Published at 23rd of August 2019 12:04 am

Volume 25, Chapter 4: Decision

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Thursday, December 9th

Following the conference with Elexis, Koutarou and Maki did indeed safely return to the Cradle as promised. The other girls were overjoyed at their arrival and made quite a scene over it, but the two people they were so relieved and excited to see didn’t seem to share in the mood. Maki stayed silent, and Koutarou locked himself away in one of the cabins the moment he returned to think things through.

“To think Elexis was plotting something like this...”

Koutarou sat down in a chair in the cabin and held his head in anguish. He didn’t know what to think of Elexis’s proposal. He of course needed to

consult with Elfaria and Kiriha, but he wanted to figure out how he himself wanted to handle the situation before proceeding. Unfortunately, however, that answer wouldn’t be easy to come by.

Whatever Elexis said, knowing how shrewd he is, it’s probably safe to

assume that there’s a decent chance he’s going to succeed...

A temporary ceasefire until they could strip Vandarion of his power. That was well enough, but considering Elexis had been the one to propose it, he undoubtedly had plans beyond that. And if he had that kind of strategic edge over them this early in the game, the chances of success for Koutarou and the others might actually be lower this way than if they continued fighting against Vandarion as they were.

But for the good of the citizens of Forthorthe, we should accept the

proposal...

If the war continued, it would demand the highest toll from the citizenry. Koutarou was well aware of that reality. Vandarion’s cruelty knew no bounds. That’s why if they could put a stop to his rampage, the lives of the citizens should take priority over reinstating Elfaria. Prizing the lives of the people was the oath the royal families had sworn since Princess Alaia’s time. From that point of view, there was something to gain from fighting this out politically rather than literally, even if it put the Reborn Forthorthian Army at a disadvantage.

Moreover, even if Elexis were to seize authority in the end, there was no reason to believe the country would be worse off. Things may end up quite different from the way they had been, but there was no contest between Elexis and Vandarion. In that sense, the overall risk was far lower. Koutarou was starting to think that it wasn’t such a terrible deal, just as Elexis had said.

I have my own set of problems too. If Sakuraba-senpai annuls her contract with Signaltin, I’ll lose a lot of my power. Could I even continue fighting then?

If they were to reject Elexis’s proposal, the most dangerous scenario was Koutarou being killed. Koutarou’s reputation right now was a considerable obstacle for both Vandarion and Elexis, which meant they would actively be trying to kill him at any given time. Battles like the one at the hotel

would only become more frequent, and Koutarou knew they would be harder and harder to survive without the help of Signaltin. While he might be able to make do in the short term, the long term prospects were grim. And when he finally did fall, his death would knock a pillar of support and morale out from under the Reborn Forthorthian Army. Vandarion would prey on that weakness.

“But even so, I still don’t want to just hand Forthorthe over to him...”

The same worry that had plagued Alaia during the harvest festival two thousand years ago was now brewing in Koutarou’s heart. In terms of rationality, he knew it was wrong for Elfaria and Theia to be chased off the throne when they’d done nothing wrong. On top of that, Vandarion should be properly defeated no matter what the risks were. But above all else, the lives of the citizens needed to be protected even if it meant overlooking what cold reason might indicate was the correct course of action. That was what Alaia had believed. That was the principle that had guided her actions. Koutarou knew that. He knew that maybe he should abide by the same principle, but he also didn’t want the country that Alaia and the royal families had protected for over two thousand years to fall into the hands of those who would destroy it. He just couldn’t accept that idea.

“What should I do...?”

Koutarou was torn. Protecting the nation. Protecting its people. Protecting what was important to him. Protecting his ideals. It was an impossible decision. Koutarou had unwittingly become Forthorthe’s hero, but right now the pressure that put on him felt like a thorn in his side.

“What do I have to do to get this all to work out...?”

As Koutarou was racking his brain all alone...

Beep!

“Master!”

The communications device on the wall of the cabin suddenly activated and projected a hologram of Ruth. While she was normally quite mild, both her expression and tone seemed agitated. The reason quickly made itself apparent.

“Harumi-sama has woken up! She says she wants to speak with you directly!”

