The shrine was a short distance from the summer festival grounds.
I sat down on the steps, hung my head, and let tears of frustration stream down my face.
"What kind of summer festival has this sort of atmosphere?" Go ahead and complain. I think it's weird too, but this is a messed-up otome game world. Anyone who thinks otherwise is the fool.
"Damn it… I wanted those."
Even now, I felt an urge to chase after the vendor and buy out everything he had left. But the ones who wouldn't allow that were
They were keeping an eye on me.
The two of them had actually been put off by how dejected I looked.
"D-Did you… want them that badly?"
Angelica leaned in close to peer at my face.
She must have slipped away from her entourage. With me absent, they were probably desperate to recover the standing they'd lost when they abandoned her during the duel fiasco.
"I was really looking forward to this. I couldn't even sleep last night."
I wiped my tears.
"You're putting on an act, right?" No, I'm genuinely upset. I'm crying because I'm truly frustrated!
Olivia tried to speak to me, but she was very awkward about it.
"B-But, I don't think that's right. Buying everything up with money…"
I understood what she meant, but outright denying the concept of buying things with money was a bit much.
"What's wrong with paying for things? I would have gone up to ten times the price."
Whether it was actually worth that much, even I had my doubts. But if the charm truly worked, I would have gladly paid a hundred times over.
The item I'd wanted to collect on this floating island was exactly that charm the man had been selling.
The problem was, I had no idea what was inside.
In the game, the results were completely random. Even if you didn't hit the jackpot, you'd at least get a Charm of Luck.
The next best drop was the Charm of Martial Fortune, which boosted melee combat abilities and improved physical stat growth rates.
The grand prize was a magic-type: the Blessing of Elements. This one increased your affinity value for magic — a purely game-mechanical effect.
It raised your magical growth rate and improved elemental compatibility. A fantastic item overall.
That was why I'd chosen this floating island for the study trip back in my first year. I'd even bribed the teacher to bring us here, so not getting it was heartbreaking.
Despite that, I'd been cautious and only tackled the dungeon to the bare minimum level…
All my plans for the optimal growth strategy had collapsed.
Both Angelica and Olivia wore deeply troubled expressions.
They probably never expected me to actually cry.
As I sniffled away, the summer festival was winding down and the men started returning.
It looked like they'd sold off nearly all their merchandise.
"Oh, there you are, my lord. I've got two left — here, take them."
I stood up and purchased the two remaining charms.
"Come on, give me the jackpot!"
"Um, well, there aren't really jackpots or misses. They're all charms — just different types."
I paid, took the two bags in hand, and slowly unwrapped the white paper covering them.
My face flushed red with tension.
Under the paper was a white orb about the size of a marble, fitted with a metal clasp and a red cord. A charm.
…No good. I have no talent for white — for healing magic.
Even if I kept it, it would be meaningless.
I tore open the second one roughly. This time, a red orb revealed itself. Both were beautifully colored, but they looked nothing more than keychains to me.
Would they even have any spiritual effect?
"Red… I have no talent for red."
Angelica tilted her head.
"What are you talking about? But hey, you got something, so that's good, right?"
Seeing Angelica look relieved, the man climbed the steps and left.
"Well then, I'll be heading back. Please take good care of them. But honestly… they suit those two young ladies better than you, my lord."
They suited Angelica and Olivia better than me? Well… yeah, I supposed.
What I'd wanted was yellow, or blue.
Red wasn't what I was after.
I hated to say it, but for me, these were misses.
Slumping my shoulders, I handed the charms to each of them. The man had already climbed the steps and disappeared without my noticing.
"You're… giving these to us?"
Angelica looked slightly taken aback, wearing an expression that asked whether it was really okay to accept something I'd wanted badly enough to cry over.
"They're not what I was after."
"R-Right…"
I offered one to Olivia as well, but she politely declined.
"I-I can't accept this."
"Just take it. They're no use to me anyway. It's not like they're expensive."
I tossed it to her. Olivia caught it and looked troubled.
I sat down on the steps, let out a deep sigh, and buried my head in my hands.
"
Olivia started to say something, but that was when Angelica's entourage arrived.
"Oh, my lady!"
