The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War

"Eeehhh?! Wh-why do you two look like that…?!" Eris screamed the moment she saw Inglis and Rafinha.

"I was trying to modify an Artifact, but I think I failed, and its Gift went haywire."

"A-are you okay…?"

"I am. Being a child is not bad once in a while, and it's pretty fun too. I mean, look at Rani. Isn't she just adorable?"

"W-well, if it's about adorableness… so are you. So, this is how you look as a child, huh?"

"Thank you very much. And so, can I ask why you are here, Miss Eris? Are you perhaps hired as a mercenary or a surrogate for someone else to fight me?! Then let's get down to combat right away!"

"I'm not! Why would I…!"

"…I don't mind if you're facing me as a suitor yourself!"

"D-don't be stupid…! If-if I win, you'd have to marry me, wouldn't you…?! Th-there's no way that's okay…!"

Eris seemed quite worked up compared to her usual demeanor.

"Well, we can sort that kind of thing out later, so for now, let's have a match…!"

"W-we can't…!"

"Okay, Glis! Stop troubling Miss Eris!"

Rafinha intervened, stopping Inglis from pursuing Eris further.

"Well then, what brings you here, Miss Eris?"

"A-ah, yes… I am here to convey a request from the royal family."

““A request from the royal family…?!””

Both Irina and Selena raised their voices in surprise.

"Yes, they wish to forgo the talks of marriage for Inglis and Rafinha, it seems."

"Eeehh…?!"

"The royal family requested that…?!"

"The assassination attempt against His Majesty Charleas, the Venefian army's raid on the royal capital, and lastly, but not least, the revival of Prisma… In such a short period of time, too many major events have occurred in the kingdom. During this time when domestic policies have not yet been finalized, the political impact of their marriage is too significant. If, for example, an influential noble family who won their hand in marriage insisted that Venefique should be invaded in retaliation, public opinion would heavily lean in that direction. That's how prestigious they are right now."

Eris explained the situation to Irina and Selena.

““I-I see…”” The two sisters looked at each other and nodded, their expressions tense.

"In order to avoid any unnecessary repercussions, as I mentioned earlier, the royal family wishes to forgo the prospect of marriage. They have obtained the consent of Marquis Wilford and Knight Commander Ryuk, as well as notifying the various parties that have sent their marriage proposals. For that reason, no suitors are supposed to come. I apologize for the after-the-fact nature of this."

Eris politely bowed her head towards Irina and Selena.

"…Is that so? I understand."

"If that's the case, there's nothing we can do then…"

"Well, both Rafinha and Glis are like this, after all… Perhaps it is a good thing since we don't want to inconvenience the suitors, after all."

"You're right, sister. Then I guess we can enjoy the two of them being small for a little while longer."

Irina and Selena embraced their respective daughters as they discussed the situation.

"That would be very understanding of you… They certainly are both adorable."

Eris smiled at Inglis and Rafinha, a rare sight to see.

"Aah, I wanted to have matchmaking, though!"

"I also wanted to have a match with the country's best warriors!"

““Why did that letter lead to this?””

Inglis and Rafinha complained.

"Ah?! What did you do, Glis?!"

"What about you, Rani…! What have you done?!"

"About the letters that you sent out respectively… both of them were delivered to Raphael. Marquis Wilford was in an important meeting and could not receive them at the time."

Saying that, Eris took out two letters. One was from Inglis to Marquis Wilford, and the other was from Rafinha to Raphael.

Eris showed Inglis the contents of Rafinha's letter. Inside, it stated that Inglis claimed she would go through with the matchmaking with anyone who could defeat her, so Rafinha asked Raphael to come back, challenge Inglis, and beat her. Rafinha didn't mention her own matchmaking at all, probably to avoid interference from her brother.

Well, even in this case, Inglis would welcome a serious battle against Raphael if given the chance.

"Aah! Glis' letter contains all the reasons Miss Eris just mentioned!"

"But I only asked for Rani's matchmaking to be canceled, not mine…"

"Well, you see, Raphael had a sudden change of attitude and asked for an absence from work out of nowhere. His Highness Wayne and Special Envoy Theodore were confused, and after reading your letters, it became clear to them that this is not a good time for marriage proposals. While each of you only mentioned the other's matchmaking, it is obvious enough that the proposals come to both of you, so they decided to cancel both. With that, both His Highness and the Special Envoy asked for permission from His Majesty King Charleas, and one thing led to another."

"A-ah… if only it had reached the Marquis instead of big brother Rafa…!"

Rafinha's matchmaking could have been stopped in secret then. And yet, unknowingly, Rafinha had sent a letter to Raphael, which caused Inglis' letter to be delivered to Raphael's as well. And unfortunately, that led to a bigger and bigger deal.

If only Inglis' matchmaking alone was allowed to take place, she could have defeated all the challengers and enjoyed the ensuing fights without allowing any political hijinks to take place.

"This is all because you sent a letter to big brother Rafa, Rani…!"

"Well, it's because you said these unnecessary things, Glis…!"

As Inglis and Rafinha continued their bickering in the arms of their respective mothers, Ada approached the group, appearing even more flustered than before.

“E-Everyone…! W-we-, we have a situation!”

"Miss Ada…?"

"W-What happened…?"

Her level of distress surpassed even when Eris the Hyrule Menace paid a visit.

"Y-You'll understand if you see it for yourself…! Please come outside and look at the sky!"

"The sky… outside?!"

"Perhaps it's Magic Stone Beasts!"

Inglis promptly jumped out of Selena's arms and dashed outside, fueled by her frustration over the canceled matchmaking. She was prepared to confront any potential Magic Stone Beasts.

"Ah! Wait, Glis!"

"Oh, I'm sure it's here for me! I hope it's really strong!"

Rafinha followed Inglis but stumbled along the way, likely due to her shorter limbs.

"Hyau! Uuugh~~!"

Eris swiftly picked her up.

"Even though she's adorable on the outside, her inner nature remains unchanged!"

Despite her comment, Eris held Rafinha in her arms as the two mothers followed closely behind. They hurried outside to the Knights' training area in the courtyard. And what she beheld—

"Hm…?"

—was an ominous darkness that cloaked the surroundings. Despite the expected midday hour and favorable weather, an eerie shadow loomed not only over the training ground but the entire castle, even encompassing the entire city of Ymir. Sensing that something was amiss, Eris followed Ada's instructions and directed her gaze skyward.

And there, in the heavens, floated an enormous island, several times, perhaps even dozens of times, larger than Ymir itself.

"OOOH…! Could that be…?!"

"T-This is the closest I've ever seen it…!"

"W-Why is it here…?!"

The oppressive darkness stemmed from the colossal island's overshadowing presence.

“““HI-HIGHLAND…!!”””