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Arc 2: The Power of Knowledge

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『』= Info

《》= Attribute

『』= Skill

【】= Sub-Skill

〘〙= Status, Combat Arts & Magical Spells

〚〛= Internal Thoughts

「」= Other

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Chapter 18: The Power of 『Force Multipliers』

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Part 1

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Commander Bowden was coming through on the communication system of the Military Grade Mana Cycles.

Bowden : " These Bastards would take from me, From US our Daily Bread! I can’t forgive it!"

GURR DUDER DUDUR GURR DUDER DUDUR GURR DUDER DUDUR GURR DUDER DUDUR

The loud rumble echoed as the fast moving Cavalry thundered towards the targeted Calimado encampment.

Bowden : " You hear me! I’ll never forgive it; ya’ Bastards!"

The mood of the Cavalry was being roused by the commander.

At this point the Cavalry lead-in riders that are a kilometre ahead could see the Calimado base up ahead confirming that their Heavy Machine Guns and Theatre Defence Artillery had been taken-out by the explosion as planned. In fact all the heavy weapons of Calimado had been damaged by the explosion and Nova forces could now take them apart at their leisure with their own heavy weapons.

Mithriliar couldn’t help grinning when he heard the reports on the enemy Heavy Machine Guns and Theatre Defence Artillery.

Mithriliar : " Outstanding"

Bowden : " Commander Vava; take 2 legions and take up the right Flank"

Vava : " Aye Sir! Group Captain Swordin, Group Captain Axil; you’re with me!"

Swordin : " Aye Commander!"

Axil : " Aye Commander!"

Bowden : " Commander Vava; Upon contact swivel right and position to close down any possibility of enemy retreat!"

Vava : " Aye Commander!"

Bowden : " To Party Leaders; Our Reinforcements from Gias Academy City will take-up the left Flank. Once they make contact with the enemy we must end all Rifle Fire from the Mana Cycles to avoid friendly fire. Let the Mana Cycles do the rest of the damage with Piercing Spikes.”

““Aye Commander””

Hearing the response from all Party Leaders Bowden was relieved.

Bowden : " I may not be a worthy substitute for the eccentric Clan Chief known as the Annihilator, but Nova is not lacking in Force Multipliers. We charge into battle alongside the Lady of the Holy Waters of Nora Lake and the Right Hand of the Lord of Fire!"

Lady Lorelei : " My Holy Water will sweep away the Evil Machinations of our Foes"

Mithriliar : " And I’ll Burn them all to ash!"

“““YEAH!”””

The loud yell of the entire Cavalry can be heard even over the rumbling of the movement of such a force. The Calimado position is now visible up ahead.

Bowden : " Unlike that eccentric fellow I can’t move the Hearts of warriors with simple actions; I can’t inspire warriors to fight with everything in a Blizzard by performing whimsical actions. Thus; A message from my Chief."

A recording came through the communication System.

「Elrick : " I won’t forgive those who seek to Rob you of the fruits of your Labour. I won’t forgive those who seek to take from you what is rightfully yours. I won’t forgive those who seek to elevate themselves not through hard-work but through acts of Savage Banditry. I won’t forgive their Gluttonous Greed. To them I say Woe! Therefore; Woe to those who choose to stand in our way! Woe to those who choose to become our Foes! Woe to those who threaten our Allies! Woe to those who choose to stand against Nova! To the Commander of the Starlight Cavalries; Unsheathe thy Sword Oh Noble General of the Armies of Nova; Annihilate!"」

Bowden : " For our Chiefs!"

“““For Lady Lorelei!”””

“““For Mithriliar!”””

“““For Artemis!”””

“““For Arturia!”””

“““For Ronan!”””

“““For Nicolas!”””

Everyone Shouted the Name of their Chief.

Swordin : " For Elrick!"

Axil : " For Elrick!"

“““For Elrick!”””

The members of Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry shouted the name of the Chief they rarely ever saw but understood his enormous influence.

- - -

At the hilltop Calimado encampment they had been distracted by the unending bombardment but now what remained of the Calimado Warrior Elite noticed the approaching Cavalries.

