Chapter 11: The Black Knight

Chapter 11:
The Black Knight

 

THE SKY WAS A BATTLEFIELD, and I cursed loudly from the safe confines of Arroganz’s cockpit.

“These guys are freakin’ annoying!”

The enemy knights attacked in groups, surrounding me from all sides and shooting from a distance. If I turned my back on any of them, they charged me with their swords. If I tried to rush them, they dispersed and fled.

“They have been trained well,” Luxion remarked.

My armor deflected their bullets, and even in melee combat, they couldn’t land a scratch on me. I hadn’t taken any damage, but it was taking an absurdly long time to neutralize them.

“Why do they refuse to retreat?!”

“Odd, isn’t it? They have sustained more than enough damage to warrant it. However, I intercepted their command channels, and it seems they believe themselves unable to back down.”

According to the information Luxion had intercepted, many soldiers were demanding a retreat. However, the commander in charge kept refusing them.

“Run away already!” I growled. If you don’t back down, I’m going to be the one pulling my hair out!

I charged forward, driving my blade through a number of enemy Armors. I made sure to avoid any vital areas that might injure the pilots. Withdrawing my weapon, I kicked each of them toward the deck of an enemy ship. “All this resistance is pointless!”

As I raged at the incomprehensibility of it all, Luxion cut in. “The Partner has commenced relief efforts.”

The Partner had taken a defensive position near the cruise liner, and Luxion was launching a rescue vessel to help the people on board.

“Guess the cruise ship is on its last leg.” Black smoke billowed from its warped hull. “Once you have everyone on the Partner, withdraw. We can’t keep playing with these idiots forever.”

“Master!” Luxion shouted, startled. “A new enemy has appeared. They wear a black Armor. I suspect this is an elite unit.”

Bitter memories flooded in with the word “black.” When I’d played the game in my previous life, the Black Knight had been far and away the strongest enemy. I’d met multiple Game Overs at his ridiculously powerful hands. He overpowered Chris in short-range combat, and even at long-range, Jilk didn’t stand a chance against him.

He’s basically Fanoss’s cheat weapon.

The grief he’d given me was immeasurable. He alone had increased the difficulty of the combat in the game tenfold.

“Seriously,” I groaned, “the Black Knight? Now?!”

“He is dodging the Partner’s fire,” Luxion said. “He is also destroying my drones and continues to advance. At this rate, he will disrupt our rescue efforts.”

“You know what? Perfect. I’ll take him on!”

I had nothing to fear! I rode Arroganz, and no other cheat could match Luxion. The Black Knight would be child’s play.

As I said that, a squadron of black knights came screeching through the air toward me.

Uh, wait—a squadron?

Hold on a sec, that’s—there’s—five of them? Uh, hello?! What gives!

 

***

 

Now safe aboard the Partner, Angie retreated to a room alone with Livia and Hertrude. They kept the princess with them for safety reasons, fearful someone might try to take advantage of the chaos to attack her. Plus, keeping her under surveillance was only prudent.

Through a window, Angie saw that while the battle had thinned, it hadn’t yet come to an end. She was growing agitated. “Why won’t the principality retreat? The victor is clear.”

“I already told you.” Hertrude was surprisingly calm for a captured hostage. “They can’t be stopped. This is hardly enough to make them back down.”

“Will Leon be all right?” Livia put her hands together, evidently praying for his safety.

Angie glanced out the window again. “He won’t lose easily, but a battlefield is unpredictable even at the best of times.”

Leon zipped through the air past the window in Arroganz, black Armors hot on his tail.

Hertrude panicked at the sight of the black Armors. “Vandel? Why?!”

Angie’s heart hammered at the name. “The Black Knight? You can’t be serious. He’s here?”

“Uh, um…” Livia furrowed her brows, glancing between the two of them. “Who is this Black Knight?”

“A knight who was active in the principality before you and I were ever born,” Angie explained. “He took down dozens of kingdom airships entirely on his own—perhaps a hundred, perhaps more. And he destroyed several times more than that when it comes to our Armors.”

Angie glanced at Hertrude, but the princess’s lips pursed, and her eyes turned toward the floor. She seemed suddenly sad—a marked change from her attitude thus far.

“You don’t hear of him much anymore,” Angie continued. “His deployments grew less frequent. The kingdom assumed he had grown too old.”

