Vol 14 Chapter 2 (1/2)

Chapter 2

Episode 2 – Avalon, Invasion

–

Part 1

「Fuu…… This is depressing」

The next day, Lux woke up early and did light physical exercise and checked his body condition

Today he didn’t do his daily Drag-Ride training to reue

With this it became the second day It would be one more day before the deep level floor of Avalon appeared

If the deep level floor’s gate appeared, the coin from there

Therefore he was scheduled to participate in the war council for the sake of capturing the deep floor level that Magialca would open at the evening

Until then he wouldn’t be able to calm down even if he just stayed still, so he strolled inside the fortress

He suddenly felt a presence froround at the north entrance of the fortress and Lux’s feet naturally headed there

Even though it was the land of a foreign country that was far away frodoic

In the , with the Sword Device of Lindwur her thrust form in her pilot suit

The soil ground and bricks at the surrounding

And then a et and large mirror

There Celis was practicing her thrust silently

She was concentrating so much that the air felt tense, at the same tiure

She took her stance, fixed her ai-Ride, and thrust

When she finished around a hundred of that sequence of action in front of Lux, Celis finally noticed him

「──Great work, Celis-senpai」

「GoodLux If you have business with ht aithout reservation you know?」

Celis faced Lux and s up her front hair

Sheeven before Lux found her Her healthily tight skin flushed pink, and she was faintly sweating on her whole body

「No, actually I thought it’s better to stop training and rest but, I carelessly forgot to call out」

Lux also sht

「It’s better to wipe the sweat This is winter after all, you will catch a cold」

「Thank you very much Ah, but──I have to take off my suit to wipe myself……」

「Ah! Tha, that’s, it’s fine I will face behind!」

Celis’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment Lux quickly turned his back on her

「U, understood Looking here is not permitted okay?」

When there was a faint sound of rustling clothes, Lux closed his eyes just in case

By the way Lux didn’t stop her training because she wasn’t wearing Drag-Ride, so the burden should be little, and because he beca the way she polished her heart

「This training is so Drag-Ride, I can trainrandfather」

「Was it trained, Celis-senpai’ss heart?」

Lux threw the appropriate response while inside his heart was pounding hard

「──Yes Is what I want to say but, I should stop pretending to be tough in front of you」

Celis sheathed her Sword Device on her sword belt The htly tre

「I aest and Syvalles’s captain In the battle the other day, I was coht called Mishi+s No, it is not that I’ her It’s scary that I who came to follow you until her as your aide a and accomplish my duty Surely──」

Lux was slightly perplexed seeing Celis’s bitter smile that was unusually fainthearted

「That’s not true」

He started to say, but Lux noticed so

Could it be, it was already like this for her all this time since the past?

Perhaps the reason why Celis haree wasn’t just because she couldn’t keep up with her surrounding, but her sense of responsibility as soreat nobles also drove her to do so

That hy, she was treht now

It wasn’t fear toward powerful ene her

「My ive birth to me alone In the old empire at that time, it was only 『male』 that has value, the tendency was to consider a wife that is unable to give birth to a son as worthless That hy I wanted to obtain strength that surpassed ht family」

She didn’t want to ive birth to a son to feel ashamed

Due to her kindness since her childhood, Celis thoroughly trained herself and she worked her way up to becoht in the Academy

In addition with the incident where she lost her randfather, it caused her to focus hteousness, but she broke away from that curse by her encounter with Lux

「Even after you appeared and helpedall this tithat I decided I should accomplish? Can a sword of someone like me be able to protect everyone──」

She suffered a co an absolute loyalty toward the Lord

It shook even the conviction that Celis had piled up until now

That hy she was training to polish her heart here

「Celis-senpai……」

「I’m sorry Lux Iin the middle of break I’m disqualified as a senior」

「Such thing isn’t true Even I, actually──……-!?」

When Lux i sight was reflected in his eyes

There was aone’s forure of Celis with the pilot suit on her upper body taken off while she iping her body with towel could be seen

