Chapter 11: Bride Thief

Chapter 11:
Bride Thief

 

NOELLE STARED at her reflection in the mirror. Her wedding dress was beautiful, but the collar around her neck detracted from its splendor. As the servants finished covering it up with accessories, Lelia suddenly popped in.

“Hey, Big Sis…” Lelia’s face was lined with worry.

Noelle smiled at her. “What’s the matter?”

“A-are you okay?”

What part of this looks okay to you? Noelle thought, but on that matter, she held her tongue. “Oh, I’m a bit nervous, but that’s about it. You should act a little more excited. With this, we’ll both be part of the nobility again.”

Lelia dropped her gaze. Servants of House Barielle were all around them. Neither sister could say what was really on her mind. But Noelle did feel like she owed her sister an apology.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “If I hadn’t been found out, you wouldn’t have gotten wrapped up in all of this.”

Lelia shook her head. “I-I’m fine. You’re the one I’m—”

“Lady Noelle, it’s time,” a servant interrupted. “Please excuse yourself, Lady Lelia.”

As soon as her younger twin was gone, the last trace of emotion vanished from Noelle’s face. She was like any other girl—she had long fantasized about what she might look like in a wedding dress. But now that she was wearing one, all she felt was immense sadness. Her eyes misted over.

Why did things have to come to this?

One crest was all it took to completely change a person’s life. She hated that.

 

***

 

The assembly hall was enormous. Rows of pillars resembling enormous trees supported a high ceiling. Light spilled in through stained-glass windows painted with pictures of the Sacred Tree. Noelle walked slowly down an illuminated walkway, surrounded by procession on all sides. Every member of the audience bore a crest—they were all the Sacred Tree’s “chosen,” here to celebrate the rebirth of their new Priestess and soon-to-be Guardian. Not a single one of them looked at Noelle, the human being.

None of them have even the slightest interest in me as a person.

All they cared about was her crest and the title it afforded her. They simply wanted to regain what they had lost—a bridge between themselves and the Sacred Tree. None of them had any regard for her happiness. Most assumed she would be happy to marry Loic.

This isn’t what I wanted. What I really wanted was…

Even if Noelle entertained other futures, no one else could take her place. She had already lost her right to freedom.

I was an idiot for acting all excited when the crest first appeared. I should have known that this was the true fate that awaited me as Priestess. I’ll be tied to that tree for the rest of my life.

The future she had hoped for would never come to be.

What was that silly legend about the Priestess being able to live with the person she loves? Nothing but lies.

The only reasons she hadn’t tried to run were the collar around her neck and her fear of what would happen to the country in her absence. Noelle had no love for the nobility. Even if few were as extreme in their actions as Pierre, they were all still conceited.

Without exception, in a crisis, the people were the ones who suffered. Aristocrats fought and fought their defensive battles with other nations, never caring that the common people paid the price. The people who died in the field bore no crests. Nobles were rarely killed in battle, if only because of the protection the Sacred Tree had granted them.

Noelle loved the republic, but she hated the nobles who wielded its power. But she knew becoming Priestess was for the people’s sake as well.

I wish I could have at least chosen my Guardian. Why does it have to be Loic?

When she finally came to the altar, she found herself in front of a statue of the Sacred Tree. Bellange stood beside it. Since the Sacred Tree was considered holy and divine, the ones closest to it—those of the Six Great Houses—acted as priests, or representatives of the tree’s will.

Bellange’s crest had manifested behind him as a light hovering in the air. In ceremonies like this, the priest always made their crest visible so that those present knew they acted as the Sacred Tree’s witness. And on days like today, house leaders like Bellange were always those who held that power.

“You look perfect together,” Bellange whispered. “Now then, Priestess, I must ask you to give Loic the Guardian’s Crest. You understand how to do that, don’t you?”

They had informed her of the process beforehand. She only needed to silently call out to the Sacred Tree and say, “This man is most fitting to be your Guardian.”

Noelle turned her gaze to Loic. She clasped her hands and closed her eyes. Inwardly, she hesitated. Was it really right to give him the Guardian’s Crest? But she had no other choice.

Sacred Tree, this man will be your Guardian. Please, I beg you, bestow the crest upon him.

As she prayed, the crest on the back of her hand lit up, and behind her appeared the image of the sapling—only three meters tall. Those present gasped, awed by the spectacle.

“It’s finally happening!”

“The future of the republic looks promising!”

“What about the Guardian’s Crest? Is it…?”

However, while Noelle’s crest had lit up, nothing else happened. Ordinarily, the Guardian’s Crest was then supposed to appear on Loic’s hand, but it hadn’t. With it, their engagement would be officially sealed, and the wedding could commence, but even after waiting several minutes, nothing happened.

Loic gritted his teeth. “Noelle, you truly intend to betray me here?”

“I-I’m doing what you asked! I swear!” Noelle tried again, wishing even harder this time.

