Part 1

Night.

Fred had come to a deserted alleyway.

He was trembling because he was scared, and was constantly aware of his surroundings.

Recently, there have been a number of incidents targeting government officials, and Fred is worried that he might be targeted.

Then, he finds a hooded woman hiding in the dark, beckoning to him.

The woman took off her hood as Fred approached. It was Merce who appeared.

“You’re late, Fred”

Fred, who works as a doctor at the royal palace, is a nobleman, but Merce doesn’t care and calls him by his name. However, Fred, who is in a position of weakness, does not talk back and hands over the luggage he has brought to Merce.

“I brought you what I promised”

Checking the contents, Merce picked up a small vial and gave Fred a mischievous smile.

However, the depths of her eyes were tinged with a suspicious light.

“I’m glad you brought it. Now you’re really going to fulfill the conditions I wanted, aren’t you?”

What Merce wanted Fred to prepare for her was poison.

“-It is slow-acting, tasteless, and odorless. It’s something you could mix into a drink and it wouldn’t make a difference. I-I’ve prepared it, and now you’ll keep your promise, won’t you?”

“I’ll keep your secret silent. Even so, as Your Majesty’s friend, you dare to betray him, huh.”

Merce mocked Fred and put away the vial of the drug.

Then he grabbed Fred by the chest and pulled him close.

“When that incompetent king falls, you’ll have to stick to the plan. Whatever it is, just buy us some time and confuse them.”

Fred asks Merce, who threatens him, with a blue face.

“W-What exactly are you planning?”

Fred falls on his buttocks as Merce pushes him away.

Merce looked down at Fred and laughed with a nasty look on her face.

“You don’t need to know anything. But I’ll tell you something special. The day when the kingdom will be restored to its original state is approaching. Looking forward to it, right?”

Feeling good, Merce said and left the place, heading for the store where Roland was waiting.

.

Part 2

“It’s been almost a month since we met, and you’re still as cold as ever, Merce.”

Late at night, Roland was in front of the tavern, trying to wrap up tonight’s play with Merce. When he said play, he meant just drinking together and nothing more.

“You say that again. I’m not an easy woman, you know.”

Roland realizes that Merce is in a much better mood today and decides to press for a kiss.

“Then a goodbye kiss ――”

When Roland brought his face close to hers, Merce’s finger was placed on his lips.

“That’ll have to wait until next time. It’s been fun, Leon-san.”

Roland, who still uses the alias Leon, lets out a deep sigh as he watches Merce leave in a good mood.

“Wait until next time, you’re a mean woman until the end. ―― Now, I’d better get back”

.

Part 3

After parting ways with Roland, Merce had come to the basement where the Forest of Ladies hideout was located.

Gabino was also there, and when he noticed Merce, he smiled.

“Isn’t this Miss Merce? By the looks of it, your plan seems to be going well.”

“Y-Yes, Gabino-sama. I have done as you instructed.”

The gentlemanly and kind Gabino made Merce’s drunken face even redder.

Gabino approached Merce, who moved as instructed, and she was delighted when he held her hand.

“What a surprise! You have done well. Now the kingdom will be in chaos. All your hard work will finally pay off! You are a wonderful woman, Miss Merce.”

“I-Is that so?”

Merce, who hadn’t received a compliment from a man in a long time, felt good at Gabino’s words.

Zora, who had been watching the situation, approached Gabino to compete with Merce.

“Gabino-sama, I’m doing my best too.”

“Yes, I have not forgotten. You are of noble birth, but you have endured many hard days underground. In a few days, the kingdom will be restored to its former glory. And then you can go back to your life of elegance.”

The women who belonged to the forest of ladies looked relieved at Gabino’s words.

Then the representative asks Gabino, looking at the thick, sturdy, locked door.

“By the way, Gabino-sama ―― We have prepared another one.”

Many eyes went to the thick door.

From behind the thick door, they could hear the voices of suffering men, and the women were frightened by it.

Gabino smiles.

“Shall we begin the adjustment then”

.

Part 4

Gabino, who had left the forest of ladies’ hideout, was walking through the royal capital with one of his men.

In addition to the forest of ladies, the notebook also contains the names of organizations of former nobles and disgruntled groups hiding in the royal capital.

A subordinate asks, watching Gabino’s back as he ponders over the notebook.

“Why didn’t we prepare the poison ourselves?”

It was a natural question that they should at least prepare the poison themselves, without giving Merce any trouble.

However, Gabino tells his subordinate, “Don’t be naive,” and then tells him why he is doing this roundabout way.

“I don’t care if it’s poisoned or not. Do you really think those people can accomplish their goals? Don’t forget that we have another mission.”

“But if this succeeds, the Kingdom of Horfalt will become our puppet. Once those who supported us are in power, the Holy Kingdom of Rachel can focus on Reparto.”

Listening to his subordinate, Gabino gave him a cold stare.

“They’ll never succeed. They’ll probably fail anyway, so just use them up. Well, I’ll give them credit for getting that crook Roland to drink the poison.”

Gabino said, and wrinkled his brow as he touched the scar on his forehead that he had gotten in the Republic of Alzer.

Then he quickly returned to his blank expression and headed for the next hideout.

.

Part 5

Next morning.

At the royal palace, Milene and Roland were eating at the same table.

They sat at opposite ends of a rectangular table, facing each other but at a distance.

Milene thought that the distance between them indicated the distance between them as a couple.

It’s a political marriage, a relationship without love for each other.

She thought that this was normal, but she was annoyed with Roland, who usually seemed to be enjoying his nightlife.

Therefore, she couldn’t help but say something sarcastic.

“I heard you were out late drinking again last night.”

Roland was pale and not eating well, and Milene was amazed to see that he was hungover again.

Milene hated Roland, who pushed his political duties onto her and played around.

If he was incompetent enough to do anything with this, she would have left him alone, but Roland was not less competent than Milene in political affairs.

Rather, the quality is poor because if you let him do it, he can do it.

The fact that he could do it but not do the work was getting on Milene’s nerves.

However, Roland is not talking much today.

(Usually, he would have returned the sarcasm and snark, but today he’s quiet)

Concerned, Milene continued to talk to Roland.

