Chapter 47
Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: For His Majesty the King
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[Incomplete Dpellius] was still enormous.
Just its torso alone was more than twice the length of Wyndeler (Giant).
The volume of its body was probably around ten times greater?
"Your Highness, what should I do now?"
"Silvret, focus your attacks on lightning. Ragna de Luc has gathered the thunderclouds."
"Understood!"
Magic's power and efficiency vary depending on attributes and environment.
Water magic is stronger and more efficient in places with lots of water, ice magic in cold areas, and so on.
In an environment packed with thunderclouds like this?
It was a battlefield where lightning mages could go wild.
"Your Highness! What about me, then?"
"Duchess—no, Canelian... You just stand by here."
"...Pardon?"
"To join in there right now, you'd have to strip off that armor and switch to 99% bikini armor?"
"... ."
Canelian looked down at herself in silence.
Dpellius descended from high altitude, lunging at Wyndeler (Giant).
Every time Wyndeler thrust his Aura Blade, massive lightning bolts struck from the sky.
Kwaaang! Kururung! Kwarurung!
An 80-meter-tall giant knight clashed with a dragon-form monster far larger than itself.
Was this what mythic battles looked like?
"...As Your Highness says, even a Swordmaster would be obliterated if they jumped in there."
"Exactly."
I extended one hand forward, periodically unleashing skills.
Kwarurung! Kwabang!
[Superconducting Collapse] was used on Wyndeler to trigger charge explosions around him.
And [Fury's Thunderbolt] was targeted on Dpellius, continuously dropping bolts on it.
The only downsides were that it recharged only once every 24 hours for up to three uses, 10 minutes each.
Silvret also kept drawing activation magic circles in midair, raining lightning spells on it.
Kwagwang! Kwarurung!
With the sky filled with thunderclouds, the falling bolts were terrifying in momentum.
Canelian asked,
"Professor, using such intense weather magic and lightning spells on top of that—doesn't your mana deplete quickly?"
Silvret paused mid-spell barrage.
I stroked her shoulder and urged her on.
"Professor Silvret, focus on attacking. I'll handle the explanation."
"Understood."
I kept unleashing skills with my other hand while explaining.
"Weather magic draws on nature's mana, not the caster's own, so aside from the small amount for activation, mana consumption is minimal."
Extreme cost-performance ratio.
"But it takes a long time to cast, and enemies can easily disrupt it."
"Ah, so that's why she rode the airship..."
"The thing seems to think it's just bad luck with the weather."
Anyone who could read mana flows would notice, but it clearly hadn't.
Since it only targeted Wyndeler, it had no idea it was Silvret's weather magic.
"Wow, Your Highness. If you keep touching me like that... it's hard to focus on controlling the magic..."
"Oh, sorry. Habit—I didn't realize."
"I'm casting right now, so... after the battle ends, you can touch all you want..."
Silvret seemed genuinely disrupted in her focus.
I didn't need concentration or casting, so it was fine for me.
Regrettably, I let go of Silvret and stepped back.
Clank. Clunk. Clang.
Suddenly, Canelian stripped off her metal armor and set it down.
Revealing a pale sky-blue bikini armor (tube top) with white horizontal stripes.
"Canelian? You're not thinking of fighting, are you? Absolutely not!"
"Why? I'm going to fight too. Switch me to 50% rash guard mode. That only exposes the legs, so it's fine."
On Earth, rash guards aren't an issue.
But not here.
Above all, I hated it.
"With me joining, we can definitely win."
"Sometimes, there's something far more important than victory."
"What's that?"
"Not letting other men see your bare legs, Canelian."
"... ."
Canelian's face flushed faintly, touched by my words.
She sheathed her sword gently and declared proudly,
"Then since I have nothing to do, touch me instead of Professor Silvret."
I doubted my ears for a moment.
"Canelian? You're serious?"
"I noticed Your Highness fiddles with Professor Silvret when focusing on something. I have nothing to do now, so I should at least help improve your concentration."
It was more like building rapport, like taming a hand squirrel.
And Silvret's squirming reactions were addictively cute.
But Canelian seemed truly determined to aid my focus.
'If she insists that much, telling the truth would embarrass her?'
I couldn't ruin the reputation and goodwill I'd built.
"Alright, then..."
"Yes. Like this?"
I pulled Canelian into a back hug.
One arm around her slim waist, hand on her well-defined iliac crest.
The other extended toward Dpellius, relentlessly firing skills.
Her body heat and breathing pulsed vividly against my encircling forearm.
"Better focus now?"
"Seems like it."
Bullshit, it wasn't.
I just spammed [Fury's Thunderbolt] nonstop.
No trace of optimal skill combos left in my head.
I woke up holding Canelian half the time, mornings with 1/2 probability,
but I'd release the hug immediately.
Holding her like this fully awake felt entirely different.
Like we were really engaged?
Canelian had never planned to charge in rash guard style from the start.
Showing bare legs to Wyndeler—not Ragna—would be horrific.
'Good, that was natural.'
Canelian giggled inwardly, out of the prince's sight.
She'd smoothly taken the 'attachment doll' spot Silvret had occupied moments ago.
'So this is what it feels like...'
The prince's arm wrapped her waist, stroking her side and iliac crest, then soon her shoulder.
When his forearm brushed her bra-top chest, even Canelian flinched.
'What about Professor Silvret?'
Glancing aside, Silvret was deeply focused on incantation.
Not paying them any mind.
It felt like defeat somehow.
