In the dungeon.
With the guard sent away, I thought back on all the guests who had come to visit.
They'd even had tea prepared to buy themselves time.
Every last one of them was no good. Offering money if I'd teach them how to operate Partner, saying they'd graciously let me join their side —总之, it was all terrible.
Many of them even threatened to kill me if I didn't comply.
Luxion was exasperated too.
"Is there no way to cure those nobles of their suspicion? They offer to spare your life only if you hand over Partner and Arroganz."
"Probably not. They'd kill me the moment I handed them over, yet they still have the nerve to lie like that."
They'd managed to seize Partner and Arroganz, but they couldn't figure out how to make them work.
Coming to me to ask how to operate them — they had to be out of their minds.
"They apparently tried to disassemble it but gave up partway through. Partner has been treated so poorly — it's pitiable. Master, shall we destroy the kingdom?"
"Denied."
Arroganz was locked away in a container they couldn't tamper with.
Partner's cockpit, meanwhile, had apparently been ransacked pretty badly.
"...Is the reason you haven't abandoned the kingdom because of Angelica and Mylène? I imagine Clarisse also ranks highly in your priorities — is it because they're part of the ruling class that you want to protect the kingdom? I would recommend reform from within."
Was I being thought of as someone who wanted to protect the kingdom because I had women I cared about there?
That wasn't exactly it, and I had no intention of reforming anything from within.
"Do you actually think I want to protect this kingdom?"
"Don't you?"
Honestly speaking, I couldn't care less if the kingdom fell.
If I was being asked why I wanted it to survive — well, without a country, the people would suffer. It was true that things would get complicated without anyone governing.
"I have no interest in running a state. If someone like me destroyed a country, it'd be the people living there who'd suffer. I don't think someone with no motivation should be doing something like that."
"Is that really enough? Mylène — if the Duchess faction fails, Master will be executed. Of course, I won't let that happen."
"If the kingdom throws me away, I'll just run."
Fortunately, both Helturude and the Magic Flute were in the kingdom's hands.
As long as they weren't taken, the kingdom wouldn't lose.
There would be heavy casualties, though...
"Why don't you rise up for the people?"
"They wouldn't want that."
Wars in this world weren't fought by gathering peasants and handing them spears. If you wanted to turn the common folk into soldiers, you'd need to train them.
With airships in the equation, conscripting the populace was difficult.
Some lords did rule with an iron fist, but the Holfart Kingdom was relatively kind to its people. A setting that fit right in with an otome game's world.
Fighting was the job of knights and soldiers.
The ones struggling in the marriage market were also just a portion of the ruling class.
Discontent was everywhere, but the ones with the most grievances were the barons and viscounts in that awkward middle position — people like me. What a horrible world.
Simply put, even if I started a rebellion, there'd be no peasants willing to follow. Sad, isn't it?
"Besides, I'm technically a knight. I've got to do my job."
"By 'knight's work,' you mean being kind to women and serving the state's interests?"
"Idiot. ...A knight protects the people."
"Isn't that just lip service?"
"I love lip service and high ideals. It's a whole lot better than being at the beck and call of the academy girls and working myself to the bone for this country. Oh, and Livia would be happy to hear me say that."
Angelica would make a slightly troubled face, though.
"What a flippant resolve. I was almost moved for a moment, but you ruined it."
"What do you expect from me?"
"I do hope that Master and I can wipe out Old Humanity together."
...This guy was scary.
Just then, Luxion's single eye turned toward the dungeon entrance.
I thought the guard had returned, but the footsteps were multiple.
"...Master, it seems you should probably make a run for it. The kingdom won't be meeting your expectations, apparently."
So even Mylène and the others couldn't pull it off.
Luxion vanished, and I made sure the handcuffs could be removed at a moment's notice. When the door opened, the one who came was a noble who'd visited the dungeon many times before.
His rank: viscount.
He held a high station too, and had knights trailing behind him like an entourage.
In his hand was a wine bottle, hardly appropriate for a dungeon.
"Viscount Bartfort, I've brought you a care package."
Armed knights.
The wine the viscount was carrying was probably poisoned.
"I'm still avoiding alcohol. Take it back, or share it with your men."
The viscount looked at me with a mocking grin.
"How long do you intend to cling to this wretched life? I think a noble should die with dignity."
Dignity, huh. Well, I was planning to die of old age in my second life, so that wasn't really appealing.
