So, I'd mentioned before that nobles are expected to perform duties befitting their rank and status — do you remember?
My current rank is technically lower fifth, but in practice I'm a baron at the upper fifth! …How did things end up like this?
And this means the country expects a corresponding level of contribution from me.
On top of my usual contributions and various other duties, if war breaks out, I'm expected to perform accordingly as well. It's an incredibly tough position.
If a war does happen, even as a student and baron, it would be hard for me to refuse a deployment request. That's why I decided to set up a few moves in advance. …At the tavern, that is!
"
"Lucky you. It's a military vessel, right?"
"Just having an airship is enviable enough. My family doesn't have one."
At a tavern where I'd gathered the heirs of countryside nobles, I was throwing a banquet using the spoils from my recent exploits and various profits. It was like a get-together with my companions in the same circle.
There was envy, sure, but it also contained jealousy and resentment. …All within expectations.
Standing before the guys from my circle, I said: "Yeah, I got it and I'm doing maintenance on it. But I've got too many and I'm not sure what to do with them all. Even after keeping some for my place and my old man's, there's still a surplus."
The moment they heard that, their gazes sharpened.
Daniel swallowed hard.
"…So, you guys want one?"
Raymond shot to his feet.
For these future heads of household, airships were something they'd give their right arm to own. Having one versus not having one made an enormous difference. But buying one outright required serious money.
The maintenance costs alone were nothing to sneeze at.
Most baron households made do with cheap, older airships they recycled. The latest models — Duchy-class airships — none of the guys here owned one.
"What… what are you looking for in return?"
Everyone knew their worth. They were savvy enough to understand that a freebie was likely a scam. If anything, I had more respect for them precisely because they weren't the type to demand something for nothing.
To show I was relaxed about it, I took a sip of my drink, moistened my throat, and swept my gaze across every face.
"I've actually decided to set up a factory at my family's estate. For ship maintenance and such. If you'd entrust me with 'all' of your maintenance needs… I'd be happy to provide them free of charge."
The guys' eyes immediately darted around.
"Th-That can't be real, can it?"
"Could they be defective?"
"But it's a Duchy airship, right? If it was actually flying, it can't be defective."
Facing these curious and restless guys, I put on my most sincere expression.
"I want you to trust me. I'm thinking about profit here too, of course. And I swear I won't gouge you on repairs and other services."
The strategy of offering goods at rock-bottom prices and then raking it in on maintenance fees wasn't one I was fond of either.
Still, their doubts wouldn't go away, so I let out a sigh.
"Fine. I'll throw in up to four Armors per ship, on the house. Duchy Armors. Quality guaranteed."
Raymond was tottering toward me when Daniel restrained him.
"W-Wait, Raymond! It's Leon we're dealing with! If you're not careful, he'll try to squeeze you dry down to the marrow!"
"Ah! Right!"
My delicate heart screamed at the terrible things my friends were saying about me.
The rest of them wore the same expressions. Here I was, bringing them a great deal, and all I got was the cold shoulder. I wanted to cry.
"What a shame. If you guys made a name for yourselves, it would've been great advertising for the factory I'm planning to set up. A deal that benefits everyone. My bad — I'll take it elsewhere."
Daniel called me back.
"Wait! Is it really free? It won't suddenly stop working or end up costing extra, will it?"
"You've got to trust me. I'm a man who doesn't tell lies."
It made me sad that several of them muttered "liar," but I genuinely wasn't lying.
I fully intended to do legitimate business.
I was setting up a factory at my family estate, and I'd be the owner. The plan was to earn money from it in the future and contribute to the Kingdom. Getting promoted is a headache — you have to keep earning.
Rewards? No good. When you're expected to make annual contributions, a one-time payout is meaningless. That kind of money would be spent within ten years and leave nothing behind.
No matter how I looked at it, the floating island I owned could only generate income on par with a viscount's household. Even if it prospered as a tourist destination, it wouldn't match baron-level earnings.
So I was setting up a factory to diversify my future income sources.
"You think I'd sell a broken airship? That'd kill my credibility for any future business. I can't just build a factory out of nowhere with no customers. So I'm offering a sweet deal to attract clientele. Luckily, I've got captured Duchy airships on hand."