“What?!”

Hearing what Ruth said, Koutarou stood up so fast that the chair he was sitting in kicked backward. He then dashed out the cabin and headed for the bridge so he could hear the details in person. Despite his turmoil a moment ago, Elexis was the last thing on his mind now.

While Koutarou and the others were away, Elfaria was in charge of taking care of Harumi. Elfaria herself had insisted on it. If Harumi was the reincarnation of Alaia, then as a member of the Mastir family, she refused to leave her care to anyone else. That’s why the initial report of Harumi waking up had come from Elfaria. Apparently upon waking, Harumi’s hair was glowing silver, and she specifically requested that Elfaria call for Koutarou.

Making his way back to base on Blue Knight, Koutarou headed straight for Harumi’s hospital room. Knowing Harumi had collapsed because he put too much strain on her, Koutarou wanted to confirm for himself that she was okay as soon as possible.

Knock knock!

“Sakuraba-senpai!”

Koutarou opened the door in a hurry without even waiting for a response after knocking. The sliding door flew open with such force that it bounced against the frame and nearly slid shut again. Koutarou jumped into the room and closed the door all the way behind him.

“Welcome, Satomi-kun.”

Sitting up on the bed against the far wall of the hospital room was Harumi with glowing silver hair and clear eyes, smiling calmly and gently like normal. The moment he saw her like that, Koutarou almost fell down on the spot overwhelmed with relief. But his urge to truly make sure she was okay kept him on his feet, albeit just barely, as he approached the bed.

“Senpai, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. This is nothing. You’ve always been such a worrywart, Koutarou-sama.”

“...Senpai?”

“Yes?”

Something about the way Harumi was talking threw Koutarou off. She usually called him "Satomi-kun." If she was calling him "Koutarou-sama," then...

“It seems Her Highness is present again,” said Koutarou, assessing the situation.

“So it does. I can’t really tell myself.”

Her silver hair fluttered and she smiled, both like Harumi and like Alaia. She could no longer distinguish the two.

“Neither can I,” he admitted.

“What a strange feeling. A dream I thought was impossible has really come true,” she replied in a soft voice.

“Do you mean wanting to become Her Majesty Alaia? Or do you mean wanting to become a normal girl?”

“Oh, Satomi-kun... Heehee, there’s no getting anything past you, Koutarou-sama... I think it’s both. We were both envious of what the other had.”

Chink.

Harumi reached for Signaltin, which was propped up against the bed.

“And now... we have fulfilled both those wishes. I am your princess and, at the same time, I’m a normal girl. There’s nothing more blissful than this.” Harumi presented the sword to Koutarou. “So please take this. This is what Harumi and Alaia both want.”

In order for Harumi to stand at Koutarou’s side as a knight, she needed Alaia. And in order for Alaia to live as a normal girl, she needed Harumi. Both girls wanted to protect Koutarou, no matter what the cost was. That

wish had remained unchanged even with the passage of two thousand years.

“I can’t accept that. You should know why.”

However, Koutarou shook his head. Signaltin had half of her life inside of it. If he continued fighting, it would only put more strain on her and she’d likely collapse again. There was no guarantee she would wake up a second time. And the more strain he put on her, the darker those odds grew.

“Please release your contract with the sword! At this rate, something terrible is going to happen!” Koutarou pleaded.

“I don’t care what happens to me, Satomi-kun. You’re what’s important,” she replied with a smile.

“That can’t be true!”

“But it is. Even if I were to lose my life, as long as you carry that sword, I will be reincarnated and find my way to you as many times as it takes, Koutarou-sama.”

Unlike two thousand years ago, Alaia was no longer shouldering Forthorthe. She could do what she wanted now, including sacrificing her life to protect the man she loved.

“Stop messing around!”

It was the first time Koutarou had ever been angry at Harumi or Alaia. What she had was something he simply couldn’t accept, and it pushed him over the edge.

“Do you understand how those of us you’d leave behind would feel?! What are we supposed to tell Sakuraba-senpai’s family?! How about the drama club, your classmates, and all of the other people that will be sad if you don’t come home?!”