“It’s been very dangerous lately. We’ve been increasing our patrols, but it’s dangerous for you, too, so please refrain from playing――”

Before she could finish, Milene got out of her seat, knocked over her chair and headed straight for Roland. Those who were around her were also in a panic and rushed to Roland.

Roland looked pale and slipped out of his chair and fell straight to the floor and didn’t get up.

“Your Majesty!”

When Milene came to Roland’s side, he was still breathing.

Immediately, Milene ordered Fred, the court physician, to be summoned.

“Get Fred-dono down here now! Quickly! Your Majesty, are you all right? Fred-dono will be here soon.”

As Milene continued to call out to him, Roland opened his eyes. Then he grabbed Milene’s arm and squeezed his voice out.

“Keep it a secret that I collapsed ―― and then ―― if anything happens ―― the brat ―― “

As it is, Roland coughs, and Milene bursts into tears.

“Your Majesty ―― Dear!”

.

Part 6

The school was a little noisy in preparation for the tea party.

Students are moving around to get ready, and others are fussing over who to invite and whose tea party to attend.

I don’t mind this bustle, but I was in the library for something else.

I’m alone with Livia in the library after school.

There is also Luxion, who is hiding in plain sight, but he doesn’t join the conversation at the moment. There are other students reading books in the gate library, but they are few and far between, and there is no one around.

She is a woman, so I guess you could say we were practically alone.

I’ve been gathering information about the Voldenowa Holy Magic Empire, and Livia has offered to help me, so she’s been accompanying me.

Now I’m reading a book about the relationship between the Holy Magic Empire of Voldenowa and the Holy Kingdom of Rachel.

I learned a little about it in class, but the book had more details.

“The Empire once gave special armor to the royal family as a sign of friendship. Is this also when the Holy was added to the name of the country of Rachel?”

It seems that the two countries had a deep connection with each other a long time ago, and it seems that they are still in touch with each other today.

A friend of Milene-san’s enemy ―― That makes them my enemies.

Let’s also put the Holy Magic Empire of Voldenowa on my list of countries that I hate. Although, the list of countries I dislike only includes Rachel and the Empire.

If so, then the protagonist has a connection to the Holy Kingdom of Rachel as well.

As I prayed for no trouble, Livia opened her mouth.

“Leon-san, it seems you’re being reckless again?”

Livia, who was sitting next to me, asked me, but her eyes were on the book.

I can only give bland answers to ambiguous questions.

“It’s tough because it’s a lot of work. I have to preach to all the idiots in the first year, and I have to help Finley with her tea party.”

It may look like this, but I’m also busy at school.

Whenever a naive male student causes a problem, for some reason I get called away.

The majority of these problems are between boys and girls.

If this was a romantic relationship, I would not have been able to handle it, but sadly, it is a problem before that. All of them are asking for help because the boys are bothering the girls.

However, Livia stops her hand and turns her face to me.

Apparently, there was something else she wanted to hear.

“It seems you’ve been going out every night, right?”

“――Who told you that? Roland?”

Livia shakes her head when I mention the name, thinking that if anyone knows I’m out at night, it’s Roland.

“If you go out often enough, even the students at the school will notice. It has become a rumor.”

I avert my gaze at Livia’s accusing stare as she narrows her eyes slightly.

I couldn’t explain in detail why I was out at night, so I decided to play dumb.

“I-I’m not doing anything wrong. R-Really.”

I don’t want people to think I’m playing with women at night, so I’ll go ahead and say that’s not the case.

However, Livia was not worried about me playing with women.

“I don’t smell a woman, so I’m not worried about that. But you’re doing something dangerous, aren’t you?”

“Well, more or less. Eh? Smell?”

“Leon-san, you’ll talk to me, won’t you?”

How much does she know? In this case, it would be better to explain the situation with some truth.

The trick to telling a lie is to weave the truth into it. However, an honest person like me would never tell a lie. ―― I will only hide the inconvenient truth.

“No~, this is that, you know. I’m chasing a series of murders that have been increasing recently. The killer hasn’t been caught yet, so we can’t rest easy, right?”

“I don’t think that’s Leon-san’s job. Plus, it’s dangerous.”

My heart ached at the sight of Livia looking so worried about me.

But there are reasons why I can’t leave it, so I have to continue.

“Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything when I get everything sorted out, and you can count on Creare if you need anything.”

With her around, if a problem arises, they can at least stall for time and escape.

Livia is dissatisfied with such a wish of mine.

” ―― Are we that unreliable?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“I know that Leon-san cares about us. But you need to rely on us more. Me and Ange have been working hard to be helpful to you, Leon-san. We’re not the same as before anymore”

I had heard that Livia and Ange were making an effort while I was studying abroad. I didn’t even ask, but Creare reported back to me.

I was glad to hear that it was for me, but I still didn’t want to take them to a dangerous place.

“Still, I wouldn’t want to put you all in any danger.”

“Are we really not necessary for you, Leon-san? I’m more than Leon-san think――”

When it comes to magic, Livia has more knowledge and skills than I do.

I also acknowledged Livia’s abilities.

But still ―― I can’t help but think.

“Boys have a stubborn side, you know. If I don’t work hard once in a while, Livia will dump me, right?”

Even though I’m like Luxion’s bonus, I have a little bit of willpower.

However, Livia doesn’t seem to understand.

“Neither I nor Ange will ever abandon you.”

When I saw Livia angrily return her gaze to her book, I let out a small sigh, reflecting that I should have tried to talk her out of it better.

I turn my gaze to the book, too, and I hear Livia’s voice.

“I will never dump you――If you abandon me, I’ll chase you forever, and I’ll make you look at me again.”

What a nice thing to say! I turned my head awkwardly towards Livia, not being insensitive enough to be happy about it.

Livia dropped her gaze to her book and continued the research.

Her appearance was the same as usual, but what she had just said was strangely scary.

It may have been because of the tone of her voice, but my crisis skills were detecting something very heavy.

“A-Ano, I’m really sorry. Please forgive me.”

I apologize because I feel so scared, but Livia looks up and smiles at me.

“What are you apologizing for?”

