Chapter 208
★ Beauty Under the Moon Guest Cabin ★
The information Count Syries had gathered matched what she had heard in the meeting just moments earlier.
It was thanks to a single girl, Larc, that the current front line in the battle against the Red Gate was being maintained.
The monsters falling from the Red Gate were stronger than anything normally seen in this world, and some were so formidable that even seasoned adventurers could not lay a finger on them.
Larc specialized in fighting those troublesome foes—though “troublesome” was far too mild a word for enemies that powerful.
She possessed a rare special gift, and because she annihilated the savage monsters, the front line was being held.
(She didn't look like it at all...)
The sleeping girl was thin, and Eva thought her complexion looked unhealthy as well, as though she wasn't eating properly. Her long blond hair should have been beautiful if only it were properly cared for, which was such a waste—
"!"
It was just as Eva gently reached out to brush aside the bangs covering Larc's eyes.
Her hand was seized.
"Who are you?"
Larc, who had been sleeping peacefully, was glaring sharply at Eva. But rather than feeling frightened, Eva...
(What beautiful eyes.)
That was what she thought.
Her large, lustrous purple eyes, reminiscent of amethyst, were deep and radiant, while her long eyelashes lent them a hint of melancholy.
Eva understood that the sharpness of the words from those thin lips conveyed not hostility, but simple curiosity.
"I am Eva Syries. I have received special permission to be here."
"Permission? The Emperor sent you here?"
"Yes."
It was the truth.
To the Lef Magitech Empire, Larc was the hated air pirate who had stolen the Beauty Under the Moon, but she had actually returned it—and even volunteered to fight at the front line.
Her battle record was astounding, and Larc had quickly become an indispensable presence to the Empire.
So it was only natural that Larc would assume the Emperor wouldn't let people approach her easily—
There was a reason the Emperor had granted permission.
One reason was that Eva looked young, and as a noble's daughter, she presumably wouldn't do anything untoward.
The other was the special ability she possessed.
"Huh... You look like nothing but a little kid, but I guess you're here to 'do your part,' too."
With that, Larc released Eva's hand and sat up.
"You may go back to sleep."
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not thick-skinned enough to snore away while some strange girl is here. So? What did you come here for?"
Eva chose her words carefully and said,
"I came to hear your story, Larc-sama."
"My story? Ahh, I get it. The Emperor of the Lef Empire sent a Human like you to pry the secret of my special gift out of me. Typical Lef. Sneaky."
"Th-that's a misunderstanding. I came from the Holy Kingdom of Kurvane. I'm here to take part in the battle at the Red Gate."
"...You? A little kid like you?"
"Even so, I serve as a full-fledged noble in the Holy Kingdom."
"Huh... I don't really get nobles."
Larc did not trust Eva unconditionally, but she seemed to have let down her guard a little.
That was what Eva had been aiming for as well.
"But is the Holy Kingdom really so short on manpower that it has to send out a little kid like you?"
Larc seemed determined to keep treating Eva as a "little kid."
"No, I came of my own accord."
"Why? You don't look like the type who enjoys bloody business."
"Because someone very important to me is here."
Eva placed a hand over her chest and pictured that person.
Just thinking of that person warmed her heart and made her so restless she could not sit still.
"...I see. You've had a hard time too, huh..."
Larc, meanwhile, was thinking, "This is love. And the other person is a Lef, of all things. A love that crosses species must be a hell of a pain... And you're a noble, too, right? What are you going to do? Poor thing."
"What's the name of that lucky bastard?"
"Yes. It's Reiji."
"Reiji, huh... That's a fine name."
"Larc-sama—"
"Just Larc is fine. It makes my back itch when a noble calls me Larc-sama."
"Then... Larc-san, I heard you returned this airship of your own accord and are fighting on the front line yourself. Why did you do that?"
"Why, huh..."
Larc let out a small sigh and turned her gaze toward the wall of the cramped room. There was nothing there, but she was clearly picturing a particular person.
"...I have a little brother."
"Your little brother?"
"He was so capable, unlike me... I was separated from him, but I believe we'll meet again somewhere, someday. If he were facing this situation right now, I'm sure he'd use every bit of strength he had to do something about it. That's why—I want to do the same. So that when we meet again, I can hold my head high and be a big sister he can be proud of."
Everything Larc said was utterly frank, and to Eva, who lived in noble society, it was refreshing. Of all those words, what Larc had just said resonated most deeply with her.
"Everyone in the Empire knows about your achievements, Larc-san. I'm sure your little brother will be absolutely delighted."
"You think so? Heh, you're making me blush... Strange, I find myself talking so honestly with you."
Larc grinned and bashfully scratched the tip of her nose.
Watching Larc, Eva in turn imagined, "Larc-san's little brother must have blond hair and a slender build like her, along with beautiful purple eyes."
"By the way, what is your little brother's name?"
"His name? Oh, now that you mention it, my little brother didn't have a name."
"...What?"
A truly astonishing answer came back. Eva suddenly realized that Larc's strength apparently came with an immense physical backlash, leaving her weakened. Could the "little brother" be an apparition that the weakened Larc was seeing...?
Otherwise, there was no way she wouldn't know her own little brother's name.
"Well, don't sweat the small stuff!"
"I-I suppose you're right."
Larc laughed, "Ahahaha," while Eva laughed, "Ho ho ho."
"...Things must be hard for you too, but don't let it get you down."
What Larc meant was, "Love with a Lef must be difficult."
"Thank you very much. And I hope you... um, I hope you can meet your little brother soon, Larc-san."
What Eva meant was, "What a devoted person she is, working so hard for a little brother who doesn't even exist."
Never would they have guessed.
Neither one realized they were talking about the same person.
"Larc-san, I have one ability."
"An ability... You mean a special gift?"
"No. It's a special ability passed down through the Syries family. It resides in these eyes."
Eva pointed at her crimson eyes with her index finger.
"It's called the 'Inspiring Magic Eyes.' By infusing them with magic power, I can heighten the fighting spirit of anyone who looks into them... But I only recently learned that they come with another ability as well."
Eva had only recently begun training to use the "Inspiring Magic Eyes." A major reason was that Reiji had encouraged her by telling her that, unlike the "Magic Eyes of Judgment," the "Inspiring Magic Eyes" could be useful to many people.
Thanks to her 【Mana Manipulation★★★★】 special gift, she had learned to control the "Inspiring Magic Eyes," and they had awakened an additional ability.
"I can give someone life force and magic power by means other than magic. I heard that Larc-san's body is severely weakened, so I came hoping I could be of some help."
It was precisely because she possessed that ability that the Lef Emperor had agreed to let her meet Larc one-on-one. There was no harm in trying.
And to use the new power of the "Inspiring Magic Eyes," she had to be emotionally close to the person receiving it.
That was why Eva had made small talk with Larc. It had been necessary small talk.
"...Are you serious?"
Larc eyed Eva skeptically.
Larc had been in such poor condition that she had even stolen the Beauty Under the Moon with the intention of flying to a renowned doctor to have herself treated.
"You don't have to believe me. But won't you let me try?"
Eva's eyes held a beauty different from Larc's.
Drawn in by those eyes, Larc gave a small nod.