“Can Leon defeat such a strong opponent?” Livia asked anxiously.

“Honestly, I can’t—”

“Vandel won’t lose!” Hertrude snapped. “He’s Fanoss’s strongest warrior. He wouldn’t lose to one of the kingdom’s underhanded knights!”

“Leon’s not underhanded!” Livia balled her fists.

“Please, how laughable. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten what the kingdom did to us. Or have you been brainwashed into believing you did nothing wrong?”

Livia glanced at Angie as if pleading for reassurance—hoping that Hertrude misled her—but Angie could only turn away.

“Twenty years ago, before we were born,” Angie said, “the kingdom invaded Fanoss. Not once. Not twice. Multiple offensives, hounding the principality’s forces and people until we backed them into a corner. Each time, they managed to fend us off.”

Livia’s eyes widened. “Th-that can’t be. I’ve never heard anything about us invading—”

“You know nothing.” Hertrude glared coldly at Livia. “You’re oblivious to the suffering we’ve endured at your kingdom’s hands. Angelica, why don’t you tell her the truth?”

Angie’s lips drew into a thin line. Her silence spoke volumes, and Livia’s shoulders sagged in defeat. The sight made Angie grit her teeth. But she knew nothing she said now would touch Hertrude’s anger.

 

***

 

Rifle in hand, I charged the Black Knight—uh, knights—and pulled the trigger. They were all experienced enough to dodge out of blast range.

“You cheaters!”

I flew with my back to the sky. The black knights moved with such conviction it gave me chills.

“Their performance outclasses every other Armor we’ve seen,” said Luxion. “I suspect the Principality of Fanoss possesses a higher level of technical know-how than the kingdom. The companies making their airships and Armors are far superior to ours.”

“So they’re a technological superpower, huh? Nice. Reminds me of Japan.”

“I don’t believe your nostalgia matters to them. They seem fairly intent on killing you.”

Thanks, Sherlock. I wouldn’t have realized that without your expert deductive insight.

The intensity of their attacks astounded me. One of them rushed toward Arroganz, swinging their blade down. I caught it with my own sword.

“Kingdom scum!” he snarled. “I’ll have your head!”

I knocked him back with Arroganz’s sheer strength, but by the time I lifted my rifle to shoot, the knights had already dispersed.

“They despise you,” said Luxion.

“They’re buttmad about old history—history that’s got nothing to do with me!”

Fanoss nursed a grudge against the kingdom for that brutal invasion two decades ago. However, even knowing all the details from having played the game, the knights’ persecution complex infuriated me. Honestly, what I really wanted was to sit the devs down and demand to know why they picked such a heavy backstory for an otome game.

I mean, come on, it’s an otome game! Things should be light and fluffy, right?!

“Luxion, stow the blade and rifle.”

“What weapon would you like me to prepare next, then?”

“I’m going in barehanded.”

This move seemed to enrage the knights, but my attention was on the man I assumed to be their captain. He had yet to launch a single attack against me, even though his superior strength was readily apparent to anyone with eyes.

I darted forward, closing the distance between myself and one of the subordinate knights, who I seized. It was time to use my secret weapon—the same attack that had blown Prince Julius’s Armor to pieces.

“This is what you get for being unprepared. Sleep tight!”

When I released the buildup of power in Arroganz’s arm, the blast rippled through the enemy Armor, and the pilot inside lost consciousness. I released my grip on the suit, and it plummeted toward the water.

“Well? Hurry up, go save your friend,” I taunted the others.

The knights split up; some flew to save their falling comrade, leaving only a few opponents for me to face. I had hoped they’d realize the disadvantage my secret attack put them at and withdraw completely, but alas.

“Master, behind us!”

I whipped around just as an enemy Armor brought their sword swinging down toward me. My drones pelted them with bullets, but they ignored the damage even as it dented their suit, and they launched another attack.

“Tch!”

I raised my left arm to guard, and the knight’s sword snapped upon Arroganz’s thick plating.

A voice boomed from the enemy’s cockpit. “I’ll extinguish you, kingdom beast!”

Luxion sounded an alarm. “Master!”

Again, I whipped around to find the remaining three units pressing the attack. The captain from earlier rose up directly in front of me, his enormous sword careening toward us.

Then my monitor went black—the tip of his blade pierced through it.