Koutarou just couldn’t believe her short-sightedness. She hadn’t thought of the people left behind on Earth. There were people waiting for Sakuraba Harumi, and he wanted her to remember that.

“You’re the one that doesn’t understand, Satomi-kun. Can you imagine how Theiamillis-san, Clan-san, Ruth-san, Sanae-san, Kiriha-san, Yurika- san, Maki-san, or Shizuka-san would feel... if you were to die?”

The girls all had a special connection with each other, and they each knew how the others felt in that regard. Every last one of them was willing to lay down their life for Koutarou. So if Koutarou died, each one of them would be left with the insidious question of why it hadn’t been them instead.

Those nine girls would be lost to the grief, the guilt, and the despair of their loss.

“That doesn’t mean that you can just sacrifice yourself!”

“It’s not like I want to die. I love Koutarou-sama and everyone else... my parents and everyone at school...”

“Then―”

“I don’t know what path you will take forging ahead. However, no matter the path, you will run into trouble at some point, and I want to be the one to face that trouble first. I will always return to your side with the sword’s guidance.”

Despite what Koutarou was angry about, Alaia within Harumi understood the situation perfectly. If Koutarou were to stop using Signaltin, it would put him in a tight spot. That would eventually come to a head, and rather than having someone lose their life over it, Koutarou using Signaltin to prevent that was the better option. While Harumi would be reincarnated, Koutarou and the other girls didn’t have that power.

If the fighting continues, Sakuraba-senpai will die...

Harumi’s intentions were pure, and she was right. The reality of it was all too cruel. And that being the case, Harumi likely wouldn’t revoke the contract with Signaltin. That way the protective magic would continue to work even if he didn’t actively use it, and Harumi could continue using magic. With that future ahead of them, Koutarou was certain that if the war continued, it meant that Harumi was going to die.

Once Koutarou was done talking with Harumi, he took Kiriha and Clan with him to visit Elfaria’s room. He wanted to consult with the three of them on how to proceed. After speaking with Harumi, Koutarou had mostly made up his mind. The meeting with Elfaria, Kiriha, and Clan was to realistically discuss how to go about things.

“So you finally feel like speaking with us, huh?” Clan started.

“Sorry, but with things being the way they were...” Koutarou half mumbled.

“...It must have been quite the conference.”

Clan was teasing Koutarou at first, but the look on his face was a special one she had seen several times in the past. And seeing it now, she knew what it meant. Clan now prepared herself to hear to what he had to say.

She was no longer just some sheltered princess.

“Did you make your decision?” Kiriha asked.

“Kiriha-san...” Koutarou looked a little surprised. “You know what Elexis asked me?”

“Roughly, yes. There aren’t many topics that would warrant calling just you in for a covert conference. And out of those, there are even fewer that would give you such pause.”

Kiriha revealed what she had put together on her own. She had a rough idea of what Elexis had wanted to talk about, and she had silently waited for Koutarou to make his decision on the matter.

“So Layous-sama, what did Elexis say specifically?”

Elfaria had come to a similar conclusion. While she didn’t have much information on Elexis, she had her experience as a politician working for her.

“Elexis asked me to switch sides.”

“Seriously?!” Clan nearly shouted.

Because Kiriha and Elfaria had already put some of the pieces together, she was the only one surprised when Koutarou finally revealed why Elexis wanted to meet.

“Yeah,” Koutarou confirmed.

“I see... But changing sides would mean working with Vandarion, so you of course refused, didn’t you?”

While she was surprised, Clan didn’t suspect for a moment that Koutarou would betray the royal families. She quickly recollected herself and urged Koutarou to continue.

“I was ready and willing to, but then Elexis said something unbelievable...”

Listening quietly to what he said, Kiriha and Elfaria both looked him straight in the eyes. They had expected pretty much everything up until this point, but the rest of it was up in the air. This was the part of the story they’d really wanted to hear.

“He told me he wants me to help because he wants to break away from Vandarion and strike out on his own. Or more specifically, he wants my influence in order to do that.”

“That makes sense. The citizens of Forthorthe are starting to see you as the Blue Knight. If he wants to start something new now, he’d love to have you as the figurehead,” mused Kiriha.

