Alicia Code would surely never forget this day for as long as she lived.
She understood that the current situation was brimming with tremendous danger. She also understood that the throne of Code was no light burden.
And yet, Alicia was, at this moment, undeniably content.
So many things had happened recently.
The arrival of a fascinating new bodyguard. Encounters with unknown foods. Learning about an unbelievable degree of stubbornness, and being freed from confinement.
Touring the city of Code and finally meeting siblings she had only known existed. And then the king's death, and the emergence of enemies vying for the throne.
For a while now, the density of her experiences had surpassed everything she had gained from her life before.
And now, at the very end, Alicia was—about to fight.
Together with the bodyguard who had changed her life as thoroughly as if she were a sorceress.
Alicia thought to herself.
No matter what the outcome, she would at least make this an adventure worthy of the royal family of Code.
And then the fateful moment arrived.
Nora and the others had already sortied to intercept Jean's forces. Krai and the rest were likely fighting at the entrance to the King's Tower by now.
Alicia's job was to use the opportunity while Jean's forces were preoccupied with them, and storm the King's Tower from its other entrance to seize the King's Staff.
If she obtained the staff, Alicia would win. If she lost, she would lose everything—herself and her gentle siblings alike.
She straddled the small spider mech that Brother Tony had secretly built for infiltrating the King's Tower, which Brother Tony himself had repaired for her.
All that remained was to drive the spider at maximum speed and make the jump. If everything went according to plan, she should land at the exit of the aerial patrol mechs on the upper floors of the King's Tower. In theory.
She had already memorized the controls. Alicia in front, Krai in the back.
Normally the bodyguard should ride in front, but this time Alicia had decided to drive herself.
After all, a throne was something you seized with your own hands.
Wrapping an arm around her stomach to hold on tight, Krai spoke.
"Y-Your Highness, are you really going? If you're scared, we can wait, you know? Someone might capture Jean for you..."
Good grief—this bodyguard was such a worrier. Alicia had already made up her mind long ago.
The Alicia of now was different from when they first met. And the one who had helped Alicia grow was, without question, herself.
"It's fine! I have—everyone behind me!"
—And with that, Alicia launched the small spider forward toward a brighter future.
§ She vaulted off the building used as a launching ramp. After a long time airborne, Alicia safely touched down on the target upper floor.
Brother Tony's small spider was astonishingly fast. The reason she had made it there was that Alicia had accessed the city system while driving, calculated the trajectory, and adjusted her speed accordingly.
A tremendous shriek of metal. At that speed, brakes were useless—the spider slid across the floor, and she ejected just before it hit the wall.
Twisting midair, she landed on the floor, and finally activated the universal unit Brother Morris had given her.
From Alicia's back, jointed metal arms instantly sprouted, gripping the walls and floor to slam on the brakes.
It was easily the finest piece of equipment among the weapons the city system could produce. Designed to be manipulated freely like one's own limbs, it was originally meant for accessing and operating machinery, but it proved equally useful for other purposes.
Then she remembered her passenger and hurried to check.
"!! Krai!"
"Ah, ah... I'm okay. I thought I was going to die, though... Are you all right, Your Highness?"
Hair tangled and whipped wild by the wind. Krai lay sprawled just below the spider that had embedded itself in the wall, then got up and spoke. This bodyguard was truly incredible—almost like a sorceress herself. Alicia had barely managed to cushion the impact using the universal unit and her own agility, yet Krai was completely unscathed without doing anything at all.
The interior of the King's Tower was starkly simple—a pitch-black corridor stretched endlessly ahead.
The King's Tower was a tower for the king. With no king now, the tower held nothing. A new king would reshape its interior.
And anyone who desired the throne had to climb all the way to the top of this vast tower.
Unfortunately, bringing royal guard mechs into the King's Tower was not possible. Neither could weapons be summoned through the city system.
Here, the only things she could fight with were her own body and the trusted bodyguard she had brought along.
Alicia felt a flicker of joy at having stepped into this place with Krai beside her, then immediately suppressed the emotion.
Even as she stood here, her sisters were fighting. This was no time for leisure.
She accessed the city system and checked the map of the King's Tower. It seemed Jean had not yet reached the top floor.
The top floor could only be reached by passing through every level in sequence, so he was probably taking time to get there. Just as expected.
If that was the case, she could catch up. Alicia took a deep breath and transformed the universal unit.
The mechanical arms extending from Alicia's back shifted shape, becoming sleek wings. A unit that enabled high-speed movement through low-altitude flight.
"Krai, carry me on your back. I'll fly us."
"...Your Highness, since when did you get this strong?"
