The Black Knight

High in the sky.

Riding in Arroganz, I grumbled from the cockpit.

"These guys are so annoying!"

The enemy knights attacked in a group, surrounding me from above, below, left, and right while launching ranged attacks. If I showed them my back, they'd rush in to strike. Turn to face them, and they'd scatter and flee.

"They seem quite well-trained."

The bullets bounced off the armor, and close combat couldn't leave a scratch either. There was no damage, but the problem was how long it took to take them down.

"And on top of that, why won't they retreat?!"

"Attrition has already exceeded twenty percent, yet the enemy shows no signs of retreating. I've intercepted their communications—it seems they have a reason they can't fall back."

According to the information Luxion had intercepted, many soldiers were recommending a retreat. But the commander had refused.

"Just run away already!"

If they didn't run, it'd be a real problem for me.

I accelerated Arroganz and pierced one of the enemy's armor suits with my blade in midair. I aimed for a spot where the knight inside wouldn't be harmed. I pulled the blade free and kicked the suit onto the deck of an enemy airship.

"Resisting for nothing!"

As I wondered why they wouldn't retreat and glanced around, Luxion reported the situation.

"Partner is approaching the escort target. Commencing rescue operations."

Partner, positioned to guard the listing luxury liner, had launched rescue boats and begun evacuating survivors.

"Is the luxury liner done for?"

Black smoke billowed from every part of it, and the hull was already warping.

"Looks like we'll be the ones retreating. Once everyone's loaded onto Partner, break off. We can't keep this up forever."

"—! Master, a new squad has launched. The units are black. Appears to be an elite enemy force."

Hearing "black," I was flooded with bad memories.

In my past life—the strongest enemy in the game had been the Black Knight. Incredibly strong; I'd suffered countless game overs fighting it. In close combat it outmatched Chris, and at range Jilk didn't stand a chance. The Black Knight was an officially designated cheat-tier opponent.

Just how much had it tormented me... This thing was one of the reasons Strategy Mode's difficulty had been cranked up.

"The Black Knight?!"

Luxion had heightened its alert status.

"It's evading Partner's gunfire and destroying drones as it advances. At this rate, the rescue operations will be disrupted."

"Bring it on. I'll handle it!"

But right now, I was riding Arroganz. With the cheat-tier warship Luxion at my side, I had nothing to fear!

I'd take down even the Black Knight!

I watched the footage of them approaching. And then—the black units... huh? There were five of them?

◇

Livia, who had moved to Partner, was in a room with Angelica and Hert—the three of them alone. With the ship in chaos, it was impossible to rule out the possibility that some foolish young noble might try something against Hert, so Angelica was keeping watch.

The battlefield spreading beyond the window had calmed somewhat, but it was far from over.

Angelica was frustrated.

"Why won't they withdraw? The battle should already be decided."

Hert, despite being captured, remained defiant.

"...I told you. The Duchy won't stop. It won't back down over something like this."

Livia prayed for Leon's safety.

"Will Leon be all right?"

Angelica nodded.

"I don't think he'll lose easily. But the battlefield is unpredictable."

Visible through the window was Leon's Arroganz—and the black-armored suits in pursuit. Seeing this, Hert grew agitated.

"Vandel! How could he..."

Hearing the name Vandel, Angelica tensed.

"The Black Knight? Surely he wouldn't show up here?"

Livia had no idea what was going on.

"U-um, what do you mean, the Black Knight?"

Angelica explained.

"He's a knight of the Duchy who's been active since before we were born. The Kingdom had dozens of airships sunk by him alone—maybe approaching a hundred. And many times that number of armor suits were taken out."

Angelica glanced at Hert, who had her mouth shut and was looking down. She looked sad.

Angelica, keeping an eye on Hert, continued.

"...Haven't heard much about him in recent years. He's getting on in age, and there were rumors he was ill."

Hearing that such a powerful knight was targeting Leon, Livia panicked.

"There was a knight that strong? Will Leon be able to win?"

"I can't really predict—"

Before Angelica could finish, Hert's voice cut in.

"Vandel will never lose! The strongest knight of the Duchy will absolutely never lose to the Kingdom's contemptible knights!"

Being called contemptible, Livia retorted.

"Leon is not contemptible!"

