Chapter 5: The Fake Saint

Chapter 5:
The Fake Saint

 

I HAD THE GUARD excuse himself to give me some privacy, and then I sat quietly in the dungeon to reflect on my most recent guests.

All of them had been utterly worthless. They came with requests like, “I’ll pay you, just tell me how to get the Partner to move,” or “You can join us, and we can work together.” Crap like that.

Even Luxion was agitated. “These nobles are rather transparent, claiming they’ll spare your life if you hand over the Partner and Arroganz. Can’t they try a little harder to be believable?”

“I doubt it. They’ll kill me as soon as I hand anything over. It’s almost impressive how easily they spout such lies.”

That they had the audacity to ask me how to use my stolen property really made me question their sanity.

“They attempted to disassemble both but gave up halfway,” Luxion said. “The Partner is in quite a pitiful state. Master, are you sure we can’t simply destroy the kingdom?”

“I’m sure.”

“All right, but perhaps we could at least take control and rule as—”

“No thanks.”

Arroganz was safely tucked inside a container that the nobles couldn’t even break through. They had also wrecked the interior of the Partner. However, the most important systems were beyond their ability to dismantle, so we were safe there.

“The reason you refuse to give up on the kingdom—is it because of Angelica, Olivia, and Mylene? I suspect Clarice and Deirdre also rank high on your priority list. Do you wish to protect the kingdom because they’re part of the ruling class? If so, I at least recommend reforming this country from the inside.”

Did he think I was doing anything because I liked some of the girls living here? That definitely wasn’t it. And hey, also—“Do you seriously think I want to defend this country?”

“Am I incorrect?”

“Let me be clear—I have zero interest in managing a country, let alone leading anything whatsoever. Therefore, I have no right to tear it apart. If I did, I’d ruin the lives of the people living here for no reason.”

“Are you sure about leaving things as they are?” he asked. “If the faction supporting you fails, you face execution. Not that I would ever let them get away with it, but I don’t understand the impulse. Why won’t you do anything yourself?”

“If they try to get rid of me for this, I’ll just make a run for it.”

Fortunately, for now, the kingdom had both Miss Hertrude and the Magic Flute. As long as the principality didn’t manage to steal them back, the kingdom didn’t have anything to fear on that front. There would be a number of casualties within our borders, but those would be the kingdom’s own fault.

“Then why not stand up for the people’s sake?” Luxion continued, refusing to drop it.

“No one wants that from me.”

In this world, you didn’t just gather up a bunch of civilians, stick some spears in their hands, and go to war. If you wanted soldiers, you had to train them properly. Recruitment was difficult too because, by and large, the citizens didn’t have much to worry about. That was the one part of our society that fit the picture of a lighthearted otome game. Most of the common folk were pretty satisfied with their lot. Fighting was for knights and soldiers. Sure, discontent existed everywhere, but those with the most to complain about were guys like me, the small fraction of the ruling class locked in the hell of bride hunting.

Ugh, this really is a despicable world.

Simply put, even if you did start a rebellion, few common folk would rally behind you.

“Plus, whatever you might think of me, I am a knight.”

“You mean someone kind to women who does their country’s bidding?”

I shook my head. “Moron, I mean a knight who protects the people.”

“You? Isn’t that simply a facade?”

“Facade, idealism—whatever you wanna call it, I like that stuff. It’s way better than becoming a puppet for the girls at the academy or letting this country work me to the bone. Plus, Livia likes when I say idealistic stuff like that.” Angie, on the other hand, would give me a troubled look.

“You’re awfully blasé about this. I feel silly for ever having been impressed.”

I shrugged. “What were you expecting from me? And what are you trying to make me do, anyway?”

“Oh, I just thought it would be wonderful if the two of us could finally annihilate the new humans together. That’s all.”

I have no idea how to even begin to respond to that.

 

***

 

As my time in captivity slowly passed, another guest came to visit.

Jilk stood in front of my cell, shaking his head. “What a pitiful state you’ve found yourself in, Viscount Bartfort.”

“Come all this way just to be snide?” I asked. “You have a lot of free time.”

Jilk puffed out his chest. “I am here at Miss Marie’s request. She asked me to save you.”

“Marie? Is this some kind of trap?”

“How rude. What kind of tone is that to take, after I came all this way to help you?” Jilk stood straight. “Wait here a while longer. I’ll have you out soon.”

“You will?” Did he even have that kind of authority? And why was Marie trying to help me? More and more questions followed those, but in the end all I could say was, “And how are you planning to save me?”

“My family is court nobility, after all. I have a number of connections.”

“Yeah, that’s not exactly your power, though, is it? It’s your family’s.”

Jilk huffed. “And what of it? At any rate, save your worries and be patient.”

