Volume 4 - CH 6.8

Bettina, to the left!」

「Yes!」

In accordance with Valeria’s instruction, Bettina swung Choruruka to the left.

「Gugyaa!」

「Gowa」

The soldiers were blown off at that instant and raised deep screams.

Immediately afterwards, ice stones struck against Choruruka’s surface, and it shook violently.

「To the top a little!」

「Y, yes!」

At the same time as Bettina having Choruruka take on that angle of elevation, Valeria placed her hand onto its handle and poured her magic power into it in one breath. The wind that had arisen there blew Lampito, who was approaching overhead, away.

「Now, while we have the chance!」

「Yes! Please hold on tight!」

Bettina pointed the umbrella to the front and started running towards the trebuchets while carrying Valeria on her head. Although their figures couldn’t be confirmed yet, judging by the fact that soldiers’ screams could be heard from another location, Karin and Clotilde might also be cutting their way into this place already.

「We have to destroy the trebuchets quickly…!」

Just by counting, Valeria had heard the throwing sound of the trebuchets more than five times. If all those stone bullets impacted the same place, the rampart might have been destroyed already. She could only pray that Petra and Malena would repair it somehow.

「Ooooh!」

Perhaps they were trying to obstruct Bettina’s path, lightly-equipped infantrymen formed a row and created a wall, their spears pointed to the front at the ready. However, once Bachururus, which boasted the power of ten humans, was carried by that speed, it couldn’t be stopped so easily. The soldiers who had stopped Bettina’s charge directly were pushed back in one breath, their spears easily smashed.

「Gyawah!」

「Guoh… e, endure…!」

「Push them back…!」

「It’s a shame, but that’s impossible!」

Valeria passed magic power through Choruruka, which was adhered to the soldiers, without a moment’s delay and invoked “Whirlwind”Cyclone.

「—」

The brave men, who had stopped Bettina’s charge once, were shaken by a local storm and blown away flashily. However, even though they were simply blown off, they were sent flying high and then fell down, or crashing into their comrades; most soldiers became unable to stand up properly.

The ones who could receive this unscathed—like her, for example—might only be people who could recover their balance in the air.

「How persistent…!」

Noticing that Lampito was pursuing from the rear, Valeria bit her lip.

In order to do something about that nimble girl, Valeria could only hit her with a powerful magic that absolutely couldn’t be offset. But because Lampito’s movements were fast, she wasn’t given time to use powerful magic. Thus, she could only blow her away with Cyclone to buy time in the end.

At that moment, the soldiers who were trying to block the path of Valeria’s party again screamed and were routed.

「Valeria!」

「Karin!? And Diaghilev-geika too!」

In front of her, Valeria could catch a glimpse of Karin’s and Clotilde’s figures fighting alone—though the number of people was wrong to say so—inside a crowd of soldiers.

「Bettina! Run straight like this! Karin’s party is there!」

「Yes!」

Bettina roared noisily on the route that Karin had cut open for her. Valeria looked back to the rear again.

Before her eyes was Lampito’s face, of which more than half was hidden by her casually flowing hair.

「—」

The big eyes beyond the long hair were staring fixedly at Valeria, containing neither animosity nor hatred but an emotion that one couldn’t tell what it was exactly. It was a situation where Lampito was barely clinging to Bettina’s back in a strange posture, but perhaps it also gave an impression that the girl was inhuman, she looked unbelievably eerie to Valeria.

「Hi—!」

Valeria’s mind turned pure white inside, and her scream leaked out one beat late.

Although Valeria had a vague thought that she had to chant some magic, Lampito raised her right hand faster than she could point her right hand at the girl’s face. Naturally, her hand was grasping that knife.

「Ta—!?」

The next moment, a small knife pierced Lampito’s right shoulder, and her body lurched diagonally, sliding down from Bettina’s back.