Sacred Tree, please heed my voice. The man in front of me is your Guardian. He is the one who will protect you.

Noelle desperately pleaded with the Sacred Tree, but it refused to give Loic the crest. Instead, what sounded like a young girl’s voice—one only Noelle could hear—responded to her.

It was the sapling. Though its words were clumsily cobbled together and hard to decipher, Noelle got the impression that it was rejecting her demands in no uncertain terms.

Her eyes flew open. “What…?” In her surprise, she dropped her hands.

“Priestess, could you hurry it up?” Bellange said in a panic. “Are you perhaps too embarrassed to do this in front of such an audience?”

Noelle shook her head. She wasn’t trying to be obstinate, but the Sacred Tree wouldn’t grant her request. “N-no. I prayed like you asked me to, b-but it refused me.”

The room, which had been completely silent, erupted in whispers.

Loic furrowed his brows and grabbed Noelle by the neck. “So once again you choose to defy me!”

She grabbed one of his hands with both of hers, but she couldn’t peel him off. Soon, he was choking her. As an uproar broke out, Bellange lunged forward to try to stop his son, but Loic’s crest appeared, circling them in flames so no one could approach—not even Bellange.

“Loic, stop! Don’t you dare kill her!”

Loic’s fingers dug into Noelle’s skin.

“Ungh…” Noelle didn’t have enough air to speak, so all she could do was grunt.

He grinned maniacally at her. “If you weren’t ever going to be mine, I should have just done this sooner.”

Noelle inwardly prepared herself, knowing she might die—but then that voice from before called out to her again, its pronunciation as juvenile as a child still learning to speak.

The Guardian will come, it said. He will come to protect you!

The Guardian? Noelle thought, skeptical. But I haven’t chosen any Guardian. How would one come to—

It was hard to think through the pain of Loic’s crushing grip, and the flames he’d produced singed the train of her dress.

Suddenly, the glass ceiling shattered as a black Armor crashed through.

Arroganz!

Leon’s voice boomed through the assembly hall. “I’ve come to take back my bride!”

He certainly sounded chipper.

With Arroganz’s entrance, wind whipped through the room, snuffing out the flames. The gust was even strong enough to knock Loic back and send Noelle tumbling. She craned her neck to see Leon step out of his Armor, clothed in a white tuxedo.

It actually looks pretty great on him.

Noelle realized how messed up it was to think such a thing at that moment, and on top of that, she was mortified to be so happy to see him.

Loic glared at Leon. “What are you doing here?!” he spat. “Don’t tell me you’re here to kidnap my bride? How dare you show up in a white tuxedo! Shall I have your country lecture you on proper etiquette?!”

The audience booed at Leon, but he didn’t seem to mind. He simply pulled out a handgun, took aim, and began firing rubber bullets into the crowd. They shrieked in terror.

To everyone’s shock, he then said, “It’s always like this—always the sinner who acts like he’s the one who’s been wronged. This etiquette you speak of, does it include stealing someone else’s bride and forcing her into a marriage she doesn’t want? Is that the Alzerian definition? Funny, you call the rest of us savages, but I’d argue you’re the real cavemen here. Might wanna take a good look in the mirror for a change.”

No one had any idea what he was talking about.

“What nonsense are you spouting—and you dare storm in on an important ceremony with your Armor?! How did you even get in here? This temple should be surrounded by an armada of—”

Leon smirked. “Oh, them? They were a real pain, actually. We had to sneak in here yesterday because someone—I won’t name names—was having our mansion watched. Setting up this little trick was a real time killer.”

Loic clicked his tongue and turned to the soldiers who came storming in. “Kill him!”

Leon had made a terrible mistake by exiting his armor. He had been left completely vulnerable.

Noelle screamed, “Leon, run!”

That only pissed Loic off. He brought his left hand close to his chest, causing the chain connected to Noelle’s collar to reappear. With it, he yanked her to him and wrapped an arm around her throat to silence her.

“Enough!” Loic snarled.

Leon tossed his handgun into Arroganz’s cockpit. The soldiers fired at him, but an invisible wall blocked all of their bullets. Leon peeled off one of his white gloves and held his right hand toward Loic.

“Quit acting so full of yourself,” said Leon. “It’s time for you to bow down.”

As he spoke, an enormous magic circle appeared behind Leon—or rather, behind Arroganz. It was the Guardian’s Crest, and it was almost six meters tall. As it shone with green light, the audience was left speechless.

Noelle was as shocked as everyone else. Why does he have the Guardian’s Crest? I haven’t even picked anyone yet.

In that moment, she finally realized what the sapling had done.

 

***

 

Louise watched quietly as the light of Leon’s Guardian Crest poured over her. Hugues panicked beside her, but she ignored him.

“Why does he have the Guardian’s Crest?! Louise, did you know about this?!”

