Volu 2 Chapter 9 part1
TLN: The Fanoss Dukedom has been changed to the Principality of Fanoss. Previous chapters have been edited to match.
Smile
A ssenger from the principality descended onto the luxury liner’s deck.
He was a very well-dressed man who introduced himself as Earl Garrett.
He had a blatant arrogant attitude towards us, and he spoke while caressing his own moustache. He was slender, and was a man who had a face oozing with an unpleasant impression.
“Children of baron households and above will be treated as prisoners of war. We have no interest in the children of knight households and below. The sa goes for demi-human slaves. Of course, we also don’t need the sailors of this airship.”
While a majority of the people despaired, the students in the advanced class were relieved.
Among them, one of the girls stood up for her exclusive servant.
“W, wait! Spare my exclusive servant. He’s my favorite.”
Garrett replied to the girl with a condescending attitude.
“Then you can go down with your lover. It’s of no concern if we have one or two less hostages.”
The despairing girls closed their mouths and averted their gaze away from their exclusive servants.
Right. People valued their own lives above all else.
I continued being silent. While I was thinking about whether there would be a ruckus once they entered inside to seize everyone──
“──Wha?!”
By the ti I was surprised, it was already too late.
Anjie stepped in front of Garrett.
“What is it, young girl?”
Anjie took a confident attitude despite Garrett looking down on her.
“──I am Anjelica Rafua Redgrave. Do you know about my family’s na?”
Hearing the na of a duke household, Garret’s eyes were wide open, but he then imdiately smiled.
“I would have never thought that the daughter of a duke household would be aboard──the kingdom really is stupid. Letting such an important person go on a trip without guards.”
Garrett opened his arms in delight.
“Excellent! Let show you my respect for your courage in introducing yourself! Now, co here.”
He was going to lead Anjie away.
My foot took one step forward by instinct, but at that mont, I received a strong blow to the back.
I fell down, and was held down by so boys. When I saw the faces of those boys, anger welled up inside .
“Let go! Is this who you really are?!”
Garrett looked at in displeasure while I was pinned down.
“How noisy. Who are you?”
Anjie looked at my face, and then closed her eyes.
“He’s my friend.”
Anjie did not ntion that I was formally a baron and a knight.
“To think that you would have a friend.”
Garrett walked up to and then trampled down on my head. His smile revealed his malicious intent.
My sight was focused up on Garrett.
“What a rebellious attitude. Now, let’s give the kingdom’s nobles their first job. Punish this person. C’mon, hurry up.”
Thereupon, the boys were holding down began exerting violence against .
I resisted, but was suppressed in response.
“Y, you guys!”
“Are you going to make Anjelica’s will go to waste? You should shut up!”
The ones pinning down were Anjie’s followers. As they struck , cuts opened up throughout my mouth, and the taste of blood intensified.
“Even so, you guys are──”
“This is Milady’s decision!”
Upon which, Anjie shouted.
“Stop it already!──Stop.”
Garrett stroked his moustache between his fingers.
“Oh, that’s not the attitude to take when asking sothing. That won’t do for a duke daughter.”
Anjie did this for my sake.
“Please stop. I beg of you.”
Garrett’s mouth warped into the shape of a crescent, like that of the moon, and smiled while speaking loudly.
“Unfortunately, I don’t want to! Well then, you’re coming with . Ah, you people, make sure to beat up that stupid brat thoroughly.”
Garrett then left. All I could was watch as he kidnapped Anjie.
As I was being strongly beaten, my consciousness turned hazy. I reached my hand out, trying to help Anjie, but my arm was trampled on.
Anjie was negotiating with Garrett.
“I alone am enough for a hostage, right? Let the others go.”
Garrett stroked his moustache while dodging the question.
“So you’ll offer yourself if it ans saving the others. I might just cry. Well, let’s take our ti to talk about that matter on the principality’s airship.”
Olivia raised her voice against Anjie being taken away.
“Anjie!”
The surrounding sub-race people pinned her down.
“Anjie, don’t go!”
Olivia was the only one raising a voice.
Anjie turned back and made a firm smile──but her legs were trembling.
“──Livia, thank you.”
After saying that, Anjie was brought to a boat and taken away by the ssenger and his cohorts.
I kicked fiercely and rolled on top of the deck.
When I was pinned down by my abdon, Olivia rushed over and stood up for .
“Leon!”
The boys and the exclusive servants looked down at . How unsightly, they bore too much resentnt.
“Everything could have gone to waste because of you.”
