The Empress’s Work

Friday, November 4th

Clan was watching a live broadcast from Forthorthe’s Parliament. A new law related to the PAF that she had created was being discussed. The matter at hand was the introduction of tax incentives for purchasing PAF or other similar new technologies for medical use, and depending on the outcome of the deliberations, there might even be a need to develop a less expensive PAF. It was an important issue that Clan couldn’t ignore either as royalty or as an engineer.

Fortunately, the deliberations on the new law, which had been the focus of Clan’s attention, went off without a hitch. They had decided in favor of making it easier for citizens to purchase PAF. Satisfied with the result, Clan took a break and absentmindedly looked on at a newly begun discussion. She wasn’t particularly interested in it at first, but then something interesting happened.

“The next questioner is Marclay from the House of Commons. The floor is yours.”

“Pardon me. I am Marclay.”

Forthorthe’s Parliament had a bicameral system, made up of the House of Commons and House of Lords. The House of Commons had more legislative authority, with the House of Lords functioning as a type of checking mechanism. The person currently standing at the speaker’s desk was Marclay from the House of Commons.

“The other day, a letter was delivered to my office. The sender was a news reporter named Danesford Laren, and it regarded an interpretation of a particular law. After close consideration of its contents, I concluded that it is a very important matter that requires a fair and sincere response.”

A hologram of Danesford Laren was displayed behind Marclay. He was a skilled reporter with plenty of scoops under his belt—and also Nalfa’s brother. The moment she saw him, Clan had a bad feeling about it.

“Normally, it’s standard for a question from a journalist to be answered during a press conference, but this matter contains important truths and questions that have a direct connection to the benefit of the people. So I notified the Speaker that I would like to take some of my time to use this occasion to ask the relevant authorities.”

Regardless of their achievements, a journalist’s question would normally not be brought up during the Parliament’s deliberation. There were, of course, situations where the government cooperated with a reporter in the pursuit of justice, but that didn’t seem to be the case this time.

Clan’s bad feeling grew stronger. Danesford’s name in particular stuck out to her. He’d once elicited a blunderous statement from Theia, so she couldn’t quell her concern.

“As of the day before yesterday, I, the Speaker, after negotiations with the Ministry of Justice, concluded that it would be appropriate to deliberate this matter at the Parliament.”

The Speaker was backing up Marclay. A deliberation meant that the proceedings would be officially recorded. Statements made would come with a legal responsibility. That was how important the issue at hand was, and it was a sign that this was something the people should know.

“Marclay, please continue.”

“I shall. The question I received from Danesford concerned the legal interpretation of the Blue Knight’s special exception.”

When she heard that, Clan’s expression changed. This is about Veltlion’s special exception?

The question related to a serious matter concerning Koutarou. Moreover, that question had come from Danesford. Once she realized that, Clan decided to inform Koutarou and the others.

The deliberation began by clarifying how the Blue Knight’s special exception functioned legally. The conclusion came down to: The rights given to the Blue Knight by Alaia can not be removed. As it was written into the constitution, it took priority over the law. The deliberation itself concerned how to resolve the Blue Knight’s special exception clashing with the law.

“...so even if the law is amended, the rights granted to the Blue Knight in the past would still be kept, is that correct, Minister of Justice?”

The debate over the law and the special exception was about to end. They were currently confirming whether or not a legal reform restricting the rights of the citizens would also restrict the Blue Knight’s rights.

“The Ministry of Justice’s interpretation is that the Blue Knight’s rights would be maintained. If I were to give an example... If the Blue Knight were to cultivate land that had no owner, he would obtain ownership based on the cultivation laws of the past.”

“Allow me to confirm, has that land cultivation law been abolished at present?”

“It has indeed. Today, the law allowing private ownership of cultivated land is no longer in effect.”

The law in question had existed two thousand years prior. Back then, Forthorthe had had a small economy and little national power. Realizing that it would be difficult to prevent an invasion from another country in that state, the emperor had created a bold law dictating that whoever cleared unowned wilderness or forests and developed farmland would gain ownership of them. Originally, the wilderness had to be owned before it could be turned into farmland, so the cost was too high. Therefore, the emperor had hoped that lowering the cost would speed up development.

Based on the results, the law worked well. Land was practically being given away for free, so the nation lost a lot at first, but with the increase in farmland came an increase in tax yields, so the free land ultimately led to an uptick in profit. Later on, once significant improvement had been made, the law was abolished—since there was only so much land, they couldn’t afford to overdo it.

However, the Blue Knight could still claim ownership of free land if he cultivated it, because his special exception prevented that right from being removed.

“Thank you very much. Now, in light of our discussion so far, let us move on to the main question.”

They had finished talking about how the Blue Knight’s special exception affected the law, but there was still more to cover. Specifically, Marclay’s question—meaning the question sent in by Danesford. They were moving on to the main topic.

“During Forthorthe’s tumultuous period, it was very important for royalty, nobility, and knights to leave behind descendants. With war and disease running rampant, the death rate was exceedingly high and important people had a duty to leave behind more offspring.”

The question concerned the war after Alaia had ascended the throne. Back then, Forthorthe, like Japan during its warring states period, had spent most of its time on war. And with sanitation problems at the time, the average life expectancy was less than forty years. This caused problems with succession.

“Because of this, the laws allowed royalty, nobility, and knights to take multiple wives.”

Without an heir, the family line would die out. That was true for both royalty and knights. The only solution was to have more children; therefore, royals, nobles, and knights were allowed multiple wives. Or rather, it was their duty. That was how they protected the family lineage, and in other words, the nation.

“Those laws were naturally abolished and no longer exist. With wars and epidemics being far less common, life expectancy has increased.”

Forthorthe now had a monogamous system. Polygamy was only necessary during wars or epidemics, and once society restabilized, the system became unnecessary. As the overall awareness of rights began to improve, the law was abolished shortly before the nation’s modernization.

“So, I would like to pose a question, Minister of Justice,” Marclay said and paused to take a breath. He then slowly continued. “We all know that the Blue Knight is faithful and has not decided on a spouse...but in light of the discussion so far, is there any need for him to decide on a single partner?”

The moment Marclay posed that question, silence filled the chamber. Before now, the Parliament had been quiet but not completely silent, with neighbors whispering and exchanging opinions. Now, however, it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. The question had caught the attention of every member, and likely every person watching the broadcast as well.

“Minister of Justice.”

“Yes, the Ministry of Justice interprets the question as such. Based on old, already abolished laws, the Blue Knight can take multiple wives.”

In that moment, cheers rang throughout the room, as if to shake the very building. That was a breach of etiquette in the Forthorthe Parliament, but nobody minded. Even the speaker raised their fist up high with a smile. The Blue Knight could marry the princesses right away—that was Danesford’s new scoop, which would shake Forthorthe.

Because of this, the session was called to a close, with proceedings scheduled to continue the next day. All parties were likely busy changing the contents of their deliberations. Naturally, all the news outlets were covering the same topic. The majority opinion was that Danesford would likely clutch the Journalist of the Year award next year as well. With the citizens stirred to a feverish excitement, congratulations for the Blue Knight’s marriage were put up everywhere. The entire empire was in an uproar, and so were Koutarou and the others.

“Wh-What the hell is this?!” Koutarou almost fell over in surprise from the commotion that had seemingly come out of nowhere. Fortunately, he was able to brace himself with his arms and avoided falling.