Still, it was deeply disappointing that things had turned out this way.
Just when I was thinking about whether to escape from the kingdom, I heard hurried footsteps.
When Luxion revealed himself, the viscount and his men were startled and raised their pistols and rifles.
"That's the familiar from the reports! Capture it!"
"Even if Master were to die, I still wouldn't obey you. More importantly — you should watch your backs."
The one who burst in from the entrance was Chris.
With a rod in hand, he proceeded to knock out the knights standing behind the viscount.
"Bartfort, are you all right?!"
Why was Chris here? Before I could finish that thought, Jilk entered the room and shot the pistol right out of the viscount's hand.
"We won't let you lay a finger on Viscount Bartfort."
The viscount clutched his hand as the poisoned wine spilled, and glared at Jilk and the others.
"Y-You — do you even understand what you're doing—"
Right onto the viscount's head, Luxion dropped his own body and knocked him unconscious.
"Shut up."
Jilk unlocked the chains and spoke to me.
"Come on, we need to hurry."
...Why had these guys come to rescue me? When I looked at Luxion, he was bobbing his single eye up and down in a nod.
Was it okay to run?
"Why are you guys here?"
"Marie asked us to. We tried every other option, but we decided drastic measures were called for. Now come on, quickly."
With Jilk practically pushing me along, I made my way outside and dashed up the dungeon stairs.
Waiting for us there were Brad and Greg.
The two of them were looking down at the restrained guard.
"You two came as well? What happened to him?"
"He was already tied up when we got here."
"More importantly, we need to move. Julius is waiting."
After confirming the guard was alive, I moved through the palace with the four of them. That was when we were hiding from a patrol.
I felt the ground tremble.
◇
Following the four of them, we arrived at the courtyard.
From behind a tree in the courtyard, the one who revealed himself was Prince Julius.
"I've been waiting."
"Hey, why did you lead us to the courtyard? Aren't we escaping?"
Prince Julius said with a hint of pride, "There's a secret escape route known only to the royal family."
"Don't tell me secrets like that! Are you stupid? Are you actually stupid?"
"That's quite the way to thank me for saving you. — Oh dear, there seem to be quite a lot of tremors."
While we were bickering in hushed voices, the ground shook again.
With the six of us gathered in the courtyard, surrounded by buildings, Luxion—
"Master, we've been surrounded."
"What?"
The courtyard was bathed in light, instantly brightening everything. Shielding my eyes from the glare, I heard the sound of armored knights closing in at a run.
I was about to give Luxion an order when—
"Wait, Prince Julius! We are not your enemies!"
From the shouting knight, Prince Julius stepped forward to shield me.
"Then let us pass."
The knight who had called out to us told us that wasn't possible.
"We came to rescue Viscount Bartfort."
"Me?"
I wasn't sure whether to trust them or not.
They could be lying.
Luxion had told me it would take a few minutes to bring Arroganz here, so I decided to negotiate and buy time.
That was when someone appeared before me—
"...Father."
Prince Julius lowered his sword.
"Julius, no harm will come to you. Put down your weapons and come here."
Prince Julius's father — King Roland Rapha Holfart.
He had long, slightly wavy gray hair and a beard.
Tall in stature, he possessed a lean, well-trained physique despite being in his early years of old age.
He carried the dignity of a king.
Upon recognizing His Majesty, we all knelt.
"Viscount Bartfort, you've been through a lot. But thanks to you, matters have been settled on our end as well."
Did that mean they'd won?
When I looked at Luxion, he averted his gaze.
Had this guy been planning to get me out from the very beginning? You really couldn't let your guard down with him.
"Father, Bartfort was nearly killed!"
When Prince Julius said that, His Majesty nodded.
"I know. And we don't have time for leisurely conversation."
As the earth shook, His Majesty looked downward, appearing to wrestle with something.
◇
After taking a shower and changing clothes, I was led to what looked like a conference room.
Seated there were the kingdom's most important figures.
And among them were His Majesty and the Queen — Mylène herself.
Vince was there too. So this was a gathering of the people who'd been supporting me.
"You're looking well, Viscount."
"M-Mostly."
I wanted to throw some snark back, but they'd just saved my skin, so I couldn't exactly be aggressive.
Looking around, I didn't see Prince Julius and the others.
His Majesty seemed to catch who I was looking for and explained.