 

***

 

After defeating another enemy unit, Chris paused to search the air for signs of Leon. “We’ve thinned their number quite a bit. Where is Bartfort?”

He balked when he spotted the Black Knight—whose sword had pierced straight through Arroganz.

“What?! The Black Knight is here?!”

Chris’s family was steeped in the art of sword fighting, and his father held the title of Sword Saint. Yet he knew even a man who held such a coveted title could not hope to best the Black Knight.

At first Chris gritted his teeth at this sight and looked away. Then he lifted his chin.

The other students and crew members had already taken shelter aboard the Partner. Chris had known that in the worst-case scenario, he might have to buy them time so they could all return to the kingdom safely. The Black Knight would certainly attack the vessel, if someone didn’t stop him.

Chris hardened his resolve. “Marie, I’m sorry. It looks like this will be the end.”

He raised his sword and took off toward Leon, only to pause. He sensed something off about this situation.

Abruptly, Arroganz seized one of the subordinate knight Armors hovering in front of him with both hands. Light burst from Arroganz’s palms, and the impact rippled through the black suit. Arroganz released the enemy Armor, and it plunged toward the ocean.

Arroganz stretched a hand toward the Black Knight, but the knight yanked his sword away and put distance between them. Another subordinate knight, his suit already in shambles, lunged to intercept Leon’s attack.

Arroganz seized the Armor’s shoulder and released another shock wave, just as before.

“He’s still alive!” Chris gasped. He was glad to see it. “Go for it, Bartfort! If anyone can defeat the Black Knight, it’s you!”

 

***

 

I shoved my shattered monitor out of the way, and it tumbled into the sky. The Black Knight had destroyed it in his attack, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of Arroganz’s chest. Air rushed into the cockpit, an exhilarating feeling. Still, I was vulnerable now—exposed.

Turning my head to the right, I dodged the Black Knight’s sword by a hair’s breadth. If he’d gone for my stomach, I’d have been dead.

“Haah… Haah…”

The Black Knight lifted his sword for another attack. Seeing such a threat through a screen couldn’t compare to seeing it with my naked eye.

“Our performance is down 30 percent,” Luxion said. “This means an increased burden on you as the pilot. I recommend retreating.”

“I thought you told me nothing can pierce Arroganz’s armor.”

“Our enemy wields a special sword forged from adamantius, a fantasy-type of metal.”

“Fantasy, huh? Like you’re any better.”

So the Black Knight, our cheat-tier enemy, was swinging around a super-special magic sword, huh?

“Dammit, I’d like nothing better than to get the hell out of here—but no. What’s with this guy, anyway? He’s way too strong.”

“We wouldn’t be in this predicament if you weren’t so obstinate about keeping enemies alive,” Luxion countered. Annoyingly. “Even if they wanted to run as well, you backed them so far into a corner that they have no choice but to fight.”

Just have to rub that salt on the wound, don’t you?

“You’re young,” the Black Knight suddenly called out. “Too young. This is the state of the kingdom’s knights now?”

I didn’t know the fine details about his backstory or anything, but by the sound of his grim voice, he was well past his prime.

“You guys attacked us,” I said. “What choice did we have?”

“I see. It was the same in my youth. You’ll rue the day you were born into your kingdom, boy.”

My eyes glued to him, I gripped the controls, balling Arroganz’s hands into fists. I was so on edge that my breaths came out in shaky gasps.

Why did I have to push myself to fight a battle this goddamn hard? Normally, I’d run for the hills.

Maybe you’re wondering why I didn’t. Well, I couldn’t exactly hightail it out of there after acting so confident and lecturing the rest of the students unless I wanted to literally die from embarrassment.

Besides, the Black Knight wasn’t about to let me escape. The minute I turned my back to this man, he would cut me down. There was also the little fact that his sword had pierced Arroganz; that meant he could cut through the Partner’s armor as well.

I pictured Livia and Angie’s faces in my head. What about everyone else, you ask? Screw them! But I had to stop this knight, or those two would be in danger.

“Grant me approval to deploy the main ship,” said Luxion.

“If I do that, you’ll kill him. So, no.”

“I fail to understand why not,” he said irritably. “He’s coming!”

Our enemy made his move.

The charm around my neck swayed as we lunged to meet him.

The Black Knight’s blade whistled through the air, not an ounce of hesitation in his attack. This man had no compunctions about killing me.

