Published at 17th of August 2019 9:14 am

Volume 19, Chapter 3: The Magical Kingdom of Folsaria

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Saturday, September 18

A few days after Crimson had been captured, she would be moved to Folsaria after careful planning had been made. The majority of the preparations concerned Folsaria's, or more accurately, Rainbow Heart's, reception of Crimson and her imprisonment. They had to make plans for all kinds of incidents that might occur when holding one of Darkness Rainbow's leaders.

Yurika was in charge of the transportation. She was technically one of Rainbow Heart's strongest seven, an arc-wizard. It was only natural that she would end up as becoming the person in charge on site. That Yurika in question was currently having a meeting with the transportation team from Folsaria at the safe house.

“...Koutarou, do you really think we'll be okay with Yurika in charge?”

Sanae-chan stopped packing her own backpack and anxiously looked at Yurika's back. It wasn't unreasonable for someone who knew Yurika to be anxious about her being in charge.

“Y-You can't say that, Sanae-chan! That's rude!”

Sanae-san, the personality that had taken place in in Sanae's body, reprimanded Sanae-chan, but in the end they were the same person. Sanae-san was also worried about Yurika being in charge.

“Don't worry. Yurika at times like this will be fine”

However, Koutarou wasn't worried about Yurika in the slightest. Yurika could be trusted when it really mattered. Koutarou's experience up until now told him that.

“That's not the face you make when you say something will be fine”

While Koutarou had said things would be fine, he seemed somewhat in a bad mood. Sanae-chan who was only half-attached to her body could clearly sense that.

“Uhm, Sanae-chan, Koutarou-san doesn't like situations that make Yurika become serious”

”Hmm, that's pretty complicated, Koutarou”

”...It's not like it's just Yurika”

Koutarou wasn't just looking at Yurika, but all of the girls of room 106. Since moving Crimson would be dangerous, Koutarou and the nine girls plus the Rainbow Heart transfer team would be escorting her. None of the girls had their usual cheerful demeanor because they knew this was a big part of the upcoming battle.

“Koutarou is worried about us?”

Having realized Koutarou's feelings, Sanae-chan smiled. She happily flew around Koutarou. Sanae-san was happy too of course, but her display of emotions were different from Sanae-chan's, as she blushed slightly instead.

“I'm not worried. Everyone's strong after all”

”Then, you don't like us fighting?”

“Yeah, that's right”

He no longer had any intentions to hide it. Koutarou loved the sight of the girls shining under daylight. He didn't want to see them dirtied from fighting.

“So the truth is you want to go alone, huh”

”Well, yeah. But... I know that's not possible”

“You don't like that you're weak, do you, Koutarou-san?”

”Yeah, in the end it all comes down to that”

Koutarou said as he smiled wryly towards Sanae-san. It was just like she said. If Koutarou was strong enough, the girls wouldn't have to fight. However, his strength was given to him from all of the other girls. With his power alone, he couldn't protect anyone, which Koutarou himself didn't like.

“Koutarou, let me tell you something good”

Sanae-chan floated up in front of Koutarou.

“Hm?”

When Koutarou looked up, he saw a huge smile on Sanae-chan's face.

“Playing pretend heroes is fun because it's pretend”

That was Sanae's way of cheering him up. The two Sanae's had different ways of expressing their feelings, but they had one mind.

“A real hero has it hard”

“Playing pretend heroes is fun because you have a home to return to. Kabutonga didn't have a home to return too, right?”

If there were real heroes in this world, their families would get attacked by the enemy. That's why the heroes had to hide their identities or leave their families. Kabutonga, who Sanae gave as an example, had no family. Because he was completely alone, there was no worries of his family getting attacked. The circumstances were about the same as real life special forces.

Koutarou had a home to return to. In it, were countless smiles, awaiting his return. If Koutarou really obtained the ultimate strength, attacking the owners of those smiles was far easier than attacking Koutarou. However, Koutarou's identity had already been revealed, so he couldn't hide his identity nor was there any meaning in leaving his home. That's why everyone in that home needed to be as strong as Koutarou. And if they were all just as strong, the safest way was to work together to solve their problems right away. In other words, Koutarou couldn't become a hero.

