Mobuseka Volume 13 Chapter 12

This is MTL. So, I cannot guarantee that the translation 100% contextually accurate or appropriate.

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Chapter 12 "Masked Knights"

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Part 1

Julius's eyes widened at the sight of the battle being over.

Surrounded by the wreckage of enemy armors, Arroganz stood there unharmed.

Julius couldn't help but find the sight of it to be disastrous.

"Leon, what the hell did you do?"

Julius couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about Arroganz’s actions, which were clearly different from before.

As he strongly hopes that he is wrong, Arroganz turns around.

"——Nothing. More importantly, I'm a bit tired. Let me rest for a bit."

Arroganz, who earlier showed incredible movement, is now barely able to move.

No, it's not Arroganz, it's Leon who's reaching his limit.

Leon was pretty exhausted.

Greg said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Did you use the drug from Marie?"

"Drug?! Oi, did you really use that!?"

Strengthening drug.

Although there are many different types, Julius knew that this type of drug has its disadvantages.

It is a useful drug that strengthens physical ability and magic power, but the greater the effect, the greater the burden on the body, of course.

In addition, the more immediate the effect of the drug, the greater the burden on the body.

Looking at the movements of Arroganz earlier, it was obvious that Leon had used a strengthening drug with great effect, yet fast-acting.

It was Marie who delivered such a drug to Leon.

It was that strengthening drug that Marie had delivered to Leon and regretted.

Julius's armor gripped Arroganz's shoulder.

"Did you use that strengthening drug?! Why would you do something so reckless!"

But Leon apparently has no intention of heeding Julius' warning.

"We don't have much time. Let's move on. If we don't destroy the power reactor——this battle won't be over. And Finn hasn't even come out yet."

Julius wiped the cold sweat that had broken out on him with his hand.

"Are you saying he's stronger than you are now?"

Julius had heard how strong Finn was, but he didn't think he could beat Leon now.

Leon replied in a pained voice.

"——I'll deal with him."

Julius wants to tell Leon not to be reckless, but when Leon is so determined, there is nothing Julius can do to stop him.

(I knew you were determined, but to this extent——)

Not expecting Leon to be so determined, Julius regrets his misjudgment.

And then, he started to move while pushing Arroganz with his armor.

"You were good friends with Finn, weren't you? There's no need for you to force yourself to fight. Leave it to me and Greg."

The two of them did not think they could win by themselves, but they still did not want to let Leon and Finn fight.

Perhaps sensing that feeling, Leon is smiling bitterly.

"That's impossible. Neither of us will back down, and we have no intention of backing down."

"I see."

Greg was leading the way, but he was concerned about Leon.

He asks about the distance to the power reactor.

"Oi, Luxion. Is the objective still ahead of us?"

After infiltrating the interior of Arcadia, they spent a lot of time navigating the maze.

It's taking longer than expected, so Greg is probably getting impatient.

In addition to Leon's condition, he also seems to be worried about Chris, Brad, and Jilk.

[It must be up ahead. There's a strong reaction that seems to be a power reactor, so there's no doubt about it.]

The concentration of magic elements is gradually increasing.

The meters show them and it looks like they will finally reach their destination.

"If we destroy the power reactor, will this huge fortress sink?"

[There's no doubt about that.]

Greg tries to act cheerful to dispel the gloomy mood.

"What's that? It's rather easy, isn't it? What on earth were our ancestors doing that they couldn't defeat such a fortress?"

Luxion's answer to that question was calm enough that it ruined Greg's feelings.

[If Arcadia had been in perfect condition, we would have been annihilated already. There would have been no chance for us.]

Greg says delicately.

"I-I see."

Julius felt a little relieved after hearing Luxion's story.

"If it is in perfect condition, huh? We have to thank our ancestors for cornering it, Greg."

"Julius is also mean."

Luxion was grateful to the old human soldiers who had cornered Arcadia.

[It is thanks to the soldiers of the old humans that we were able to push Arcadia to this point. And it is only because of their efforts that we are able to fight.]

Greg feels awkward, but tries his best to remain cheerful.

"Then we'll finish the job and relieve our ancestors' regrets."

At that moment, Julius noticed something approaching from behind.

Julius let go of Arroganz and stood there, shield in hand, as if to protect him.

"I guess we're caught up"

Leon sounds pained, but asks if his friend is there.

"Is Finn there?"

Luxion, having finished his analysis, answers Leon.

"I could not detect any response from Brave. However, the enemy is expected to be a group of magic knights."