What created the most shock was what they saw coming from their Right Flank.

Scout 1: " Beast Riders Inbound at 2 o’clock!"

Lenora : " What?"

Reinhardt : " Those Colours? And that emblem is …?”

Otto : " NEOS?”

Lucifer : " Why the bloody hell is Nakamura here?"

Takeshi : " Oh we are so Fucked!"

Reinhardt : " Shit!”

Lenora : " What’s the size?"

Scout 1: " A little over 2 Legions!"

Reinhardt : " Likely Nakamura’s Beast Riders and the first legion of NEOS.”

Otto : " Motherfucker!"

Scout 2: " Reporting; 2 Legions from the Nova Cavalry are taking-up the Left Flank!"

Lenora : " They’re coordinating with NEOS for a full high speed Pincer manoeuvre."

Reinhardt : " HeHeHeHe! It’s the end; we’ve already lost”

The nervous laughter let out by Reinhardt spelled resignation for the Calimado leadership.

Lucifer : " Refuse the Line. REFUSE THE LINE! "

Shouting for all to hear and overcome the spirit of resignation Lucifer roused his comrades.

Otto : " With what? We lost the heavy weapons, and our fighting force has been ….!"

Lucifer : " We still have over 2000 fighters; if we’re going down then let’s go down swinging! REFUSE THE LINE!"

Takeshi : " Fuck it; REFUSE THE LINE!"

Lenora : " Yeah; REFUSE THE LINE!"

Reinhardt : " Not without a fight; REFUSE THE LINE!”

Otto : " Fuck yeah; REFUSE THE LINE!"

Lucifer : " Form Ranks! We’ll fight in Raid Formations!"

Takeshi : " Bladestorm; Raid Formations!"

Lenora : " Winterbourne; Raid Formations!"

Reinhardt : " Calmera; Raid Formations!”

Otto : " Wolfgang; Raid Formations!"

Lucifer : " Morningstar; Raid Formations!"

Takeshi : " We’ll tear these bastards a new asshole!"

With Calimado leaders Having regained their fighting spirit the first major Atlantian vs. Atlantian battle was about to begin.

- - -

The Nova Cavalry was now within the range of the Calimado Rifles and a hail of bullets was heading their way.

As bullets started hitting the shielding of the Frontline Combat-Bikes it became clear that runic ammunition was mixed in with the normal bullets. Though Bowden was confident that the shielding would hold until they reach the target as a commander he could not afford to take chances; he would have to somehow reduce the number of bullets heading their way.

Slightly annoyed Bowden took action.

Bowden : " Stay in formation; maintain the lines!"

The order was to prevent the Cavalry from flinching in the face of explosive runic bullets; avoiding a disorganised change in formations.

Bowden : " Rangers; Lead the way!"

At that order members of Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry increased their speed; breaking away from the rest of the Nova Cavalry.

Bowden : " We’ll show them the Starlight Wave Crest."

Vava : " Understood! Take-up ranged Assault Formation! Synchronize movements with the main force for a Starlight Wave Crest Burst Attack!"

Speaking from the Right Flank Vava positioned the 2 legions to act in consort with the other 4 legions lead by Bowden.

Bowden : " On my Mark!"

Vava : " Standby for the Count Down!"

The tension instantly went-up.

Bowden : " 3, 2, 1, JUMP! "

They sprang into action with thoroughly practiced movements.

On the commander’s order the first line jumped, and a fraction of a second later the second line jumped, then the third, then the fourth and so on until the last line which is the eighth battle line. Once the Combat-Bikes reached the apex of the jump they fired Runic Bullets from their installed Machine Gun Rifles while simultaneously firing Starlight Spark Custom Grenades from the installed Grenade Launcher.

DO DO DO DO DO DO DO! Frop BOOM Frop BOOM! ….. DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO! ……

BOOM BOOM Frop BOOM! DO DO DO DO DO DO! …… BOOM BOOM BOOM!

DO DO DO DO DO DO DO! Frop BOOM Frop BOOM! ….. DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO! ……

BOOM BOOM Frop BOOM! DO DO DO DO DO DO! …… BOOM BOOM BOOM!

