The royal palace.
Roland, enjoying dinner with Mylene, was gazing at a wine glass.
‘It truly has a lovely aroma. One can feel the passage of twenty years. Still, it’s a pity. If we let it age any longer, it would likely turn the other way.’
The one directing dark eyes at that remark was Mylene.
She set down her knife and fork on the table.
Recently she seemed not to be eating much.
‘Is it a diet? For your health, you would do better to eat.’
‘Do you understand the current situation?! Even at this very moment, it wouldn’t be strange for cannon fire to rain down on the palace!’
As Mylene raised her voice, the surrounding maids flinched.
Roland tilted his glass.
‘If those at the top panic, it sets a poor example for those below—’
‘If a loafer who does nothing is at the top, those below won’t be calm either. Enough, let’s just resolve ourselves— Your Majesty?’
Noticing something off with Roland, Mylene stood up.
Then Roland dropped his glass and slumped.
His body tilted slowly, and just before toppling from the chair a maid caught him.
‘Your Majesty!’
When Mylene peered into Roland’s face, it had turned pale.
◇
‘Bartfort! A messenger from the palace!’
Just as I was about to sleep, Chris burst into my room.
A weapon was already in his hand.
‘A messenger?’
Wondering what was going on, Luxion relayed to me.
‘Roland has collapsed. Apparently he’s in critical condition.’
‘—Huh?’
While I was still shocked, Chris gave me the details.
‘His Highness Julius has also been summoned. Bartfort, you and Angelica are to come to the palace as well, I was told.’
‘Me and Angie? For what?’
As I hurriedly changed clothes, Chris looked restless.
‘I don’t know. I don’t even know whether it was an impromptu summons or an order from Her Majesty the Queen.’
The palace seemed to be in considerable turmoil.
‘Can’t be Lady Mylene. I’ve angered her, after all.’
‘I have a bad feeling. Bartfort, what about your fiancées?’
‘I’ll bring them. Luxion, have Cleare bring the three of them. Also tell Marie and the others to be on guard.’
‘Understood.’
Once I’d finished changing and stepped outside the room, the corridor was quiet.
No one was there.
‘Where is everyone?’
‘They rushed out with His Highness Julius. This time everyone seems to have a sense of crisis.’
‘You guys should have a sense of tension more often.’
Talking with Chris, we went outside, where Cleare arrived bringing Angie, Livia, and Noel.
‘Master, sorry to keep you waiting.’
‘What about Erika and the others?’
‘They got a pickup from the palace.’
Angie grabbed my arm.
‘Leon, you understand, right?’
I didn’t really want to grasp the meaning of that confirmation.
‘Roland collapsed. For the ones who’ve been smoldering, this will look like a golden opportunity. Will Angie’s family make a move?’
‘They’ll move after eliminating the disruptive elements, most likely.’
So saying Angie, Livia looked up at the sky.
An airship shining its lights came over the Academy.
‘An airship at this hour?’
Noel grew flustered as numerous ropes dangled from the airship.
‘Hey, some pretty dangerous-looking people are coming down, you know? Is this some kind of official pickup for the kingdom?’
Angie firmly denied it.
‘Even in this kingdom, that’s impossible. Still, this makes things a little clearer.’
Though not much time had passed since Roland’s collapse, there was already a faction on the move.
Since it didn’t seem to be House Redgrave, they were probably the ones plotting rebellion.
‘Makes me sick. Chris, come with me.’
‘Got it.’
‘Luxion, tell the others too.’
‘—Regrettably, that is not possible.’
‘What?’
Luxion refused my order and moved next to Angie.
‘What do you mean?’
When I glared at him, Angie cupped my face in both hands.
Forcing me to face her, she stared at me with crimson eyes.
‘Leon, you don’t need to push yourself any more.’
‘No, but—’
‘I know. But we’ve grown strong enough that you don’t have to do anything. There’s no need for you to suffer. Besides—’
As Angie seemed about to say something more, the sound of footsteps and scraping metal drew near.
Soldiers armed with rifles surrounded us.
Cleare cheerfully explained the situation.
‘Whoa~. Looks like they came straight here without hesitation. They did quite a bit of reconnaissance.’
