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nTLN: The Fanoss Dukedom has been changed to the Principality of Fanoss. Previous chapters have been edited to match.

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nA messenger from the principality descended onto the luxury liner’s deck.

nHe was a very well-dressed man who introduced himself as Earl Garrett.

nHe had a blatant arrogant attitude towards us, and he spoke while caressing his own moustache. He was slender, and was a man who had a face oozing with an unpleasant impression.

n“Children of baron households and above will be treated as prisoners of war. We have no interest in the children of knight households and below. The same goes for demi-human slaves. Of course, we also don’t need the sailors of this airship.”

nWhile a majority of the people despaired, the students in the advanced class were relieved.

nAmong them, one of the girls stood up for her exclusive servant.

n“W, wait! Spare my exclusive servant. He’s my favorite.”

nGarrett replied to the girl with a condescending attitude.

n“Then you can go down with your lover. It’s of no concern if we have one or two less hostages.”

nThe despairing girls closed their mouths and averted their gaze away from their exclusive servants.

nRight. People valued their own lives above all else.

nI continued being silent. While I was thinking about whether there would be a ruckus once they entered inside to seize everyone──

n“──Wha?!”

nBy the time I was surprised, it was already too late.

nAnjie stepped in front of Garrett.

n“What is it, young girl?”

nAnjie took a confident attitude despite Garrett looking down on her.

n“──I am Anjelica Rafua Redgrave. Do you know about my family’s name?”

nHearing the name of a duke household, Garret’s eyes were wide open, but he then immediately smiled.

n“I would have never thought that the daughter of a duke household would be aboard──the kingdom really is stupid. Letting such an important person go on a trip without guards.”

nGarrett opened his arms in delight.

n“Excellent! Let me show you my respect for your courage in introducing yourself! Now, come here.”

nHe was going to lead Anjie away.

nMy foot took one step forward by instinct, but at that moment, I received a strong blow to the back.

nI fell down, and was held down by some boys. When I saw the faces of those boys, anger welled up inside me.

n“Let go! Is this who you really are?!”

nGarrett looked at me in displeasure while I was pinned down.

n“How noisy. Who are you?”

nAnjie looked at my face, and then closed her eyes.

n“He’s my friend.”

nAnjie did not mention that I was formally a baron and a knight.

n“To think that you would have a friend.”

nGarrett walked up to me and then trampled down on my head. His smile revealed his malicious intent.

nMy sight was focused up on Garrett.

n“What a rebellious attitude. Now, let’s give the kingdom’s nobles their first job. Punish this person. C’mon, hurry up.”

nThereupon, the boys were holding me down began exerting violence against me.

nI resisted, but was suppressed in response.

n“Y, you guys!”

n“Are you going to make Anjelica’s will go to waste? You should shut up!”

nThe ones pinning me down were Anjie’s followers. As they struck me, cuts opened up throughout my mouth, and the taste of blood intensified.

n“Even so, you guys are──”

n“This is Milady’s decision!”

nUpon which, Anjie shouted.

n“Stop it already!──Stop.”

nGarrett stroked his moustache between his fingers.

n“Oh, that’s not the attitude to take when asking something. That won’t do for a duke daughter.”

nAnjie did this for my sake.

n“Please stop. I beg of you.”

nGarrett’s mouth warped into the shape of a crescent, like that of the moon, and smiled while speaking loudly.

n“Unfortunately, I don’t want to! Well then, you’re coming with me. Ah, you people, make sure to beat up that stupid brat thoroughly.”

nGarrett then left. All I could was watch as he kidnapped Anjie.

nAs I was being strongly beaten, my consciousness turned hazy. I reached my hand out, trying to help Anjie, but my arm was trampled on.

nAnjie was negotiating with Garrett.

n“I alone am enough for a hostage, right? Let the others go.”

nGarrett stroked his moustache while dodging the question.

n“So you’ll offer yourself if it means saving the others. I might just cry. Well, let’s take our time to talk about that matter on the principality’s airship.”

nOlivia raised her voice against Anjie being taken away.

n“Anjie!”

nThe surrounding sub-race people pinned her down.

n“Anjie, don’t go!”

nOlivia was the only one raising a voice.

nAnjie turned back and made a firm smile──but her legs were trembling.

n“──Livia, thank you.”

nAfter saying that, Anjie was brought to a boat and taken away by the messenger and his cohorts.

nI kicked fiercely and rolled on top of the deck.

nWhen I was pinned down by my abdomen, Olivia rushed over and stood up for me.

n“Leon!”

nThe boys and the exclusive servants looked down at me. How unsightly, they bore too much resentment.

n“Everything could have gone to waste because of you.”

n“You piece of trash.”