“You piece of trash.”
“Hey, sailors. Toss this guy into a jail cell.”
The sailors surrounded .
──These damn people.
◇
There was an airship designed to be placed on a huge monster.
Anjie, brought to such a strange airship, was surrounded by ard knights.
While being cautious, she t with Princess Hertrude.
“It’s been a while, Anjelica. We had only been in a relationship where we simply exchanged greetings, but eting you again like this feels a bit nostalgic.”
Anjie made a fearless smile.
“Do you really plan to go to war with the national power of a principality? This matter won’t end with just a skirmish.”
The Holfault Kingdom and the Principality of Fanoss. There was a big difference between the two countries.
The Holfault Kingdom had greater strength.
Knowing that, Anjie displayed a sense of leniency. However, she was a bit frantic on the inside.
(Just what kind of goal do these people have? What do they want to do by attacking with a fleet of this degree despite the difference in national power?)
Hertrude smiled towards Anjie.
“Right. There is certainly a disparity in national strength. However, have you not noticed the view outside?”
(So they really plan on using monsters?)
“So you’re accompanied by monsters. Are you going to win against the kingdom with that alone?”
“Yeah, we’ll win. As for why──”
Hertrude was interrupted by a man of nobility who seed to wield authority.
“Your Highness, the matter of dealing with the hostages is more important.”
“Oh right.”
Anjie beca tense. The reason why she introduced herself and stepped forward was to let the luxury liner go.
“So you’ll set them free with my surrender?”
“What a funny thing to say, Anjelica. Did Garrett ever once claim that we would let those people go?”
Anjie closed her eyes in response to what Hertrude said.
(So they’re going to take the baron children and above as hostage, just like they originally planned.)
However──
“Here’s what I think. Perhaps you alone are sufficient for taking hostage.”
When Anjie opened her eyes, she looked at Hertrude’s face in surprise.
“──Wha! Y, you fool! They’re the children of barons and above! Are you thinking about killing them without taking them hostage?!”
The knights turned their swords towards her as she starting making an uproar.
Hertrude spoke indifferently.
“There were only two people who resisted when you were taking away, right? How cruel such spineless people are. They are not worthy of being nobles.”
“W, what are you talking──”
“Anjelica, I will show you everything that is to co. From henceforth, the kingdom shall perish──”
A ssenger headed towards the airship with the academy’s students to send a notice.
◇
There was a prison built within the luxury liner.
After being thrown in there, I sat on the floor with my back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.
Sobbing on the other side of the iron bars was Olivia.
She begged for my release, but it was futile since the students, much less the sailors, strongly opposed it. The students in the academy were being harsher towards than the principality itself.
“Don’t cry anymore.”
“But, Anjie...we couldn’t save Anjie. I can’t even get you out of here, Leon. I’m just pathetic.”
What a detestable, timid person she was──or at least, that’s what I would have thought had this been my forr self. In my forr life, I hated these kinds of characters.
Watching crying won had irritated .
However, wasn’t it powerful when a person cried for soone else?
That was the conclusion I ca to as of this point.
There was more, though.
“You get tattered like that when opposing the unreasonable. Look, your hair’s in a ss, and aren’t so of the buttons on your uniform missing? You get injured when you do sothing others don’t want you to do.”
Olivia acted violently, trying to help .
Due to that, she was restrained──and during that interval, she got into a fight with one of the girls. Her opponent was one of Anjie’s followers.
Olivia, who was the only one opposing her, beca worried when the girl called for her colleagues.
She seed to have said sothing about Anjie, and also about stopping what they were doing towards . Olivia’s pleas for them to stop ended up saving .
She normally wouldn’t fight, and yet she did the impossible for our sake──she really helped out.
I wouldn’t know what would happen if I otherwise had to ask Luxon for help.
“──I’m frustrated at how I can’t do anything.”
“You’ve worked hard. You don’t need to cry anymore.”
Staring at the ceiling, I thought about the future.
What should I do? Bring Olivia along and save Anjie? However, there would be a lot of problems if that happened.
Upon which, I heard the sounds of hurrying footsteps. The footsteps belonged to Chris.
Chris, with a look of grief, ca to the jail cell and spoke to while ignoring Olivia.
“Baltfault──just a while ago, a ssenger from the principality arrived. They said that Anjelica alone was enough for taking hostage, and that we should prepare ourselves. They’ll start attacking in an hour, and so it seems that in the end, we’ll die as nobles.”
It seed the principality didn’t need us.
