The skies above the royal capital.
What the Republic had dispatched was an airship constructed by Ideal.
The airship that had survived that battle was now jointly managed by the Six Great Nobles, divided among them.
And the one leading that force here was――
"Leria! You came!"
――it was Leria.
When Noelle approached, Leria was holding her head in both hands.
"I really didn't want to come either! But―― but! If I made an enemy of him here, things would absolutely get terrible!"
Beside the tearful Leria, Clement was fluttering about in a panic.
On the Republic's flagship, a sapling of the Sacred Tree was present.
Leria and the others were thinking the same thing as Noelle's group.
They intended to fight by drawing energy from the sapling of the Sacred Tree.
It would probably be stronger than an ordinary airship, and Noelle had her hopes up.
"Thank you. I'm truly grateful."
"――Though I came partly out of self-interest, you know."
"That's fine. ――Because I want to help Leon."
And beside Leria, Serge was also present.
He looked a little more aged than before.
Noelle called out to Serge.
"Serge, you came too."
Serge didn't try to talk much.
"――I just want to repay my debt."
Clement explained the situation to Noelle.
"Lady Noelle, the truth is there were voices of dissatisfaction in the Republic about dispatching a fleet. Lord Erick silenced them."
"Erick did?"
Hearing that the man who had once put a collar on her and dragged her around had dispatched troops for the sake of the Kingdom left Noelle with mixed feelings.
"It's the same with Lord Serge. Lord Serge has had quite a difficult time since then."
Leria dropped her shoulders.
"――Countries that hold grudges against us come around playing at being sky pirates. And Serge fights them alone."
It seemed that in the Republic, Serge was being worked to the bone.
But this same Serge actively participated in extermination operations against sky pirates.
Perhaps he himself thought of it as atonement, for he always placed himself on the battlefield.
"Serge, you――"
"――I don't think I'll be forgiven by this much."
Serge looked somehow as if he were seeking a place to die.
◇
"Big Sis~~~!"
And Erick, the de facto commander leading the Republic's fleet, had come to where Marie was.
Marie patted Erick's head.
"You came, Erick."
"Yes! When I heard Big Sis was in danger, I couldn't just sit still. I punched Hugues out when he opposed it."
"I-isn't that going too far?"
Erick wiped his tears.
"I'll do my best for Big Sis's sake! By the way, who's that woman over there?"
What Erick had seen was Hertrude, who looked like she wanted to talk with Marie.
Being asked "Who?" by Erick, she looked displeased.
"So I'm not even in the sights of the Republic's Six Great Nobles, huh. Well, that's fine. It's been a while, useless saintess."
Marie got bashful.
"You came too, huh."
Hearing Marie called a saintess, Erick was overjoyed, going "Big Sis is amazing!"
Hertrude let out a sigh.
"You sure are loved only by hopeless men, aren't you. By the way, who's going to be the new king?"
Marie tilted her head.
"New king?"
"Oh? Haven't you heard? We received notification that King Roland was abdicating the throne. I thought it was a hassle to do this at this time, but thinking it over, it's the right move."
To rebuild the rickety Kingdom, the most peaceful way to proceed was to prepare a new king.
Unlike before, a new bloodline would suffice.
However, a bloodline anyone could acknowledge――power was needed.
Normally a great noble would be a likely candidate, but in the Kingdom there was a being who cleared all the conditions.
Hertrude folded her arms.
"Selling favors to the new Majesty would ensure House Fanoss's security as well. Here it's more profitable to lend strength to the Kingdom than to the Empire."
When she said that, Erick chimed in with a retort.
"I'm not that well-versed in the Kingdom's internal affairs, but looking at other countries' movements, most of them are leaning toward the Empire. Didn't you come regardless of profit and loss?"
Told this, Hertrude flushed red.
"S-shut up. We have our own circumstances over here."
Marie, with the two of them before her, felt somewhat relieved.