"Hah! You're hilarious. Have you forgotten what the Kingdom did to the Duchy twenty years ago? Or did they teach you that you did nothing wrong? The Academy sounds like such a wonderful place, Angelica."

Angelica lowered her gaze slightly.

"Angelica?"

To Livia, Angelica spoke of the past.

"Before we were born—the Kingdom invaded the Duchy. Not once or twice. They attacked repeatedly and pushed the Duchy to the brink. And each time, the Duchy drove them back."

Livia was stunned.

"Th-that can't be. I've never heard anything like that. I've never heard that the Kingdom was the one attacking—"

Hert glared at Livia.

"That's what happens when you're sheltered by peace. They never told you what they did. Go on, Angelica. Tell her what your people did in the Duchy."

Angelica remained silent.

Livia realized just how terrible it must have been, and felt a wave of sorrow.

◇

Facing the Black Knights bearing down on me, I raised my rifle and pulled the trigger. But each and every one of them was so skilled that the moment they saw the rifle barrel, they evaded the line of fire.

"Are these guys ALL cheaters?!"

I flew backward through the sky, overwhelmed by the killing intent of the approaching Black Knights.

"—Their performance is superior to previous armor suits. It appears the Duchy has a higher technological level than the Kingdom. Their airships, armor, and organizational structure are all superior."

"A technological powerhouse? I feel a strange sense of familiarity."

"I think they feel quite hostile toward you."

Just as Luxion said. Their killing intent—this desperate drive to take me down—was intense. One of them was already closing the distance and charging in with a slash, which I caught on my blade—but—

"Deviant of the Kingdom! Surrender your head!"

I deflected them with the machine's performance and raised my rifle again—but they quickly scattered.

Luxion spoke.

"You're quite hated."

"Something about the past, probably. Even though it's got nothing to do with me."

They hated me because the Kingdom had invaded long ago. I wanted to tell them not to drag such heavy backstory into an otome game, but from my perspective—someone who knew the full story—their one-sided victim act was a bit much.

...Dragging heavy lore into an otome game! At least keep it fluffy and lighthearted!

"Luxion, store the rifle and blade."

"Shall I switch to other weapons?"

"I'll fight bare-handed."

Seeing me empty-handed, I could feel the fury of the Black Knights. What caught my attention, though, was that among the five pursuing me, one armored suit hung back. It had the air of a commander unit, and it had been conspicuously quiet this whole time.

Arroganz grabbed one of the enemies who had closed the distance. The attack I'd used on His Highness Julius—the one that delivered a massive shockwave and shattered the target to pieces. Arroganz had that function. If I throttled the output—

"Just back off already!"

The black armor didn't take much damage from the impact. But the pilot inside was a different story. When Arroganz released the black armor, it plummeted toward the sea.

"That'll draw one of them away to help—" Another unit broke off to go rescue the falling comrade. Or so I thought.

"Master, behind you."

I turned to see an armored suit bearing down with a raised sword. Ignoring the drones I had deployed, it was tearing itself apart just to land a single hit on me.

"Tch!"

I blocked with my left arm, and the opponent's sword snapped. In the moment of contact, I heard a voice.

"Disappear, you monster of the Kingdom."

Right after that, Luxion triggered an alert.

"—! Master!"

When Arroganz turned around, the remaining three units were charging straight at me. Head-on, the commander-like Black Knight was lunging forward with a greatsword—and then the monitor went dark as the tip of that greatsword closed in on me.

◇

Chris had taken down one Duchy knight and was now scanning his surroundings.

"Numbers have really thinned out. Where's Bartfort?"

What Chris saw as he searched for allies was the Black Knight driving a greatsword into Arroganz. His eyes went wide.

"The Black Knight has appeared...?"

Chris's family served as sword instructors, and his father held the title of Sword Saint. But even his father had never been able to defeat the Black Knight. Watching Arroganz get pierced by the strongest knight of the Duchy, Chris gritted his teeth and looked down, but quickly raised his head again.

The crew had already finished evacuating to Partner. At worst, if he could buy time, everyone could make it out alive.

"Marie, I'm sorry. Looks like this is the end."

As he drew his sword and moved toward Leon's position, the Black Knights' behavior suddenly changed.

Arroganz grabbed two black-armored suits that had stabbed their swords into its joints. Its hands glowed, and when the shockwave hit, the black suits fell as if the knights inside had lost consciousness. And when the Black Knight pulled out the greatsword, it moved to give chase. A battered black suit got in the way, only to be grabbed, hit with another shockwave to disable it, and thrown aside.

