Published at 17th of August 2019 9:36 am

Volume 21, Chapter 4: Wriggling

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Saturday, November 6

There were two information pods that came from the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire. The numbers 37 and 82 were engraved on them. That meant that these were pod 37 and 82 from the pods sent. In total 100 pods had been sent, all stuffed with the same information. And of them, two had reached Theia and the others.

The reason for that was because of the distance between Earth and Forthorthe. The two planets were over 10 million light-years apart. One light-year is roughly 10 trillion kilometers, multiplying that by 10 million would give you a countless distance. In comparison, the distance between Earth and the moon is roughly 400,000 kilometers. Even if the pods from Forthorthe were to be sent anywhere within the lunar orbit, the margin of error allowed within their warp was less than 1 in 100 trillion.

Being that accurate with a single warp would be difficult, so having several super-long distance warps was standard. Even if there was an error in margin, there would be no problems. As the warp distance was shortened, the margin of error was decreased, so having more warps was safer.

However, in the case of information pods without people onboard, accuracy and safety on that scale wasn't necessary. Moreover, as only one pod needed to arrive out of the 100 fired, there were less than half of the regular amount of warps. As a result, information reached earth, though it was slower than hyperspace communication, it was far faster than a spaceship.

Knowing those scientific circumstance, the moment Theia saw the numbers engraved in the pods, her expression changed as she realized the urgency of the information. As did Clan, Ruth and Elfaria.

“We can't wait for the entire quarantine period. Ruth, open the pods right away!”

“Yes, I'll send a robot!”

There was no way to tell what was contained in something picked up from space. One couldn't be careless even when dealing with something sent from an ally. That's why washing, sterilizing and quarantine it was normal, but they couldn't wait for that now. So instead, a labor robot would be used to pull out the information inside. This meant that the robot would also need to be washed, sterilized and quarantined, but they didn't have the time to worry about that.

“... Opening the pods”

The two retrieved pods were kept in the arrival and departure deck intended for quarantine. Ruth operated a labor robot to approach one of them and used the extended arm to operate the control panel on the side of it. The pod reacted right away and a small hatch next to the panel was released. Inside the pod was placed on a metallic tray and presented to the labor robot.

“It seems to be paper file and a data chip for computers wrapped in plastic bag”

“So hurry up in other words. Ruth, hurry and read that data chip”

Theia's intuition told her that the data chip and paper file had the same information. If this was vital information, the sender would want it readable no matter what happened, and accounted for various situations. But also because it was urgent. Theia's intuition proved correct as the labor robot connected the data chip to itself.

“The current empress, Elfaria Dana Forthorthe is suspected of having embezzled a formidable sum of public funds. On top of that, she is suspected of having murdered a journalist who―”

“This is... broadcasts and summaries of collected information from the homeworld. The sender is... father!? Woops, the sender is the Pardomshiha and Wenranka alliance”

“So they've finally made their move...”

Theia's expression turned serious as she stared at the delivered information next to Ruth. That expression looked very similar to how she had looked when she first came to room 106.

“Theia, it looks like the time has come to make your resolve”

”Mother, I already have”

Elfaria put her hand on Theia's shoulder, which loosened up her expression a little. However, the light residing within her eyes didn't weaken in the slightest. Theia knew that this was the beginning of the greatest trial placed on her and Elfaria.

The confrontation between Elfaria and the military began more than 20 years ago. The military had a lot of strength even back then and have a tendency of intervening with the government. Elfaria noticed that and made it her policy to call of a disarmament. If she were to become empress, she promised the citizens to keep the military from running amok. Even the powerful military would have no choice but to accept the disarmament if it was backed by public opinion. Regardless of what they did in secret, in the public eye, they had sworn loyalty to the royal family. Sensing that something terrible would happen if they left Elfaria be, they used all methods possible, formal and secretive, to keep Elfaria from ascending the throne. However, she overcome all of their obstructions and became empress. As a result, disarmament became the reality, and the military's power was greatly reduced. While the price Elfaria had to pay was far from small, she had come out victorious.