The night when her house had negotiated an alliance with Leon, Louise had returned to her place at the Druille estate rather than go home as her father had wanted. It had all been in order to help lay the groundwork for Leon’s scheme.

More important than what had brought her to this point, however, was how Leon looked right now.

Leon…

He reminded her so much of her brother—Leon Sara Rault. Shortly before his death, when his engagement with Noelle had been finalized, he’d gushed about becoming the next Guardian. Their father had listened to him with a troubled look on his face, Louise remembered, but he had surely been happy that his son would be able to secure the position he had missed. She even remembered a conversation she’d had with her little brother.

Yes, I’m pretty sure…Leon told me…

The young boy had said, “Big Sis, I’ll be the next Guardian! Pretty awesome, huh?!”

“Awesome, sure, but I wonder whether you’ll really be able to receive the title or not. The Guardian is supposed to be an extraordinary person, you know.”

“I definitely can! And then, I’ll be able to protect everyone!”

“Everyone?”

“Yeah! The Sacred Tree, the Priestess, the nobles and the common folk—all the people of Alzer!”

“You really think you’re capable of that? You can’t even beat me right now,” she teased.

“W-well, I’ll get good enough to beat you soon! And then I’ll be able to save you too, Big Sis!”

“If you say so. I won’t expect much, but we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“I’ll make you eat those words! I swear I’ll be the one to come save you someday!”

Louise had promptly hugged him, endeared by his declaration.

Only a few short months later, Leon died. He was buried beneath a cold grave marker, and it had rained the day of his funeral.

That day, as she wore her black mourning dress, Louise stood in front of his grave and whispered, “You big liar. You promised you would save me someday. How are you supposed to do that if you’re gone?”

Her brother hadn’t lived long enough to become the Guardian, let alone to save hundreds of people. He hadn’t even been able to save himself. Yet before her now stood Leon, bearing the Guardian’s Crest.

Leon…

Despite being an outsider who had only come to the country to study abroad, Leon relayed orders to the republic’s soldiers as if they were his to command.

“Did you not hear me the first time? Disrespectful bunch of worms. You stand before the Guardian’s Crest! Bow down!”

He was certainly far from the picture of a Guardian who had come to deliver them to salvation.

 

***

 

The Alzerians before me were dumbstruck. I had appeared before them so suddenly—bearing the Guardian’s Crest—that none of them knew what to make of it. Bellange gaped at me. He tried blinking, as if he thought he was imagining the crest behind me, but no matter how many times he did it, the image remained.

“Now then, I think it’s time you thieves returned my bride to me. You do know the Guardian and Priestess are a pair, right? Which means you tried to steal Noelle. That’s pretty barbaric behavior, no matter how you slice it.”

Per the republic’s ideology, Loic was the bride thief here, not me.

Although, the truth is that I’m the one doing the thieving.

“You lot sure are arrogant, planning such an extravagant wedding,” I went on. “Did you honestly think Loic would be chosen as your Guardian? Don’t be silly. There was never any chance of that.”

I was having a field day, ripping them a new one. They’d pissed me off so many times that I was letting all of my anger out on them. I even spotted Lambert in the crowd, grinding his teeth in frustration.

“Simply put, the Guardian has to be someone strong enough to protect the Sacred Tree, right?” I asked. “Normally, that means someone from the Six Great Houses has the highest likelihood of being chosen—yet despite such a buffet to select from, it picked me instead. Doesn’t that basically mean you were all so unreliable that it had no other options? Hey, you know, that also means the Sacred Tree has recognized that I’m stronger than any of your great noble houses.”

“Cut the crap!”

“How insolent!”

“Arrogant pig!”

Curses erupted from the crowd, but to me, it sounded little more than the whining of a bunch of losers. After all, that was what they were.

“Those are the facts, right? I mean, think about it… Why hasn’t the Sacred Tree chosen any one of you as Priestess or Guardian?”

I was touching on a topic that most people were completely ignorant of, which was why they all went silent and listened.

Ah, this is incredible—a perfect opportunity to let loose and piss them all off in the process. Yes, it really does feel amazing to antagonize and lecture people as if I’m superior to them! I hate being the one of the receiving end of that crap, but damn if it isn’t awesome being the one to do it!

“The Sacred Tree is supposed to pick someone who can protect it, right? That means none of you were up to snuff. Forget the sapling, the Sacred Tree itself has basically abandoned you jerks, hasn’t it?” I cackled, further provoking their anger. “But I guess you can’t really be blamed, can you? After all, you were so weak that you lost to some outsider like me. It’s no wonder the Sacred Tree cut you off, once it realized you’re basically completely unreliable.”

Uh-oh, did I strike a nerve? You all look so red in the face! In that case, I’m going to drive the nail in deeper!

“Don’t get whiny at me for being right. I only came here to retrieve Noelle. I’m trying to do this peacefully. Seeing you all pitch a hissy fit was a real shock.”

