Chapter 242, Chaos, Exhaust, Excite

A squad marched on, perfectly coordinated.

Their footsteps sounded as one, and their arms swung in sync.

Although they had countless scars on their foreheads and cheeks, their faces showed no fear.
Although fatigue was building up inside, their will was unshaken.

In the lead of them was a certain pair, calm and collected.

They held the exact same staves, and their eyes were looking straight ahead.

“…We should be almost there, right? The place Sir Gaston was talking about?”

“Yes. I was told that multiple Diaminotaurouses were detected here…”

A year had passed since these two had joined the brigade – Hornel, whose body and mind had greatly matured through rigorous training. And Lina, who had grown to be even more beautiful since then.

The pair keep a lookout for anomalies in the area, relying on the information they had received.

Fellow members of the Royal Capital Magic Guardians were behind them, the elites also keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

Then a line of silver light quietly passed by them. Hornel first reacted, followed a half-second by Lina, both pointing their staves at it.

A calm voice replied to the pair, quelling their momentary hostility,

“Hello, both of you.”

“Oh, Fuyu. Hi.”

Fuyu, who had also shed her childish features for a much more mature look over the past year, appeared on a silver-coated horse.

She raised an eyebrow at Hornel’s tone.

“You do remember that I’m this operation’s assistant captain, yes?”

And then she struck Hornel with a cold, steely glare.

“Hi, This Operation’s Assistant Captain. I’m Hornel Ada- gah!?”

Hornel sarcastically did a formal bow… and was promptly smacked on his head by Lina with her Blazing Dragon Staff.

“And you do remember that you’re in front of your whole squad, yes, Captain Hornel? Watch the morale of your troops, or else…”

“Gah, I know, I know. How about you loosen up a bit, Vice-Captain?”

“Yes, I’ll admit that even Sir Gaston doesn’t like it when I’m too serious. BUT this work ethic of mine is exactly what it took for me to be Vice-Captain.”

“Yeah, right, says someone more powerful than me. Not by much, but still…”

During the recent personnel shift in the Magic University, Lina had gone from Student Council President to her current Vice-Captain position, and for Hornel, from Student Council Vice President to Captain.

Both of them had improved to the point that they could be entrusted with one of the Royal Capital Magic Guardians’ special elite squads.

And Gaston, having fully adopted a merit system for the organization’s ranks, had decided that it would be better to have Lina support Hornel.

“Anyway, I assume that we need to act quickly? Seeing that you brought Platina out and all…”

“No, we will be holding this position for the time being. I simply arrived too soon.”

Hornel stroked the neck of the silver horse that Fuyu had ridden on.

Platina stared back with its pale blue eyes, seeming to like how Hornel was taking care of it.

“Because this Star Horse is way too fast, huh… How did Sir Gaston get his hands on such a rare creature, anyway?”

“I’ve heard that he rushed to buy it the moment it was up for auction at the market – like, rushed to it at the speed of sound. Is that right, Assistant Captain?”

“…Well, yes, and the ‘at the speed of sound’ part was no exaggeration, either. He quickly declared his price of ten million Gold, and then prevented everyone else from bidding any higher by intimidating them with his aura. Still, giving Platina to me… isn’t that far more than I deserve?”

Hornel and Lina, both with bitter smiles, looked at Fuyu.

“I wouldn’t say that that’s more than you deserve… but overprotective on his part, perhaps…”

“That’s what I think, too.”

“Hmm… All I can say is that Platina here has been nothing but kind and most helpful to me so far…”

Fuyu turned to Platina, her face a complicated mix of emotions.

Hornel, as if to help Fuyu break the awkwardness, stroked Platina’s neck again.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve read up quite a bit on Familiars – apparently, they come in all sorts of personalities, so this shouldn’t be so surprising.”

“…Is that so? Either way, I wish I could have talked with Platina too, like Sir Asley with Pochi.”

“So it still has the mind of a beast, even after becoming a Familiar? I’ve never heard of this being the case before.”

Lina was impressed by Hornel’s input on this matter, but Hornel himself seemed more interested in Fuyu’s case than initially anticipated.

“Speaking of which, when is that guy coming back, anyway? It’s almost been two whole years… and no one knows where he is or what he’s doing!”

Seeing Hornel show some annoyance, Lina and Fuyu looked at each other and chuckled.

“W-what?”

“That’s just how Sir Asley and Pochi are. I do want to see them again, of course, but I don’t think I should right now. I’m still not on Lina’s level, after all.”

“You heard her, Captain. Besides, they’ll be back when we actually need them, I’m sure.”

“…How can you be so sure?”

“I just know. They’ll definitely be back.”

Lina affirmed, her tone resolute.

This time, Hornel and Fuyu looked at each other and laughed.

The banter did not last long, however – when suddenly, all the merry expressions faded from the trio’s faces.

“House!”

“Rise, House!”

Hornel called Maïga out of his Spell Circle, and Lina let Baladd out of hers.

“What the hell, it’s work time already? And I was aboutta catch some z’s… Hey, make sure you don’t get in my way, you oversized lizard.”

