Volume 2


    Chapter 132.2


    Chapter 132 . 2 : Fierce Combat


    Charles shouted at him with a flustered voice . He was still groveling on the ground after falling from his griffon .


    Alfred  heaved a sigh and   turned his griffon to chase after Christina-tachi . His flying speed was faster than them and so easily caught up to them .


    「AS IF I’LL LET YOU!《Enchant Physical Ability》」


    Vanessa also suddenly increased he speed as she unsheathed her long sword and leapt towards Alfred . And thus she slashed her sword at Alfred who was flying at a low altitude .


    But, Alfred also unsheathed the long sword that was placed on his saddle and thwarted Vanessa’s attack .


    When their sword clashed, Vanessa staggered back .


    Though Vanessa  grimaced at the overwhelming difference in strength, she landed safely on the ground . And then, she sent her warning to Christina-tachi .


    「BEHIND!」


    「EH?  」


    Celia who was running at the back of the formation  reacted to Vanessa’s voice and  glanced behind . Then, Alfred who had noticed that something was coming at from a short distance away in front of him was startled .


    「《Wind Cutter》」


    Celia stretched her arm out as she chanted the aria . Countless small wind blades came out from the magic square that appeared in front of her palm .


    「《Photon Bullet》」


    Slightly slower than her was Christina who had also seen Alphonse and decided to add another attack .


    Though those two spells had low killing power, their invocation speed was fast and could be fired in rapid succession . He made his griffon fly higher in seeing the incoming attacks that were enough to endanger his life .


    Alfred  controlled his griffon and did  a barrel roll to dodge the incoming magic . After flying to a safe height, he jumped from his griffon and  landed on the ground .


    After their rider was gone, the griffons flew back towards Charles-tachi who were left behind .


    On the other hand, Vanessa fixed her stance and then slashed her sword at Alfred just as he  landed on the ground .


    「PLEASE RUN WHILE I STALL HIM!」


    Vanessa screamed as she attacked Alfred . Christina-tachi  reluctantly broke into a run .


    Alfred  calmly stopped Vanessa’s attacks with his  sword . And then stepping back lightly after their swords had  been locked together for a few seconds .


    This crumbled Vanessa’s balance .


    「Your stance is too rigid . 」


    Alfred  calmly thrust his sword aiming at the gap  born due to her crumbling balance .


    Vanessa calmly reacted to that strike as she retreated .


    But, her attire was caught by his sword . It was supposed to be a thick robe and yet Alfred’s sword easily tore it like a piece of paper .


    Alfred was startled as her face came into view .


    「You……………… What happened to your hair?　Did you dye it? Nay…………… Oh, whatever . I’ll have to kill you if you keep resisting, Vanessa . 」


    Though Alfred showed a worried look on his face, it was instantly replaced with an indifferent expression .


    Vanessa  gritting her teeth shouted――,


    「WHY, WHY ARE YOU HERE! ? Sword of the king! 」


    She slashed her sword while shouting at him .


    「………… Because this is a direct order of his majesty . 」


    Alfred  repliedas he parried her strike . s


    「THERE’S NO WAY IT’S HIS ORDER! NO, DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT IT’S HIS MAJESTY’S TRUE INTENTION! ? OLDER BROTHER! 」


    「I have no intention of chatting with you . 」


    After blatantly telling her that, Alfred flicked off Vanessa’s sword which had entwined with his .


    「KUH!」


    「This is the end . 」


    Alfred saying so thrust his sword  towards Vanessa’s neck . By then, Charles-tachi already caught up to him .


    「Well done, Alfred! Leave that rebel to this guy and chase after the princess . Refrain from killing the others . 」


    After ordering one of the knights who had come with him to bind Vanessa, Charles ordered Alfred to chase after Christina-tachi .


    Though Vanessa put up some resistant, she was eventually pinned down by several men .


    Alfred  heaved a sigh and  ran towards the national border to chase after Christina-tachi . His speed was twice that of Christina-tachi who had strengthened their physical ability with magic .


    Following after him was  Charles who took a few knights with him  while leaving behind one knight to watch over Vanessa .


    ◇　◇　◇


    「I-IT CAME! B-BEHIND US!」


    Kouta was the one who shouted . He was the first one to notice Alfred as he had looked back to confirm the situation in the middle of their sprint . Alfred was chasing after them with a breakneck speed .


    Celia confirmed that and,


    「《Lightning Rain》」


    She chanted the aria of a spell .


    A while later, a gigantic magic formation appeared high above Celia which then released numerous lightning bolts toward Alfred .


    The lightning  bolts exploded upon contact with the ground creating a huge cloud of dust .