By Jumping they could fire over Calimado’s makeshift fortification, and since the Cavalry was currently heading up a hill jumping provided the best aim for both Machine Gun Rifles and Grenade Launchers. The Starlight Wave Crest Burst Attack decimated the Calimado defensive formations; essentially ending the hail of bullets that had rained on the Nova Cavalry. Calimado would not have time to reform their defences since the Nova Cavalry would be upon them in less than 30 seconds.

As planned once Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry used the Wave Crest the rest of the Nova Cavalry had caught-up and the final Charge Could begin.

Vava : " Will you call-it Commander?"

Bowden : " I’ll leave it to the Faction Chief."

Mithriliar : " In that case; 「ARS Nova」! "

ARS Nova for the ancient Latin ‘Ars Novae’ which means New Technique was the signal for the Charge of the Nova Force, and on Mithriliar’s Command the Combat-Bikes increased their speed to maximum and closed the distance to the enemy in an instant.

- - -

DO DO DO DO DO DO DO! Frop BOOM Frop BOOM! ….. DO DO DO DO DO DO DO DO! ……

BOOM BOOM Frop BOOM! DO DO DO DO DO DO! …… BOOM BOOM BOOM!

The frontlines of the Nova Cavalry destroyed Calimado’s makeshift fortifications; cutting a clear path to the Calimado fighting force. In an instant what remained of the Calimado fighting force felt their spirits being crushed by the sight of the Cavalry of Armoured Combat Bikes bearing down on them; they understood at this point that there was no hope and it would finally come down to how you choose to die. To Atlantians Experience is valuable; even fighting in the face of an imminent death held great merit.

The yells of the Nova Commanders rang-out as if to prove the high moral and fighting spirit of the Nova Horizon fighting force.

Bowden : " Maintain the lines! Don’t get carried away; stay in Formation!"

Mithriliar : " Trample them!"

An ominous incident occurred immediately after that.

As if they weren’t even there the Nova Cavalry rode over the Calimado fighting force like they were nothing significant; what can only be described as Atlantian Warrior Elites were unceremoniously Trampled by a Cavalry with an ominous nonchalance. The Calimado fighting force which equipped level 1 military grade gear was being swept aside like they were insignificant small fries by a Nova Horizon Cavalry that by all accounts should be Calimado’s peer in military Power; superior tactics and preparation had won the day.

Even the fighters of the NEOS Faction who were about to collide with Calimado’s Right Flank were taken aback by the near total annihilation of both the structure and consistency of Calimado’s Centre and Left Flank. The ease with which the Nova Horizon Cavalry Trampled the Atlantian Warrior Elites of Calimado made it blatantly clear that there was a vast difference in the effect and application of Combat Force Multipliers.

The power of the Cavalry is speed. At low speed a Level 1 Piercing Spike can be defended against by Level 1 Armour or Shield, but at the high speeds used by the Nova Horizon Cavalry the power of Level 1 Piercing Spikes, Spinning Piercing Spikes and Spinning Cutting Blades was multiplied by the 『Speed』 『Force Multiplier』. Once the Nova Horizon Cavalry was allowed to move freely by the damage to Calimado’s Heavy Weapons caused by the initial Large Explosion the Nova Force and Calimado Force were no longer at the same level.

After the initial Large Explosion the most optimal course of action could have been for the remnants of the hilltop encampment to flee to a non-combat Zone and logout. However as a result of a number of factors such as Confusion, Shock, the pain of injuries, continuous bombardment and the earlier action by Elrick to reduce the number of Calimado’s Tacticians the possibility of selecting the optimal course of action reduced to under 5%.

Calimado had grown too big too quickly! Adding to Calimado’s problems is the fundamental complexities of human nature. Elrick believed human nature like that of all other creatures to be fundamentally selfish. To the quirky Elrick selfishness is normal for all living creatures, and to survive a certain amount of self-interest, self-centredness, self-satisfaction, conceit and self-assurance is a necessity.