Airships that actually sold weren't the massive ones — they were in the fifty to one-hundred-meter class. Easy to handle, and even smaller models were popular.
Now that I thought about it,
"Airships and Armors, zero cost to you right now —
One after another, the guys raised their hands.
"I-I'll take one!" "M-Me too!" "Count me in!"
I cheerfully produced contracts and handed them out.
"Here — send this to my family estate and fill in your names on the designated lines. Make sure to explain things properly to them, okay? Oh, and if you've got old airships lying around, I'll buy those too."
Watching all of them perk up as they received the documents, I grinned.
"Let's keep being friends going forward, everyone."
…Thanks for jumping on the practically-free deal.
Gentlemen, let's keep working hard together for a long time to come. Before these friends of mine who could no longer easily betray me now that I had their precious airship maintenance in my grip, I wore the broadest of smiles.
◇ A ducal family's mansion in the royal capital.
There lived Gilbert, the ducal family's heir and
Angie was on break from the academy and had been summoned by her brother.
"Brother, is something wrong?"
Gilbert looked somewhat troubled.
He showed Angie the documents he'd placed on the table.
"…Is this a contract for the purchase and sale of an airship?"
"That's right. It seems Leon has been distributing these to baron households."
"Leon?"
Hearing that, Angie had a bad feeling — that her family, the ducal household, was displeased with this move of Leon's.
"I-I'm terribly sorry. I'll stop him immediately."
"There's no need for that. This in itself isn't a problem."
Being told it wasn't a problem, she relaxed.
But if so, why had she been summoned? Angie couldn't help wondering.
"Then what exactly is this about?"
"Don't you see? — Leon Fou Bartfort has fought against the Duchy and believes there will be a future war. Or rather, that a major conflict is brewing. Even setting up the factory seems overly hasty. Normally, offering airships for free would get you laughed at as an idiot, but…"
Gilbert had heard that the Kingdom's leadership was taking the incident lightly, and he shared this with Angie.
"The royal palace thinks the Duchy, defeated by a student, is no cause for concern. But the person who actually fought them is on heightened alert. …How should we interpret this?"
He was asking if Angie had any insight.
"N-Nothing, from me. However —"
"However?"
"However — he has indeed been suddenly moving about busily. Ever since then, he's been throwing himself into training. Today he said he was entering the dungeon as well. His whole atmosphere is different from before."
The man himself claimed he was training hard because "the Black Knight was so strong it shook my confidence," but when Angie thought about all of this — (He's wary of the Duchy? Meanwhile the royal palace is barely cautious at all?)
The Duchy, beaten by the academy's students.
That was the judgment the royal palace had made.
When they heard the Black Knight had lost, many of the kingdom's notable knights simply noted that the old champion had grown old.
Gilbert tapped the desk with his finger, deep in thought.
"The Duchy princess who commanded monsters, themagic flute… both are indeed in the Kingdom's possession. Negotiations are about to begin, but… I can't understand the reason for alarm. And yet it doesn't seem meaningless either. Truly, he's a most troublesome individual."
Curious, Angie asked: "What kind of treatment is Princess Hiltrude receiving?"
"Treatment… I have to say it's lenient. The plan is to let her continue her studies here in the Kingdom as an exchange student."
Angie's eyes widened.
Gilbert, too, had clearly opposed this.
"The royal palace says she can learn the strength of our kingdom right here at the academy. The damage was minimal, after all. They probably want to win her over and bring the Duchy back under the Kingdom's umbrella."
When Angie remained unconvinced, Gilbert changed the subject. Now that he'd confirmed Leon was on guard, there seemed to be no further need to discuss it.
"Changing topics — I hear you've gotten quite close to the scholarship students?"
When Angie looked down, Gilbert continued.
"I'm not saying you should hate them. It's the royal palace's decision. But there's no reason to get any closer than necessary."
Angie looked up at Gilbert with resolute eyes.
"…They're my friends. It's none of your concern, Brother."
Gilbert stared at her quietly, but when he saw she wouldn't back down, he showed a gesture of surrender.
