Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 12 Episode 2 (section)

===Part 4===
After spending peaceful time after so long, Lux parted with Krulcifer and headed to the government office building at the first block.

Following the list that was given to him by the Triad, he would visit Lisha next.

He didn’t hear it directly from Lisha, but he heard that she was practicing here for her greeting at the New Year parade that would be held in the New Kingdom. It made him unable to sit still after knowing that.

Furthermore, this time it seemed there would be an attempt to decorate the government office building with Drag-Rides for the Holy Night Festival.

Lisha was checking the display items for the sake of the final tuning.

「Lisha-sama! Thank you for your hard work!」

Lisha was doing work on a high place by standing on a foothold that was constructed from wood material. Lux called out to her from right below.

Then, Lisha who was concentrating got taken aback and she turned towards him in hurry.

She was the Princess of New Kingdom with her red eyes that were like jewels and her blonde hair that was tied with a side tail style as her distinctive traits.

Her body build was small, but she was a girl who contained blazing enthusiasm inside like a sun.

Right now she was wearing her white coat that she often wore when developing Drag-Rides while performing tuning with a Sword Device in one hand.

「Lu, Lux-!? Why are you here──」

「I prepared dinner, so how about taking a breather? I also brought Lisha-sama’s favorite apple pie.」

The basket that he asked the restaurant to prepare was filled with warm rock so the dishes wouldn’t be cold.

But, it was still better to eat it while not much time had passed.

Thinking that, Lux called out to her loudly, but──

「Wai-, wait a second! No wait, as expected my current appearance is──uwah!?」

She looked flustered about something while touching her own coat and face, after that she took a misstep and staggered from her foothold.

Lux who saw that quickly put down the basket and kicked on the floor in a dash.

Lisha was falling from the height of three or four ml. He splendidly caught her with both hands.

「Tsu……!? O, oi Lux! Are you okay!?」

「Yes, I’m fine. Lisha-sama yourself──」

「I, idiot! It’s dangerous if you suddenly call out right!? Besides you recklessly caught me like this, if you are injured──」

「I’m sorry about my voice. But, it’s only natural for me to save Lisha-sama. Even like this, I am Lisha-sama’s knight after all.」

When Lux smiled at Lisha while still holding her in his arms, the cheeks of the New Kingdom’s Princess flushed red and she averted her face shyly.

「Good grief……that’s why this is no good. If you come showing your face suddenly, I can’t help but getting shaken from happiness.」

「Eh……?」

She muttered that with a low voice, so he was unable to hear the last part clearly.

「I, it’s nothing-! More importantly, the meal. If I don’t wash my hands──」

「I also brought a towel to wipe your hands with, here.」

He put down Lisha and picked up the basket, then they sat on a bench that was a slight distance away from the workplace and they ate dinner together.

Vegetable soup with stock from meat and bone.

Sandwich with bacon and egg in between, apple pie as desert, and so on. After consuming those, they took a rest.

During that time, Lux stared at the Drag-Rides on display that Lisha was decorating and tuning.

「Is this, Lisha-sama’s work for the Holy Night Festival?」

「Yeah, Haha-ue said that it will be a good symbol to convey my work to the people. She asked me whether I would be able to decorate the government office building with a Drag-Ride that I tuned.」

Lisha didn’t only make conspicuous service as a Drag-Knight, but she was also known to produce results with Drag-Ride development.

Normally it couldn’t be shown to the public to maintain secrecy, but this time new type  Drag-Rides would be put on display as a special occasion.

「Well, it can’t be helped. After all there is really nothing else that is princess like from me. Although, it also won’t look very good if it’s just a simple decoration, so I also applied the blueprint of ancient documents obtained until now and lined up things with unique shape.」

[[File:SaijakuBahamut v12 10.jpg|thumb|right]]

Lisha folded her arms looking proud.

In front of Lux, three types of general purpose Drag-Rides, the flying type,Wyvern, the land battle type Wyrm, and the special equipment type Drake were lined up.