I raised my left arm to block his blow, and the steel of his weapon sank through my plating.

In the background, an alert screamed at me.

I turned toward the knight, but he sensed the danger and ripped his sword free as he leapt overhead. His next blow swept sideways. I charged, slamming Arroganz into his Armor as his sword bit into my right shoulder.

“How the hell are you beating me when my suit is so much more powerful? You cheating bastard!”

“He’s simply far more skilled at piloting than you are,” Luxion said.

I slammed my fist into the enemy Armor and prepared to release a shock wave, but the Black Knight slammed his foot into my arm and sent me reeling.

We continued chipping away at each other, again and again, for minutes—hours, I don’t know—until a moment came when the evening sun glared at his back as I glared at him, the two of us locked in a stare down. Our suits were falling apart; I’d taken his left arm and one of his legs, but I wasn’t in much better condition.

“I can’t allow myself to lose to a knight of the kingdom,” he rasped through pain.

The Black Knight charged at the exact moment I dared to squint through the blinding light of the sun. His sword flashed as he cut through the air.

You cheater! That’s one of the oldest tricks in the book!

Once more, he impaled Arroganz with his sword.

Good.

I swung out of the cockpit, threw a grappling hook at the enemy Armor, and threw myself over to the Black Knight’s suit.

The old man laughed in surprise. “Throwing away your chance at victory?”

“Nope, this one’s mine.”

My reckless jump had been so distracting that the Black Knight didn’t notice Arroganz still moved. My Armor locked its arms around his and held him in place.

“What?! How can it be moving?!”

Arroganz ripped the other suit’s head open, and at last, I came face-to-face with the pilot inside. He was older, with a large scar running across his forehead. I pulled a handgun from my holster and aimed it at him.

“It’s over. Surrender.”

He gritted his teeth at me, lips locked in a sneer; the intensity of his glare sent a shiver down my spine. “Never. Kill me, you coward!”

Holy crap, he actually refused.

Luxion popped out of Arroganz and darted to my side. “Master, we have suppressed the enemy.”

I chanced a glance over my shoulder, and indeed, the battlefield had gone silent—there was no noise to indicate anyone more fighting. Regardless of whether this guy actually admitted surrender, the principality’s main warship couldn’t move, and all their Armors floated on the surface of the ocean below.

“Hey, we did pretty good!”

We’d managed to stop Fanoss without Luxion using his main body.

“They certainly put up a fight,” Luxion said.

“I’m sorry, Princess,” the Black Knight muttered bitterly.

As I frowned at him, a streaking light burst out of the principality’s main warship—a flare.

I knit my brows. “You guys really don’t know when to give up.”

 

***

 

When Gelatt saw the Black Knight fall, the last bit of his sanity fled. He grinned like a madman. “It’s over. I’m finished.”

The Black Knight was a living legend. His loss would irreparably damage the principality’s morale. The army had already lost the will to fight. Worse, they had suffered defeat at the hands of children riding a civilian vessel.

Gelatt knew he would be called to take responsibility for this failure. He reached into his pocket, taking out what looked like a gun, and approached the window.

He had only one shot. The principality had created this gun while researching the Magic Flute, and it also had the power to call monsters to it. Normally, it was fired to draw in monsters to put under the Flute’s control, but its effects were so powerful that its use was heavily restricted.

“N-now that it’s come to this, the least I can do is erase our shame. This will change everything! I won’t be remembered as a powerless fool on the losing side!”

Gelatt aimed the gun at the glass and pulled the trigger. A flare shot across the darkened sky with an eerie shriek.

Immediately, monsters began to manifest, one after the other—from the sky and from the sea.

“Now, beasts, lay waste to everything!”

That ridiculously strong gray Armor could no longer move, thanks to the Black Knight. The only enemy left was that strange airship. It had just a few cannons, so Gelatt was sure the monsters would easily overwhelm it.

He cackled, even as other military personnel rushed over to restrain him. It was too late; the creatures continued to multiply, and rapidly.

 

***

 

Perched on the Black Knight’s suit, Arroganz’s arms still wrapped around it, I stared up and sighed at the new wave of monsters.

“Quite the spectacular view,” said Luxion blithely.