"He was still alive?!"

Seeing Leon pursuing the Black Knight, Chris felt a surge of hope.

"Go, Bartfort! If anyone can—if you could just beat the Black Knight!"

◇

I ripped away the pierced monitor with my hand. The front of Arroganz's chest had been blown open. Wind from outside rushed into the cockpit, giving an incredible sense of openness. At the same time, being exposed like this was unnerving. By dodging the head to the right at the last second, I'd protected the cockpit's head section, but blood was streaming down my cheek. The greatsword had been aimed right at the cockpit's head section. If it had hit the torso, I'd be dead.

"Hah... hah..."

The Black Knight, seen with my own eyes, stood holding the greatsword.

Luxion addressed me.

"Combat performance is down thirty percent. Pilot strain has increased. I recommend retreat."

"I've never heard of anything piercing Arroganz's armor."

"The enemy's greatsword appears to be made of a metal unique to this world: Adamantias. A fantasy metal."

"You—someone who's basically a walking fantasy cliché—don't get to say that."

A specially made greatsword. And the one swinging it was the Black Knight—practically a walking cheat.

"Just retreat already."

As I grumbled, Luxion's retort cut deep.

"This is the result of you deliberately avoiding lethal force. Because of that, they've been backed into a corner where they can't retreat."

That really stung. The opponent spoke to me.

"You're young. Too young. Is this the Kingdom's knight?"

I didn't know the Black Knight's detailed backstory, but the voice was rough and gravelly—the deep voice of someone in late middle age or older.

"You were the ones who attacked. We had no choice but to fight."

"That's right. It was the same in my day. Kid—resent the fact that you were born in the Kingdom."

I watched the opponent raise the greatsword. I gripped the controls tight and had Arroganz raise its fists. My breathing was ragged with tension.

Why did I have to fight on such a razor's edge? Normally, I'd have run for sure. Reasons for not running? Pulling off a dramatic exit and fleeing would look lame, and this guy didn't seem like he'd let me.

The greatsword he was holding... carelessly handled, it could probably pierce even Partner's armor. I had to take this guy down here, or it'd be dangerous.

"...May I ask why you won't retreat? If you were inclined to—"

"Sorry, but I've got my pride."

When I moved, the enemy moved too. The amulet hanging around my neck swayed. The Black Knight swung the greatsword down without hesitation—it clearly intended to kill me from the start. I caught it with my right arm, but my right arm was cut deep.

An alert blared, and when I swung my left arm toward the Black Knight, it seemed to sense the danger, withdrew its sword, flew directly over me, and circled behind.

I turned to see the Black Knight sweeping its greatsword in a horizontal line. Stepping forward, the greatsword sank deep into my right shoulder.

"There's supposed to be a performance gap!"

I complained, and Luxion coolly responded.

"The difference is in the skill of the pilots."

I slammed my left arm into the Black Knight and tried to release a shockwave, but the Black Knight violently kicked my left arm away and detached.

We continued exchanging soul-grinding blows, and in the end—the Black Knight and I faced each other with the setting sun at its back.

The Black Knight had lost its left arm and one leg. I was equally wrecked, my body now exposed to the open air. The Black Knight was also significantly weakened.

"...I can't lose to a Kingdom knight."

The voice it squeezed out was strained. I was struggling too. The Black Knight charged. The setting sun was blinding, and I squinted. I could have sworn the greatsword glinted.

Closing the distance, the Black Knight drove the greatsword into Arroganz.

I jumped straight out of Arroganz, hooked my anchor onto the Black Knight's armor, and swung over to it. The Black Knight was surprised by my move, but it was laughing.

"Abandoning your machine?"

"No. I've won."

I drew a pistol in my right hand and pointed it at the Black Knight. Its attention was fixed on me, and it didn't notice that Arroganz was still moving. Arroganz embraced the Black Knight—and began to crush it.

"What! How is it moving?!"

It tore off the Black Knight's head, and I pointed my pistol at the pilot inside, who could no longer move.

"It's over. Surrender."

At those words, the Black Knight—

"Kill me. I'll never surrender."

Refused.

But I noticed that the sounds from the ship had gone silent. Luxion floated over to my side.