"Thank goodness. Now Bro won't be alone."
Looking at Marie, Hertrude grew concerned.
"You don't have your usual energy."
"R-really? Well, maybe I'm tense with the battle against the Empire ahead."
Erick was startled.
"Huh!? Big Sis is going to the battlefield too!?"
Marie nodded and pointed to a single airship floating in the skies above the royal capital.
"I'll be riding that one. The Licorne――beautiful ship, isn't it?"
Looking at the Licorne, Erick immediately seemed to notice.
"That airship―― could it possibly have a Sacred Tree loaded inside?"
"Oh, you noticed. That's right. We loaded a Sacred Tree inside."
And Hertrude also noticed, looking at the Licorne.
"――Its atmosphere resembles the Royal Family's trump card. Is that the reason you're boarding it?"
The former Royal Family's ship――the Weiss――had only displayed its true performance with a saintess aboard.
So Hertrude must have thought the same.
"He really wanted to leave it sunk, you know."
Marie thought about Leon's feelings as he tried to use the Weiss again.
"I'm sure Bro didn't want to use this ship."
Using the Licorne meant that not only Marie, but also――Olivia and Noelle's power would be needed.
Marie clenched her fists.
(I have to protect everyone. At least that much――)
◇
The waiting room.
Olivia had finished changing and was facing Leon.
Leon had a complicated expression.
"Are you really going to the battlefield?"
Seeing the worried look on Leon's face, Livia became a little happy.
Because he was concerned for her safety.
But at the same time, she got angry.
"If I let only you fight, Leon-san, it seems like you wouldn't come back anymore."
To Livia's words, Leon couldn't say anything back.
(If I leave this person alone, it feels like he'll slip out of reach.)
Livia held Leon's hand.
"Leon-san, this situation was created by Angie."
"I really am grateful. I could never have done it."
"So from here on, I'll help. Myself, Noelle――and Marie-san will board the Licorne."
The Licorne now had the device that had been installed in the Royal Family's ship.
And a young sapling of the Sacred Tree had also been loaded.
To operate the device, Livia and Marie would board.
To use the young sapling of the Sacred Tree, Noelle would board.
By doing so, the Licorne could become a decisive weapon.
When Livia embraced Leon, she wrapped her hands around his back.
"Leon-san, this time I'll do my best."
Leon gently stroked Livia's head.
"If it gets dangerous, you can run. If you don't, I won't be able to fight with peace of mind."
Livia raised her face and looked at Leon's.
He really did seem worried, but Leon right now was taking his own life lightly.
"If you were to die, Leon-san, there would be no meaning in me living."
"No, that's not――"
"There is! I―― I received many things from you, Leon-san. I still haven't repaid you. And besides―― I want to stay with you forever."
Burying her face in Leon's chest, Livia shed tears.
"I can't work for your sake like Angie can. So I have to do my best here――otherwise I don't have the right to be with everyone. Please let me help too. Right now, this is about all I can do."
She had tried to do her best for Leon.
But what she had managed to do――was little.
She couldn't unite the Kingdom like Angie could, nor could she rely on connections like Noelle or Marie.
That frustrated Livia.
"Leon-san, won't you promise me? Please, absolutely don't die."
"That's――impossible. I can't really promise to come back alive――"
This battle was that harsh.
Leon was prepared for it, but to Livia he somehow looked as if he were throwing his life away.
"――Leon-san, aren't you taking your own life too lightly?"
"Huh? No way. I understand that my life is heavy. I mean, look――dying is scary."
Seeing Leon laughing it off, Livia was sure he was lying again.
"You just lied. Leon-san, your habit when you lie just came out."
"A habit!?"
Having a habit he didn't even know about exposed, Leon hurriedly touched his face to check.
Livia watched Leon carefully.
That's why she had come to notice his lies too.
"Many people are praying for your return, Leon-san. If you die, many people will grieve. Of course, Angie, Noelle――and your family too will grieve. So many people will be sad."
