ãThis is actually pretty good. Snows are aplenty all around, so we can eat as much as we want!ã
ãYeah. But itâll be nothing more than water once it melts, so it doesnât really have any substanceâ¦â¦ã
ãUugh?!ã
Rafinha stopped her hands.
ã? Whatâs wrong?ã
ãI-, I think Iâm getting a little sick in the stomachâ¦ã
ãYou ate too much of it too fast. You made your tummy too coldâ¦â¦hngh?!ã
ãSheesh, now you too, Inglis?ã
Leone came asking.
ãNo, thatâs not it for me. Something is coming!ã
Inglis was the first to detect the presence.
ãThere!ã
On the sky where she pointed, there were silhouettes of what appeared to be a number of Flygears. They were, without doubt, heading to this town.
ãWhat is that?!ã
ãIs it maybe the Highlanders that the Inn Owner told us about?ã
ãMaybe weâre standing out too much with the soup kitchen! Sorry, everyone!ã
As though her stomach pain had gone, Rafinha bit on her lips.
ãYou donât bear all the blame, Rafinha. We all agreed to it.ã
ãIndeed. Mayhaps they just happened to pass by! Before that, however, what shall we do now?ã
ãI donât fully agree with it, but⦠Iâd love a fight if they bring it to us.ã
If the grief of having to eat sugar-sprinkled snow would be exchanged with the experience of fighting Highlanders, then, well, it wouldnât be so bad. If they came with food, Inglis could ransack it to make up for the loss of food from the distribution. Or rather, it would be a much more favorable outcome.
According to Inglisâ assessment, the Alucardian armyâs true intention, as they were stationed at the border, was to wait and see, whilst the Hyrule Menace and the Highlanders, who were ravaging town after town, were carrying out lawless treatment in order to hasten the formerâs invasion.
Even if they fought and defeated the Highlanders here, it wouldnât provoke the army to act faster. If anything, it would reduce the pressure on their back regarding their own people being held hostage, and thus they would be more inclined to maintain the status quo.
In other words, it shouldnât be a problem to have fun here.
ãFufufu, itâs been a while, having an actual fight! Fufufufuâ¦â¦ã
Inglis smiled beautifully as her fist repeatedly slammed into her palm.
ãY-, you canât attack them without saying anything first, okay Glis? If we can discuss this with them, we should. Theyâre not Magic Stone Beasts, they can be reasoned with!ã
ãThatâs obvious. I wonât defeat them instantly, you know? If I donât let them give their all, I wonât get the experience of the real battle, after all!ã
ãNo, no, now all itâs just the fight that you have in your mind!ã
ãAnything outside the fighting is up to you, okay Rani? I believe in you, okay?ã
ãYou only say that because itâs convenient for you!ã
As they were bantering like such, the residents also began to notice the incoming Flygears and started to panic.
ãHighlanders! Highlanders are coming!ã
ãU-, UWAaaaaaahhh?!!ã
ãM-, Mommy Iâm scared! Mommy!!!ã
Then, Rafinhaâs loud and clear voice rang out.
ãItâs okay, everyone! Calm down! Weâll take care of this, so donât panic and get into your houses!ã
ãB-, but still! If we leave it to you, you kids will be in danger! You should run away, fast!ã
The owner of the inn was worried about Rafinha.
ãItâs all right! Look!ã
Saying so, Rafinha took off the gloves she had been wearing and revealed the shining white bow Rune on the back of her palm. She then took out her favorite bow, Flowing Radiance, from her luggage to show it around.
ãAuntie. Everyone! Listen to me! We are Knights of Charalia! We come all the way here to stop the upcoming war between Charalia and Alucard and to save everyone! So please calm down and leave it to us!ã
She revealed their identity so easily. Quite the bold thing to do. Rather, perhaps it was more apt to say that she was willing to go that far to reassure everyone. It was unclear which one was her intention, butâ¦
ãCome on, Leone, Liselotte, Pullum!ã
ãOf-, of course!ã
ãUnderstood!ã
ãYes!ã
The people of the town cheered as the girls revealed their High-Grade Runes and their respective Artifacts.
ãO-, ooh!ã
ãWow!ã
ãKnights of Charalia areâ¦ã
ãThey are going to save us!ã
In fact, their show had quite an effect as the residents began to regain their composure. Rafinhaâs actions might have detrimental effects later on, but⦠that would be for later. Inglis could just make everyone go along with her story later, one way or another.
In the life of Inglis Eux, she had no intention to take the initiative to work for the betterment of the people, but neither would she hinder Rafinha who did. Seeing her giving her best effort, thinking and working hard to help the people in front of her was simply adorable and amusing to watch.
ãIf you understand, go hide!!ã
Following Rafinhaâs words, the townspeople went into hiding. Inglis and her platoon remained in the town square to wait for the Flygears to arrive. Eventually, they saw a young Highlander, evident with the stigma on his head, riding on the leading Flygear
ãI knew it, a Highlander!ã
ãYeah. Thatâs goodâ¦ã
ãThatâs NOT good!ã
But then, Pullum who stood next to them let out a loud shriek.
ãAAAaaaaaaaaahhhh?!!!ã
ã?! Wh-, whatâs wrong, Pullum?ã
ãWhatâs the matter? You suddenlyâ¦ã
ãIt-, itâs my big brotherâ¦â¦ã
Her voice trembled as her face paled.