Elrick can only see anyone preaching selflessness as an Extraordinary Fraudster. To Elrick even procreation was an act of selfishness; “passing on your genes and all that” . Elrick would often proclaim that “Living creatures are naturally inclined to do what feels good” and “even Love is a Completely Selfish feeling” or “People are giving because it feels good to them to give” , he would often compare selflessness to suicide.

Therefore Atlantian Adventurers being logically selfish can only be swayed by a type of selfishness. Calimado was merely a group of self-interested individuals brought together by a common purpose and held together by a common banner. The fact that every individual is responsible for their equipment absolved the organisation of the responsibility of maintenance and repair. Thus when the proverbial shit ultimately hit the inevitable fan selfishness would win-out.

In contrast Nova had adopted some of Starlight Spark’s practises in that during Nova Horizon operations or campaigns Nova takes responsibility for the maintenance, repair and if necessary the replacement of an individual’s equipment. Starlight Spark’s policies went further by along the personal use of Starlight Spark’s equipment by those belonging to the Starlight Spark Clan with the individual only take responsibly for equipment replacement when necessary due to loss or damage beyond repair.

Therefore in the current circumstance people of Nova Horizon could go-all-out without the need to worry about preserving their equipment. Such a simple difference in attitude to equipment becomes a significant 『Force Multiplier』 during Combat.

- - -

Yet another group that understood the Combat effect of 『Force Multiplier』 is NEOS; for they had brought with them the resolve to exhibit the 『Force Multiplier』 that is 『Charisma』 to the encounter with Calimado. Leading the 2 NEOS legions to the collision with Calimado’s Right Flank is their Charismatic Leader Hiroshi Nakamura; the 『Shogun』.

Nakamura leads from the front riding a Divine Beast in the form of a silver feline who’s head stood over 3m high. Divine Beasts are Demon beasts bred and raised in captivity; making the tamed versions of the ferocious wild counterparts. Nakamura’s giant cat looked like a oversize snow leopard; a fearsome creature by any stretch of the imagination.

Where most of the Beast riders chose a herbivorous animal as a mount those who could afford the expense of a carnivorous animal could benefit from the animal’s ferocity; thus only the chiefs of NEOS brought carnivorous Divine Beasts. To the dismay of those defending Calimado’s Right Flank all the Beasts of NEOS were wearing Level 1 Armour. Horns, Hooves Claws and worst of all Teeth ripped the Calimado defenders in an instant.

As if it wasn’t enough the standard weapon of the Beast Riders of NEOS is the Level 2 Halberd. Though the Beast Riders of NEOS could not be compared to the effectiveness of Nova Horizon’s 「ARS Nova」 Cavalry Charge the effect on the Right Flank of Calimado’s force was equally devastating. Calimado lost the battle long before the Axe heads of the NEOS the Level 2 Halberds came down upon their heads.

In an exhibition of the 『Charisma』 of an Elite warrior the moment Nakamura’s Divine Beast Aeon leapt to attack the Calimado defenders Nakamura separated from the beast in the air and unfurled his silvery wings allowing the effect of his momentum against the air to raise him high into the air. Diving in like a bird of prey with a raised Halberd he cleaved a man in 2 on impact. Taking advantage of the effect of 〘Heavens-Blade〙 recoil Nakamura skilfully used the Kinetic Energy manipulation to propel himself back into the Air and repeated the attack of diving in like a bird of prey over and over.

Between his dives into mêlée combat Nakamura could overlook the battlefield and he saw that the Red-Elf Mithriliar was using a combination of Flame Aura and a Flame sword to rampage through the stubbornly resisting Calimado fighters, and not far from Mithriliar the Blue-Elf Lorelei was using a sword and shield technique to skilfully take apart any who challenged her, and he noted that Lady Lorelei exhibited frightening speed.

Nakamura had not seen the Nova Cavalry dismount but he knew that they went straight through the Calimado encampment so they must have dismounted on the other side, and looking over to the Starlight units he saw that they maintained formations even in mêlée; taking full advantage of the difference in numbers. From the way the shield and spear tactics of the Starlight units were applied Nakamura understood that they were thoroughly practiced.