Hearing that, Leon's expression turned dark.
"――But the one who would grieve the most is me."
"Huh?"
"Leon-san, I love you. So please, don't die. Don't take away the person I love most."
Livia hugged Leon tightly.
Leon confessed his true feelings.
"I want to come back too. I don't want to die. But――"
At such Leon, Livia shouted.
"Enough already, ya hear!"
"――Eh?"
At Livia's words, Leon was floored.
Her emotions had gotten heated, and Livia's local dialect had slipped out, but she didn't care.
"How long you gonna keep grumblin'! If you're a man, pull yourself together properly!"
"Y-yes ma'am!"
Startled by Livia's fierce manner, Leon straightened his posture and replied.
Livia covered her mouth, then grew a little embarrassed and flushed.
"I-I'm sorry. My local dialect came out. B-but it's true that I'm worried about you, Leon-san."
"Y-yeah."
Since Leon was making a strange face, Livia hid her face with both hands.
"I'm sorry. I had been hiding it all this time, but it slipped out in my voice."
Seeing the embarrassed Livia, Leon showed a smile.
"No, I was surprised but it's fine. That――was cute."
Told that, Livia flushed even more.
Looking at such a Livia, Leon spoke.
"Yeah, you're right. I have to try to live. Besides, dying and leaving behind such a cute fiancée would be too much of a waste."
Livia puffed out her cheeks and pinched Leon's clothes with her fingers.
"I can't accept this. Until just now you were hopeless, and the moment you hear my dialect you come around."
"No, well. Somehow laughing made me feel refreshed."
Leon embraced Livia and voiced his thanks.
"Thank you, Livia. With this I can do my best too."
And then Livia realized something.
(――Leon-san just lied again.)
She had seen through that Leon had lied to put her at ease.
That was sad, but at the same time happy.
(Then I have to do my best.)
Livia resolved to absolutely not let Leon die.
◇
I was looking at the Licorne floating outside the window.
The only ones in the room were me and Luxion.
"That Cleare really does whatever she wants. Loading the Weiss's device in secret―― give me a break."
When I muttered complaints about Cleare, Luxion spoke to me.
"Master, regarding the talk with Olivia, are you seriously going to call off the life-risking operation?"
To that question, I lowered my eyes and answered.
"There's no changing the operation now. I'll risk my life, and I have no intention of letting Livia and the others die. ――Even at the cost of my own life, I'll protect Livia and the others."
At that scene I promised to come back alive, but if you ask me――not putting your life on the line is bad both for the enemy and for allies.
If this were a war, it wouldn't matter.
But it's a struggle for survival――a battle of life and death.
Besides, just as I have people precious to me, the enemy also has people precious to them.
"War sucks. Why do humans fight, I wonder."
"It's not just humans that fight within their own species, you know."
"But only humans can fight until they go extinct, right?"
The battle between Old Humanity and New Humanity had truly been a brawl that lasted until ruin.
And now it was my turn to fight the Empire.
"For me to survive means that the Empire guys――"
"Rather than showing mercy to the enemy, it's more efficient to ensure as many allies as possible survive. Master, the Empire rejected your proposal."
So that both sides could live, I had made a proposal to the Empire.
I'll prepare devices that scatter magic essence into the atmosphere, so let's avoid war―― let's be companions living on the same planet.
But from the Empire's people's perspective, they can't live in places without the device.
There was no way they would accept such a burden.
Conversely, if we were told "We'll prepare a place where magic essence doesn't reach you, so live there," we'd refuse too.
If it were just me alone I could accept it, but when it involves so many people, it's impossible.
"Did you lie to Olivia?"
"Lies are a means to an end, right? It's not like I'm absolutely going to die. If I'm lucky, I might survive."
A world where you can't survive unless you knock someone down――for that lighthearted otome game world, it's a horribly cruel world.