For a while after that, the military stayed low. However, they took pride in having protected the country for 2,000 years. As the Blue Knight himself had been the one to lead that army, they strongly thought of themselves as the Blue Knight's successors. That's why, he legendary empress Alaia aside, they couldn't endure being played around with by some thoughtless ruler. There, the top brass of the military began building up a strong army that wouldn't be affected by the emperor's quality, and began making moves under the surface. However this was an act divinizing Alaia and assuming all emperors were incompetent, and an excuse for the military to escape from the rule of the emperor. Because they wanted to do as they pleased, they labelled the current empress more incompetent than Alaia to justify their own recklessness. In other words, the military had started a very gradual coup d'état.

Of course there was a reason why the start was so slow.

The first reason was of course because the disarmament influence was large. The watching eyes of the assembly were also doing their job, and a coup d'etat in that situation wouldn't produce the results they desired.

The second reason was because they had learned that making themselves an enemy out of the public opinion would lead to failure. As Elfaria had ascended the throne with overwhelming support from the public, they wouldn't get the public support from a thoughtless coup d'etat. If that happened, a rule under the military would become unstable, and the public would likely revolt under the banner of a surviving royalty. The first thing they had to do was reduce the empress' reputation, and raise their own at the same time. They were well aware of that.

So the first thing they did was to work over the media. They won over people in important positions through bribes, and when that didn't work, they sent in their own men to create false charges or assassinating them and making it look like an accident. By doing that, they gradually gained control of the media, and they began broadcasting information that was convenient for the military.

As the military worked to seize control of the media, they also worked over the government and financial circles. They began their work once the media was roughly 30% under their control, and they used not only bribes, but also the media. Regardless of the truth, the main news media could be used to affect stock prices and they could easily fabricate statements from politicians. Thus, the military slowly but surely increased their influence, and ruled government and financial circles. At that point, their capital started becoming abundant, and they began on producing illegal weapons or increasing their forces where the public couldn't see. That said, they couldn't pull all of that off right away, and it took 20 years after Elfaria's ascension for the top brass to be satisfied.

Of course, Elfaria wasn't just sitting by idly as that happened, she took all kinds of countermeasures. However, using only legal measures to stop someone using illegal means was difficult. And if she were to create laws to oppose them, the media under the military's control would label her as an evil dictator. The military's plans were working out splendidly and Elfaria's movements were gradually being restrained.

Eventually Elfaria felt that she herself was in danger, and sent her daughter, Theia, to Koutarou's side using the trial as an excuse. She then resolved herself to confront the military. However, the result was Elfaria's loss, the media and the government and financial circles were under the military's control and the situation had developed the point where even Elfaria couldn't stop it.

Like that, Elfaria was caught by the military and put under house arrest, but the media reported her as being sick. However, Theia was able to find an opening to save Elfaria and successfully fled to Earth.

Koutarou and the others knew what happened afterwards on Earth. But they didn't know what was going on in Forthorthe right now. That was precisely what was stuffed in that information pod.

As of late, the media had completely stopped reporting on her condition and instead began reporting her crimes. Her charges were embezzlement and murder to conceal her secret. Of course, these charges were concocted by the military. They had created enough evidence to strip Elfaria of her imperial rights and get a guilty verdict on trial.

In the current state, the military's plans were almost fully complete, and Elfaria's popularity was not what it used to be. The public was almost perfectly split on their opinion. However, having come this far, all they needed to do was have the media continue making an uproar. By doing that, they'll eventually sway the minds of the rest. The public opinion would surely lean towards not supporting Elfaria. The military would eventually dispatch a fleet to capture Elfaria. The politicians under military control had already approved of this without deliberation.

The pretext for the fleet dispatch was to bring Elfaria to trial, but the top brass of the military were secretly hoping that she would resist. If she resisted, they could attack and kill her without hesitation. Of course, even if she didn't, they would kill her anyways and produce some evidence to show that she did resist.

Part 2

The information in the pod was explained in detail by Elfaria herself. As expected from an empress, her explanation was easy to understand. As a result, it was clear how serious of situation it was, which is why the moment Elfaria stopped speaking, Koutarou let out a sigh.

