Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 5 Episode 4 (section)

===Part 11===

「Where are you all taking me……?」

Lisha who was suppressed by the Rebel Army that was already infiltrating inside the castle without even any time to pull out her Sword Device was taken outside the castle without anyone even noticing.

When Lisha asked that behind the castle surrounded by trees, a man of the Rebel Army grinned widely.

「We want to have you take on the role of arbitrator in order to not increase the number of unnecessary sacrifices in this war, that was what the strategist said. I’m told that there is a secret on her highness’s body that can achieve that──」

「……-!?」

Lisha suddenly groaned with an expression as though her chest had been stabbed.

She noticed Hayes’s scheme from that one sentence.

The Rebel Army that was planning to suppress the New Kingdom shouldn’t be thinking about peace or anything.

In other words, what Hayes was desiring from Lisha was to persuade the people──no, her aim was to make known that the princess Lisha was a human on the Rebel Army’s side.

They would expose the brand of the Old Empire that was engraved on her body in the past, reveal that her true identity was that of a traitor, lowering the unifying force of the New Kingdom and Lisha, dropping the situation into chaos, thus making it easier to take over the country. That was their intention.

「Don’t screw around……. You think you all can keep using me like that however many times you like……!?」

「Oh? I heard that your highness is a person who dislikes needless conflict and is kind to the people though?」

The moment the man of the Rebel Army jerked his chin to a far away direction, Lisha saw 『that』.

「──That’s!?」

At a far away distance, through the townscape of the royal capital, she could see the figure of Gigas.

And then, the sight of the flash emitted by the Drag-Ride at the top of its head cutting apart the atmosphere, dividing the New Kingdom military and the town into parts──

「Wha……」

*plop*, Lisha fell down on the spot in astonishment.

「Do you understand now? This is the last job that the powerless you can do for the sake of this country. If your highness follows the intention of our strategist, there won’t be anymore attacks than this you know?」

「The, there is no way I can do anything like that! Something like me handing over this country to the likes of you is──」

Although it was so that the people wouldn’t be harmed, but doing things like betraying their trust and delivering them to another ruler was just……

「Is there any meaning for you to act brave like that? Someone like you who disappointed them in the match before this?」

「──!?」

Lisha’s feelings were shaken when she recalled it.

Perhaps a human who was feeling hesitation even in their own power had no qualifications to lead the people.

Even so.

「Even so, that guy told me! That he will fight together with me──!」

Right after Lisha closed her eyes and yelled, an impact struck the ground like a thunderbolt.

「──Eh?」

The moment she opened her eyes in surprise, the armors of the Rebel Army’s Drag-Knights were smashed apart altogether.

「Gu, AaA……!」

The Rebel Army members groaned and collapsed. And then the true identity of the one who did it became clear.

The one who came down was a Drag-Knight clad in jet black armor.

It was the silhouette of the Black Hero that she saw five years ago on that day.

「……You──」

「I’m sorry that I’m late, Lisha-sama.」

When Lisha muttered, Lux smiled calmly and handed over the Sword Device of Tiamat that he recovered from the hands of the Rebel Army.

The hands of Lisha who accepted it shook, she stumbled and squatted down on the spot.

「I, I don’t──I don’t have the face to look at you……」

Lisha hung her head down while speaking with a disappearing voice.

「Even though I promised to protect this country together with you……I made Tiamat rampage in the All-Dragon Battle, and degraded that oath myself.」

「That was Hayes’s doing. I had grasped how she did it too. I will do something about it no matter what, that’s why──」

「I know! But, even if we make that clear, everyone might not believe it anymore. The people’s trust in me might not return! And most of all……It’s vexing!」

Lisha lifted her face. Her eyes were wet.

「It’s vexing that because of my fault, even you were made fun of and got treated like a villain! You who fought and risked your life for this New Kingdom’s sake more than anyone, I wanted to make everyone recognize it, that was what I wanted, and yet……」

At that time Lux noticed for the first time.

Lisha talked about making Lux her knight was because she wanted to save Lux who couldn’t be recognized by the people because he was once a part of the Old Empire, who was collared as a criminal even now, and who was still ridiculed by a part of the country because of that.

She wanted to make him into an existence that was recognized by all this country’s people together as her knight in this New Kingdom.

The inside of his chest became warm, that she was thinking that much for him.

Lux softly caressed the head of such Lisha with his hand.

「Lu……x?」

「Thank you very much. For thinking about me all this time. But, I’m fine. Even without this country and all its people recognizing me, I can fight with only your recognition.」

He offered his hand in front of Lisha once more with a gentle voice.

「That’s why, please fight together with me. Not for the sake of anyone else, but for the sake of your own oath. I need Lisha-sama’s strength. In order to save this country one more time, this time for sure──」

「…………」

Lisha who heard those words slowly took a breath, and lifted up her face.

And then she grasped the handle of her Sword Device with a trembling hand, and pulled it out from its sheath as though resolving herself.

「──Awaken, the progenitor of beginnings. O monarch dragon of the gods that forms an army on your own. Tiamat!」

Light particles converged at high speed. Immediately after that, the crimson great dragon that was summoned behind split into countless parts and transformed into an armor that covered Lisha’s whole body.

After blinking lightly and gazing to the front, over there was the figure of Gigas approaching the castle while treading on the buildings in its way.

「……It’s a mysterious feeling. Even though just now it felt really terrifying to wear a Drag-Ride, but now it feels really reassuring.」

「That is the true Lisha-sama, surely.」

「──Let’s go, Lux. We got to beat up the bunch doing as they please in my country after all.」

Lux nodded at Lisha’s self-confident smile.

『──Nii-san. Everyone is in position. We are starting.』

At the same time Airi’s voice came through the medium of the Dragon Voice of Noct’s Drake.

Lux sent his voice through the Dragon Voice that was already connected to Krulcifer, Philuffy, and Celis.

「I’m counting on you──everyone!」

Lux said that while at the same time he flew his Bahamut together with Lisha.

The operation against Gigas that continued to march in a straight line towards the castle, finally began.