「—Are you all right!?」

「Dimitar…」

Valeria, who was dazed like that for a little while, became aware of Dimitar, who had been running side-by-side with Bettina unnoticed, and blinked her eyes as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep.

「You aren’t hurt, are you!?」

「Uh… it seems that I’m all right」

Valeria checked her own body and then looked around her surroundings.

「She isn’t dead」

Dimitar spoke while stroking his stomach, seemingly annoyed.

「…I intended to aim for her neck, but since there was a distance and it was while I was running, it missed a little. I think it had probably pierced her shoulder, but she won’t die from the wound of one knife」

「Ah!」

Cyril, who had held the girl in his arms, jumped out from among the infantrymen with a tremendous force, drawing a large parabola and overtaking Dimitar’s party in one breath.

「Soldiers of Yururogu who possess unyielding fighting spirit!」

Cyril jumped onto the top of a trebuchet, carried Lampito with his left hand and held the sword in his right hand up high.

「—Endure here! Don’t let those lawless people come near! The enemy’s rampart will crumble down together with a roaring sound soon! If you can endure until then, victory is yours! Eradicate the fake Dominas!」

「Uooooooooh!」

One could tell that the soldiers had become lively at Cyril’s words.

「…Ma, if a handsome man and a beautiful girl speak cheesy lines exaggeratedly, most people would be deceived and start to feel that way」

Sneering coldly at Cyril’s speech, Dimitar touched Choruruka’s handle.

「—Oi!」

Dimitar opened a path with one blow of Cyclone, and Valeria’s party finally linked up with Karin’s party.

「I’m glad that all three of you are safe—」

Perhaps her uniform and cap had been lost somewhere, Clotilde who had greeted Valeria’s party with a voice that felt slightly tired was practically in an outfit similar to underwear, but the figure of magic crests shining like emeralds emerging on her white skin, even if it was seen by Valeria who was a woman, was very attractive.

While observing the moves of the surrounding soldiers vigilantly, Karin occasionally checked Cyril’s party, who was on top of the trebuchet.

「…They’ve taken up positions at an unpleasant spot」

「They’ll probably come down of their own accord even if we leave them alone. If they’re there, then the next throw can’t be carried out no matter how much time passes, after all」

「No, I’ll drag them down immediately」

「Wait a moment」

Restraining Clotilde who was burning with a quiet fighting spirit, Dimitar held out his sword to Valeria.

「—Eh?」

「She and I will do something about the one in front of us. You and Karin-sama will do something about the other one over there」

「…That girl is a fake Eminence, right?」

Clotilde mowed down the soldiers, who had tried to attack from behind, with one blow of her treasured sword without even turning around and stared at Dimitar.

「She looks like quite a formidable opponent; do you have an idea or something?」

「Yes. Our Eminence will defeat her」

「Huh!?」

He had her hold the heavy sword with both hands, and to make matters worse, arbitrarily made a strange declaration; Valeria then raised a miserable voice. As she was almost killed when they fought previously, she had carefully thought in her own way how she could defeat Lampito this time; in the end, even though she was beginning to give up, thinking that it might be impossible for her, what on earth was he telling her to do, making her hold such a weapon, which she couldn’t even use.

「Gacha Pink, you’ll open a path for Karin-sama’s party」

「Understood!」

「Well then, shall we go?」

Dimitar removed the gauntlet on his left hand, held Valeria up in his arms and started running.

「!」

Seeing Bettina beginning to run at the same time, Lampito’s face moved, looking around restlessly.

「You protect this side! I’ll keep those people in check!」

Leaving Lampito at that spot, Cyril leapt to pursue Karin’s party that was led by Bettina. Perhaps from his perspective, he must have seen Bettina’s gallant figure forcibly blowing off the soldiers who were present and lined up.

「Hey… Dimitar!?」

Valeria who was held up in his arms in a posture different from usual—in short, a princess carry—looked up at Dimitar’s face while grasping the sword tightly in front of her chest, her face turning bright red.