He spun around and left, but it wasn’t long before he came shuffling back. His hair was an absolute mess, as if he’d gotten into a fight.

“I failed…”

“Yeah, I figured.”

“N-no!” he protested. “I mean, my father just told me to reflect on my actions and wouldn’t even hear me out.”

That’s because you’re constantly getting yourself in trouble.

Jilk ended up leaving the dungeon with his shoulders slumped in defeat. What a worthless jerk.

 

***

 

Greg was the next to grace me with his presence. He was in an even sorrier state than Jilk had left in. His clothes were torn and frayed, his cheeks covered in bruises.

“Sorry. When I asked my house to help you out, my dad and I got into it.”

“Did Marie put you up to this, too?” I asked.

“Well, yeah, but I also owe you personally. I figured I could help you out, but my dad just clobbered me, so that’s a no-go.”

Conflicted as I felt about it all, I was happy he’d tried. “Go apologize to your dad. You guys put your families through way too much trouble.”

He stared at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Bartfort, you’re the last person I want to hear that from.”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?!”

This jerk! I thought he was halfway decent for a minute there. Some fool I was!

 

***

 

My next visitor was Brad. Unlike the previous two, his uniform was in pristine condition, and there were no signs he’d gotten into any fights. However, his hair did appear a bit disheveled, and he was staring at the ground awkwardly.

No matter how long I waited, he wouldn’t say anything, so I finally spoke. “What, did you come here to save me, too?”

Brad’s gaze drifted, looking anywhere but at me. “Th-that was my intention, but I couldn’t get in contact with my family.”

“Did something happen?”

“My family wasn’t at the Field estate in the capital. So…”

Basically, he wanted to help me, but he didn’t even have family to rely on.

“Okay,” I said. “I get it. Now stop looking like you’re about to cry.”

“I—I’m not!”

What in the world were these boys even trying to accomplish?

 

***

 

The fourth member of their group—Chris—came next.

“Let me guess…you also tried relying on your family to break me out of here, right?” I asked the moment he walked in.

Chris gaped. “H-how did you know? I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“You and your buddies have trickled in here one after another since this morning, and each one of you failed. I’d have to be a total idiot to not catch on at this point.”

“Everyone else already came? Then surely one of us will succeed. I…already failed. I’m sorry, Bartfort.” He hung his head.

“Before getting all mopey on me, why don’t you do some first aid on those wounds? How did you even get that banged up?”

Greg was pretty bad, but Chris was in a far worse state. Even the lenses on his glasses were cracked.

“When I asked Father for help, he grabbed a wooden sword and started chasing me.”

I shook my head. “You’ve got it rough, too.”

“Although, all things considered, I don’t think I could expect much politically from my father.” Being beaten to a pulp must have cleared Chris’s head. “They call him the Sword Saint, but he’s little more than a sword instructor. He’s not an important figure politically speaking, so I didn’t figure he would be able to help you.”

“Huh, okay.” What did this jerk even come here for?

“He made up all these excuses for why he was refusing me, so I finally asked him, ‘What, you mean you’re incapable?’ And then…”

Uh, yeah, I can see why he got pissed. Are you sure you didn’t go to your parents’ house just to pick a fight?

“If he couldn’t do it, I wished he’d just said as much.”

“Did you seriously go to him with that attitude? Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if you guys had any intention of helping me in the first place.”

 

***

 

Finally, the last of the five idiots swanned in.

Prince Julius waltzed up to my cell, but before he could open his mouth, I cut him off.

“Go home!”

“Wh-why?!” he demanded, flustered. “I haven’t even said anything yet!”

He didn’t have to. “Your cheek tells me all I need to know. You tried to help me but failed, right?”

The prince slumped. “That’s right. I asked Mother to free you from the dungeons, and this happened.” She must have slapped him hard; there was a perfect red outline of a handprint on his cheek.

Wow, Queen Mylene must be pretty fearsome once you piss her off. Actually, it made me curious. What had he done to incur her wrath? “She slapped you just for that?”

“Yeah. It was so sudden I was shocked. Even more terrifying, she did it without any emotion on her face.”

I stroked my chin. “I can’t imagine someone like her slapping a person out of nowhere.”

“You just don’t know her. She’s terrifying. Still, I have no idea what upset her so much. You’re her favorite. I don’t see why asking her to release you made her hit me.”

Well, the person who put me here in the first place was your mother. But that was top secret. The fact that Queen Mylene hadn’t disclosed the circumstances to Prince Julius was proof she didn’t trust him—at least as far as I was concerned. It almost made me feel sorry for him. But he did have a previous infraction, so I could understand her caution. There was no telling what stupid thing he might do, given the way he’d broken off his engagement to Angie.

