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I“All right…!”

On the coast of Illuminas, where the flying battleship was expected to land, Inglis had arrived in advance, bracing herself.

“Hey, what are you doing?! It’s coming down! Get away…!”

Vilma, the Highland Knight clad in full black armor, who also directed the mecha dragons, called out to Inglis. She was clearly aware of the situation.

“Miss Vilma? Don’t worry, I’ll catch it…!”
“Don’t be foolish…! You’ll be crushed!”
“I threw it myself, so I can catch it. Leave it to me.”

Inglis responded with a broad smile.

“…it’s coming! Please step back, Miss Vilma!”
“No. No matter how strong you are, I can’t allow a child to handle this alone… Besides, I am responsible for protecting Illuminas…!”

Vilma showed no signs of retreating. Inglis decided not to waste more time on discussion as there was no time left.

“If you feel you’re in danger, please run…!”
“That won’t be necessary…!”

Together, Inglis and Vilma positioned themselves to catch the falling flying battleship.

“HAAAAHHHHHHH!!”
“UGH…?! It’s so heavy…! This isn’t something that can be caught…!”

The weight and momentum were so intense that both Inglis and Vilma were nearly dragged off their feet and pushed far back.

“Not yet!”
“…! Is she actually managing…?!”

Gradually, the momentum pushing Inglis and Vilma slowed.

“Just a little more…!”
“Whoa, what kind of child is this…?!”

The flying battleship, now with most of its momentum arrested, crash-landed with a dull thud. If unchecked, it might have crashed into the land and caused explosions in all directions.

“Phew… That was quite the workout…”

Inglis wiped the sweat from her brow with a satisfied smile, her demeanor relaxed.

The dragon ice armor she was wearing shattered. Given it had sustained so much of the Ether load with her Ether Armor in full operation, it had performed admirably.

“Well done… Thanks to you, Illuminas suffered almost no damage. In a crisis like this, it’s crucial to avoid any additional damage.”
“No, since I threw it, it was only right to catch it… Are you okay, Miss… uh…!”

Inglis paused mid-sentence. She noticed Vilma’s arm was bent unnaturally, and her right ankle’s heel pointed awkwardly forward.

“M-, Miss Vilma?!”

Despite the evident recklessness, Inglis hadn’t insisted Vilma withdraw. Perhaps she should have been more forceful.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

Vilma maintained her composure, dismissing the concern.

“Well, these limbs are now useless…”

When she touched her bent arm and leg, they detached from her body and dropped to the ground without any blood or gore—the detached sections were purely mechanical, reminiscent of the Flygear and Flygear Carrier components.

“…! A mechanical body…”

Much like Ian of Alucard, whom Lahti knew, Vilma’s mechanical enhancements appeared more sophisticated and up-to-date.

“Yes. Having a mechanical body is far more convenient for my duties as a Highland Knight. It protects me from Prism Flow.”
“I-, I see… Is this common among all knights of Illuminas?”
“Yes. It’s more efficient to command the mecha dragons and flying battleships with fewer people.”
“Efficiency, huh?”

Efficiency was well and good, but Inglis wondered about Vilma’s original body. Her thoughts drifted to Rahal and Faris of Lambert Firm, who transitioned from humans to Celestials and likely shared a similar status with Vilma as knights of the Highland.

However, Vilma seemed to command a flying battleship and was currently responsible for the security of the entire Illuminas, suggesting her status might be higher, perhaps closer to Archlord Abel.

They were similar in that they left Highland to perform their duties, not just as envoys. Abel appeared to have a High Mana Coat similar to First Professor Vilkin.

From Vilma’s explanations, it appeared all knights of Illuminas utilized mechanical bodies, perhaps indicative of the differences between the Three Archdukes’ Party and the Church Founder’s Union, showing that various factions adopted diverse cultures.

Especially, Illuminas under the rule of the Three Archdukes was starkly different from Rüstung, the domain of the Duke of War Jeldegrīva. It was hard to imagine his territory embracing anything similar to this mechanical integration.

Inglis was certain that Jeldegrīva would reject mechanical bodies, as they could not be trained or strengthened. Inglis herself shared this sentiment; she and Jeldegrīva were akin to kindred spirits in their warrior ethos.

Besides, it would be difficult if she couldn’t appreciate her glamorous body in the mirror and feel the soft touch of her skin.

The approaches to leadership and control among the highlanders under the rule of each archduke appeared vastly different. The differences among the surface nations seemed almost insignificant in comparison.

“Don’t look so concerned. This was originally my choice… Without this, I wouldn’t have survived the terminal illness. Many knights in Illuminas find themselves in similar predicaments.”
“I see…”

That makes sense then. It’s a necessary measure for survival—a way to save lives while also ensuring there are enough knights to protect Illuminas. Efficiency is paramount in every aspect of Illuminas.

“Now, we need to assess and repair this ship.”

Vilma then shifted her attention towards the damaged battleship.