Nakamura could understand the truth of Starlight preparedness from the fact that even though the enemy had been battered by the bombardments and Cavalry charge the Starlight units did not lose composure and dealt with every opponent in party formations. Nakamura was especially impressed by the commanders of the Starlight units resisting the temptation to engage in melee to show off their prowess but commanded in the rear with a careful vigilance.

And then it suddenly ended; what remained of Calimado surrendered.

Genuine heartfelt Yells of Victory rang-out.

Mithriliar : " Nooovaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Lady Lorelei : " Nova!"

Bowden : " Nova!"

“”“NOOOOOOOOVVVVVAAAAA!”””

“”“NEEEEOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSS!”””

By Nakamura’s estimation only about 200 of the Calimado elite remained; it had truly been an annihilation.

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Part 2

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The encampment of the Calimado 5 looked like a disaster zone; everywhere you looked there were dead bodies and injured people could be seen wobbling and crawling to any kind of shelter. Noting that most of the Calimado 5 were light skinned the Nova Tacticians had chosen to fight just after midday when the sun is brightest and those with pale skins found in hard to endure the heat. In this battle the 「Heat of the Sun」 had become another 『Force Multiplier』.

The pure white Night-Elves could use their Race Specific inborn talent 〘Aura Glow〙 to reflect the light but the skill consumed Mana and the White 〘Aura Glow〙 didn’t reflect the heat; only the Golden 〘Aura Glow〙 of the High Elves of Light and Light-Alvs could reflect heat. In contrast the Red 〘Aura Glow〙 of the Red-Elves and Red-Alvs somehow resisted heat and the Black 〘Aura Glow〙 of Dark-Elves and Dark-Alvs Absorbed both normal Light and Heat.

Amidst the carnage Nakamura could see the clearly delighted faces of victors that are in stark contrast to the defeated. The rest of the Nova Forces were arriving with captives’ in-tow and mountains of loot; a clear sign that Nova Horizon had made a clean sweep of the Calimado Forces that had numbered over 35,000 Atlantians. The captives had been stripped of all their equipment and were now in their undergarments; the same thing was now happening to the Calimado 5 bodies and captives.

- - -

As Nakamura walked over to the Nova mobile command centre followed closely by his Divine Beast Aeon along with the other Chief of NEOS everyone would stand-up and bow while saying Shogun. For whatever reason members of Starlight didn’t bow to the one accepted by the Council of the Sword as a Shogun; it might have been because Starlight isn’t affiliated with the Council of the Sword which is an Atlantian organisation of Sword Fanatics.

When Nakamura was named the Shogun of Virtual Reality in a magazine article the Council of the Sword recognized him as a Shogun and those who are associated with him gained the Title Bushido and are accepted as Samurai. Since Hiroshi Nakamura is the Faction Chief of NEOS which consist of the clans Nakamura, Eckhart led by Oleg Eckhart, Orlov led by Vasily Orlov and Sajan led by Sahaj Sajan; all the Clans of NEOS are recognized as Samurai Clans by the Council of the Sword.

Nakamura and his party steadily moved forward.

????? : " Shogun"

????? : " Shogun"

????? : " Shogun"

Nakamura continued to walk while giving a slight nod to those who acknowledged him.

????? : " Shogun"

????? : " Shogun"

????? : " Shogun"

????? : " Shogun"

Finally Nakamura’s group reached the Nova mobile command centre.

- - -

When the Chiefs of the NEOS Faction reached the Nova mobile command centre Bowden gave a perfect Right Hand to the temple military salute which triggered a military salute from every member of Starlight. When Nakamura returned the salute Bowden lowered his hand and that triggered all of Starlight to follow suite. This action further solidified Nakamura’s opinions about Starlight being a military force rather than a adventurer group.

The Survivors of the Calimado force finally understood that what they faced in combat was not a group of adventurers enjoying role-playing in Realm Eternal but professional soldiers that are well equipped and trained for any eventuality; that Calimado would loose any confrontation with the Starlight professional soldiers was entirely predictable. Members of the clans of Calimado now understood that they had been led down the garden-path by the greed of their Clan Chiefs and in that moment many resolved to abandon they Clans and Calimado.