Hearing their voices, Angelica panicked and bolted.
"S-Sorry. I'm leaving."
The girls of her clique gave chase after the fleeing Angelica. But notably absent from their group was any sign of her personal attendants.
After watching Angelica and her followers rush past, the guys from the entourage spotted me and closed in.
Three of them.
"Bartfort, you again?"
"Don't get cocky just because you've had a little success."
"The broke noble who latched onto our lady."
I looked up and studied the faces of these useless men. That was the depth of their understanding, and that was exactly why they were failures. And for crying out loud, wake up. After betraying her during the duel fiasco, your credibility was shot. No amount of backpedaling now could bring you into the positive.
You were in the hole, and it would take a lifetime of effort just to break even… It was far too late to try currying favor.
"Huh? Are you jealous? Envious that I've caught the lady's eye? Too bad. If you hadn't abandoned her during the duel fiasco, you lot would have been her favorites. You're good at reading the room at the academy, but you'd better learn to read the broader social climate — the mood of the world beyond these walls. Aren't you ashamed, trying to weasel back in now?"
My taunting almost provoked one of them into throwing a punch.
They were clearly on edge, so I stood up, ready to take the fight. But Livia stepped in front of me and spread her arms wide.
"F-Fighting is not allowed!"
One of the men shouted.
"You're the ones who started it!"
"I-I'm sorry. But please, no fighting!"
"Tch — let's go. Pathetic, hiding behind a woman."
I'd love to throw those exact words right back at them. As if they weren't the ones who only wanted Angelica as a shield.
After the men finally left, I turned to Olivia.
"There was really no need to step in. They backed off because they knew they couldn't afford to cause any more trouble."
I'd been needling them precisely because I knew they couldn't afford to retaliate.
Well, they were young, so maybe they'd have resorted to violence anyway. But if that happened, I'd deal with them socially. Adult fights don't end with just fists.
Olivia lowered her head.
"…I'm sorry. Leon, I'm truly sorry."
Facing her teary-eyed apology, I scratched my head.
"There's nothing to apologize for. If anything, there are far more suitable people for Olivia than someone like me—"
I stopped mid-sentence and turned toward an elderly woman who had approached at some point.
Wait, how long had she been standing there?
"Um… who are you?"
When I addressed the old woman, Olivia looked surprised too.
The old woman, leaning on a cane, smiled.
"Oh, no particular reason. My son told me you'd been kind to him, so I came to say a word."
I looked away, assuming her son was the man who'd been selling charms.
"I understand this has caused quite a bit of trouble, and I'm terribly sorry—"
As I began my apology, the old woman pulled a white bag from inside her robe.
"You're the first person who was willing to pay a large sum for the charms I made. However, most of those were items people were looking forward to getting at the festival, so they're not much, but please — take these."
Inside the white bag was a Charm of Martial Fortune.
"Huh, the shape is different?"
"Oh my, you're quite knowledgeable. I was thinking of switching to this design starting next year. I made a trial version — do you think you'd like it?"
It wasn't what I'd originally wanted, but I was happy to have gotten anything at all.
"Ah, thank you very much. Ah, let me pay you—"
"That's not necessary. If you insist, just say a prayer while you're here. This is a shrine for matchmaking, you know, so there are blessings to be found."
With that, the old woman turned and climbed the steps.
Was she connected to the shrine somehow?
While Olivia stared up at the steps in surprise, I examined the charm more closely. It wasn't the sword-and-shield design of the Martial Fortune charm — instead, it featured three crossed swords. I raised it to eye level, studying it, then gripped it tightly in my fist.
"Well… if I tell myself even a miss is a hit, then it wasn't so bad."
Let's say it was worth what I'd spent. After all that money scattered, it was nice to have something to show for it.
And a matchmaking shrine… I'd be too scared to come at night, so I'd visit tomorrow morning instead.
Come to think of it, I had a vague memory from the game of the heroine going to a shrine to get closer to one of the capture targets…
Olivia asked me something. She seemed embarrassed.
"Leon, matchmaking means… you know…"
"It means exactly what it says. A blessing that binds fates together. I'll come by tomorrow morning. Gotta wish for a good match."
