「Lady Cyrene’s older brother…? Well, I guess there are parts similar to hers, like his atmosphere or his kindness, right Glis?」 「You’re right……」
Inglis would agree if that was all, but—— While it was fine for Cyrene and Rafinha to be close, Theodore was a direct no-go no matter how much his atmosphere resembled Cyrene’s. The intent behind their closeness could very well change over time. A lover and the like was still not needed for Rafinha. Even if it was based on Inglis’ own ego, it was still a detestable thought.
Regardless of Inglis’ own intention, Rafinha gifted Theodore with a smile. Knowing that he was Cyrene’s older brother, her wariness went down a level. Things were progressing in a bad direction.
「Thank you very much for saving the life of my sister, you two. I heard that she was transformed into a Magic Stone Beast, but where is she now…?」 「She is here.」 ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁
Said Inglis as she pointed to her own chest. At that very timing, Rene popped her head out of the cleavage.
「Cyrene…!? Aah, while it’s faint, I really can feel her mana… My goodness, look how much you changed——」 「Forgive us, saving her in that condition was all we could——」 「No, don’t blame yourself. The two of you did great. As long as she is alive, nothing is over yet. I will surely change her back to how she was before…!」 「Please let us help as much as we can!」 「Yes, I will rely on you two. Can I take over keeping Cyrene from this point?」 「Sure.」
If a blood relative asked for it, how could they refuse? Inglis scooped Rene up from her chest and handed her to Theodore.
「Now, Cyrene. It’s alright now. I will do something about you——」
And, as Theodore reached out to Rene——
Rene bit into Theodore’s finger.
「Ouch…!? What’s wrong, Cyrene?」
Rene coldly ignored Theodore and dove back into Inglis’ chest.
「Rene? Your brother is here for you, you know?」 「What’s wrong?」
Rene shook her head left and right and dug even deeper until she was completely hidden inside the gown. As she kept moving around restlessly, it tickled Inglis.
「Ho-, hold on, Rene! Don’t move around too much, it’s ticklish…!」 「… Does that mean she doesn’t want to go home?」
Rafinha craned her neck. For a good while after that, Special Envoy Theodore kept calling out Rene’s name while Inglis and Rafinha encouraged Rene to come out, but she was completely impartial.
「She seems different from the Cyrene I know… Perhaps it’s a good idea to entrust her to the two of you for a little longer.」
The new envoy seemed quite disheartened. His affection for his little sister was apparent.
「Got it. We have no problem with that.」 「However, there are still mountains of things I need to research. Would you be willing to bring Cyrene to me when I need her?」 「Naturally.」 「Thank you. Now, while I am concerned about Cyrene, I need to treat Miss Ripple foremost. We have to find a method to stop the phenomenon. Miliera, I need your help in this.」
Theodore called Principal Miliera. They were close because they were old friends; it seemed. The principal mentioned it herself.
「Yes, of course I’ll help.」 「Please. If it’s you who studied our technology on the Highland, then I’m sure you can be of help.」 「I’ll do my best to live up to that expectation of yours!」 「But, what do you do, Theodore? If Magic Stone Beasts keep pouring out like before, you won’t be able to examine her calmly.」 「That’s true. So first, we need to bring her somewhere far. We can’t have the Royal Castle be under constant attacks.」 「Then, let me carry Ripple. I can take down those Magic Stone Beasts in a heartbeat. Still, where do we take her?」
No one could answer Eris’ question immediately.
「Ah, don’t mind it——I’ll walk by my own.」
Then Ripple’s voice was heard. When they looked at her, her eyes were open. The semi-sphere of black light that enveloped her seemed to have vanished.
「Ripple! Aah, thank goodness. Are you alright?」
Eris rushed over and helped Ripple up. There was nothing unusual with her. It was as if everything that happened before was nothing but an illusion.
「… For now. It felt like the energy is dissipating—But still, I can vaguely remember what just happened. I’m sorry, everyone. I became a Hyrule Menace to protect everyone on Midland, and yet here I am hurting everyone……」
This incident was quite a heavy blow for Ripple herself.
「Don’t blame yourself, it wasn’t your fault.」 「That’s right! It’s not like you did it because you wanted to, Miss Ripple!」 「Rafinha is right, you did nothing wrong, Miss Ripple.」 「It was forced upon you, after all.」
Following Eris, Rafinha, Leone, and Inglis also comforted Ripple.
「Thank you, everyone. Even so, I just can’t accept it. Now I’ve lost the very reason I became a Hyrule Menace. Hey, Wayne, just where should I go? If there really isn’t anything that can be done, I don’t mind if you break me, or you can dump me in some remote place with no one in sight.」 「Nonsense. We can’t possibly treat the Guardian Deity who has protected our Kingdom like that. Just endure it for a while. Until then, rest in a place with tight and vigilant security.」
That being said, they still needed to discuss further regarding where exactly that place would be and the forces to be deployed for it.
「I will select the place and divide my troops.」 「Sure, Raphael. Please do.」
If that’s how things are, thought Inglis as she stepped forward.
「Excuse me, but I have a proposal in mind. May I?」 「You may. Pray tell.」 「What is it, Glis?」
Nodded Prince Wayne and Raphael.
「Why don’t we have Miss Ripple to be stationed in the Knight Academy until the solution to her condition is found?」
Inglis’ eyes sparkled in excitement. After all, it would be an excellent way to train if she were to fight against the Magic Stone Beasts that could potentially appear.