The Chiefs of the NEOS faction lined up with their Divine Beats behind them, and standing opposite them are the 6 Chiefs of the Nova faction and Bowden while attendants stood behind the line of Nova heads. The 2 NEOS Legions had been escorted to the combat location by elements from Starlight Spark’s Third Air Cavalry, The Fourth Expeditionary Cavalry and The Fifth Special Operations Cavalry organised into a high mobility Legion.

As the greetings got underway the onlookers noticed that Nakamura was overly familiar with the Nova Leadership, and in particular he was very friendly with Lady Lorelei and Mithriliar; going as far as to give Mithriliar a manly hug and embracing Lady Lorelei while wrapping his wings around her. Unbeknownst to many the 3 had known each other for a very long time and for a little while a long time ago Lorelei and Nakamura had dated; much to the annoyance of one Elrick.

Lady Lorelei is a special existence to members of Nova Horizon, and the sight of the 181cm tall beauty being wrapped by the silvery wings of the 180cm tall hunk solicited some displeasure from the ranks of Nova Horizon. Nevertheless everyone knew that this was in part a show meant for the eyes of the onlookers who would see videos of this encounter; cementing in their minds the close relationship between Nova Horizon and NEOS.

- - -

Nakamura turns to Mithriliar.

Nakamura : " Mithriliar; When you said they had over 35,000 I thought it’d be a long hard battle, but it’s a bit anticlimactic you know? I got all psyched-up for nothing.”

Mithriliar : " Ha! You’re always like this Hiro! A victory is a victory ya’ know."

Nakamura : " Still; I wanted to show our strength a bit”

Mithriliar : " It can’t be helped; the Nova tacticians decide on the battle plan"

Nakamura : " And no doubt that Elrick has been moving behind the scenes”

Mithriliar’s expression cramped-up a bit and he let out a sigh.

Mithriliar : " That needlessly complicated guy can’t be stopped"

Nakamura : " I know”

Nakamura also let out a sigh.

Mithriliar : " Yup"

Nakamura : " Though when I saw him he said I would see some thing amazing”

Mithriliar’s floats a surprised expression.

Mithriliar : " Amazing? Wait! …. You saw him? We couldn’t get him to come to the battle-strategy meetings in Atlantis."

Nakamura : " I guess he couldn’t resist bragging”

Nakamura looks over at Bowden.

Bowden : " Eh?"

Nakamura : " That’s an extremely powerful Cavalry you have there Bowden; how did you put it together so quickly?”

Following Nakamura’s example the chiefs of NEOS use their surnames.

Orlov : " Impressive"

Sajan : " What a show power!"

Eckhart : " Outstanding!"

Bowden : " We are honoured"

Orlov : " Our presence was unnecessary"

Nakamura : " Elrick did say; if it’s Bowden then it’ll be fine. His confidence in your abilities is absolute”

Bowden : " ya’ think so?"

Nakamura : " Yeah; I should know, he once had the same confidence in me”

Bowden is genuinely surprised.

Bowden : " Really?"

Nakamura : " What’s with that look? We’ve known each other for 10 years ya’ know.”

Bowden : " Oh yeah"

Nakamura : " We were fine but things began to get complicated when I started seeing …”

Nakamura looks over at Lady Lorelei.

Bowden : " Oh!"

Bowden nodded as affirmation that he had indeed understood that where Elrick is concerned Lady Lorelei is a potential social landmine.

Nakamura : " Yeah”

Letting out a sigh.

Lady Lorelei : " Wait? Are you trying to blame me for that? Hey hey; I’m not in the wrong here!"

For some reason she became slightly flustered.

Nakamura : " But but …?”

Mithriliar : " Wasn’t that about the items and credit?"

Lady Lorelei : " Y-yes yes … that’s what it was about."

Nakamura : " Hah”

Letting out a sigh; Nakamura resigned himself to his fate.

Lady Lorelei : " I’m blameless; completely blameless!"

Nodding repeatedly as if to convince herself that she really is completely blameless.

Carol : " You; aren’t you being a little too free here?"