I should probably offer a big sum while I'm at it.
As I walked away, Olivia made a somewhat forlorn face, but I ignored her.
…She shouldn't be involved with me.
◇ The next morning.
The airship was departing at noon, so I spent the morning sightseeing on the island.
Floating islands were particularly prone to developing their own unique cultures.
The reason was simple — there was no sea, so the only way to travel between islands was by airship. Some floating islands didn't even have airships and had built their own isolated societies entirely.
Discovering those kinds of islands was its own adventure.
…Of course, bad people used that isolation to invade them too.
No matter how you dressed it up, adventurers were a rough crowd.
I'd done my own share of grave-robbing to obtain
I climbed a set of stone steps.
A torii gate came into view, and the shrine beyond it looked thoroughly Japanese.
Since the floating island itself had a Japanese atmosphere, I couldn't shake the feeling of having stepped into another world.
I spotted a shrine maiden cleaning the grounds.
She was a cute girl who looked about elementary school age.
"Excuse me. Is there a matchmaking deity here?"
The adorable shrine maiden responded to my question with a bright smile and a nod.
"Yes. The matchmaking god enshrined here also governs martial fortune and magic."
A deity that would appeal to warriors and mages alike.
I thanked her and was about to head over to pray when, during our conversation, some people arrived.
"…Ah."
"…You guys."
"…U-Um."
When I let out that dumbfounded sound, Angelica looked between our faces with an awkward expression. She and Olivia must have met downstairs and come up together.
The little shrine maiden greeted them with a smile.
"Oh, you're students from the academy! Do you know the proper way to make an offering?"
She explained it to us politely. What a sweet girl.
Ahh, I felt so healed.
The injustices of the otome game world seemed to be purified away.
And so we ended up praying, the three of us… standing side by side in front of the offering box.
…Awkward.
"A-Right, the offering. How much should we give?"
Angelica looked troubled as she pulled a gold coin from her purse.
Olivia saw this and said, "D-Do you really have to give that much?"
"Isn't that normal? At the temple, they usually—"
Thank goodness the temples followed monotheism and didn't exclude other religions. Religious wars — seriously, spare me. This was the first time I'd ever been grateful for the loose worldbuilding of an otome game.
Beside the two of them, I shoved in the bundle of bills and gold coins I'd meant to pay yesterday. Think I'm crazy? Not at all. In the game, paying a certain amount of money caused a massive affection boost with capture-target characters. Believing in the blessing, I paid a generous sum.
I'd even regretted not bringing more money, remembering this moment from last night.
While the two of them stared in stunned silence, I made my prayer properly.
"God, I don't ask for much. Please — please, grant me a wife! A kind woman with good sense! I don't want some woman who looks down on her husband or tries to make him raise someone else's children. Please, bless me with a good match!"
My desperate wish came pouring out of my mouth.
The two of them looked exasperated, but this was genuinely the most important thing in the world to me.
After all my efforts, everything had backfired, and I'd been suffering ever since — please hear my prayer, God!
While I prayed with all my heart, it seemed both Angelica and Olivia had made their own wishes as well.
At least theirs didn't spill out loud.
What had they wished for? Well, for Angelica, it was certainly about a marriage partner. For Olivia, maybe a boyfriend? I really hoped it was with anyone other than
Anyway, I hoped it would be with either Prince
As for me, I'd just keep praying for myself.
"If possible, I'd like a woman with a big chest and a slim waist. The more seductive, the better! Honestly, a mature, sexy woman who pampers me—"
Hearing my embarrassingly honest wish spill out, Angelica and Olivia both turned scarlet, grabbed me by the ear, and dragged me away.
"Wait! There are still wishes I haven't conveyed! There are things I still need to say!"
Angelica's face was beet red.
"Wh-What kind of things are you saying in front of a child, you idiot?!"
I looked and saw that the young shrine maiden's face had turned red as well.
…She was really cute, wasn't she? Not in a creepy way — I meant it in the sense that an unpolluted, innocent girl was something precious.
Olivia was apologizing to the shrine maiden.
"Sorry about that. Just forget what he said."
"O-Oh, it's fine. I was just… surprised by a few things."