“If I were to use your title, it would be interpreted as me trying to exploit the legend for my own gain. But there’s a much lower risk of that accusation if an unrelated third party has you on their side. Of course he’d try and make use of that,” explained Elfaria.

“So Veltlion, what exactly is that man trying to pull?” Clan asked.

“He wants to hold a royal family meeting and appoint a regent empress. And he wants me to support this regent.”

“Aha, so that’s why he’s after your title!”

Clan finally got her head around what was really going on, and she now understood what Koutarou was concerned about. He could protect the citizenry while technically not betraying the royal families, but it would mean a heavy compromise.

“And I suppose he proposed a temporary ceasefire until Vandarion is stripped of his current power,” said Kiriha.

“Yeah. From there, we’d aim to reinstate Elle while they try and put the regent empress on the throne for good.”

“So we’d be moving from war to a political battle... Honestly, this will probably hamper my chances of being reinstated compared to our odds of victory if we keep fighting,” Elfaria contemplated aloud.

“I was thinking that too,” responded Koutarou. “They wouldn’t propose a plan like this if it wasn’t advantageous for them, but at the same time, working with them will mean far less bloodshed. Not to mention that even in the worst case scenario, losing to Elexis sounds a lot better than losing to Vandarion.”

“How problematic...” Clan said as she rubbed her chin. “If we take the logical step towards victory, we will pay the price for it in blood. But if we do what we have to in order to save those lives, we risk compromising our objective of reinstating Elfaria. And without Elfaria on the throne, Elexis will eventually end the imperial government itself...”

“So we are forced to choose between the lives of the Forthorthian people today, or the beliefs and sacrifices of the Forthorthian people two thousand years ago...” said Elfaria in a somber voice.

That was the very core of the problem. Would they demand sacrifice from the citizens alive today, or would the render the countless sacrifices made to protect Forthorthe in the past pointless? Either way felt wrong.

“Making this decision even more difficult problem is the problem with Signaltin,” added Koutarou.

“Ah...”

Clan’s eyes opened wide. She had overlooked that aspect.

“Vandarion’s attacks are already becoming more and more fierce. If we continue fighting, the strain on Sakuraba-senpai will only increase. If this keeps up, then...”

Koutarou couldn’t bring himself to say the rest out loud, but everyone knew what he meant. Harumi would die. The battles ahead of them would be even harsher. Harumi’s condition worsening after they went to war was one thing, but the risk now that it was happening in the middle of said war was immeasurable. In that sense, they all wished a little that they had gone into this fight without relying on the power of Signaltin.

“And if we were to fight without Signaltin now, our chances of success would be greatly affected,” Kiriha said. She picked up where Koutarou left off, but she didn’t dare bring up what even Koutarou hadn’t been able to say. “After all, they enemy is continually targeting Koutarou, and

Koutarou wielding Signaltin in this fight is an important symbol to the citizens.”

The people of Forthorthe were beginning to see Koutarou as the Blue Knight, and that alone was increasing the support that the Reborn Forthorthian Army was getting. That’s why Vandarion was aiming for a low blow to their public image by killing off Koutarou. If the Blue Knight fell, the people would inevitably think that he hadn’t really been the Blue Knight after all. Vandarion could use that to his advantage.

“Without Signaltin, even we were to win, there would be more casualties. And we probably wouldn’t come out unscathed either. Some of our own might...” Kiriha continued.

Even if Koutarou survived, without being able to use Signaltin, their overall chances of victory were much lower and there would undoubtedly be more casualties. If the Type One Revised made a reappearance, for example, the battle would be far bloodier without the power of the sword. But Kiriha was right. Part of it was a matter of image. The people of Forthorthe were expecting a graceful victory from Koutarou with Signaltin in hand. If he floundered, especially without the sword, the people would begin to lose their faith in him. And without the support of the people, the Reborn Forthorthian Army would take severe losses in the long run, even if they won the war.

“The worst situation would be fighting and losing without Signaltin... I don’t even want to think about the scale of the casualties...” Clan mumbled.

