“Ha? I’ve got no idea. I was just in the mansion you all use, saying the names of a woman and a dog. Stop making weird accusations.”
When Pierre shouted his line after boarding the Alogantz, Мари lowered her head in the audience seats.
Around them, Greg’s face turned red with anger.
“Bastard, cut the crap!”
Jilk narrowed his eyes.
“Are you really going that far?”
Chris’s clenched fists creaked with rage.
Kyle muttered something about “Brad’s name isn’t there,” but nobody said a word about it.
Brad still couldn’t get up.
He was probably left behind in the room.
Julius looked down at Леон.
“I hope we can help them.”
At Julius’s words, Мари quietly lifted her face.
Her eyes, missing their highlight, were distorted into a crescent, her mouth twisted… it made her look as if madness had stained her.
“Everyone, don’t think ‘It’d be nice if we were rescued.’ We’re the ones who’ll rescue. No matter what, we’ll save Kara and Noel‑chan and bring them here. So… how long are you gonna keep whining, you idiots!”
Everyone gasped “Huh!” and straightened up, rigid at Мари’s words.
“Just because we came to the Republic doesn’t mean you can be cowards! This is your chance to show your strength! If you don’t fight here, when will you? If you stay a pushover, you’ll never look good!”
Mари’s yelling made the four people present stare in shock.
They realized they’d been getting soft while worrying about diplomatic issues and other things.
Julius nodded.
“Exactly what Мари says. We’ll find it no matter what! We can’t let the Bartforts get in the way.”
Jilk agreed.
“Yes. About the Count of Bartfort. He must have some secret plan ready.”
Chris adjusted his glasses.
“Right. If it comes down to a duel, Bartfort won’t lose.”
Greg slammed his left palm into his fist.
“We’ll bring Kara and the dog here, no matter what.”
Only Kyle voiced a practical concern.
“But we don’t even know where they are.”
Then a device that Леон had thrown from the duel arena fell onto Мари’s head.
“Ow! What the hell are you doing, you damn— Леон‑san!”
Mари held back a “damn brother” retort, picked up the device, and looked down at the arena.
Leon was giving directions with gestures and mouth movements.
From his motions, Мари instantly grasped what he meant.
“Search, and beat them up… Right, right!”
Mари clenched the handheld device that looked like a smartphone.
(If I pull this off, all my losses are wiped. That dog was my brother’s favorite, so rescuing it scores big points. I have to act here to survive!)
Remember, Мари is Леон’s sister from a past life—kindred siblings.
Mари, operating the device, checked the incoming data one after another.
“Everyone, we’re heading back to the mansion right now.”
Kyle was surprised.
“Huh? Aren’t we supposed to keep searching?”
Mари replied,
“I’ll check on Brad’s condition. And we need to retrieve the luggage.”
The six of them, Мари included, headed from the arena back to the mansion.
◇
I, who threw the device, nodded as Мари and the others left the audience seats.
They seemed to fully understand what I was getting at.
Pushing them was the right move.
Well, I was just teasing a bit, but since they showed motivation I left them be.
Professor Narciss checked in with me.
“…You’ll continue?”
“Of course. We still have time before the duel, so let’s wait.”
Professor Kureman rolled his eyes.
“The kingdom’s knights are so belligerent, huh?”
It’s a misunderstanding.
I aim to be a gentlemanly knight, like a master.
“Excuse me. I’m a kind‑hearted knight, you know.”
Professor Kureman denied it.
“A kind‑hearted knight wouldn’t use a holy‑tree sapling for a duel.”
“It’s a matter of perspective. Because I’m kind‑hearted, I can’t just leave evil unchecked.”
Pierre, being called a villain, snarled.
‘I’ll kill you. Don’t think you can die easily.’
…You really are something.
◇
Mари’s mansion.
At the entrance lay a battered Brad.
Mари rushed over and lifted him; Brad looked frustrated.
“Sorry, Мари. Kara and Noel were kidnapped. Those guys stormed in out of nowhere.”
The broken front door bore gunshot marks.
Brad must have resisted, but being sick‑ridden he couldn’t move properly and got beaten.
“It’s okay. We’ll handle the rest.”
Brad seemed to lose consciousness, and Мари had the other men carry him into a room.
Kyle sighed at the wrecked mansion.
“Who’s supposed to clean this up? We need to rescue Kara‑san quickly and sort the cleanup.”
His words were harsh, but you could tell he was worried about Kara.
Mари stayed silent.
Then…
“Um… a delivery?”
From outside, men carrying a large wooden crate called out apologetically.
It was a delivery addressed to Мари.
She signed for it.
When the men left, Мари opened the crate.
Inside was a machine gun.
Kyle picked up a cartridge.
“This isn’t normal ammo.”
They were rubber bullets for humans—still painful if they hit.
Mари brandished a submachine gun—one of those old‑movie gangster‑style drum‑magazine guns.
“This… nice. Kyle, tell everyone to get ready right now.”
A little girl holding a machine gun felt surreal, but Мари’s stance was solid.
Her info‑device in her pocket trembled; she pulled it out and watched a video.
It showed Kara being held by a gang‑like group, clutching Noel.
Mари’s forehead flushed with blue veins.
“These bastards… targeting a woman and a dog— they’ll regret it. And you all will disappear so I can survive.”