The Black Knight glared at the ship that had released the flare. “Fool,” he spat. “Planning to kill us all? Hey, boy! Get a message to the princess. Tell her to use that flute. I’m sure you’d rather survive this, too.”

He wanted me to let her put all these creatures under her control? Sure, that sounds like a great idea. Let’s give the enemy the opportunity to reup their numbers.

The old man saw my skepticism. “We’re not so disillusioned we think we can still put up a fight. Come now, do you want all of us to die here?!”

Like I could put my faith in him after everything he and his countrymen had put me through!

I glanced at my partner. “Well, annihilation doesn’t exactly sound appealing to me. Can you handle it, Luxion?”

“So it’s finally my turn, hmm?” Luxion’s eye turned bright red, gleaming in the dark.

Thin streams of light rained down from one of the clouds above, impaling the monsters all around us. Every creature the light touched disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The Black Knight leaned back in horror. “What in the world was that?!”

It looked kinda like a meteor shower. Each time one of the beasts died, they scattered into black particles, leaving only the beautiful ocean view in their wake.

I turned back to the old man. “You guys aren’t the only ones hiding new tricks. Make sure you let the rest of the principality know that when you go back home.”

“What? You’re not going to take my head? Are you—are you implying you went easy on me to begin with? You dare humiliate us?!”

“Uh, gross? What would I do with some old geezer’s head? Your sword, though, that I’ll take. Otherwise, who knows what naughty things you might do with it?”

I’d been sweating bullets through this whole battle because of that blade of his.

“You’re too soft, boy,” he snarled. “That’ll be the death of you one day, mark my words. The next time we meet, I’ll—”

“My mercy is the reason you’re even going to get a next meeting,” I grinned. “Yet here you are, with all this arrogance left to howl at me like a dog. You still don’t get it, do you, old man? Your little invasion is over.”

The look on his face remained frozen in a grimace—like he didn’t grasp what I was saying.

“Not obvious enough? Granted, we were armed, but you guys lost to a civilian ship. And the people on board were students. You tried taking kids hostage, and they pulverized you. Do you understand what that means?”

His eyes widened and his mouth hung open.

“You guys are withering away!” I laughed. “Your best of the best went all out against a bunch of children, and you still lost! Doesn’t matter how good I am. You guys underestimated the hell out of us. You really think there’ll be a real next time? It’s time to retire, old man! How does it feel to lose your knightly livelihood? Come on, tell me. I’m dying to know.”

His lips twisted in a snarl. “You expect me to live with this disgrace? You don’t even have the chivalry to let me die on the battlefield? You sniveling lowlife!”

You’d rather die than live? Your worldview is so stupid I can’t even begin to comprehend it. You picked the wrong guy to fight if that’s what you want.

I slammed my forehead against his. The sting had me grinding my teeth. Was his skull made of stone?!

“The loser has to obey the victor, right? Then I say yes, you’re going to live with that shame! I’m a decent person, but as a knight… Well, if people want to call me a ‘lowlife’ and ‘scum,’ they can go right ahead.”

Hatred etched into every corner of the old knight’s face.

“We can’t keep playing war with you people,” I said.

Silence settled over us, and I noticed then that Luxion had wiped out the last of the monsters.

With that taken care of, I bound the knight’s hands, and once we got to the Partner, I set to work.

 

***

 

It was well into the night before things settled down and I was able to make my way to the Partner’s storage room. Inside was the enormous sword that had pierced Arroganz. The black blade had no doubt tasted the blood of countless people. It looked cursed.

I gotta foist this thing off on somebody responsible, but who?

“Master, why did you go out of your way to battle them? With my main body, we could have vanquished the Black Knight in but a moment. Please enlighten me as to why you took such a risk.”

Luxion probably thought I’d put myself in harm’s way on purpose. Clearly he objected to how I’d handled things. But looking at this awful sword now, I realized something. I could have done as Luxion suggested—wiped the principality’s forces out with overwhelming force—but how was that any different from committing mass murder? I couldn’t do a thing like that. Absolutely not. I’d definitely regret it, and I had no doubt I’d struggle to make such a call to begin with.

Not to mention, it would only result in even more trouble later.

“I’m sure you could pulverize them, no problem. But what then?” I asked. “What comes after?”

“People would see you as a threat, no doubt. Not just the principality either—the kingdom might make a move on you as well. Worst-case scenario, they might try to kill you. I certainly wouldn’t allow that to happen, of course.”