"Julius and the others are waiting in another room. Well, I suppose 'restrained' would be more accurate."
When I tensed up at that, Mylène reassured me.
"Don't misunderstand. We're hiding them to keep them safe. Same as we did with you, Leon."
"May I ask why I was summoned?"
Vince seemed to think that was obvious, but the one who explained was Minister Bernard — Clarisse's father.
"The Duchy's fleet has made landfall on the kingdom's mainland. Over ten scout ships and defense force vessels in the surrounding area have been sunk. Nearly a hundred Armors have been shot down."
The kingdom had superior national power, but when its forces were spread across multiple fronts, they couldn't muster a concentrated force.
To make matters worse, the duchy's forces had been thinned out due to the long period of peace.
"The enemy fleet numbers approximately one hundred and fifty vessels. The number of Armors is unknown. Reports indicate the monsters leading them are too numerous to count — enough to blot out the sky."
My first thought was about Helturude and the Magic Flute, but Vince shook his head.
"The Prince and the Magic Flute are still in the kingdom. The duchy must have had another Magic Flute. We believe the Second Princess is the one wielding it."
I was listening gravely, but this was the first I'd heard of a Second Princess.
I had no idea there was a Second Princess.
And there was another Magic Flute?
I hadn't been told any of this.
His Majesty continued, "Countries other than the duchy are on the move as well. We've received requests for aid from the nobles guarding our borders. We're being attacked from every direction."
Minister Bernard took over the explanation.
"The forces stationed in the provinces have already been deployed there. We can't recall them now. Besides, the kingdom currently has no fleet capable of sortying."
"What about the capital's defense force? And the kingdom's regular army should be nearby—"
It was Mylène who answered my question.
"This happened a few days ago. The Temple requested our cooperation, and after deliberation — we provided two hundred vessels as support."
Mylène spoke with a heavy heart.
The Temple, bolstered by Marie's presence, had allied with the marquis faction.
The result—
"We were defeated by the duchy. Only about ten ships made it back."
◇
A few days earlier.
After sending Julius and the others off, Marie was visited by a Temple priest.
"Lady Marie, the time has come for you to demonstrate your power as the Saint."
"I suuupose there's no helping it~"
She boarded the airship in high spirits — but then—
"...Huh?"
On the deck of the airship.
Marie, dressed in the Saint's vestments, carried the tokens of her station: a necklace, a bracelet, and a staff.
The wind was cold and biting.
Before she could complain about the wind tangling her hair and all the rest,
"...Th-This isn't what I signed up for!"
The Temple's own fleet numbered only about thirty vessels.
They'd borrowed forces from the kingdom and added another two hundred to the fleet.
In sheer numbers, they could match the duchy, but the enemy had monsters — expendable forces that could be thrown away without hesitation.
The sheer number of them was beyond anything she had imagined — and Marie was terrified.
As the monsters surged forward, Marie raised her staff.
"They're comiiiing!"
The staff in the Saint's hand blazed with light, deploying a massive shield over the fleet.
The enormous light, adorned with white patterns, enveloped the fleet — and when the monsters touched it, they disintegrated.
The surrounding priests and Temple knights praised Marie.
"It's the Saint's power!"
"We can win! We can win this!"
"Advance the airships! Push the duchy's fleet back just like this!"
With Marie neutralizing the monsters, morale soared whether they wanted it to or not.
Marie, too, put on a strained smile, relieved that things were working out somehow.
(W-Well, I'm actually doing pretty well. I was a little worried, but...)
Julius and the others weren't around Marie.
The Temple had asked them to come along, but they'd been dispatched to rescue Leon.
And Kyle was nowhere to be seen either.
The Temple hadn't let him board the airship.
As a result, Marie was fighting alone and frightened.
The Temple's priests and knights surrounded her, but every face was unfamiliar.
Her confidence was starting to wane.
As Marie's ornate airship advanced, monsters that collided with the shield were blown apart and vanished.
"That's right. This isn't easy. I'm the Saint! Don't think for a second you can take me down this easily!"
She was anxious about Julius and the others' absence, but right now Marie was intoxicated by her own power.
◇
On the duchy's side, they watched the kingdom's fleet advancing with Marie at the forefront.
Heltrauda, too, was observing the battlefield laid out on the table inside the ship, with tokens representing friend and foe.
"The Saint's power appears to be genuine."