“Hmph! I’ll end this before you even get your paws to it!”

Both of them immediately snorted and threw insults at the other.

Still, both Masters paid no mind to such behavior, perhaps because of the long-established relationship between the dragon and the tiger… or perhaps the clouds of dust in front of them.

The other Magic Guardians also drew their House Spell Circles and called out their Familiars.

“Prepare for battle!”

Hornel’s voice echoed far and wide.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Meanwhile, Gaston was in his office.

All around him were mountains of paperwork… and something was creeping about under them.

“…Oops.”

What emerged from the sea of papers was Gaston’s Familiar, Konoha.

“Master, this obviously isn’t normal, is it?”

“I know. Viola knows. Everyone knows. Now shut up and get them sorted.”

Gaston scanned over the documents sheet by sheet.

All of them were monster hunting quests – ones of difficulties too high for the Adventurers’ Guild people.

They were sorting the documents by threat level, and dealing with them in order from highest to lowest.

“I’ve heard that Sir Charlie is stuck with a similar task… Is that true, Master?”

“Of course – the Warrior Guardians’ jobs are the same as ours, after all. Still, most of these monsters are… ones that mages have a hard time dealing with. It’s the case with the Diaminotaurouses that Hornel’s squad went on to hunt, too – they should’ve been sent in a joint squad with the warriors, but you know, higher-ups are higher-ups…”

“…And despite that, you don’t seem too worried about them, Master.”

“Shut up. I’m not about to go soft on them.”

Konoha stared at Gaston’s with its narrow eyes.

“Well, well, look who’s confident… BUT keep that up, and I – well, the whole brigade, really – will collapse somewhere along the way, yes? Can’t we do anything about Ishtar? …At all?”

“…Watch your mouth. Lady Ishtar is simply using her authority to try and protect the people. Nothing suspicious is going on. Nothing at all.”

Konoha’s eyes narrowed even further.

“How long do you think we’ve been together, Master? I know you’re trying to hide it, but all your thoughts are practically written on your face. Let’s see here… right now, you’re thinking about Irene, aren’t you?”

“……Ugh, I thought you could help me with work, but all you do is poke your nose where it doesn’t belong… Do you even know who you’re talking about? Remember how she went against the Nation and joined the rebels? I’m the Commander of the Magic Guardians – it would be strange for me to NOT think about her.”

“Oh? Very admirable, Master, very admirable.”

“Hmph, look, no more paperwork for you. Just pour me some tea…”

Gaston dismissed his Familiar for the time being, giving up on trying to keep it in control.

“Your wish is my command, Master.”

Konoha bowed slightly and went to the door, where it picked up the teapot placed nearby and carried it back.

Gaston paused his thoughts of work, spending a moment to stare blankly upwards.

[That old hag… what’d she mean, she’ll be ‘watching the Nation from the outside,’ and I should ‘stay on the inside’? She didn’t have any idea what was going on either – at least until she heard from Warren! And then there’s the part where Tangalán replaced Irene’s spot in the Duodecad… Damn it. That guy is THE definition of saving his own ass. Good for Ishtar, I guess – she’s going to have an easy time manipulating him. All in all, Konoha does have a point. If we don’t do something, Ishtar is going to destroy us. What to do, what to do… gah, I could use a few of the young man’s ideas right about now…]

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“Oh come on! Going out for a little walk should be fine, right!?”

“No can do, Miss Irene. I don’t think you understand how major of a position you are in right now… Warren, please say something to her.”

“Hahahaha… I have nothing to say at all, Miss Trace.”

Warren gave Trace a dry chuckle and slammed shut the book he had been reading.

“So, Miss Irene, I assume that you’re not so used to living here?”

Warren raised his middle finger to readjust his glasses, then glanced at Irene.

“It’s not about getting used to it – I just don’t understand what’s going on anymore! Why do I have to be the Resistance’s leader!? Warren should be the one doing all this hard work!”

Irene slammed her small hands on the sturdy desk.

It went without saying, however, that Irene’s height was not enough to make her look intimidating.

“…Just look at this desk! It’s way too big!”

“Then I’ll place an order for a smaller desk later, Miss Irene.”

Traced pushed up her glasses with her middle finger.

“N-no, this one’s fine! And that’s not within our budget anyway!”

“I’ll tell Dallas to haul it over on his way back.”

Warren pushed up his glasses with his middle finger.

“I said no!”

“I suppose it’s about time to get a chair short enough for your feet to reach the floor, too.”

Traced pushed up her glasses with her middle finger.

“Gah- Listen up! Do you two seriously think you can stop Ishtar with that kind of attitude!?”

“Yes, we do.”

Trace…

“Everything is proceeding smoothly.”

And Warren…

“”There’s no need to worry.””

…Pushed up their glasses with their middle fingers.

“…You might want to get your glasses frames fixed. I don’t think they’re fitting properly.”

Irene looked at the two, exasperated.

“A top-class wearer of spectacles…”

“…Can lower the frames they wear whenever necessary.”

