Published: August 15, 2025
I floated the mini bus in the air to avoid being trapped by the snow, surrounded and protected by the knights.
Squinting, I looked up at the swirling blizzard, but the pure white snow was being pelted from all directions, giving me no clear view. Even the yellow ochre cloaks of the knights nearby looked hazy.
“Lady Rosemine, it’s Darmel,” said the armored knight who rode a mount that approached nearby. He lifted the breath plate covering his helmet to call out.
“Darmel, is something wrong?”
“I received orders from Lord Ferdinand. May I come in?”
“Please.”
I opened the assistant’s side door of the mini bus with a creak. Darmel walked over his mount’s wings and got inside the assistant’s seat, then returned the mount to a mana stone.
“What did Lord Ferdinand say?”
Apparently, the high priest told him to stay with me because of concerns. Darmel spoke around the subject, but to put it plainly: “Don’t let her do anything until I call. Watch over her so no problems arise.” It seems I have absolutely no trust.
“Especially, he emphasized conserving mana. Lady Rosemine tends to pray prioritizing emotions and the immediate situation, so he told me to stop that.”
“Ugh…”
The high priest sees right through me. I absolutely cannot say I won’t do it.
When I hesitated, Darmel furrowed his brows in a troubled expression.
“...I just regained my rank as a knight after being an apprentice for a year due to Shikikoza’s incident. Please refrain from reckless actions that would make me a target for punishment.”
“I will refrain as much as possible.”
I couldn’t help but nod at Darmel’s tearful plea. He had worked hard as an apprentice for a whole year because of Shikikoza’s trouble.
“...Is this Lady Rosemine’s mount? The appearance aside, the inside is amazing.”
Sitting in the assistant’s seat, Darmel touched various parts, small sounds of “wow” and “oh” escaping his lips.
“Ufufun, comfortable to sit, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Just as Brigitte said.”
“What did Brigitte say?”
Darmel sat calmly in the assistant’s seat, so I knew he liked it, but Brigitte tends to be quiet and doesn’t share much feedback. I could only tell she was somewhat pleased by her slightly softened lips.
When I eagerly asked for Brigitte’s opinion, Darmel lowered his gaze slightly as if searching his memory.
“For simply moving, Lady Rosemine’s mount is very comfortable to ride, but if you consider fighting with weapons, it’s easier to wield weapons mounted on the current mount,” he said.
“Certainly, knights must fight. This mount would be a bit difficult in battle then... But wouldn’t it be good to use different mounts for battle and travel separately?”
It seems that for knights who prioritize speed, switching mounts according to use is difficult because it requires a clear image and practice to summon mounts instantly.
“Lady Rosemine can change the size freely, but originally, it’s not such an easy thing.”
Darmel said so, but my image is always a vehicle—from a single-seater to a microbus, I imagine them all as cars, so I have no resistance to changing size.
“Ah, it’s starting. Look.”
I stared at the center of the swirling blizzard and saw a strong light on both sides. Darmel pointed and said,
“That’s the knights order commander and Lord Ferdinand.”
No matter how hard I squinted, I could not see the high priest or Father. Just lights of similar size.
“It might be hard to see from this distance, but that is the attack that defeated Golze on Shutzelia Night.”
“The attack that defeated Golze in one strike?”
“Lady Rosemine, brace yourself! A huge impact is coming!”
With Darmel’s sharp voice, the two lights slammed into the blizzard’s vortex.
They flew from left and right, drawing tails of light, colliding into the vortex.
An explosive roar echoed, making me instinctively cover my ears.
The vortex was disturbed for just a moment.
In that instant, the blizzard parted, and I saw two figures swinging greatswords.