「W, what do you intend to do!? Don’t tell me you’re going to do that again—」

「Be at ease. I said that I won’t make a serious effort, right?」

「Nevertheless, even if you foist this on me—」

「It’s all right」

「So what’s all right!?」

「Can you use “Lightning Bolt”Blitz?」

「Eh?」

「Do you understand the magic crest’s composition?」

「I, I think I understand, but… I’ve never used such a troublesome magic!」

Fundamentally, the higher the power of the magic was, the more time it took to use it. After all, it took that much time to circulate sufficient magic power in the complex magic crest and complete it as a magic square.

In that sense, Blitz was a magic that took an exceptional time. If Valeria tried to use it, she’d probably take two, three minutes. However, its power was tremendous; if she could use that, even defeating Lampito was certainly not impossible.

「It doesn’t matter even if you’ve never used it. Even I have never used it, after all」

Nimbly jumping onto the shoulder of the soldier in front of him and then to the next soldier from there, Dimitar spoke, jumping from shoulder to shoulder.

「—!」

Lampito, who was on top of the trebuchet, aimed at Valeria’s party and shot “Fire Bullet”Blast in rapid succession. However, just like how Valeria couldn’t catch Lampito with her magic, Lampito couldn’t catch the current Dimitar either.

While skilfully dodging the girl’s magic and running, Dimitar laughed in a low voice.

「—However, this thing was completed on the assumption that Blitz would also be used」

「Is, is that true?」

「Look here… I designed the magic crests of this thing, you know? Why would I tell a lie?」

「Ah, I, I see… that’s true」

「Anyway, if you use that, your burden should decrease considerably. Most importantly, the time can be shortened」

「That might be the case—but I’ve never used a magic motion sword…」

「Don’t say stupid things. You even used it just now, right?」

「Eh?」

「I’m referring to the umbrella called “Choruruka” or something. I’ve said that that’s a kind of magic motion sword too, right? If you can use that, you can also use Jagieruka. Don’t be choosy」

「Even if you say so…」

「Anyway, we’re commencing at once. After I move to a position where you can hit her, fire without hesitation when you can use it. —In order to make her realise the power of Amaddo’s Dominas, a demonstration of that extent might be necessary」

「…Understood」

Remembering why she was on this battlefield, Valeria nodded. Holding the sword up high, she quietly poured her magic power into it. Red magic crests emerged on the blade’s surface immediately.

「……」

Turning over the various drawers inside her head, Valeria recalled the magic square for Blitz. Using the magic crests carved on both her arms and also this sword, she faithfully reproduced that magic square. The light, which was weak at the beginning, gradually became stronger, its brightness increasing as if pulsing.

「You concentrate on that! —I’m charging in!」

Dimitar used the soldiers’ shoulders and heads as footings and approached the trebuchet in one breath. Without letting one feel the instability of his steps completely, Dimitar dodged Lampito’s attacks entirely and then trampled on the head of a combat engineer, who was preparing the stone bullet, with all his strength.

「Bu… gusu—」

Perhaps the bone of his neck had suffered damage, the combat engineer fell down; Dimitar kicked his head and jumped onto the tip of the diagonally inclined arm.

On the opposite side was Lampito opening her eyes wide. On this and that side of one wooden foothold, Valeria’s party finally stood face to face with Lampito.

「—Dimitar!」

Valeria, who was narrowing her eyes firmly, felt the sword she was holding shaking with a “biri biri” and had a hunch that the magic’s invocation was near.

「—I’m going!」

Dimitar executed an approach run of two, three steps and jumped.

「U, h, h-h, h, h… hit—」

Lampito created a fireball bigger than herself in between the knife on her right hand and her left hand and threw it towards Dimitar, who had rushed up to the empty sky.

「It’s now or never, oi!?」

Looking down at Lampito, Dimitar shouted.

Valeria extended both hands and held the sword up high towards the sky. At that moment, a dazzling flash—lightning surged from the tip of the sword, which Valeria had raised overhead, towards almost every direction. No matter how agile a wild beast was, this couldn’t be avoided.