Finn was not among the enemies chasing them.

But it's still troubling.

Greg is worried about Zilk and the others.

"Oi, could it be that Jilk and the others have been taken out!?"

Luxion was vague in his words.

[It's possible that they entered the fortress from a different route. At this point, I cannot say for certain that the enemy's presence means they have been defeated.]

While they were conversing, the magic knights caught up with them.

Behind them is the armor of the regular troops.

As soon as they discovered Julius and the others, the enemy opened fire, so Julius shielded Arroganz.

Julius was checking on the enemy while holding his shield.

(There are a lot of magic knights. Plus, there's a lot of armor. They don't seem to be the garrison, were they brought in from outside?)

Glancing at Arroganz, he saw that Leon's movements were stiff.

"Luxion, can Leon fight?"

[I have already administered a neutralizer. He will recover soon, but I don't think he will be able to withstand the battle in his present condition.]

"But he will recover, right?"

[Yes.]

After his conversation with Luxion, Julius braced himself and took a deep breath.

"Then I'll stay here."

Julius' white armor drew his sword and held it in his right hand, and two cannons fixed to his backpack pointed at the enemy.

Julius's armor, which carried a cannon on his back, was a special item made by Luxion.

When fired, they would be energy bullets, and when they landed, they caused a large explosion.

"Go. I went to all the trouble of staying behind to do it."

Leon, who had not yet fully recovered, was surprised by Julius’s actions.

"You're a prince, aren't you?"

Hearing Leon's words, Julius sneered at himself.

"You're worth more than me right now. ——Go. I'll buy time for you."

"There's no way one person can take on this many——"

Greg interrupts their conversation.

"In that case, I'll stay too! If you're worried about leaving Julius alone, I'll stay too."

Leon was about to say something, but Julius pushed Arroganz.

"Go! We don't have much time, right?"

When Arroganz turns his back, Leon moves on without saying a word.

"That's fine. I'll leave the rest to you, Leon."

Julius saw Arroganz off, but then one of the magic knights suddenly came charging in.

They probably noticed Arroganz that Leon was riding and forcefully charged at him, not wanting to let him go any further.

Julius blocked it with his shield.

"Sorry, but the road is closed!"

"Guh! You are just an extra of the fiendish knight!"

Julius' white armor forcefully knocked the magic knight away.

The armor that Luxion had prepared for him was enough to fight even with the Magic Knight.

"If you underestimate me as an extra, you're going to get hurt."

He is shot at from behind, but uses his shield to block the shots and fights back using the cannon on his back.

Another magic knight jumps out, but Greg skewers him with his spear from the side.

"Julius! If you move too fast, you'll run out of breath later!"

"Mind your own business. Look, here comes the next one!"

The two begin to fight for Leon to prevent enemy reinforcements.

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Part 2

Finn was visiting the command center with Mia.

This is because the command center is currently the safest.

"Princess-samaaaa! I'm so glad you're safe! ——Oi, prepare a seat for the Princess-sama."

As expected, when Mia arrived, Arcadia cried with joy.

He began making unreasonable demands, such as giving orders to the busy soldiers at the command center and having them prepare a seat for Mia.

Ignoring Arcadia, Brave informed them of the situation.

[Buddy, Arroganz are approaching the power reactor. Our allies are either being pushed back or being held back and unable to stop them. It's dangerous if we continue like this.]

Finn clenched his hands at the news of the situation.

"I see."

Mia hugged Finn, who had a stern look on his face.

"Mia?"

Finn is surprised, but when he notices Mia is trembling, he gently hugs her.

"Knight-sama, please. I beg of you——come back. Don't leave Mia alone!"

Finn gently strokes Mia's head as she cries.

"It's okay. I'll definitely come back."

"Really?"

"Aa, really. So wait here."

Brave also reassures Mia.

[This is the safest place. With Mia here, my buddy can fight without worry.]

Mia turned her moist eyes to Brave, who reassured her by acting cheerfully.

"Buu-kun also come back properly. I don't want to lose you, too."

[Leave it to me! By the way, can't you do something about calling me Buu-kun? My buddy calls me Kurosuke, and people don't call me Brave.]

Finn found it funny to see Brave sulking.

"It suits you, Kurosuke."

Mia smiles too.

"I think Buu-kun is cute."

[I still don't understand your sensibilities.]

Relieved by their normal conversation, Mia moved away from Finn.

Then she clasped her hands together and looked up at Finn as if praying.

