“Himari, you must lead the people to escape.”

Himari, my younger sister, is still just a child. I told her of the decision Father and I had made, that it was too early for her to die for the duty of the royal family.

“Big sister! What are you saying? I am also a member of the Amuria royal family. I will stay here and fight!”

“No, Himari, you have a mission to survive and pass on the story of Father and me. Besides, it would be too sad if no one from the family remains for Ranelle, right? You’re taking on the most unfortunate role.”

“That’s… not fair…”

Still wanting to argue, Himari was cut off by our father, the king, who unusually spoke in a strong tone.

“Himari! This is a royal command! I will not allow any refusal!!”

It wasn’t fear of the harsh tone that made Himari break into tears. Rather, it was the realization that Father cared deeply for her.

There were ten large ride hovers for the people of the Amuria royal family, accompanied by two escort magic machines. They were instructed to flee toward the canyon ahead. I gave Himari a letter for Ranelle and put her on one of the ride hovers.

We had to minimize the sacrifices. After leaving only the bare minimum crew, we sent everyone else to escape on the ride hovers. The only ones remaining were the eight riders of the combat magic machines, Father, and a few crew members.

All we could do now was buy time. That was when I sensed something was terribly wrong. A strong sense of unease washed over me. I looked around to identify the source of this feeling, and then I realized.

The number of enemies had decreased… I suddenly noticed the pursuing forces were significantly fewer. As I pondered the reason, I understood we had made a huge mistake.

“Himari and the others are in danger!”

The enemy had split their forces to avoid detection, taking a large detour around the canyon to flank us. The worst-case scenario flashed through my mind: Himari and the others would run into that detached force. I immediately abandoned the current position and rushed to help them. If we continued like this, we would be caught between the enemy’s main force and their detached unit, but there was no time to think about that.

It was then that a loud explosion echoed. There was no weapon on Himari’s ride hover capable of making such a sound. This meant it was clear Himari’s group had been attacked. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. I hadn’t imagined that the Himari I was trying to save would fall into such a dire situation.

The explosions continued one after another, and with each sound, a sharp pain shot through my chest. Father seemed to be in a similar state, his face pale and trembling.

At last, we caught up to Himari’s group. What we found was the ride hover carrying Himari and the citizens, along with the enemy’s detached force. But the enemy’s ride carriers were in smoke, destroyed.

“What’s going on?”

Not only that, but several of the enemy’s magic machines were scattered, destroyed. There were too many for the two escorting magic machines to have taken down alone.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed unfamiliar magic machines and ride carriers apart from Himari’s group and the enemy’s detachment. It seemed they had been saved by these newcomers. I didn’t fully understand the situation, but seeing that Himari was safe brought me genuine relief.