At best, Koutarou could dream of playing pretend hero. Pretend heroes didn't have their homes attacked, and once the sun set they could stop fighting and they were freed from their ties. Of course, a real enemy would play along with pretend heroes. They'd attack their homes and would continue even after the sun set.

“... So my wish is playing pretend hero, huh... the two of you are so strict...”

Koutarou smiled wryly at the two. He thought they were right. Koutarou only wanted the convenient parts of being a hero. He didn't want to look at the more inconvenient parts.

“Didn't I say so before? If you leave me behind again I'll put you in a scorpion lock. Take me with you too, out of love...”

“Just like we share happiness, we should share unhappiness too. This isn't a pretend relationship...”

Sanae-chan showed a boastful smile and leaned back. The kind Sanae-san sympathized with Koutarou. Seeing those two, Koutarou felt tension leave his soldiers. Changing gears right away was difficult, but he knew they were right.

“Thanks, you two”

Thanks to the two Sanaes, Koutarou's expression returned to his normal one. Seeing that, the two merged into one and presented their head to Koutarou.

“Then pat me all you want”

When being patted, having only one head was more convenient.

“Okay, okay”

”Spoil me even more”

It was also more convenient when hugging Koutarou. Not satisfied with just having her head patted, Sanae wrapped her arms around Koutarou and hugged him.

“... I am always in your debt, lady Sanae”

“I'm changing over to my other self, so be even more intense!”

”Okay, okay”

“... U-uhm, I'm sorry, Koutarou-san...”

”It's fine”

Koutarou hugged Sanae with one hand and patted her head with his other. As he did, he thought Sanae might be feeling a little anxious too.

Part 2

It was only reasonable that Sanae would feel anxious. Not because Yurika was in charge, but because moving Crimson was dangerous. Moving from the safe house in Kitsushouharukaze city to the passage leading to Folsaria was no problem as they'd just use the Blue Knight, but the problem was from there on. They would go to somewhere they had never been before, and there was a chance they'd get attacked by the enemy. Even if they were told about the magical kingdom of Folsaria beforehand, they were still uneasy. The anxiety regarding Yurika was nothing compared to this.

“Bertorion, there doesn't seem to be any disconnect here”

”Which means, that the passage really leads to a different world, huh”

”So it would. Really, anything goes with magic, doesn't it...”

The passage leading to the magical kingdom of Folsaria was placed in the suburbs of Kitsushouharukaze city where the population was less. This was a permanent passage made from powerful magic, and as long as permission was granted, one could travel back and forth between Folsaria and Kitsushouharukaze city. Because permanent passages like these were often targeted for their strategic value, both Rainbow Heart and Darkness Rainbow tended to set them up in places out of the public eye.

This passage lead to a different world where Folsaria was, but the passage worked similarly to the gate Theia and the others used to travel between the Blue Knight and room 106. However, there was one different point between this and the transportation gate. That was that the destination could be seen through the passage. Moving through the Blue Knight's transfer gate was done by walking through a glowing wall, but magical passage was like walking through a normal passage. The entrance and exit were connected through magic. As a result the other side could be seen, and a cable could be pulled through the passage. The transfer gate Forthorthe used couldn't do this much. It was only logical that Clan would be amazed.

“By the way, Clan-san, why are you drawing a wire?”

Shizuka looked at Clan working and tilted her head in confusion. She couldn't understand why Clan would do that since she used wireless for everything.

“Radio waves or gravitational waves won't reach all the way to another world, so I'm pulling a cable to create a relay station on the Folsaria side”

Clan said as she showed off a metallic box. This was a homemade relay device with cables and gears peaking out, that would be set up in Folsaria with a cable drawn to a relay in Kitsushouharukaze city to allow for communication and transportation.

“Ah, cellphones have something like that too. The things you leave where its hard to get signal, like underground”

“Yes, that's right”

Fortunately, Shizuka knew of something similar, so she could understand its meaning. She then began helping Clan.

“Then I only need to connect this box with this cable right?”

