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「Yes! What good timing to show up! Lady Eris, Lady Ripple, let us talk with their commander! It is only right to work together and curb all these magic stone beasts!」¹　
「We should! Let’s go!」
「Okay! Let’s go there!」

Ripple pointed the bow of their flygear to the east, where the Venefian army appeared. And, when their group of three headed there, the Venefian army readied their long-range artifacts, and volleyed both fire and ice arrows.²　

Their target was not the cloud of magic stone beasts, but rather the main troops of the Holy Knight Order who were busy dealing with the monsters. The troops were caught by surprise, and a number of their flygears were damaged, with the wreckage falling to the ground.³　

「「「WHA……?!」」」

Raphael, Eris, and Ripple couldn’t believe their eyes at the sight. The Charalian forces rushed to intercept the enemy coming towards the Venefique, and yet the Venefian forces ignored the magic stone beasts altogether and attacked them instead… unbelievable.

Nevertheless, they had to believe it. The formation of the Holy Knight Order was disrupted, failing to intercept the magic stone beasts who took advantage of their disruption to close in on them.

Upon the disruption, the Holy Knight Order fell behind to respond, thus some of their flygears were sunk by the magic stone beasts. Having succeeded in their preemptive strike, the Venefian forces promptly zoomed in to face the Holy Knight Order.

「They ignored the magic stone beasts and went to fight our troops?!」
「Wh-, what the hell are they thinking! This is no time for some stupid conflict!」⁴　

Rage and utter shock were evident on Eris’ and Ripple’s faces. However, it was Raphael who was enraged to the point his whole body shook.

「Unforgivable! They dared to shoot people from the back when we’re protecting them!」

Raphael unsheathed the Dragon Fang once again and unleashed its power. The dragon’s roar thundered, and with it, the crimson armor and wings covered Raphael’s body.

「STTOOOOPP!!」
「Ack!! Raphael!」
「Hang on! Don’t go alone!!」

With Ripple’ and Eris’ voices behind him, Raphael took to the skies towards the Venefian forces. He closed the distance instantly, right when the Venefian forces were just a stone’s toss away from the Holy Knight Order.

「GO!! Shoot down both the magic stone beasts and those fools! They are both enemies to our country!」
「「「OOOoohhh!!!」」」

Their troops shouted. But then, the magic stone beasts that were flying right under their noses suddenly exploded.

A roar thundered through the sky, drowning out their shouts.

「Wh-, what……?!」
「What happened, an attack?!」
「Wh- what an explosion!」

What came out after the blast was… the frigid voice of Raphael.

「I warn you! Should you attack our forces further, you will be next!」

When Raphael declared his ultimatum in rage, the Venefian forces began to shudder.

「O-, Ooh…?!」
「Is that—?!」
「That’s a Charalian Knight!」

「Is this the conduct of a Knight in the face of a Magic Stone Beast?! Go and cull those magic stone beasts! They are our common enemy!」 Raphael’s words, however, were argued back.

「I appreciate your point of view… but, with all due respect, a Knight’s enemy isn’t the magic stone beasts alone! Intercepting incoming invaders is just as much of an important role, don’t you think? What do you think, huh? Charalia’s strongest Knight, Raphael Wilford?」

It came from a flygear carrier well behind the enemy lines.

「……You! Rochefort the Red Lion!」

If Charalia’s strongest Knight referred to Raphael, then the title of Venefique’s strongest Knight belonged to General Rochefort. He was a striking young man with long, flaming red hair. He wasn’t much older than Raphael, and Raphael had fought him once in an external match during his tuition in the Knight Academy.

They were on completely even ground. They even had Special Grade Runes both. Although they hadn’t met face to face again ever since, Raphael had a feeling of camaraderie with him that transcended national boundaries.

The relationship between Charalia and Venefique had been bad for long, but Raphael had a hope that perhaps he, of all people, could understand him… and that hope was shattered.

「Incoming invaders? You mean you…?!」

It was the Venefiques who pushed into this border region first. There was no doubt about it.

「You still don’t get it? You’ve already entered our territory. The army of another country enters without permission, that means it’s an invasion!! That is a threat no different than that of the magic stone beasts! What’s wrong with us intercepting it?」
「No way! Borders and nationalities are irrelevant in the face of magic stone beasts! All human beings should join hands and cooperate! That’s all we’re trying to do! If not, the magic stone beasts will eventually destroy all human beings on Midland!」

「To begin with! Tell me, what was the cause of the appearance of those magic stone beasts in this land? It’s because you brought the corpse of the Prisma here, is it not?! You want to throw us into confusion with those magic stone beasts, and in the guise of cooperation, you’ll invade our country by force!! That’s your plan, huh?!!」
「Never! General Rochefort, a man like you should understand what we are fighting for! Do we look like we even want to invade your country?! If you really think so after you see how we fought, then your vision is clouded! Have you been too deep in the mud of politics in your own country you lost your shine as a warrior?!」

「HAAHAHAHAHAHA!」

At Raphael’s bold words, Rochefort laughed obnoxiously.

1. Silva: Ouch ouch ouch, they are so naive it’s hurting me inside.
2. Silva: See? What did I say? What did I say?!
3. Silva: Justice is served. No really, this is the price they have to pay for their naivety.
4. No, they are actually clever, this is how war strategy works. How old are Eris and Ripple again? I thought they are over hundred years old by now, how are they still so ignorant? Guess their mind is only ever occupied by magic stone beasts and nothing else.