    「Leave him to me . You guys keep going . 」


    Celia said so with a resolute face .


    「L-Let me to help you too!」


    Kouta hurriedly offered his help . But, Celia blatantly refused his offer .


    「You can’t you know . Since Vanessa-san’s primary duty wasn’t  fulfilled, you’ll only become a hindrance even if you stay with me . Please leave this place to me . 」


    「But! 」


    「It’s fine! 」


    Despite chatting with Kouta, Celia was continuously controlling her magical power and was sending wave after wave of lightning bolts from the magic formation in the sky without even taking a break .


    「Your highness, are you really okay with things turning this way! ?　What will happen to Vanessa-san if we leave her as it is? 」


    Kouta is asked  Christina with a sour face .


    Christina could only bite her lips . And then, her feet slowly moved . And brought herself to Celia’s side .


    Celia stared at Christina with a dumbfounded gaze .


    「Our opponent is Alfred . There’s no guarantee that we can escape from him . In that case, let’s fight him in this place and find another way to survive . 」


    Christina resolutely said so .


    「Your highness…… . . I Understand . 」


    After a moment of hesitation, Celia resolved herself .


    「In that case, let me in too . 」


    Kouta said so in high spirits .


    「…………… Well, let me in too then . Let’s do our best .   It’s not like I can leave Kouta alone . 」


    The only one left, Rei  heaved a sigh and then saying so joined them .


    Thus, all of them prepared themselves to fight against Alfred .


    「In that case, each one of you please take the left and right side . Me and sensei will attack him with magic from the front . 」


    Christina  issued her instructions to Kouta and Rei . Kouta-tachi  moved according to her instructions and took their posts .


    Because of the rapid firing of magic, their front view was completely blocked by a  dust cloud . But, maybe because his movement  had been hindered by Celia’s magic barrage, Alfred didn’t rush at them .


    But, such carelessness  was a taboo in the middle of  battle .


    Alfred’s figure that had vanished within the cloud of dust  revealed itself .


    「GUH」


    Rei who had been keeping  watch on their left side received a surprise attack . When he was about to warn the rest of the party, a punch into his guts made him faint in agony .


    Thereupon――、


    「UWAAAAAAAA!」


    Kouta who had found Alfred  pounceding at him while shouting in a loud voice .


    But, Alfred landed another punch to Kouta’s guts and make him faint .


    The two Japanese youth were dispatched in no time .


    「Aren’t they the friends of the hero who escaped from the royal castle? in that case――」


    Alfred  crouched to examine Kouta-tachi and then looked at Christina and Celia .


    Their bodies trembled .


    But, Celia  mustered her courage to stand before Christina as if to protect her .


    And then she chanted a spell .


    「E, 《Earth Prison》」


    Following Celia’s chant, a magic formation appeared on the ground .


    But, Alfred stabbed his sword to the ground and completely obliterated the magic formation .


    「It’s futile . This sword can absorb magical power . 」


    Alfred walked slowly towards  them while saying those words, reducing the distance between them .


    「《Blast Shoot》」


    Even so, Celia didn’t giving up, she chanted the aria for a wind bullet .


    But, Alfred easily brushed that away with the shield that was on his arm .


    「………… . . Who are you? You seem like a skilled magician but I can see that you’re lacking combat experience . I can’t feel any killing intent from your attacks at all . 」


    Though Alfred  asked that question, Celia had no intention  of answering him .


    At that moment, Charles who had brought several knights with him arrived at the scene .


    「Yup, we finally cornered them . 」


    Charles  chuckled when he saw the unconcious Kouta and Rei .


    「The magician over there . Remove your hood . You’ve forced me to crawl on the ground . I won’t let you go . 」


    Following that, Charles ordered Celia to remove her hood .


    But, Celia did not obediently remove her hood .


    Charles is clicked his tongue and then――,


    「Oi Alfred . 」


    He gave an order to Alfred by jerking his chin .   His sign might have been something along 「Remove her hood by force . 」 .


    Alfred  heaved a sigh and  went towards Celia with his sword tightly grasped in his hand . Celia and Christina retreated bit-by-bit .


    But, Alfred instantly closed in on them and swung his sword aiming to cut Celia’s hood .


    Celia unintentionally shut her eyes tightly .


    At that instant, a gust of wind  gently caressed her cheeks . Almost at the same time, she could hear a high pitched sound of metal clashing against metal――,


    「……」


    Celia slowly opened her eyes .


    There, she saw Rio’s figure standing before her .


    His unsheathed sword was locked against Alfred’s .


    「Sorry, I’m late . 」