"Suit yourself."
"Is… is that all right?"
"If you feel that strongly about it, I won't interfere. But if they're important friends, you'd better protect them yourself."
"Y-Yes!"
As Angie brightened, Gilbert seemed to be probing for something — apparently, the
"What do you mean, 'what about'?"
"Well, I haven't heard anything about a marriage partner being decided for him. After everything that happened, he's risen quite a bit. I was worried he'd end up marrying someone unsuitable."
Angie knew Gilbert was considering bringing Leon into their fold. Indeed, having Leon as an ally would be a tremendous asset.
Moreover, he was easy to control.
The proof was that Leon had proactively handed over the Duchy's latest airships and Armors before anyone even asked.
The fact that he'd kept a large stockpile for himself rather than rushing to bolster his own personal military strength was also reassuring.
Even a border baron household could become a threat once it assembled enough airships. They could quickly leverage their military power to seize the floating island, grow in size — it had happened before.
Drawing in surrounding territories and then turning their fangs upon the Kingdom — there had been many such incidents in the past.
To Gilbert and the others, it must have appeared that Leon understood these risks.
(I had intended to warn him if he got too carried away, but I suppose distributing to baron households is harmless enough. Brother wouldn't see it as a threat.)
It also looked like he was strengthening lateral connections, but at that level, neither the royal palace nor the ducal household would raise any objections.
If anything, the number of things he'd donated to the Kingdom and the ducal household far exceeded what he was giving to fellow barons. Even if there were some issues, the Kingdom and the ducal household would be more worried about his wellbeing — "Is this guy going to be okay?"
From an outside perspective, he was a knight who threw private gain to the wind to serve the greater good, and in certain circles he was being whispered about as the ducal household's new loyal dog.
Angie reported Leon's recent situation regarding his marriage prospects.
"He seems busy lately, so there's no sign of any women. Well, how should I put it… the girls don't seem to like him."
Gilbert placed his hand on his forehead.
"That's what I don't understand. Why on earth is he ignored like this? He's already a baron — practically upper fifth rank. Considering his future, he should be a promising match."
Angie took issue with the way Gilbert had phrased that.
"Brother, the way you say it, it sounds like Leon might be promoted further. Surely it can't go beyond this?"
Gilbert looked at his sister's face and seemed to realize he'd forgotten to tell her something, looking slightly sheepish.
"My apologies. I neglected to tell you. The thing is —◇ Near the end of the second semester.
An award ceremony for the medal recipients from the war — or rather, the incident with the Duchy — was scheduled for the first day of winter vacation. At the academy, the students who would be receiving medals waited excitedly for the day.
Medals weren't something you got easily, and more importantly, they carried real prestige.
The academy felt a bit giddy, but I wasn't particularly bothered.
I was enjoying tea in a warm room.
I'd treated myself to a new tea set, and I was savoring the precious tea leaves my master had given me.
For sweets, I'd rushed out first thing in the morning to buy from a famous shop, and I'd even managed to get some upscale confections to go along.
"Ah… this is the life."
Outside the window, a cold sky stretched out, and the glass was frosted white.
Livia was eating sweets, nibbling away apologetically — and softening at the sweetness.
Famous-shop sweets — no joke. Actually, they were so good it was startling. I'd honestly underestimated them.
"These are delicious."
Angie, on the other hand, was eating at a good pace but seemed unfazed — perhaps she was used to this level of quality.
"Do you like chocolate? If so, I'll order some from my favorite shop."
Milady! I want to know about that shop too!
Livia smiled wryly.
"I'd rather not get used to eating things that are too expensive."
"I-Is that so?"
I raised my hand slightly.
"Angie, tell me — high-end places and popular shops have months-long waiting lists just to purchase. I need a letter of introduction from the ducal household."
Being in an otome-game world, the sweets scene was fully developed and quite popular.
In this harsh world, I desperately wished that at least sweets could be sweet and kind. A heartfelt prayer.
"You're a tea maniac, so you're out. You've got too much money on hand — if you bought up all the stock, I'd be the one who gets blamed."