The traitor, Fernand, scowled as he glared up at me. “Our apologies for the lukewarm reception. We didn’t exactly anticipate this turn of events. If possible, we’d appreciate you coming down to speak with us.”

Yeah, okay, I’m not in the habit of trusting turncoats.

“There’s nothing to talk about. Hand over the Priestess, plain and simple. It’s my duty to protect her and the sapling. And if you bandits don’t comply, Sappie’s going to get all testy about it.”

Fernand opened his mouth, no doubt to squabble with me, but Loic lost his patience and interrupted before he could.

“You’ve spewed nothing but nonsense this entire time! I am the one who first fell in love with Noelle! She’s mine! You really think I would hand her over to anyone? If it means losing her to someone else, I’d rather—” He reached for the sword hanging at his side—one that was supposed to be merely decorative.

Screams rang out through the crowd.

“Luxion!” I bellowed.

“No issues here. Whenever you’re ready, Master.”

My katana shot out of the cockpit and I grabbed it, yanking it from its sheath before leaping down. There were five or six meters between me and the floor—which was honestly fairly terrifying—but I swallowed my fear.

Knights and soldiers stepped forward to stop me, but I flipped my sword around, striking them with the blunt edge. Many of them were overreliant on their crests and lacked the fighting skills to oppose me anyway.

“These guys are chumps. At this level, they’re all failures by kingdom standards.”

“Men in the kingdom are forced to hone themselves in order to provide for their women,” said Luxion. “That means entering dungeons and putting their lives on the line fighting monsters to make money. Their strength is a result of painstaking effort to appeal to their female peers.”

Stop! You’re gonna make me cry.

But he was right; boys back home had no choice but to become strong. Strong enough to make it out of a monster-infested dungeon with loot they could sell for coin. The strength this training had afforded me was turning out to be of great benefit. I easily defeated those standing in my way—until only Loic was left.

He held his right hand out toward me. The crest floating in the air behind him glowed, and flames gathered, forming a fireball. “Do you really think you can beat me without your Armor?!” Loic snapped.

“Don’t forget, I have a crest too! But I’ll be nice and not use it against you this time.”

As his fireball came hurtling toward me, I lifted my sword and cut straight through it. The flames burst on impact, but I was left unscathed. Loic gaped at me. I flipped my blade around and crouched before lunging—lopping off his right arm.

To Loic, it must have looked like I’d struck in the blink of an eye. With his right arm gone, the crest behind him suddenly disappeared, as he could no longer draw on the Sacred Tree’s power. I delivered a swift kick to his stomach and sent him sprawling. Then I stepped on his left arm and stabbed my sword through it.

Loic shrieked. “My arm! My aaaaarm!”

“Quit blubbering. It’s your fault that I had to do this,” I said, prying the bracelet from his damaged wrist.

Everyone else watched in horror-struck silence, unable to move. Loic had tried to kill the Priestess, and now I—a foreigner—bore the Guardian’s Crest. They likely had no idea how to process or handle the situation.

Eh, someone will make a move soon enough.

I secured the bloody bracelet on my left wrist and held my hand out toward Noelle, who had picked herself up into a sitting position on the floor nearby. “Come,” I said.

Tears poured down Noelle’s cheeks. She shook her head. “Stop. Why are you doing this?! I tried to forget about you, and then you pull this? You’re a complete jerk! Do you have any idea how much I… How much…”

I understood how she felt, but we didn’t have time. I hauled her up, even as she struggled, but as I turned to leave, I found myself surrounded. A number of people had rushed over to Loic to perform healing magic and were already reconnecting the limb I’d managed to cut off.

“Oh? You plan on standing against the man who bears the Guardian’s Crest?” I asked Fernand, who blocked my path. He had a weapon in hand and his crest was glowing, signaling he was about to use his powers against me.

“You may be the Guardian,” he conceded, “but we cannot allow you to take the Priestess!”

It seemed the other knights and soldiers agreed, as they encircled me with their weapons and crests at the ready.

“Your eagerness for battle is commendable, but you seem to be forgetting something.” I glanced at Arroganz.

Fernand howled, “You’re not the only one with an Armor!”

As if on cue, several Armors charged into the building, headed straight for the unmanned Arroganz. Those on the ground kept their eyes trained on me, apparently thinking they had no need to fear my suit without me in it. They were sadly mistaken.

“You really think that will be enough to stop Arroganz?”

As the other Armors tried to restrain Arroganz’s arms, it snatched their heads in its hands and crushed them.

Fernand’s jaw dropped. “It can move without a pilot? No—someone else must have been in it from the beginning!”

Actually, he had it right the first time, but I had no obligation to inform him of that, so I kept the truth to myself.

“All right, move aside,” I said. “Make way for the Guardian! And Noelle, quit squirming, would you? Please.”