I waved goodbye to the shrine maiden as she gave me a wry smile, and the three of us descended the steps.
◇ After Leon and the others had left the shrine grounds.
The girl in the maiden's robes looked at the offering box.
"I've never seen anyone put that much money in the offering box before. I need to tell Grandpa."
The girl ran off.
The only people at this shrine were the girl and her grandfather… The old woman and the middle-aged man weren't actually part of the family.
◇ Back aboard the luxury airship, I stood on the deck and watched the floating island receding into the distance.
I pulled out the charm I'd been clutching and directed my gaze toward it.
Luxion, apparently curious, spoke up.
"Would you not consider wearing it around your neck?"
"…Hey, do you think this actually has any blessings?"
"Relying on something spiritual for mental comfort isn't inherently wrong. As long as you don't over-rely on it."
He wasn't dismissing faith outright, but he clearly didn't believe it would grant actual luck.
I hung it around my neck and squinted up at the sun, which was as warm as summer.
"Hot."
"Indeed. By the way, there's something I've been wondering about."
"What?"
"Was the reason you weren't actively tackling the dungeon because you hadn't obtained that charm? Were you hoping for a game-mechanical effect?"
"…Y-You idiot, no."
"Is that so? You still haven't collected that Sacred Ring, so I was wondering."
"You — what an idiot you are too."
Truthfully, I had avoided tackling the dungeon more than necessary because I was hoping for game-mechanical effects. But now that it was reality, I had no idea whether it would actually work.
"I don't mind going to where it can be collected, but that place is tough even for upperclassmen. If I wanted to collect it safely, I needed preparation."
"I see. You weren't panicking at all, so it worried me. With
If Marie had played the game too, she wouldn't be foolish enough to rush in.
Full-scale dungeon crawling wouldn't begin until the third semester.
From there through mid-second year, I'd earn money in the dungeon— "Still, I was hoping this would be the perfect chance to debut the Schwert."
"You named that airbike without asking? Hey, that thing belongs to me. Although… Schwert, right? It sounds cool, so I don't mind. What does it mean?"
"…Master, are you aware that people sometimes compare an airbike to a fish? Compared to an airships, it is rather small, after all."
"I've heard of that expression. So what?"
"Oh, nothing at all. Schwert means 'sword' in German."
"Not bad! I like it. Come to think of it, the tip is pretty sharp, and it does have a nice feel to it."
"Yes, well, it's actually named after the swordfish— Ah, never mind."
I had to hand it to him — the guy had absolutely no talent for naming.
Well, I'd brought the thing along but never used it. Some guys on the floating island had been riding theirs around, but I'd been too busy hunting for that charm seller.
For some reason, I couldn't figure out who the guy was.
Even the locals reacted with "Oh, that guy! What was his name again?"
"He'd made a lot of modifications too. Even painted it metallic."
"Isn't it nice? Shall I add some blue highlights next time?"
"Yeah, I'll take you up on that. We'll be stopping at a floating island along the way, and I might ride it then."
"I'll have it ready. The Schwert is a temperamental horse, so she's tricky to tune. Master, please ride her carefully."
What was this?
He'd named the airbike, modified it… Was he actually fond of the thing?
Come to think of it, Partner had seemed pretty fond of his too, hadn't he?
…I probably shouldn't badmouth Partner or the Schwert.
While I was lost in thought, Chris appeared on the deck.
Looking thoroughly exhausted, he muttered, "Seriously, not even a moment to be alone."
He sounded like he'd just escaped from the girls.
Was this guy trying to start a fight with us guys?
When he noticed me, he flashed a fearless grin and walked over. His neatly trimmed blue hair was slightly tousled by the wind, and even that looked cool, which annoyed me to no end.
He removed his glasses and spoke to me.
"Bartfort, I hear you had a match with Brad. How about a fencing match with me too?"
He wanted to beat me in his area of expertise.
I scoffed.
"Brad challenged me in his weakest discipline, and now you want to compete in your strongest? …He had more backbone than you."
The moment I brought up Brad's name, Chris's expression twisted.
Children, the lot of them.
Don't let yourself be rattled by something this petty.
"I'll fight you in my weakest area, so bring it on."
