The spear of ice that Mei shot at Alea to enable her magic sword was evaporated by Claire-sama’s own spear of fire .
“An opening!”
Unphased, Alea continued her rush, swinging her wooden sword at Claire-sama .
“That’s too naive . ”
In one smooth flowing motion, Claire-sama used her magic wand to parry Alea’s wooden sword . She then spun, carrying the momentum into a sweep aimed at Alea’s legs .
Unable to respond to the counter, Alea fell down .
“Alright, that’s enough . Claire-sama, Mei, Alea, let’s take a break . ”
Having clapped my hands, I offered towels and water bottles to the three of them .
They took the towels and wiped their sweat before gulping down some water .
We were at a park in Zurück .
Perhaps because it was currently wartime, there were almost no people .
“Phew… Thanks, Rei . ”
“Thanks, Rei-okaasama . ”
“Thank you . ”
“You’re welcome . You three are putting up quite the effort . ”
Just now, the three were doing combat training to prepare for the coming confrontation .
Though Claire-sama was holding back, Alea was only using a wooden sword, and Mei was only using intermediate magic at most, this training was otherwise meant to be as close to real combat as possible .
In the past, the Apostle had stated that Mei and Alea together already rivaled Dorothea in power, but the two very clearly lacked combat experience .
Though there weren’t many days left, we wanted to do whatever we could, so we started this training .
“Claire-okaasama is strong . ”
“Really is . We were pretty confident about our chances too…”
The twins spoke, split between feelings of praise and disappointment .
Though they were both unmistakably geniuses, their record sparring with Claire-sama was approximately tied .
“If we fought at full strength, Mei and Alea would be stronger . However, please don’t forget that this training isn’t about winning or losing . ”
“Combination, right?”
“It’s clear there are still many ways for Mei and I to improve our teamwork . ”
Mei and Alea would function the best when they are able to operate as one .
Of course, they were both plenty strong as individuals, but as the Apostle said, their true strength could only be utilized if they cooperated .
Specifically the magic sword technique, only possible by combining both of their strengths has been said to work even against Dorothea’s magic nullification .
There’s no way we could pass up on making use of something like that .
The problem is whether or not the two can master it .
The situation in a battle constantly changes, moment to moment .
Enemies go without saying, but allies must also be accounted for when navigating the battlefield .
Though the two learn very quickly, they’re not even 10 .
There will inevitably be a limit .
The reason we’re continuing their training anyway is to raise Mei and Alea’s chances at survival .
Rather than how to defeat enemies, we’ve focused on teaching them how to protect themselves from enemies that come for them .
For that reason, Claire-sama and I have steeled our hearts for this training .
I’d never want to give my own daughters combat training normally, but it’s necessary considering the circumstances .
As I watched the other three reflect on their training session, I couldn’t help but feel ashamed over the situation .
It was then that a voice called out to us .
“Hello Claire . Rei, Mei-chan, and Alea-chan too . ”
“Oh Philine, good afternoon . ”
It was Philine .
It seemed that she came carrying two packages that were both long and thin .
“Philine-sama, hello . ”
“Good afternoon . ”
“Fufu, you’re both good girls for greeting me properly . ”
“Yup!”
“Of course!”
Philine bent over to pat both of their heads .
“Hello Philine, what is it today?”
“Well, I just had a present for these two . ”
“A present? From Philine personally?”
Even if just as a pretense, Philine is the current Empress .
She too should be very busy preparing for the confrontation .
Rather than come see us, I think it would be more natural to summon us to see her .
“I also wanted a change of pace . ”
Though Philine said that with a smile, her face showed visible signs of fatigue .
It’s true that one can only focus for so long before they’ll want to take a break .
“And so, while this isn’t something I’d normally give to children, the circumstances are what they are…”
Prefacing her actions with that, Philine lay the two packages on the ground .
The first was about thirty centimeters long, the other was about double that .
“The short one is for Mei, the long one is for Alea . Please open them . ”
Mei and Alea opened the packages as told .
What was inside was―
“A magic wand!”
“This one is a sword!”
A wand and a sword at lengths that children would be able to use .
“These are…?”
“My mother used them when she was still a child . It’s difficult to find quality children’s wands and swords, right?”
It was exactly as Philine said .
Even in a militaristic nation such as Naa, it wasn’t common for children to fight .
Actually, it could be said that because so much emphasis was placed on military conscription, children didn’t need to worry about fighting .
As a result, though schools have equipment to facilitate learning, it was difficult to find actual weapons that children could use .
“Because mother wasn’t able to use magic herself, the magic wand is as good as new . When we were in the audience of the Pope the other day I asked her to apply her blessing to the weapons as well, so they should work against the demons . ”
“Thanks, Philine-sama!”
Joy filled Mei’s face .
“Mine seems to have seen a lot of use…”
“Sorry, it wasn’t possible to get a new sword . Mother’s sword was specially made using adamantite . However, because of that its performance is guaranteed . It’s light enough for a child to properly use, and except for extreme cases will never break or bend . ”
“Yes, it does seem very easy to use . Thank you so much, Philine-sama . ”
After giving it a light swing, Alea thanked Philine as well .
“But, why…? If these are mementos that Dorothea left behind, shouldn’t you be the one to hold onto them?”
“It was… in her will . ”
“Her will?”
“If something were to happen to her, it stated that wanted these to be given to her apprentice Alea, and her sister Mei . ”
Philine gave a fleeting smile .
“It seems that even at the very end, she was concerned about Alea . How very like her . ”
If she’s saying that, did the will have nothing for Philine?
“Ah, I’ll say it just to be clear, but I’m not jealous of these two or anything . My mother was never great at expressing herself, I know in her own way, she was concerned for me as well . ”
Philine wore a small smile, as if to say that she had only recently realized this .
“Above all, I already received the greatest present of all from my mother . ”
“What’s that?”
“The imperial crown, and the country of Naa . ”
Philine’s face as she said that no longer held any traces of the crybaby she once was .
“I must protect this country that I have inherited from my other . To do that, we must defeat the Demon Queen and demons that have inhabited the capital . It is also for that sake that I give these gifts to Mei-chan and Alea-chan . ”
For a moment Philine’s face was clouded with a complex expression, as if to say that she understood Claire and my own feelings regarding the matter .
“Mei-chan, Alea-chan . Please lend us your strength . We’ll avenge my mother, and bring peace to Naa, no, the entire world . ”
Philine finished and lowered her head in a small bow .
However― .
“Sorry, Philine-sama . ”
“That’s not something we can do . ”
“Eeh!?”
Though things had been proceeding smoothly, Mei and Alea suddenly rejected Philine’s request .
Philine suddenly reverted from Empress mode back to her clumsy mode .
“The only reason Mei and Alea will fight, is for our mothers . ”
“Very sorry, Philine-sama . ”
The two laughed, seemingly without a care .
At times like this, a child’s honesty can be rather cruel .
“I-is that so… Of course it is… hahaha…”
“But . ”
“Yes, but . ”
“?”
Philine urged them to continue with her eyes .
“Mei doesn’t really understand big stuff like world peace very well, but…”
“We were under Dorothea’s care for a while, so we do wish to return that favor . ”
The two finished with a broad smile .
“… Thank you, Mei-chan, Alea-chan . ”
With a tiny sparkle in the corner of her eyes, Philine pulled the two in for a hug .