It was just a gentle smile, but I felt like I was being asked, “Were you planning to abandon us?” Her full smile just seemed to give off a sense of intimidation.

It must be my imagination.

There was no way that gentle Livia could be such a scary woman.

” ――Nothing”

In the first place, If anyone was going to be thrown away, it would be me.

I can easily imagine a future in which they get fed up with me.

.

Part 7

The girls’ dormitory at night.

After visiting Ange’s room, Noelle sat down on a chair and looked around the room.

“My room was pretty big too, but it’s no match for Angelica-san’s.”

The room that the school had prepared for Noelle was more than luxurious enough, but it was inferior to Ange’s.

Noelle did not complain about that. Rather, she feels uncomfortable because it is too luxurious.

However, Noelle noticed that there were many of Livia’s personal belongings in Ange’s room.

(Is this room being used by two people?)

Livia was naturally present in the room even now, but she might be spending time with her on a regular basis.

When Noelle was looking at the room, Ange explained why she had called her.

“I’m sorry to have you come all this way.”

“I don’t mind”

“Actually, I need to talk to you about Leon. He seems to be sneaking around behind our backs again.”

Ange crosses her arms, looks down, and lets out a small sigh, seemingly worried about Leon. However, she can also be seen a bit of disappointment there.

Livia’s expression was more grim than usual, as if she was angry with Leon.

“He went out with Luc-kun again today. Even though he warned us never to break the curfew.”

Noelle also knew that Leon was out of the school at night. The teachers must have been aware of it, but no one criticized Leon for breaking the curfew so brazenly.

It was proof of Leon’s power, but it was also not an interesting story for Noelle, who was his fiancée.

“Marie-chan says that he never plays with women, though. It’s more scary to hear that he’s chasing a murderer.”

Noelle was more scared than amazed when she heard that he was chasing after a series of murders that had been happening in the royal capital.

What on earth would make a student do such a thing?

Ange put the materials on the table indicating that she had researched the case.

“It’s a case of the court nobles being targeted. All of them were newly appointed officials, and all of them were capable.”

The former Principality of Fannos. The conflict with the current Duke Fannos has made it necessary for the kingdom to reform, even if they don’t want to.

Some of the nobles had betrayed the kingdom, while others had fled the war. As a result of the mass demolition of the houses of such people ―― They were short on manpower.

In order to supplement their manpower, they have recruited many talented young people, but there have been seven cases of murders targeting them.

Noelle picked up the document and checked the contents.

“Could this be the work of those who were deprived of their positions?”

Ange agrees with Noelle’s guess.

“That’s very likely. But it’s a shame for the people of the royal capital that they can’t catch the culprit. Or the culprit is very good?”

Considering that this was the reason why Leon was out and about, Angel might be upset with the people in charge of security in the royal capital.

Livia was a little frightened, as if she imagined Leon taking on a criminal who might be very good.

“He’s being reckless again. ―― I’m worried about Leon-san.”

While the two of them are only paying attention to the outside of the school, Noelle is more concerned about the inside.

“It’s tough outside, but it’s weird inside, too. Marie-chan is always on edge, and there are some suspicious employees.”

When she heard that there was a suspicious staff member, Livia had an idea what it was.

“Speaking of which, a while ago there was a staff member who stared at me when I was walking with Leon-san.”

“Did Olivia-san get stared at too? Actually, I got stared at too, but Leon said I didn’t have to worry about it. The other girls were talking about it, but I think he stares at lovers.”

Listening to their conversation, Angel was the only one who didn’t seem to remember.

” ―― I don’t recall any of the staff staring at me when I was with Leon?”

Noelle was concerned about Angel, who for some reason seemed a little dissatisfied.

“Angelica-san, you’re famous in this country, aren’t you? You have a high status, and I’m sure he was too scared to stare at you?”

“Is that so? You’re not saying that, unlike you guys, Leon and I didn’t look like lovers, are you?”

“I-I think it’s okay.”

Surely, Noelle couldn’t say ―― that the other party was probably too scared to stare at the strong-willed Angel.

.

Part 8

The courtyard of the school.

At night, under an outside light, Marie was waiting for someone.

The day they encountered each other in the library, Marie had made an appointment to talk with Erika.

Today is that day.

However, Erika herself is royalty and has many followers, so she rarely has a chance to be alone.

The only time she could move around freely was at night.

Seeing Erika appear, Marie nervously asks her to sit down.

In the darkened courtyard of the school, Marie sits on a bench under an outside light and cuts Erika off.

“E-Etto, Erika-sama. Actually, I need to talk to you ―― “

Erika smiled and said something unexpected to Marie, who was trying to find out what the other person was up to while talking to her.

“Before that, let me ask you a question. ―― Isn’t Marie-senpai a reincarnated person?”

“――Eh?”

When Marie heard the word “reincarnated” from Erika, she was confused and could not speak. Erika put her hand on her chest.

“It’s the same for me. I found myself living as Erika Rafa Horfalt. Or more accurately, I guess it’s possession.”

“You’re lying, right?! T-Then, why until now?”

If Erika is a reincarnated person, then why did she leave us alone until now? If she knew the scenario of that otome game, she would have noticed something strange before.

Erika, who had anticipated Marie’s question in advance, talked about her own body.

“Until last year, I was too sickly to walk around much. Also, my father was overprotective and didn’t let me go out much. Nevertheless, the stories of the Saint-sama and the Marquis have reached my ears.”

Erika’s calm demeanor belied her age, and Marie slid off the bench she was sitting on and fell to the ground.

“I’m so nervous, I’ve lost it! Then how old are you on the inside? I’m quite a bit older than I look, so be respectful.”

When Marie suddenly tries to mount her with her age, Erika laughs and tells her the age of her previous life.

“I was over sixty”

Marie bowed her head in response to the answer she hadn’t expected.

“I’m sorry for being so cocky.”

“Eh? A-ano, I don’t mind. But the reason you wanted to talk to me like this was about that Otome game, right?”

Marie looked up and shouted loudly.

“That’s right! You see, my brother and I know very little about the third work. So, if you do, please tell me everything. We’re in a bit of a mess right now.”

