Alice Tale in Phantasmagoria Vol 2 Chapter 74

Hearing the data on Sacrament’s attack, was something soon on the next day.
Just, though right now there were still skirmishes continuing along the national border, there was nothing that could be called an all out attack.
Beginning by testing things out, the current status is in that area.

「Ara ara, the commander is Leoneil Sacrament is he. The honorable old man has done something drastic hasn’t he, it is troublesome.」

Maria-san spoke like it was nothing, with a totally untroubled soft face.
Thinking about this situation that might become a war, this incident is important so, she shouldn’t be able to show such confidence from her heart.
Even so since if the commander is unreliable, everyone will become uneasy so.
Her conduct is important.
……Maa, I don’t know if people who think Maria-san is unreliable exist or not.

「As of yet there is no declaration of war. By resolving this with just skirmishes, their aim might be something else then.」

As Maria-san sat at the desk in the office, she put her hand to her cheek.
Their aim is……
The matter with Eclair was probably just a botamochi that fell off the shelf into their mouth.
But to me, she’s what’s important.
Precious.
As Maria-san is someone entrusted with the nation, she has to soundly ascertain the underside.
I simply want to save Eclair.

「Maria-san, I, am returning to the battlefield.」

Everyone should still be there too.

「Is an escort, not needed then? Ufufu, your renown has been known for quite some time now, Witch of Ice and Snow-dono.」

That Till who is said to rarely come along all the way to a battlefield, came to the office, set herself on the sofa and layed down again at some point.
At Maria-san’s words, Till slovenly waved her hand and replied.

「I’m going to look after my disciple but, don’t expect anything beyond that, holy knight.」

Oh?
Girl or giant b.r.e.a.s.t.s or the like, Till didn’t say anything foulmouthed!
And, as such……Maria-san is, out of the people Till’s met recently, could this mean that she was not evaluated as being undeveloped then?

「With that as it is, it will bring gains to the national interest of my country. Do not mind it.」
「Fun, you also often look after, the troubles of that n.o.ble girl.」
「Ufufu, with that in mind as she’s currently off on a journey I’m not watching over her.」

For a cute child to go on something like a journey that is……
Kran seems hard to handle doesn’t she.

「Maa it’s fine. Let’s go Alice.」

Till promptly left the room.
Certainly, I’m in a hurry right now.

「……I’m heading out! Maria-san!」
「Wait a little if you would, Alice-dono. Please feel free to change here.」

Making me wait when I was about to rush out, Maria-san pulled a well folded robe out from the desk drawer.

「That is……?」
「The goods that Alice-dono ordered. They were delivered, from the royal capital.」

My, new robe is it!

「Etto, that’s a real help but……why is it that my movements seem to be so well known……」
「Ufufu, I think it would be best not to ask.」

I suppose so……
Because Kran has developed in a good sense, surely that’s how this came to be.
Together with a shudder, I became convinced.

with Bati-san’s product of her full ability covering my body, I ran through the sky on Till’s ice magic to return to the battlefield.
Even with that, my body is light.
This robe’s materials, are definitely infused with magic power.
For the one piece dress style robe, as is at least the designer’s proud work, the design is showy.
The color’s base is Alice blue, with white accents added on.
A coat in which the upper portion is long sleeved, below a short skirt with one more long skirt seeming to cover it from above stretches to the feet.
……But with it there covering the sides and back, looking from the front that long skirt doesn’t cover anything, my legs are plainly visible.
Though I wouldn’t say it’s for that reason, with white knee socks hiding my legs and boots on my feet, I’m good to go.

――Regenerate Robe.

That is my new equipment.
By the way the quality is……Perfect!
It’s perfect quality.
Bati-san, amazing……

「――Hou? So with reckless disregard for your life, you’re going out in front of me is it.」

Till came to a halt in the sky, above what could be called a large river flowing some distance from the battlefield at the national border.
At Till’s murmur I refocused in front of me, a familiar face wrapped in black flame barred my path.

「Leymia……」

Leymia glanced at Till, from there she turned her gaze to me.

「Fairy of Silver Lightning. I won’t let you advance any further. By coming here, do you intend to torment the princess again?」

With those words, without a, yes that’s right or such, and a nod, then we have no option but to fight.

「Till, please don’t put your hand forward.」

But please properly build footholds for me okay?
Whether I conveyed that sort of hidden nuance, while sighing grandly, Till backed up one step.

――Midair combat is it.

Frankly it’s scary you know……
A high place, just that can be daunting.
For that to become a battle as well is then.
But――

「Leymia, I’ll have you let me pa.s.s.」

That cannot become an obstacle to advancing forward.