“Please do, Shizuka”

“Okay”

Clan was setting up a relay station because of the chances that they would be attacked. In other words, because she was feeling uneasy. Sanae wasn't the only one feeling uneasy. Of course, the other girls felt the same.

“If this place is attacked, Theia-dono and the others will lose their strong point. Work together with the people from Rainbow Heart and protect this place. If it seems difficult, contact me”

“Understood, Kiriha-sama! We will protect this place with our lives”

“I'm counting on you”

Kiriha had brought her own subordinates with her. Their mission was to protect this passage and relay station. If they failed, they would lose Theia's and the others unlimited offensive power. In preparation of that risk, they were bringing equipment and weapons over to the Folsaria side, but they wouldn't be able to use their usual flashy attacks. Protecting this place was a vital mission.

On top of that, Kiriha had left troops in room 106 as well. Rainbow Heart's magical girls stationed in other regions also converged with these troops and there was no fear of room 106 being lost in an instant.

“... By the way, Maki-san, will you really be alright going to Rainbow Heart's base?”

Harumi was worried about something different. She was worried about Maki's safety, as she had been a former member of Darkness Rainbow. Won't she be caught if she went with them to Folsaria. It was only natural she worried about that. Because of that, Harumi whispered to Maki so that the Rainbow Heart members around couldn't hear.

“... I will be okay. It seems like the negotiations went well. Besides, I'm wearing this collar. Thank you for worrying about me, Sakuraba-san”

Maki smiled and whispered back to Harumi.

“I'm glad...”

Hearing that, Harumi seemed to be relieved.

The truth was that they had already come to terms with the upper echelon of Rainbow Heart. While it was true that Maki had been part of Darkness Rainbow, in exchange for working together with Rainbow Heart, she would receive immunity. They were after Maki's talent and information. On top of that, the fake collar also made the upper echelon feel at ease. Koutarou and the others knew that there was no way Maki would betray them, but they needed a guarantee for others to believe it. That guarantee was the collar, that was supposed to restrain her freedom. Currently, Maki was officially being considered Yurika's captive. As long as she continued to cooperate, her freedom was guaranteed. However, on site, her being Dark Navy might affect morale, so it was being concealed. As a result, there was no one in Rainbow Heart that felt hostility towards Maki. If anything, Theia and Kiriha were being suspected far more.

“Your Highness, it's about time”

”Hm, men, are you prepared?”

Hearing Ruth's report, Theia stood up and looked around. She was already wearing her Combat Dress. However, she wasn't wearing her usual heavy firepower Assault Red. There was a chance that the cable for the relay station was cut, so she was wearing a different accessory, the Command Green.

As the name suggests, Command Green was used for commanding. It enhanced functions that had an impact on command, such as information gathering. In exchange, it was equipped with weapons that consumed less energy or bullets. Taking the cable being cut off into consideration, this was the optimal equipment. Theia wouldn't underestimate her foes.

“It seems everyone is ready”

Ruth confirmed that everyone was ready and changed the system mode of her own armor from standby mode to cruise mode. Ruth was wearing an armor designed for combat. Just like with Koutarou's armor, it enhanced her strength, but it was more focused on its defensive properties, on top of that, it made it easier for her to control her automatic weaponry. In other words, this was an armor made on the assumption that Ruth's movements would dull when controlling the automatic weapons. Her fighting style was based on controlling several automatic weapons equipped with beam swords.

“Good, then Yurika, your briefing before we leave”

“Yes”

Yurika moved to the front of the group on Theia's request. On top of Koutarou and the others, there were also Rainbow Heart and People of the Earth here. In total there were a couple of dozen people gathered. Without flinching from being stared at by so many, she boldly stood in front of everyone.

“Our mission today is to transfer the Darkness Rainbow leader, Dark Crimson, to Rainbow Heart's base in Folsaria”

Her voice was steady, and she didn't show any hint of her usual timid personality. As a result, even though she was wearing her usual magical girl outfit, she gave off a completely different impression. An arc-wizard of Rainbow Heart was without a doubt standing there.