“Put me down! Put me down, I say!” She was sobbing and thrashing around, which made it a nightmare trying to carry her.

“Protect the Priestess!” Fernand bellowed. “Lord Leon, she clearly has no wish to go with you. We cannot allow you to leave!”

Mr. Albergue stepped forward, Miss Louise standing beside him. “Put down your weapons!” he bellowed. Then he turned and glared at his rival, who had at some point slumped to the floor. “Bellange, I expect you to explain yourself later. And let it be known I will not tolerate any discourtesy toward the Guardian!”

Since Albergue was the assembly chairman, the soldiers and knights obeyed.

Fernand whipped around to face Albergue. “Chairman, do you really mean to let him go?!”

“Calm down. What man in his right mind wields a weapon in a peaceful negotiation? You should know, Fernand, I am already aware of your involvement in this mess.”

Fernand lowered his gaze and dropped his blade.

Bellange, still seated on the floor, clutched his head. “That fool of a son!”

Speaking of foolish sons, where was Loic anyway?

Everyone cast their gazes at where he’d been bleeding out before, and the doctors standing there awkwardly averted their eyes.

“What happened to Loic?” Mr. Albergue demanded.

“Well, um… Once we reattached his arm, he shook us off and headed outside—”

An explosion suddenly rocked the temple, causing the whole building to tremble. Miss Louise shot me a look.

“There’s no need to do this. It’s already over,” she said.

Okay, hold up. Why does everyone always pin the blame on me for every little thing? Sure, I did plant some explosives, but I haven’t even touched the switch.

“Wasn’t me. I haven’t pressed that big red button today.”

The gathered stared at me, aghast that I’d even do such a thing. But then they quickly traded glances with each other, confused as to what could be causing the explosions if it wasn’t the brazen interloper.

Bellange peeled himself off the floor, panicked. “My stupid son! Does he truly intend to bring any more shame on us than he already has?!”

 

***

 

An Armor had burst through the Temple walls, escaping outside. It was a specially made model, owned by House Barielle. All such armaments in the republic were powered by energy taken from the Sacred Tree. This required the pilot to have a crest, and it enhanced the suit’s capabilities, making it far more powerful than any ordinary Armor. This was the reason the republic had thus far gone undefeated in defensive battles.

Of all the Armors that House Barielle possessed, this one in particular could only be operated by someone from one of the Six Great Houses. Normally, this machine was used by a commanding officer or some other high-ranking official, as it had specifically been made to accommodate a pilot with one of the more powerful crests, and it made use of the massive energy such a person could harness from the Sacred Tree.

It was large for an Armor, with a sleek design and crimson armored plating. Since it was made to stand out on the field, appendages that resembled wings spread out from its back. And while much emphasis had been placed on its appearance, its performance capabilities were no less impressive.

Loic sat in the cockpit, bloody bandages wrapped around both arms, and gripped the control sticks. His eyes gleamed red. “Sacred Tree! Give me your power, that I might cover the land in flames! I will give you everything. You can have all of me!”

Rage had consumed him, drowning out any sense he might otherwise have had. All he wanted to do now was destroy everything. His crest manifested behind him as he surged through the air. He accelerated with such force that the Armor creaked around him. Finally, he whipped out his sword. It was covered in flames, and as he sliced through the air, the fire formed a crescent beam that shot toward the temple, slicing through its walls with explosive force.

“Burn—I’ll burn everything! Including Noelle and that man she’s with! All who fail to recognize me will come to ash!”

More of the Sacred Tree’s power flowed through him than ever before. His arm—which Leon had just severed—still flared with pain. With each throb, his hate flared.

“Get out here, Leon. I’ll slaughter you in front of her and make her regret not choosing me!”

People came spilling out of the temple, trying to escape. The surrounding airships and Armors had noticed the fuss and were drawing closer. One of them flew House Druille’s flag, and it swooped down to retrieve Hugues before making its way up toward Loic.

“Loic, stop this!” Hugues called out. “Don’t destroy the Temple. My brother said we’re abandoning the plan!”

Loic’s lips curled into a deranged smile. “A sycophant like him has no right to give me orders!”

He thrust his left hand out, shooting flames that consumed the airship Hugues was riding in. As it went down, Armors came soaring toward Loic.

“No, Lord Hugues!”

“Lord Loic, what are you thinking?!”

“Stop this immediately, please!”

Loic merely flicked his wrist, cutting right through them. They exploded soon after.

“Abandon the plan? The plan doesn’t matter anymore! All I ever wanted was Noelle!” Loic shrieked even as tears streamed down his face, his eyes bloodshot and glowing red.

Then the man he hated so much came soaring out from the crumbling Temple.

“Tsk, tsk. You really are making a mess of things. I had hoped to settle this more peacefully,” said Leon.

The crest behind Loic glowed even brighter as he cried, “So you’ve finally come, Scumbag Knight!”