The soldiers seemed to be targeting me.
Stepping forward was an armed woman.
A frown was etched between her brows.
‘I’ve found you. The kingdom’s stain.’
‘A stain? You mean me?’
When I grinned to provoke her, the one who moved in front of me was Livia.
‘Leon, please step back.’
‘Huh? But—’
‘Please step back. We’ll handle this.’
The woman clicked her tongue.
‘You jumped-up little girl, you clearly don’t know who I am. I hail from a count’s family! Don’t think you’ll be forgiven for stepping forward like that!’
The woman, thoroughly irritated, raised her voice to intimidate Livia.
But Livia didn’t flinch.
Narrowing her eyes, she said.
‘That crest. It belongs to a count’s house that was dissolved. That means you are not even a noble now.’
She’d apparently identified the other party’s house from the crest.
‘Huh, really?’
When I whispered to Angie, she nodded.
‘Yes. We compiled a list beforehand of those aiding the rebellion. Livia memorized all of them.’
Chris drew his sword, ready to spring at any moment, and remarked, ‘A-amazing.’
The woman in front of us let out a shriek that was oddly infuriating.
‘Don’t insult me! I am a noble by birth! Kill that girl!’
She was serious. Clicking my tongue, I tried to step forward.
‘—! A-Angie?!’
But Angie grabbed my arm and stopped me.
‘Leon, watch properly. You— you need to rely on us more.’
Angie pleaded with me as if clinging.
Then Livia stretched out her right hand toward the woman.
Magic circles materialized before the soldiers holding up rifles around us.
One blocked the muzzle.
One appeared in front of the magazine.
A moment later, soldiers who noticed threw their rifles away.
But a few reacted too late, and the rifles exploded while still in their hands.
‘It’s pointless.’
Livia looked straight at the woman.
‘If you aren’t prepared to be shot at, withdraw. I can only hold back so far.’
Seeing Livia instantly neutralize the surrounding soldiers, I let out a whistle.
‘Livia, amazing.’
‘She is. Still, she’s soft.’
This time Angie stepped forward and conjured flames on her right arm.
Multiple crimson magic circles floated up around us, ignited, and formed into spears.
They were aimed at the surrounding soldiers.
‘I’m not as dexterous as Livia, so I prioritize scorching everything with my specialty magic. I’d rather not burn the Academy, but this is an emergency. Forgive me.’
Angie slowly approached the woman.
Stripped of her pawns in an instant, the woman looked up with teary eyes.
Up there was the airship they’d brought.
‘Do you really think mere magic will do anything? You’re surrounded!’
‘Indeed. But as long as you lot are here, the airship waiting above can’t fire its cannons, can it?’
‘Eek!’
As the woman shrank back, soldiers reached out toward us.
‘Fireball!’
‘Lightning!’
‘Water Cutter!’
The spells they loosed were about to strike Angie—but didn’t.
Every single one was canceled out by magic circles that appeared right in front of them.
Behind Angie, the one using magic was Livia.
‘I told you it was pointless.’
Watching Livia neutralize the enemy’s attacks, I remembered.
Now that I thought about it, once the protagonist acquired skills, things like this should have been possible.
Cancel the enemy’s attacks.
Cancel the enemy’s magic.
In the game I’d only seen them as skills, but seeing it in reality, it was so high-level that it astonished me.
Luxion was impressed too.
‘She instantly assessed the opponent’s magic and struck back with a magic of a favorably compatible attribute, I see. What an elaborate piece of work.’
‘She really is amazing, huh?’
‘I judge it to be a considerably advanced technique. The master could not replicate the same feat.’
—I see. So it’s impossible for me.
But while Livia was amazing, Angie was amazing too.
The fire lances she had floating around her numbered more than ten.
Angie reached out and grabbed the woman by the lapels.
‘I don’t have the time for a leisurely interrogation. If you don’t intend to talk, I’ll turn you to ash right here.’
‘W-wait. I—I’ll talk. Because I’ll talk—’
Realizing they were at a disadvantage, she was about to start talking right away.
But looking up, the cannons on the airship were aimed at us.
‘Luxion, defense—’
‘No need.’