“However, don't think this is just a normal transportation. The success or failure of this mission will affect the outcome of our future battle. Do not underestimate this mission”

Yurika continued her briefing. She looked like someone worthy of being in charge of many lives. However, as Koutarou watched her he couldn't help but feel impatient.

Many lives are at stake, so this is fine. But this... this doesn't suit Yurika...

Considering the importance of the mission, Yurika keeping it together was a good thing. But the girl known as Nijino Yurika's personality was completely unsuitable for fighting. She was only acting like she was right now because she had to. If anything, she was forcing herself. That's why Koutarou wanted to be of her help, and pulled her out of the situation she was in as quickly as possible. As a result, Koutarou was getting motivated, so in effect, Yurika's briefing gave everyone motivation.

“... Expect all kinds of problems and difficulties. But don't let your guard down, even in the very end, don't give up when faced with difficulties, work together with your allies and complete your mission please... Then let's begin the mission! Good luck everyone!”

Once Yurika's briefing ended everyone began moving at the same time. Everyone understood their own role. If they wanted to protect the lives of many, now was the time to act.

Part 3

Folsaria's sky was a little greener than Kitsushouharukaze city's was, the atmosphere was different and there were also all kinds of plans that the group had never seen before. As a result, Koutarou and the others really felt like this was a different world from the moment they set foot on the ground.

“So this is the magical kingdom of Folsaria”

Koutarou looked around his vicinity. Around him was a dense forest, and Koutarou was standing in front of stone building that had been built in a glade. This building was the exit of the passage leading to Folsaria.

What is this, I feel like I've seen this building before...

To most people, this building was just as unfamiliar as their surroundings. But Koutarou felt a sense of déjà vu instead and tilted his head. He'd never been to Folsaria before, but he felt like he had seen something similar before.

”This is interesting, Blue Knight”

”What is?”

But before he could scan his memory, Alunaya who resided within Shizuka, called out to him and Koutarou's attention drifted from his own thoughts. In the end he decided to forget about it, assuming he had seen something like it in a movie or something.

”Magical power is far more concentrated her than on Earth”

”Then does that mean my weight―!?”

”It's currently rapidly decreasing”

“Alright!!”

Not only was there a difference in sight and atmosphere, but the magical power here was far more condensed. The natural magical power that existed in this world was abundant and magicians could recover their magical power faster than in Kitsushouharukaze city. As a result, Alunaya was rapidly recovering the magical power he had spent during the battle the other day. At this rate, it wouldn't even take a day before Shizuka returned to her ideal weight.

“Then can you use some amazing spell?”

Koutarou imagined Alunaya's plasma breath becoming even more powerful. It would be such an overwhelming force that it could probably evaporate anything.

”No, the potency of my magic won't change. Just like how a person can't drink more water just because there's a lake next to him”

“I see...”

”Of course, since I don't need to hold back, the power might go up a little bit”

But sadly, the power of Alunaya's magic wouldn't change. The amount of magical power that could be manipulated depended on the skill of the magician, and that didn't change between here and Earth. Of course, his fire power would increase in the sense that he could waste more magical power and fire repeatedly, but that didn't mean the very potency itself would increase.

“What's important is that my weight is returning to normal!! Ahh, if I had known I would have come to this place sooner!!”

Shizuka was currently weighing in at 98 kilos. She wanted to return to weighing around 40, so Yurika was rejoiced with this situation.

“But... the denseness of this magical power is directly connected with people wanting to freely use magic”

Contrary to the rejoicing Shizuka, Maki was a little sad. Because magical power recovered so quickly here, magic could be used more often in Folsaria than on Earth. As a result, the amount of spells a single magician could cast increased exponentially. And that was the start of this tragedy.

Hearing Maki's words, Crimson who was restrained by handcuffs and rope laughed. All she could do in her current situation was laugh and talk.

“Even if you say that, this small country would have fallen into ruins without magic. We can't live without using magic”

The ground in Folsaria wasn't very fertile, so the people had to rely on magic to survive. Because of that, position and income was influenced by the strength of ones magic. There was a large social gap between someone who could use magic and someone who couldn't. Because of that, it would of course cause the rise of people who misused magic. In other words, the abundant magical power and severe environment gave birth to Darkness Rainbow.