"Suppression is complete."

The enemy fleet was immobilized. All the armor suits were in the water.

The Black Knight was seething with frustration.

"That I couldn't save the Princess..."

Watching the Black Knight's reaction, I noticed a light launched from an enemy airship. Seeing that flare-like signal, I furrowed my brow.

"They just don't know when to quit."

◇

Geralt, watching the Black Knight's defeat, was laughing like a madman.

"It's over. I'm finished."

The living legend of a Black Knight had been defeated. It was a devastating blow for the Duchy. They'd sent out the Black Knight—who they'd been told never to deploy—and lost to a student... Geralt pulled something like a gun from his coat and approached the window.

That single-shot device had been crafted from research into magic flutes. It could attract monsters. It was a device meant to gather the monsters led by a magic flute, and he'd been ordered not to use it because of its exceptionally powerful effect.

"I-If it comes to this, I have to wipe everything out. So that I won't be recorded in history as an incompetent."

He pulled the trigger toward the sky, and a flare-like light shot upward. The light blazed across the darkening sky, accompanied by a strange sound. As if drawn to it, monsters began to appear. From the sky, from the sea... they gathered one after another.

"Now—let the monsters devour each other!"

Military men rushed in to restrain the cackling Geralt. But the monsters kept arriving.

◇

I stood atop Arroganz, which was still holding the Black Knight. I let out a small sigh. Luxion, hovering near my shoulder, was watching me.

"...Quite a spectacle when they gather like this."

The immobilized Black Knight was glaring at an allied airship—the one that had fired the flare.

"Fool. They're trying to destroy all evidence. Hey, kid! Tell the Princess to blow the magic flute. This situation is bad for your side too."

Did he intend to control the newly gathered monsters with a magic flute? It was possible... but that would just mean more enemies.

The Black Knight noticed my hesitation and spoke.

"I have no intention of fighting you lot anymore. Do you want both sides annihilated?!"

I looked toward Luxion.

"Annihilation doesn't sound fun. Luxion, you can handle this, right?"

"Finally, my turn?"

As it said that, Luxion's red eye glowed. Then, from one of the clouds floating in the sky, thin beams of light shot out one after another, piercing through the gathered monsters and reducing them to black smoke.

The Black Knight craned its neck to watch the scene.

"What's happening?!"

It was like watching a meteor shower. I looked at the Black Knight.

"You're not the only ones with trump cards. When you get back to your country, make sure you pass that along."

The Black Knight roared at me.

"You're not going to take my head?!"

Who'd want an old man's head?!

"Don't need it. Damn it, look at what you did to my Arroganz... Oh, I'm taking this greatsword. Confiscated."

That greatsword had caused me all that panic.

"Kid! Your softness will be the death of you. Don't forget—I will defeat you next time!"

Watching the indignant Black Knight, I smiled.

"You still don't get it? The moment reinforcements showed up, you lost. And it was my 'softness' that saved you. You should be glad I'm kind. Be grateful—all of you get to go home alive because of me. Before you complain, you'd better say 'thank you.' Oh, and... you said something about 'kill me,' right? Don't worry. I killed you already."

The Black Knight looked stunned. It apparently didn't understand what I meant by "already killed."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Maybe you wouldn't get it, old man. You see... you lost to academy students. To kids. Full-grown adults mobilizing an army, bringing out your trump card—and you suffered a total defeat. Understand? You survived as people, but as knights and soldiers, you're dead. When you get back, start looking for new careers!"

The Black Knight's eyes went wide.

"You would have us live in shame?!"

I brought my face close to the Black Knight and headbutted it. My head hurt. This hard-headed geezer.

"What's with the attitude when you lost? You lost. So live with the shame. I'm kind as a person, but as a knight, I'm fine with being called a deviant or contemptible."

The Black Knight gritted its teeth. I laughed at the Black Knight. It had given me grief in both the game and real life. Time for you to do some self-reflection!

The Black Knight's face was twisted with hatred. In my past life—the Black Knight's appearance had made my face twist just like this. ...A wave of frustration welled up.

"Don't even have the pride of a knight, do you! You contemptible wretch!"

"Contemptible is fine with me! Besides, I wanted to see that face of yours!"

I was satisfied seeing the bitter, humiliated face of the Black Knight who'd tormented me so much.

"Ahh, I feel great. I'll sleep well tonight."