“Haah... looks like the situation is worse than I thought, Elle”

Koutarou's senses told him that, Elfaria was, using chess terms, in check. Elfaria would be finished by the military's next move.

“But you don't seem to be that worried, Reios-sama”

“Knowing you, you already have something planned, don't you?”

”There's no need for me to follow the rules they've set up after all”

Elfaria flashed a small smile, and affirmed Koutarou's word in an indirect fashion, and she shifted her glance over to Kiriha who was listening in next to Koutarou.

“Wouldn't Kiriha-san already have figured it out?”

”Is that true, Kiriha-san?”

“Yes... if the guard on the information was so hard, it might be best to pretend like she's fallen for the trap”

”That's correct, Kiriha-san”

Elfaria showed a satisfied smile. Her question was a small test to measure Kiriha's abilities, but she lived up to her expectations.

“So what, did you get captured on purpose to get them to show their true colors!?”

”Yes, that's right”

By the time Elfaria noticed the military's movements under the surface, they had gathered quite a bit of influence. Moreover, their control of information was perfect, the less vital information aside, the core information was already out of reach. The people with truly vital information weren't just bribed but their family was also threatened.

Elfaria tried various things, but she felt like she was hitting a dead end, so she went with a big bet. Using herself as a decoy she would rip a hole in the military's information control.

Many moves are made while taking the opponents reactions into account. However, it was hard to take the reaction of the reaction into account. In other words, Elfaria bet on being able to tear apart the military's perfect information control by dangling the large bait of her own freedom and creating a dissonance within the military.

So Elfaria let herself get captured by the military. If they had chosen to use rougher methods, she most likely would have been killed. However, as they hadn't expected to be able to catch her this quickly, the military still hadn't decided what to do. As all kinds of factions were intertwined, they decided to threaten her first. Moreover they began to fight between each other over who the credit belonged to, and other things that normally never happened occurred one after another. When it came to the new problems, the military's information control was too lackluster, and the Elfaria faction was able to gather a lot of information. Theia coming to save Elfaria was thanks to such information.

After that, they brought the people that allied with Elfaria back to Earth. During that time, the military was busy preparing evidence for Elfaria's false charges, but the Elfaria faction people that chose to remain in Forthorthe used that time for various purposes. They used the information they got their hands on when Elfaria was captured to close in on the military conspiracy.

“I knew you were someone who wouldn't take a loss sitting down... but to think you'd go that far”

”It was partly thanks to the military moving as I had expected, but also because Theia and Ruth have grown to become more reliable than I expected”

During their escape from Forthorthe, Theia's and Ruth's battle with the Blue Knight had been a major influence on the outcome. Though there was a plan for escape, the reason it went so smooth was thanks to their exploits.

“Mother...”

”Your words are wasted on me”

Theia and Ruth stood shoulder to shoulder, wiping away their tears as they smiled proudly. However, Koutarou wasn't smiling.

“Elle, don't even think about doing something like that again”

“I know. I'm sure they won't let me escape that easily next time”

”That's not what I'm talking about... I'm saying that because you... no, Elle-chama is Theia-chan's mother”

“Reios-sama...”

Elfaria's eyes were wide open hearing those unexpected words come from Koutarou's mouth. However, she soon let out a small breath and smiled wryly.

“Fufu, if you're going to bring that reason up, I have no choice but to obey, Reios-sama”

Elfaria had made Theia and Ruth worry, and Koutarou wouldn't let her do it again. He was indirectly telling her to be a proper mother.

“As long as you get it. So what will you do now?”

”The military will dispatch a fleet to capture me. We will leave Earth before they arrive and return to Forthorthe”

“Are you sure it will be okay to return now?”

”If we can come into contact with our allies there, we should be safe. It looks like it was worth risking myself, as they seem to have examined the true enemy”

Amongst the information gained when Elfaria used herself as decoy, the most important one was the information leading to the actual leaders of the quiet coup d'etat. Revealing that information now would just let the media erase it, but since they knew the face and name, they could gather even more clear evidence. If Elfaria presented that evidence herself, the conspiracy could be seen by anyone. The time for Elfaria to return to her home country had finally come.

