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Arlman—

The city was in extreme tension and bustle, not even sleeping at night.

「Move your feet!! The enemy group will be here shortly! Get into position!!!」
「All entrances to the underground tunnels are open! Be ready to evacuate at any time!!」

The city of Arlman was originally the place where Prisma was enshrined in its icy prison; it was built and maintained with the resurrection of Prisma in mind. One example was the city’s underground tunnels, which, in preparation for this battle, were further expanded. Food and other supplies had also been brought in, turning it into pretty much an underground fortress.

The use of flygears and flygear carriers had begun to become much more widespread in Charalia’s military forces ever since Myynti, the previous Special Envoy, was in place and even more so in the time of the current Special Envoy, Theodore. And yet, that didn’t mean every single Knight had their own flygear. The preparation was meant to allow the ground-locked Knights to fight while hiding from widespread attacks.

Knights rushed out of the underground tunnels and headed for their positions to intercept the Prisma. And Yua watched them in a haze in the dreadful atmosphere. Sitting on the edge of the roof of the tallest building, she left her legs dangling. Apparently, this was the building where the Prisma used to be.

While others might tell her that a place like this couldn’t possibly be relaxing, Yua liked this place. It was, oddly enough, calming for her. Whenever she had the time, she would skip work to be here, just like she was right now.

「Ooi! Yua!」

She could hear someone calling her name. That voice came from a flygear that was approaching.

「Beansprout— what is it?」

It was Maurice, her classmate from the Knight Academy. He was one of the few friends Yua had.

「Don’t “what?” me! Can’t you see the fuss?! Prisma is coming!」

The other one, Silva, who had arrived on a different flygear, scolded her. Apparently, all the other students of the Academy had assembled, but when he couldn’t spot Yua in the ranks, he asked Maurice where she was, and thus came to pick her up.

「Mr. Foureyes… Forgive me. This place is too relaxing.」
「……you’re something else, really. Even with the whole thing happening, you don’t even flinch and act as if business is usual!」
「—I got praised. Thanks.」
「I didn’t praise you! That was sarcasm!」

Deep down, however, Silva was half-praising her. While everyone was ready to face Prisma with their hearts riddled with fear, Yua alone was calm and composed, acting like her usual self. That was admirable.

「Good grief. Looking at you makes it feel like things are going to work out just fine. You don’t look scared at all.」

Maurice sighed.

「No need to be scared. It’s not scary—see? That’s the feeling I get…」
「…either way, assemble! Go to the principal right now! Get on Maurice’s flygear!」
「Aye.」

Yua lightly hopped onto Maurice’s flygear.

「Alright, let’s go!」

With Silva taking the lead, the two flygears took a course along the east side of the city’s defense wall. As they wind their way over the city…

「Hm?! There they are, the swarm of magic stone beasts!」

Just as Silva had said, a group of flying bird-shaped magic stone beasts had begun to appear in the eastern sky. Silva raised his voice, quickly informing the ground-locked Knights of this.

「Everyone! Enemy presence from the east! A large number of flying bird magic stone beasts! But, some of them are holding something in their legs…! Those are— h-, humanoid…! Humanoid magic stone beasts!」
「H-, humanoid magic stone beasts?!」
「What the hell?!」
「That exists?!」

Silva’s call caused a stir among the Knights on the ground. Doing so perhaps had been a mistake— but, he couldn’t possibly tell otherwise. Silva personally had seen beastfolk magic stone beasts before. Still, those humanoid magic stone beasts felt somewhat different.

Besides, beastfolk magic stone beasts had all been annihilated, they would never appear again.

If so, then what are they? Prisma’s very own existence produced a similar effect to Prism Flow, in which they turn the surrounding creatures into magic stone beasts. He had heard that Highlanders had a weak resistance to Prism Flow and thus could be affected by it, so could it be that those were transformed Highlanders? But then, there were too many of them!

It was highly doubtful that there would be so many Highlanders who’d get close enough to a Prisma to be affected by it. In fact, the Highlanders were all on the Highland to steer away from Prism Flow and Prisma.

「S-, senior! What are they?!」
「I don’t know! For now, get to the principal!」

Silva and the two 2nd year students hurried to the Knight Academy’s flygear carrier above the eastern defense wall. There, they found Principal Miliera commanding the students.

「Principal!」
「Ah, Mr. Silva! I see you have Miss Yua with you. Thank you for bringing her!」
「There’s a more pressing matter! What are those humanoid-looking magic stone beasts?! I don’t think there would be that many Highlanders in the area, and beastfolk magic stone beasts should’ve been all annihilated too!」
「I have no clue, but right now we don’t have the time to ponder it! Magic stone beasts are magic stone beasts! Don’t hesitate to defeat them!」

With a stern look on her face, Miliera made a snap decision.

「B-, but, principal—」

Right when Silva said so, he could feel something similar to a morning mist rapidly filling the air around him. It had a faintly shimmering, rainbow-colored shine to it.

「Wh-, what is this?!」
「This is, the same thing that Prism Flow makes?!」

Voices rose from the Knights in the ground troops.

「Be careful! There might be some small animals around you that turn—」

Right then…

「UGGGHAAAAA?!」

One knight fell down, screaming. And as he did, his body began to transform. His body was swelling larger and larger, his skin growing an outer skin like a mineral, and gem-like gleams covered his body all over…

「H-, he turned……?!」
「That’s impossible! Humans can’t possibly turn into magic stone beasts!!」

Silva’s fears were not unfounded. It was happening right in front of him. It wasn’t a mistake in his vision. It wasn’t an illusion. It was reality. And, that Knight wasn’t the only one who was screaming!

「Ugh…?! HOOOOTTTT! The Prism Powder, what’s happening?!」

Maurice, who was piloting the flygear, began to tremble and suffer. His chest was violently shining in prismatic colors as if something that he was hiding behind his clothes was reacting.

「Maurice! I don’t know what it is, but you should throw that away! It’s dangerous!」

Silva’s warning, however, didn’t come in time, as the flygear lost control and fell from the sky.

「……?!」

Yua jumped off the hull and landed on the ground, unharmed. Maurice, however, crashed along with the flygear, and… Just like the Knight, his body was transforming right in front of Silva’s eyes.

「Beansprout……?」

SHRIEEEEEEK!!!

Maurice responded to Yua with a wordless, bestial shriek…