Perhaps it was because the situation felt so unreal. Being suddenly praised made her heart flutter. Alicia could produce something even more impressive than the high-speed movement unit—something as easy as using the city system itself.
With the king's death, the freeze on Alicia's authority had been lifted. The Alicia of now could do anything.
Checking the map on the city system, she glided through the wide corridor at speed.
Jean had finally noticed their approach and started running, but she was far faster. One more turn and she would catch him.
She kicked off the wall and slid around the corner. What Alicia saw was—a gun barrel pointed right at her.
Jean's eyes, brimming with hatred. The weapon aimed at her was a portable incineration gun. The kind Brother Angus had researched.
Though weapons from the city system could not be summoned inside the King's Tower, portable weapons could be brought in.
Before she could think, the barrel unleashed a blinding light.
However, the blast that should have incinerated a wide area didn't even make Alicia feel the slightest warmth. Jean shouted.
"What!?"
"Be careful— oh, so you must be Jean?"
She didn't understand the logic, but Krai, whom she was carrying on her back, had blocked the incineration blast.
If they were delayed any longer, she would never catch Jean before he reached the top.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, something latched onto Alicia's leg.
Her body was yanked, and on instinct she twisted, broke free, and landed on the floor.
"You really think I'll let you go that easily, spare?"
"Brother Jean..."
Jean, wielding something like a metal whip, grinned.
Hair and eyes the same color as the former king's. His tanned, slender yet well-trained physique differed slightly from any of the other royals.
The hostility directed straight at her sent a tremor through her body.
"I heard what's going on! Just stop this! Can't we all just get along!?"
"Get along? Don't spout such naïve garbage! Do you have any idea how long it took me to reach Code—once you're dead, everything goes according to plan!"
It was no use. She knew right away that words wouldn't get through. Brother Jean—Jean—had no intention of talking to Alicia.
Brother Jean—Jean saw the person before him as an enemy. Someone trying to use Code for selfish gain.
Even if he was truly the king's child, that did not excuse it.
She had to defeat him here.
Alicia steeled her resolve and took her stance. Jean pulled the trigger on the incineration gun and clicked his tongue.
"That weapon has been neutralized. It's useless, Brother Jean."
The universal unit created by Brother Morris was originally designed to connect to and manipulate weapons. Neutralizing a gun from face-to-face range was trivially easy.
Jean discarded the gun and drew the sword at his hip.
"...Tch. Don't look down on me, you little shut-in who never left her room!"
"Krai... go on ahead. Retrieve the King's Staff for me. I'll deal with Brother Jean."
"Huh!? But—"
Krai wavered at Alicia's words. She probably wanted to argue that the bodyguard should stay.
But Jean was someone Alicia had to defeat herself. That was what a battle for the throne meant.
"Fool! Only those acknowledged by the king can enter the top floor! Even with the staff, only royalty can become king!"
That was true.
But Krai could enter the top floor. Class 7 was proof of being directly acknowledged by the king.
Krai couldn't become king, of course, but she could serve as a failsafe in case Alicia lost.
To convince her worrisome bodyguard, Alicia shouted at Jean.
"Brother Jean, I never intended to become king. But that's changed now."
When she had told Sister Nora to take the throne, it was half out of spite—a jab at her sister who had been freely discussing the handling of Alicia's bodyguard without permission.
And yet, through some twist of fate, on the very day the next king would be decided, Alicia found herself here.
"I have everyone's expectations on my shoulders. I have everyone's cooperation. And besides, Krai is here!"
Alicia had no confidence she could become a magnificent king. But she had gained many companions.
Most of all, she had Krai. With that support, she could surely become a great King of Code someday. With all her will, Alicia shouted.
"With everyone at my side, I'll become a grand king, and achieve the world conquest that was the ambition of the first King of Code! Step aside, traitor!"
"...Huh?"
Krai let out an adorably out-of-place voice of confusion. But that didn't matter.
Alicia would win. She would win, fulfill the long-held dream of every member of the royal family of Code—world conquest—and build the strongest Code. And then, as the great King of Code, she would earn Krai's praise.
Alicia drew a breath and shouted to her bodyguard.
"Krai, once I've conquered the world— I'll give you half of it."
"...Ah, yes."
That was strange... The response was nothing like what Alicia had imagined.
Krai should have been happier than that— but there was no time to dwell on it, as the traitor kicked off the floor. With a demonic expression, he roared.
"Don't be ridiculous! A girl like you who doesn't even know the outside world—how could you ever conquer anything!? I will be the king!!"
"I will! Krai, go!"
"Ah, yes."