n“Hey, sailors. Toss this guy into a jail cell.”

nThe sailors surrounded me.

n──These damn people.

n◇

nThere was an airship designed to be placed on a huge monster.

nAnjie, brought to such a strange airship, was surrounded by armed knights.

nWhile being cautious, she met with Princess Hertrude.

n“It’s been a while, Anjelica. We had only been in a relationship where we simply exchanged greetings, but meeting you again like this feels a bit nostalgic.”

nAnjie made a fearless smile.

n“Do you really plan to go to war with the national power of a principality? This matter won’t end with just a skirmish.”

nThe Holfault Kingdom and the Principality of Fanoss. There was a big difference between the two countries.

nThe Holfault Kingdom had greater strength.

nKnowing that, Anjie displayed a sense of leniency. However, she was a bit frantic on the inside.

n(Just what kind of goal do these people have? What do they want to do by attacking with a fleet of this degree despite the difference in national power?)

nHertrude smiled towards Anjie.

n“Right. There is certainly a disparity in national strength. However, have you not noticed the view outside?”

n(So they really plan on using monsters?)

n“So you’re accompanied by monsters. Are you going to win against the kingdom with that alone?”

n“Yeah, we’ll win. As for why──”

nHertrude was interrupted by a man of nobility who seemed to wield authority.

n“Your Highness, the matter of dealing with the hostages is more important.”

n“Oh right.”

nAnjie became tense. The reason why she introduced herself and stepped forward was to let the luxury liner go.

n“So you’ll set them free with my surrender?”

n“What a funny thing to say, Anjelica. Did Garrett ever once claim that we would let those people go?”

nAnjie closed her eyes in response to what Hertrude said.

n(So they’re going to take the baron children and above as hostage, just like they originally planned.)

nHowever──

n“Here’s what I think. Perhaps you alone are sufficient for taking hostage.”

nWhen Anjie opened her eyes, she looked at Hertrude’s face in surprise.

n“──Wha! Y, you fool! They’re the children of barons and above! Are you thinking about killing them without taking them hostage?!”

nThe knights turned their swords towards her as she starting making an uproar.

nHertrude spoke indifferently.

n“There were only two people who resisted when you were taking away, right? How cruel such spineless people are. They are not worthy of being nobles.”

n“W, what are you talking──”

n“Anjelica, I will show you everything that is to come. From henceforth, the kingdom shall perish──”

nA messenger headed towards the airship with the academy’s students to send a notice.

n◇

nThere was a prison built within the luxury liner.

nAfter being thrown in there, I sat on the floor with my back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.

nSobbing on the other side of the iron bars was Olivia.

nShe begged for my release, but it was futile since the students, much less the sailors, strongly opposed it. The students in the academy were being harsher towards me than the principality itself.

n“Don’t cry anymore.”

n“But, Anjie…we couldn’t save Anjie. I can’t even get you out of here, Leon. I’m just pathetic.”

nWhat a detestable, timid person she was──or at least, that’s what I would have thought had this been my former self. In my former life, I hated these kinds of characters.

nWatching crying women had irritated me.

nHowever, wasn’t it powerful when a person cried for someone else?

nThat was the conclusion I came to as of this point.

nThere was more, though.

n“You get tattered like that when opposing the unreasonable. Look, your hair’s in a mess, and aren’t some of the buttons on your uniform missing? You get injured when you do something others don’t want you to do.”

nOlivia acted violently, trying to help me.

nDue to that, she was restrained──and during that interval, she got into a fight with one of the girls. Her opponent was one of Anjie’s followers.

nOlivia, who was the only one opposing her, became worried when the girl called for her colleagues.

nShe seemed to have said something about Anjie, and also about stopping what they were doing towards me. Olivia’s pleas for them to stop ended up saving me.

nShe normally wouldn’t fight, and yet she did the impossible for our sake──she really helped out.

nI wouldn’t know what would happen if I otherwise had to ask Luxon for help.

n“──I’m frustrated at how I can’t do anything.”

n“You’ve worked hard. You don’t need to cry anymore.”

nStaring at the ceiling, I thought about the future.

nWhat should I do? Bring Olivia along and save Anjie? However, there would be a lot of problems if that happened.

nUpon which, I heard the sounds of hurrying footsteps. The footsteps belonged to Chris.

nChris, with a look of grief, came to the jail cell and spoke to me while ignoring Olivia.

n“Baltfault──just a while ago, a messenger from the principality arrived. They said that Anjelica alone was enough for taking hostage, and that we should prepare ourselves. They’ll start attacking in an hour, and so it seems that in the end, we’ll die as nobles.”

nIt seemed the principality didn’t need us.

n“And so? What am I supposed to do?”