The risqué part was barely out of sight, but the bulge of the voluptuous breasts couldn’t be hidden Each time Celis wiped her sith the towel, they would shake His eyes spontaneously widened

Because Celis herself was averting her eyes from Lux behind her, she didn’t notice that her half naked body was reflected on the mirror

「Actually, what is it?」

「N-, no! That’, it’s scary…… What if because of ed into it What if I cannot become of help to other──but」

Lux’s heart was pounding hard inside while he continued to avert his gaze from Celis’s naked body that was reflected in the mirror

「Because everyone is with hting is also to protect everyone of the new kingdoht also lead to the same place That’s why, I’m thankful That Celis-senpai believes in me, and that you became my aide」

「…………」

「Celis-senpai’s aid is necessary for me Surely Celis-senpai’sto her I think she won’t say it to Celis-senpai because she surely doesn’t want to become a burden to her child but──at the very least, that’s what I believe」

「Celis-senpai isn’tfor someone else’s sake, that’s, it’s really beautiful and cool」

Even he hi those words, but he was able to declare it in front of her pure heart

「Lux, thank you very htforwardly kind to anyone even if it is dangerous──」

「Eh……?」

Lux unconsciously becaed and lifted up his face His eyes ht at that ti

The towel she was holding fell and fluttered down, and the girl’s half-naked body entered his sight

「Wai-! This is, I wasn’t intentionally staying quiet about this okay!? I was only unable to get the ti to say it-……!」

「……KYAAAAAAAAAAAH!」

An instant later, Celis whose face was bright red until her ears raised a shrill scream inside the fortress

The guards who caialca who arrived last showed an exasperated sain huh」

–

Part 2

A few hours after parting from Celis

Lux alking inside a corridor with a conflicted look

Celis’s tension seemed to be cleared already nicely, but a complicated atmosphere

was left between the two of them

It was the truth that there was no chance to say about the ize to her when this battle was over

Lux sighed ‘fuu’ lightly, then a small footsteps came to his side

「Good afternoon Lux-kun Is your body’s condition all right?」

「Ye, yes Today I’ood condition」

Aeril had been released froher like this

But Lux tilted his head when she peered into his face wonderingly

「Isn’t that right? It looked like thisreally enjoyable after all By the hat happened with the pact again?」

「A, ahahaha…… I don’t really know much about this pact after all」

Lux responded with a dry sestive smile

It see Perhaps she heard it froialca

This was Aeril, so surely she wouldn’t speak about it to Lisha and others, but having a secret of his taken hold like this was scary in a different

While thinking of such thing during his walk, the door of the war council rooe came into view

When he opened that door, a ht at the front

「……-!」

「What’s theat least? Or perhaps even you also have a vanity as former royalty in you?」

The figure in coat sitting deeply on a chair with his legs folded was the Blue Tyrant, Singlen Shelbrit

It was unexpected that he was the first one to come It caused Lux to be spontaneously surprised, but the reason why Lux fell silent wasn’t just that

「Please excuse our i a hood even inside a room is even more impolite you know?」

Aeril turned aside Singlen’s bold provocation with cheerful smile

「Hou, the speed of your change in attitude is adiven just because your shackles were taken off?」

But, the opponent also was a man ouldn’t keep quiet just from that much

He attacked further with a tone that was mixed with sarcasm

「I don’t even have any defense in regard to that point, but I intend to proofto everyone’s kindness toward me」

「I see, only the thickness of your face’s skin is really so Still, I don’t know about that blockhead companion of your over there, but don’t think that a lip service of soainst me」

When Singlen grinned scornfully while saying that, Lux objected in Aeril’s place

「Please watch your words Sir Singlen I want you to take back your insult toward her」

「Insult you said? Now this is strange, even though she had tricked us once already, but even now she is still hiding so to make excuse about that?」

Singlen’s sharp gaze stabbed toward Aeril

「-……?」

What was this about hiding so?