Marie holds Erika’s hand.

Erika was a little surprised, but she sorted out for herself what Marie was trying to say.

“I thought the Marquis Bartofalt was also a reincarnated person, but was he related to you in a previous life?”

“Yes! My brother was also reincarnated in this world. Maybe it’s because I pushed the game on him, and thanks to that, we got into a lot of trouble.”

Erika, who was listening to Marie’s story, noticed something and almost opened her mouth to ask.

However, their discussion was interrupted by the appearance of a female student who was looking for someone at this moment.

“Knight-sama, where are you~? Knight-sa――”

A female student, who seemed to be running and looking for someone, suddenly fell down in the darkness. Hurriedly, Marie and Erika ran out, approached her and held her up.

The female student was Mia.

She is holding her chest in pain, and Marie is using healing magic.

“Hey, don’t overdo it if you’re sick.”

“I’m so ―― rry. I’ve been feeling sick ―― for a while. That’s why ―― Knight-sama wanted me ―― to get some medicine. I-I thought if this much would be okay.”

She probably thought she could run some distance, but her condition was deteriorating because of it.

Erika gently holds Mia’s hand as she talks about the situation with a pained look on her face.

“It’s okay. Keep calm and breathe slowly.”

When Mia was held by her hands and breathed as Erika instructed, the pain seemed to ease gradually.

The grim expression on her face became much more relaxed, and Marie was relieved.

“I am glad”

(But that’s weird. I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong)

The healing magic was used, but Marie did not get any response that it had healed her.

There was no indication of what was wrong with her, and she suspected a fake illness, but Mia seemed to be in serious pain.

And yet, Mia had indeed improved after receiving Marie’s healing magic. Although she felt unconvinced, she thought it would be better if she could heal her, so she talked to Mia.

“Do you have a chronic illness, by any chance?”

(You were supposed to be the energetic girl, right?)

Marie is uncomfortable with Mia’s condition.

“Last year, I suddenly started suffering more. I never had this problem before, and I was running around normally.”

“――Is that so”

Hearing Mia’s story about how she suddenly became a sickly setting last year, Marie looks at Erika.

(She was sickly before, and now she’s suddenly healthy, right? Why is the setting of “sickly” being switched?)

Erika talks to Mia instead of Marie, who is thinking.

“I wonder if the medicine your knight has is available anywhere else?”

“Buu-ku――N-No, that’s right. It’s a special medicine prepared by the knight-sama, and I’ve heard that you can’t get it anywhere else.”

“So. ―― Your knight-sama is well versed in pharmacy.”

When Erika complimented Herring, Mia’s face turned a little red with embarrassment. Perhaps pleased with the praise for Herring, she even starts talking about things she hasn’t heard.

“That’s right. The knight-sama is really a great person. He’s the best knight in the empire, and he’s not really the kind of person who would be Mia’s guardian knight. ――He’s really too good a knight to waste on Mia.”

Seeing Mia’s face go from happy to gradually depressed, Marie realizes.

(Are? Isn’t she in love with her guardian knight?)

Unlike Leon, Marie is sensitive about romance, and she easily detects Mia’s fondness for Herring from her attitude.

“The knight-sama was so kind that he followed Mia to her study abroad destination. He said he couldn’t leave Mia alone.”

She asked why the guardian knight had come to study abroad, and Marie joined the conversation to find out at this time.

“For you? Not like there’s a purpose to it or anything?”

Mia was asked by Marie, and after thinking for a moment, she said what she remembered.

“No, I haven’t heard of any other purpose.”

.

Part 9

I was running through the royal city at night.

Master, over here

A number of drones positioned in the royal capital were signaling each other with flickering lights. Luxion had seen them and was leading me to the crime scene.

“It’s very old-fashioned.”

Please don’t complain. It’s right there on the corner.

I turned right as I was led and arrived at the crime scene where there were still no onlookers. It was an intricate alleyway between two buildings, which turned into a crossroad.

It is a place where the buildings facing away from each other, and there are few people coming and going.

The officials who seemed to have just been killed were surrounded by men who seemed to have been hired as guards.

These muscular bouncers were lying dead.

And yet, there was no sign of even a serious struggle.

Standing at the scene of the murder, which made me want to frown, was a suspicious-looking man wearing a hat and a long brown coat.

When I approached the man, he turned around and showed me his face. His eyes were glowing red.

“Uah――Barto――Falt――F-Found――you”

Drool dripped from the corners of his mouth and he moved in an insane manner.

As he turned his body toward me, dragging his feet, I could see the man’s abdomen.

Frowning, I pulled out the pistol hidden in my jacket and held it up.

“That’s bad hobby”

He’s taken in a piece of demonic armor. Master, it’s too late for this man.

The word “too late” made me think of Serge for a moment.

Luxion, perhaps reading my thoughts, tried to take over the role.

I will handle it

“Wait a minute. If he’s still conscious, I want to talk to him.”

――Is that so

The man’s abdomen. A number of flesh eyes appeared on his chest, and three tentacles were wriggling out of his torn abdomen.

The tip of the tentacle has a sharp blade and is covered in blood.

“There’s no mistake you’re the culprit, right? What’s your purpose?”

“Bartofalt is――an enemy――our――enemy――kill him”

“Does it feel like he can’t communicate?”

It would be more difficult for a regular person to remain conscious if a demonic armor is implanted in his body. Besides, it’s impossible for this man alone to cause all the incidents so far. There’s a high possibility that someone is behind this.

A person can die quickly if they are inhabited by demonic armor.

Luxion said it was impossible for him to be active in such a state for a month.

If that’s the case, would it be more natural to assume that there is someone behind the scenes preparing people with demonic armor?

“Then, now let’s find out who’s behind all this”

As I raised my pistol and took aim, the man’s eyes glowed intensely and the tentacles on his abdomen closed in on me.

Pulling the trigger, the bullet shoots the man in the head.

As the man slowly fell on his back, the tentacles slowed down and before they could reach me, they fell to the ground and stopped moving.

As it was, the tentacles turned into a black liquid and disappeared, leaving only the man’s corpse.

I let out a deep sigh and looked at the culprit’s face.

