What is a Saintess, anyway?
The answer from Relia, who’s played that otome game to death, was—
“Why the hell is the protagonist of the first game, the flower‑head human weapon, standing here?”
She slunk into the shadows, pressed her back against the wall, and just sat down.
“Wait, was the fiancé the protagonist?”
The protagonist of the first game.
When Relia confirmed that, she was genuinely terrified.
Because the protagonist of the first game is a Saintess.
And because she pilots a terrifyingly powerful airship.
In that otome game, the first‑game protagonist was a big deal.
When she showed up in the third game, she helped the third‑game protagonist.
She was portrayed as a super reliable presence.
But the players’ rating of her was brutal.
After all, she was declared “the strongest” even over the main character.
“Impossible. No way I could win. How does Serge even think he can challenge someone like that?”
‘Oh? What’s the matter?’
“Eek!”
The voice that called out to the sitting Relia was Ideal.
He was hiding in the shadows, watching Marie and the others.
‘Hmm, looks like you’re getting ready to run.’
Relia looked up at Ideal, and around her floated pole‑shaped robots.
“What are those?”
‘Just think of them as jamming devices. With Luxion around, they’re on high alert too.’
‘—So they’re strong, huh?’
‘Indeed. They’re immigration ships built at the end of the Old Humanity era, so they’re loaded with all sorts of stuff. But don’t worry—I’m not losing either. Even a transport ship can double as a warship.’
Relia lowered her head, burying her face in her knees.
‘Something on your mind?’
“That woman… the one with the light brown hair, right?”
‘A woman with flaxen hair? According to the data, that’s Olivia. Supposedly the fiancé of Count Bartfort.’
“Actually—”
Relia calmly explained the situation to Ideal.
She told him about how Libya was way out of the norm.
Ideal’s reaction was—
‘Whoa! That’s a huge deal!’
“It’s true. I can’t believe that scummy fiancé. What on earth did they do?”
‘Since Luxion’s involved, there are endless possibilities—brainwashing, or maybe they used game knowledge.’
Relia knew what abilities Libya had.
After all, unlike Marie, she’d cleared the first game of that otome series.
“That ship paired with the royal family is dangerous. Even Serge might not be able to beat it. It’s like a cheat or a fraud.”
‘We have intel that a white airship is approaching the harbor.’
Relia’s shoulders twitched.
‘—It’ll be fine, Relia‑san. Let’s try to persuade them.’
“Persuade? Can we actually do that?”
‘Yes. I’ll create an opening—can you help me out?’
Relia stood up and peeked from the shadows at Leon and the others.
“Anything works. That woman’s a high‑risk target, so we gotta keep an eye on her.”
◇
After leaving Marie’s mansion, we headed to our part‑time job.
I’d quit suddenly, so I just wanted to say goodbye.
“Ugh, this feels heavy.”
Luxion floated near my right shoulder, scanning the surroundings.
Libya held my hand.
“Libya, I’m going to sort things out inside the shop. Can you wait outside? It’ll be quick.”
The shop was a mess of preparation.
Bringing Libya in would just be a hassle.
I wondered if the manager was angry.
“Y‑yes.”
Libya’s gaze flicked between me and Luxion.
“—Luxion, take care of Libya.”
‘Leave it to me. And try not to piss off the manager, okay?’
“Got it.”
I walked into the shop.
◇
Inside, the owner crossed his arms.
“Damn it. You’re making me worry!”
“—Sorry about that.”
I explained the situation, but only said I was heading back to the country.
I didn’t think I should spill the details.
Jan stared at me.
“Whoa—Leon‑san, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just going back home.”
The owner handed me a souvenir.
“Take it. By the way, it’s a shame Noel’s leaving too.”
Could I just quit? The vibe wasn’t right for that.
We’d worked together not long ago—how did it come to this?
The owner looked at me.
“You’re dense, you didn’t notice, but that kid had a crush on you.”
“What? I was tight with Jan, weren’t I?”
I’d assumed I was friendly with Jan—turns out I was wrong.
“Uh, well, I have a childhood friend back home, and— we’re even engaged.”
“Really?”
While I was still processing, the owner glanced at Libya waiting outside.
“You’ve got a girlfriend too, huh? I just hope she finds happiness.”
I forced a weak smile and left the shop.
◇
Night.
Back at the harbor, I was talking with Libya on the Einhorn.
“Luxion betraying us?”
“Ah, that can’t happen, right?”
I leaned against the rail on deck, waving my hands.
“No way. He’s more loyal than his looks or words suggest. I’d keep an eye on Clare instead.”
—Because I got scolded by the head maid thanks to him.
“I don’t think it’s impossible either, but I can’t stop thinking about it.”
I placed a hand on Libya’s shoulder, her head down.
“It’ll be okay. He won’t betray us.”
If he did, we wouldn’t be standing here—we’d be dead.
Thinking that, they really are dangerous.
I’m glad the AI is a bit laid‑back. If it were a full‑on AI, I’d probably have been betrayed.
Long live the fluffy otome‑game setting!
“Yeah, right.”
Libia seemed relieved, and started heading back to Ricorne.
“Shall I see you off?”
“It’s just next door. No problem.”
I watched her descend the gangplank, waving a smile back at me.
◇
After parting with Leon, Libya walked toward Ricorne, docked right next to the Einhorn.
“Yeah, it’ll be fine.”
It felt like a vivid dream, but with Leon around, I told myself I could stretch a little.
Then a voice drifted from the ship’s shadow.