“In regards, I sadly have to praise you”

”Thank you very much. But please be at ease, I won't do it anymore”

”That's good... So, who are we dealing with?”

“The members in the center are these two”

Elfaria pulled out a hologram of two old men from the information in the pod.

“Wha―”

When he saw the two, Koutarou instinctively held his breath. Even though it was supposed to be a face he saw for the first time, it looked familiar.

“Satomi-kun, could those two be...”

”It can't be!?”

Koutarou wasn't the only one however, as Harumi and Clan did the same. The two men from the hologram looked exactly like people they had met 2,000 years in the past Forthorthe. They were two that Koutarou and the others were deeply connected to and could never forget.

“You'll stand in the way of the royal family once more, huh, Maxfern... and Grevanas...”

The prime minister Maxfern, and his trusted subordinate, the head of the court magicians, Grevanas. While the two on the hologram had different haircuts and hair color, they looked exactly like Maxfern and Grevanas.

“Is this that synchronicity that Clan was talking about as well...?”

Seeing a face familiar to an old enemy, Koutarou's expression turned stern and the sharpness of his glance increased. Koutarou was regaining his senses from 2,000 years ago. The senses of the legendary hero, the Blue Knight.

“... Or maybe it was our destiny to fight here... we couldn't finish it back then after all...”

The girls of room 106 and Elexis looked very similar to people from the past world. And there were people that corresponded to Maxfern and Grevanas. And the fight back then hadn't been settled as the two were blown away to a different time. That's why Koutarou believed that this was what fate had decided for him, knowing that the two were completely different people who just happened to look the same.

“The leader of the Bandarion band of knights, Lord Marswell Dayora Bandarion. And a high ranking military official who is also the Director-General of military affairs, and Director-General of the science and technology agency, Granado Valkyris. These two have run out of control and are controlling the military”

The man who looked like Maxfern was Lord Bandarion and the man who looked like Grevanas was Director-General Granado. Ironically, the two had gotten their positions because of Elfaria's disarmament.

The past military leaders had tried to escape the royalty's rule, but were removed from their positions during Elfaria's disarmament. Instead, Lord Bandarion and Director-General Granado were among those who succeeded the past leaders.

The two were cooperating with Elfaria on the surface, while under the surface they were concentrating power against her. As a result, they rapidly rose in the ranks while becoming leaders in the anti-Elfaria faction. The Elfaria faction didn't notice the two's ambition until they had already obtained a large amount of power.

“... 2,000 years have passed and you've even become a knight like you've wanted, and you still don't understand anything, Maxfern...”

In the past, Maxfern had been unable to use Signaltin which he had sought for so many years, and he had gone mad. The reason for that was because he was not a knight. Now 2,000 years had passed and a man that looked just like Maxfern stood before them as a knight. However, he wouldn't be able to make Signaltin glow either. While he had the title of a knight, he didn't have the heart of one. Koutarou couldn't help but feel sad.

“Koutarou, we will be returning to Forthorthe and punish these insolent fools”

The masterminds were revealed. All that was left was to secretly gather evidence, and expose the conspiracy. Their media control wasn't complete, if they could get a hold of evidence that nobody could deny, they should be able to sway the public opinion back in their favor. If they did that, then Elfaria could boldly punish Bandarion and the others. The time of waiting was over, as Theia said, now was the time for their counterattack.

“If they would create a good government, that would be one thing, but they sure don't look like they are. We have to protect Forthorthe”

“Okay. I'm going with you”

“Are you sure? You might have some Forthorthian blood, but this isn't directly related to you”

Theia timidly looked up at Koutarou and asked him with a trembling voice. She wanted Koutarou to come, however at the same time she wanted him to be at the safest place possible. He was the one she could rely on the most, but also the one she didn't want to see hurt the most. That's why Theia couldn't help but feel bad regardless of how he answered.

“Of course I'm related. I'm your knight you know”

“Koutarou...”