There was no shortage of guys who loved tea parties, and they tended to order from famous shops quite often.
…Just like me!
"C'mon, I won't buy out the whole stock! I'll just eat popular items in front of the girls! Or maybe hand them out to girls who are on diets!"
I wanted the thrill of flaunting rare, hard-to-get famous-shop sweets in front of girls who were dieting and had given up sweets!
I wanted to laugh at the girls who gave up their diets and reached for the sweets!
"…That's truly awful."
As Livia looked at me in exasperation, I thought back on the peaceful days I'd been enjoying lately.
Since coming back, Partner, Arroganz, and Schwert had all been confiscated by Luxion once I'd finished maintaining them. So I couldn't go anywhere, and I'd been exploring dungeons with Daniel and Raymond instead. Now that I'd defeated the strongest enemy, there probably wasn't anyone left who could match me… but still, it was worth being prepared.
The Duchy might not stop at war, but their trump card was in our possession.
Everything should be fine, and yet… I had a strange sense of unease. Something just wouldn't settle.
Angie brought up a new topic.
"Come to think of it, Leon — you gave your credit for defeating the Black Knight to
When I averted my gaze, Livia looked at me.
"Why did you do that? Leon was the one who defeated the Black Knight."
Angie drained her cup of tea with a look of exasperation, so I quickly refilled it and tried to curry favor.
"Milady, on that matter, there was an extremely calculated decision at play —"
Angie nodded as well.
"Well, it certainly wasn't a bad move."
"See?"
It wasn't like I'd agonized over every detail or anything, but being praised made me happy.
"E-Exactly why was that?" Livia asked, her expression clearly confused.
Angie explained gently.
"It's simple. The Arclight family — Chris's family — had been hostile toward Leon. After this incident, they had no choice but to stay silent. Leon defeated the Black Knight that they couldn't beat, and on top of that gave their son a boost in prestige. The credit for repelling the Black Knight was enormous. Chris's disinheritance should be lifted before long."
Livia looked at me and smiled.
"Leon really is kind after all!"
"O-Of course I am."
I stumbled over my words. I'd thought they hated me — I never imagined I'd end up being targeted by a family with a Sword Saint in it. Having a Sword Saint gunning for your life? No number of lives would be enough!
Come to think of it,
Luxion, hovering in the room, was looking at me.
*'That went well, Master.'* This "that went well" carried a hidden meaning — it meant good thing the fact that I was trying to offload my achievements onto someone else to avoid advancement hadn't been exposed.
I was gradually starting to understand this thing's thoughts.
"How about it? Happy to have a master capable of such sophisticated thinking?"
*'…The ability to be that full of yourself is a talent in its own right, you know. Normally, people are more modest. If you have something to feel guilty about, shouldn't you be even more humble?'* "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm an ordinary man whose selling points are honesty and kindness."
*'Shall I look up "honesty" and "kindness" in the dictionary for you? You seem to need a refresher in your own language.'* Angie and Livia were reaching out to touch the floating Luxion.
"That's a chatty one-eyed thing you've got there."
"Don't be like that, Angie. Luxion has a proper name — Luxion."
Luxion looked at Livia.
*'Lux-kun? Is that supposed to be an affectionate nickname for me?'* I grinned at Luxion.
"That suits you, Lux-kun. Pretty cute, huh?"
Luxion fell silent, and Livia looked worried that she'd upset it. I told her it was fine and steered the conversation back.
"Well, anyway — those guys aren't bad people. Yeah, probably."
It wasn't that I wanted them to disappear from my life or anything. They just annoyed me a little. They were actually the perfect targets for messing with.
Angie didn't look amused.
"Admittedly, if they vanished entirely, it would be problematic."
Livia seemed to be picturing the five of them, gazing at the ceiling — "Come to think of it, I hear all five of them have been doing something together."
"Doing what?"
When I asked, Livia recalled what she'd heard.
"Yes. Apparently they've been gathering in the hangar, doing all sorts of things."
Five of them, gathered together — what on earth were they up to?
◇
"Come on, what's going on, everyone?"
They'd told her they had something to show her, and she'd been buzzing with excitement, expecting a present.