“For the time being, we got a clue with this.”

Yes. Let’s find out their identities and gather information from the people involved.

“Then again, some people do terrible things.”

――If they can handle this much demonic armor fragments, there must be someone who has some knowledge about it. If someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing messes with the demonic armor, they’ll just get sucked to death.

Apparently, flesh, blood and magic power are sucked up by the fragments of the demonic armor, and they die quickly.

“It looks like a curse equipment”

It’s not accurate, but it’s not wrong either. It’s an abominable weapon that should not be touched by people.

“In the meantime, let’s see if there’s anything that can help us identify him?”

As I approached the corpse, I could feel the presence of people in the darkness on the other side.

Luxion, who noticed it before I did, is on alert.

Master, it seems that the mastermind was right beside us.

“I guess so”

A man appears from the darkness, watching us warily.

The conspicuous silver-haired man was Herring, a guardian knight that I had seen many times at the school.

He takes one look at the corpse and then at me and my gun, and his brow wrinkles up into a look of blatant disgust.

Herring asks in a tone that threatens me.

“What is your purpose?”

The question was so vague that I felt like I was being asked, “Why are you following me around?”.

So I raised my pistol and pointed the muzzle at him.

“Don’t move. I’m the one who should be asking the questions. I’ve got a lot of questions for you――”

Master!

Luxion jumps in front of me and deploys a barrier in front of me.

Immediately afterwards, the barrier was hit by a number of electric shocks that caused it to glow violently.

However, Herring has shown no signs of movement.

He seemed surprised by Luxion, but what mattered was the eerie black sphere that appeared out of the darkness behind Herring.

It’s the same size as Luxion and has one red eye.

However, the crucial difference would be that it looks more like a living organism.

I don’t know what the black part is made of, but his eyes are flesh and blood.

The eyes were red and eerie to look at.

I hear a different voice than Herring’s.

Buddy――Looks like my bad premonition was right. The fiend knight is carrying a weapon left behind by the old humans.

Before I could say anything to the black guy’s words, Luxion overreacted. He reacted as if he had been reunited with an enemy.

I didn’t think that the core of the demonic armor was still in existence. Such a mass of evil should be erased here and now. I will ask the Master for permission to use the main body.

When Luxion suddenly said that he was going to bring out his main body to fight, the black guy who shot out electric shocks put out one small hand, grasped it, and shouted.

What’s the evil influence, you damn metal! You guys are so much more evil and worthless than I am! Buddy, wear me right away! These guys are never going to be allowed to exist!

The furious black one had bloodshot eyes and thorns on its surface, making it look like a sea urchin. It seemed to be able to change its form at will.

“There is no choice but to do it, huh. Kurosuke!”

“Right!”

When Herring pointed his right hand at me, the black guy ―― Kurosuke became liquid and clung to him.

Then, bat wings appear on Herring’s back.

“It looks like a devil.”

This is no time to joke around. He’s in full demonic armor. Master, let’s go back to the meeting point with the Arroganz.

“Will they let me go?”

I follow Luxion and start running with my back to Herring, and quickly use the intricate alleyways to escape.

“Wait!”

Facing Herring, who was chasing me, I turned around and shot him with one hand with my pistol while running. However, the bullet had hit him, but had been deflected.

“I was aiming for the flesh part, but it just bounced off!”

It seems that even the powerful pistols made by Luxion are not effective against Herring now.

They’re deploying barriers on the surface. It’s useless to shoot them. That’s why I advised you to carry a more powerful weapon.

Tucking my pistol into my holster as I run away, I say back to Luxion in a snide tone.

“If I walked around with a rifle or shotgun, I’d be the one who got caught!”

Walking around the royal capital with a weapon would only result in me being questioned by the police officers as a suspicious person. I’d be the one caught and Roland would laugh at me.

As I ran through the narrow alleyway, I jumped on a crate and went straight to the roof.

I start running as Luxion leads me.

There, Herring jumped out of the alley and rose to a position where he could look down on me.

“It’s nice to be able to fly, isn’t it? Luxion, I want one too, so prepare it.”

I’m happy to have a Master who can talk lightly under these circumstances.

Luxion’s single red eye flickered as he said sarcastically.

Herring’s is fused with a guy called Kurosuke, and I can hear them both.

“I have a question for you. Could you please be quiet?”

I’ll destroy the artificial intelligence guy first!

I heard that a guy called Kurosuke also has a hatred for Luxion.

So the weapons of the old humans and the new humans are still fighting each other today.

“Sorry, but you’re the ones who need to be quiet.”

I pulled out my pistol again and shot Herring in the air, but he didn’t seem to feel threatened or did anything.

“It’s useless. If it’s just a pistol――”

Before he can finish, Luxion says to Herring.

“I’m sorry for you. The filth left behind by the new humans ―― will all be extinguished here. “

At that moment, Herring was blown away by the body blow of the appearing Arroganz.

The Arroganz quickly open the cockpit hatch and come down to me.

Hurrying to get in, I closed the hatch.

A hair’s breadth away, I should say.

An electric shock hit the hatch, and the Arroganz shook.

“This is ba?!”

With a cold sweat running down my spine, I grabbed the controls of the Arroganz and raised the aircraft.

It seems that Luxion wants to turn Kurosuke into charcoal at all costs.

Master, let’s lift the restrictions on heavy weapons

“You’re an idiot when it involves demonic armor? We’re in the royal capital. We can’t use dangerous weapons. And don’t let the main body attack as much as possible.”

If we can eliminate them, the damage to the royal capital will be nothing more than a margin of error.

Ignoring Luxion, who was still trying to persuade me, I looked at Herring’s reflection in the monitor. A black liquid gushed out and enveloped Herring’s body, transforming him into the demon armor that I had seen so many times.

What was different now was the absence of the flesh eyes that had appeared all over the body.

Its appearance is that of armor itself, and it has bat wings.

It has a long tail reminiscent of a reptile, and its appearance in the moonlight is both hideous and beautiful.

“I knew I’d seen you somewhere before ―― but I didn’t think it was you, Brave.”

At my words, the black armor narrowed its glowing eyes.

“How do you know Kurosuke’s name?”

