The Candidate for the Saintess (2)
I stood there, suddenly flustered by the king's unexpected concern over the two missing people.
The prince flashed a wry smile.
"How do you plan to handle this? If they're in a state of disappearance with no contact and their location unknown, it could be dangerous."
"For now, I've requested an escort for the two through the official diplomatic channels. I've also discreetly deployed a special unit alongside the national intelligence service."
The contrast between the official request through diplomatic lines and the unauthorized special forces deployment was stark.
If things resolved quietly, that would be ideal, but the chances were low.
Some form of diplomatic friction seemed inevitable.
From the prince, I sensed a willingness to take on some risk to save the two, even if the outcome was uncertain.
It wasn't easy for a will to translate into action.
I sat quietly for a moment, scratching my head, then stood up and spoke.
"I'll go."
"What?"
"Their rescue... I might be the most suitable one. I'll move in secret while keeping my identity hidden, but please handle any follow-up if my true identity is exposed."
Did he really think I'd go this actively?
Surprise and gratitude appeared on the prince's face.
After all, the reason those two were in danger was partly because I'd placed the fake Arsia in the Prius Republic...
"Then, please send the last confirmed location and the place where they are most likely still staying via terminal."
"Understood."
I was about to head back to the estate when a crucial fact suddenly occurred to me.
"Ah, Your Highness the Prince. The saintess candidate for this time..."
"Yes, I'll actively push it. Don't worry."
Before the name 'Ebril' could even escape, the prince nodded eagerly, urging me to hurry.
The original mission was complete.
Now it was time for the next quest.
I immediately teleported to the Prius Republic with Arsia and Black Eagle.
An unexpected infiltration.
***
The Earl of Ackers was one of the prince's closest aides.
As the second-ranked Aura Master after the Duke of Vincent, known as the kingdom's best knight and subordinate to the second prince, he was a eccentric who wandered the continent in search of strong foes to learn from.
At 40 years old, he was still young, so his reputation lagged behind Vincent's.
But among knights, they all declared that if a Grand Master (8th circle level) were to be born in the Linehats Kingdom, it would be the Earl of Ackers, not the Duke of Vincent.
"Uncle!"
The Earl of Ackers was now in a crisis.
This crisis had begun because of the woman who had just shed the disguise of the little girl.
Her name was Michelle Otis.
As an eccentric, she was even more infamous than the Aura Master Earl of Ackers.
Yet she was shedding tears, which was unlike her.
The reason was that the Earl of Ackers had wrapped her in his arms and taken a heavy injury.
"Stop giving up."
The two were currently surrounded by numerous Vanguard forces from the Prius Republic.
No matter how great an Aura Master was, facing dozens of Vanguards alone without Force Armor was impossible.
Moreover, the commander of the opposing Vanguard unit was also an Aura Master like the Earl of Ackers, making escape through force impossible.
'How did this happen?'
The Earl of Ackers bit his lip tightly.
He had been close to the Otis Marquis's son-in-law since childhood, treating his cousin's daughter, Michelle Otis, like his own daughter.
Yet here she was, suddenly heading to the Prius Republic, which was tense with the Brigham Empire, to search for the legacy of Manuel Lucas.
He had voluntarily taken on escort duty, but he never imagined the journey would turn so dangerous.
"You damned thieves!"
Her talent for understanding the Lucas Grand Duke's legacy hunt was beyond imagination, and now she was in contact with the legacy 'Louis Fairmont' had acquired, causing this mess.
Because of that, the Prius Republic's Vanguards had no choice but to treat them as thieves.
"I apologize! We're just travelers! We have no intention of opposing your return! Think about it! If I had any impure intentions, I wouldn't have brought a woman along!"
The Earl of Ackers raised his voice desperately to explain, but the Aura Master commanding the Vanguard unit sneered at his explanation.
"What explanation? The moment that woman approached the legacy, your fate was sealed as execution."
"It's true that she cares about the legacy, but who knew that barrier would break so easily! If the goal was to steal the legacy, you wouldn't have sent only this many people!"
"Our republic doesn't negotiate with thieves. Surrender your lives."
It didn't seem like talking would get through to them.
"Uncle, I'm sorry..."
Even the infamous Michelle Otis, who couldn't easily accept death, kept apologizing in fear.
The way she affectionately called her uncle 'uncle' showed they were truly close.
So the Earl of Ackers drew his sword, prepared to die for her.
"Left side, the weak point in the encirclement. When I give the signal, run there without looking back. It looks like only about 300 meters until the spatial magic fades. Then we can teleport."
"Wh-what about you, Uncle?"
"If I can run alone without you, don't worry."
It was obviously a lie.
He was currently wounded deeply in the side, and facing so many Vanguards alone to escape seemed impossible.
"No! That's impossible!"
"Don't talk nonsense. Run. Now!"
But the Earl of Ackers' shout made her move her feet unconsciously.
"Damn thieves! I'll run! Don't miss!"
"Where are you going! I'll take you on first, you brats!"
It was a desperate escape operation that included a sacrifice with a low success probability.
***
The prince had neatly compiled the places where the Earl of Ackers and Michelle Otis were most likely staying.
But the problem was that no matter how precisely the prince specified the location, it was too broad—like searching for a needle on the beach or a king in Beijing.
"Trust me."