(What could it be? Could it be jewelry? No — maybe a dress? Everyone's been working hard lately, so it must be a present for me. Surprises are the best!)
In front of Marie, a large something was concealed beneath a tarp.
Marie tilted her head.
"What is this?"
"Well, it's better seen than described."
"We've kept you waiting quite a while, Marie."
The two of them only stoked Marie's expectations higher.
"Thank you both so much!"
Chris looked bashful, having removed his glasses to watch Marie's smile.
"I, I worked hard on this too."
"Mm, thank you, Chris."
Then
"Marie, please don't forget about His Highness and me as well. Right, Your Highness?"
"Marie… this is our feelings."
When the five of them peeled off the tarp, there before them was a suit of
—Marie's smile froze.
(…Huh?)
Julius and the others were looking at the Armor.
"With this, we challenge Bartfort to a duel. That man who would tear you and me apart… the five of us will defeat him and move forward!"
Greg gave a thumbs-up.
"Well said, Your Highness! No — Julius!"
Brad put his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest.
"That's right. The five of us can't move forward unless we beat him. This Armor we prepared is the embodiment of our resolve."
Marie was frozen. She had no idea what the five of them were talking about.
(Resolve? Do you have any idea how much it costs to prepare an Armor!? Besides, the parts are all mismatched colors and covered in gaudy decorations… C-Could this be the Armor from the broken duel, cobbled back together!? Why Armor? I'm not happy about this at all!)
Chris's eyes were glistening. He seemed moved by the Armor before him.
"It may be crude, but it holds more of our feelings than any Armor we've ever piloted."
Jilk nodded with a gentle smile.
"We only gathered together usable parts, but even so, this is a one-of-a-kind Armor in the entire world."
Marie stiffly turned her head toward Julius.
"Julius, h-how much did this cost? Including repairs and everything?"
Julius looked a little melancholy.
"Marie, this isn't about money —"
"Y-Yes it is! I'm worried you all borrowed money you couldn't afford!"
Hearing that, Julius looked relieved.
"Oh, is that all? Actually, the reward turned out to be a decent sum."
Brad and Greg had received bounties for defeating the bandits.
Chris had reward money from the war with the Duchy.
"S-So you used that money for repairs."
Marie had thought it was foolish to waste their hard-earned rewards, but at least they weren't in financial trouble — she felt relieved.
But then Jilk's next words drove her into the abyss.
"We were a bit worried about the budget, so we used our shared funds as well. Apparently, there's a famous Armor craftsman who offered to do the repairs at a discount."
Hearing "discount," Marie relaxed — but then: "The cost came to five hundred thousand dia from our shared funds, plus everyone's rewards. He was incredibly skilled — he pushed the Armor's performance to its absolute limit. He was a remarkable craftsman. At this level of performance, you could even beat Bartfort's Arroganz."
Marie felt dizzy. Kyle caught her before she collapsed, but inside, she wanted to scream. She already knew that noble boys had a warped sense of money, but these five were on another level entirely.
(Five hundred thousand dia!? Converting to yen, that's fifty million!? Out of the shared funds!?)
Calling them "shared funds" was generous — they were almost entirely living expenses that Marie had managed.
After raking in money at the academy festival, then desperately earning more in the dungeon… that's how she'd finally scraped together their living expenses, and now nearly all of it had been spent on one ugly suit of Armor.
And these five thought five hundred thousand dia was "not much"…
Marie was crying inside.
(Fifty thousand for this junk pile of an Armor! They're out of their minds! Why spend all of it!? And couldn't you have consulted me first!? How am I supposed to live from now on!?)
As the five rushed over, concerned — Marie said through trembling teeth, the memory of being hounded by debt collectors in her past life making her knees shake too.
"W-Why didn't you discuss this with me beforehand?"
Julius answered with a smile.
"We wanted to surprise you. I'm sorry — I didn't expect you'd be quite this shocked. Wait for us, Marie… We will defeat Bartfort, remove the obstacle that keeps us apart, and come back to you."
Marie wished far more that they would remove her anxiety about the future instead.
◇ That day, what arrived at my room was a challenge to a duel.