While we'd been talking, Luxion had finished off all the monsters, and silence had settled over the area. I headed back to Partner with the Black Knight in tow and began the cleanup.

◇

After things had settled down, I made my way to Partner's hangar. It had grown quite late. I gazed at the greatsword embedded in the battered Arroganz. The black blade must have drunk its fill of blood over the years.

"Master, why did you insist on fighting personally? With my main body, defeating the Black Knight would have been trivial."

It probably thought I'd needlessly risked my life. Luxion was reproaching me, but looking at the greatsword before me, I had my thoughts. Using overwhelming force to annihilate all the enemies was certainly possible. But if I did that, I'd be a mass murderer. Could I live with myself? ...No way. I'd definitely regret it. I'd be tormented.

"And even if I wiped them all out—what would the people who witnessed it think?"

"They'd consider you a threat."

"It'd be just like this greatsword. Like the Black Knight, I'd end up being exploited by the Kingdom, or I'd get fed up and rebel—then end up fighting the Kingdom and spilling even more blood. Don't you think that's stupid? ...I hate messy things like that."

Soft? So what. A life of endless fighting is a wasted life. I'll admit I'm small-time, but I have no desire to become a warmonger or a demon of war. ...That's exactly why I wanted to be a shut-in.

◇

The next day.

On the Duchy's floating island, the wreckage of destroyed Duchy airships had been stacked up. Since the robots were working through them one by one, we'd be able to acquire a huge amount of floating stone. ...All of it was mine.

"Get the armor suits out too. We'll take any airships in decent condition."

Luxion floated near me—it seemed hovering near my shoulder was its favorite spot.

"Stripping them clean like this—how ruthlessly efficient, Master. As expected."

"Right? I don't hate this side of myself either."

Nearby was the restrained envoy—a man named Geralt. He was pretty beaten up, but that wasn't my doing. When we'd captured him, he was already unconscious in this state. Apparently he was a count—someone with a fairly high rank in this fleet.

"Baron Bartfort, if at all possible, could we have the floating stone returned?"

I said with a grin.

"Hmm, let me think? We had our luxury liner attacked and destroyed, so I'd like to recover as much as I can. Ahh, if certain people hadn't attacked us, none of this would have happened."

"I-If that's the case, then perhaps formal negotiations between the Duchy and the Kingdom—eek!"

I deliberately stomped the floor hard, making a racket.

"Why should I—the winner—be the one to compromise?"

"Now, but—"

"We're good, right?"

"Well, you see—"

"We're good, right?"

"...Y-yes."

Geralt, whose fate was entirely in my hands, twisted his face in frustration.

"Man, I'm too kind. I'm forgiving everyone just like this. My kindness is a crime."

Luxion was exasperated.

"A ruthlessly merciless Master. How lovely."

"At least I'm not capturing defeated soldiers and turning them into slaves, right?"

"You did sell the air pirates to a viscount, though."

"I did. A viscount who'd just discovered a mine bought them in bulk, which worked out. They were criminals to begin with. They knew what would happen if they got caught, so they shouldn't have any regrets."

"They were pleading for help, though."

"They did say that too."

I'd sold them to the viscount whose family my second sister had troubled. From now on, those air pirates would be working desperately in the mines for someone else's benefit... with their lives on the line! Mining labor was brutal, backbreaking, life-threatening work. A place where even adults keeled over one after another. I thought I was overflowing with kindness for not sending the Duchy's soldiers there.

...Still, I was a little anxious inside. I'd cut down so much of their military strength—but would the Duchy actually stop the war?

"...They probably won't."

My anxiety about the future grew, but part of me felt that after all this effort, the Kingdom should handle the rest. Before me were many damaged armor suits.

"I'll have to get these repaired too."

"I could repair them myself, but if I handle everything, some people will start questioning my capabilities. You should probably commission a maintenance factory for the armor. Ideally, you'd own a factory like that yourself."

"Can't do that right away, but it's a good idea. For now, I'll find somewhere to commission the work."

"Recently, there have been many fraudsters claiming to be armor-making specialists. You should be careful when commissioning work."

"Oh, come to think of it, there were scammers like that in the game too."

Luxion spoke up.

"Master, it's almost time."

"Right. We've taken everything worth taking. Time to head home."

"Quite the line for someone who isn't a pirate."