The surrounding dignitaries looked to Heltrauda.
Rising from her chair, Heltrauda received the flute — the Magic Flute — from a woman standing beside her.
One of the dignitaries spoke:
"Your Highness, we are already over the kingdom's mainland. The timing differs from the plan, but there is no issue."
"...Very well."
With that, Heltrauda gazed at the flute with a solemn expression, took a deep breath, and raised it to her lips. If she went past this point, there would be no turning back.
Her nerves were on edge, but steeling herself, she played.
The melody was eerie — and beautiful.
Those around her closed their eyes and listened.
(Now then, Saint — can you stop the duchy's fury?)
Over the battlefield.
Thick clouds materialized, and the battlefield darkened.
And emerging from those clouds was — a truly enormous monster.
Its round body was studded with countless eyes.
Long arms had sprouted from it as well.
Veins pulsed across its white flesh, and the multi-eyed, multi-armed monster was grotesquely massive. It dwarfed even the lowliest floating island.
The spherical body alone stretched for who knew how many thousands or tens of thousands of meters.
The sudden appearance of the monster threw the kingdom's fleet into turmoil.
Heltrauda pulled the flute from her lips and nearly collapsed.
When those around her caught her, she was smiling.
"A Magic Flute that commands the Guardian Gods of sky and sea — the one that controls the Guardian God of the earth is with my sister in the kingdom, but that hardly matters."
The dignitaries applauded.
"With this, our long-simmering grudge against the kingdom will finally be avenged."
"A magnificent display, Your Highness."
"With the Guardian Gods before them, the kingdom's army will be powerless. All that remains is to march into the kingdom and rescue Princess Helturude."
Heltrauda asked to be carried outside so she could see for herself.
Outside the ship, the wind howled.
What lay before her gaze was the sight of the monster reaching down from the sky, swatting the kingdom's forces out of the air with its hands.
The shields deployed by the Saint were shattered, and enormous arms swept through the airships.
Beams of light shot from its countless eyes, piercing through airships and setting them ablaze.
"Crushed between the sky and the sea, your land shall sink."
The duchy was genuinely trying to sink the kingdom — to sink the continent.
Heltrauda was smiling with a bluish pallor on her face.
Was her face blue from exhaustion, or from fear of what she'd done? No one around her cared.
◇
An enormous palm bore down.
Marie crouched down and let go of her staff.
As airships collided with the massive hand and were destroyed, the surrounding priests and Temple knights cried out.
"Lady Saint, the shield!"
"Use your power, Lady Saint, and destroy that creature!"
"Lady Saint, your staff!"
Surrounded by their shrill cries of "Saint" and "Saint," Marie screamed through her tears.
"How am I supposed to defeat that thing?! I don't know! Nobody told me 'that thing' would show up! And besides, I'm — I'm not the real Saint!"
As the people around her stood in stunned silence, airships that had been blasted away flew over their heads.
Airships were being destroyed like toys — blown away, set on fire.
She couldn't comprehend what was before her.
It was simply a colossal monster... a creature that filled the sky.
Its grotesque appearance left Marie paralyzed with terror.
Looking up at the monster, she wept.
"There's nothing I can do about this! Someone, help me!"
Fire from the resisting airships had no effect, and the creature advanced slowly. It destroyed anything in its path, moving ever closer — heading straight for the royal capital.
One of the Temple knights screamed.
"R-Retreat! Retreat! Turn back immediately!"
As the airships turned to flee, more and more of them were shot down.
Airships that crashed to the ground exploded, spreading fire across the land.
Of the hundred-plus airships that had set out, fewer than ten managed to escape.
Marie had been sitting with her knees drawn to her chest, crying the entire time.
Just like that day in her previous life—
◇
"— That is the full account of what happened."
...Mylène's report had concluded.
His Majesty murmured, "A nightmare."
Vince looked troubled as well.
"Fleets alone won't solve this. And then there's the earthquakes."
Vince drained his drink and set the cup on its side on the table. The cup rolled slowly across the surface.
The table seemed to be tilted ever so slightly.
They seemed to coincide with the duchy's movements — there had to be some connection.
"Viscount Bartfort, let me ask you directly. Do you think you could win? Against that creature, with you and your Lost Items — could you prevail?"
At Minister Bernard's words, I swallowed hard.
If that monster shared the same properties as the final boss, it was impossible.
Luxion couldn't beat it.