“Are you sure you didn’t say anything weird?” I asked.

“I didn’t! Plus, when I first asked her to release you, she looked genuinely conflicted. That’s why I figured if I pushed it enough, she’d cave. So I kept going.”

“Like how?”

“You know that since Marie became the Saint, there’s been official talk of the two of us becoming engaged, yes?”

It felt like a sudden change of topic, but I told him that yes, I had heard. I have a bad feeling about this.

“So I told her it would be a favor for Marie, who might one day be her daughter-in-law. I thought this might be a golden opportunity for the two of them to work together and get closer. Then her expression suddenly changed.”

Uh, yeah, I can see why. Of course it would. Did you honestly think she’d be happy to hear that? Are you stupid? No, that’s a silly question. Of course you are. I sighed. “Just go home already.”

“I will for now, but I swear, Bartfort, I will save you.” His expression was grim with determination as he turned to leave.

My heart ached for Queen Mylene, having such a moron for a son.

As Prince Julius left, Luxion slipped out from his hiding spot. “What did the five of them even hope to accomplish?”

“They’re idiots. All of them.”

“Do you think you’re any different?”

I grunted. “Don’t put me in the same boat. You’ll piss me off.”

“My apologies. I forgot you were an even bigger idiot.”

“You really do hate me, don’t you?”

No comment on that—just a distraction. “Actually, Master, we have a situation on our hands.”

“A situation?”

 

***

 

Marquess Frampton’s faction gathered in a palace assembly room. With the principality’s forces on the move, the marquess’s faction needed to craft a countermeasure.

An anxious noble asked, “Marquess, are you sure this is a good idea? From the reports, the principality’s army includes monsters, and their fleet is enormous. At this rate, an invasion will be a disaster for the regional lords.”

“True, they’re moving faster than we anticipated, but it’s fine. We need only hurry to organize our own forces.”

“Shouldn’t we send whatever troops we can muster?”

The nobles were on tenterhooks imagining the impending tragedy.

Marquess Frampton remained unfazed. “That is unnecessary.”

“What?”

“I made an agreement with the principality to hand over those border territories. A cheap price to pay for quelling their anger and garnering their support.”

“Y-yes, but their fleet is so much larger than we imagined. If we aren’t careful…”

The nobles weren’t the only ones in danger—the common people were, too.

The marquess shook his head. “We must make this sacrifice to consolidate the kingdom’s power. Don’t be alarmed. We have a brand-new ship, that Lost Item. Once we finish analyzing it, we’ll be able to reclaim the land we’ve lost.”

He was, regardless, flippant about the loss of life, which he deemed a necessary evil.

“Let the principality’s forces reign in terror to their heart’s content,” the marquess continued, “at least until our forces arrive. We have agreed that when the battle begins, the principality will back down at the right moment. This will help the kingdom save face.”

A different nobleman spoke up. “Marquess, the temple is insisting the Saint participate in battle.”

“They are a troublesome bunch.”

“The Saint has the ability to neutralize monstrous energies.”

“The Saint’s power, hmm? I’ve heard of it, but can we really rely on it?”

“The temple seemed confident in her abilities. What they’re saying seems to be true.”

Marquess Frampton remained displeased.

Then a noble announced, “They said as long as you let them play the main role in this war, they don’t mind giving up their plan to have Prince Julius reinstated.”

So they intend to strengthen their influence by demonstrating the Saint’s power instead? Marquess Frampton sniffed. “In any case, we should prepare in case the principality refuses to withdraw.”

“Yes. And having the Saint with us will boost morale. Especially because the soldiers are terrified of the rumors that the principality can control monsters…”

“If we can resolve this situation smoothly, my position will be solidified as well,” the marquess said thoughtfully. “Let the temple take the credit and owe me for it later.”

The nobles continued to talk excitedly amongst themselves as invaders wreaked havoc on their borderlands.

 

***

 

My days in the dungeon stretched on.

“There have been more tremors as of late,” Luxion noted.

They were faint, but I had felt the rumbling beneath my feet more and more often. “Still, I’ve had visitors basically every day.”

“That simply goes to show you are excellent bait,” said Luxion.

“That doesn’t make me the least bit happy.”

Most were nobles trying to trick me. Despite my refusals, they remained persistent, asking me to hand over Arroganz or teach them how to operate the Partner. Sometimes, they threatened me with execution, and other times they tried gentle persuasion—whatever they thought would progress negotiations. It wasn’t limited to the marquess’s faction either. Tons of unaligned nobles had come to try to take advantage of me, too.

However, after days and days of this, Marquess Frampton’s faction were losing their patience.