Before I could answer, Herring, clad in black demonic armor, came straight at me and was right in front of Arroganz.

It moves faster than the demonic armor I’ve been seeing so far, and I start to break out in an unpleasant sweat.

The sharp clawed hands of the demonic armor grazed Arroganz and scratched the surface armor.

“They easily scraped the armor off the Arroganz.”

“This is a real demonic armor. ―― Data verification complete. There are a few differences, but he’s a Named. It’s the Brave that Master mentioned earlier. “

It seems that Brave’s name was still in Luxion’s data, as he seemed to be a Named who had inflicted great damage on the old humans in past wars.

“I’m not happy with the information!”

As the Arroganz blow their scales and run away, the demonic armor generates electric shocks in its hands to create a round shape.

As soon as the buzzing electric shocks rounded off, he threw two of them at me.

I quickly change direction, but the electric shocks keep tracking me.

“It’s got a tracking function, too?”

It’s more advanced than the demonic armor we’ve encountered so far, though. Anti-magic flare, launch.

When the light that evaded the tracking magic was released from the Arroganz’s backpack, the electric shocks crashed and burst in that direction.

I check the monitor to see the residents of the royal capital looking up at us as if they were watching fireworks.

“It’s dangerous to fight here”

I would have taken Herring away from the royal capital at this point, but the other party was desperate to catch me.

“Never let you get away!”

“A persistent man will be hated by women.”

If you talk lightly, they will respond to you as if you are not serious.

“I’m not in trouble about it”

Herring’s answer made me angry, and my hands tightened on the controls.

“Ikemen-sama has never had a problem with a woman is what you’re trying to say? ―― I’m gonna hit you for sure.”

.

Part 10

At that time.

Gabino had gathered his men who had entered the royal capital.

He holds his favorite pocket watch in his right hand and tells everyone to close the lid as soon as the scheduled time arrives.

“It’s time. From now on, the people who have been moldering in the royal capital will cause a commotion. We will take advantage of the opportunity and accomplish our goal.”

Gabino and his men are gathering in a warehouse district in the royal capital.

He had one of the warehouses prepared by the Forest of Ladies and other organizations, and brought in soldiers from the country.

All of them were dressed as sky pirates so that they would not be recognized as Rachel’s soldiers.

And taped to the wall of the warehouse was a wanted poster for Leon.

It has been scribbled on, torn up, and treated badly.

“The fiend knight was supposed to come out if there was a commotion – but now it seems he’s in combat with someone else. It’s not what we planned, but it doesn’t change what we’re doing. Commence the operation!”

The soldiers saluted in unison at Gabino’s words, and immediately began to run and take action.

Gabino narrowed his eyes and laughed, predicting a future in which the royal capital would be a sea of fire.

“I find it amusing that the people who invited us to the royal capital are from the same kingdom. Let’s make sure that the city suffers as much as possible. For the sake of us, Holy Kingdom of Rachel.”

Saying that, Gabino takes a knife out of his pocket and throws it at Leon’s wanted poster.

The knife stabbed into the forehead of the wanted man, Leon.

Gabino touches the scar on his own forehead.

“I can’t wait to see your frustrated face, Fiend Knight. I will repay you for this wound.”

.

Part 11

It looked like fireworks had appeared in the royal capital.

Marie, who was watching from the courtyard of the school, noticed that the small lights in the sky were moving around.

“What is aniki doing?”

Fighting in the skies over the royal capital is a dangerous act and is prohibited by law.

It was hard for Marie to believe that he was breaking it and then fighting. At the same time, she could also predict that the situation was that critical.

There were several lights in the sky, and it even looked like lightning.

Mia saw this and muttered, holding her mouth in her hands.

“Knight-sama and Buu-kun are fighting?”

Marie didn’t let the small voice go unheard.

“Hey, what is Buu-kun? Is that your guardian knight?”

Mia backed away from Marie’s questioning tone. She tried to cover it up, her gaze wandering, but Marie would not let her.

“Answer me clearly!”

“T-That’s”

Erika stepped in between them as if to protect Mia, who looked down.

“If you question her too strongly, you’ll frighten her.”

“You know, we’re in a hurry! If it’s because of your knight, you’ll be in trouble if you don’t do whatever you can to stop him.”

Mia looked up when she heard that Herring was going to cause a lot of trouble. Then, perhaps to protect her precious knight, she shouted.

“The knight-sama can’t be the one who caused it! The knight-sama is a kind person. There must be some reason for him to fight.”

Just as Mia trusted Herring, Marie didn’t think that Leon was bad.

“You’re trying to say it’s aniki’s fault!”

Marie was about to grab her, but Erika looked up at the sky.

“Wait a minute. Something’s wrong.”

An airship had appeared in the sky above the school.

The altitude has been lowered considerably, and the airship, which is getting too close, has prepared a number of lighting fixtures to illuminate the school.

The airship was flying a flag indicating that it was a sky pirates.

If you looked closely, you could see ropes being lowered from the airship, and people were coming down one by one.

Their movements were well-coordinated, and they did not look like bandits.

Marie immediately took Erika and Mia’s hands and hurried away from the scene.

“Come over here”

Marie, with the two of them, hurried to a certain place.

.

Part 12

Inside the airship that boarded the school.

Commanding the soldiers of the Holy Kingdom of Rachel, who were dressed as sky pirates, was Gabino, dressed in a suit and looking at his pocket watch.

Checking the time, he orders the soldiers.

“Hurry and secure the target before the outcast knights arrive. Other targets are fine, as long as you can. ―― If you can’t get them out, you can kill them. After all, we’re sky pirates.”

Gabino, looking out the window with a sneer from the bridge of the airship, watched the allied soldiers moving down to the academy.

Ignoring the school building, the soldiers headed for the student dormitory.

It was a move to know in advance where the target would be at this time with the information he had gotten from the infiltrated staff.

Their target ―― Leon’s fiancées.

“Make sure you get the fiancée of the fiend knight. Worst case scenario, just captures the priestess of Arzel. She’s got more uses than just a hostage.”

A subordinate standing behind Gabino replies and directs the others.

“You heard him, boys. Teach the hated fiend knight the wrath of Rachel!”