Tears began forming in Theia's large eyes. She truly felt bad, but at the same time she felt several times happier to hear Koutarou declare himself as her knight.

“Besides, this is a continuation of something I brought about. I have to go and settle it”

Elexis had returned to Forthorthe with the People of the Earth's spiritual energy technology and Folsaria's magic. His goals were unknown, but it was hard to believe that he wouldn't do anything. Because Koutarou's action had created the People of the Earth and the magical kingdom of Folsaria, stopping Elexis was his duty.

“So just take me with you like it's natural. You have that right”

”Yeah, you're right. You're absolutely right”

Theia wiped away her tears, but they wouldn't stop flowing. So she gave up on wiping them away and proudly puffed up her chest.

“Satomi Koutarou, please lend me your strength. Us alone won't be enough to protect Forthorthe from these fools”

”You only have to order me”

”I have no need to do that, right?”

”... As you wish, My Princess”

In the past, Theia had given Koutarou a single order. A simple order, to live as he pleased. As long as Koutarou was himself, he would have something he would want to protect. That something was what brought him back from the past to the present. On top of that, the desires of the people of the past were added on top of his own. Koutarou would protect that no matter what happened. Theia simply believed in that.

“If Koutarou is going, I'm going too!”

“I will go too. I am in your debt, and you'll need an expert on spiritual energy technology”

“There is a chance that Darkness Rainbow will use their magic for evil, so I will go too”

“Me too. I have to stop Maya-sama, and I can't let Satomi-kun go alone...”

“In that case, let's just all go and settle this. I'm sure Uncle will lend his strength to protect Forthorthe”

”Of course. It's Alaia-dono's country after all”

Like Koutarou, the other girls offered their help. Their reason for wanting to help Theia was the same as Koutarou's. They wanted to do as they pleased and protect what they wanted. They would repay their debt. Though they had gathered and fought her for various reasons, their feelings were the same now.

“Thank you, everyone. However, this will become a fight fiercer than ever before. There is no telling how dangerous it will be. There's no guarantee that you will return alive. Will you still go even then?”

If they headed to Forthorthe alongside Theia, they would without a doubt face a battle more intense than the battle against the People of the Earth's radical faction, and the battle against Darkness Rainbow. After all, the enemy this time was the military of a vast empire with influence over half a galaxy. Theia couldn't say that she would win, and there was no guarantee she would survive. Theia had told Kiriha and Yurika that she would like them to help when she required it too, but when that time had finally come, she felt bad to make the girls resolve themselves to it.

“Why are both of you leaving me out of this, Theiamillis-san, Bertorion? I also protected the world 2,000 years ago you know?”

”Theiamillis-san, sadly your Blue Knight is only a boy who's a little stronger than normal when he's on his own”

However, the girls saw this as all of their problem. Moreover, the legendary hero that Theia relied on wasn't all that strong on his own. The chances of everyone coming out unscathed become much higher with all of them together. If there would be a problem if someone was missing, they'd just all have to go.

“Looks like she hit a sore spot, Theia”

Koutarou smiled wryly and dropped his shoulders. The truth was exactly what Clan and Harumi said. Without the girls strength, Koutarou wouldn't have been able to save the past Forthorthe. On his own, he was just a normal boy who could handle a sword. So knowing that the dangerous situation would go on for a while, Koutarou couldn't tell the girls not to come. If they weren't around, he would be the one in the way.

“Indeed, how troublesome”

Theia had called it troublesome, but she didn't look very troubled. She was overwhelmingly happy to know that the girls would help, well aware of the dangers.

“Your Highness, let us rely on everyone's strength”

“Ruth is right, Theia. You need as many allies as you can get”

“Yes... everyone, please lend me your strength. It doesn't have to be for the sake of Forthorthe. It can be to reclaim our peaceful everyday life...”

In the end, Theia decided on bringing everyone with her. While it was something very painful, she was very happy at the same time. She had so many people she could rely on now. That fact gave Theia courage, and she resolved herself to fight until the very end.

Part 3

The story goes back by about a week, when a fleet was about to be dispatched from Forthorthe's capital, Fornorn, to capture Elfaria and Theia.