Meanwhile, Theia was in a great mood as she clung to Koutarou’s back. “Well done, Danesford Laren! I always knew you were a fine journalist!”She’d been attacking Koutarou with a sleeper hold, but now she was clinging to him with her legs and left arm, thrusting her right fist up in a cheer.

“You said you hated Danesford...”

“I do not. Someone who serves the empire so well deserves nothing but praise.”

“You shameless little—”

“Ohohohoho!”

While the two argued, Sanae ran up to them, her eyes sparkling. “Koutarou, Koutarou! When are we having the ceremony?! I want to wear a dress!”

“Forthorthe’s laws have nothing to do with me! I’m Japanese!”

“Whaaaaaat?! Let’s at least have the dress and suit made!” If anything, Sanae was more interested in the wedding dress than the ceremony. Of course, she wasn’t the only one full of enthusiasm.

“I am not sure if my bad feeling was right or wrong... Anyway, I am at a loss...” Clan sighed in embarrassment as she watched the Parliament fall into confusion. It wasn’t like she was unhappy that one of their obstacles had disappeared. If anything, she’d wished for it. But it had happened so fast and so suddenly... She wasn’t mentally prepared, and confusion hit her before joy.

“Kiriha-sama, what do you think about this?” asked Ruth.

“I think things are going to get interesting.”

“You seem sort of indifferent.”

“This is a secret, but I was planning on getting married even if I had to force it,” Kiriha answered.

“Actually, I was too.”

“Nevertheless, I am glad that it can be done properly now.”

“Yes, I feel the same way.”

The pair were relatively unconcerned. They had already decided how they would live their lives, and this incident had little influence on that. Of course, it wasn’t like they weren’t happy; they just weren’t as affected as Theia and the others.

“Maki-chaan, it looks like we can become Satomi-san’s wives too,” Yurika announced. She was relieved. She’d actually been a little worried that she didn’t measure up to the other girls like Harumi or Theia. But if the law was on her side, it didn’t look like she would have to return to her life of instant noodles.

“Wives?” Reality hadn’t sunk in for Maki yet. She had only been thinking about protecting Koutarou, so she couldn’t imagine getting married to him and starting a family.

“Meow!”

Maki did, however, have a vague wish of wanting to start a family and become a mother. Nappy played a big part in that. And Nappy being in a good mood was in response to Maki’s feelings.

“Sakuraba-senpai, won’t this just push Satomi-kun into a corner?” asked Shizuka. Unlike the group of girls rejoicing, she was a little worried. Laws aside, Koutarou’s ethical viewpoint hadn’t changed.

“If that time comes, we will step back. It’s not the formalities that we need to protect,” Harumi said and smiled at the worrying Shizuka. She didn’t feel that formalities were a big deal, and she wanted to protect their love and bonds.

“I’m no match for you, Sakuraba-senpai...” Shizuka answered with a wry smile. She could feel Harumi’s deep love and absolute trust in Koutarou, which was why the other girl didn’t care about the system. Harumi was convinced that it would have no impact on the outcome, and faced with her certainty, Shizuka had no choice but to raise the white flag.

“Isn’t that great, Nal-chan? Now the rest is up to you!” Kotori said with a bright smile. She was worried. She’d thought that Koutarou would be able to accept Nalfa but hadn’t been confident that there was enough time. They would have had to use more forceful means in that case, but fortunately, it didn’t look like that would be necessary.

“I... I’ll do my best...” Nalfa cast her gaze down and blushed, but she was still relieved. She had been worrying about the time frame, just like Kotori. Brother, this is too early for such a scoop...

Her brother’s scoop had cut off her escape route. She could no longer use a lack of time as an excuse. There was no longer any need to give up, so in a sense, she was being cornered.

“The number of females becoming mates, huh? Humans worry about strange things. It’s different for us dragons.”

“It’s love, ho!”

“I can understand love. We have that too.”

“The process of evolution must have developed a different conception of how to form a herd, ho!”

“Hmm, how interesting.”

The haniwas and Alunaya spoke as if it didn’t concern them. Nevertheless, seeing their friends enjoy themselves was a welcome sight, so they looked on with amusement.

“Kou, it’s time to accept the consequences.” Kenji was also enjoying the situation. It had absolutely nothing to do with him, and it wasn’t a bad thing either. Koutarou was normally teasing him about his problems with women, so now was the time for his counterattack.

“Shut it!” Koutarou replied.

“I look forward to speaking at the wedding. I’ll be making full use of the techniques I learned at drama club to give a moving speech, so get excited. Even you will cry.”

“No, thank you! There’s no need for you to think about that yet!”

“But serious talk, Kou... Is there even a point in resisting anymore? They’ll probably change the laws if they need to.”

“I don’t care! I’ll do things at my own pace!” Koutarou alone tried to resist the situation. Unfortunately, as long as he was in Forthorthe, he was on his own when it came to this issue. As Danesford’s huge scoop shook the empire, Koutarou wondered if the scoop had truly originated with the journalist.

“You put this into his head, didn’t you?” Koutarou began at the start of the meeting.

Elfaria, the current empress of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire, shook her head with a smile. “I wouldn’t dare.” However, her smile was so cheerful and phony that Koutarou’s suspicions only grew stronger.

“Liar! You’re the only one who’d aim for something like this!”

He suspected that Elfaria had presented Danesford with the news, which would lead to a further revitalized economy and support for the royal families, so there were a lot of benefits for her.

“You don’t understand your own value, Layous-sama. The people of Forthorthe are constantly thinking of ways to tie you down here. Danesford’s actions are just a representation of the people’s desires.” With a wry smile, Elfaria shook her head again. She was insisting that the scoop had manifested through public sentiment, but Koutarou couldn’t accept it.

“The will of the people is awfully convenient for you.”

Elfaria always wanted a festive atmosphere. As empress, it was her job to bring the economy up. Stirring up a consumer mentality among the citizens was especially important now, so soon after the civil war.

“To be honest, I won’t say that I’m not happy,” she answered.

“See!”

“But please consider that if I had presented this scoop to Danesford, I would have chosen a more effective time and place for it.”

“That’s—”

Koutarou’s objections stopped short. He had a feeling that Elfaria was right about that. For example, she would have chosen the launching ceremony for the new Blue Knight, or maybe even somebody’s birthday. Either way, she would have used a big event to make the announcement and would have made the festivities grander. Or perhaps she would have used the situation to ease the shock of some major incident—for example, if the old Vandarion faction launched an attack that created many casualties and left the citizens depressed.

“You’re right... Sorry for doubting you.”

He had to concede that the timing wasn’t the greatest for the announcement to have the biggest effect. It would likely end up being little more than a bit of commotion. That was too sloppy for any plan Elfaria might make, so Koutarou acknowledged his mistake and apologized.

The empress, however, was unhappy. “It is pretty irritating that you would accept my explanation so readily.” Rather than trusting Elfaria, it seemed more like Koutarou held her cunning and calculating nature in high regard. As a woman, she wasn’t thrilled with the prospect.

“What do you want from me? Actually, what do you people even want me to do?”

Koutarou was troubled by the situation. While he understood that Elfaria wasn’t the one pulling the strings, he had no clue what her goals were.

“You can do as you please. Just know the Parliament can guarantee that nothing will stand in your way.”

Forthorthe’s citizens were ready to give Koutarou everything, if he desired it. That was in part because of the rule Alaia had put in place, and in part because of the vast debt Forthorthe had to him. But it wasn’t the main reason. Allowing Koutarou so much came from the citizens’ trust in him. They believed he wouldn’t abuse the rules or trample on their good will.