「……Why, are you so straightforward?」

Leymia’s, body trembled.

「I won’t forgive you……You, will not be forgiven!」

A plethora of black flames floated up around Leymia.
Multicast!
I enchant my glove with lightning.

「Shot!」

If possible I would have deployed the lightning field but, the initiative was taken from me.
I have no option but to resolve this with kinetic vision and intuition.
It’s our earlier fight’s remake.
Bolts of flame attacking from all directions, releasing lightning from my enchant, I dodged what I could dodge.
Matching my minute movements in midair, Till created footholds with precision.
Within this, who the one doing the most impressive thing was, might not need to be said.

「――I understand. Fairy of Silver Lightning, even by challenging you to a magic duel no good will come of it.」

From right in front of my eyes, Leymia’s voice.
Close combat is it!
As I didn’t have my lightning barrier, it seems like she hid behind a bolt of flame and I was late to notice Leymia as she closed in.
Dodging this is――Impossible!
Momentarily, I raised my arms.
From above my guard and without making any preparations Leymia, swung her fist down.

「――Tsuu!?」

Taking it completely, I was thrown through the sky.
My arms have lost their sensation.
I suppose it’s obvious, things like just taking it aren’t in my style already.
Even if I guard the damage isn’t exempted.
Furthermore, Leymia’s power isn’t normal.
That sensation, wasn’t an attribute of 1 or, 2……
a.s.suming that she has wisdom 5, does she have mastery of power with the remainder……?
As that may be, it’s certain that for a while my arm won’t be usable.

「I won’t let you take your time to fix that.」

Delivering her follow up attack, bullets of black flame a.s.sault me.
There’s no time to heal.
Leymia, what magic power!
This shouldn’t be easy, such a quant.i.ty of magic.
Looking at it, Leymia has blood flowing from her mouth like Ilya.
Clearly, overwork.

「That’s enough!」

Righting just my posture, I kicked off the footholds I had Till make for me and evaded the storm of black flame.
As I can’t raise my arms, being hit directly is really bad.

「If this can be of use to Leoneil then, I’ll put even my life on the line! ……In any case, it’s a cheap life!」
「Surely that’s not something you yourself should disparage!」

As I really can’t repel attacks with my arms, avoiding everything isn’t possible.
My body was grazed by countless bolts of flame, enough damage acc.u.mulated that I can’t afford as much as a direct hit.

「I have you!」

While my focus was stolen by the bullets of flame, I let Leymia into close range again.
Once again, Leymia’s attack came from her swinging fist.
Toward my, defenseless body――

「――As if, I invited you.」

Leymia’s strike relying on power, as if to entwine and capture it I moved my body and grabbed it.
To an opponent that actually specialized in close combat I suppose that this would be an impossible feat but, if she just relies on power to come punch with, to at least evade that fist and embrace the arm, I’ll show it happen.

「!? How, you shouldn’t have been able to take my previous attack without injury!」

As Leymia expressed a surprised face, I nodded in agreement.

「Of course, I really couldn’t raise my arms――until a bit ago.」

With what I said, it seemed that Leymia realized it looking at my arms.
That my robe was s.h.i.+ning faintly.

「That, robe!」
「A fine evaluation. It gives me healing, automatically. Did that surprise you?」

Regenerate Robe.
It certainly is reliable.
Therefore, even if I charge into Leymia’s black flame like this, the damage is nil.

「Let go!!」

If I’m this strongly attached, I’m no longer at a range where I can be attacked effectively.
Before Leymia can throw me off with her rampage――!

「Eat, lightning!」 「Eat, lightning!」

Thoroughly, lightning streamed into Leymia through her arm.

「AAAAAAAa!!?」

As Leymia screamed, even so she controlled her flame bullets and attacked me alongside them.

「That all!?」

Certainly, I can’t stay with her to compare our perseverance.
Releasing her body, I reset our distance.
Leymia also, controlled the flame bullets that were rus.h.i.+ng at her and brought them to a halt.

「……Leoneil’s, obstacle is……This one, will remove it.」

Her feelings are――Strong.
Panting, while moving her shoulders up and down that eye hid a sharpness like a wounded animal.
Leymia is, truly strong!

「……Do you love him, Leoneil?」

At my question, Leymia shook her head sideways.

「It’s not such, a simple matter. Since Leoneil is, this one’s savior.」

Saying that, Leymia tore off her own clothes.

「――――」

Seeing that body, I swallowed my breath.