With a single floating island left to them, the Duchy had its airships and nearly all its armor suits taken by me.

◇

Inside Partner's hull.

I'd been busy with the luxury liner's captain and various other conversations, and returned to my room exhausted. A guard-like robot stood in front of my door, protecting the room. As I said "Good work" and tried to open the door—it blocked me.

"Hey, why won't you let me in my own room?"

The robot prevented me from entering. The eye on its head was flashing, as if trying to communicate something, but I tried to force my way in.

"Move! I'm tired!"

Luxion translated the blocking robot's words for me.

"Master, it seems there are two people in the room—"

When I opened the door and stepped inside, Livia and Angelica were lying face-to-face on my bed. They were sleeping, holding each other's hands. A blanket had been drawn over them, and it seemed their uniforms had been removed. A caretaker robot was floating nearby, ironing their uniforms. That meant they were in their undergarments beneath the blanket? Both had adorable sleeping faces, breathing softly.

What a sacred sight.

...I slowly closed the door. Then with my back against the door, I sat down right there.

"...Someone should've warned me! I already peeked! Angelica's dad is going to kill me!"

As I hugged my knees in fear, Luxion spoke—but.

"It seems they fell asleep while waiting in the room. They must have been exhausted."

...They were both so cute. If I hadn't had the mind of an adult, I might have just peeked in. Thank goodness I was an adult, for both their sakes.

"So where am I going to sleep?"

With evacuated students and crew members aboard Partner, I wondered if there were any free rooms. Then I heard footsteps. They approached, stopped, and when I looked up, Chris was standing there.

"...What's up?"

"Bartfort, I want an answer. The reason you... the reason you won't spar with me is because I can't beat you, isn't it?"

...What was this guy talking about? I was supposed to beat someone who was absurdly gifted in swordsmanship? Was he joking?

"What? Is that a joke?"

Chris shook his head.

"No. You beat the Black Knight. We're probably not even on your radar. I couldn't gauge your skill level. I'm ashamed of myself."

He'd be better off feeling ashamed of his misunderstanding. I only won because of Arroganz's performance.

"That's a misunderst—"

But Chris spoke with a face full of renewed determination.

"I will catch up to you. I'll become strong enough to earn your respect. That's what I wanted to say—you're my goal."

As Chris walked away saying that, I considered clearing up the misunderstanding but decided it was too much trouble. Everyone was way too slow about changing their ways.

Watching Chris leave, I thought.

"...Alright, next time I'll dump the credit on him."

"Scheming again?"

How rude—calling it scheming. Everyone would surely be happier if he got the credit instead of me.

With that thought, I fell asleep sitting right there in front of the door.

◇

"Man, the Duchy really was tough."

My room at the Academy.

Having finally returned from the school trip, I lay on my bed talking with Luxion.

"You say that a lot."

After that, I'd been subjected to all kinds of interrogations. However, when I handed over the Black Knight's greatsword, I made sure to stress to the officials multiple times that "Chris did an excellent job!"

I deliberately downplayed my own contributions and insisted that everyone worked hard, that I was just deeply moved! I maintained the stance that I'd only been there to cooperate. The royal palace had made snide remarks about waiting for the knights or the military to arrive, but... since it had been a crisis situation, they deemed me blameless for the time being. The boys and girls who had distinguished themselves would apparently receive rewards from the kingdom. I'd heard they'd receive medals or something similar.

"Even so, was it wise to hand over the Black Knight's greatsword?"

"A greatsword that's slain tens of thousands of people? That thing's probably cursed. You can prepare something made of the same material, right?"

"I've analyzed it, so yes. But are you really going to give up the airships and armor suits too? Donating them for free to both the Kingdom and the Duke's household..."

Currying favor with the royal palace. And after the guilt of seeing Angelica's sleeping face, I handed everything over to her father.

"It's fine. I still have some left. And the important floating stone is in my hands."

There was no promotion this time either. I'd receive a medal alongside everyone else, and that would be that.

"If Master is satisfied with that, then I have no objections, but..."

A lot had happened this time. I'd found things to improve on. It was time to get serious. Once I reclaimed Livia's bracelet and ended the war with the Duchy, it would all be over.

I'd finally decided to stop running from these hectic days. It was fine to remain a mob. I just wanted to be by those two's side.

Well then... I'd need to make quite a few preparations for that.