This Chris was a swordsmanship specialist. That meant he was the type who fell apart outside his element.
"I… I've never considered myself particularly skilled at the sword."
I was exasperated as Chris lowered his head and put his glasses back on.
"How unsightly. A supposed swordmaster should carry himself with more dignity."
"I'm not lying. I've devoted myself to sword training my entire life. And yet, my father still said I had no talent."
…Right, he had that backstory too.
Every single one of them had absurdly complicated personal histories. The kind that would fill dozens of manuscript pages.
I muttered my complaints in a low voice, grumbling about how troublesome they all were, when Luxion, hiding on my person, had the nerve to say, "On the contrary, Master, your own backstory is rather thin."
Shut up! Yeah, I know — I'm a reincarnator and there's nothing else to me!
Still, better than those walking disasters… I think.
"So you became a swordmaster through sheer effort, is that it? And those of us who can't even become swordmasters have less talent than you?"
Chris glared at me.
"If you can say the same after devoting everything to swordsmanship, I'll apologize or do whatever you want. What do you know about me?"
"Nothing? Then what do you know about me? If you want sympathy for your poor-little-me act, go cry to Marie. I told you before."
"…I hate people like you who never put in any real effort."
…Effort? I put in plenty.
Farm work to survive, studying under lantern light.
While the second and third daughters studied indoors under electric lights and never did a day of farm work.
Girls need to be cherished! …Tch, makes my blood boil.
The way they treated guys was disgusting.
"What a coincidence. I hate you guys too. Especially Brad and Greg, who betrayed my expectations. I actually believed in them."
Out of everyone, they had to target precisely what I hated most… I would have my revenge.
As we exchanged words and glared at each other, a sudden alarm blared.
We all looked around.
"What is it?"
"A monster attack? No, wait, this alarm is—"
Chris was about to say it was clearly unusual when— Monsters poured out of the white clouds in massive numbers.
They burst through the clouds one after another. Their numbers weren't in the tens or hundreds.
"What… is that?"
The monsters resembled marine creatures, and they flew through the sky as if swimming through water.
Their numbers were already beyond counting, and more kept emerging from the clouds.
We were at a distance from the floating island, and there were no other airships in sight.
The crew rushed out with weapons in hand but were clearly cowed by the overwhelming number of monsters.
A young crew member clutched his weapon and trembled.
Chris confronted one of the crew.
"What the hell is happening?!"
"We — we don't know! The monsters just appeared out of nowhere… this has never happened before!"
Chris was panicking, but the crew was no different.
I looked up at the sky.
"…Why are they just surrounding us without attacking?"
Monsters that normally attacked on sight were, for some reason, content to simply encircle the airship.
Luxion hovered near my shoulder and reported.
"They appear to be organized. This behavior is not in my records."
Even in a swarm, I'd never seen or heard of a monsters group with this level of coordination.
The monsters were a pinkish-white color — but there was something visible on their foreheads.
I couldn't make it out myself, but Luxion projected an image in the air around me.
"A crest? I've seen that somewhere before."
"It's the duchy's crest. The crest of the Duchy of
"Fanoss? …You've got to be kidding me."
The Duchy of Fanoss. Once a ducal house under the
No wonder I recognized the crest.
After all — in the game, they were the enemy that appeared near the end.
"Do you know something about them?"
"…In the game, they're the country that launched a war. But this is too early. I thought I had until third year."
"You think it's connected to the monsters?"
"There's a Magic Flute in the duchy. It was set up to control monsters. But I had no idea it could command this many."
Thousands? Or tens of thousands?
Standing before such a number, the girls on the deck were in an uproar.
"Someone, do something!"
"D-Don't we have weapons on board or something?"
"I've never seen so many in my life!"
If it had been tens or hundreds, we might have held out somehow. But the sheer numbers before us were beyond what even this large luxury airship could handle.
They did carry weapons, but this was an airship built primarily for comfort, not combat.
Girls and their personal attendants fled inside the ship. The commotion grew louder, and some panicked crew members even began firing their weapons.
Luxion remained calm.
"I will dispatch the main body and Partner. Master, your permission."