The reason why Leon was resented so much was because of the suppression of the coup d’etat in the Republic of Arzel.

The Holy Kingdom of Rachel, which had been cooperating with the coup side, has suffered heavy losses due to the failure of the coup.

In addition, the fleet that had been dispatched surrendered after its commander was taken away by Leon.

In addition to the heavy damage, their pride was also broken by Leon.

As for Gabino, he was involved in a battle in the Republic of Arzel and had a scar on his forehead.

He has a personal grudge against Leon, but even more than that, Leon has become an unforgivable enemy of the Holy Kingdom of Rachel.

For that reason, this time the strategy of taking Leon’s fiancée as a hostage was executed.

They have a purpose to cause damage to the Kingdom of Horfalt, but their main concern is rather his fiancée.

That’s why the Holy Kingdom of Rahshel considered Leon to be dangerous.

The descending soldiers are signaling to the airship.

Apparently, the battle has begun.

Gabino looks at the armor of the fiend knight ―― Leon, who is still fighting in the distance, and predicts a future where the mission will be successful.

“Your fiancées is in our hands, Fiend Knight”

.

Part 13

At that time.

In front of the women’s dormitory, soldiers dressed as sky pirates were breaking through the front door and entering the interior with their trained movements.

“Too quick”

“That’s what kids are like.”

“Even if they’re powerful kingdoms, the students are not so scary.”

Soldiers entered one by one.

As they tried to move forward with caution, bullets suddenly rained down from the top of the stairs. The soldiers rushed to hide in the shadows.

The soldiers are confused by the incessant rain of bullets.

The decorated vase was broken, and the soldier who had been shot was groaning as he fell.

“A non-lethal bullet? They look down on us”

Nevertheless, it was so powerful that anyone hit by it would cower and be unable to move, so they could not move carelessly.

Signaling his men with his hand, the captain begins to attack from the shadows. He fires back with his rifle, but the odds are against him as the enemy’s attacks continue unabated.

The guns the soldiers were carrying could not fire continuously, and they were at an inevitable disadvantage.

“Why do the bullets keep firing out like that? Is that a new type of rifle?”

They didn’t know what to expect from a machine gun, and when they reached for a grenade to do something about it, the shooting stopped.

The captain looked back at his men, nodded once, and then threw a grenade.

When a thrown grenade hits the floor, it blows out smoke, creating a smokescreen. It was a smokescreen that would be painful and impossible to open one’s eyes without training.

The soldiers covered their mouths and noses with cloth, while their eyes were patiently open.

By now, the enemy is probably blind and in pain ―― they expect.

“All right, you guys go ahea――”

As he was about to charge his men, he heard the sound of footsteps.

A woman with a strange mask was standing there, holding a gun that they had never seen before. The muzzle of the gun was pointed at the captain.

The woman pulled the trigger without hesitation and non-lethal bullets rained down on the captains. They wouldn’t die, but the point of impact was bone-jarringly painful.

The captain and his men writhe in agony from the extreme pain.

Seeing the stuck soldiers, the masked woman gave instructions.

“Take away their weapons and tie them up immediately.”

As the captain looked up from his fall, the smoke was swept away by the wind and disappeared.

The woman who took off her mask had blonde braided hair and red eyes. The captain was surprised to see a woman with a strong-hearted look on her face.

“She is one of the targets?”

When Ange notices the captain, she points the muzzle of the gun and pulls the trigger.

The captain’s consciousness is cut off there.

.

Part 14

Ange took off the gas mask and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Around her, a group of schoolgirls restrained the fallen soldiers one by one, though they were scared.

As Ange unloaded the bullets from the machine gun she was holding, a group of armed work robots floated up and approached her.

“They’re bold enough to attack the school.”

The robots, which were large enough to operate indoors, floated around Ange and kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings.

Ange smiled at the sight of them.

“Is this another one of Leon’s calculations?”

Ange was both stunned and impressed by Leon’s preparations in advance.

He seemed to be wavering, but he must have been preparing for a lot.

One of the units hands Ange a magazine, which she takes and replaces.

“They’re a bit too well-organized for sky pirates. Just like Deirdre said.”

Ange looks a little bitter as she mentions Deirdre’s name.

But as soon as she tightened her expression, she heard a scream from a different place.

When she turned her head in the direction of the scream to see what was going on, the scream she heard was from a group of burly men.

Hearing it, she lets out a small sigh.

“That direction is where Noelle was”

.

Part 15

Noelle’s room in the girls’ dormitory.

Noelle was getting ready to go out, complaining as she put her arms through her uniform jacket.

“They came straight to my room. I knew they had a cooperator at the school. But this is still amazing.”

The door to the room was breached and the sky pirates entered.

However, when the crest on the back of Noelle’s right hand shone, plant branches and roots appeared from all over the room, entangling the sky pirates.

The twigs had constricted the sky pirates and even entangled the weapons they were carrying, making them unusable.

All of these are the power of the priestess’s crest.

It was the result of a young sacred tree that was planted and used its abilities to protect Noelle, the priestess.

The sky pirates were being automatically defeated without Noelle having to do anything.

Noelle’s room is entered by Creare with a group of robots in tow.

I knew this would happen, but that was quite a rampage.

Noelle was a little flustered by Creare’s impression of the devastation in the room.

“I-It wasn’t me!”

I know, but the problem is the cost of repairing this room. This is going to be expensive.

Plants have taken over the luxurious room, the floor is poking through, and the walls are cracked.

Noelle held her head.

“Sacred Tree, please go a little easier”

Don’t worry. You can push the bill to Master.

She was grateful for the protection it had given, but it had caused a great deal of damage to the student dormitory.

.

Part 16

At the same time, Marie was running away from the sky bandits with Mia and Erika.

“Over here. Quickly!”

However, Mia was holding her chest and not running fast enough.

She was in pain and shook off Marie’s hand.

“I-I can’t. Please go ahead.”

Erika desperately pulls such Mia.

“No. Please hurry.”

“It’s fine. Mia’s presence will drag you down.”

When she was told to leave her behind and go on ahead, Marie got mad and yelled at Mia.