"Good luck to you, Knight-sama."

Finn replies with a smile.

"——Aa"

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Part 3

There was movement outside Arcadia as well.

"Loic-sama, please step down!"

It was Loic in his tattered armor who was being held back by his allies' armor.

He is still defeating the monsters that attack them and the armor of the Empire.

"What would happen if I withdrew here!"

Loic, who leads the armor unit of the Republic Army, correctly understood that he was the core of the unit.

He had guessed that if he withdrew under such circumstances, the armor of the Republic Army would collapse.

"I have to hold on for anego's sake. Besides, we've been saved by that guy so many times. We can't just back down here?"

Leon helped them many times.

That is why they must return the favor.

Loic fights bravely, but his armor reaches its limit first.

The joints screamed and disintegrated in mid-air.

The engine part on its back also bursts into flames.

"In a place like this!?"

As the armor begins to disintegrate in mid-air, Loic's allies force him down.

"Get Loic-sama down!"

"Contact Alberg-sama immediately!"

"Please don't be so reckless again!"

As Loic returns, being scolded by his subordinates, he feels relieved to see the Republic's armor troops continuing to fight even though he has been absent.

(What the hell, you can do it if you try.)

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Part 4

The flying battleship of Duke Fanose.

Hertrude, who was on the bridge, was looking at the Republic army fighting bravely.

"For an army of the Republic that has relied so heavily on its crest, they are holding their ground pretty well."

The captain nearby made a suggestion to Hertrude.

"Hertrude-sama, we are at our limit as well. The Kingdom army has also come forward. There will be no problem if we retreat here."

With the fleet that had been at the rear of the Kingdom's army moving forward, the battle situation became somewhat easier.

Still, it is not a situation where one can let one's guard down.

Hertrude rejected the Captain's opinion.

"No. I won't allow you to back down in this battle."

"But!"

"Besides, when you run away..."

When you run away, what awaits you is death as a race.

Before she could finish saying those words, Arcadia's appearance changed.

The fortress was preparing to fire its guns.

A soldier on the bridge shouted.

"The enemy attack is coming!"

Just as Hertrude braced herself for this to be the end of it, something white crossed the side of the flying battleship.

"That is!"

It has a distinctive single horn —— Licorne.

On either side of it, the spaceships left behind by the old humans follow.

The spaceship, which had been modified to specialize in shielding, served as a shield against Arcadia's main guns.

If they are unable to defend against it and it is destroyed mid-way, then Licorne will step forward and deploy a magic barrier like a curtain to protect their allies.

It completely blocked the enemy's main guns.

Hertrude looked at Licorne and shrugged.

"You've become even more of a problem than the royal ship."

She felt that she would rather not make the current Licorne her enemy than the royal ship she had fought against in the past.

But now it is an ally that can protect them from Arcadia's main guns.

Hertrude decided to take advantage of this situation and gave a reassuring speech to her allies.

"I look forward to everyone's efforts. Let's make the name of Fanose known here."

For the Fanose family, there are many reasons to work hard here.

This is because it is related to their future position in the kingdom.

Considering that, it is not easy to make a decision to step back.

And there are personal reasons as well.

(Even now, I still can't bring myself to hate that Saint.)

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Part 5

[Kyaaaah! My Licorneeee!]

Although Licorne managed to defend against a shot from the main gun, it does not mean that it is unharmed.

The interior of the ship shook violently and Creare was screaming under the load on every part of the ship.

It was not as simple as saying that since they were getting energy from the young trees of the sacred tree, it would not be a problem if they were protected by a shield.

Standing with both hands clutching the staff, Marie was breathing heavily.

The role of deploying the shields was not only Livia's, but also Marie's.

No, rather, the majority of the effort was carried out by Marie.

"Marie-san."

Seeing the worried look on Livia's face, Marie put on a strong face.

"This much is fine. Just conserve your strength."

But they got close to Arcadia and blocked a shot from the main gun.

The burden was considerable, and Kara was impatient when she noticed that Marie was suffering.

"Marie-sama, if you're tired, you should rest!"

Marie smiles at the kind Kara.

Perhaps because it was a smile that she had forced herself to make, it was twitching.

"I-I'm fine. Don't worry."

Kyle brings water and a towel.

"Goshujin-sama, if you push yourself too hard, you will collapse."

"I-I'm fine. I'm not that fragile —— that I'd fall down from something like this."

She clutched her staff and managed to stand.

