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「Secret plan…? Glis, Rani, what are you trying to do? I appreciate the help, but don’t ever put your lives on the line! If anything, I would rather…?!」
As Raphael was speaking, Eris and Ripple quickly covered his mouth.
「Now, now. Raphael. It’s the king’s order, okay?」
「Indeed. We have no time to stand around either, so let us follow along with their plan!」
「Thank you very much!! Then!」
Observing both Eris and Ripple nodding in agreement, Inglis leaped onto a flygear in the sky. When she was high enough, she raised her voice, shouting and yet dignified.
「Brave Knights who have come to defeat Prisma! We have been delegated by the former Commander of the Imperial Guard Order, Sir Redas Eiren, and have come here by the order of His Majesty the King to defeat Prisma! His Majesty’s order takes precedence over all else; thus we ask you to follow our strategy!」
Inglis called out to the Knights, showing them the coat of arms on her mantle.
「Imperial Guard’s Commander?! Is she replacing His Majesty’s most trusted Sir Redas?!」
「B-, but that coat of arms is genuine! She’s wearing the same outfit as Lady Eris and Lad Ripple too! Could she be a new Hyrule Menace?!」
「Maybe! She is beautiful and strong enough to send Prisma flying, her strength is on another level!」
「Yeah! His Majesty has sent us a new Hyrule Menace, long live the king!」
The Knights had mistakenly identified Inglis as another Hyrule Menace due to their long association with Eris and Ripple, which made them trust her easily. This could be attributed to the trust and respect that the two women had earned from the Knights over time. It’s possible that King Charleas had not only given Inglis the uniform for symbolic purposes but also to take advantage of the trust that the Knights had in the Hyrule Menaces. Regardless of the reason, Inglis was relieved that she didn’t have to waste any time arguing and could focus on defeating Prisma.
「My name is Inglis Eux, the Second-in-Command Commander of the Imperial Guard Order. The First-in-Command is…」
「That is me, Rafinha Wilford! Forgive us for suddenly barging in and acting like we own the place! However, we wish for nothing more than to have as many people return home as possible! Please listen to us!」
Inglis and Rafinha bowed deeply in sync.
「Rafinha Wilford…?!」
「Aaah, that’s Sir Raphael’s…」
「It’s his little sister! I see now, no wonder I can see the resemblance!」
Being Raphael’s little sister made it much easier for Rafinha to be accepted, and it was a testament to Raphael’s hard work. And to top it off—
「Everyone! True to what they said, the King’s Order is absolute! Listen to them!」
「Yeah, listen to these girls!」
The Knights reacted as Eris and Ripple also stepped forward to offer their support.
「「「Roger! We await your order, Lady Rafinha, Lady Inglis!!」」」
Inglis nodded deeply, then continued.
「Well then… with all due respect, I henceforth convey the following instruction from the Commander! All troops are to evacuate to the underground tunnels immediately! The evacuation will be conducted by the Flygear Squadron led by the Holy Knight Order! Once you’ve evacuated, be ready to fight off any invading Magic Stone Beasts in the tunnels!」
To sum it up, their options were to escape, barricade themselves, or defend against incoming enemies. However, with countless Magic Stone Beasts still on the battlefield aside from Prisma, retreating the entire army would not guarantee safety as the beasts would relentlessly pursue them. To minimize casualties during the evacuation, Inglis would need the Holy Knight Order members within earshot to cooperate with her plan.
「S- so, we’re fleeing?!」
「Are we not enough?!」
「I mean… Given the enormous attack we faced earlier, we would only be a hindrance if we were to turn into Magic Stone Beasts. However, considering the situation…」
The Knights bit their lips in frustration.
「I’m not finished.」
With a serene smile, Inglis acknowledged that the others were mistaken. It wasn’t that they were unhelpful or would obstruct her. Inglis simply desired to engage in a one-on-one battle with Prisma and asked humbly that they refrain from interfering with her prey. This was all there was to her motive, but she didn’t feel the need to explain it to them honestly.
「But, Lady Inglis! If the entire army retreated, what do we do about the Prisma?!」
One of the Knights threw her a question, and Inglis nodded to it.
「I understand. Let me continue… I, Inglis Eux, shall charge towards Prisma! I shall contain any and all massive, wide-area destructive attacks! After which, we will launch an all-out attack with all of our forces! That will be all.」
「Ooh!! So we do have the means to contain those attacks!」
「You’re telling us to conserve our strength, huh!」
「I see, I understand now! You don’t want us to exhaust ourselves until then!」
The Knights applauded Inglis. And, to be fair, she wasn’t lying. She did have a method to contain those attacks. She just needed to kill the Prisma. It wouldn’t be able to fire one of those things again if it was dead.
And if it was dead, the army wouldn’t have to launch their all-out attack, but well, who could complain about something that hadn’t happened yet? What was important was to give them a reason so that they were convinced to do what she wanted them to.
Personally, Inglis found it more convenient for her allies to evacuate as it allowed her to fight without any concerns. It was clear that she couldn’t fully enjoy the battle if her allies were at risk of being caught in the collateral damage. What she truly desired was a one-on-one fight, without any interference. In her opinion, that was the best way to concentrate on the battle.
「All of you talented Knights will inform the rest of our army in the city and help them evacuate!」
Having said that, Inglis whispers to Rafinha.
「Rani…」
「Eh? What?」
「Give one last speech as the First-in-Command! Give them something to pump them up, okay?」
「G-, got it…!」
Rafinha took one deep breath and made her voice clear to everyone present.
「I can use a healing Gift! Anyone wounded can come to me! Yes, Prisma and its countless Magic Stone Beasts are scary, but we have more at stake here! We will protect the ones we cherish and come back home to them together, united!」
「「「OOOOOOoooohhh!!!!」」」
Rafinha clenched her fist, and the Knights erupted into shouts of triumph at her words.
「Ooh!! Nice going. That’s Rani for you.」
「Y-, you think? I think I went a bit over the top…」
Rafinha revealed, looking slightly peeved.
「The speaker is just as important as the speech, see?」
Rafinha’s straight and pure words resonated with the masses precisely because her words came from her true heart. Even if she made the same speech, Inglis wouldn’t be as persuasive as Rafinha. It was because, truthfully speaking, there was a significant part of her who was here simply for the joy of fighting against Prisma.
Similarly, Raphael, Eris, and Ripple were resolved to face Prisma in battle, despite the tragedy that may come with it. As Holy Knight and Hyrule Menaces, they were determined to fight with all their might.
Their words would reveal their hearts, and each of them would express themselves differently. They couldn’t use the same words as Rafinha to convey their thoughts and feelings, nor could Inglis.
「I didn’t just make an irresponsible speech, did I?」
「It’s okay. I am here to make your words into reality, Rani.」
Inglis patted Rafinha on the head before turning to the Knights.
「Then proceed immediately! Disperse!!」
「「「Yes Ma’am!」」」
Turning around, the Knights flew back inside the city’s defenses.
「Principal! Senior Silva! Please join them in leading the evacuation!」
Inglis instructed, and they both nodded.
「U-, understood!」
「Call me as soon as you need me!」
Both Miliera and Silva readily agreed.
「Well then, I’ll go and take care of the Prisma!」
「W-, wait a minute!」
「Yeah, hold up a sec!」
Right when Inglis was about to leap, Eris and Ripple grabbed her by the arms.
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