“Silence, don’t you dare give up! If this happens, I’ll carry you.”

Marie tries to force Mia to carry her on her back, but then she hears a gunshot and stops moving.

The three of them turned their gaze to see a young man in work clothes standing in front of them.

The blond man, who had taken off his hat, looked at the three of us with a vile smile.

“Found you, Her Royal Highness”

At the mention of Her Royal Highness, Erika personally stepped in front of Marie and Mia to face the man.

“Is it me you’re after?”

“That’s right. You’ll be my bargaining chip. You’re going to help us right the wrong of this kingdom.”

Looking at the rude young man, Marie immediately noticed.

“What’s ‘right the wrong’? It’s none of your business.”

“Shut up, you fake saint. You seem to be close to that Leon, but he’s not coming to help you.”

That’s the staff member with the bad attitude she saw on the day of the entrance ceremony.

Marie gritted her teeth.

(At that time, Luxion and the others were disturbed, and they couldn’t gather information properly, right? Why would someone like this sneak in at that time?)

Thinking unlucky, as Marie and the others were waiting for an opening, the sky pirates caught up with them and surrounded them.

Apparently, the staff is also one of the sky pirates.

The staff orders the sky pirates.

“Tie them up”

“I don’t like being ordered by you, but I’ll follow it”

The sky bandits approached Marie and the others with weapons.

Then, a gunshot echoed around the area and one of the sky pirates fell as he flew to the side.

As the sky bandit struggled in pain, holding his side, his friends raised their guns and pulled the triggers in the direction of the gunfire.

However, the sky pirates were shot one after another from the darkness, and one by one they fell.

The staff member, frightened by the situation, let out a pitiful scream and ran away.

“Hiy-Hiiy!”

“Do not run away!”

The sky bandits stopped him, but he didn’t care, he was running away.

Then, as the number of sky pirates dwindled, men came flying out of the darkness.

Looking at the men, Marie was relieved of her anxiety.

“Everyone!”

“Marie, lie down!”

Julius, armed with a pistol, shoots the remaining sky pirates. Although the bullets were non-lethal, the pirates who were shot were suffering and struggling.

Greg with his spear knocks down one of the sky pirates, and Chris with his sword knocks off the sky pirates’ weapons before attacking them in the jaw and knocking them out.

One of the sky pirates puts his left hand out in front of him and deploys a magical barrier, but when Brad uses his magic, a number of human arms made of earth appear from the ground where the sky pirates are standing and bind them.

The last remaining one tried to take Marie and the others hostage ―― but was knocked down by Jilk’s sniper shot, striking him in the abdomen.

“T-That was saved us~”

Sitting down on the spot, Julius approached Marie and put his hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry. It took a while.”

“It’s okay. I’m grateful you could make it in time.”

Julius smiled, relieved that Marie was okay.

It was Erika, who had been ignored until now, who approached Julius.

“Onii-sama, how much do you know about the situation?”

Julius replies to Erika, who is prioritizing the situation, with an attitude that seems blunt to his sister.

“Hmm? I think there’s a battle going on in the dormitory, but I don’t know much about it. Because I was desperate to save Marie.”

“I-Is that okay? Wouldn’t it be more coherent if onii-sama gave the orders?”

“It’s not like I can put it together now. And don’t worry about the dormitory. If there’s a problem, it’s the enemy airship. Well, what do we do?”

All eyes turned to the airship floating above the school.

.

Part 17

On the bridge of the airship, Gabino’s brow furrowed as reports came in one after another.

Every time he checked the time on his pocket watch, he let out a sigh.

“It’s taking too long.”

The captain of the airship apologizes to Gabino, angry at his unreliable men.

“I’m sorry, sir. I thought I chose the elite.”

“You mean that the knights of the kingdom, even though they are students, are all savage and strong?”

Looking at the Kingdom of Horfalt from a foreign country, the impression is that there are many fierce people when it comes to knights.

They had to take on dungeons at the school, and as a result, they were highly regarded by other countries for their brawny strength.

Gabino, who didn’t intend to spend too much time on this, changed the strategy.

“If it’s impossible to secure them ―― then let’s just kill them. The Holy King wants retribution for the Fiend Knight.”

If they can’ t capture Ange and the others, they switch to a strategy of killing them to make a show to the Fiend Knight.

The captain orders his subordinates.

“Prepare to fire!”

The airship turned on the spot and faced the dormitory on its side. A window on the side of the ship opened, and a cannon appeared. A number of cannons were lined up, loaded and aimed at the dormitory.

Gabino closes the lid of his pocket watch and gives the order at the same time.

“Launch”

As the cannons fired in unison, the interior of the airship shook with shock.

Everyone thought it was all over, but a soldier looking out the window shouted.

“I-It landed, but it was blocked! What’s with the size of the barrier?!”

The confused soldier’s words startled everyone.

At the moment of impact, a dome-shaped barrier was deployed over the student dormitory, preventing everything.

Gabino grabbed his pocket watch and shouted.

“Keep shooting!”

.

Part 18

The rooftop of the student dormitory.

Standing there, Livia had her hands outstretched.

The small white orb of the accessory in her right hand shone with a faint glow.

It was Livia who was the only one deploying the barriers that covered the student dormitory.

Robots floated around her, guarding Livia.

The deployed barrier is followed by constant bombardment from the airship, but it doesn’t let everything through.

In her first year, Livia had run out of magic power as soon as she deployed a barrier of this scale.

But now she has some leeway.

It was hard, but still not hard enough to make her collapse.

The enemy was not willing to give up and continued to fire, but Livia was confident that she could hold out.

“It’s no use. You’ll run out all your ammunition first.”

From the size of the airship, Livia could tell how many shells it carried.

She is confident that she can withstand even if one or two more ships are added to the fleet.

Livia remembered her old self, when she was too timid to do anything and only bothered those around her.

(Back then, I couldn’t do anything, and I was pulling Leon-san and the others down. But now ―― I can help Leon-san too!)

Lifting her outstretched hands to shoulder level, bring the hands forward.

Then, the dome-shaped barrier that had been developing around Libya expanded its range further.

“I won’t let you do as you please any longer.”