「Well? Fairy of Silver Lightning. Are you surprised? you’re wearing beautiful pure white skin right?」

As Leymia spoke almost m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.tically her body is……Covered in, dragon scales.
It’s not that her entire body is covered in dragon scales but, it’s also not that the ratio is near zero.
It shouldn’t be that it became like this, because she’s a dragonkin.
Because she’s different from Ilya.

「Wretched isn’t it? Since this one is, not human.」
「Not, human……?」

That her race is different or such, that sort of interpretation is wrong.
After I replied by parroting her words Leymia nodded.

「――Because I’m a chimera.」

――Chimera.

I recalled that monster, from when I went with s.h.i.+on-san to the forest for a subjugation.
Fundamentally different from a regular monster, moving with a magic stone as its core, that lifeform.

「Impossible……」

Looking closely, near the center of Leymia’s breast, there’s a black magic stone embedded within.

「As this one was put together from a human base, there is a heart at least.」

Indifferently, Leymia alluded to herself almost like she had no interest.

「Since there wasn’t any magic power to begin with, for the sort of reason that to endure this a st.u.r.dy body was necessary, the first part was having a dragon composited in.」

――Composited.
Compositing, lifeforms!
Imagining that, my mood turned worse.

「It wasn’t just this one. Countless people and countless people more became sacrifices for this. By chance, only this one endured that.」

Perhaps remembering back to her past, a dark color resided in Leymia’s silver eye.

「The actual affair was from there.」

Leymia, looked over to Till as she watched over us.

「This one was, composited with a part from a 『certain』 elf.」

Elf……?
Looking at Till, she listened to Leymia expressionlessly.

「Writhing, in pain, to an extent that can’t be compared to compositing with a dragon. To begin with magic power for those without magic power……and with that to imagine having such incredible magic power transplanted in, it’s enough to be maddening.」

Is some, captive elf somewhere?
Till only silently took in the words.

「As this one was composited with the strong body of a dragon, miraculously this was also endured. After that endured. After that was combat training and a daily routine of killing people. It’s not an especially interesting conversation. It’s the sort scattered anywhere, a common story.」

Leymia once again with black flame――deployed the largest number up until now.
Looking at that, I also――considered activating the magic given to my left hand.

「……Leoneil, saved you from that daily routine?」

At my question, Leymia nodded clearly.

「I suppose that was a coincidence, and I don’t mind if it was a calculated act. Because this one was……happy!」

I blew my breath out, once.

「If you know that pain then, I would like it if you wouldn’t do such things that cause that same pain to other people, Leymia.」

I thought of my pure crimson friend.

「Don’t speak like you understand this, with your easy lifestyle!」
「Is that so? But, because I had an easy lifestyle, is treating people kindly something I shouldn’t do? That people who live with a painful lifestyle, have to cause that pain to others?」

I took Leymia’s harsh gaze on directly.

「For me, I feel I want the world to become one that overflows with kinder thoughts.」

Leymia, released her largest ma.s.s of flame bullets toward me.

「――Oh ancient G.o.ddess, wield that power and bring heaven’s judgment down before me! Ishtar Edge!!」

G.o.d’s lightning, a level of fierceness that can’t be compared to Lightning.
My, high level lightning magic.
By that which was released by my left hand’s pentagram, it swallowed Leymia’s flame bullets and she disappeared with them into the distant sky.

「――It’s not that she, should have right? Till?」

Calling out to Till as she stood straight beside me, she replied with a voice like it was bothersome.

「Moron, if you had no intent to kill, then shouldn’t you at least hold back.」
「That sort of margin wasn’t available.」
「This immature.」

While saying such a thing, Till sympathized with my feelings.
Protected by a wall of ice, Leymia’s form slowly revealed itself from within the silver flare.
Though certainly damage did seem to have gotten through, so it couldn’t be said that she was fine.
For now――she’s okay.

「……What is your, intent? Kill.」

The moment Till restrained Leymia as she emerged from the abrogated wall of ice, she spat those words at us.
every one of the people of this world act, gallantly don’t they.

「――Leymia, please, clench your teeth!」

With my full strength, with my nearly nonexistent power I stretched Leymia’s cheek.
One attack with all sorts of feelings put into it.
Obviously, there is anger but, there are also feelings that aren’t that.

「As the loser, please don’t talk about how the winner should behave.」
「……I’m saying it.」
「Fufu, then I’ll discipline you so that you’ll keep a worthy att.i.tude in mind. Afterwards……let’s talk a lot?」
「……When I feel like it then.」

I put a cloak I had brought with me, above Leymia’s ruined clothes.
With a face like she didn’t know what she should do Leymia leaked a smile, from there she looked toward the national border.

――Eclair, wait for me.
Because I’ll be coming soon!