'This makes it seem like I'm the only one aware of the vibe between us.'
Canelian recalled the prince and Silvret communicating via handwritten notes.
Irritated for no reason, she grabbed the back of his hand touching her shoulder.
"Canelian?"
"It's fine. Just grabbed it."
Canelian stroked the back of the prince's hand while watching the battle at the lake bottom.
"Your Highness? Sir Wyndeler is shrinking!"
"Ten minutes already. Slave gladiator, I permit you to become a giant robot."
With his quiet mutter, Wyndeler, who had been shrinking, grew large again.
"Whoa, unlimited giant form?"
"Recharges once every 24 hours, up to three charges. Consecutive use possible."
"Ah, so maximum 30 minutes at once?"
"Right."
Canelian glanced at Silvret.
While Silvret fired one spell attack, the prince unleashed at least ten.
And Silvret poured all her mind into spell control,
yet the prince casually stroked her while chatting.
'I get why he's hiding that he's a mage.'
The continent's mages would be shocked.
Spell incantation is time-consuming, requires utmost care, and can't be interrupted by talk or disturbance.
Yet the prince handled it as lightly as moving chess pieces.
Kwarurung! Kururung!
"Your Highness casts spells so effortlessly. Normally, incantations take forever, and focus can't be broken..."
"Thanks to Ancestor's blessing."
Silvret was soft and squishy.
Canelian was firm, though.
Probably because her trained muscles hid beneath a layer of subcutaneous fat.
She didn't look very muscular outwardly, seeming delicate, but touch told a different story.
'Still, her skin is incredibly smooth. No calluses at all.'
The fight below raged fiercely.
Kang! Kang! Kaang!
Kwarurung! Kuwoong! Kwarung!
The two went at it like it was a fight to the death.
'Am I the only one in this pink mood? Whatever, jealous? Be the prince then.'
By the way, this C-rank Discernment Eye is fantastic.
Already chipped half away.
Freshly hatched, its combat patterns were simple.
Just relentlessly biting at Wyndeler, letting us drop lightning comfortably from the rear.
'Thanks to Wyndeler's sensible movements too.'
Every lightning strike, he'd deftly deflect with sword and shield, channeling it into the foe.
To it, it must look like Wyndeler was summoning the bolts.
No clue we were firing magic from the airship.
'Combat sense is innate. As expected of a Swordmaster.'
At some point, Canelian fell silent.
Stopped fiddling with my hand, staring intently at the battle.
"Can we win?"
"Probably. It's pretty dumb, freshly hatched."
Player max level is 99, but boss monsters are usually unmeasurable.
Just question marks.
This baby boss mob showed only 99.
"Granted."
Third gigantification.
Wyndeler's HP was fine.
Near-invincible during gigantification.
"Time's the issue. Must down it in 10 minutes now."
"How's it looking?"
"Precarious."
I felt tension enter Canelian's body in my arms.
"Then after gigantification ends, I'll join. Can't miss this chance."
"Still, bikini armor in front of Wyndeler..."
"It's slow. I can dodge and fight without bikini armor."
Canelian donned her discarded armor again.
I organized my thoughts and nodded.
"If it gets dangerous, sacrifice Wyndeler as bait and flee. I absolutely cannot lose you, Duchess."
"Canelian."
"Canelian, I don't want to lose you."
"Got it."
Battle-ready Canelian asked solemnly,
"How many minutes left?"
"Gigantification ends in 3. Its HP around 20%."
"Your Highness, Ragna de Luc's effect will end soon."
"What? Why?"
"Local mana has dropped too low to sustain Ragna de Luc."
The thunderclouds began to dissipate.
"Doesn't even consider the weather tormented it until now."
"Such a positive mindset."
Mana visibly spread from it in all directions.
An immense mana wave vibrated.
The quantity was staggering.
'What the hell?'
I realized in an instant.
"Damn! Eggshell fragments!"
"Your Highness! The shattered shells are transforming!"
The countless eggshell shards were turning into a monster horde.
Kirruk! Kieek!
Kyaaau! Kakak!
'My remaining mana is 20%.'
And gigantification ending soon.
Couldn't have Canelian and mini-Wyndeler fight it surrounded by that legion.
"Regrettable, but we retreat for now."
"Using Sir Wyndeler as bait?"
"Not that risky. Call Wyndeler to the airship, use the airship as bait, then we four Blink away..."
"Your Highness! Look there!"
Canelian pointed to the opposite sky, shouting.
Faint dots approached from afar.
Mana signatures showed wyvern knights.
On the ground, knights and soldiers charged at full speed in formation.
"It's Baron Caron!"
Baron Caron on the lead wyvern leaped vigorously into the monster horde.
The knights crammed on wyvern backs scattered and followed, jumping down.
Baron Caron raised his sword high, bellowing,
The inward-moving monster horde turned direction.
Rushing to attack the knights and soldiers charging from outside.
Canelian paled.
"No way! Has His Majesty passed away?!"
"Probably just Caron confusing me for him?"
Caron had never seen Father even once, so plausible.
Silvret cautiously added,
"I think that's the reasonable guess too."
Finally, Wyndeler shrank.
All three gigantification times up.
"Canelian, leave the killing blow to Wyndeler or me."
"Got it."
Dpellius looked panicked.
Having just expended massive mana summoning the horde.
"Don't get hurt."
We'd come this far—had to snag the EXP.
'We can take it.'
Wyndeler (Giant) facing Dpellius
Baron Caron and Arcana's knights facing the subordinate monster legion