As I lay on my stiff, uncomfortable bed, Luxion glanced toward my cell door. “Ah. It seems the kingdom wasn’t able to rise to your expectations, Master.”

I heard the clang of armor and the clamor of footsteps. A number of soldiers were making their way down to my cell. Angie’s daddy and Queen Mylene had failed.

“I guess this is the end, then.”

“You expected too much,” said Luxion.

Well, that was painful to hear.

My guard had just left his seat to change shifts. These armored intruders had perfectly timed their visit.

The leader of their group was a familiar face, a thirty-year-old viscount and a member of Marquess Frampton’s faction. In his hand was a battle of alcohol.

“Viscount Bartfort, I brought you a gift. I figured you must be lonely down here.”

That liquor was probably spiked with poison.

“I don’t drink, at least not yet. You can take it home with you or drink it yourselves,” I said.

He smiled mockingly at me. “How long do you plan to keep living like a cockroach? If you’re really a noble, you should die bravely.”

Bravely, huh? This was my second life, and I planned to die of old age. So I’ll pass, but thanks. It was still a shame that things had to end this way.

Yeah, okay. It might be time to get out of this dungeon—maybe even the whole kingdom.

As I thought that, Luxion slipped out of the shadows.

The viscount and his men raised their firearms in surprise.

“It’s that familiar we heard about! Capture it! If we get our hands on it, that airship is ours!”

“Hypothetically, even if Master did die, I would never obey you,” said Luxion. “And you should be more concerned with what’s behind you.”

More footsteps thundered toward my cell, and Chris came flying through the dungeon entrance, wooden sword in hand.

“Bartfort!” he shouted between thwacks to the viscount’s knights. “Are you unharmed?”

Why was he here? No sooner did I wonder that than Jilk charged in, firing his own gun at the viscount.

“You won’t be killing Viscount Bartfort today, not on our watch!”

Chris’s shot struck true, and the viscount dropped the poison-filled liquor bottle to cradle his wounded hand. The bottle smashed against the floor.

The viscount glowered at Jilk and Chris. “Y-you two… Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Do you know who’s backing me? There’s nothing either of you can—”

“Shut up.” Luxion slammed his ball-shaped body on the viscount’s head, rendering him unconscious.

Jilk used a key to unlock my cell, ushering me out. “Come, we have to hurry!”

I glanced at Luxion, and he moved his eye up and down as if nodding.

I guess that means it’s okay to run?

“Why are you guys here?” I asked.

“We did everything we could to get you released without this, but nothing worked. The situation has devolved, so we figured we’d seize the opportunity to break you out.”

“I knew it. You guys are idiots.”

Chris said, “But thankfully, we made it in time. You should be glad.”

Brad and Greg were waiting for us at the exit. They were staring down at my cell guard, who’d been tied up.

“You guys are here, too?” I glanced between them. “And what happened to him?” The guard was technically an ally—he’d been assigned by the queen herself.

“He was already like this when we got here.”

“Let’s move. Julius is waiting for us.”

After checking to make sure the guard was uninjured, four-fifths of Team Stupid Jerk and I sneaked into the palace.

Another tremor rippled through the ground.

 

***

 

The four of them guided me to a palace courtyard sandwiched on all sides by multiple buildings. Prince Julius promptly slipped out from the shadow of a tree. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Why in the world did you have them bring me here?” I demanded. “Shouldn’t I be running away?”

Julius puffed up his chest. “There’s a secret passage in the palace that only royalty knows about.”

“Don’t teach me those kinds of secrets! Are you a total moron?”

“Is that any way to talk to me when I’m saving you?” As we quibbled, another tremor ran through the ground, and Prince Julius stumbled. “Oof, this sure has been happening a lot lately.”

“Master,” Luxion cut in, “we are surrounded.”

“What?”

A spotlight shone down on us, illuminating the entire courtyard. It was so bright I had to hold my hand over my eyes, but I heard footsteps echo around us as armored knights flooded the area.

I opened my mouth to give Luxion orders, but—

“Please wait, Prince Julius! We are not your enemy!”

Julius stepped protectively in front of me. “In that case, let us through.”

“We can’t do that,” said the knight. “We came here to rescue Viscount Bartfort.”

“Me?” I wasn’t sure if I could trust this.

“It will take a couple of minutes to have Arroganz deployed here,” Luxion said to me quietly.

Looks like I need to buy some time.

I stepped forward to negotiate when an unexpected figure came toward me. As soon as I realized who he was, I took a knee.

“Father!” Prince Julius lowered his sword.

“Julius, we won’t harm him. Everyone, lay down your weapons and come with me.”

