Soldiers of the Lauter family surrounded the mansion.
Marie peeked through the window at the scene outside and swallowed hard at the sheer number.
“There are hundreds of them!”
Even with walls or fences around the estate, having soldiers encircling it doesn’t feel safe.
They look like they could just climb over and come in.
Erik, watching the troops, said,
“Elite Lauter troops? It’s not Lord Albrecht moving them—could it be Serge?”
Hearing Serge, Marie’s mind raced.
(The last “target” guy—someone who was also a reincarnated soul, right? How could my brother get outdone! What were Luxion and Claire doing?)
Then she realized.
“Wait. Where’s that Serge?”
“He doesn’t seem to be here, sis.”
“So… he went to—Lion’s place, didn’t he?”
“With that vibe, it’s possible. If they learn Noel’s a priestess, the six great nobles will be clawing at each other’s throats for her.”
Hearing that, Angelica grabbed the seedling case.
“If we hand this over, we’ll head straight to Lion. Claire, get ready.”
“Angelica, I’m coming too!”
When Libya stepped forward, the head maid tried to take the seedling case from Angelica.
“Lady Angelica, I’ll go outside. You must not go outside.”
“You want me to hide behind you? Don’t joke around.”
Ignoring the maid’s advice, Angelica hesitated, looking at the seedling.
“—If we didn’t have this case, would the seedling wither?”
If she’s going to give it away anyway, she’s thinking of swapping the case or handing over just the seedling as a spiteful retort.
Marie could tell Angelica was pretty angry.
It was Claire who stopped Angelica.
“Don’t be a wuss. Just give it to them as is.”
“I never thought I’d hear ‘wuss’ from you. Fine, let’s hurry then.”
Libya and the maid followed.
Erik looked at Marie.
“Sis, what do we do now?”
“What do we do—anyway, once the soldiers leave we’ll go find Lion. Let Kyle and Carla stay behind and guard.”
◇
Outside the mansion, Angelica handed the seedling case to a high‑ranking soldier.
“This is the seedling you wanted. Let’s get out of here quickly.”
The soldier took the case reverently with both hands, but his tone was rough.
“The kingdom’s women have no class. I heard they keep slaves and boss men around by the jaw. Seeing you, I get it perfectly.”
Even the soldier treated Angelica like that.
Part of it was that their anxiety had been eased, so they were more relaxed than usual.
“After losing to Lion once, you still have the nerve to talk like that?”
“Defeat? —Huh, you don’t know? Sir Serge, the heir of the Lauter house, defeated your kingdom’s heroes. He might be dead by now.”
Hearing that, Angelica’s eyes flickered with agitation.
The soldier, feeling confident, smiled.
“The Republic and the Kingdom are on different levels. Compared to the Republic’s hero, Sir Serge, your kingdom’s heroes are lower class. They’re not even worth a match. You get that now, right?”
The Republic really is strong.
The soldiers regained their pride with Serge’s appearance.
“You guys understand what that means? If it’s true—”
“Angelica!”
When Angelica clenched her fists in anger, Libya squeezed her hands.
“Right now, Lion’s safety comes first. We have to move fast.”
“Right. Claire, can you guide us?”
‘The noise is bad but we’ll manage.’
The soldiers carefully carried the seedling and left the mansion.
“You lot, we’ll present the seedling to Lord Albrecht right away. And we’ll also report that the kingdom’s knights were no match.”
The Lauter soldiers laughed as they walked away.
Angelica bit her molar.
(—Albrecht. He was the representative of the six great nobles. I’ll definitely repay this debt. Absolutely.)
◇
When Libya, Angelica, and the head maid arrived at Lion’s location with Claire’s guidance, the Alogantz was in terrible shape.
“—Terrible.”
The trash can was overturned, garbage strewn everywhere, graffiti scrawled with insults toward the Kingdom.
Around them, Republic folks watched from a distance.
The maid covered her mouth.
“The Alogantz is this damaged… must be a replica, right?”
The real Alogantz was said to have been lost in the war with the Principality.
Claire agreed.
‘Yeah, it’s a replica, can’t help it. So, how’s the cranky one doing?’
Approaching the Alogantz, Claire opened the cockpit hatch.
Out stepped Luxion.
‘Slowpoke.’
‘Don’t get mad. Besides, couldn’t you have just retrieved it yourself?’
‘Ideal kept getting in the way. And Master refused to summon my main body here.’
‘Ah, typical of Master.’
Libya and Angelica rushed forward, confirming Lion’s condition.
“Lion‑san! —Thank goodness. You’re still alive.”
Libya, using healing magic on Lion, sighed in relief and explained to Angelica.
“He’s just unconscious.”
“Blood’s everywhere! And that much of it!”
The maid tried to calm a panicking Angelica.
“Lady Angelica, there’s a massive bleed from his head. Libya’s the specialist, so let’s trust her judgment.”
Luxion moved closer to Libya.
‘You’re right, he’s just unconscious. We’ve already stopped the bleeding.’
“Good. Really good.”
Libya wept with relief, and Angelica grilled Luxion.
“What a mess you’re making. Luxion, what the hell happened?”
‘—Noel was taken away.’
“Figures. They’ll do anything for Noel. But more than that—”
‘Ideal—someone like me, following the heir of the Lauter house, Serge. No, I can’t say I’m following him.’