“Come on...”

“You have done enough to deserve it. Considering how Forthorthe would have ended up if Vandarion’s coup had succeeded, a blunder or some selfishness on your end is no problem, Layous-sama.”

Given what Koutarou had achieved, the people were willing to overlook quite a lot. The price for preventing Vandarion’s dictatorship was enormous, and if what had happened with Alaia was included, the debt was too big to even consider.

“Selfishness, huh? So, for example... if I were to say that I wanted to marry you, would that happen too?”

How selfish could he really be? The biggest selfishness that Koutarou could come up with on the spot was marrying the empress... meaning he would become the husband of the current empress and obtain massive influence. It could even be considered a takeover of the empire.

Elfaria was at a loss for a response, which was unusual. She understood what Koutarou was saying. He was only talking about gaining authority by marrying the empress, the sovereign. But for just a moment, Elfaria considered something else that left her speechless.

“That’s right. If you wished for it...” In the end, she answered the question as Koutarou had meant it, although she mixed in a little bit of her true intentions. The law took no issue with the Blue Knight marrying the empress. Of course, it would require the consent of both sides; there was no way it could be forced. Yet Elfaria only mentioned Koutarou’s intentions, and the reason for that was the same reason she was at a loss.

“Wait... you mean my privileges have that much power?”

Elfaria’s answer had gone beyond Koutarou’s imagination. He was too surprised to notice Elfaria’s delicate feelings behind her answer.

“Yes. They were decided by Empress Alaia, of all people, after all.”

Elfaria smiled as if nothing had happened. Although they had unintentionally overflowed, these weren’t emotions that she wanted Koutarou to be aware of. She didn’t want to be a burden to him.

“Jeez... Being told I can do whatever I want is the most troubling thing of all.”

If even a wedding with the empress was allowed, Koutarou could probably demand anything he wanted. It was an overwhelming sense of authority, and at the same time an overwhelming amount of expectation from the citizens. Terrifyingly, if Koutarou were to misuse that power, he could cause chaos on a galactic scale. It was far too dangerous for a mere high school student.

“I feel the same all the time.” Elfaria laughed happily. She was already back to her usual self.

“I guess the empress has it rough...”

Koutarou realized that Elfaria’s job was rather similar to the problem he himself was faced with now. And as empress, the danger in her case was even greater than in Koutarou’s... not to mention she had to use that power on a daily basis.

Even though it looks like she’s always playing around, Elle is a proper empress...

Koutarou felt like that was something to be respected.

Elfaria chuckled. “Not as rough as a legendary hero.”

From her point of view, an empress’s job wasn’t nearly as hard. Elfaria was the one hundred and twentieth empress, but there were only a handful of heroes. Naturally, she didn’t have the confidence that she could save Forthorthe like Koutarou had, especially when he’d done so twice over. Elfaria couldn’t help but find it funny that he didn’t understand that.

Of course, Koutarou hadn’t stopped by Elfaria’s office just to complain and drink tea. He’d come for a proper reason, which began with listening to a report from Ceilēshu, who had come into the office later.

“I would like to start by reporting on DKI Logistics related activities,” she announced.

Lately, Ceilēshu had been working as something of a secretary to Elfaria. Due to circumstances during the civil war, she’d already abandoned her claim to the throne. She’d once told Koutarou that this kind of work suited her, and though Koutarou hadn’t thought much of it back then, he could understand how she felt now that he was starting to understand how hard the empress had it.

“I see, so the transport ships have started running?”

“Yes. Since last week, DKI Logistics and its business partners have started improving logistics in remote regions of space,” Ceilēshu said fluently. Her voice was beautiful and clear, almost like she was singing. She was a daughter of the Sarioon family, and they had long emphasized the arts, so she’d trained her voice from an early age.

“Partners?”

“Yes. DKI Logistics doesn’t have enough transport vessels on its own to meet the increasing demand, so part of the volume is being covered by outsourcing to companies that meet strict standards.”

DKI Logistics had plenty of transport vessels around Forthorthe, but they couldn’t all be sent to the remote regions of space, as the previous transport routes still needed to be maintained. The number of vessels required fell far short of the number of new vessels the corporation had bought, so the company outsourced some of their operations to others in the same business.

“Because of that, corporations that have cleared the examination are using the Blue Knight-related business certification mark on the transport ships flying around the remote regions,” Ceilēshu said as she projected new footage. It was a space station in a remote region that served as a local hub. Lots of space ships could be seen docking, and those that had finished unloading were departing. Their hulls had not only their own corporation’s logo, but also a cute one with the motif of a knight in blue armor. That was the “Blue Knight-related business certification mark.”

“We are still being flooded with requests from corporations wishing to participate in the program.”

Forthorthe had a lot of corporations that worked in the transport industry. Large companies that operated in a large area in particular were rushing to obtain the mark. That mark served as a significant point of attraction for citizens. It also led to an increase in transportation routes in remote regions of space because companies that didn’t have any transportation routes to those locations couldn’t obtain the mark.

“What examinations?”

“We can’t approve any corporations that wish to make use of Layous-sama’s name for their own profit, so we examine them to ensure that they are legitimate organizations,” Elfaria clarified. She figured that if they were going to lend out the Blue Knight’s name, then the corporations should at least be clean. Those that didn’t meet this standard, such as companies with inadequate accounting surrounding their taxes, were rejected. In fact, there were cases of major corporations being rejected and then reapplying with a plan for improvement.

“I know that face... Elle, don’t tell me...”

Elfaria looked like she was enjoying herself. Her smile was practically saying “I got you,” so Koutarou had a hunch.

“Yes?”

“Is this what you were after from the start?!”

“What might you be talking about?” Elfaria wore a refreshing smile. It was truly beautiful and bright except that it smelled of trickery.

“Don’t play dumb! You made the mark so you could bring a scalpel to an industry that required improvement anyway, didn’t you?! You’re the one using my name to do business!”

The Struggle For Ralgwin

Friday, November 11th

Ralgwin’s transfer took place ten days after he woke up. His shoulder injury was serious, so the transfer was much sooner than it would have been on Earth, but medical technology was more advanced on Forthorthe, and he had already recovered enough to be moved, with the remaining treatment being carried out in the isolated facility. In other words, by Forthorthe standards, his life was no longer at risk—assuming he was properly cared for. Intense movement or unsanitary conditions could still be dangerous.

“If you are moving me now, the situation must be chaotic, Blue Knight.” Ralgwin wasn’t able to move well because of his injury, but his mind was as sharp as ever. He knew he was being transferred the moment it was physically possible, so it was a fair assumption that they couldn’t wait any longer.

Koutarou couldn’t help but smile wryly at him. “Yeah. We want to move you while your subordinates are in disarray...although Fasta-san might come in their place.”

“Which is better than taking too long and trying to fight off Grevanas or the Gray Knight here at the hospital.”

“You’re right. Not to mention, you might escape on your own once you recover enough.”

“That’s true. You wouldn’t be able to guess when I might make my move.”

There was a real risk of not only the old Vandarion faction or Fasta attacking, but also Ralgwin himself. The hospital was a place of healing—it wasn’t made to keep its patients from escaping. So it was very likely that Ralgwin would make an escape attempt when his condition improved, although only he would know exactly when. He would balance the state of his injury and chance of escape and make his move when he thought it best. Koutarou and the others would have a hard time anticipating his timing.

