A Refined Conversation

Lina gave a hearty laugh and gave me a thumbs-up.

"Cool!"

Uh... does this have anything to do with being cool?

I rolled my eyes at the grinning Saintess of War and closed the carriage curtain. I sat back in the steady carriage. Although I could only vaguely feel a slight sensation of forward motion, I knew for certain that the Saint's Carriage was currently advancing.

Inside the carriage, I had once again chosen not to bring Nara. After all, she was not suited for the battlefield.

Outside the carriage, besides the driver Dominica, there was only Ligeia.

The dragon tamer master.

Actually, I hadn't planned on bringing her to the battlefield at first, but after hearing her explain the current situation of the True Dragon Knight Corps, I was forced to bring her along.

The True Dragon Knight Corps had not stopped here to rest. Instead, they would advance slowly along with the magic airships following behind.

The two thousand skysoar dragons were all packed tightly into four of the magic airships.

Of the remaining six ships, one was loaded with various sets of clothing to handle any special environments we might encounter. Of the other five, one was a medical ship, staffed by two-thirds of the people with healing abilities I had gathered from Brilliant City.

The final four ships were entirely filled with supplies.

"Your Highness, are you worried about the supplies?"

Ligeia sat in the carriage. She wasn't particularly curious about this luxurious vehicle. While the Saint's Carriage was indeed the height of luxury for an average person, it wasn't anything too rare for a mage like her.

After all, Ligeia was hundreds of years old. What hadn't she seen?

I nodded. I did have some concerns in that regard.

"It is indeed a bit meager. Although the supplies on those four ships are enough for this army of eighty thousand to last four or five months, an accident on any one of them would have a massive impact on morale."

Ligeia gave a slight smile.

"Your Highness need not worry. With the True Dragon Knight Corps here, we shouldn't suffer too much, at least in aerial combat. And if it really comes down to it, don't you still have me?"

With a gentle smile, Ligeia handed me a cup of tea.

I had noticed she particularly enjoyed drinking tea. No matter the time, she always seemed to have a cup in her hand.

I took the tea and nodded helplessly.

"I suppose that is the only way to look at it for now."

While these airships possessed the powerful ability to ignore terrain when transporting supplies and troops, their own defensive capabilities were too weak.

Due to the size and buoyancy of the magic airships, they couldn't be equipped with mana cannons. This meant the only means of defense on the airships were heavy ballistae.

Specifically, large siege ballistae.

I took a sip of tea and felt my mind settle a bit. I looked up at Ligeia.

"Ligeia, there's actually something I've been quite curious about and wanted to ask you."

"Please, Your Highness. I will tell you everything I know."

Ligeia showed no intention of refusing my question.

I nodded and pondered for a moment before asking.

"Ligeia, you said before that you didn't like battlefields and disliked conflict even more. You told me straight out that you didn't want to go to war, and I didn't intend to force you. But why this time... did you agree immediately without any hesitation or refusal?"

Looking at Ligeia's face, I was curious why she had made this choice. She had clearly stated her hatred for war at the beginning, yet when I spoke, she had agreed without a second thought.

This was something I had been wondering about since we set out.

I had originally expected her to refuse, so I had been prepared to take the two thousand uncoordinated members of the True Dragon Knight Corps and do my best to gamble on our chances.

Ligeia's eyes widened upon hearing this, appearing surprised that I would ask such a question. Then, she covered her mouth with her hand and let out a soft laugh.

"Pfft... Haha... Your Highness, how could you think of such a thing? Is this really something a monarch should be considering?"

I looked up at her in confusion.

"Is this not something a monarch should think about?"

Ligeia smiled slightly.

"Of course not. As a monarch, you should simply give orders. You don't need to seek the consent of your subordinates. But that's not the point, and perhaps it simply doesn't suit you."

She looked up and gazed at me, as if re-evaluating her king.

The sound of trickling water echoed as she refilled a cup of tea and pushed it toward me.

"Please have some tea, Your Highness. I will explain it to you while you drink."