Carol who had just exited the mobile command centre intervened.

Lady Lorelei : " Carol; whatever do you mean?"

Lorelei suddenly acting oblivious; looking to the side and not facing Carol.

Carol : " What you say? Wasn’t that part of that long list of hunks you paraded in-front of Elrick because you thought his jealousy was cute?"

Lady Lorelei : " Now now; that was just some harmless fun. And this was later; right?"

Carol : " But you did it even knowing how he felt."

Lady Lorelei : " You’re too cruel Carol; forcing me to remember my foolish youth. Just too cruel ya’ know?"

Carol : " But you know it’s that kinda behaviour that drove him straight into the arms of that woman."

Lorelei’s face clouded over.

Lady Lorelei : " Fiona"

Lorelei muttered the name like it’s a curse word spoken under her breath. The playful atmosphere suddenly turned dark and Lorelei exuded such hostility that the Divine Beasts tensed-up and took a step backward.

Carol : " Sorry Milady"

Lady Lorelei : " It’s alright; it’s still a sore-spot after-all"

With the mood recovering.

Carol : " Perhaps we should get down to business?"

Lady Lorelei : " Yes; let’s do that!"

Everyone watching and listening could understand that there was some kind of bad-blood between Lorelei and this Fiona character involving Elrick. Bowden resolved to ask Elrick about Fiona.

Carol : " We captured about 2472 combatants; the battalions led by Chief Nicolas and Chief Ronan had to bloody them a bit before they surrendered. Once they surrendered we can’t kill them without looking a bit fiendish; we have to release them."

Nakamura : " Isn’t releasing them the same as killing them?”

Bowden : " It would have been easier if we had just wiped them out."

Orlov : " At this rate It’ll be no good."

Sajan : " We’ll all take a hit to our Image if we handle it badly."

Carol : " The big problem is the enemy Chiefs; we caught 3 from the elite 5 and 4 from the other 12"

Lady Lorelei : " Who from the elite 5?"

Carol : " That would be Lucifer, Otto and Lenora. All prisoners are requesting safe passage to Cobalt City."

Mithriliar : " This is a pain in the ass!"

Carol : " The real problem is how to deal with the Nobles."

Nakamura : " Right; since everyone accepted into the faculty of Knighthood at an official Academy receives the Noble peerage rank of Esquire by Creation.”

Eckhart : " Are there any Yeomen or Servaunts?"

Carol : " Thankfully there aren’t any amongst them who gained Nobility through an attachment to Cobalt city Nobles to become Yeomen or Servaunts. The problem is how to deal with these Esquires by Creation; the rules don’t allow us to kill them once they surrender, and now that they’re in our custody we can’t allow them to be killed."

Carol had a troubled look on her face.

Lady Lorelei : " This is troublesome; but if it’s just the 50 or so it should be fine to have them tag along with NEOS on the way back. However we can’t miss this opportunity to reach a better conclusion; let’s negotiate with the surviving enemy Chiefs with the intension to escort all the survivors back to Cobalt City."

Carol : " Understood Milady"

Nakamura : " We’ll follow your lead”

Orlov : " It is your show after all"

Mithriliar : " What do you have in-mind?"

Lady Lorelei : " Redemption! Bowden; Can you spare a Legion?"

Bowden : " The instruction from my Chief is to accommodate Milady’s demands to whatever extent possible."

That utterance brought a smile to Lady Lorelei’s face.

Lady Lorelei : " That Elrick; always so obliging"

Mithriliar : " I’ll leave it to you then"

Lady Lorelei : " Please do"

Bowden faced Mithriliar with a calm and reassuring expression on his face.

Bowden : " Rest Easy Faction Chief; 400 of our frontline Combat Bikes took significant damage to warrant a return to Headquarters for repairs. Nonetheless between Starlight and the NEOS legions there’s enough combat power to prevail. The Starlight Escort Legion will fill-in the gap."

Mithriliar : " Okay then! As I thought Nobility really is a pain."

As they walked over to meet with the captured chiefs being treated at the field hospital the Divine Beasts followed.

- - -

- - -