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And then, a few more days passed…

「Aah~. It’s gotten so late.」
「It is.」

By the time Inglis and Rafinha left the Royal Grand Theatre together, the sky was already painted in dusk. Today was the last day of rehearsals, the play was tomorrow.

The reason why Inglis and Rafinha were the only ones leaving the last was because they had been relishing their bribes, which were even more generous today than ever, until the last bite.

「Aah, so full~. Happy, happy! Let’s get back, take a bath, then hit the sack! Tomorrow’s the big day.」
「Yeah, it is.」
「I can’t wait to see it, Glis’ kissing scene!」
「Ufufufu……」
「Wh-, what with that fishy laugh……?!」
「It’s nothing. Let’s go home, shall we?」

They boarded the Star Princess unit that had been withdrawn from the play ever since the day its attack mechanism went out of control.

Although, in the end, the Flygear that Inglis would ride on stage had also been painted by Rafinha and Pullum, so it was still embarrassing all the same.

They started up their Flygear and were flying back to the Knight Academy when…

「Ah! It’s that girl! Umm…」

Rafinha yelped, pointing at a street corner. When Inglis glanced there, she saw an adorable little girl no older than ten years old with shoulder-length blonde hair.

「Alina.」

It was the girl from the city who had complimented the Star Princess unit for being cute. Rafinha had promised to give her a ride on the Star Princess unit the next time they met. In case she forgot her face, Inglis had made sure to memorize Alina’s features and name.

「Ah, right! Alina!」
「……You forgot, didn’t you?」
「If you remember it, Glis, then I remember it too!」
「Well… covering you is my duty as your Squire, so I’m not complaining.」
「Glis, bring us to where she is!」
「Yeah, will do.」

As they descended near where the little girl was, Rafinha put on her smile.

「Yahoo, Alina!」
「Ah. The Knight missus from before!」
「Fufu. You remember us from back then, don’t you? I am Rafinha, and this one is Inglis.」
「Good afternoon. Ah, it’s already time to say good evening, isn’t it?」

It was the time of twilight.

「Hey, hey. Alina. We’re thinking of fulfilling our promise with you now……Wanna hop in into our Flygear? It’s okay right, Glis?」
「Yeah, it’s all right.」

It was admirable that Rafinha was actively trying to fulfill her promises. Inglis also thought that it would be good to fulfill it now. As she didn’t know when they would be able to see her next time.

「Ah……eermm…」

A moment of hesitation flashed across Alina’s face, but…

「Hm? What’s the wrong?」
「N-, nothing……Please have me!」
「OK! Then hop along!」
「Yeah!」

The Star Princess unit, with Alina on board, rose to the sky once again.

「Uwaah……! It really flies! Amazing!」

Alina’s eyes were wide open, glimmering. It was just like seeing Rafinha when she was a child, making Inglis smile from nostalgia.

「Fufufu. Do you like it?」

Like Inglis, Rafinha also watched Alina with a smile on her face. Rafinha was now old enough to make such a face when seeing a child. She was a big sister now. Time sure flew. Inglis, who had been watching Rafinha since she was a child, was deeply moved by this.

「Yeah! It feels really, really good!」
「We can fly even more powerfully and makes it feel even better than good! Glis, give her a round-a-round!」
「Yeah!」

Inglis elevated the bow of the Flygear abruptly, making the hull raise at a very steep angle.

「Hwawawa?!」
「Here, hold on tight! Glis, do it!」
「Here we go!」

Whooosh!

Their visions spun in a circle. Inglis could feel her hair being pulled down for a moment before it returned normal.

「Ahahahaha! Awesome—!」
「You okay? Was it scary?」
「I’m okay! I have my eyes open!」
「Oh? Someone’s good.」
「Perhaps she has the talent for it.」
「Really? I also want to become Knights like you two!」
「Well, we’re not really Knights either, we’re just students of the Knight Academy, you see? Just candidates, not a full-fledge Knight.」
「Hm—? But both of you are so cool!」
「Thank you! You’re such a good girl~𝅘𝅥𝅮」

Rafinha seemed to completely take a liking to Alina, as she hugged her tightly.

「There are still some more nice ways to fly, you know~? Glis, bring us to Vault lake.」
「Okay, got that.」
「Full throttle!」
「Then, we’re trying the new feature?」
「Aah, something you and Lahti tampered with together, right?」
「Yeah. It’s completed. The accelerator.」

This Flygear had an attack mechanism that amplified offensive magic taken from Highlanders and shot it. It was different from Artifacts that automatically transformed streams of mana into magical phenomenons, but rather it was a mechanism that amplified and shot out already completed sorceries.

Inglis, in cooperation with Lahti, had modified the transmission channel of this mechanism so it could be directly connected to the engine room instead of the bow muzzle.

The Flygear’s engine had a mechanism that converted mana into kinetic energy, so by connecting the transmission channel there, in addition to the already existing kinetic energy the engine was supplemented from the fuel tank, the mana of the operator would also be added into there, resulting in a significant increase in speed. In short, it was an accelerator.

The technological advances of the Highland were overwhelmingly superior to that of the countries of the Midland; it was quite amusing indeed. If Inglis had ever been given the chance, she would like to learn more about their technology.

And then, she would also like to create a weapon of mass destruction rivaling her own strength, so that she could continue honing her skill by fighting against it. By doing so, she wouldn’t have to live the tragedy of having so few strong opponents worth battling. That’d be a win-win situation for her.

That being said, Rafinha’s eyes were already gleaming just by the word ‘Accelerator.’

「Oooh~ Well, give her a go then!」
「Okay! Starting up!」

Inglis reached for a newly installed lever.
It had three options; the conventional firing mode, the acceleration mode that directly connected the transmission channel to the engine room, and the safe lock mode that disabled both.

She and Lahti had made it possible to switch between the three types of modes.

Kerchak!

From Safe Mode to Accel Mode!

VWRRRRMMMMMMM!!!

The engine revved even higher and more powerful than before.

「And we go!」

VWOOOOOOMMMM!!!

The gust they felt was even stronger than usual.

「Uwah?! This is so amaazziiinnngg!」
「Wow wow wow woooww! So faaaassstt!!」
「Yeah. I’m glad that you fancy it——I guess?」

Thus they arrived at the shores of Lake Vault where a Flygear Dock owned by the Knight Academy was located. It was a place often used for their training.