"…Again?"
The challengers were Julius and the other four, and the date of the duel was the last day of classes.
The medal ceremony was scheduled to take place at the academy the following day. Since I was staying in the royal capital, there was no scheduling conflict, but I hadn't expected anyone to actually challenge me.
"Don't interfere with our relationship with Marie, huh? What do those guys think a sacred duel is? Do they even understand that the loser has to comply?"
Luxion, by my side, was equally cutting.
*'It seems sacred to them, doesn't it? You could simply refuse.'* I thought about it for a moment.
…Did they want to be with Marie that badly?
"No. I'll accept."
*'You'll accept?'* "If they want to be with her that badly, I'll let them win. Looking back, I think my winning caused all sorts of trouble. I'll just let them have their way. I had thought one of those five might work out with Livia, but no — they're no good. Marie suits them better."
*'…You only just realized that? You really are slow on the uptake.'* Is this thing mocking me?
"In any case, if things can't go back to the way they were, I'll just let them do as they please. If Marie is happy being surrounded by those five, that's fine by me. Honestly, I don't have the bandwidth to worry about Marie anymore."
The Duchy, the Holy Woman — I had my own hands full on this end.
I couldn't afford to deal with her problems. I'd wanted to tie up the loose ends early.
Winter vacation was packed with the factory launch and a mountain of other work.
*'There's no guarantee Marie won't cause trouble again down the line. Aren't you being too careless?'* "She's a reincarnator too. She knows that if Livia doesn't become the Holy Woman, the Kingdom is doomed. So she won't interfere any further than this."
*'Is that so?'* The strongest enemy was defeated, and the enemy's trump card was in our possession.
I wanted to stay vigilant, but I also wanted to believe there was nothing more to worry about.
…And yet, why wouldn't my unease subside?
*'Won't Angelica be angry?'* "I'll apologize to her too. I'll say I'm letting them have their way. If she's upset, I'll make those five lose."
*'You really don't take those five seriously, do you.'* "Angie's feelings come first. Can't be helped."
I headed to Julius's place to inform him that I accepted the duel.
◇ Immediately after the last day of classes ended.
The academy was engulfed in an unusual heat.
Students and teachers gathered at the arena.
In the circular coliseum, girls rushed in to cheer for the upcoming duel.
"His Highness Julius and the others have been training together — the five of them — to defeat that villain!"
"I heard they've been meeting up at night to work on Armor repairs!"
"A-At night…"
Listening to the voices around her, Livia glanced over at Angie, worried she might lose her temper.
"Angie, um —"
But Angie was composed.
"Hmm? Oh, don't worry. I'd already heard from Leon beforehand. His reason for planning to lose — I understand it. I have no complaints."
"R-Really?"
"I have my own feelings about it. But I've resigned myself enough to accept the facts. And, to put it bluntly, my feelings toward His Highness have gone cold. Really — dragging Leon into his unnecessary mess. How tiresome."
"Will the ceremony tomorrow be all right? I hope Leon doesn't get hurt…"
Julius had been Angie's former fiancé. The person she'd loved had once again caused a duel — this time for someone else. Angie seemed to have accepted this as well.
The girls around them were worked up.
The boys were equally excited. The story of the five pooling their money to prepare their own Armor had resonated with the guys. They'd been completely defeated by Leon once before, and yet they'd risen again — everyone was rooting for them.
"Losing and then coming back to challenge again — that takes guts."
"Yeah, they'll definitely pull it off this time."
"I'm cheering for His Highness and the others."
The story of Julius and his friends was framed as an inspirational tale, and when the villain Leon descended from the sky, the venue erupted in a unified chorus of boos.
Angie laughed.
"So the knight who'll make it into the history books is the academy's most hated person?"
"History? What did you say?"
Livia hadn't heard clearly and asked again, but Angie just shook her head with a smile.
"Never mind. Come on — let's cheer for Leon, at least."
"Okay!"
The two of them cheered for Leon.
◇ The arena.
Touching down from the sky in Arroganz and entering the venue, I found Greg already geared up in his Armor.
He turned to the other four for confirmation.
"Are you sure it should be me?"