Prince Julius’s father was King Roland Rapha Holfort. His hair and beard were long, gray, and slightly curly. He certainly had the majesty of a king. “Viscount Bartfort, we have put you through a great deal, but thanks to your sacrifice, we’ve finished cleaning things up on our end.”

Did that mean Angie’s daddy and the rest had won?

“Father, they were about to kill Bartfort!” Prince Julius protested.

His Majesty nodded. “I am aware. And right now, we don’t have time to sit and chat.”

The ground rumbled again, and the king’s gaze fell to his feet. His face clouded over.

 

***

 

After I was allowed to change, they guided me to an assembly room. The country’s top brass were already seated, but there were so few of them. His Majesty and Queen Mylene were there as well. And another familiar face—Mr. Vince.

Aha, it’s a gathering of all the people who were supporting me.

“You look well, viscount.”

“Uh, yeah, somehow.” I wanted to make a snide remark, but they were the ones who’d helped me. I reined in my attitude.

As I scanned the room, I realized Prince Julius and the others were missing.

“We have Julius and the others waiting in a separate room,” His Majesty said. “Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say we’ve taken them into custody.”

Hearing that put me on guard.

Queen Mylene explained, “Please don’t get the wrong idea. We’re only doing it to protect them. Just as we did with you.”

“And might I ask why you called me here?”

“We planned to explain.” Mr. Vince acted like that was a given.

“The principality’s fleet has touched down on our mainland,” said Minister Bernard, Clarice’s daddy. “We had ten vessels in the area—reconnaissance and defense forces—but we lost them all. They’ve also shot down nearly a hundred of our Armors.”

The kingdom had the edge in terms of sheer power, but it took time and management to gather their forces and attack when their forces were split across numerous territories. Since the principality was unleashing everything they had in a concentrated onslaught, we were seeing a number of casualties.

“The enemy’s fleet is approximately one hundred and fifty ships. We don’t know how many Armors. According to the reports, the number of monsters they have is beyond counting. Enough to blacken the sky.”

“Miss Hertrude—” I started, but Mr. Vince shook his head.

“We still have possession of the princess and the Magic Flute. The principality must have some other means of pursuing the same tactics. We suspect it has to do with their second princess.”

That was puzzling. “Uh, second princess?”

“Yes,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Princess Hertrauda.”

I’d had no idea such a person existed. Hold up, was there another Magic Flute? As far as I knew, that wasn’t even part of the game. Now I was so confused I couldn’t collect my thoughts.

“Other countries are also making their move,” His Majesty went on. “The regional lords at our borderlands have requested aid. We’re being attacked from all sides.”

Minister Bernard added, “Our forces at the border are too busy responding to the threat there. They can’t help us. We won’t be able to expect any backup here in the capital.”

“But the capital has its own forces, right? If you scrape together as many people as you can, you’d have quite the number of troops, wouldn’t you?”

Weren’t they being too pessimistic?

Queen Mylene shook her head, her voice somber. “A few days ago, the temple requested our help. After conducting a meeting, we deployed reinforcements. We sent two hundred ships.”

The temple had apparently used Marie to demand their right to the ships. They’d made a deal with the marquess’s faction, and as a result…

“They were defeated by the principality’s forces. Only ten ships made it back to us.”

 

***

 

A few days earlier, while Julius and his friends were trying to save Leon, some priests had come to see Marie.

“Lady Marie, the time has come for you to show us your saintly power.”

“I guess, if I must,” she said with an exaggerated sigh.

They flattered her so much that she blithely followed them, eventually boarding an extravagant ship. There she found herself draped in the Saint’s regalia, wearing the Holy Necklace and Holy Bracelet, with the Saint’s Staff in her hand.

A chilly wind buffeted her as she stood on the deck.

“Huh…?”

Marie had a number of complaints, chief among them that her hair was turning into a rat’s nest out here. But the first thing to come bursting out of her mouth was: “N-no one told me about this!”

The temple only possessed about thirty ships of their own, but they’d borrowed additional troops from the kingdom, adding two hundred more vessels to their fleet. However, the enemy deployed enormous monsters like they were nothing more than pawns. The sheer quantity of beasts was overwhelming, completely beyond the imagination.

Marie was terrified.

She threw up her staff and screamed at the encroaching monsters, “Don’t come any closer!”

Her staff began to glow, and a large shield encompassed the kingdom’s fleet. It hummed with white light, and each monster that touched it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The priests and knights around Marie showered her with praise.

“This is the Saint’s power!”

“We can win this. We can really win this!”

“Ships, charge! Let’s force the enemy back!”

Morale soared.

Marie gave a strained smile. Phew, I’ve actually got this. I was a little worried I couldn’t pull it off!