The one raising a hand was Noel.
‘I’m the only one not using my own power, though.’
So saying, from the Sacred Tree crest shining on her right hand she deployed a shield.
A thin, membrane-like dome shield in the sky deflected the shells fired from the airship.
Angie looked up and pointed her right hand skyward.
‘Either you have nerves of steel, or you’re just expendable pawns—which is it?’
The fire lances all aimed skyward and flew at the airship in unison.
Pierced by the lances, the airship went up in flames.
Even if it wasn’t sunk completely, the ship seemed immobilized, as if they were frantically fighting fires inside.
—Huh? Am I not needed?
Chris had sheathed his sword.
I called him out on it.
‘Hey.’
‘Bartfort, do you think there’s any room for me to step in?’
The woman and soldiers before us already looked resigned.
But this time, armored suits came flying out of the airship.
They descended onto the Academy grounds and apparently were heading our way.
Seeing them, the woman regained her energy.
‘Ah-ha, ahahaha! This is as far as your arrogance goes! The newest-model armor ordered from abroad is coming to capture you. No matter how well you can use a bit of magic, it’s meaningless in front of armor.’
Hearing “foreign newest model,” Angie grew irritated.
‘You lot, do you even understand what you’ve done?’
‘To restore the kingdom to how it was! And for that end, a foreign country lent us its strength!’
No matter how I thought about it, that foreign country just wants to throw the kingdom into chaos.
Even if these guys did seize the kingdom, wouldn’t they just end up as puppets or sucked dry by that foreign power?
‘That won’t work, you know.’
When I said that, Luxion and Cleare coolly replied.
‘In the first place, simply being the ruling class doesn’t mean they possess suitable abilities.’
‘People with no eye for things got cut loose. Of course they’d swallow a foreign country’s smooth talk. After all, they have no eye for things.’
These guys were way too calm.
Chris looked at me.
‘Bartfort, armor spells trouble.’
‘I know.’
I tried to issue orders, but both Luxion and Cleare were watching Angie and the others.
Angie silenced the rambling woman with a slap that made a satisfying sound.
The woman fell to the ground.
‘That you all fell as low as you did is your own responsibility. I’ll sympathize. We’ll also reflect on our own faults. But you chose the wrong means.’
In the sense of being victims of the kingdom, the people in front of me were victims too.
Livia hung her head.
‘Please stop. Any more— there’s no need for more blood to be spilled.’
That was just like Livia.
Right. There shouldn’t have been any need to spill blood, and yet—
‘You people say things were better in the old days, but wouldn’t that mean lots of people were suffering? Didn’t you ever think about those people?’
When Noel said that, the woman snorted with a sneer.
‘It’s only natural for men to obey women’s orders. New life is born only from women. Do you know? Among beasts, the males show their worth to the females. It’s the male’s job to protect the female, risking his life!’
—Are you saying you’re beasts yourselves?
Personally, I think humans are worse than beasts, but still.
This one’s also a victim of a twisted doctrine, yet I want to lodge a complaint from a man’s perspective too.
‘Well, it depends on the species, so you can’t really generalize.’
‘Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut uuuup!’
When I said that, the woman screamed.
The woman raised her body, pressing a hand to her cheek, and glared at Angie and the rest of us.
‘What do you mean, wrong?! This is what’s wrong! All we’re doing is asserting our own rights! We’re trying to stop the kingdom from walking a mistaken path. We are justice! What’s so wrong with things staying the way they always have been?!’
Then a clattering sound could be heard.
A large machine was clinging to the wall.
Spider-like machines surrounded us.
They were awfully big, more something else entirely than armor.
Clinging to walls and scurrying up the roof, the many red lenses on their heads glowed ominously.
As if thinking reliable allies had appeared, the woman stood up and spread her arms wide.
‘The foreign country’s new model sure has a weird shape. Now then, seize these people! You can tear off an arm or so.’
Angie was astonished, and Livia covered her mouth with a hand.
‘—What did you say?’
‘No way.’
Noel broke into a cold sweat.
‘This is—unexpected.’
With an exceedingly ugly smile, the woman gave orders to those spider-type robots.
‘Come on, do it! Justice is on our side!’