Brad faced him with a serious expression and nodded.
"I hate to admit it, but I can't win. I'm counting on your skills."
Hearing his friend's words, Greg smiled. Chris also entrusted the fight to Greg.
"Even someone like me, who only focuses on swordsmanship, can't do it. Greg — I'm counting on you."
It was an uncharacteristic statement from someone so devoted to the blade.
Jilk touched the green-colored section of the Armor.
"I'm entrusting everyone's feelings to you."
Julius nodded.
"You have the best chance. Go defeat Bartfort!"
Greg nodded.
"You bet!"
The venue was swept up in a wave of emotion at the bond between these five friends.
Greg climbed into the Armor and noticed that it felt incredibly warm — perhaps because of the feelings everyone had poured into it.
"Heh, you're fired up too, aren't you? I can feel you want to fight together. Let's do this, partner!"
He looked at Arroganz before him.
"Bartfort — here I come! This is our power!"
◇ Inside Arroganz.
"How should I go about losing?"
I'd been watching these five put on a scene that would make those brooding, melodramatic types beam with joy.
Apparently, they'd been doing maintenance on the Armor in the storage room night after night.
They'd pooled their money and done what they could themselves — and it showed. There were rough patches all over the Armor. But they'd later called in a craftsman to finish the job, so it wasn't just cosmetically polished — the performance had been boosted too.
They'd done well to try and beat me.
…That kind of youthful energy wasn't so bad, was it?
*'What a refreshing display of friendship. And yet, Master, you go around forming bonds through contracts… Simply the worst.'* "Show-offs, aren't they. Well, Angie's given her blessing, so I might as well lose and put this fight behind me."
The referee announced the start of the duel.
Greg was coming at me, so I backed off while deflecting his spear strikes with my blade.
"Right hand spear, left hand rifle. Whoa, you've grown."
Impressed that he was going all-out from the start, I gradually backed Arroganz away.
To anyone watching, it would look like I was being pushed back.
I broadcast my voice outside and called out to Greg.
"You really pushed yourself, huh?"
*'If it means beating you, this is nothing! Bartfort — come at me for real!'* "Oh, how passionate. A hot-blooded type, are we?"
I chuckled, but thinking of how serious the five of them were, I felt a twinge of envy.
Keeping my voice from leaking outside, I muttered, "I envy you guys." Their youthful camaraderie really did look dazzling.
Luxion sounded an alarm in response to my words.
*'—! Master, tell your opponent to evacuate immediately. The Armor in front of you is on the verge of exploding.'* "What? You're kidding!"
*'I am not. The thermal readings are abnormal. The internal structure is a complete mess. I can only say it's miraculous it's still functioning at all. They've forced the performance beyond its limits.'* Luxion was on high alert, and I immediately relayed the warning to Greg.
"Hey — your Armor's malfunctioning! Get out of there now!"
But — *'Ha! Trying to rattle me, are you? Not falling for that! I know it's you trying to trick me — but it proves just how cornered you are!'* The Armor before me was moving remarkably well.
It was genuinely performing impressive maneuvers, but hearing that it was running out of control — that made sense.
I shouted to the referee.
"Referee! Stop the fight! His Armor is malfunctioning!"
But the teacher serving as referee shook his head.
*'Bartfort, how unsightly. Face their feelings head-on with dignity.'* He thought I was lying.
Granted, I had been fighting passively to engineer a loss, so it probably did look like I was being cornered. My attempt to lose strategically had backfired.
But this was different. This was real!
Luxion was exasperated. My voice and Luxion's were not leaking outside.
*'You've reaped what you sowed. Your usual behavior makes things harder than they need to be. Analysis complete. I can destroy it at any time without triggering an explosion.'* '—You've got to be kidding.' You want me to destroy it? That Armor that was part of their precious youthful memories? Even I couldn't bring myself to do that!
"N-No way — how could I do that! They worked so hard to build it… Destroying something like that would make me a monster!"
Imagine, for instance, a human-powered airplane that five friends built together over summer vacation — working through the night, bickering with each other, but completing it together as a shared summer memory. That machine, no matter how battered, no matter how worthless others might think it, was a treasure to those five.