"Thank you."

I thanked her out of habit, but Ligeia just shook her head and smiled.

I didn't quite understand her attitude. I gazed at her with a slight frown, waiting for an explanation.

Ligeia unhurriedly poured herself a cup, took a small sip, and then pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Since Your Highness wishes to know, I shall explain it to you piece by piece."

She held up one finger.

"Your Highness currently has two doubts. First, why I agreed so readily to accompany you on this expedition."

I nodded like a chick pecking at grain. This was my biggest doubt and the thing I wanted to know most.

Then, she held up a second finger.

"Second, Your Highness wants to know why I was laughing just now."

Uh... yeah.

I nodded, admitting she was right.

Ligeia looked slightly hesitant as she toyed with the teacup in her hand. She thought for a moment before speaking.

"Your Highness is correct. I do indeed detest war and dislike conflict even more. That is why I ultimately chose the profession of a mage. A mage tower is enough to keep all disputes far away from me."

I watched her slender fingers play with the crystal cup. Whether the cup was floating in the air or pressed against her finger, it acted like an obedient child, allowing itself to be manipulated.

"However, since I chose to come out and help you, I will naturally do my best to look out for your interests. To be sure, I told you my thoughts from the very beginning. Because of that, you likely established a bottom line in your heart."

I frowned slightly, vaguely guessing Ligeia's true thoughts.

Ligeia smirked.

"As expected, talking to a clever person like Your Highness saves a lot of breath. Yes, I told you I didn't like war, so in your heart, in order to keep me around, you would certainly maintain a bottom line. Unless it was absolutely necessary, you would never use me on the battlefield."

She stood up and walked to a nearby bookshelf. She picked up a book at random, glanced through it, and then put it back with a look of disdain, clearly not liking it.

"However, there is a special exception to this bottom line. Unless it is the last resort, Your Highness will not make me go to the battlefield. Just as before, when you wanted to exterminate the demon race in the northeast region, you would not speak of it unless it was a final necessity."

Finding nothing she liked on the bookshelf, she turned her gaze to a nearby display rack.

Although this era had all sorts of magic, antiques were still a type of luxury pursued by nobles.

This Saint's Carriage was equivalent to a small temple. The treasures that could be displayed in a temple were naturally not ordinary items.

She looked around and picked up a silver chain hanging from a hand-shaped stand. After weighing it in her hand, she returned to my side.

"So, when Your Highness spoke up, I didn't have any hesitation. Because I knew that you were also forced by necessity. If there were any other way, you certainly wouldn't have used me on the battlefield."

She placed the silver bracelet in front of me.

"Are you satisfied with this answer?"

Yes, I was very satisfied. I should say I was more than satisfied.

Before, I had been worried that forcing her on this expedition would make her resentful and lead her to leave in secret. Now, I could rest much easier.

"Thank you."

"Your Highness need not be so formal. The second answer is quite simple. You are different from any monarch I have ever seen. Although you hold a high position, you are so peaceful toward everyone. Whether it is an ordinary little nun or a mage like me, when you face us, it is as if we are on equal footing."

"Then what you were laughing at was..."

"I was laughing because I chose a good monarch."

This flattery really was comfortable to hear.

People with an education really are different.

"By the way, Your Highness, try this. You might not have noticed, but this is a protective mana tool."

After saying this, she seemed to realize a mistake in her wording and quickly corrected herself.

"Oh no, I should say it is an ancient artifact."

"Ancient artifact? Mana tool?"

I looked at her in surprise and instinctively focused my gaze on the silver bracelet.

"Yes, an ancient artifact. These are items left over from an era over a thousand years ago, before the Holy Church was founded. Almost all of them are called ancient artifacts. This is what is recorded in history. As for why they are called that, I am not entirely sure. If you are interested, you can ask Camilla when you return."

As she spoke, she raised her hand to reveal a red bracelet on her wrist.

The bracelet appeared transparent, but there was a faint shimmer of emerald green flowing within it.

