Editing Hagure Yuusha no Aesthetica:Volume 5 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 13===
 
"That was a masterpiece of yours I take it."
 
After learning of the situation to the north, Loutier looked at the girl standing next to the Akatsuki.
 
The petite girl nodded to confirmed her speculation.
 
"Yes...... that was my magic which created the "puppet." I used one of her hairs as a medium to make to her the master. That way it will move according to her will, but also allows her to use her magic through the medium."
 
After learning the secret, Loutier muttered:
 
"Then -- All of the girls."
 
That was to say, that girl Haruka fighting in the central route was also merely a puppet. Loutier thought it had to be the case.
 
"Yes...... the real girls are safe far away from here."
 
The girl then place her hand on her chest and revealed she was a puppet herself.
 
......No wonder her strength was below expectations.
 
Loutier finally understood why when compared to the girls in central and north channel, the girl sitting on the back of that lion was clearly inferior. But it was only natural, after all she had to maintain the shape of Akatsuki's elaborate earth puppet the whole time, and also create a puppet for other girls as well as one for herself. However, the twenty girls on the water dragon's back shouldn't all be puppets able to use magic. No matter how abundant her magic was, there should be limit to the amount of puppets she can maintain at the same time. So there should be only one real puppet, and the rest were just camouflage to distract the enemy.
 
"Yup, I think you should already be aware that we really don't intend to kill anyone in this war."
 
Akatsuki broke the silence with his smile, and slowly started to explain the truth behind this battle.
 
 
 
"You know me -- how could I let a woman face such danger instead of going myself?"
 
After hearing what Akatsuki said, Loutier could not help but feel the same way. That certainly might be true. Also earlier when she heard that a girl charged in alone, it didn't seem at all like Akatsuki's style.
 
Her inner doubt at long last was answered.
 
Then......
 
...... Why did Akatsuki appear here?
 
The girl said that a hair was used as a medium in the puppets so that the magical power of that person could pass through. And that it was her earth magic that created them, but Akatsuki cannot use magic. Even if his Ki was in the hair for example, its very essence was different from the magic. Theoretically it should be impossible to create a puppet
 
In other words -- that was not a puppet in front of her, but Akatsuki himself.
 
However, the girl was still just a puppet there was no need for Akatsuki to protect her. In that case, what reason did he have to be here? The key to ending this war was stopping Baram. Then shouldn't he be targeting Disdiya's main unit, and not here. But he choose not to do that, and now was in south which was not as strategically important.
 
"-- Is it really that big of a mystery why I'm here?"
 
It seemed that he read Loutier's mind.
 
"Do you still not get it, Lulu?...... Think about what is right here."
 
Then Akatsuki smiled and said, "Then let me tell you" while laughing. When he finished talking, Akatsuki silhouette suddenly vanished.
 
"--------!"
 
Loutier tried to take up a stance as she panicked. Akatsuki appeared silently beside her, and place his hand on her shoulder.
 
"My target, Lulu...... is you."
 
The instant that sentence passed her ears, Loutier felt a slight prick on the neck. Her consciousness was immediately wrapped in a dark vortex.