「Eh……? But this, their shape is different from normal?」

「As expected from my knight. You have good eyes.」

Lisha raised her voice in excitement at what Lux pointed out and bit at the topic.

「They are normal Drag-Rides that I remodeled into a special type. Something like this is also development, to be constantly progressing.」

「Is that so, as expected, it will be bad to display the combined Drag-Rides here.」

When Lux enrolled at first, Lisha was already developing the Chimeratech Wyvern that was the combination of flying type and land battle type.

Compared to that, the modification of these general purpose Drag-Rides wasn’t really striking out. No, rather──

「Or rather, will they move properly? Somehow, rather than a single Drag-Ride, each of them looks like they are disassembled in various places──」

「They will. Besides, those three Drag-Rides are only models in the end. My 『new type』 that can be used in real battle is already placed in the underground of the Drag-Ride hangar.」

Guessing from her confident smile, most likely she had finished something absurd that surpassed that Chimeratech Wyvern.

These display items seemed to only line up the middle result of the progress until she reached that development.

「Well but, the truth is I’m quite reluctant……. Displaying my work like this.」

「Why?」

When Lux tilted his head, Lisha looked up at the Drag-Rides with a despondent look.

「After this, the New Kingdom will also raise taxes. Recruitment for soldiers is also inevitable with the recent consecutive battles, there is also the matter of compensation for borrowing soldiers from the Four Great Nobles. The increased amount of military spending cannot be avoided.」

「So this display is for the sake of convincing the people of that?」

「It wasn’t Haha-ue──her majesty Queen Raffi who said it. Though I don’t know if it was the suggestion of Prime Minister Nulph or the man called Zagha of the Four Great Nobles. The result of my research too, in the end it will be used for government promotion.」

The Drag-Rides of princess Lisha were lined up in display at the Holy Night Festival that was originally a solemn event.

The tax would be increased for the expansion of military spending, which would raise dissatisfaction and doubt from the people. For Lisha who had the thought of protecting the people of the kingdom at the forefront of her mind, this was a proposal for the sake of clearing up that negativity.

It might be correct to call this as making use of the Holy Night Festival for the sake of that.

It might be inappropriate for Lux to say it, but this was something that often happened when moving the country.

In fact the world was currently in danger right now, so it couldn’t be helped.

「That is not a strange thing. In fact Lisha-sama is obtaining results in both research and also in battle.」

「I guess……. It’s just as you say. However, well, with this kind of work behind the scenes as Princess, a simple and stupid girl like me is thinking like this. Is this, not a betrayal towards the people?」

Lisha looked at the Drag-Rides and murmured.

「If Lisha-sama is thinking until that far, then Lisha-sama is a splendid princess already.」

「I, is that so?」

「It’s completely different with the Old Kingdom in the past. Besides, if that’s what Lisha-sama is thinking, it will be fine if you just don’t act like that.」

Lux gave such advice to the wavering princess.

「I, is that so?」

「It will be fine if Lisha-sama conveys to everyone as much as possible what you are thinking about the present situation of the national politics. If you do that, surely her majesty and also everyone of Cross Field will understand.」

「I see……. You’re right.」

After hesitating slightly, hesitation cleared up from Lisha’s expression.

「Yosh! If that’s decided, I’m giving it extra effort. My bad but I’ll have you help out too!」

「Yes, it’s my pleasure.」

Lux helped Lisha who had recovered her spirit and the tuning of the new type Drag-Rides for the display was finished.

In the first place, it was just choosing things and than putting them on display, so it didn’t take much time.

Even though Lisha was in the middle of standby and this was 『a work as Princess』, but seeing that she was one of the few Drag-Ride researchers who existed, the New Kingdom didn’t want to waste too much of her time with this.

After finishing the work, a coach came to pick them up, so they got on it and returned to the Academy.

Midway, Lux and Lisha were shook inside the coach while watching the night scenery of Cross Field that was decorated for the Holy Night Festival.