Either way, things wouldn’t be able to stay the way they were. I would have to continue fighting or take control of everything—as Holfort Kingdom had once done.

Well, there’s always the option to run the hell away, I guess.

“Ugh. Sounds like a pain. After all the trouble I went through to obtain you, I don’t need any more problems. I got involved on the ground for my own mental well-being, okay? Because I felt like it.”

And to prevent the mass murder. Couldn’t forget that.

 

***

 

The next day, all the broken enemy airships were docked on the principality’s floating island. Luxion’s robots took care of disassembling them, which meant I got my hands on a whole heap of Suspension Stones.

Mine, all mine!

“Load up the Armors, too. Any airships in good condition we’ll take home with us.”

Luxion floated beside me, as he usually did. Apparently, he liked being near my shoulder.

“So you’re not just stealing their fruits, you’re taking the whole plant, roots and all. You don’t have an ounce of empathy, Master. I knew I could expect as much from you.”

“Right? Even I’m kinda fond of this side of myself.”

Gelatt stood nearby, his arms bound and his upper lip naked. His face was bruised and swollen, but that wasn’t my fault. He’d been unconscious when we boarded the principality’s ship to apprehend him.

“Baron Bartfort, I must demand that you return those Suspension Stones to us,” he said.

I grinned. “Hmm, I don’t know. You’re the ones who destroyed our cruise liner. We deserve some compensation for that. Tsk, tsk. If only someone hadn’t launched an attack on us.”

“I-In that case, I request the commencement of an official negotiation between the principality and—eek!”

I stomped, making him jump. “You’re asking me for concessions? I won.”

“Yes, but—”

“You agree with that assessment, right?”

“No, I—”

“Right?”

“I, uh…yes.” He ground his teeth in frustration.

“Man, I can’t believe how benevolent I am. After all you did, I’m letting you off easy. Ah, such kindness is almost sinful.”

“Yes, Master,” said Luxion, “your mercilessness is awe-inspiring.”

I shrugged. “This is better than making all their soldiers our slaves, right?”

“You did sell those pirates to the viscount.”

“I sure did. His family struck gold when they found that mine. Now thanks to me, they’ve got pirates to get it for them. Besides, those pirates were criminals. They knew what would happen if they got caught. I’m sure they don’t have any regrets.”

“I do believe they begged you for leniency.”

“Yep!”

I’d sold those pirates to the same viscounty Jenna had caused all that trouble for by gunning for its heir. Now those criminals were working hard in the viscount’s mines, putting their lives on the line to repent. Being a miner was difficult and dangerous. Even adults struggled to keep up with the work and sometimes collapsed from exhaustion. So look at me, a real saint for not sending these soldiers to the same destination.

That said, I was panicking a little on the inside. We had put a huge dent in the principality’s military power, but would it be enough to stop a war between them and the kingdom?

Give me a break. War is the last thing I need.

Although my anxiety about the future continued to mount, I had done enough for now. The rest, as far as I was concerned, was up to the kingdom to deal with.

I examined the literal mountain of Armors piled in front of me. “We’ll have to send these in for repairs before they’re usable again.”

“I don’t mind repairing them, but people might get suspicious if I were to do all of them at once,” said Luxion. “I would suggest putting in a request with a maintenance facility. In the future, we should consider constructing one specifically for this purpose.”

“I can’t put one together right away, but that’s a good idea. For now, we’ll get in touch with someone else.”

“Quite a few scam artists have claimed to be Armor-building specialists lately,” Luxion warned. “When you do reach out, be careful to ensure the facility is legitimate.”

“So we’ve even got scammers in this game now?” I shook my head. “This world really is a cruel one.”

“Master, the salvage work is finished. We can withdraw at any time.”

“Good. We got what we could, so let’s pack up the booty and head back home.”

“Ah, and now you sound just like a pirate.”

We left the principality’s floating island behind, but the majority of the enemy’s airships and Armors came with us.

 

***

 

After speaking with the cruise liner’s captain and the teachers, I retired to my room on the Partner, exhausted. One of Luxion’s robots waited outside the door as a guard.

“Good work,” I said to it as I reached to open the door.

The robot cut me off.

“Oh, come on. You won’t let me into my own room?”

It stood in my way, unflinching.

“Hurry up and move it! I’m tired!”