No, he wouldn't lose. But he couldn't win, either.
The enemy would just keep reviving no matter how many times you took it down. In a game, this would be the kind of situation where you'd give up and reload a save from a key branching point. Honestly, my first thought was, "Well, I'm screwed."
"I don't know."
The opponent was fundamentally different from anything I could judge.
Vince picked up the cup and said, "I figured. But we have no choice but to rely on you, Viscount. If your Lost Items — the only ones you can operate — can't destroy it, then we'll need to deploy the Royal Ship."
Mylène narrowed her eyes.
"Duchess, what exactly are you doing bringing this up now?"
There seemed to be some tension, but I knew what they were talking about. The Royal Ship — the powerful airship that the heroine and the chosen love interests piloted in the game's latter half.
However, its performance was inferior to Luxion's.
It might even be inferior to Partner.
"If not now, then when? Holding back in a situation like this is hardly commendable."
"—!"
Mylène was about to retort, but His Majesty stopped her again.
"Enough. Vince, you know full well what you're saying — that's just cruel. The Royal Ship won't move unless those with the proper qualifications are assembled. And neither Mylène nor I could operate it."
That's right — that was one of the game's settings.
In the game, the heroine and the chosen love interests had piloted it.
But here was the problem.
There was no bond of love between Livia and the five capture targets. The Royal Ship was designed to only move when such bonds existed.
That meant, in order to overcome this situation — they needed Marie's power.
They needed to borrow both the bonds of love and the power of the Saint from Marie.
"Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask. Please allow me to use the Royal Ship. And I'll need Marie and the five of them."
His Majesty made no effort to hide his displeasure toward me.
Mylène shook her head.
"— I'm afraid that's impossible. The Temple has announced that the Saint, Marie, is to be executed."
◇
After hearing the situation, I was moved to a separate room.
His Majesty and the others were still in conference, and I was promised the return of Partner and Arroganz while being ordered to stand by.
Well, I was still technically a knight of the kingdom.
I accepted the standby order. There were things I needed to think about.
Sitting in my chair with my hands folded before my face, deep in thought, Luxion drifted over to my side.
"Marie, who deceived them as the Saint — will she be burned at the stake or crucified? The descendants of Old Humanity are truly ugly creatures."
Marie was being executed because, even though the Saint's items had recognized her, she herself had declared she was a fake.
The reason behind it was the result of a blame game, which made it no laughing matter.
The Temple, which had marched into the duchy, and the marquis faction in the palace that had provided the forces — they both needed someone to take the blame.
"Still, these people and their standby order — they're quite the optimists. They actually believe Master still holds some loyalty and would work for the kingdom. The attitude of 'we'll return Partner and Arroganz to you' is unbearable. Shall we destroy them?"
I shook my head.
To put it bluntly, the kingdom had no value to me.
We were heading toward a bad ending by the game's scenario, and on top of that, they'd tried to execute me.
They'd managed to stop that, but the kingdom was still in a desperate situation.
On top of that, I'd been kicked out of the meeting.
...And yet, I couldn't make up my mind.
"...Master, what is it you're thinking about?"
"Luxion, do you think you could win in this situation?"
Drifting around me, "What are the victory conditions?"
"Prevent the land from sinking. Destroy the 'super-large-class' before it reaches the capital."
The ridiculously massive monster, now designated "super-large-class," should have been heading for the capital if it matched the final boss I knew.
In fact, Luxion believed it was heading for the capital as well.
"Impossible. As Master said, even if I don't lose, if the enemy revives no matter how many times it's defeated, I can only buy time. Also, there are two super-large-class signatures. They're converging on the capital from the sky and the sea, like a pincer around the floating land."
"This is the worst."
"If you want to win, you need to be in a position where all of the kingdom's resources are at your disposal. You need the Royal Ship, don't you? However, judging by the king's demeanor, if you were to take custody of the Royal Ship — that would mean becoming the supreme commander with full authority. That doesn't align with Master's usual approach."
Truly the worst.
To take custody of the Royal Ship, you needed the proper standing. But I had neither the trust nor the track record.
I lacked what was needed to win.
"I recommend fleeing."
I knew running was the smarter choice. I had no attachment to this kingdom either.
If I had any reason to stay, it was simply that I wanted to help a few people I knew.
But if I did that—
"Oh my, it's Master's favorite teacher."
A knock came at the door, and Luxion vanished.