As she drinks the water she receives, she hears the voices of Leon's friends who are fighting around her.

They were deployed around the area as guards to protect Licorne who had stepped forward.

"Don't let the enemy get close to Licorne!"

"Don't try to aim, just shoot! Shoot forward and you'll hit them even if you don't want to!"

"Ahhh! I knew I shouldn't have participated and tried to look cool~~~! Leon, you idioooot!"

The voice was mixed with a scream.

The airships and armor used by Leon's friends are both built by Luxion and have excellent performance.

And they have been handling it for several years and are highly skilled.

They've had to fight alongside Leon a few times —— so they're probably used to it.

However, they seemed reliable to Marie.

Marie wiped the sweat from her face.

(My big brother's friends are also working hard.)

The valuable strength that Leon had prepared at the academy was also useful in this important battle.

Although she had been told that the relationship was bound by contract, from Marie's point of view, it was something more than that —— something like a friendship.

However, even with them around, the situation remains one in which they cannot let our guard down.

Despite their best efforts, the gap in strength will not be easily closed.

Creare's blue eyes flashed.

[Tch! There's a bunch of them coming through.]

The monsters, perhaps sensing a threat, began to swarm Licorne.

Allies move forward to shield Ricorne, but the monsters rush in, ignoring the allied flying battleships.

Outside the window, a monster of more than 20 meters was approaching.

Ange shouts to Creare.

"Intercept!"

[I'm sorry. I can't do it because of the damage from earlier. It'll take 30 seconds to recover. Ah, but it'll be fine. Actually, for times like this——]

It was when it seemed that the interception would not be made in time.

Marie's eyes widen.

"——Eh?"

The approaching large monsters were slashed to pieces with swords.

As it was, it disappeared into black smoke, but there they were, two white armors.

The armor looks similar to Julius's machine, but with some modifications.

There was a decoration on the head that looked like a mask.

The two white armors looked back at Licorne.

"You seem to be in trouble, ladies."

The monitors inside the ship displayed images of people who appeared to be pilots in white armors.

They all wore similar masks.

Ange said to the two of them with a blank look on her face.

"What are you doing?"

The masked men each take a similar pose.

The result is so good it makes you wonder if it was all planned together beforehand.

And at the same time, they open their mouths.

"I am nameless knight. For now, I'd like you to call me the Masked Knight."

"For now I will call myself the Masked Knight."

The two of them said the same thing as Julius.

Marie loses strength and falls to her knees.

(These guys are father and son after aaaall!)

Marie could smell no good from both of them, and she learned the horror of the blood.

However, it seems that the masked knights have only just now become aware of the other's presence.

They face each other and curse at each other.

"Who are you? I'm the masked knight!"

"Who the hell are you? You're copying my outfit that I stayed up all night thinking about!"

Apparently, neither party is aware of the other's true identity, which makes the third party feel indescribably uncomfortable.

"You've got no taste in masks!"

"How dare you! You insulted the mask that even Aare thought to be cool! Stand right there! I'll slash you to pieces!"

The two of them start arguing, while those around them sigh in exasperation.

The masked knights were Roland and Jake.

Livia, with a tired face, took a cold attitude towards the two of them.

"If you are going to disturb us, please leave."

Perhaps saddened by the woman's cold response, Roland was more blatantly upset.

"Y-Young lady? Isn't that a little cold?"

As for Jake, he seems to be devoted to Aare and has no interest in Livia's attitude.

"I'll be laughed at if I go back now. But never mind. I'll fight alongside this guy for now. Don't drag the great me down, you fake masked knight."

When Roland is treated as a fake, he desperately cries out that he is the original.

"I'm the real one! I'm the original! But more importantly, judging from your voice, you sound like a youngster. I'd love to see what your parents look like!"

Jake snaps, unable to forgive the insult to his parents.

"You must be a bad adult, judging from your words and actions, right? Ah, you don't have to reply. I can tell you're a good-for-nothing even without you telling me."

"Y-You damn braaaat"

Ignoring their argument, Creare explains the situation.

[Actually, before we left, they came to me separately for advice. They wanted to participate in this battle, so I lent them a spare suit of armor that Luxion had prepared. But still, it's interesting that father and son dress the same.]

Apparently, Creare is not even involved in the process of dressing up, including masks.

And yet, parents and children have dressed alike.

Marie looks out the window at the two of them fighting.

"Parent and children scare me."

Since Julius is dressed in the same way, Marie is sad to think that he is on the same level as these two.