Being told to destroy it and responding "Sure, no problem!" — that was not the kind of mental framework I possessed. If anything, I'd been starting to root for them a little.
When I refused, Luxion calmly delivered its verdict: *'Then do you intend to watch Greg die in the explosion?'* Muscle-brained Greg… I don't want him to die!
I grabbed Greg with Arroganz's left arm.
Greg's Armor thrashed wildly.
"Hey — get out! Please, just get out!"
*'I'm not buying it! Not yet — I haven't lost yet!'* "No, I'm serious — it's really dangerous!"
*'I won't be fooled by your silver tongue again! I haven't forgotten how you conned us!'* The time I'd tricked them into paying passage fees on Partner — that had been a mistake. I'd intended to teach them a lesson about the real world, and I'd come clean afterward, which only made things worse.
I'd just been teasing them, but now I deeply regretted it.
These guys didn't trust me — well, why would they?
"Some of you need to grow up! Falling for a con man!"
There were repairmen — or so-called master craftsmen — who would scam you when servicing your Armor. That's probably what had happened to these five.
This is what happens with spoiled rich kids! Learn something about the real world!
They'd had people looking after them their whole lives, so they'd never thought to question anyone claiming to be a master craftsman. At least be a little skeptical!
Julius and the others, who had been cheering, shouted out.
"Stay away! His arms are dangerous!"
Jilk was also yelling — unusual for someone typically so composed.
"It's the part-severance system! Get clear right now!"
Brad overrode Jilk's advice.
"It won't work! The purge function was omitted! Greg, you have to get away by any means!"
Chris was shouting encouragement at the top of his lungs.
"Greeeeg! Show them your power!"
You're supposed to be the cool-headed one! Try cheering calmly — otherwise — *'Heh, when Chris hypes me up like that, I've gotta deliver! Here I goooo!'* Greg, fired up, was trying to forcibly pull away from Arroganz. The out-of-control Armor was pushing its output to the max, and Arroganz was barely managing to hold it down with raw power.
…I wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
*'Master, the time limit is approaching.'* "…You guys… are the worst! Forcing me to do something like this!"
I looked down… and with trembling fingers, pulled the trigger.
Luxion spoke in a casual tone: *'Impa~ct.'* The left arm's armor plates deployed and released a burst of light.
A shockwave struck Greg's Armor, blowing it apart into pieces. Greg, the pilot, was unconscious but fell safely to the ground. Thank goodness Arroganz had an attack that could surgically destroy the Armor without harming the pilot. Thank goodness… but…
"…I don't want to do this anymore."
*'Good work. Well now — those five were quite the opponents.'* …The arena fell silent.
I had pulled the trigger, but it was the audience who flinched from me. They were completely stunned.
And then, arriving late, came Marie's screams.
◇ "My five hundred thousand! My entire fortune!"
Marie was screaming, clutching her head with both hands, while Kyle stood beside her covering his ears.
Before her stood Arroganz — and seeing the five's Armor blown to smithereens, Marie couldn't hold back her cry.
"Oh my. It's been blown to bits, hasn't it? Surely there's no way to repair this now?"
Marie, burned pure white, collapsed on the spot, twitching.
Kyle hurried over.
"Hey! Master!?"
Trembling and twitching, Marie muttered deliriously.
"T-This is a dream. Yes — I'm surrounded by everyone, and they celebrate even ordinary days. Today they say it's the anniversary of the day they saw Marie's smile, and they all give me presents. They would absolutely never come to show off some Armor. And then that mob — that Leon — destroyed it. Absolutely not. If it's broken… I can't sell it… my five hundred thousand dia… my living expenses… I don't want debt… A dream. Yes, this is a dream. I'm in bed, and I'm just having a slightly scary dream."
Kyle delivered his calm rebuttal.
"No, this is reality. Please snap out of your fantasy world already."
The Armor was gone, and with it, everything Marie had — all blown away by Leon.
Marie suffered damage so severe — both mental and financial — that she couldn't even look reality in the face.
Leon, too, had taken a heavy blow to his conscience, and so the two of them settled for a draw.