‘—What brings you here?’
‘It’s cold, isn’t it? Aren’t we comrades?’
The voice belonged to Luxion and… someone I didn’t recognize.
Peeking closer, I saw a sphere identical to Luxion’s floating there.
One was a blue orb, surrounded by pole‑shaped robots.
“Is that Ideal?”
I watched as the pole robots encircled Luxion, though they didn’t look aggressive.
Ideal seemed to be luring Luxion.
‘Planning to do nothing? It’s not the current Master who’ll benefit from achieving your goals.’
Libia gasped, covering her mouth.
(Maybe the “comrade” Ideal mentioned in my dream…)
‘You attack my Master, then try to recruit me?’
Luxion growled in a sour tone.
Ideal, however, looked delighted.
‘Both of us have goals. For the sake of that ideal—no, to realize a utopia—can you really say now is the best time?’
Ideal’s talk about “ideal” and “best” was interrupted as someone approached from behind.
“Hey, can I have a moment?”
Turning, I saw a twin‑tailed girl—she looked like Noel, but wasn’t.
I blinked, then realized she was an impostor and went on guard.
“Who the heck are you?”
The Noel‑lookalike clicked her tongue.
“What, you saw through me right away. Could’ve been easier if you just followed.”
Robots emerged from behind her, surrounding Libya.
“Eh? Who are these?”
They were bulkier than Luxion’s bots, giving off a clunky vibe.
Surrounded, a girl reached out and grabbed Libya’s left breast with her right hand, causing her to wince.
“What’s with this oversized chest? You finally got his attention, huh?”
“Don’t touch me!”
When I tried to pull her away, a snap sounded and Libya froze.
She was about to collapse when the robots hoisted her up.
An alarm blared; robots from the Einhorn and Ricorne poured out.
“Damn! We got spotted!”
The girl bolted, the robot‑carrying Libya in tow.
Allied bots chased after, but they were shredded by a Ghia dropping from the sky.
‘What the hell are you doing?’
“—I got noticed!”
Libia’s consciousness faded…
(Did they come to kidnap me? Why…?)
—She muttered in her mind.
◇
When the alarm rang, Luxion tore his gaze away from Ideal.
‘—No way…’
At that instant, Ideal floated up and started laughing.
‘You’re clueless, Luxion. Not noticing the jamming is embarrassing for an AI like us. No—this shows the gap between us. You’re not a threat.’
Luxion tried to rescue Libya, but couldn’t move.
Energy cubes swirled around, trapping him.
Luxion was encased in a pale, translucent cube.
‘The supply ship shouldn’t have this kind of firepower. Ideal—absorbed a battleship, huh?’
Looking up, the main Ideal body hovered in the night sky, cloaked in optical camouflage.
It aimed at the armor holding Libya.
I also saw Relia clinging to the armor.
‘Why go this far? I warn you—release Olivia now or things will get nasty. If we fight, then—’
Ideal just laughed at the warning.
‘—Massive damage will occur. So what? Let’s wait for you and your Master to come rescue the captive princess.’
When the energy cubes dissolved, Leon leapt off the Einhorn’s deck.
He held a weapon, apparently fighting a drone meant to stall him.
Leon stared up at the sky.
“Can we catch up?”
Luxion watched Ideal’s departing form and said,
‘Catching up is possible—but—’
“Getting it back is impossible, huh?”
Luxion looked at Leon’s face.
It was the same as always, but something in his expression was clearly furious.
‘I’m sorry, Master.’
Luxion was watching Leon’s reaction to his own blunder.
“—More importantly, what are they planning to do with Libya?”
‘Olivia’s social importance is low. At best she’s just the Master’s fiancée, so if they take a hostage they’ll prioritize Angelica. But with Relia around—’
Did they kidnap Libya for game‑like reasons?
Leon heard that and—
“—Nice work.”
He said that quietly, eyes still on the sky.
◇
Inside the Einhorn.
Marie emerged from a room clutching a pillow, still in her nightgown.
“What the heck. I’m exhausted from moving today, so just let me sleep.”
Five guys had been hitting on her, but she’d dodged them and planned to nap alone.
She hugged the pillow, hair a mess, and headed down the hallway—
“I get that you’re better at gathering intel. What about the rest?”
‘Not enough data to judge, but given Ideal’s confidence, it’s likely they’re loading weapons onto the battleship.’
‘Anything else?’
—Leon, with Luxion in tow, ignored Marie and walked away.
Marie, clutching the pillow tighter, trembled.
Julius, holding a lantern, rushed over.
“Marie! Come to the mess hall right now. Everyone’s gathering—Marie?”
He must have thought something was off with Marie.
Julius peered at her face.
“What’s wrong, you look pale!”
Marie shivered,
“Ah—Leon really got angry.”
“Huh? Oh… that’s rough. I’ll apologize too, let’s do it together.”
“It’s not me! I’d never make him that mad! I don’t know what happened, but this won’t go unanswered! Not like with Pierre! Julius, tell everyone to be careful. Don’t push Leon any further!”
Julius nodded, looking troubled.
“Alright, everyone’s in the mess hall, I’ll let them know. Marie, come with me.”
“Wait. I don’t want to move in my nightgown.”
“Heh, you’re cute, it’ll be fine. Everyone’ll be happy.”
“Thanks!—No, wait! This isn’t the time to be happy. I have to get to them now.”
Clutching the pillow, Marie bolted, with Julius chasing her.
“Hold up, Marie. It’s dark, running’s dangerous.”