Seeing Мари’s dark grin, Kyle muttered,
“Today’s master is scary.”
◇
Abandoned warehouse.
Pierre and the shady organization’s men were surrounding Kara, grinning.
Some wore suits, most looked like thugs, flaunting pistols and knives.
Shivering, Kara clutched Noel.
Noel licked Kara’s face with his tongue.
Noel seemed more concerned for Kara.
Kara chattered her teeth, terrified.
A big‑belly man tipped his hat at Kara.
“Little miss exchange student? If you realize Alzer is a scary country, never mess with the Six Great Nobles again.”
The men laughed.
Kara tried to act tough.
“Yo, you think you can get away with this for free? This dog belongs to Count Bartfort—”
The big‑belly man was the boss.
He sneered.
“In your country you might be important, but this is Alzer, the world’s center. Don’t think a country‑side noble can push us around. A little pain will make you understand.”
He reached for Kara.
Suddenly, the warehouse door burst open.
Dust swirled, light streamed in, sparkling.
Men inside pointed guns and started firing.
Dozens of gunshots echoed, but all were deflected by a light barrier.
“What the—?”
A slender girl stepped forward in front of the stunned boss.
Kara began to sob.
“Mари‑sama!”
Mари raised the submachine gun on her shoulder and shouted,
“Give me back Kara!!!”
She fired at the men; the rubber bullets hit them, and then Greg and Chris burst in from behind.
“Messing with a girl is filthy, you bastard!”
“Don’t get sloppy!”
The two knocked the thugs down with batons and wooden swords.
The boss drew a pistol from his coat, aiming at Kara.
“Move—ah!”
Jilk, pistol in hand, shot the boss’s arm.
“Pointing a gun at a woman is unforgivable.”
Kara thought,
(Everyone… looks way cooler than I imagined.)
Even the low‑skill Юлиус and the others were reliable in moments like this. After all, they’re rich noble kids.
Their poor “life skills” make sense—they’ve been trained to command, not to be used.
Kara ran to Мари, tears streaming, face twisted.
“Mари, you… you got your comeuppance.”
“Kara, you did great. Noel’s fine too.”
Mари smiled, but the boss clutched his right hand with his left and shouted at her.
“You brat! You think you and your country can get away with this—”
Mари, without hesitation, kept the submachine gun aimed and kept firing.
When the magazine ran dry,
“Master, I’ll swap it.”
She handed the gun to Kyle, grabbed a pistol, disabled the safety, and slid in fresh rounds.
“Thanks, Kyle. Юлиус and Jilk, take Kara back to the arena right away. That should be fine.”
Юлиус hesitated.
“No, I think I should stay too?”
Mари, stepping on the boss’s bleeding body, kept pulling the trigger.
“Hurry up!”
“Got it!”
Jilk and the boss carried Kara outside.
An air bike waited; the three hopped on.
“Both of you, hold on tight.”
Jilk lifted the bike into the sky; Мари grinned.
◇
Mари looked down at the trampled boss.
“So, what now?”
The boss was still crying.
“P‑please. Forgive us. Pierre’s guy ordered us—”
Mари pulled the trigger, spraying until the magazine emptied, then grabbed his hair and lifted him as he twitched.
“Looks painful. Let me fix that.”
Mари, pretending to be a saint, actually used real healing magic.
The boss’s wounds healed.
Thinking he’d been forgiven, he made a sycophantic face.
“Th‑thanks, miss—”
Mари jammed the pistol barrel into his mouth.
“No thanks needed. You beat Brad to a pulp, so I’ll double‑pay back.”
Greg looked uneasy.
“Mари, isn’t that enough? He’s crying.”
Mари turned to Greg,
“Don’t you dare act cute! We had Kara kidnapped, Brad injured. Don’t you feel angry that those Alzer thugs got away with it?”
Kyle silently handed Мари a fresh magazine; she swapped it instantly.
The boss trembled.
“I’m sorry. I’ll reflect.”
But Мари didn’t stop.
“Chris, you brought it, right?”
Chris produced a knife.
“I brought it, but is this okay? It’s a cheap knife, the blade’s all busted. A dull blade hurts more.”
Chris worried, but Мари smiled.
“This is fine. Because with this you can… cut ears or noses. It’s super painful. I read about it in a book at the Republic library.”
She’d found the torture note in a random book.
The boss shivered.
“Please! I’ll say anything!”
Mари, humming, examined the knife.
“Looks blunt.”
She seemed to enjoy it.
The boss screamed.
“I’ll tell you everything! I even know Pierre’s weakness. So just listen!”
Mари aimed the pistol at his crying face and pulled the trigger.
The boss’s scream echoed through the warehouse, shaking his subordinates.
“Kyle, if anyone moves weird, shoot them. No mercy. Even if they’re badly hurt, I’ll heal them, so break them without fear.”
Kyle straightened his back.
“Yes!”
The boss wailed.
“Please! I’ll say anything!”
Mари stepped on his face.
“If you talk on your own, I’ll stop you when I’m bored. Keep talking about stuff I’m interested in, okay?”
Mари laughed; the boss wept instead.
Inside, Мари thought,
(The book said torture, but is this really okay? I don’t need ears or noses… I’ve saved Kara and Noel, and if my brother shows interest in any topic, that’d help…)
Unaware of her inner thoughts, the bosses and their men witnessed hell in the abandoned warehouse.