nChris took off his glasses. He had a face of resolve.

n“I want you to lend a hand. It seems that there are six units of armor in this ship. I want you and I to buy some time until the ship escapes.”

nI laughed scornfully.

n“──Don’t wanna do that.”

nChris squinted, but didn’t criticize me.

n“I beg of you to reconsider. We can’t let everyone die here. You can even just guard the airship. I’ll remain behind and buy some time.”

nStayin behind in this location definitely meant death.

nLooking at what was outside, Chris must have known that he wouldn’t win if it was just him.

n“Leon.”

nOlivia looked at me. Her eyes were asking me if there was anything I could do.

nIt was scary how pure and beautiful her eyes were. It was as if she could see through everything, and having my shameful self be examined was embarrassing.

n“Don’t look at me like that. What are you hoping from me? In the first place, do you think I would help the students who abandoned Anjie? You make me laugh. Furthermore, they’ve beaten me up. I say let everyone sink.”

nChris unexpectedly agreed while I was badmouthing them.

n“Yeah, I know. Perhaps powerless people like us should sink and fall not into the ground, but the sea. However, I still want to ask of you. This is the only way we can have a chance. I beg of you, please help us.”

nI slowly got up in front of Chris, who was bowing his head.

n“──I refuse.”

nChris looked up in sorrow.

n“I’m sorry, I’ve been a nuisance.”

nWhen Chris was about to leave, I stopped him.

nOne should always hear someone out until the end.

n“Idiot. Listen to all of what I have to say. In the first place, there’s probably no way to escape given that we’re surrounded. Even if you stay behind, you’ll be surrounded. It seems you haven’t learned a thing since you’ve last fought me.”

nSpeaking in terms of a strategy game, we were beginning to be checkmated.

nChris stopped and turned around.

n“Then what should we do?! Do you have some kind of plan for a situation like this? If you plan on escaping by yourself, then to hell with you. I’m not giving up.”

nHow stubborn.

nIt was sad how much more of a clumsy idiot he was than me.

n“There’s no point if you’re fighting by yourself. It wouldn’t work either if I was there with you. That being the case, our only option is have everyone involved. The fools who abandoned Anjie should take responsibility. Listen, I’m not so good-natured as to help those who do nothing. Want help? I know that. If people want to live, then everyone has to give it everything they’ve got.”

nChris rejected my opinion.

n“That’s impossible. Everyone’s in despair, and they can’t even get up. Besides, in times like these, the only one I can depend on is you, Baltfault. Do you understand?”

nChris was trying to say “The others won’t be helpful.”

nI strongly agreed, but there was no choice other than putting such incompetent people to work.

nI brought my face closer to the iron bars. Chris did the same as well, and our noses nearly touched.

n“What we can do is resolve ourselves and break through the front. There’s no other way.”

n“The front? You must be stupid.”

n“Yeah, I’m stupid. However, I think it’s better than just waiting for death. So, let’s turn the tables and snag a victory. We can grandly break through the encirclement.”

nChris waited for my words while sweat travelled across his cheeks.

n“You must protect the ship. Now is the time to make a display of the swordsmanship you’re so boastful of.”

nChris seemed to take offensive and objected.

n“I don’t remember boasting.”

n“Your speech and conduct go hand in hand with boasting. Show us the results of your efforts. I think that the skills you’ve been building up have led to this day. I don’t plan on dying. You want to live too, right?”

nAfter I said that, Chris hung his head, pondered──then raised his head back up.

n“──Right. I want to see Marie’s smile.”

nThe nerve he had to slip that in at the end.

nWere those guys not brainwashed by her?

nWhat was so good about her?

nOnce Chris opened the jail cell with a key, I got out. I reached my hand towards Olivia, who had been sitting down.

n“I’ll need your help.”

n“O, okay! I’ll do my best!”

nOlivia, getting up and wiping her tears, stiffened her facial expression. It seemed she was planning to hold out for the sake of rescuing Anjie.

nI definitely preferred her over Marie.

nChris should come to his senses.

nWhile thinking as such, Chris placed a hand over his chest and muttered.

n“Marie, I will see your smiling face once more. For that, please lend me power.”

nIn his hand was a charm.

n“Is that yours?”

n“This? I bought it at the festival. It seems to be called a ‘Charm of War’s Fortune’. Thinking about it now, perhaps it’s a good omen.”

nIt was a small charm of a shield and sword.

nI smiled.

nIt was a suitable item for him to have.

n“Yep, it matches well with you. You’ve definitely got the best of luck.”

n“I, Is that so? It’s a little embarrassing for you to say that.”

nEw, don’t get embarrassed and blush. I wouldn’t know how to react.

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