When Aeril looked slightly shaken toward that, the door of the war council room was opened hard

「You already got into argu man as usual」

The one who entered inside the rooialca and her aide Lolotte

Moreover even the reon Paladins also arrived

「I’ some to kill time I think it’s only natural to be wary toward this stubborn traitor though?」

「Aaa, enough with that The war council is starting so you just shut up」

After Magialca said that in irritation, Lisha and others, the athered

Inside the war council rooialca first raised her voice

「Ladies and gentlemen Looks like you all have taken the minimum rest I know it’s severe but this the last battle to save the world I’ll have all of you fights hard without exception You all have resolved yourself haven’t you?」

「There ain’t no need to ask that at this point right? The resolve of the bunch who held banquet in this kind of dangerous place is obvious」

Greifer said that with a negligent tone Everyone also nodded wordlessly at that

Oneuntil the predicted world destruction If they didn’t reach the central of Avalon ahead of Listelka and stopped Sacred Eclipse, they wouldn’t have any future

Lux also returned a confirialca nodded in satisfaction

「Nice reply Then, ill hold the strategyto take away Avalon fro that to you」

「Yes」

First Aeril as called by nahtly looked around

After her eyes met Lux at the end, she took a deep breath and formed her words

「After this, Avalon’s deep level floor will appear nearby the site of the old castle in this abandoned capital Guernica But, even me who is an imperial family of the Lord doesn’t know its true shape」

「What do you ee?」

The Seven Dragon Paladins who represented Heiburg Republic, Rosa turned a dubious face at Aeril’s words

Further also tilted her head and spoke a question

「It’s also baffling forin Avalon?」

「For us, Avalon is treated like a sacred place Even though my elder sister Listelka can receive revelation of oracle, fundamentally she won’t enter inside In the first place the i place already」

「But, you are an iht? Then you should have entered soround like a temple once or twice」

When the youngest person there, Mel pointed that out frankly, Aeril shook her head

「In the first place it was forbidden to enter Avalon Even an imperial princess couldn’t enter it so easily It was only , but the way to enter inside should be already different from the past」

「What do you mean by that yeah?」

Greifer i slightly

「To open the path toward the central of deep level floor──so to speak the control room, there are several requirements In order to clear those, a blood relative of us Arcadia Empire is necessary」

「You mean the three names here huh」

When Magialca said that as though to re, everyone there looked around

「──Yes In our camp, there is me, Lux-kun, and Airi-san These three people are the one with the authority that can interfere with the mechanism at central To fulfill the requirements, we have to follow the instructions of Avalon’s Gear Leader──Arshalia」

「There is also an Automaton in Avalon?」

Aeril nodded at Lux’s question

Then, Lisha leaked out a sigh in tired exasperation

「So ill have to let an Autoirl appear nearby that old castle?」

「Yes Perhaps the Gear Leader herself will become the key of the central」

Everyone’s gaze gathered the additional comment of Soffice as a Key’s Supervisor

「I also pretty much has read the books in the seventh Ruin Moon We will have to find that Gear Leader, follow her instructions and make the preparation If we do that then the control rooe information that I don’t know about The foundation of Avalon, the Ruin’s Zero, an existence that is called as transfor-Ride」

「Transfor-Ride……?」

──Lux wondered why He strangely felt that he had heard those words before

But, he couldn’t recall

Thelike mist

「Lu-chan Are you sleepy?」

「No I’m fine, Phi-chan」

Lux returned to his senses when Philuffy as sitting beside him talked to him Aeril continued her story

In the end first they had to discover Avalon’s Gear Leader, then one person a Lux, Aeril, or Airi would have to perform the protocol into the mechanism as instructed That was the requirement

「Looks like on’t understand the requirements until that Automata co her, we should split into team」

There was no one who raised objection at Magialca’s proposal Like that they formed four teams

