Cyrene who had completely transformed into a Magic Stone Beast raised her hand overhead, on her palm was a lump resembling a gem bulging out. From the gem, a flash of white light gushed out. When the light hit the nearby wall, the wall visibly turned red and disintegrated, as if it was burned instantaneously. Inglis assumed that it must be a heat ray of fairly high heat.
Cyrene unleashed it in every direction, trying to engulf the whole castle in flames. The Knights who tried to stop her would only get inevitably swallowed into the light. If this continued on! ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novｅlfire.net
「…Lady Cyrene has become a Magic Stone Beast! Don’t tell me…!」
As Inglis tried to look for the cause, she was reminded of a similar event in the past. Three years ago, the incident where the former Holy Knight Leon turned Rahal into a Magic Stone Beast.
If she recalled correctly, it was due to a secret drug by the name of Prism Powder. Using that, Leon turned Rahal into a Magic Stone Beast.
Did the same thing happen here as it did back then? Leon confessed that he received the drug from the Ironblood Chain Brigade, an anti-Highlander guerilla organization.
「Is this the Ironblood Chain Brigade’s doing…?」 「Just like what Mr. Leon did to Rahal…!?」 「Yeah, maybe. But, when did…」
At this particular time, Inglis’ ear caught the echo of a woman laughing in the courtyard below.
「AHAHAHAHAHA!! EAT S̲H̲I̲T̲!! YALL HIGHLANDERS SHOULD GO DIE IN HELL! MY SON WAS KILLED BY YOU PIGHEADS! I’LL NEVER EVER EVER EVER F̲U̲C̲K̲I̲N̲G̲ FORGIVE YOU ALL!! GO F̲U̲C̲K̲I̲N̲G̲ ROT IN HELLL!!!!!」
The one who raised such a frenzied shout was…
「Miss Mimosa…!?」 「No way, that person did this to Lady Cyrene…!?」
She’s the mole from Ironblood Chain Brigade?
「That means…! The tea Miss Mimosa poured us, there was Prism Powder in it…」 「EEEEHH!?!?」
Leon had claimed that Prism Powder had no effect on Midlanders1, Inglis and Rafinha were proof of that.
The credulous Cyrene had Mimosa right by her side, ignorant of her true intent. No, even if Cyrene was aware of the danger, she was a woman with deep insight. Perhaps, despite being aware of Mimosa’s misgivings, Cyrene deliberately placed her nearby in order to unravel her heart. She probably believed that she would surely understand her.
In the end, she was too naive for her own good. And this was how it backfired at her.
Cyrene’s heat ray eventually moved towards Mimosa who was still lost in her laughter. It burned Mimosa’s upper body into cinders, leaving her waist below in her place. And thus, her life came to an unexpected end.
「Wh-, why would she do that…!? And she even died because of it— just what is the meaning behind…!?」
Rafinha bellowed, eyes flooded with tears.
「I’m sure there is no logic behind it… Grudges never disappear that simply.」 「But Lady Cyrene wasn’t the one who did it!?」 「Yeah… I’m sure her grudge was against every Highlander… 」 「But that’s fruitless! It’s wrong!2 」 「…At any rate, we have to stop Lady Cyrene! I’ll hold her off, you defeat the other Magic Stone Beasts, Rani!」 「Y, yeah…! Hey, Glis, anything… can you think of anything to save her?! Please! 」 「Yeah… I’ll do what I can. Let’s go.」 3
The two descended towards the courtyard, jumping from roof to roof.
「Everyone, please escape! We’ll take over from here!」
Inglis slipped in front of the transformed Cyrene as she shouted.
「The Knights too, don’t mind us and run!」
Rafinha fired her light arrows at other Magic Stone Beasts as she instructed the knights. These beasts were probably rats that lived in the castle before they were exposed to Prism Powder. The remaining beasts weren’t that large in number. It would be alright to leave them to Rafinha.
Cyrene turned her palm towards Inglis, raising a wail that sounded as though she was in grief and agony. 4
Rather than poorly trying to avoid it, Inglis stayed in place. After all, she couldn’t imagine just where the heat ray would hit should she avoid it. She had to receive and repel it by herself in order to minimize the damage.
Inglis activated Ether Armor. Her body was veiled with the pale brilliance of ether. Just as the Ether completely surrounded her body, Cyrene’s heat ray manifested before Inglis.
Inglis slammed her fist at the incoming heat ray, the power was enough to change its trajectory skywards. 5
Obviously, receiving that attack barehanded would have led to injury but the armor of condensed Ether remained intact. This happened again for the second time, and then the third time. Each heat ray Cyrene shot at Inglis ended up vanishing in the night sky.
This time, Cyrene aimed at the trees and walls instead of directly at Inglis. She’s trying to attack me indirectly with flying rubbles and falling trees, huh.
Right before the ray hit, Inglis moved to intercept them.
「Lady Cyrene! If you can hear my voice, please stop yourself!」
However, Cyrene shot the rays into multiple directions this time.
And yet, Inglis bounced off all those innumerable shots as well. Her movement was paranormally fast, and so elegant she looked like she was dancing with the night sky as the backdrop. Those who witnessed her, all saw her as a beautiful goddess dancing in the moonlight.
They should’ve run, and yet their feet refused to take another step. 6
「I-, incredible! Just how incredible is she…」 「She’s moving so fast that it looks like she’s everywhere at once…!」 「H, how pretty… Am I dreaming right now!? 」7
Just one glance at her urged them to watch more, endlessly more.
「It’s no time to be watching! Run away now!」
Inglis gave them a prompt warning before she immediately returned her attention to Cyrene. It was at this point in time that Inglis spotted a golden spear piercing Cyrene’s shoulder for a short moment before it vanished.
A pretty woman with red, long hair, Cystia the Hyrule Menace, was advancing towards the scene, attacking with her spear and her space distortion ability.