Julius and the other boys weren’t with her; the temple had dragged her off at an inopportune time. Even Kyle was absent. The temple had refused to let him ride with her. She was surrounded by temple priests and knights, but she didn’t recognize any of them. It made her a little nervous, being alone.

Marie’s ship charged forward, and her shield slammed into monster after monster, scattering them into dust. Although she was anxious, she was too drunk with the euphoria of her own power to let it bother her for long.

“That’s it,” she told herself. “This is simple. I’m the Saint! If you think this is enough to beat me, you’re in for a rude awakening!”

 

***

 

The principality watched as the kingdom’s forces came charging at them, led by the Saint.

Hertrauda was seated at a table peppered with game pieces representing the current battlefield. “It seems the Saint’s power is real.”

Top officials stood around her, looking on silently.

Hertrauda rose from her seat and took her Magic Flute from a woman standing at her side.

One of the officials said, “Princess, we’re already on the kingdom’s mainland. I know this isn’t what we originally planned, but there should be no issues if we use it now.”

“Yes, you’re right.” Hertrauda’s face hardened, her gaze fixed on the flute. She took a single deep breath before holding the mouthpiece to her lips.

There was no turning back after this. She was nervous, but she’d already made up her mind—and she began playing.

The melody was eerie yet beautiful. Those around her closed their eyes and listened.

Let’s see you try to stop the principality’s anger now, Saint.

Above the battlefield, thick clouds appeared, blanketing the sky with darkness. An enormous monster descended from those clouds, its rotund body covered in eyes, its long arms numerous, its skin white and pulsating. It was massive, larger than a small floating island. It was thousands—no, tens of thousands of meters tall.

The creature’s sudden appearance clearly unnerved the kingdom’s fleet.

Hertrauda lifted her lips from the flute and nearly collapsed on the spot. The people around her rushed to her aid, and she laughed. “Now the kingdom will fall.”

The officials in the room applauded, some even moved to tears.

“Now the grudge we’ve held for all these years can finally be appeased.”

“That was a splendid display, Your Highness.”

“Faced with the Guardian, the kingdom doesn’t stand a chance. All that’s left is to march our forces into the capital and rescue Princess Hertrude.”

Hertrauda insisted on looking outside and, with her attendants assisting her, made her way to the deck.

The creature she’d summoned stretched its arms down from the sky to smash the kingdom’s army. It penetrated the Saint’s shield and flung one of the enemy’s enormous ships through the air. Beams of light poured from its many eyes, setting the vessel aflame.

“We will attack you from the sea and sky, and in the process, we will sink this entire continent.” Hertrauda grinned, her face deathly pale. Whether her sickly complexion was a result of exhaustion or fear of what she’d done, none could say.

The principality, it seemed, really did intend to submerge the entirety of the Holfort Kingdom.

 

***

 

An enormous palm rushed toward her ship, and Marie cowered with a shriek, dropping her staff. The creature’s behemoth of a hand crushed dozens of kingdom vessels.

The priests and knights around her howled in horror.

“Saint, raise your shield!”

“Please, use your power to vanquish that monster!”

“Saint, your staff!”

They were insufferably loud.

“How do you expect me to defeat that thing?!” Marie screamed. “I never knew about this! I didn’t know that princess was going to appear! Besides, I’m not even the real Saint!”

While everyone gawked at her, another vessel went hurtling overhead. The monster was smashing and burning with the ease of a child playing with their toys.

Marie had no clue what it was, but its unseemly appearance terrified her and left her trembling. Tears welled in her eyes. “Th-there’s nothing I can do against a creature like that! Someone save me!”

Other airships tried to defend themselves with cannons, which had no effect. The creature continued its gradual advance, destroying everything in its way—as it headed straight for the capital.

“R-retreat!” a knight bellowed. “Retreat! Fall back immediately!”

Their airship swiftly reversed course, but many allied ships continued to fall, exploding when they hit the ground. The flames spread across the land below.

Marie collapsed on the deck of her ship with her legs curled up to her chest, sobbing. Weeping just as she had that one terrible day so long ago.

 

***

 

“And that’s how it happened,” said Queen Mylene, finishing her report.

“It’s been a true nightmare,” said the king.

Mr. Vince was troubled as well. “Even if we did scrape enough people together to fight, we wouldn’t be able to hold our own against a monster like that. And then there are the earthquakes.” He drained his drink, and when he set it down, the cup fell on its side. The vibrations made it roll slowly, as if the table beneath it was slanted.

Ever since the principality had summoned that enormous creature, there had been frequent earthquakes. Was there some connection between the two?

“Viscount Bartfort, I’m going to ask you frankly. Can you win? If you have your Lost Items, can you beat that creature?” asked Minister Bernard.