“That’s why we’re moving you today.”

“I see you have a high opinion of me.”

“You should value yourself a little more, Ralgwin. To be honest, people like you are the most dangerous. If you had been a little dumber or hated by your allies, Grevanas and the Gray Knight would be the only ones we’d have to worry about.”

They were worried about when to transfer Ralgwin because they knew he was valuable enough that the old Vandarion faction would try to rescue him. The soldiers treasured his brains and compassion for them. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t cooperate even if Grevanas and the Gray Knight wanted to save him. That would make things simpler, as Koutarou’s group would only need to focus on countering magic and the powers of chaos, but because Ralgwin was held in such high regard, it was likely that normal soldiers would make up the bulk of the attacking force. They had information that backed that idea up: according to intel from the Imperial Army’s intelligence agency, the matter of saving Ralgwin had served as a linchpin to keep the old Vandarion faction from breaking apart.

“Maybe so,” Ralgwin replied. “By the way, Blue Knight, do you know the Gray Knight’s—” He was about to ask if Koutarou knew the Gray Knight’s identity, but reconsidered before the words escaped his mouth.

No, I owe him...

They might already be enemies, but he owed the Gray Knight for saving his subordinates, so he needed to repay him. With that in mind, he changed his question.

“Do you know the Gray Knight’s objective?”

That was another thing Ralgwin wondered about. He had sought an answer but never found out. All he knew was that bringing chaos to society was just a means to that end.

“I’ll tell you because it’s you, but...I don’t really know. All I can say is that he came from a different world and is trying to spread chaos while going after Sanae, who came from the same world.”

“So you don’t know much more than me.”

“Why ask?”

“Grevanas’s goal is clear. But despite working with the Gray Knight, I have no idea what his goal is. The matter was so unsettling, I figured maybe those opposing him would know.”

Grevanas wanted to resurrect Maxfern and finish what they had started two thousand years ago. He’d been consistent about that from the start. But he didn’t know what the Gray Knight was thinking. He was like a bomb, but the condition for detonation and the amount of explosives was unknown—that was how Ralgwin saw the Gray Knight.

“Sorry for not living up to your expectations. But I’ll find out in the coming battles,” Koutarou answered.

“If you do, let me know.”

“You mean you don’t intend to escape?” he asked out automatically. The only way Koutarou could share his findings with Ralgwin was if the latter was around to speak with him, which presumably meant that he wasn’t planning to disappear.

“This is special. Even if I escape, I want you to share that information,” Ralgwin explained.

“Fine, but that goes both ways.”

The Gray Knight was a mystery to both Koutarou and Ralgwin, and depending on his goal, it could mean trouble for both of them. As with natural disasters, they would share their information whether they were friend or foe.

“All right, I’ve got to go. Try to keep still until Fasta-san shows up.”

“Blue Knight...do you think she’ll come?”

“You know that better than anyone,” said Koutarou. “See you.”

With that, he walked away. He still had a lot to do, so he couldn’t stay around and chat with all day. Moreover, speaking to Ralgwin was part of his job. He had come to check up on the prisoner and ensure there was nothing suspicious in the room.

After leaving, Koutarou headed for the hospital’s top level, five floors up. He had business with his allies there.

“Sanae, what do you think?” he asked as he entered the room.

Sanae-chan, floating around as an astral projection, gave a start. She had been by Koutarou’s side and read Ralgwin’s aura. “It’s okay. It didn’t look like he was planning to do anything himself for now.”

Ralgwin’s aura was calm. If he’d been planning to escape, his aura would have been more active, so Sanae figured he would wait and see how things went.

“I think he’s waiting for Fasta-san to make her move,” the Sanae-san in the body said.

If Ralgwin acted on his own, it might throw a wrench in Fasta’s plans. Since that could put her in danger, Sanae-san assumed Ralgwin was proceeding with caution so that he could cooperate with his ally.

“That’s how much he trusts in Fasta. He knows she will come,” Sanae-Oneechan added, clarifying what the three Sanaes had concluded.

“Then it’s decided. Let’s go ahead on the assumption that we’ll be attacked,” Koutarou agreed. Ralgwin wasn’t despairing or giving up, so he must have been convinced that Fasta would come.

“Hmph, they better or our efforts will go to waste,” Crimson, who was nearby, interjected. The court magicians had also shown up. Their job was to keep magic from being used around the hospital, since the biggest risk was that Grevanas would use the Teleport spell to whisk Ralgwin away. It wasn’t the kind of spell one could use repeatedly, but as an undead, Grevanas could potentially use it twice in a row, which needed to be prevented.

“You didn’t do anything, did you?” Green asked with a yawn next to Crimson. She was at the forefront of the Teleport countermeasures. One of the most troublesome aspects of using that spell was that it could lead to major accidents if there were obstacles at the destination.

For example, if the caster’s arm overlapped with a tree, the overlapping parts could be blown away. The end result was something akin to a high-speed collision, so the standard procedure was to Teleport to an area you could see, or one that you knew very well. If neither was possible, information-type magic would need to be used to scout the area beforehand, so preventing that from being done would in turn prevent a teleport. As an expert in information-type magic, this job fell to Green.

“I’m guarding you guys,” Crimson answered.

“You mean playing with the Blue Knight or eating candy with Navy?”

Compared to Green’s frenzied work to counteract a Teleport, Crimson had done almost nothing. The energy-based magic that she specialized in was mostly offensive magic, so she wasn’t very useful in situations like this. At best she could prepare for battle by sparring with Koutarou or talking about magic with Maki.

“It’s not like some strong enemy’s going to show up anyway, so playing around a little hardly matters.”

“I’m amazed you can say that about Grevanas.”

“What, Grevanas is coming?!” Crimson’s eyes sparkled.

“Oops!” In contrast, Green’s eyes clouded over. Up until now, they hadn’t told Crimson that Grevanas might attack. They wanted to prevent Crimson from running wild, but due to Green’s slipup, she finally knew.

“If that’s the case you shoulda told me! I have things I have to do now!”

Crimson headed for a corner of the room with a spring in her step. She was in such high spirits, it was like everything beforehand had been a dream. In the corner was a lot of magic-related equipment that had been prepared for the battle. There were catalysts or bullets enchanted with magic, and also more taboo materials like a ruler’s crown or a nihility converter. Crimson picked them up one at a time, closely inspecting them like a girl going on a date.

“Uh-oh...” Green held her head. This was the worst possible outcome.

“Koutarou, they have someone like Theia over there,” Sanae-chan announced.

“She’s even more extreme, though,” Koutarou replied.

“I’m willing to hold off on Grevanas if you fight me seriously, Blue Knight.” Crimson’s biggest point of discontent was that Koutarou wouldn’t fight her in earnest. She wanted to see how the man who had bested Grevanas—even if that was before Grevanas had become undead—would fight in a true battle. So if he fought her, she could give up on Grevanas.

“What are you going to do, Koutarou? The green girl’s looking over here and praying.” Sanae-chan was looking at Green, who was looking at Koutarou with her hands pressed together in prayer. In her mind, a fight against him, which would probably be a battle in anything but name, was better than an uncontrollable match with Grevanas.

“What are you talking about?! If we fight she’ll burn down the whole city!” Koutarou knew how dangerous a serious Crimson was. He’d fought and sparred with her several times, so he couldn’t readily agree to her request.