When I answered, my master pushed a service cart into the room.
"Pardon the intrusion, Misterion."
"...Master."
The master began preparing tea, his manner as gentlemanly as ever.
Even with nobles and knights fleeing the palace upon hearing of the kingdom's defeat, my master remained as composed as always.
Drinking the tea he offered, I calmed down a little.
"Misterion, you're troubled."
"Ha ha ha, is it that obvious?"
Whether to run or whether to fight — I hated my own indecisiveness.
I tried to laugh it off, but I couldn't manage a convincing smile.
"I've heard the circumstances from the Queen. Apparently you managed to anger His Majesty and were dismissed."
Asking to borrow the Royal Ship had apparently been a mistake.
It was an airship managed by the royal family in strict secrecy. Looking back, it really hadn't been the best thing to say.
"The Queen was worried about you. She says you're better at winning over women's hearts than I am. Perhaps you could teach me your ways sometime."
To my master's joke, I responded, "Aren't you going to run?"
"I'm still a knight with a title and rank in this kingdom. I ought to at least do the work my salary calls for. Though admittedly, my options are limited."
He was joking, but my master intended to stay and fight.
This was it. This was exactly it.
The people I wanted to save might also have things they couldn't abandon, reasons to stay in the kingdom.
Even if I dragged them out by force, it might only cause them pain.
And yet,
"...Aren't you going to run?"
"Misterion. I won't blame you for running away. But I have decided to stay. It is my judgment as a gentleman, and as a knight."
As a knight? When I tilted my head in confusion, my master gave me a smile.
"These days, people think of a knight as someone who's kind to women, but my chivalry is about — protecting the people who matter to me. I have no intention of compromising that."
He wasn't the kind of knight who served the kingdom's convenience, nor was he the kind of ideal knight an otome game demanded.
My master had his own code of chivalry.
He never appeared in the game, and yet he was just another mob like me — what a cool guy.
"Your code of chivalry."
"Might I hear about yours, Misterion?"
I drained my tea and stood up.
"I happen to be quite fond of ideals myself. The chivalry of protecting the people — I like that a lot."
The chivalry of being kind to academy girls, and the chivalry of serving the kingdom's interests — I hated both.
"Thanks for the tea. I'm heading out."
"Where to?"
"...I was thinking of trying my hand at being supreme commander. It's the best way to turn this situation around, as far as I can see."
At my words, my master's eyes went wide — but he quickly returned to his usual expression.
If I didn't know better, I'd have thought he was about to laugh—
"Then rely on the Queen. Misterion, she may be... the way she is, but she's quite resourceful within the palace. I'm sure she'll be of help."
I thanked him and left the room.
◇
Walking briskly down the hallway, Luxion followed me.
"You're not going to run?"
"I decided not to. I'm going to fight the duchy."
"...Don't you dislike promotions? Supreme commander isn't the kind of position you'd want, Master."
"Sorry, but every guy wants to experience it at least once."
"You're going to fight on ideals alone? I don't understand."
Fight for the people? It did sound like a lie. Nobody would believe me if I said it, but I was being fairly serious.
Was it because I'd been an ordinary person in my previous life?
Watching people in a kingdom I barely had a connection to die didn't sit well with me.
Say there was a happy family living their modest, stable everyday lives. If the land sank, countless people like them would die.
In this world that Marie had thrown into chaos, they would be the biggest victims.
Watching the continent sink and its people die — it didn't sit right.
"I don't have a hobby of watching tens of millions of people die."
"There would be nothing wrong with running. I can't comprehend Master's actions."
"I can't comprehend them either. I want to run right now too. But... even if I ran away from here, I'd definitely think about it later. When I'm lying in bed wondering if I did the right thing — I absolutely don't want to live that kind of life."
I was absolutely certain I'd torment myself over it. Spending the rest of my life doing that? No thanks.
Besides, I was a knight. Forget the title — in my previous life's terms, I was essentially a soldier in wartime. If soldiers like that ran away, I'd resent them.
Wait, I shouldn't be dragging them into this.
"Didn't you dislike promotions?"
"That's the kind of thing you can worry about after winning. In a situation where I can't even win, stressing over promotions is pointless."
I still had no interest in promotions. If anything, the ideal position was one where I could live a relaxed life.
But—
"Everyone else is useless, so I'll do it myself. Lend me a hand, Luxion."