“It doesn't have to be like that now. The time to discard the too strong power is coming”

”Rainbow, I'm surprised you can say something like that when you can manipulate so much magic”

Crimson opposed Yurika's words, but she obediently entered the vehicle prepared for them in front of the building. She knew that it was pointless opposing with more than just words.

Part 4

The car was widespread in the magical kingdom of Forthorthe. This was their own car which Folsaria had made using the cars on Earth as reference. Since Folsaria was pretty inferior in terms of technology when compared to Earth, many of the functions relied on magic in order to make the car move. The engine used magic, and magical power was its fuel. Because rare earth metals couldn't be found in Folsaria, magic had to be used to make for it.

As a result, Folsaria's cars were on the same level as the cars on Earth was several decades ago. But on the other hand it had its own merits. It didn't exhaust carbon dioxide, it was pollution free and the engine was quiet. They were cars that didn't have a negative impact on the environment.

Koutarou and the others got on those mysterious cars and headed towards the capital of the magical kingdom of Folsaria, Thorthe. Koutarou and the others split up into three cars. Shizuka with the highest survival ability, Sanae with her ability to detect danger and Clan were in the front car. In the second car was Crimson, Maki who had known Crimson for a long time, Theia who could forcibly keep Crimson restrained and the quick witted Kiriha. The remaining four was in the last car, being Koutarou and Harumi who worked effectively together, Ruth who was in charge of information and the commander, Yurika. It was a good balance to respond to various situations.

“It looks like we'll safely be able to reach the city”

Harumi showed a smile of relief when she could see the city through the windshield. They had already made most of their travel and were almost at their destination. They were already too close to the city for Darkness Rainbow to launch an attack.

“It's probably thanks to Kiriha-san”

Koutarou smiled back at Harumi. The truth was that Kiriha had taken measures against Dark Green's future forecast. That measure was preparing several routes, and a die. Just as they were about to leave, Kiriha rolled the die and chose the route. As a result, the route used to move Crimson became a matter of probability, and because it was made just before they departed, they couldn't rely on the forecast to launch an ambush.

In this situation the best way for Darkness Rainbow to ambush was to set up in a favorable geographic area and wait. With the possibility of each route being chosen being equal, waiting in ambush was the highest chance to reclaim Crimson. Of course, that is if Darkness Rainbow was aiming to recapture Crimson.

“... We can't let our guard down yet. The place where the chances are 50/50 is just up ahead”

Unlike Koutarou and Harumi, Yurika's expression was still stiff. As they approached the city, the routes began merging, and in the end they ended in either the northern or southern gate. Rainbow Heart's base was nearby, so attacking Koutarou and the others this close to the city was incredibly dangerous, but considering Darkness Rainbow's ability, they couldn't disregard that possibility.

“You're right, sorry Yurika”

“I'm sorry, Yurika-san”

“No...”

Yurika wasn't blaming Koutarou and Harumi, and turned to look out the window of the car. What was important right now, was if Darkness Rainbow were outside or not.

If Yurika is being this cautious, Dark Green might avoid attacking... but if I tell Yurika that the chances of them attacking instead might increase... future forecasts really are a pain...

Koutarou thought to himself as he looked outside the window as well. The car was just about approaching the urban area.

“...Clan, can you hear me?”

”What is it, Theiamillis-san?”

That was when Clan and Theia began speaking through their bracelets. Since the tone was calm, Koutarou listened in without a worry.

“Could you take a look outside the car?”

”Outside...? Why?”

“Well... I was just thinking that the cityscape looked similar to Forthorthe”

“To Forthorthe?”

Clan was operating the unmanned scout flying in the air but interested in Theia's words, she looked up. Outside was Folsaria's capital, Thorthe.

“...You're right. But more accurately, it resembles the ruins from over 1000 years ago”

“So you think so too?”

”Yes. What an interesting coincidence”

The topic interested Koutarou.

Ruins from over a thousand years ago?