"Send them out immediately! How long until they arrive?"
"I'll hurry, but it's not possible to arrive inst—"
While he spoke, a particularly massive monster emerged from the clouds. It resembled a whale, and on its back sat what appeared to be a man-made structure.
"That monster-turned-airship… is the princess arriving?"
A princess who could wield the Magic Flute — if she was here, we were in real trouble. I never imagined I'd be facing the final boss during my first year, this early in the game.
I thought I'd have until third year to deal with her!
Surrounding the giant monster the princess rode upon was a fleet of airships — battle-cruisers bearing the duchy's crest, flying in formation.
Behind them, floating islands that had been converted into airships burst through the clouds. The large clouds had scattered at some point.
They'd been devoured by the duchy's fleet and its monsters.
Chris adjusted his glasses with slightly trembling fingers and squeezed out words.
"The duchy… What are they thinking, entering the kingdom's airspace?"
No matter how you looked at it, this was an invasion.
Judging by military strength alone, the airship numbers weren't that impressive. But supplemented by the monsters, it was a different story.
While most students fled inside from the deck, the ones coming out were Angelica and Livia. Spotting us, they rushed over.
"Leon, there you are!"
"Leon! —Wait, Leon, there's something floating all around you!"
Luxion hovering beside me was a sign of heightened vigilance. The fact that he wasn't hiding suggested he'd determined my life was at stake?
These numbers were indeed…
The two of them stared at Luxion. They were also seeing the projected images around me.
"Ar-Are you going to be okay?"
Angelica looked worried, while Olivia poked at the image projected in the air with her finger. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
Then she looked at Luxion.
"Leon, this round thing—"
I didn't want to bother with an explanation, so I introduced Luxion as— "Oh, this guy? He's my familiar, Luxion. Go on, say hello."
Luxion, however, was clearly not pleased.
"Familiar? No, I cannot accept that label. I have nothing to do with magic — I am the pinnacle of science. I will absolutely not concede on this point. It is a pleasure to meet you, ladies. I am Luxion, Master's support companion. I am not a familiar but an artificial intelligence equipped with—"
Olivia listened to Luxion's explanation with genuine admiration, but Angelica ignored him entirely. She'd decided this situation took priority.
"An unusual familiar. Do you have talent for magic too? Well, never mind. The real problem is them. That looks like the duchy, but why are they with monsters?"
Monsters attack people.
It was probably unbelievable that they could be near humans without attacking.
I shrugged.
I knew the reason, but in the current situation, my knowing it would be suspicious.
Chris looked at the giant monster and spoke.
"Wait, someone's coming out."
Angelica narrowed her eyes. The person who emerged was the enemy princess — the Duchy of Fanoss's first princess,
"Princess Hertrude?"
Livia, still wary of Luxion, asked about the princess.
"Um, do you know her?"
"I've met her once before. But why here, in a place like—"
Just then, a massive projection of Princess Hertrude appeared above the giant monster's head.
Everyone tensed as she addressed them through a loudspeaker.
"I, Hertrude Sela Fanoss, First Princess of the Duchy of Fanoss, hereby declare this: we formally declare war upon the Kingdom of Holfart."
A young woman's expressionless voice delivered a declaration of war.
…I'd known this was coming, but we were clearly not prepared.
"Oh come on, surely there's such a thing as moving up a schedule too far."
Where had things gone off the rails?
We should have had time before the war broke out…
"Foolish children of the kingdom's nobility. I shall grant you time to steel yourselves. Surrender, or die… I will wait one hour."
The grace period was one hour.
Angelica struck the railing.
"So they intend to take us hostages… Cowards."
They would no doubt use us as bargaining chips the moment hostilities began.
I surveyed the scene.
The crew was in a daze, but some of the students left on the deck actually looked relieved.
A small boat carrying an envoy from the duchy emerged.
Luxion turned to me.
"Master, things have gotten troublesome."
"Yeah, they have."
I looked at Angelica. Unlike us nobodies, she was a duke's daughter — royalty by extension.
The duchy would be desperate to get their hands on her.
"…Where exactly did we go wrong?"
Why was a third-year event happening here, at this point?
I wanted to bury my head in my hands.