I gulped. If this creature had the same special traits as the final boss from the game, I had no chance. Even Luxion couldn’t defeat it. Not that he would lose, but he couldn’t win either. You could defeat that monster as many times as you wanted, but it would revive. When I played the game, I had to give up frequently, return to the previous save point, and try again. Honestly, I’d been stuck on that part for a while.

“I have no idea,” I said finally.

This was all personal conjecture anyway. I knew nothing about my opponent, so I had no way of answering definitively.

“I figured you would say that.” Mr. Vince sighed. “But all we can do is rely on you. You’re the only one who can control those Lost Items, and if you can’t defeat it, we’ll have no choice but to use the royal family’s ship.”

Queen Mylene narrowed her eyes. “Duke Redgrave, what are you hoping to accomplish by bringing that up?”

In the game, the royal family’s ship was a vessel that the protagonist and her chosen love interest rode in. It didn’t appear until the latter half of the game, but it was a powerful unit. That said, its performance level fell below Luxion’s. The Partner might even be stronger.

The royal family’s ship did possess a unique ability, however.

“If you don’t use it now, when will you?” Mr. Vince groused. “I see no reason to hesitate, given our circumstances.”

“I—” Queen Mylene tried to say something, but the king stopped her.

“Enough, Vince. I understand what you’re getting at, but only those with the right qualifications can even move that ship. Mylene and I can’t do it.”

That was part of the game, too. Only the protagonist and her love interest could move the ship, thanks to the power of love.

Therein lay the problem—Livia shared no relationship with any of the five love interests.

Our only recourse was to use Marie’s power. We needed love and the Saint’s power—which meant we had to have Marie.

“Your Majesty,” I said, “I must ask…please let us use the royal family’s ship. We’ll need Marie and her five lovers as well.”

The king frowned. “Do you understand what you’re asking? We can’t possibly.”

Queen Mylene shook her head. “I’m afraid he’s right. It’s impossible. Leon, we can’t lend you the royal family’s ship. And as for the Saint, I’m afraid the temple has announced her execution.”

 

***

 

His Majesty instructed me to move to a separate room while they continued their meeting. They ordered me to remain on standby, promising they would have the Partner and Arroganz returned to me.

Well, I am still a knight of the kingdom. If their orders are to wait around, I can do that. There are some things I want to think about anyway. I plopped down in a chair and steepled my fingers.

Luxion floated toward me. “Do you think they’ll burn Marie at the stake for lying about being the Saint? Or will they crucify her? The new humans are a loathsome bunch. They’re bound to do something pointless when the situation doesn’t favor them.”

Although the holy items had chosen Marie, she had confessed to being a fraud, so the temple authorities were sentencing her to death. It was such a farce. The temple and Marquess Frampton’s faction just wanted someone to blame for the kingdom’s failure.

“And they have some gall ordering you to stand by,” Luxion continued. “They really think you’ll stay faithful to the kingdom and work to protect them? They acted as if returning Arroganz and the Partner was some kind of favor! Such a grating attitude. Shall we obliterate them all?”

I shook my head.

“Shame,” Luxion mourned.

We were basically headed toward the game’s bad end, and I wasn’t forgetting that the marquess and his cronies had tried to get me executed. The queen and her allies had managed to stop them, but that didn’t change the danger of the situation we now faced. The cherry on top was being turned out of the meeting room just now. As far as I was concerned, Holfort Kingdom had made its bed and could lie in it.

Yet for all my bravado, I hesitated to walk away.

“What are you thinking, Master?”

“Luxion, if you were the one in charge of this situation, do you think you could win?”

“What are the conditions for victory?”

“We can’t let them sink the continent, and we have to defeat the principality’s Giant before it reaches the capital.”

I thought Giant was a pretty convenient nickname for a creature I didn’t know anything about other than its size. Though I suspected it was headed toward the capital…just like the final boss in the game.

“Impossible,” Luxion said. “All I can do is buy you more time. My radars indicate there are in fact two of these Giants, one in the sky and one in the sea. They have sandwiched the continent and are heading straight for the capital.”

“Seriously? Two of them? This situation blows.”

Maybe for the one underground we could…blast a hole in the continent? No, that’d probably give us even more problems to deal with. And anyway, realistically, Luxion would only be able to take on one of them, period.

“In that case, if you wish to achieve victory, you must be in a position to oversee all the kingdom’s forces. You also require the royal family’s ship, yes? However, judging by the king and queen’s reaction, giving you control of the ship is tantamount to ceding full authority to you as commander-in-chief. Considering your unpopularity, convincing the kingdom of the need would prove difficult.”

This was completely impossible. We lacked every condition we needed to win this war.

“I recommend fleeing,” said Luxion.