The absolute worst case scenario was to immediately stop using Signaltin and then ending up unable to defeat Vandarion. It would mean an inconceivably high death toll, and then to make matters worse, Vandarion would seize control of the country. It was easy to imagine what kind of future would await them then, but there wasn’t anyone present that wanted to entertain the thought.

Either way, there would be casualties. That was the kind of trouble ahead of them that Harumi had talked about. The mere thought of it was weighty, not too dissimilar from the silence that descended on the room. It was minutes before anyone said another word.

“So what do you want to do, Koutarou?” Kiriha finally asked.

“Well...”

And so Koutarou began explaining to the three girls the future he had in mind.

After talking to Clan, Kiriha, and Elfaria, Koutarou found himself standing in an observation room aboard the Blue Knight. From there, he could see stars in every direction apart from directly below him. It was an unfamiliar view, but he felt somewhat at ease staring at the stars. He could almost forget that he was far, far away from his home on Earth.

“What do you think... of the stars... in Forthorthe, Koutarou?”

Calling out to Koutarou from the door as she entered was Theia. She’d run all the way there once he requested her presence, so she was breathing heavily as she spoke.

“It feels strangely nostalgic. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen it before, even if it was two thousand years ago and from a different planet.”

“Nostalgic...? Ha... Ahahahaha!”

Theia burst into laughter at Koutarou’s answer. Confused by that, Koutarou turned around to look at her. When he did, he saw her wiping away tears from laughing too hard.

“Did I say something funny?”

“No, it’s on me. Th-The truth is... I worried about something once.”

Theia looked up at Koutarou. The tears she’d tried to wipe away were still running down her cheeks.

“If I were to take you as my groom, wouldn’t you gaze up at the stars and longingly look for your home among them?”

“Ah, yeah...”

When she said that, Koutarou understood why Theia was laughing as well. Now he was smiling too.

“Yet here you are saying you feel nostalgic. Looks like I was worried for nothing.”

Bump.

Theia kicked Koutarou’s leg, but not hard enough to hurt him. Koutarou reciprocated the gesture and bopped her on the head the same way.

“It wasn’t for nothing, Your Highness. As a knight, it’s an honor to have my lord think of me like that.”

“I said groom! You bully!”

Thud.

Theia’s second kick was serious.

“Ow!”

“Anyway... what did you want to talk about, Koutarou?”

Really, Theia wanted to goof around with Koutarou for as long as she could, but she was also interested in why he’d called for her. Her compromise was playing around a little and then getting down to business.

“You’re so selfish...” Koutarou said, shaking his head.

Koutarou’s leg was still throbbing from where Theia had kicked him, however, so he wasn’t exactly in the mood to be serious or diplomatic with her. Fortunately, the pain started to subside after a few seconds.

“Not as much as you are,” Theia jabbed.

“...That might be true,” he acquiesced.

After exchanging a few words, the pain had disappeared completely. As it did, Koutarou remembered he had a reason to hurry. He recollected himself and began explaining to Theia why he’d called her here.

“There’s something I need to apologize to you for.”

“What?”

“I can’t tell you what I talked with Elexis about.”

“Why not? I’m your lord!”

“That’s exactly why. If you start acting differently because of it, then it will make what I’m trying to do harder.”

“...That sounds like you’re calling me an idiot in a roundabout way.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t help but feel that way when I see your press conferences.”

“Don’t bring that up! That’s unfair, Koutarou!”

Theia was aware of her flaw. She knew she wasn’t good at keeping things secret, but even so, she was still frustrated that she was being left out of whatever Koutarou was up to. He’d even told Kiriha and Clan about it.

“I know that you’re unhappy, but I want to ask you a favor despite that.”

“Fine! But I won’t promise I’ll do it!”

Now in a poor mood, Theia cast a sidelong glare in Koutarou’s direction as she stood there pouting with her arms crossed and her cheeks puffed out. Like this, Theia might even turn him down out of childish defiance, even if what he was asking was important. Knowing that, Koutarou still chose to ask her anyway.

“Over the next few days, a ton of things are going to happen that will surprise you. During that time, no matter what I do or say... can you just put a stupid amount of trust in me?”

“Th...”