While he and Green were trapped in this awkward spot, a goddess appeared to rescue them.

“Calm down, Crimson.”

That goddess was Maki. She walked up to Crimson with a smile.

“Maki! But the Grand Magician is coming isn’t he?!” asked Crimson.

Maki was a friend of Crimson. She was currently acting like a sports player who was telling her friend about an opponent before a game. Maki faced Crimson and answered while still smiling.

“Crimson, there’s no guarantee that Grevanas will attack.”

“What? Then what are the chances?” The gleam in Crimson’s eyes faded a little. She had convinced herself that Grevanas’s attack was assured, so Maki’s words came as a surprise. It was like she’d been told that the competition was pulling out of the game.

“Maybe one in ten.”

That was their guess: he would appear at some point, but probably not now. Still, even if the chances were low, the casualties resulting from a lack of preparation would be enormous.

“Come ooon...what a waste of my expectations...”

Crimson was disappointed. Staking her hopes on a one-in-ten chance wasn’t worth it. Her shoulders dropped as she heaved a sigh, and she headed straight back to the sofa.

“That’s why Green was keeping quiet about it. She didn’t want you to get your hopes up,” Maki explained.

“Oh, I see.” Crimson slumped onto the sofa. Unlike moments before, she was now bored out of her mind. Her disappointment was only exacerbated by her high expectations. Maki slowly sat down next to her.

“Maki, can’t you ask your man to fight me?”

“At what level?”

“The absolute max, where a blunder can get you killed.”

“That’s... It’ll depend on how this transfer works out. If you do well, I’ll ask him.”

“Really?!”

“Really.”

“Meow.”

“All right!”

Thanks to Maki, Crimson was starting to return to her usual self. And Maki had only succeeded because she was Crimson’s friend.

Green watched the two with an unhappy expression, but she didn’t say anything in the end. Without Maki, things would have gotten a lot more complicated, and she was prudent enough to understand that.

Koutarou walked up to Green. “To get back on topic...I want to hear your prediction. When do you think the attack will happen?”

When he called out to her, Green’s expression returned to normal. Crimson had flustered her, but she understood the situation. “Grevanas’s attack? Or the other?”

“Both.”

Since the plan to rescue Ralgwin was what kept the old Vandarion faction from breaking apart, Koutarou wanted information. That included speculations.

“Well...regarding Grevanas, I generally agree with what Navy said. My latest fortune tellings are fluctuating slightly, but they are at about the same odds.”

Maki’s predictions were in line with Green’s future forecast, and the chances of the old Vandarion faction attacking were low. For future forecasts, the clearer an image was, the more likely that future was. All of the images of an attack here were blurry, so Green figured Maki’s prediction of a ten-to-one chance was correct.

“I also think the odds of the hospital being struck are next to none,” she continued. “Even if they attack or use Teleport or some other magic, if they haven’t even begun examining this location by now, they won’t make it in time for the transfer.”

“I see...” Koutarou murmured.

“But since we are up against Grevanas, we can’t let out guard down. He might choose not to use magic right from the outset.”

Green remained ready. Knowing Grevanas, he had likely taken their defenses into account. He came from a time when magic had been used heavily in war and had built up experience and techniques from his time as a court magician, so it wouldn’t have been strange for him to exceed modern magicians in that regard.

“Then it’d be like being alert against a quick runner stealing a base rather than a normal runner...” Koutarou mused. “I suppose it’s not impossible that he’d attack strictly with normal forces.”

“There’s another one who might attack too, isn’t there? That might be why my future forecasts are blurry,” said Green.

Fasta made the fortune-telling process even more difficult. The future forecast was only stable as long as nothing was actually happening. Meaning it was easy to know the enemy’s first move, but if Fasta struck first, Koutarou’s side and the old Vandarion faction would change their behavior in response, and the state of balance could crumble. That made it harder to read the future, leading to Green predicting a one-in-ten chance.

“In other words, it’s not that there’s a ten percent chance of an attack, but rather that a lot of dissimilar futures have been created?”

“That’s right... Sorry for not being able to meet your expectations.”

Green’s shoulders drooped. Her conclusion was that she didn’t know what Grevanas would do. The only certainty was that magic hadn’t been used to investigate the hospital.

But their opponent was ingenious, and they had a second enemy on top of him. It would be cruel to demand more from Green, so Koutarou nodded to her.

“No, that’s very helpful. What about our other attacker?”

“That one is clear. They won’t hit the hospital.”

“The chances are so low, you can outright declare that?”

“Yes. All possible futures show an attack with small numbers. So an attack on the hospital would only happen under extraordinary circumstances. like special weather, an accident, or if the old Vandarion faction made their move faster. In other words, they won’t come unless something happens. They’re very cautious.”

If Fasta was to attack, a diversion would have to happen first. She was so careful that she wouldn’t force the matter without one. She was likely worried about Ralgwin’s injuries.

“That’s why I don’t believe there will be an attack on the hospital itself,” said Koutarou, “but there are so many different potential attacks outside the hospital that your future forecast can’t predict it accurately.”

“Yes, you should be asking your devil for more details.”

“Devil?”

“You’re keeping one, aren’t you? A devil that understands the future through magic better than future forecasting.” Green was somewhat irritated. The person she was calling a devil had defeated her future forecast, which she’d had absolute confidence in, so she didn’t like her.

“Ah, you mean Kiriha-san.”

Based on Green’s tone, Koutarou could tell that she was talking about Kiriha. Back when they had still been Darkness Rainbow, Kiriha had defeated them by using their future forecast against them.

“Where did you even capture a monster like that?” Green asked in disgust. In her mind, Kiriha wasn’t the type of person who needed to serve under someone else, so she was confused as to why the other was serving as Koutarou’s unofficial adviser.

“She attacked me when I came home.”

“Attack you?! That thing did?! I’m amazed you survived.” Green shook in surprise, causing her glasses to slip, and as she fixed them, she looked at Koutarou with admiration.

“I think so too.”

Koutarou and the girls had opposed each other at first. Kiriha had been the more peaceful of the girls, comparatively, but was still exceedingly dangerous. In the end, he’d found out that she was only pretending to fight to keep her relatives from going on a rampage, and upon discovering that, Koutarou was equal parts happy and relieved.

“All right, I should get back to my position. I’ll leave this place to you, court magicians.”

With the discussion coming to an end, he decided to take his leave.

As he turned around, Green looked at him and muttered, “How strange.”

“What is?” Koutarou had been walking towards the door, but stopped when he heard Green.

“How strange...that we are still alive. We attacked not just that devil, but you too.”

Like with Kiriha, Koutarou had opposed Darkness Rainbow in the past. And unlike Kiriha, they were directly hostile. Yet now they were fighting alongside Koutarou. So Green realized that the court magicians were in an even stranger situation.

“I’m glad everyone made it out in one piece,” Koutarou said after thinking for a moment, then nodded. He felt that this was a far better outcome than continuing to fight against them.

“What is wrong with you! What do you think we were?! We were trying to kill you!” Green looked at Koutarou like she couldn’t believe him.

“It’s not like I have no feelings about it...” Naturally, Koutarou had an opinion on the matter. He was human, after all. But there was something more important that surpassed his opinion. Which was why Koutarou said nothing to the girls.

“Then why?!”

“Well, even then, you were Elexis’s friends, right?”

“Huh? Y-Yes...”