Loic charged Arroganz with his sword raised, but Arroganz easily sidestepped him. At the same time, it reached for a battleaxe on its back and swung, chopping off the shoulder plating on Loic’s Armor.

“This is child’s play,” Leon said mockingly.

Even as Loic’s mind boiled with anger, he tried to study Leon’s movements.

Damn Holfortian savage! Looks like you’re a steady hand when it comes to piloting, but your choice to dodge reveals that you’re avoiding a true test of power between us. My Armor dwarfs yours. I can win this battle through the sheer superiority of its capabilities!

He was right; the red Armor towered over Arroganz. The latter looked built for strength, but it had nothing on Loic’s suit.

“You seem confident in your Armor’s performance, but this suit was specially made by House Barielle! It feeds off energy from the Sacred Tree, which means I don’t have to worry about running out of mana. But that’s not the case for yours, is it? Even assuming you could draw power from the sapling, it doesn’t hold a candle to the tree!”

The victor in this clash was a given. Between the Sacred Tree’s blessing and his more capable Armor, Loic was sure of that. He was confident that such an enormous gap couldn’t be overcome by skill alone.

He brandished his weapon in the air and pressed the attack. The soldiers and knights on the ground—as well as the nearby airships and Armors—could do nothing but watch as the battle unfolded. They no doubt hoped for Leon’s defeat.

As Loic brought his sword down, Arroganz raised the battleaxe to meet it. The flames disappeared from Loic’s blade, which instead began glowing red.

As Loic increased the pressure of his attack, the heat from his weapon began melting through Leon’s axe.

“I’ll rend you in two!” Loic snarled.

A voice—one that didn’t belong to Leon—suddenly interrupted. “Master, how long do you intend to keep playing this game?”

“Aw, come on. My opponent seems really invested in this, so I’m doing some, uh…what would you call it? Acting?” Leon’s voice carried no hint of panic, but Loic was sure he was bluffing.

“Cut the bravado!”

Leon’s voice suddenly dropped several octaves. “Okay, kiddo. It’s time I showed you how it’s really done. This is how you put your opponent in their place.”

 

***

 

Loic intended to beat Arroganz by relying on his Armor’s (supposedly superior) capabilities. That infuriated Luxion.

“I cannot put up with your games anymore, Master.”

“Aw, don’t say that. The gallery is all fired up watching us.”

Luxion intercepted the voices of the audience down below and played them for me.

“Yeah, that’s it! Take that kingdom junk heap down!”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t intervene? The chairman said to stop Lord Loic—”

“We’ll just tell him we couldn’t get close enough to do anything and that we had to adapt to the situation.”

Wow, you’re all beyond saving.

Then again, they were all militia from House Barielle and House Druille. It would have been silly of me to expect any of them to want to save me.

Loic’s sword was glowing red, hot enough to cut through metal as if it were butter.

“Master,” Luxion said again, disgusted that I was still pretending to be at a disadvantage. It no doubt irked him to see Arroganz losing.

“You don’t know the meaning of patience, do you? The fun part hasn’t even started yet.”

The hulking Armor had managed to push Arroganz back, but as our weapons remained locked, I began increasing my engine’s power output. Slowly, it was Loic who was being forced back.

“Is this stupid Armor’s power waning?!” he gasped. “Dammit, you pile of junk!”

“Don’t blame it on the machine. That’s a fine suit. The problem is you.”

Blue flames shot out of Arroganz’s engine nozzle as it pressed the red Armor back. A sword popped out of the container on Arroganz’s back, which I grabbed with my left hand before swinging it at Loic’s blade.

“What?!” he gasped as his sword snapped. The broken blade plummeted through the air before stabbing into the ground below, white smoke rising from it.

“Your reaction speed is slow,” I said. “Like I said: It’s not the machine. It’s the pilot.”

I landed a kick, sending his suit spinning backward. He lacked the skill to maneuver it properly, so his stance was all wrong. I slung my battleaxe at him, timing it so that, just as he tried to get his bearings, it lopped off his left arm. Those watching below gasped in horror, but it might as well have been cheering to my ears.

“What a waste. Such a capable piece of equipment, but this is all it amounts to in the wrong hands. That old fart the Black Knight was far more intimidating than you. If he’d been piloting that thing, I’d have been in real trouble.”

The mere memory of him sent a chill down my spine. I’d screwed around and got my ass kicked for it. I never wanted to experience that again, but for necessity’s sake, I was pulling my punches in this fight.

“Man, it’s a good thing you’re my opponent. You may have the Sacred Tree’s blessing, but you’re basically a small fry. And heck, if you’re anything to go by, this whole blessing thing doesn’t amount to much, huh?!” I snickered, pissing off the crowd even more—which I only knew because of Luxion’s audio feed.

“Someone, please let me shoot him!”

“That bastard, how dare he taunt our best!”