The fleet was a portion of the main forces of the imperial army, but it wasn't all that big. In total there were six ships. One space carrier that served as the flagship, one defensive ship that would protect it, one battleship and two destroyers in charge of directly attacking, and finally a large supply ship that wouldn't take part in battle. The total fleet didn't even amount to 1% of the total forces, but it was a very orthodox composition with no openings. Moreover, in terms of combat capabilities it was more than enough. Even against a royal-class battleship, they had enough firepower to destroy it right away. That's why the two men watching the fleet dispatch were convinced that they would complete their mission or come out victorious in battle.

“This time has finally come... it's finally here, Granado”

“It's taken a long time. It's been almost 40 years since we first met”

Lord Bandarion and Director-General Granado had known each other for a long time. Their first meeting dated back to when they were still students. A knight and a commoner, at first they were estranged due to their difference in position. However, they eventually noticed that they worried about the same thing, and a friendship developed. They were irritated that the world evaluated their abilities lower than what it was.

“It's already been that long since we swore to stand at the top of Forthorthe together, huh”

“Hahaha, we've both started getting white streaks in our hair”

Lord Bandarion's family was a splintered family with a short history, compared to the Melcemhein family which they broke free from. Because of that, the Bandarion family had little influence. In that case, all he needed to do was to raise his reputation through his deeds, but Forthorthe was already stable, so battles around the Bandarion family's territory wouldn't just conveniently occur. At that rate, he wouldn't be able to overcome the fate he word born from, and while he was feeling very bitter about it, he unexpectedly ended up in a good position because of Elfaria's disarmament. Lord Bandarion's ambition was to use this chance to climb to the very top.

“Ironically enough, it only took this few years thanks to that little brat”

“Indeed... normally it would have taken more time to get on the fast track to the top on your own strength”

Director-General Granado had similar circumstances. He was a well versed scientist but he wasn't getting the reputation he deserved. The reason for that was because his research was mostly around weapons, but he believed the true reason was because of the low status he was born with. The royalty from the Schweiger family and the nobles with ample funds had brilliant careers in the scientific world after all. And like Lord Bandarion, he too found himself in a good position after Elfaria's disarmament. So it was only natural for him to sympathize with Lord Bandarion.

The ambitions the two had were deeply rooted. However, they both had the calmness and prudence to restrain their ambition. That too was similar to Maxfern and Grevanas.

“If that were the case, we might have still been working our way up”

”How frightening. If that were the case, our lifespan would have been our greatest enemy”

“Indeed. We should be grateful for that little brat”

The two were standing on the balcony of the palace that no longer had its master inside, looking up at the six ships flying upwards. These two were the masters of the palace now, and the ships were flying under their orders. On the surface they were a holy knight serving as a general, and the head of the military's scientific department, but their rule secretly reached all of Forthorthe. If the dispatched fleet complete their mission, they would move to gain power in the public eye. The decades long coup d'etat that they had been working on was finally reaching the final stretch.

“In this country's long history, there have been several who have challenged the royal families of Forthorthe, but... not a single one has succeeded. Us two will be the first ones, Granado”

”I can't wait for the day that you sit down on that throne, Bandarion-sama. It's just a little longer... now that it's so close, I can feel the passion I had in my youth revive”

“It's still too early to get old, Granado, if you'd like, you may take that throne”

“You jest”

“I am not. We share the same fate, it doesn't matter which one of us sits on that throne. What we want is our victory after all”

“... Those words alone are enough for me. I want to see you take your place on the throne, Bandarion-sama”

”Then you may watch me seizing control of the galaxy from the VIP seat!”

“... As you wish, My Lord”

With pride filling his heart, Granado respectfully bowed before the lord he chose himself. Bandarion hadn't changed since the past. He was full of pride and strength, and Granado felt that his choice several decades ago hadn't been a mistake.

The fleet's boosters let out a powerful sound and trail, and the bond between the two watching the departing fleet was just as strong. The bond between the two was likely stronger than that of Maxfern and Grevanas. That would surely prove to become a big weapon for them, and it would surely be a lot tougher for this era's princess and Blue Knight to come out victorious against them than Maxfern and Grevanas.