"Like the one on my hand, this is an ancient artifact. It is a tool that can store one's own mana elements and then quickly extract them for use. I used it when mapping out the massive space magic above the clouds. Otherwise, my own element storage wouldn't have been enough to support such a large spell."

Ligeia continued to explain.

"As for mana tools, it is quite simple. During the process of human history being rewritten after the founding of the Holy Church, many of the crafting methods for ancient artifacts were lost. Therefore, the mana tools of the past thousand years are much less powerful than ancient artifacts. Thus, they are collectively called mana tools."

"Among them, almost all races on the continent have very few records. After all, ancient artifacts were a technology unique to humans. Although humans were not strong and had short lifespans, they loved to tinker with strange things. A thousand years ago, humans relied on this technology to stand at the peak of the continent and compete with other races."

Ancient artifacts... and mana tools?

This was a truly interesting setting. I suddenly became curious about what kind of life humans lived a thousand years ago.

According to Ligeia, the functionality of these ancient artifacts far exceeded that of mana tools. Could ancient artifacts have replaced electronic devices?

Perhaps a thousand years ago, there really were similar things, but they were lost in the river of history during the two-hundred-year war with the demon race.

"Then, are there any similar technologies that have been passed down around us?"

Ligeia answered with a smile.

"There are some, but they aren't replicated very perfectly."

"What things?"

"Mana cannons."

Mana cannons?

No wonder. In this era, I always felt that mana cannons were a revolutionary piece of equipment.

The strange thing was that devices like mana cannons, which were similar to laser cannons, would appear in the same period as heavy ballistae, and both were still in use.

It was like using cannons and slingshots in the same war, giving a very strong sense of disparity.

Now, this doubt finally explained why such a situation existed.

"Then are mana cannons considered a lost technology?"

"Not entirely. A part of the technology for mana cannons was passed down, but some important parts were lost."

While Ligeia and I were talking, there was a knock on the door. Lina didn't even ask if she could come in before opening the door and entering.

She spoke as she walked in.

"I'm coming in~"

With the conversation suddenly interrupted, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at this irreverent Saintess of War.

"Could you not say that after you've already come in?"

"Mm, I got it."

Lina nodded and gave a casual reply, clearly not taking my words to heart. Then, she looked at Ligeia and me with curiosity.

"What are you two talking about? You look so serious."

"We were talking about things from a thousand years ago."

"Really? I heard that the war with the demon race a thousand years ago lasted for over two hundred years. Is that true?"

As she spoke, she sat down beside me without being asked. Seeing her act so familiar, I could only shake my head helplessly.

However, as the strongest combat force in the entire army, a bit of pride and disregard for the rules was an honor Lina had earned.

I wouldn't hold it against her...

"That's my dessert!!"

"Eh? There's still plenty left~"

"I was planning to save that for the very end!!"

"Sorry, it's gone. Look, I swallowed it. Ah~"

As she spoke, she opened her mouth, letting me see clearly that the piece of dessert was no longer among her rows of small white teeth.

This girl... should I say she's reckless or just naive?

Although she was likely older than me, her temperament was just too young.

Seventeen or eighteen?

No, no, a normal seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl is quite mature. From her current performance, I could only label her as a nine-year-old.

Whatever, it was just a piece of dessert. There was no need to bicker with her.

Well... I'd have to find a way to make her give up more gold coins later. Not for the dessert!

But for my innocent, dead floor!

The conversation naturally began to broaden. From the initial discussion of the war a thousand years ago to recent civil affairs, I kept asking questions, and Ligeia continued to share what she knew.

Lina, on the other hand, could hardly get a word in. She was the Saintess of War, and the Kingdom of the Highlands had its own monarch. She didn't need to worry about administrative affairs at all. And so... she just sat there with wide eyes, listening blankly to things she didn't understand.

From time to time, she would pick up a piece of dessert and stuff it into her mouth, nodding along as if she actually understood.

But from her vacant gaze, I knew... out of ten sentences, she didn't understand nine, and the last one she only half-understood.