「Uwa…!」

「Higi」

「Goah…」

The lightning, which gave one the impression of a writhing snake, wriggled on the ground and mercilessly hit the surrounding soldiers very hard.

One tail of the lightning snake then knocked down the fireball, which Lampito had thrown, and also hit the girl herself directly.

「…I!」

Her long hair standing on its end, Lampito stiffened greatly with a “bikun”, lost her balance like that and fell down from the top of the arm.

「Lampito!?」

Cyril’s voice could be heard from the other side, but he wouldn’t make it in time already. When Dimitar landed near where Lampito had been standing until just now and snatched the sword from Valeria, he changed to a backhand grip and thrust it into the arm of the trebuchet.

Making a bizarre “bakin!” sound, a small crack was made in the wooden part of the arm, which was reinforced with steel plates, and bright red flames spouted out from that crack.

「Hold on to me」

「U, un!」

Valeria clung onto Dimitar’s back like he had told her to.

At the bottom, Lampito’s fireball had hit the pedestal of the trebuchet directly, and it was starting to burn with a vivid flame. The flames burning from both the top and bottom, though little by little, were certainly licking at the trebuchet.

「! Put out the fire! Put it out!」

Although the soldiers started raising loud voices and making noise, they were just making noise only; there was actually hardly anyone moving to extinguish the fire. Rather, they might not have the method. Sparks fell as if dancing like red fireflies, and when the enormous weapon showed signs of collapsing, the soldiers soon raised voices of sorrow and began to run away from that place.

「…Rest around there」

Dimitar, who had come down from the trebuchet, tossed Valeria there, made his neck produce a sound lightly and had his sword at the ready.

「—Move aside!」

Cyril came charging with a tremendous force from the front of Dimitar, who stood before the blazing trebuchet. Valeria, who was holding her breath and watching attentively, saw with her own eyes the distance between the two people becoming zero in the twinkling of an eye and them crossing each other.

「!」

One sword made a hard sound, flew in the air and pierced the arm of the trebuchet, whose surface had begun to carbonise.

「Gu, nu—」

Cyril, who had clutched his flank and fallen to his knees suddenly, looked back at Dimitar over his shoulder and leaked out a groan of pain.

「…Speaking of unexpected, this is certainly unexpected. Are you worried about that kid and feeling impatient…?」

Dimitar, who had also sustained a straight line wound on his chest, laughed painfully and looked back at Cyril.

「Dii!」

Valeria hurriedly ran up to Dimitar and supported his body.

「Are you all right!?」

「Yes…」

At that moment, a roaring sound, accompanied by an earth tremor, could be heard from the other side.

「—They’ve completed their mission too, huh…」

Karin’s party had probably succeeded in the destruction of the other trebuchet. Since Cyril, who was protecting it, left it behind and came here, that might also be a matter of course.

「—Ah!?」

When she looked back suddenly, Cyril’s figure had disappeared.

「W, where is he!? Where did he go!?」

「…Leave him alone」

「B, but—」

「He probably went to save that kid」

「Eh…? B, but that child—」

Staring at the trebuchet that was blazing to the extent that she could already feel the heat even at this distance, Valeria became speechless. If he really jumped into that flame in that seriously wounded state, he probably wouldn’t survive.

「…Rather than worry about others, worry about ourselves first」

Karin’s party came running from the other side while driving away the soldiers. Bettina and Clotilde also seemed to be alive and well.

「—We’ve succeeded in the destruction of the trebuchets; the plan afterwards is to promptly retreat the army and change to holding the town, right?」

「Ah, I see」

「Get Diaghilev-geika to launch the signal flare」

Dimitar wiped the dirt off his sword with his armpit, kept it in its scabbard and sighed.

「…As one would expect, thinking about cutting across the middle of the enemy and returning to the town after this makes me fed up」