“And so? What am I supposed to do?”
Chris took off his glasses. He had a face of resolve.
“I want you to lend a hand. It seems that there are six units of armor in this ship. I want you and I to buy so ti until the ship escapes.”
I laughed scornfully.
“──Don’t wanna do that.”
Chris squinted, but didn’t criticize .
“I beg of you to reconsider. We can’t let everyone die here. You can even just guard the airship. I’ll remain behind and buy so ti.”
Stayin behind in this location definitely ant death.
Looking at what was outside, Chris must have known that he wouldn’t win if it was just him.
“Leon.”
Olivia looked at . Her eyes were asking if there was anything I could do.
It was scary how pure and beautiful her eyes were. It was as if she could see through everything, and having my shaful self be examined was embarrassing.
“Don’t look at like that. What are you hoping from ? In the first place, do you think I would help the students who abandoned Anjie? You make laugh. Furthermore, they’ve beaten up. I say let everyone sink.”
Chris unexpectedly agreed while I was badmouthing them.
“Yeah, I know. Perhaps powerless people like us should sink and fall not into the ground, but the sea. However, I still want to ask of you. This is the only way we can have a chance. I beg of you, please help us.”
I slowly got up in front of Chris, who was bowing his head.
“──I refuse.”
Chris looked up in sorrow.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been a nuisance.”
When Chris was about to leave, I stopped him.
One should always hear soone out until the end.
“Idiot. Listen to all of what I have to say. In the first place, there’s probably no way to escape given that we’re surrounded. Even if you stay behind, you’ll be surrounded. It seems you haven’t learned a thing since you’ve last fought .”
Speaking in terms of a strategy ga, we were beginning to be checkmated.
Chris stopped and turned around.
“Then what should we do?! Do you have so kind of plan for a situation like this? If you plan on escaping by yourself, then to hell with you. I’m not giving up.”
How stubborn.
It was sad how much more of a clumsy idiot he was than .
“There’s no point if you’re fighting by yourself. It wouldn’t work either if I was there with you. That being the case, our only option is have everyone involved. The fools who abandoned Anjie should take responsibility. Listen, I’m not so good-natured as to help those who do nothing. Want help? I know that. If people want to live, then everyone has to give it everything they’ve got.”
Chris rejected my opinion.
“That’s impossible. Everyone’s in despair, and they can’t even get up. Besides, in tis like these, the only one I can depend on is you, Baltfault. Do you understand?”
Chris was trying to say “The others won’t be helpful.”
I strongly agreed, but there was no choice other than putting such incompetent people to work.
I brought my face closer to the iron bars. Chris did the sa as well, and our noses nearly touched.
“What we can do is resolve ourselves and break through the front. There’s no other way.”
“The front? You must be stupid.”
“Yeah, I’m stupid. However, I think it’s better than just waiting for death. So, let’s turn the tables and snag a victory. We can grandly break through the encirclent.”
Chris waited for my words while sweat travelled across his cheeks.
“You must protect the ship. Now is the ti to make a display of the swordsmanship you’re so boastful of.”
Chris seed to take offensive and objected.
“I don’t rember boasting.”
“Your speech and conduct go hand in hand with boasting. Show us the results of your efforts. I think that the skills you’ve been building up have led to this day. I don’t plan on dying. You want to live too, right?”
After I said that, Chris hung his head, pondered──then raised his head back up.
“──Right. I want to see Marie’s smile.”
The nerve he had to slip that in at the end.
Were those guys not brainwashed by her?
What was so good about her?
Once Chris opened the jail cell with a key, I got out. I reached my hand towards Olivia, who had been sitting down.
“I’ll need your help.”
“O, okay! I’ll do my best!”
Olivia, getting up and wiping her tears, stiffened her facial expression. It seed she was planning to hold out for the sake of rescuing Anjie.
I definitely preferred her over Marie.
Chris should co to his senses.
While thinking as such, Chris placed a hand over his chest and muttered.
“Marie, I will see your smiling face once more. For that, please lend power.”
In his hand was a charm.
“Is that yours?”
“This? I bought it at the festival. It seems to be called a ‘Charm of War’s Fortune’. Thinking about it now, perhaps it’s a good on.”
It was a small charm of a shield and sword.
I smiled.
It was a suitable item for him to have.
“Yep, it matches well with you. You’ve definitely got the best of luck.”
“I, Is that so? It’s a little embarrassing for you to say that.”
Ew, don’t get embarrassed and blush. I wouldn’t know how to react.
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