“Ah! You are…”
Rui’s eyes widened. Standing there were a large, bald man and a blonde woman. They wore something like military uniforms, but not of the British army.
More than that, Rui and Yuma recognized these two.
“You are Charlotte-san and Michael-san, Seekers of the English Seeker Clan ‘Ophanims’, right?”
When Rui spoke in English, the large man, Michael, reacted.
“Oh, you remember! That’s right, Charlotte and I participated in the ‘Black Armor Extermination Operation’ and fought alongside you Japanese Seekers. I never expected to meet you in a place like this… By the way, what are you doing in England!?”
Michael approached Rui and peered intently into his face.
Rui, though startled by Michael’s pressure, responded with a smile.
“W-we came from Japan to support England. The Blue King’s subjugation must be difficult.”
“Seriously!? You came all the way from Japan in this dangerous situation? You guys are pretty crazy!”
Michael laughed heartily. Yuma and the others were also happy to see familiar Seekers alive, but—
“Wait a minute!”
Charlotte, the blonde woman behind Michael, walked forward with a frown.
She stopped in front of Yuma and stared at him with a stern face.
“You, I’ve seen you somewhere before. But you weren’t at the ‘Black Armor Extermination Operation’. Where on earth…”
At that moment, Charlotte gasped and jumped back.
“You… you’re Black Armor!!”
The woman’s eyes sharpened. Michael said, “Eh!?” and took a step back.
Charlotte drew two longswords from her waist and held them at the ready. Too long to be called daggers, too short to be called longswords.
An oddly shaped sword. Yuma knew that weapon.
“I know that Black Armor has turned into a human. I saw it happen right there… The one who changed from Black Armor—it’s definitely you!!”
Charlotte kicked off the ground. Propulsion amplified by Lightning Magical Power. Yuma barely dodged the opponent approaching with tremendous speed, saying, “That’s dangerous!”
Stumbling and nearly falling, he turned around to see [Flame] and [Lightning] dwelling in the two swords Charlotte held.
He felt a powerful Magical Power.
The Lightning gradually darkened, and the Flame crackled and burst.
—Second Tier Magic!!
This person can use magic that pierces ‘metal’ armor! Yuma thought, swallowing hard.
Rui stepped between the two tense figures.
“W-wait a minute! Fighting in such a crowded place is crazy!!”
Admonished by Rui, Charlotte looked around. The people walking down the street were surprised by the sudden event and began to clamor, wondering what was happening.
Michael also frowned and spoke critically.
“That’s right, Charlotte! Who suddenly draws their sword like that! There must be some reason.”
“But…”
Eliza, who was watching nearby, was also indignant at Charlotte, who showed no sign of sheathing her sword.
“Charlotte-san, this is a problem. They are scheduled to complete their resident registration. If you have something to say, please go to the administrative district and talk first.”
At Eliza’s resolute attitude, Charlotte said, “I understand,” and reluctantly sheathed her swords.
“Anyway, I want to hear what you have to say, so come this way.”
Charlotte started walking. It seemed she was going to a place where there was no one around.
Yuma and Rui hesitated but decided to follow. Michael and Eliza started walking as well.
◇◇◇
“What’s going on!? You were supposed to have been taken away by the Japanese government, right?”
Charlotte glared at Yuma with her arms crossed.
The five of them were in a deserted alley. Rui, Yuma, and Eliza were lined up in front of Charlotte and Michael.
Rui stepped forward in front of the agitated Charlotte.
“Yuma was judged by the Japanese government to be no longer a threat. That’s why he came to England with me this time as reinforcements.”
Charlotte didn’t seem convinced by Rui’s explanation.
“No longer a threat after all that fuss? That’s hard to believe.”
Rui thought it was a reasonable opinion, but if he didn’t persuade her here, she might draw her sword again and start a fight.
It was Michael who unexpectedly offered a helping hand to Rui, who was racking his brains.
“Come on, Charlotte. Calm down. The person who defeated ‘Black Armor’ is saying it. We have no choice but to believe him.”
“That’s… that may be so, but…”
Charlotte also toned down. As long as they had no intention of fighting, there should be no reason for her to attack.
Rui moved closer to the two and began to speak.
“Charlotte-san, Michael-san. We came to fight alongside the English Seekers. But it doesn’t seem like you’re actively subjugating Monsters in England right now. Can you tell us more about the current situation?”
Charlotte and Michael looked at each other.
They seemed to be wondering what to do. After a while, Charlotte sighed and turned her gaze to them.
“I have no choice. I’ll believe what you say for now. But only for now. If you make any strange moves, I won’t hesitate to attack.”
Rui nodded, saying, “I understand,” and Yuma, who was next to him, replied, “O-of course!”
Charlotte reluctantly approached Rui and Yuma and began to talk about the recent situation in England.
“England was initially proactive in subjugating the Blue King. So much so that a large-scale Extermination Squad was formed with many Seekers and soldiers. But…”
“It didn’t go… well, did it?”
At Rui’s words, Charlotte and Michael’s faces darkened.
“That’s right, that monster was too strong. Not just the Blue King, but the giant Monsters living in the sea were also opponents we couldn’t defeat. Many Seekers died, and the army with special weapons was also annihilated.”
Everyone fell silent. Rui and Yuma had already encountered the Blue King and the sea Monsters.
Because of that, they fully understood that the English army and Seekers had been annihilated. The number of victims must have been considerable.
“The British government gave up on subjugating the Blue King and shifted its focus to defending the country. And what was created was this ‘Ice Kingdom (Ice Kingdom)’. A form that uses Magic Gems for defense specialization.”
“I see… so that’s what happened.”
Rui muttered while looking down. If England was only focused on defense, there would be no role for them.
“It seems our support was in vain.”
In response to Rui’s listless words, Charlotte shook her head, saying, “No.”
“The number of sea Monsters is increasing now, and more powerful individuals are appearing. I think the Mana Density in the sea is probably increasing.”
“Mana Density in the sea?”
Yuma, who was listening to the story, looked dubious.
“Yes, and if this trend continues and a large number of Monsters attack—”
Charlotte bit her lip tightly.
“‘Ice Kingdom (Ice Kingdom)’ will definitely collapse!!”