-Kiik!
But I wasn't overly worried.
With Black Eagle's shared vision skill and the Thousand Mile Eye function of the Mankyung, I had search capabilities on par with stealth reconnaissance drones or reconnaissance satellites.
Moreover...
-Kogogogo.
I hadn't expected to be sightseeing in this world so quickly. The stealth-type high-speed Sky Fortress Icarus flew at 2 km altitude, using its transparency magic and searching intensely.
Thinking about it, I was the one who provided the cause, but was it really sensible to come to the Prius Republic right now in this situation?
After sharing vision with Black Eagle, I had been searching for over 30 minutes when my eyes started hurting. I grumbled.
Then Arsia, who had been glancing at the Icarus's instrument panel, casually sipped her drink and reported.
"Discovery."
"What!? Already!?"
Startled, I cut the shared view from Black Eagle, ordered a return, and rushed over to Arsia.
Then I examined the target she had found.
"Real."
This would be easy to resolve.
The target was on the ground 20 km northwest of where we were floating.
After locking the coordinates, I sent the Sky Fortress Icarus into the spatial rift and used teleportation.
A small spatial interference magic was deployed in that area, so I arrived 500 meters above.
-Paat!
The scenery changed into a vast space surrounded by tall mountain ranges with no clouds in the sky.
Now Arsia and I were disguised as travelers in ample black robes and clown masks.
I was thrilled at the thought that if the targets were alive, I could claim a debt from the prince.
But the situation unfolding below was unexpected.
"What the hell is that?"
At least I confirmed the two were still alive.
They were being attacked by what looked like Vanguard troops from the Prius Republic.
The problem was that a mysterious force, accompanied by Armored Golems, was protecting the Earl of Ackers and Michelle Otis while fighting the republic's forces.
Considering the power on both sides.
-Prius Republic: 20 Vanguards
-Mysterious Force: 10 Vanguards, 15 Armored Golems
Note that Armored Golems were spider-like mechs used in the assassin unit sent by Anna, pre-Vanguard era weapons.
Their production cost was similar to Vanguard Force Armor, but their combat power was one-fifth.
Because of that, the mysterious force's fighting style was not to kill the enemy but to help the Earl of Ackers and Michelle Otis escape.
"Aura Masters everywhere? There are four here alone."
Besides Arsia and the Earl of Ackers, there was one Aura Master each from the Prius Republic side and the mysterious force side.
"What will you do?"
Leave the two aside, or support the mysterious force helping them...
Floating in the air, I examined the battlefield below and decided after checking the information on the Mankyung.
[Prius Republic Revolutionary Army]
I decided to support the revolutionary army helping the Earl of Ackers and Michelle Otis.
Instead of my Magic Staff, I held only a dagger, and Arsia equipped a Rapier instead of the Arming Sword.
Then we canceled the floating magic and began free fall.
Even without a Magic Staff, magic could be used. It was just slightly weaker and took longer to cast.
I immediately cast the memorized 7th circle large-scale magic.
'Flame Blaster.'
It was a spoken magic, but a flame dragon as large as a bucket writhed and extended downward, swallowing the Prius Republic's Vanguards.
The republic's Vanguards, who had been full of momentum, were shocked and looked up at us.
In return for their gazes, Arsia's Aura Blades were enhanced by Force Armor and unleashed.
"Damn! Aura Masters!"
To further stir their confusion, the memorized 7th circle large magic was fired again.
"Dodge!"
"Kyaaa!"
The large magic and Aura Blades rained down one after another, turning the battlefield into instant chaos.
Even the revolutionary army supporting the Earl of Ackers and Michelle Otis was panicking.
-Tak.
When Arsia and I landed on the ground, not a single Prius Republic Vanguard remained.
They had fled with the wounded and dead on their backs.
The Prius Republic was a country that ranked as one of the four major empires representing Rondel.
Though they claimed democracy, calling them an empire might be inappropriate, but the people took pride in that title.
Having made the Vanguards, especially Aura Masters, of such a strong nation unable to escape, the caution toward us was inevitable.
"We've come to pick you up. Let's go back."
When my hand reached for them, the Earl of Ackers and Michelle Otis flinched.
I checked that the Earl of Ackers was severely injured and used 7th circle recovery magic—Recover.
-Paat!
"Huh?"
Sensing something, Michelle Otis opened her eyes wide and stared at me and Arsia.
"N-no way?"
I had hidden it well, but her eyes were sharp.
I placed my finger on the mouth part of the clown mask and shushed quietly.
That was the sign that what she thought was correct.
Her expression brightened, and she quickly grabbed the Earl of Ackers' hand and came toward us.
"Just a moment."
But the two were blocked by those with the title of revolutionary army.
"What is it?"
She was busy because of the operation to make me Ebril the saintess.
The unpleasant tone entered my voice naturally from their delaying actions.
"Sorry, but I have one question for the young lady."
Of course I had a purpose, so while fighting the Prius Republic's Vanguard troops, they had protected the two.
After all, the two had been saved thanks to them, so I shrugged and waited for the story.
"I've heard you connected with Louis Fairmont's legacy. Is his legacy real?"
The unexpected question made me look at Michelle Otis with a stunned expression.
Connected with the fake legacy?
How? It wasn't like plugging in a USB to a computer.
[END OF CHAPTER]