“Requesting permission to attack that lowlife!”

Huh, so saying someone is a useless waste of space outside of their crest really strikes a nerve with the people here.

I would be sure to remember that.

The red Armor pulled itself back to its feet.

“Come on, show me what you’ve got,” I said, egging Loic on. “Or is this it? Where’s that Sacred Tree power you’re so proud of? Bring it on. I’ll be happy to fight you. Pull out all the stops and come at me! Then I’ll crush you!”

This was the correct way to put someone in their place—to use only the superior performance of your own machine to completely squash them even as they tried to come at you with everything they had.

The crest floating behind the red Armor swelled even larger, and flames poured out of it. It gathered the flames into an enormous fireball that it shot toward me, but I easily dodged. Despite being massive and receiving an immense amount of energy from Loic, the fireball had no speed, and there was no power behind it either. Size was all it had going for it, especially as Loic lacked the necessary control to make it count. Frankly, the thing hit me with the same force as a shower nozzle. The flames themselves might have been devastating, but given the blockage in the nozzle, they just couldn’t come out right.

Really, how pathetic.

“Seriously, this is all you’ve got? Calling you a disappointment would be an understatement. You don’t have any kind of hidden weapon or anything? I guess appearances can be deceiving. Wait—don’t tell me you’re all out of juice!” I chuckled.

Loic charged me, but I stowed my weapon away and stopped him with one hand. Although he clashed against me with force, he didn’t push me back even a hair’s breadth. In fact, disrupting his momentum put such a strain on his suit that parts of it broke off, its form warping, no doubt rattling Loic in the cockpit.

I kicked him away and pulled out a rifle. “I’m going after your right leg,” I told him as I took aim. “Either block my shot or get out of the way, but do something.”

“Khh!” he hissed, speeding away as he manifested his crest in front of him, intending to use it as a shield.

“I’ve already finished analyzing this shield pattern,” said Luxion.

I pulled the trigger and the bullet chased after Loic even as he tried to avoid it, piercing and destroying his right leg. Naturally, that meant it had gone straight through his shield as well.

“Th-that’s not possible! It went through the Sacred Tree’s blessing?!”

“Don’t delude yourself. Do you really think that other countries have been complacent? Of course we’ve been coming up with ways to circumvent your little tricks. Case in point, I just got past that blessing magic you’re so proud of.”

Okay, so that was all a lie, but it did the job of putting the republic on the alert.

“All right. Next is your right arm.”

Loic didn’t seem to believe me. He used his crest’s power to put up another shield, this time with three layers.

“You’re wasting your time,” said Luxion.

He was absolutely right. I pulled the trigger again, blasting Loic’s right arm off.

“Let’s keep up the pace! Next will be your left leg!”

Down below, everyone watching was shocked. I was proving that their ultimate weapon was flimsy as tissue paper—and that I could easily blast it into pieces.

“Seriously? You’re little more than target practice at this point. I heard republic Armors were super powerful, but I guess you guys don’t live up to the hype. If this is all you’ve got, we could invade tomorrow. Maybe I should recommend that to His Majesty. If we don’t hurry, you guys might be swept up by some other country first. Alzer is ripe for the picking after all!”

I continued blasting away at Loic’s Armor as I spoke, making the militia down below tremble in fear. After taking off Loic’s legs and arms, I finally approached him, grabbing his Armor by the head. I pressed the barrel of my rifle against his cockpit. “You really are a small fry. I can’t even begin to express what a disappointment it is that this is all the Sacred Tree’s blessing amounts to.”

“D-dammit!” Loic cried in frustration.

I’m the one who’s really frustrated here. If you’d been in your right mind and approached Noelle like a sane human being, I wouldn’t have had to go to all this trouble. She would never have fallen for me in the first place. Being a little jealous is one thing, but you went way over the top.

“Maybe this is why Noelle hates you—because you’re so weak,” I said. “And despite your weakness, you tried to act big and got everyone else wrapped up in your mess. You’re the real scumbag. I completely understand why Noelle detests you.”

“What would you know about me?! What would you—I adore Noelle! Love her!”

“Well, too bad. She definitely doesn’t adore, let alone love you. In fact, she’s viscerally disgusted by you!”

Given the state Loic seemed to be in, I doubted my words even registered. Just imagining the girl I loved telling me she was disgusted with me in any capacity made me want to cry. If Angie or Livia ever said such a thing to me, I wasn’t sure I would ever recover. Loic seemed to be in the same straits.

“It would never have been this way…if you hadn’t appeared!” he howled.

“Yes, it would have been. Noelle wouldn’t have picked you either way.”

“I’ll kill yoooou!”

Even though my gun was pressed against Loic’s cockpit, he still struggled, not even entertaining the idea of begging for his life. He really was a pain in the butt. His spirit didn’t seem likely to break at all. If anything, it was our audience who seemed on the verge of losing their spirit as they realized that even their strongest technology couldn’t beat Arroganz. In fact, seeing how easily I had bested him without even trying made them realize their vulnerability.