Since they only just entered the urban area, Koutarou hadn't noticed, but after listening to the two he turned his attention towards the buildings, and when he did, they did indeed feel similar to buildings in Forthorthe. And it wasn't the Forthorthe 20 years into the past, but the Forthorthe 2000 years into the past.

I see, so that's why I felt like I had seen it before...

This was the reason for the déjà vu that Koutarou had felt at the exit to Folsaria. The architecture was similar to Forthorthe's, so that's why he felt like he had seen it before.

“By the way, there are similar cities to this on Earth too”

”Kii, in similar climates and environments, there are typical designs that will appear”

”I'd like more originality in alien civilizations... how regrettable”

However, Koutarou and the others thought of this as nothing more than a coincidence. They didn't look that similar, and besides, the group had other things to think about right now. They still weren't done moving Crimson.

Part 5

In the end, the attack Yurika was on the lookout for never happened. Koutarou and the others safely reached Rainbow Heart's base without any incident.

Rainbow Heart had a total of eight bases within the capital of Thorthe. They spread out in a way to protect the capital. The were seven bases, like the seven colors, in a circle around the city, and the headquarters was in the center of the capital, next to the palace. This formation was based on Rainbow Heart's motto, the center of the rainbow.

Koutarou and the others moved Crimson to one of the outer seven bases, the Blue Tower. They couldn't leave a terrorist like Crimson right next to the palace, and so she would be placed in one of the outer bases.

This Blue Tower was the base for the Blue Magic Division, and Yurika was the highest ranking member of it. Apart from the base commander, there was noone on this base that Yurika couldn't order around. As a result, when Yurika entered the base, people saluted her one after another. In the past she had felt embarrassed by that, but she showed no signs of that now. Her strong sense of purpose made her forget about it. Upon entering the tower's entrance hall, Yurika was greeted by an old woman. She walked up to the old woman and saluted. This was someone that Yurika had to salute.

“Kaera-sama, Nijino Yurika has returned from the Dark Crimson transfer mission”

“Good work, Rainbow”

The old woman returned Yurika's salute and nodded. This old woman named Kaera was the base commander. The base commander was also a civil officer, and had a position similar to an elder. There was as many elders as there were bases, and together they held the elder meetings. They were the supreme decision-making body in Folsaria. That's why she was one of the outstanding VIPs in Folsaria.

“Well done on completing your mission”

”It wasn't just my strength alone. It was thanks to my friends and the soldiers”

Yurika loved Kaera. She always had a kind smile on her face and guided Yurika on a proper path. That's why Yurika adored her like her grandmother.

“You have some good companions”

“Yes!...But Kaera-sama, we will have to talk later. I still haven't fully completed my mission”

“Ah, right. I apologize for getting in your way”

”Once my mission is over I will return to make my report”

”I will be waiting”

Yurika loved Kaera, but she was unfortunately not in a situation where could chat with her yet. She still had to deliver Crimson to her cell. So Yurika saluted once more and turned her back on her, heading towards the entrance hall's exit.

“Looking at the results, it seems Nana's decision was correct...”

Kaera muttered to herself as she looked at Yurika taking Crimson away. When Nana had nominated Yurika as her successor Kaera had objected. No matter how she looked at it, Yurika wasn't the type of girl to fight. But this was the results. Yurika stood at the front of many companions, and splendidly carried out her mission. Seeing this unexpected result, Kaera felt like this was the coming of a new age.

“And that is the Blue Knight...”

Next, Kaera's eyes stopped on Koutarou who was walking next to Yurika. She had already received a report on Koutarou and the others. Ever since she had received that report, Kaera had always been interested in Koutarou. Koutarou's appearance and fighting style was very similar to the Arbiter that appeared in the legends made known only to the elders.

“...I don't believe that he is the Arbiter, but... a very similar knight has appeared before the decisive battle against Darkness Rainbow... surely this is fate...”

Kaera felt fate as she stared at Koutarou walking next to Yurika. In the legends, there was a magician alongside the Arbiter as well. Kaera prayed that this fate became reality. Because it wouldn't just save Folsaria, but the lives of many more.

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