I knew he was right. And honestly, I had no lingering affections for the kingdom. But if I left…

“Oh, it’s your beloved professor.”

A knock fell upon the door and Luxion retreated into the shadows.

“Come in,” I said.

Master, my mentor in all things tea, appeared in the doorway, pushing a tea trolley. “Pardon the intrusion, Mr. Leon.”

“Master…”

He began preparing tea, ever the perfect gentleman. Other nobles and knights of the palace had made a run for it when they heard of the kingdom’s defeat at the border, but Master remained cool and composed. I felt a little calmer myself after sipping some of his tea.

“You seem troubled,” he said at last.

“Ah ha ha, you think so?” I hated myself for waffling back and forth over whether to run or fight. I tried to play it off, but I knew my smile was unnatural.

“Her Majesty informed me of the circumstances. It seems you angered the king, and he dismissed you from his meeting with the nobles.”

The royal family’s ship was a tightly kept secret, and access was strictly controlled. There was probably no good way to ask for it.

“Her Majesty worries about you. You are more talented than I when it comes to capturing a lady’s heart. Perhaps you should be the one teaching me,” he joked.

“Master, are you really not going to flee?”

“I am a knight of the kingdom with a proper title and court ranking. I plan to do what I can. Though the scope of my abilities is quite limited.” He continued to jest, but his answer was clear: he wasn’t going anywhere.

This is it. This is the problem. The people I want to save can’t give up on this lousy place. What would he think if I tried to force him to come with me?

“So you won’t run away with me?” I asked.

“I won’t blame you for running. However, both as a knight and a gentleman, I have made my call. I will remain here.” Master flashed a smile. “Lately, most people think of knights as men who are simply kind to women. But to me, chivalry means protecting those who are dearest, and I refuse to compromise on my principles.”

So, for him, a knight was neither a convenient pawn for the kingdom nor just the ideal otome game love interest.

Master had never appeared in the game; he was a background character, just like me. And yet he’s so damn cool.

“Chivalry, huh?”

He nodded. “Might I inquire as to what chivalry means to you, Mr. Leon?”

I drained my cup and stood. “Believe it or not, I love idealism. I agree, a knight is someone who protects the people. Thanks for the tea,” I said. “I’ll be off now.”

“Where to?”

“If we’re going to get out of this situation, I might as well become the commander-in-chief. So I guess I’ll work on convincing the king.”

Master’s eyes widened. I thought he might laugh or be angry, but his expression quickly returned to normal. “In that case, you should rely on Her Majesty. She’s the most accommodating person in the palace. I am sure you’ll find she can help you.”

“More than the king?”

“Quite. However, this is all the assistance I can provide. If you wish to become the commander-in-chief, you’ll need to convince the queen on your own.”

“That’s what I’ll do then. Master, thank you.” I bowed to him and left.

 

***

 

As I moved briskly through the halls, Luxion floated close behind me.

“You’re not going to run?” he asked.

“I gave up on that. I’m going to fight the principality.”

“I thought you didn’t want to move up the social ladder? Becoming commander-in-chief seems about as far from that wish as possible.”

Yes, it was hypocritical to claim I didn’t want higher status at this point, but nonetheless…

“Sorry,” I said, “but I’m the type of guy who likes to try everything once.”

“Are you going to fight using ideals? I cannot comprehend this either.”

Was I going to fight for the people? It might sound like a lie coming from me, but I was entirely serious. Maybe it was because I’d been an ordinary civilian in my previous life, but seeing innocent people die for no reason left a bad taste in my mouth. If this continent sank into the sea, thousands of happy families steadily scraping by would lose their lives. Marie was the one who had messed up this world’s trajectory, but the ones who would suffer most were normal people.

I couldn’t leave things the way they were. That was reason enough to fight.

“I’m not a fan of genocide,” I said simply.

“I see no issue with running away,” said Luxion. “This isn’t your responsibility. I fail to understand your decision.”

“I don’t understand it myself. Even now, I want to get the hell out of here. But if I run, I know I’ll think about it later. I’ll spend the rest of my life lying awake at night, wondering if I made the right choice.”

I didn’t want to spend years or even decades angsting over my decision. Besides, I was a knight. Never mind all the court ranking crap, I was in a position to defend people during an emergency, and by Japanese standards, that mattered. If I saw someone with such status run at the first sign of trouble, I would loathe them.

“So you plan to earn more prestige? If you’re successful, it will only get you wrapped up in even more trouble.”

I shrugged. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Now isn’t the time to be worrying about all that.”

I had no interest in further promotions. If possible, I still wanted to live a quiet life. However…

“Everyone else is useless and unreliable, so I have to do it. Help me out, Luxion.”

“You really are hopeless, Master.”