What was Elexis’s relationship to the court magicians? An ally? Yes. A business partner? No. Did they share an interest? Not that either. A comrade? Probably. Was it fun being together? Yes, it was. In that case, weren’t they friends? That was why Green hesitated and nodded.

“See...then I’m glad everyone made it out okay,” he concluded.

Koutarou had his fair share of complaints about Elexis. He was the man who’d tried to steal what was precious to Koutarou. But even Elexis had slowly changed over time. His original goal had been to take the throne, but in the end, he’d fought for Maya and the girls from Darkness Rainbow. He had continued to fight because they’d wished to return to Forthorthe. There were plenty of things about Elexis that he could be criticized for, but Koutarou had no intention of denying that one point.

“What are you doing, Koutarou? Hurry up!” Sanae called out.

“Sorry, I’m coming! See you later.”

Saying goodbye, he swiftly left. As expected, he was very busy.

“What a weird guy,” Green muttered as she stared at his back. It was like she was looking at an enigma, but her eyes were somewhat gentle.

“Hmmm, I don’t get what boys are thinking about at all. He’s just like the young master.” Orange tilted her head. However, her expression was also bright.

“But I can understand why that Nana has taken such a fancy to him.” Blue was expressionless as always, but for her to even speak up showed that she saw him in a favorable light. Elexis was an important person to the girls.

“Is that true, Blue? Is Nana really...” Purple’s eyes opened wide at Blue’s revelation. She might have been the most mentally mature, but she was interested in her past nemesis. Blue nodded without saying a word.

“It seems to be true,” Orange answered, taking over the explanation. “The other day, she came to me to ask about an outfit for short people that doesn’t make her look like a child.”

After work the other day, Nana had come to Orange to ask for tips on fashion and makeup. Orange was the youngest of the court magicians, but she was the most well-versed on such topics.

“Talking about Earth’s fashion in this situation can only mean one thing.” Yellow, who was listening in close by, gently narrowed her eyes. Just as they were concerned about Elexis and Maya, there was nothing strange about Nana’s concern for Koutarou. Of course, in Nana’s case, her feelings were a little more involved.

“To think that aloof combat machine would... Still, I see now. It’s not that she’s an actual combat machine...” Crimson had begun to slowly realize this fact, so it didn’t feel strange to realize Nana wasn’t one either.

“It really sounds convincing when Crim-chan says it,” said Orange.

“Shut it. I’ve started to think lately,” Crimson answered.

“I know how you feel. I’ve started thinking lately too,” Yellow replied.

“Yes, that’s true,” Blue added.

Deep down, the girls were wishing to see Elexis and Maya once more.

Since they didn’t know where the enemy would attack from, Koutarou and the others stationed Imperial Army soldiers at key positions while they remained on standby in Nefilforan’s battleship Hidden Leaves, and other assault vessels were used to escort the transport. Their preparations weren’t perfect, but it was the most optimal position from which to respond to most situations.

“Where would you attack, Kiriha-san?” Koutarou asked as he looked at a hologram showing the departure of the vehicles escorting Ralgwin. They circled the roundabout and drove out onto the road. Four-wheeled cars had been chosen for the job. They were heavily armored military vehicles and could even hover for a short period of time if necessary. Flying required paying attention to all directions, not to mention that craft capable of flight tended to be less armored. So they had chosen to travel by land out of consideration for Ralgwin’s safety.

“Hmm, an intersection surrounded by buildings or tunnels would make for easy targets—typically, places where the fleet would struggle to provide support,” Kiriha observed.

“There are more than one or two of those,” Koutarou replied.

The distance to the isolated facility was twenty-something kilometers. The hospital was in the middle of Fornorn, while the facility was on the outskirts. They would normally prefer to use a transfer gate to move Ralgwin such a distance instantly, but in situations like these, an activated gate gave out gravitational waves that would serve as a signal for jammers. It was safe to assume that jammers had been set up around the hospital—using a transfer gate was difficult when both sides had time to prepare. So they had decided to use vehicles instead, although those came with their own weaknesses. Aircraft could be targeted from anywhere, and land-based vehicles had to run along the roads. There was plenty of time for an attack.

“That’s why we have to do this,” said Kiriha.

“Yeah, it’ll be hard to attack five vehicles at the same time,” Koutarou agreed.

That was why Kiriha had prepared four fake vehicles. All five would take different paths and head for the isolated facility. Only a handful of people knew which one Ralgwin was actually in, and that had only been decided moments before departure. It was a simple plan, yet exceedingly effective.

“Things will change, but who will it impact the most?” Koutarou mused. The diversion would probably have the biggest influence on Fasta, since the old Vandarion faction had enough soldiers to cover all five locations.

“It’s impossible to perfectly prepare for all possible situations.”

“Jeez, what nuisance...” Theia wore a bitter expression. They would need to prevent enemy attacks from multiple locations and times. That was an extraordinarily troublesome situation. Their only saving grace was that the enemy was trying to save Ralgwin rather than assassinate him. Since his rescuers couldn’t attack too aggressively due to Ralgwin’s injuries, there would be less damage to the city.

Several minutes passed without a hitch. Since the distance to be traveled was over twenty kilometers through the city, it would take more than thirty minutes to complete the trip. There was a lot of traffic in the city, and cars couldn’t move at very high speeds. They would be traveling through the urban area for a while longer.

“Phew...” Kiriha, who had been staring at the holograms the whole time, let out a sigh.

Koutarou noticed that and called out to her. “What’s the matter, Kiriha-san?”

“We just passed the first danger zone.”

“Danger zone?”

“Indeed. Multiple vehicles passed through locations that made it easy to attack at the same time.” She smiled wryly. There was no regularity to the roads, signals, terrain, or buildings. They’d been built as necessary, so the convoy couldn’t avoid scenarios that were perfect for attack, such as multiple vehicles entering a tunnel at once. Of course, routes had been planned to avoid that as much as possible, but even so, hitting a few such locations was unavoidable.

“Well, that’s to be expected,” said Koutarou.

With just two or three vehicles, they could have avoided dangerous scenarios, but it wasn’t as easy with five of them. Trying to divert the enemy’s attention with dummies worked against them in that regard. Still, this was an effective diversion, so it was still a plus in the end, no matter how vexing at times.

“I can only hope that nothing happens...” Kiriha murmured.

“That’s unlikely. The old Vandarion faction is one thing, but Fasta has no choice but to attack at this time.”

Once the transfer was complete, Fasta would have almost no chance of saving Ralgwin. While there were exceptions, like Sanae or Yurika, infiltrating a prison to break someone out like one saw in the movies was exceedingly difficult. Compared to that, a gamble during the transfer was more likely to succeed. That was why Fasta would come—at some point before the transfer concluded, without a doubt. Koutarou and the others were sure of that.

Fasta herself was struggling with the situation thanks to the measures that Kiriha had taken.

“Five cars... A plan made knowing that we are few in number.”

She was currently lurking in a room inside a building that lay between the hospital and isolated facility, analyzing the information that was coming in.

“Well, preparing against Grevanas would be difficult, so it makes sense for countermeasures to basically be taken against us...”

The old Vandarion faction had many forces, so it was difficult to know when they would attack. There was no guarantee they would even attack today. Meanwhile, Fasta had no choice but to attack now. So on top of the normal Imperial Army guard, the enemy was also using five cars as a diversion against her. With her few forces, it would be difficult to attack them all at once, but if she hesitated, everything would end, so it was a difficult situation.