Part 4

At the same time, Maya and Elexis were also watching the departing fleet. They were also in the capital of Fornorn. They were stood at the top floor of DKI's headquarters.

“The military sure are stupid. There's no way they'd win with a force that small”

”It can't be helped. They don't know of the existence of Koutarou-kun and the others, and the Hazy Moon. If they weren't taken into account, this number is more than enough. It's not like they're incompetent, their opponent is just too unreasonable”

“After all, there are more than you attacked with”

“Hahaha, how harsh, Maya. But you're right. If I'm not incompetent, then neither are they. If anything, they are proceeding even more cautiously than I am”

”But there's always the chance of you being incompetent”

”Being aware of that is painful”

Elexis laughed as he took the full brunt of his partner's harsh words. When it came down to it, Maya was correct, as Elexis had underestimated Koutarou and the others and lost. It was certainly possible that he was incompetent.

“But I am the kind of man a woman like you would choose as a partner. I have confidence in myself”

“I just pray I didn't draw the short straw”

”... You certainly never praise me easily”

“But of course. There's countless people that would praise you, right?”

”That's why I like you”

”... You sure are a strange man...”

Elexis knew that Maya's words were a sign of trust. She showered flattery over those she only sought to use. So her not doing that was a sign of her trust in her partner. As he managed a large enterprise, he was grateful for that and it was one of the reasons he wouldn't part with Maya.

Maya felt similar to Elexis. To her, it was normal to use others and then discard them, but she found herself unable to do so with Elexis. While it was partially because she had no replacement for him, she also felt good from Elexis trusting her. They were most likely making up for what they were missing.

“Well, at this rate, that fleet will likely be destroyed by the Blue Knight and the Hazy Moon”

The military was unaware of the Blue Knight's true specs when Koutarou was controlling it, and they also didn't know about Clan's Hazy Moon. So the moment they attempted an attack from the front, they would get ambushed by the Hazy Moon and the Blue Knight would sweep in to clean them up.

“... Stupid, can't you just enjoy this atmosphere some more? Geez, this is why men are...”

”Hm? What's the matter?”

“No, it's nothing. So what are you going to do?”

”I was thinking of putting the military in my debt. I was thinking of teaching them a means to attack more effective than a fleet battle”

Elexis was neither an ally of the military nor the royal families. Since he would seize power in the end, he didn't care who won, but in order to secure a foothold for the future, making the military an ally would be effective.

“So you'll put them in debt by selling of information you don't need, huh”

”I'm originally a trade professional after all”

So for starters, Elexis was going to pick out some information on Koutarou and the others that no longer had much value to Elexis and the others, to sell to the military and earn a favor.

“I better be careful and avoid getting some trash pawned off to me as well”

“At the moment, I believe I'm the one buying off of you”

“I wonder”

Maya was actually liking Elexis' idea, but in contrast to her feelings, she spoke with dislike. Maya felt that her acting that way was strange, but at the same time believed it was fine that way. However, it would be a while longer until she realized that this was her relying on Elexis.

“Now then...”

”What is it?”

With the discussion reaching a pause, Elexis stood up from his seat and approached the antique shelf on the wall. He opened a glass door and peeked inside before pulling out a bottle and two glasses. Both the bottle and the glasses were very luxurious.

“It's nothing, I was just thinking I'd treat you to some Forthorthe alcohol”

“You're planning on charging me after I've taken a sip, aren't you”

”No... I was thinking of enjoying the atmosphere some more”

”Stupid!”

”You don't want any?”

“Just shut up and hand it over!”

”Okay, okay”

Elexis approached Maya with bottle and glasses in hand. She had become his partner due to a bizarre twist of fate. However what was even more bizarre was that Elexis liked Maya. Maya was a type of woman he hadn't seen before, and she would often make him recognize a side of himself hadn't noticed before. The same was true even now as he realized that he wanted to spend more time with Maya, and decided to do just that.

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