“Master, Loic’s Armor is starting to deteriorate. It’s taken in too much energy and is on the verge of exploding. Please put distance between yourself and him.”

“What? Hey, wait, can’t we get Loic out of there first?!”

“He may already realize what is happening, but he doesn’t seem to have any intention of running.”

“Shit!”

I stowed my rifle before prying open the cockpit hatch of Loic’s suit. I saw him glaring at me from inside, his grip on sanity completely lost.

“Get out of there, you big idiot!” I snapped.

He cackled. “Oh, no, you’re coming with me. We’re both going in flames. There won’t be any pieces of you left to find!” Roots began growing out from his crest, ensnaring Arroganz.

“What?!”

“This is what you get for playing around,” Luxion fussed as he assumed control, locking me out. Arroganz ripped itself away from the roots entangling it. Then it shoved a hand inside the red suit, grabbing Loic and yanking him out of the cockpit. Smoke billowed out of the other Armor. Shortly after Arroganz kicked it away, it exploded. Arroganz shielded Loic from the blast with its hands, getting as much distance as it could.

Luxion paused. “That explosion packed more power than I expected.”

“That was a close one.”

“His crest output more energy than I thought possible. That concerns me.”

“Well, whatever. It’s over now.”

By the time we slowly made our way back to the ground, Loic had lost consciousness.

 

***

 

When Loic woke, he found himself surrounded by soldiers.

“Where am I…?”

He was receiving treatment for his wounds, but the doctors shook their heads after taking a look at his right hand.

“Lord Bellange, I am afraid the young master has lost his crest.”

Bellange gazed coldly down at his son, but after a moment, he looked away. “So he’s Unprotected now? Well, he wasn’t going to be of any use to me anymore anyway. I will make preparations to have him officially disinherited. Although, the bigger issue for now is cleaning up this mess.” He stared at Arroganz, gritting his teeth.

It was bad enough that the republic’s airship technology had lost to the kingdom’s, but now their Armors had proven inferior as well. No, perhaps what really frustrated him was that the Six Great Houses had lost at all.

Loic lifted his upper body as the doctors continued treating him. Leon had approached with Noelle in tow. The other young lords from the kingdom were escorting them, as if acting as bodyguards. When Noelle came to a stop beside Loic, she knelt and looked directly into his eyes.

Loic glanced back at her, smile self-deprecating. “Come to have a good laugh? There’s much entertainment to be had, I’m sure, seeing how miserably I lost. I don’t even have the Sacred Tree’s blessing anymore. But mark my words, I won’t give up. Noelle, you still belong to—”

She slapped him across the face. Loic turned his head back to glare at her, but almost as quickly, he was left gaping.

“Wh-why are you crying?”

Tears trickled down her cheeks. Noelle turned her face away, but her voice rang out loud enough for all to hear. “Just so you know! I don’t hate you because you’re weak! At some point, Loic, you started treating me as an object. No matter what I did, you told me it ‘didn’t suit me’ and that you would ‘buy me something more expensive’!”

This had happened even before she started outright hating him. Once upon a time, the two had actually gotten along, and they’d happened to meet up in town and gone on something of a date. Loic had wanted her to become a woman worthy of someone in his position, so he’d needled her about every little thing she did.

From his perspective, it had merely been advice. “I-I only did that for your sake!”

“That’s not what I wanted! I wanted something more normal. I wanted to enjoy our time together, to eat out, to go shopping. I wanted to have fun. And in spite of that, you rejected everything about me.”

Loic paused, trying to remember their previous conversations. Once, Noelle said she wanted to ride on a boat, and he’d dismissed the idea, telling her he’d prepare an airship for her instead. When they’d gone out for a meal together, Noelle had wanted to pick a less pricey eatery, but Loic had refused, choosing to take them to a high-class restaurant instead. A similar incident occurred while they were shopping. Noelle picked an accessory she wanted, but Loic told her it was too cheap and personally selected something that was more his style to give her instead.

“We’re not a good match,” said Noelle. “I understood that from the beginning, and I had no intention of seriously dating you. But you kept trying to lead me around by the nose. You even slapped a collar on me—one I won’t be able to take off for the rest of my life!”

The cursed object was still around her neck, although Leon now held the bracelet attached to it.

Noelle’s eyes welled with sadness. “Loic, did you ever truly look at me? You were never okay with me as I was. I hated that…and that’s why I started hating you.”

Loic couldn’t protest anything she said.

Albergue and Louise approached, accompanied by Emile and Lelia.

“Loic, do you even know what kinds of things I like?” Noelle asked.

He dropped his gaze. Even he was shocked to realize the truth: No. He didn’t know a thing about what Noelle truly wanted.