“We’ll need to brace ourselves.”

Fasta was setting out today after numerous preparations. The fact that she was able to track all five cars was proof of her attention to detail. She knew where the hospital and isolated facility were, so she’d put up a surveillance net to cover any routes between them. She had set up monitoring devices, as well as small, unmanned stealth fighters stationed in the air. She had done all she could to prepare to attack. Fasta looked over from the monitor to the fist-sized device lying next to it. It was the remote controller for the preparations she’d made earlier.

I didn’t really want to use this...

She didn’t have enough forces, so doing what she could to make up for it was necessary. The device would make unmanned crafts and automated weapons attack on their own. Several of them had been set up along the possible routes. Yet she hesitated to use them—there was a chance that civilians could get caught up in the crossfire. She’d done what she could to keep that from happening, but it wasn’t perfect. Still, rescuing Ralgwin without those preparations would be even harder.

“And yet...”

Fasta’s hand, reaching out for the remote control, stopped just before touching it.

“Fasta-san, try not to do anything bad if you can, okay?”

Shizuka’s words resonated in her mind—the words she had spoken before they’d parted ways. And Fasta had answered in turn.

“I can’t promise anything. After all, I will eventually have to instigate a prison break.”

When she’d said that, Shizuka’s eyes had teared up angrily. “Dummy! That doesn’t count as something bad!”

Shizuka’s warning had meant that she was fine with Fasta freeing Ralgwin but didn’t want her to use evil means.

That’s a difficult order, Shizuka...

Fasta had made up her mind when she’d left the old Vandarion faction, prepared to save Ralgwin no matter what it took. That was both her way to repay him and her obligation to her allies. Yet right now, her resolve was wavering.

At that moment, Fasta’s computer gave an alert. “Target approaching point B13, C22, F08, H97. An attack is possible.”

Hearing that, her gaze flew back to the holographic monitor. There, she saw monitoring devices following four cars in the middle of the transfer, and they were approaching the attack points that Fasta had anticipated. If she attacked, she would be able to tell which one Ralgwin was in based on how the soldiers reacted. Even if she checked four of the cars, there would only be one more he could be in. Once that was narrowed down, Fasta could join the attack too. Her experience as a soldier told her that she should proceed.

She picked up the remote control and opened her mouth to give the order.

“Attack...”But her instructions were incomplete.

“The order is unclear.”

“We won’t attack. Continue observing,” she clarified.

“Understood. Continuing surveillance.” Fasta looked at the attack points being displayed on the monitor ,as well as the people passing by. She hadn’t gone through with it because there were a few people around the attack points.

If they get caught up in this...

The image of Koutarou and the others grieving appeared in her mind. Because of that, she hesitated to put the plan into motion. Perhaps it was a sense of newly developed camaraderie.

Calm down. It’s okay. There are still more chances. This just makes sense for the plan. Even if we rescued him at that location, it would be difficult to bring him out of the city in all the chaos...

Fasta tried to soothe her panicking self. Personal feelings aside, the truth was that she’d lost her greatest chance. There would still be opportunities, but there was almost no chance that she would get another opening in which to attack four cars at once. And that meant Ralgwin would be in danger, so she couldn’t quite rid herself of the panic.

Beep. “Alert message. Detecting several warships approaching from above.”

“What?!”

“Heat source detected! Beware of a ground attack!”

“Grevanas, you bastard!”

As a result of her hesitation, Fasta had fallen behind. The old Vandarion faction had taken the initiative, and they paid no heed to casualties.

Fasta wasn’t the only impatient one—so was Grevanas. He had gained leadership of the old Vandarion faction, but that was only because they would be working towards breaking Ralgwin out. Naturally, many wanted a swift operation, and the rescue plan needed to be rushed. If not for that, the faction would fall apart. Grevanas would have preferred to wait until Ralgwin had healed, so he had obviously been pushed into a difficult situation.

“Grevanas-sama, four of the cars are in an easy-to-attack position!”

“Begin the assault on all five! We will reclaim Ralgwin no matter what!”

“Understood!”

The moment Grevanas had received the same information as Fasta, he’d ordered the attack. He didn’t have the same hesitation she did.

“To all forces: all assault vessels and escort fighters are to sortie!” the captain ordered.

“We’re cutting off the enemy’s assistance. Bombard the ground if you would.”

“But Grevanas-sama, bombarding a city goes against the galactic treaty!”

“Captain, do you not wish to save Ralgwin?!”

“Of course I do! But if we bombard the city, people will—”

“We’ve already pointed our blade at the empress! What does the galactic treaty matter now?!”

“I understand...”

Their first step was bombarding the city. By doing so as their forces approached, the Imperial Army wouldn’t be able to get its reinforcement closer.

Of course, Forthorthe wouldn’t allow for such an attack. It was forbidden by the rules of engagement that had been established long ago. While they were part of the old Vandarion faction now, the soldiers had once been part of the Imperial Army, so they were conflicted over Grevanas’s orders. But in the end they obeyed. They needed to rescue Ralgwin, and it was true that they were already rebels.

“The assault ships are approaching the cars. Commencing attack!” cried the captain.

Four cars were currently in positions that were easy to attack, such as being stopped or inside of a tunnel. The fifth was driving down a normal road, yet Grevanas had ordered an attack on all of them.

“Now, what will you do, Blue Knight! Will you be able to protect them all like you did two thousand years ago?! Unlike in the past, the conditions are fifty-fifty now!”

The bombardment began, accompanying their strike. The white beam fired from Grevanas’s ship lit up his undead and repulsive face.

When eight unidentified ships appeared above Fornorn, the bridge on Hidden Leaves was in an uproar. Since the odds were against the old Vandarion faction, the soldiers were caught off guard. Although Koutarou and the others weren’t as shaken, they were still surprised.

All but one of them: Kiriha, who was sitting in the commander’s seat.

“So, they really came! Emergency deployment of the distortion field! Don’t let them bombard the surface!”

“Understood! Deploying the distortion field!”

When Kiriha gave her order, Ruth, in the operator seat, activated the five distortion field generators. The device was a high-powered field that was meant to block a space battleship’s beam. The ships Grevanas and the others were using had been made for combat in the atmosphere, and they were far smaller and less powerful than those meant to fight in space. Moreover, the distortion field blocked the ground bombardment.

“Forces in the air, attack the three ships still flying! Don’t let any shots slip through to hit the city!” Kiriha ordered.

“I’m going out too! Leave the surface to me!” Koutarou answered.

“Be careful, Koutarou. Grevanas is probably going all out this time.”

“I know! I understand how he works, after all!”

Kiriha sent their air forces to deal with the three ships bombarding the ground from above. At the same time, the ground forces following Koutarou would head to Ralgwin. Grevanas was out to save Ralgwin. And it would likely be a fierce battle.

“Start jamming with gravitational waves! Cut off the enemy’s pursuit!”

Next, Kiriha ordered them to bog down the enemy with gravitational waves, which space distortion navigation used, so it was unusable when disturbed.

“The gravitational wave jammer is activated! But it seems a space ship will warp out before the jamming can begin!” Ruth observed.

Unfortunately, the enemy had predicted as much, and a single battleship appeared above Fornorn before the jamming could fully activate.

“So, they timed their attack with their ship warping out... They can’t be taken lightly.” Kiriha focused once more. The enemy was attacking at the same time as their battleship was warping out, so the jamming wouldn’t make it in time. It seemed to be an ingenious plan at first glance, but it also meant they couldn’t back down in the event of any irregularities.