Its eyes glimmered as if in protest, but I shoved past and pried it away from the door.

Luxion cut in, “Master, it seems your room is already occu—”

The door finally slid open, and I barged in to find Angie and Livia asleep on my bed. They were facing one another and holding hands, their chests slowly rising and falling. A blanket was spread over them, but they definitely weren’t in their uniforms anymore. A robot floating nearby ironed the girls’ outfits.

Wait, does that mean they’re in their underwear?

They both had the most adorable expressions on their faces. It was a precious sight to behold.

I retreated a few steps and quietly closed the door. Once I was in the hall, I pressed my back to the door and slid down to the floor.

“Tell me earlier next time. Angie’s daddy is going to have my head on a platter!” I wrapped my arms around my legs and glared up at Luxion for an explanation.

“Apparently, they fell asleep waiting for you. They must have been exhausted.”

They were ridiculously cute. If I hadn’t been as mature as I am, I might have chanced a peek under that blanket.

Be glad I’m a goddamn grown-up. But either way, you girls should be more careful. Men are wolves!

“Now where should I sleep?”

With all the students and staff stuffed onto the Partner, I had to stop and think as to whether we even had any empty rooms left.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor, growing louder and louder before stopping altogether. When I lifted my head, Chris stood before me.

“What is it?”

“Bartfort, I need an answer from you. You—the reason you don’t want to duel me with swords is because you think I don’t have a chance of beating you, right?”

What in the world is he talking about? You think I could beat someone as gifted with the blade as you?

“Is this a joke?” I snorted. “Sorry, I don’t get it.”

Chris shook his head. “No, you beat the Black Knight. You don’t even see me or my friends as competition, do you? I completely misjudged your abilities. I’m ashamed of myself.”

You should be more ashamed of your misunderstanding. The only reason I won anything was Arroganz. “Look, you’ve got the wrong idea—”

But Chris wore a look of renewed determination. “I swear I’ll catch up to you! I’ll get stronger. Strong enough that you’ll have to recognize me as an equal. That’s what I wanted to tell you. You’re my objective now.”

With that declaration, he left.

I thought about chasing after him to clarify in what way exactly he was wrong as hell, but it was too big of a pain. And anyway, he and the other love interests were a little late to reform themselves.

But as I watched his back recede down the corridor, a thought occurred to me.

“I’ve got it! I’ll pin the success of this mission on him.”

“Back to your sinister schemes, Master?”

Please, this hardly qualifies as sinister. Besides, Chris would be way happier to receive the credit than I would.

I fell asleep leaning against the door, satisfied with my decision.

 

***

 

“The principality was a strong opponent.”

I was back in my dorm at the academy, happily nestled in my bed, chatting with Luxion.

“It certainly was,” he agreed.

We’d undergone all kinds of investigations since returning from our school trip. When I handed over the Black Knight’s enormous sword, I’d taken great care to tell the official, “This was all thanks to Chris’s hard work!” I went on to explain how much effort everyone else had put in as well. “I was so moved,” I told them, insisting that I’d done little more than support the rest of the students.

I wasn’t sure if it was due to my report, but all the students who’d helped to repel the principality would be receiving a reward from the kingdom. Everyone was getting a medal.

“Are you sure it was wise to give the kingdom the Black Knight’s weapon?” Luxion asked.

“That thing is cursed. I don’t want it. Besides, if I ever need a weapon like that, you can make me one, right?”

“I did analyze its composition, so yes, that would be possible. I do question whether it was necessary to hand over so many airships and Armors, however.”

I’d done that to butter up the kingdom. Also, I kinda felt like I owed Angie’s daddy after getting a glimpse of her sleeping face.

“Eh, who cares. I still have some left over. Besides, I kept the Suspension Stones—that’s the good stuff.”

I was just happy I wasn’t getting a promotion this time. Instead, everyone else would walk away with the award.

“Hm. If you’re certain. Far be it from me to argue.”

So much had happened in this latest incident. I’d figured out a lot of things I needed to reflect on. I would have to put some real effort in soon. But for now, I’d recovered Livia’s Holy Necklace and put an end to the battle between the kingdom and the principality. That was enough.

Also, I’d finally plucked up the determination to do what I wanted. Background character or not, I wanted to stay beside Livia and Angie. In order to do so, I needed to prepare a few things in advance.