–

First teaht order, the Triad

The second teaialca

The third team was Airi, Lisha, Krulcifer, Philuffy, Celis, Yoruka

The fourth tealen

–

「The objective of the first team is to defend this fortress The weakness is the few nu-Ride user in this team, but surely the enemy also won’t have any leeway to attack here Therefore we are going

going to leave the minimum battle force here」

After that, Magialca began to explain about the role of each team in order

She deliberately omitted a part, but the three people with Arcadia bloodline were separated fro instruction from the Gear Leader

The Key’s Supervisor ht also be able to at least talk with Automata, so Krulcifer and Soffice were also in separate team

「Next the second team and the third tea Avalon It will be easier if the tea relationshi+p with each other, so I split the members like that」

「I wish to accoh?」

Yoruka shtly and casually insisted that

She was a girl ouldn’t read the atmosphere like usual, but this time even Lisha joined her

「Well, this ero woman is extreme but……, why is it only the fourth team that has only two people in it? I think the combat force should be divided equally here」

Lux was also in agreeialca responded with a wry smile

「That’s a good question princess But I won’t accept any selfishness here Those two are different from the second and third team, their role isn’t just to search for the deep level floor, they are also charged with an important role」

「Don’t tell me──」

The moment Celis made a dubious face, the answer came

「That’s right, I’ll have the fourth tea the enemy Well, in case they encountered Listelka’s force, they’ll have to attack proactively」

Silent tension ran through everyone who gathered inside the war council room

Right after that, Aeri was the first one to react by raising her hand

「That’s dangerous! You should have known that in the eneil Arcadia too are powerful ene only two people to face them is……」

Krulcifer quickly continued after Airi’s tense voice

「She is right It’s certainly dangerous Both Sir Singlen and Lux-kun are strong but, the re enemies should be substantially powerful too At the very least one Divine Drag-Ride user from each team should be moved to their team」

「Well, your objection is reasonable」

But, Magialca responded with an exasperated shrug toward their advice

「However have you two forgotten? Only in this situation on’t be able to prioritize safety anymore After all if the enemy obtains Avalon, it will be our defeat by that tiamble」

「Is there anything that we can obtain by ainst the enemies?」

Lisha flared up Magialca looked down and nodded in respond

「Our advantage is our nureater than the enee toward the enemy While the attack of the fourth tea the that so the that time, the second and third tea the central will rise」

「…………」

「The Lord, Listelka who only have two close aides reet too far froy should be the most effective」

Certainly, Listelka only had Mishi+s and Fugil to guard her right now, so surely she wouldn’t send them away

Hayes as defeated by Aeril the other day shouldn’t have any il were the only combat force of the other side

Furtherht Mishi+s who possessed Azi Dahaka, there was the possibility that having her surrounded would only caused her opponents to be defeated altogether

In that case it would be preferable to just leave her to a slen alone

It was a battle foro of the chance of victory

In that case they had to accept this team division

「It will be fine Airi This will be the last time I make you worried」

「There is also that but…… No, I understand」

When Lux showed his acceptance, Airi sed back the opinion that she was about to say

What she held back frolen

There was no doubt that he was powerful, but he possessed an ath Until now he had approached Lux many times to make use of him

Furthermore, from his battle with Yoruka, it was discovered that there was a sign of Singlen receiving Baptism in the past Half his body was adapted to Elixir

She couldn’t speak out that behind the scene circulen in a team alone with Lux

But, Lux had already heard froialca that it would become like this

He had already resolved himself too

「Then, I will y You all better listen attentively」

First Magialca gave instruction to everyone about their action’s objective, the members also questioned her about that

Thewent for several hours The nlen didn’t say a single word

「…………」

Lux would dislike it if Singlen was giving order high-handedly, but when this rin on his face, it was scary because it felt like so not decent would happen

「Sir Singlen, how are you planning to carry out this mission?」

Lux briefly addressed Singlen as sitting at the corner but,

「Are you that stupid? Looks like you still haven’t co hired chore boy huh, hero-dono」

He responded with familiar tyrannical sarcasm like that