Trace and Warren replied to Irene in finishing one another’s sentence.

“I shouldn’t have agreed to take on this role…”

Irene lamented, heaving a deep sigh and pressed her forehead.

Suddenly, the door to the Resistance hideout’s command room opened with a loud bang.

“Jennifer, I’ve already told you that you’re supposed to open doors quietly, haven’t I?”

Irene said, while keeping her posture steady.

Jennifer the Bone Fist, formerly one of the Six Braves, chuckled and sat down in a nearby chair.

“C’mon, don’t be so uptight, li’l Irene. It’d be good if we were a bit more laid-back, yeah?”

“Ugh, you’re the only one around here who speaks to me so casually… Well? Did you manage to confirm the statuses of the current Duodecad members?”

Irene, finally turning around, sat cross-legged on a chair where her feet could not reach the floor.

“Of course!”

“All right, Jenny, let’s hear your report.”

“Yeah, yeah. Lesse here… ever since li’l Irene left, Tangalán replaced her spot in the Duodecad Conference – and he still works as the Magic Univerity’s Headmaster. The old man doesn’t let it show, but he’s working himself half to death trying to fix the ranks back up. Then there’s former Headmaster Charlie who got transferred to the Warrior Guardians, and Dragan is busting his ass running the Warrior University as the new guy in charge. Stoffel is… as unreachable as ever. Same thing for Catherine, I guess? She’s been sneaking around, running some shady errands for Billy.”

Jennifer’s explanation made Irene’s expression turn gloomy.

Billy at the present was no longer the friend she had once known. His eyes had changed, so much so that his expression was malicious.

Regardless, Jennifer proceeded with her report,

“Jacob and Natasha are working like the pawns they are, I guess. Seniority culture, am I right, guys? Hahahahaha…”

“Ahem…”

Warren coughed to interrupt the conversation before it went off on a tangent.

“Who else is left… Russel and Amil? Those two are leaning toward us, so they could join up with li’l Charlie and li’l Gaston – but Ishtar’s gonna hit them hard. They’ve managed to keep things together so far, but it’s only a matter of time…”

Jennifer blew air from her mouth up, swaying her bangs.

Trace, seeing Irene stay silent, titled her head and asked,

“Was that everything we needed, Miss Irene?”

“There’s one member left – a particularly troublesome one, too…”

Irene said to Jennifer while leaving her seat, then crossed her arms and walked over to the latter. Jennifer thought back to all the people she had described while counting on her fingers.

“Hmm… aha! Li’l Gaston, yeah?”

“Who cares about spying on him!? We’re in regular contact, for God’s sake!”

Irene stepped in closer to Jennifer.

Warren, tired of the stagnation by this point, decided to offer some help,

“Jenny, I believe you are forgetting the one who replaced Barun the Scale Tipper after his resignation – the one who got in with Sir Charlie and Sir Dragan’s recommendations.”

Jennifer spent a moment racking her brain over it… then her eyes sparkled as she recalled who the person in question was.

“Ah, my boy Egd! Yeah, he exists, I guess!”

“Jenny… I know he has personality issues, but he does have the potential to cause trouble to either side. I’d prefer that you concentrated on all parts of your mission.”

“Well, aside from helping out at li’l Charlie’s Warrior Guardians place, he spends his time trying to climb over the Magic Guardians’ HQ walls… I guess?”

Jennifer explained with quite a troubled look on her face, after which Warren’s eyes sparkled slightly.

“That is… odd. Shall we investigate this further, Miss Irene?”

Warren turned around to see Irene and Trace hold their foreheads as if they were having a headache.

He tilted his head, seeing this as an unusual reaction.

“I’m not sure if it’s just his single-mindedness or something else, but… It is scary how far he’s willing to go…”

Trace eventually managed to force out her input on the matter.

“THAT DAMN PERVERT!!”

Warren looked at Irene showing her not-so-subtle anger, while being whispered something from Jennifer.

“Oh… I see. Goes to show how members of the Duodecad are still human, I suppose. Lina, oh Lina, to have someone so eccentric crush on her…”

Finally getting the whole situation, Warren sat back in his chair to rest his worn-out shoulders.

“Ugh… all right, that should be everything for now. Continue working with Dallas to keep a close watch on everyone. If you want more people, talk to Warren.”

“Aye-aye, ma’am.”

“…We really could use some help from ‘that guy’ right about now. What is he even up to nowadays…?”

Irene muttered to herself, but she still ended up being heard by everyone present in the room.

Regardless, no one asked her anything about that matter.

[Going on about stinky-feet again, eh, li’l Irene?]

[She always brings him up every chance she gets…]

[Asley, oh Asley, to have so many labor-demanding people favor him…]

…Because all of them know about it already.

Warren raises his glasses – that he had not deliberately lowered – with his middle finger. Then he smiled quietly for only a brief moment.

[I do wonder where he has gone and what he’s doing, too. Hehehehe… our reunion is going to be quite amusing.]

Past or present, a Black Emperor was always going to be a Black Emperor.