The people of this country didn’t know about the danger of Sacred Eclipse.

But, the information that the Ruins were getting active and that the threat of the Abyss was heightening was circulated, and yet for the atmosphere to be this peaceful was solely thanks to the New Kingdom.

The New Kingdom military, Lisha, and many other people were protecting the country and secured safety, thanks to that the people could go through the Holy Night Festival safely like this.

Just that was enough for Lux to feel happy.

「It’s a beautiful sight isn’t it, Lisha-sama.」

「Yeah. But──I’m a bit dissatisfied here.」

「Eh……?」

The cheeks of Lisha who until now looked like she was in a good mood were slightly puffed up and she leaked out her complaint.

「Why did you come visiting me in this kind of time huh? It’s the truth that you helped me out but, that, if you came while I’m doing nothing, I will be able to keep you company after dressing myself properly, and yet──」

「…………」

「Isn’t it unsightly when I’m drenched with sweat and oil like this……」

Lisha averted her face shyly and caressed her own hair looking troubled.

‘I see.’ Lux thought. He understood the reason why Lisha was panicked when he called out to her first and she lost her footing.

From Lisha’s point of view, she wished to meet Lux in a beautiful appearance at the time when there was no work related to Drag-Rides.

But, that was something completely irrelevant to Lux.

He wasn’t bothered by the smell of oil and metal that were used for tuning Drag-Rides.

Even so Lisha was bothered with her own appearance that was like this while Lux was with her. That figure of hers who was like that was lovable.

「……Fuah」

Lux reflexively reached out his hand and patted Lisha’s soft blonde hair.

Then, Lisha’s eyes snapped open in surprise and she looked up at Lux with a dazed expression.

「Lisha-sama isn’t unsightly at all. The figure of Lisha-sama who is working hard as the Princess of the New Kingdom, is really lovely, and cool.」

That was Lux’s unvarnished true feeling.

Just how many nobles and royalty out there who were only showing their good side to the public?

Just how many people where there like that, who he had seen when he was staying at the center of the Old Empire as a child?

There was nothing nobler than being able to work hard, getting dirty and injured for the sake of someone else when there was nobody else watching.

That was the ideal royalty that Lux wished to exist when his heart was pained by the Old Empire’s despotic rule.

And such ideal could be seen in the current figure of Lisha.

「Eh? Lisha-sama……?」

Lux became concerned when she didn’t reply. Looking closer, Lisha’s mouth was staying open with flushed cheeks looking dazed.

「……That’s, not true.」

After looking dumbfounded for a few seconds, Lisha came back to herself suddenly and gasped, then she continued her words.

「Even if, if you aren’t by my side, I won’t be able to have the courage to face the people of this country and everyone in the Academy as the New Kingdom’s Princess. Even the Drag-Ride research, it was nothing more than an excuse for me to escape from the duty in front of me.」

Lisha spoke that to the finish and lifted up her face. She stared still at Lux’s face.

「I became able to face myself as a princess…… was thanks to you. Because Lux, you supported me.」

「Lisha, sama……」

「Say, Lux. Even when this fight is over, will you──……no, it’s nothing.」

Lisha suddenly was going to say something with a low voice and a vaguely lonely look, but she faltered.

After Lux stared at that with a serious face for a few moments, he nodded strongly and took the hand of this lovable small princess.

「I will accompany you till the end. Please rest assured, Lisha-sama.」

「I, I see……wait, don’t get too close. That’s, because of the work, I’m smelly right now right?」

「Eh? It’s all right, there is also a bit of sweaty scent but, it’s a nice smell so──wait」

His tongue slipped.

It was already too late when he noticed that. Lisha’s face went red like a boiled octopus and she raised her voice angrily.

「You’re noisy shut up! A guy like you is just──!」

「I, I’m really sorry-!」

After receiving Lisha’s eruption for a while, the laughter of two people resounded inside the coach.

The lighting of the city shining inside the night scenery was sparkling like jewels.