate
Ships are necessary. But with so many Levitate Ships destroyed, this meant that
maintaining the status quo was dangerous too. We need to strengthen the Levitate Ships
fast… To think that even the Steel Wing Knights got decimated, Lord Collazo must be
surprised too."
“That’s right. It was really shocking for me, Your Highness.”

A reply coming from the audience hall even though she was suppose to be alone made
Catalina turned her head sharply like a spring— An unassuming man was standing there.
He was the Director of the development workshop in Žaloudek Kingdom, who was also
the inventor of the Levitate Ship, Horacio Collazo.

“... I sent everyone away, Lord Collazo. You might be an important man, but do you
think anything you do would be forgiven?”

The situation was strange. Before the fierce Catalina who was twisting her beautiful face,
Horacio acted as it wasn’t any of his business, and said frankly:

“Yes, I understand that of course. But with the danger we are facing, I need something to
be approved by Your Highness no matter what, that’s why I came.”

Catalina hesitated for a moment, then sat onto the throne. She understood that now wasn’t
the time to mind such trivial matters, and she needed to prioritize taking actions.
“Alright, I won’t pursue the matter this time. I never imagined the Levitate Ships of the
Steel Wing Knights would be sunk, we have to strengthen the remaining ships quickly.
Kuscheperca won’t let this chance slip by, there is no time to hesitate.”

“That’s exactly why I am here… just how did the enemy who caused such ridiculous
damage fought? For the sake of the future, I would like to listen to the details. Your
Highness, please allow me to interview the survivors…”

It wasn’t clear how Horacio thought of the current situation as a twisted smile appeared
on his unassuming face. Catalina hesitated momentarily before making a swift decision:

“... Do as you please. But failure is unacceptable, we can’t let anymore Levitate Ships
sink. Since you proposed this, show me the proper results.”

“Of course, I wish for the Levitate Ships to be the masters of the skies too.”

After a superficial bow, Horacio left. Catalina sighed deeply and collapsed onto the
throne. She didn’t know what he was thinking, but they had a common consensus on the
Levitate Ships. She could only pray that he could increase their combat capability
significantly.

She raised her head and immediately summoned a messenger, telling him:

“Bring me Doroteo Mardones right now."

At this moment, a determination she had never shown before appeared on her face.

Since the intense battle between the remnants of the old Kuscheperca army and the
Žaloudek army in the outskirts of Missillier, the power map in eastern Kuscheperca
changed drastically.

The activities of the Silver Phoenix Knights in the region had gradually corroded
Žaloudek Kingdom’s control over the territory, and the terrible defeat of the Black Skull
Knights and Steel Wing Knights finally dissolved their hold on the land.
After the remnant army of the old Kuscheperca army achieved unprecedented victory,
they marched for the eastern governance house set up by the Žaloudek army in Fontaine.
The lost of the Black Skull Knights and Steel Wing Knights, and the death of the
Commander-in-Chief Cristóbal meant that the Žaloudek army couldn’t spare the effort to
stop their enemy. As the flags of the Kuscheperca were rose in the towns and cities along
Pan-Kucher Road, the garrison unit in the governance house retreated without even
raising their blade.

The symbol of the Žaloudek Kingdom— their eastern governance house fell just like that,
which had widespread effect on the Kuscheperca territories under the Žaloudek
Kingdom’s rule.

Tzendrinble walked down the main street of Fontaine, and the people in the city were all
shocked by the unfamiliar Centaur Knight. But when they saw it hoisting the flag of
Kuscheperca, they returned to the streets timidly again.

Behind the Tzendrinble was the infantry unit made up of Revantiers, and the Resvant
Vido range attack unit. The citizens couldn’t help bursting into cheers when they witness
the grand formation of the Kuscheperca army that took back Fontaine.
"What do you think, Princess Eleonora? This is what we won."

Other than the pilot Chid, Princess Eleonora was also inside the cockpit of Tzendrinble.
The Tzendrinble that was originally designed to be a two seater had a much more
spacious cockpit than other Silhouette Knights. Aside from the main pilot seat, there was
also space for a co-pilot.

"… Yes, we have won."

Eleonora listened to the cheers that didn’t lose out to the revving of the Silhouette
Knights. The joy expressed by the citizens, their cheers for the Silhouette Knights and the
occasional praise for the Princess. This scene was too embarrassing, making her cover
her blushing face.