“You’re like me? You’ve got a ship like a partner? Armor on par with the Alogantz?”
While they talked, robots descended from the sky.
They dragged Lion out of the cockpit and retrieved the Alogantz.
‘Let’s talk about this back at the mansion. Or maybe we should head back to the airship right away. This isn’t over.’
Angelica kept an eye on the unconscious Lion.
“—Got it. I’ll also contact the embassy.”
Claire scanned the surroundings.
Libya called out.
“Are‑chan, what’s up?”
‘We fought in armor, yet there are still people around. Normally you’d evacuate, right? What a clueless AI.’
“H‑huh?”
‘Master worried about the people nearby and didn’t call Luxion’s cranky self. Yet a ruler who won’t protect his own subjects—what’s that about? Or is that just how they’re treated?’
Libya looked around after hearing that.
“Lion‑san, you really thought this through, huh?”
‘That’s why we lost. Master’s too soft.’
Libya looked down at the unconscious Lion.
“I don’t want to fight anymore.”
‘I agree. Now things are about to get busy.’
◇
When I woke up, I was on a bed.
Realizing I was in my own room in the Ain Horn I’d been using, I called Luxion.
“Luxion, status—oh.”
I sat up and saw Angelica and Libya sleeping beside the bed.
Claire approached.
‘She’s busy, so I stayed by your side. Happy?’
“Anyway, I’m glad about these two.”
‘You’re a terrible master. —You were up till morning, but you look exhausted. Let’s get you to sleep.’
“Right. So, what’s the situation?”
‘It’s already the worst.’
Hearing Claire’s report made my head throb.
It actually hurt.
My hands felt the bandages.
‘The six great nobles are panicking. From what I can see from afar, it looks like the Lauter house is acting on its own.’
“Everyone keeps getting in my way. Why don’t we dig deeper? Usually we’d—”
‘Ideal apparently hijacked parts from a military intel ship. Because of that we’re on high alert and can’t investigate properly.’
Luxion said something similar.
“If even you guys can’t handle it, it must be serious. Spill the details.”
‘—Maybe we should ask someone else.’
Claire’s eyes turned toward the door.
A presence was felt beyond it.
“Marie?”
“—Yeah.”
Looks like she’s alone.
When Marie entered, Claire asked.
‘Alright, Marie‑chan—tell me. In the game, how strong was Ideal’s performance?’
Marie didn’t know the details.
“Since you have to pay, I never got the full info. When I bought the game I ran out of money. All I know is it looked like a big blue airship—like a spaceship.”
“The performance?”
“I don’t know. The stats are different from the first game, so I can’t compare.”
That’s a hassle.
“But—”
Marie seemed to recall something.
“I don’t know the exact specs, but I think the攻略 site said it was super handy.”
“Handy?”
“It was originally a supply ship, I think. Though I’m not even sure what a supply ship does. Doesn’t it just resupply?”
She wasn’t really into the settings, so she hadn’t looked it up.
“—Claire, what’s Serge’s goal? Grab Noel and the seedling to prep for the final boss? Or just cut down the Sacred Tree fast?”
‘I can’t really answer that. But Luxion mentioned—Ideal was originally a military asset.’
I’d heard that.
But beyond that—.
‘Ideal, who fought the New Humans, can’t be that calm. Even we get a rejection response, yet he’s so composed, impossible.’
“How come you never told me?”
‘Because it’s uncertain info. Plus I thought he had no combat experience. Turns out he did have real battles.’
Luxion found combat repair marks on the hull.
“So he actually fought New Humans?”
‘High probability. What’s he thinking? I can guess roughly.’
Marie’s face turned blue.
“Wait, so we’re fighting a cheat battleship?”
‘It’s technically a supply ship. It’s a pain if it’s loaded with weapons though.’
“None of that matters! Brother, can we actually beat him? If not, we need to run now!”
We can’t stay in a position of overwhelming advantage forever.
But something nagged me.
“They called me a heretic.”
“That’s not your nickname.”
“The important thing isn’t that. I actually am a heretic. But—being called that that far out is overkill. I fought in the Kingdom’s defense. Everything else I’ve avoided killing.”
When I recounted my talk with Serge, Marie tilted her head.
“Yeah, it’s weird. Brother, you’re still kind of a hero for the nation, right?”
“Kind of? Thanks to a bunch of people, I’m a proper national hero!”
The conversation drifted, so I steered it back.
“I did kill people. I’m a heretic. No excuse there. But it’s cruel how they say I seemed to enjoy killing.”
‘Well, that’s harsh.’
“Brother, you may taunt others, but you never kill with joy, so it’s harsh. Relia and the others believed in you, right? I’ll never forgive that guy.”
Because he sided with Serge, we’re—huh? It’s not a problem.
Not having the original story hurts, but who knows how useful it would be.
“—What are they planning? If they want the seedling to cut down the Sacred Tree, they could just ask us. They act like they don’t understand anything from the start.”
‘Masters just wing it, no trust.’
“What the hell are they up to?”
Seeing the emblem of the seedling’s blessing on the back of my right hand, I struggled to grasp what Serge and his crew were thinking.
“—Huh?”
“What’s up, brother?”
“No, just imagination.”
For a split second I thought Libya moved—but probably just my mind.