A warp couldn’t be reversed, which indicated that the enemy had unyielding resolve. They would take back Ralgwin no matter the cost. Based on that, she assumed they were dealing with Grevanas. He had the motive to go that far, and the resolve, but in a bad way. A battleship was being brought in over the capital, which they were trying to bombard. He was a Grand Wizard with a lot of experience, and if Kiriha let her guard down for even a moment, the tables could easily be turned. The utmost caution was demanded.

“Still, I am impressed that you were able to predict when Grevanas would attack,” Theia said before jumping into one of the ship’s gunner seats. She had remained on Hidden Leaves to fight the battleship that had appeared. The ship’s firepower was necessary to protect the forces on the ground and prevent Fornorn from being damaged.

“Rather than predicting he would attack at this time, it’s more like this timing invited an attack,” Kiriha responded.

Most of the region between the hospital and the isolated facility was urban, and while there was some variation, people were generally everywhere. To keep casualties to a minimum, it was best to invite an attack when their defense was solid, so this location had been chosen for such a plan.

“What do you mean?”

“I created an opening on purpose so that they would attack here. Based on the routes chosen, this is where four of the cars are easiest to attack.”

Merely wanting Grevanas to attack a certain point at a certain time wasn’t enough. They needed to create a situation where it was easy for him to do so. That was why Kiriha had planned a moment when several cars in transit were defenseless. Since the routes had been a secret until the day of the transfer, Grevanas’s people could only have found out about it at the moment the cars took off. Not to mention the capital was big. So even if the Imperial Army carried in defensive equipment, and citizens were evacuated on the pretext of unexploded ordinances, Grevanas’s side only had a brief window to notice the trap.

“Creating an opening for all five cars would have been suspicious, though, so I kept it to four. And even then, Grevanas has enough fighters to force an attack on all five cars, so I figured it would be easier to deceive him.”

Just to be sure, Kiriha had avoided leaving all five cars defenseless at once. Going that far might have tipped off the enemy Just as she’d hoped, Grevanas had made his move due to his lack of knowledge of modern warfare. If Ralgwin had been with him, it would not have happened. Of course, the attack had been rushed to save the very man in question.

Kiriha, having calmly analyzed the situation, had won on a strategical level.

“I-I’m glad you’re on our side...” Theia’s jaw dropped, and Koutarou, who had listened in over the comms, felt the same way.

“By the way, Green called Kiriha-san a devil a little while ago...and it’s not like I can’t understand how she feels...” Koutarou chimed in.

“How rude. Here I am, devoting myself to you.”

“Even if you’re an angel to us, you’re a devil to the enemy.”

Kiriha loved Koutarou and the others, and she poured her love into them every day, without end. But because of that, she was very harsh on those who stood against them. She didn’t try to kick the enemy while they were down, but she would create an overwhelming difference and crush them every time. With that in mind, she was nothing other than a devil to the old Vandarion faction. A frightening devil who could see right through them without ever showing herself.

“But we were still on thin ice. It would have been fine if Grevanas had chosen not to attack, but he could have also rushed the assault before the openings I planned. Frankly, I was hardly able to breathe until now.”

If a battle broke out elsewhere, it was likely that many would die. After the cars had departed, there had been a moment when three of them were open for attack, which had been really draining on Kiriha. It was fortunate that Grevanas had chosen to make his move now.

“It looks like I owe you. But you can just kick back and relax, because now it’s my turn!” Theia said with a grin. She’d felt the same way as Kiriha, and now that the time for payback had come, she sprang into action.

“Theia, getting motivated is great, but don’t drop a battleship on the city,” Koutarou advised her.

“I know that! You should trust in your master!”

“As you wish, My Princess.”

“Then here I come!”

And just like that, she opened the gun port and opened fire with beams and lasers, targeting the enemy battleship. Her first goal was to strain their distortion field. That way, they wouldn’t be able to put more energy into attacking, limiting their means of an offense.

As Theia began her bombardment, Koutarou and the others landed on the ground. Their goal was to protect Ralgwin, and they had devoted a lot of personnel to protect the car he was in. The others only needed to stall, so soldiers from Nefilforan’s unit were doing what they could. The outcome would be decided if they could protect Ralgwin here or not.

“Blue Knight, your arrival means that Ralgwin is here, as expected.”

Standing before Koutarou was Grevanas. The car that Ralgwin was in had stopped at an intersection. Around it were soldiers, protecting it. Koutarou’s group had shown up just as Grevanas was about to leap into action.

“You don’t have to play stupid, Grevanas. You’re here because you knew. You’re not the type to show up based on intuition.”

“Oh, I am not playing stupid. Your showing up means that I am now convinced. Frankly, I am relieved.”

When Grevanas’s forces had attacked all five locations, only the soldiers around this car had behaved differently. At the other locations, they had prioritized supporting their allies over the car, and only the soldiers here were focusing on protecting the car itself. On top of that, this car had more guards than the others, which was why Grevanas had pursued it.

“Relieved, huh? This is certainly a rough attack for you.”

Grevanas’s style of fighting didn’t allow for words like “relief” or “unease.” In that sense, this approach wasn’t like him.

At Koutarou’s remark, his unsightly face twisted into a smile. “In order to keep the faction from breaking apart, I had no choice. Ralgwin’s leadership is necessary to hold the organization together.”

“So...attack by force or fall apart... Maxfern would have found another way.”

“I do not have Maxfern-sama’s charisma, so this was the only option.”

As it turned out, Kiriha had read the situation perfectly—but that came with its own problems.

“Then you won’t back down even if I ask.”

“That is true, both for Maxfern-sama’s sake and to keep the organization together.”

Grevanas couldn’t back down for multiple reasons. Without Ralgwin, the resurrection of Maxfern would turn into a distant dream. Moreover, the old Vandarion faction couldn’t be maintained without Ralgwin. In other words, a second rescue attempt was impossible, which had forced them into this situation where they had no choice but to win.

“We have our own reasons for not handing him over...so it’s come down to this.”

Tsching.

Koutarou drew the silver sword at his waist and pointed the tip towards Grevanas.

Although not unexpected, that sword is a problem...especially for this body...

Grevanas’ eyes narrowed slightly as he saw Signaltin’s blade. His body was a walking corpse that moved on necromantic magic. It was far more advanced than spells that created zombies, but it was magic all the same, so a sword that could disperse magic like Signaltin was his natural bane. He needed to be exceptionally cautious around it.

“I am not particularly fond of violence...but I suppose there’s no other choice.”

Grevanas showed no fear despite his thoughts, and readied himself with a thin smile.

As expected, it’s hard to read his presence... He’s a difficult foe. Koutarou was equally cautious of Grevanas. Like with zombies or skeletons, corpses that moved on magic had practically no spiritual energy running through them, making it very difficult for his Spirit Vision to read their intentions. That applied to Grevanas as well, and Koutaoru couldn’t get a read on his next action or goal. He was the second most troublesome opponent after someone who had completely mastered the control of spiritual energy, like Sanae.

“Let’s go, squad leader Sansara! Don’t let the enemy near Grevanas-sama!”

What made Grevanas harder to fight was the squad of soldiers that he’d brought with him, led by a female captain. They stood between Koutarou and Grevanas, forming a wall. Meaning that Koutarou couldn’t cut him down without breaking through their formation.

I guess he won’t expose his weakness that easily...