Shortly after, the formation reached the end of the main street. Before them was the base
of the old eastern territories— Lacepede Castle. When she saw the castle she had some
history with, she trembled slightly and turned stiff. A firm and strong voice came from
behind her and said:

"Don’t worry, this is our castle now, we won’t let you be locked up. I won’t permit that.”
"Yes, it is fine now… I will be counting on you from now on, my knight.”

When he heard Eleonora said that with absolute trust, Chid didn’t know where to look. In
the end, he kept his composure and had no mishap with his control, reaching the castle
smoothly…

"We have finally taken this place back, my love..."

Inside the study room of Lacepede Castle, Martina caressed an old desk. The study
remained the same after its owners changed, and didn’t look any different from her
memory. Lacepede Castle had finally returned to the hands of its original owner.

“However, because of Žaloudek, I have bad memories of this castle too."

She smiled bitterly, and shifted her gaze outside the window, where the towers around the
castle could be seen. Just a few months ago, there were held prisoners in these towers by
the Second Prince of Žaloudek Kingdom, Cristóbal. Not just her, Martina’s daughter
Isabella felt conflicted about this too. The moment she entered the castle, she said—
“Mother, let’s demonish those towers.”

Martina considered her opinion rather seriously, and would probably renovate those
towers soon.

The Silver Phoenix Knights and Kuscheperca main forces shift their base to Fontaine.
They needed to disguise themselves as the Silver Phoenix Merchants or come here in
Silhouette Gears in the past, but were free to walk in the streets now. Emrys immediately
took a stroll outside to enjoy this new found freedom.

“Sure is nice not having to sneak around! It was really boring the last time I came. The
view is much better without the classless Black Knights!”

“The roads from here to Mount Aubigne had all been recaptured, the crowd will return
slowly.”

Eru surveyed the scenery in agreement.

The area of influence of the old Kuscheperca army extended from Missillier to Fontaine,
and the Pan-Kucher Road had reverted to its original function. The messenger sent to
Fremmevira Kingdom should have reported the result of this war by now. Commerce
between the two Kingdoms should resume very soon, and Fontaine will become
prosperous as it did in the past.

Several days after the remnants of the old Kuscheperca army retook Fontaine—
Eleonora was in her own room, watching the streets outside the window. Because
Fontaine had stabilized, it was regaining its vitality day by day. This was how
Kuscheperca Kingdom actually was before the Žaloudek Kingdom attack. She burned
this scene into her eyes and renewed her resolve. Moments later, Martina came to her
side and said:

“Everyone is here… Ellie, are you ready?”

“Yes… Aunt, I won’t run anymore.”

She still felt unreliable, but the fire of determination was burning deep within her eyes.
Martina watched her niece with gentle eyes, she slowly knelt and bowed.
Inside the courtyard of Lacepede Castle, the nobles of the old Kuscheperca remnant army
were gathered along with all members of the Silver Phoenix Knights. Their eyes fell on
the star of this gathering. Eleonora could feel their feelings of anticipation, and was
almost overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Even though she came here with resolve, her
inherent soft personality still rear its head every now and again.

Her gaze wavered, and finally found one person amongst the crowd— A slender youth.
The pilot of the Centaur Knight, the knight who swore fealty to her and promised her
victory nodded once in response. With that encouragement, Eleonora finally took her last
step.

Eleonora clasped her hands tightly together, and said after surveying the crowd:

“There is something I want to tell everyone today.”

All the chatter faded away, and everyone waited for Eleonora’s next words with bated
breath. She then made her move. Despite a little bit of trembling, her tone was filled with
determination that was completely different from the past her, and slowly stated:
“I will… inherit my father’s will, and become the Queen of this nation. I have much to
learn, but I believe in the strength of everyone… and in this war. I… Queen Eleonora
Miranda Kuscheperca declare that we will rebuild our great fallen country— in the name
of the new Kuscheperca Kingdom!!"

C.E. 1281. Winter is coming.

News that the new Kuscheperca Kingdom had been founded, and the coronation of the
new Queen spread across the Western League of Nations like wildfire.

Although many countries felt confused about this sudden change, they realized one
important fact—

The new monarch had the power to recapture their lost territory, and the Žaloudek
Kingdom that was supposed to be more powerful was gradually losing their edge.

The power struggle between the large nations would influence the west greatly.
With the declaration as the turning point, the Western Grand Storm enters a new
chapter.