Hearing Koutarou’s words, Theia reached her emotional tipping point. She was a mess. She laid into Koutarou, but her tirade fell slightly left of what Koutarou had expected.

“You don’t even need to ask something like that, you fool! If I can’t trust you, then who could I possibly trust?!”

Theia angrily clenched her fist and thrust it out towards Koutarou. Seeing it coming, Koutarou chose not to move out of the way and took it straight on.

Wham!

With Theia’s full strength behind it, the moment her fist connected with Koutarou’s right cheek, he felt the impact through his entire body. His vision blurred, then blacked out for a moment.

“Do you think I fell in love with you without trusting you?! You’re the only one I have! Why can’t you understand that?! Of course I believe in you no matter what!”

Wham!

He took the next blow to his left cheek.

“...That hurts, Theia.”

“You’re such an idiot, you don’t understand anything unless it hurts!”

Theia was in tears. Even though she was the one throwing the punches, she was acting like she was the one who being hit. Seeing her like that, Koutarou gently grabbed on to her left fist still touching his cheek.

“I get it thanks to you. Now please just believe in me and wait like a princess in a fairy tale.”

“Very well. But expect to be punished once you get back.”

Theia wasn’t crying because she was frustrated over being left out. She was crying because she’d realized what Koutarou really meant when he asked her to wait. It was his way of saying goodbye, and she knew that depending on how things played out, he might not be coming back.

“I know. I’ll do whatever you say then.”

“Then you may go, and you have my permission to do whatever you think is necessary without reservation.”

“...As you wish, my princess.”

Theia desperately tried to choke down her tears and smile, but she couldn’t hold out in the end. And so the last thing Koutarou saw as he left Theia was her crying face doing its best to manage a smile through the tears.

The first one to notice that Koutarou was gone was Sanae. She’d opened a bag of snacks to eat and had gone looking for Koutarou to share it with, but no matter where she looked on Blue Knight, she couldn’t find him. She then went to ask the other girls if they’d seen him, but after talking to Ruth, Shizuka, and Yurika, Sanae learned that not only was Koutarou gone, but Maki, Kiriha, and Clan were also missing. Sanae then went to Theia, but it seemed to be the first she’d heard of it either.

“I thought that you’d know where Koutarou and the others went, Theia!”

“I see... Koutarou is gone, huh...”

Theia had a faint idea that this was ahead of her, but learning that he’d actually left was still a shock.

“So you do know something!”

“No. He didn’t tell me any details at all. I could only vaguely guess that he was going to go somewhere.”

The strength drained from Theia’s shoulders as they drooped. Seeing her aura and the way she was acting, Sanae realized that Theia really didn’t know anything. She was pretty torn up about it.

“What about you, Harumi? Do you know anything?” Sanae asked.

Sanae had found Theia visiting Harumi in her hospital room. She figured if she was there, she might as well try asking her too.

“No. Satomi-kun didn’t say anything to me. It seems he took Signaltin with him, but they’ve made it so I can’t find its location by tracking its mana. And he’s not answering my calls either...”

Harumi looked down in a melancholy fashion. Koutarou had only revealed the truth to Kiriha, Clan, and Maki and taken them with him. Since she had only just regained consciousness, Harumi knew why she hadn’t been taken too. That much was obvious, but it still hurt that Koutarou had left without saying anything to her.

“I see... I wonder where they went...” Sanae mumbled.

“Your Highness, it must have to do with the conference with Elexis.”

As Sanae’s voice trailed off, Ruth—who had come with Sanae—offered her own take on the situation. It stood to reason that Koutarou acting in secret had something to do with his secret meeting with Elexis.

“Probably. I don’t know what he’s planning on doing, but it must be quite drastic. He took Kiriha, Clan, and Maki with him after all.”

The thing Kiriha, Clan, and Maki had in common was that they were all intelligent. If Koutarou took the three of them with him, there was no doubt that their goal was reconnaissance, diplomacy, or espionage. And considering the timing, there was no way it was just something minor. Just as Koutarou had said to Theia, something surprising was surely going to happen.

“There’s so much we don’t know...” Sanae sighed.

Silence ruled the hospital room. Not knowing what Koutarou was trying to do, all the six girls left behind could do was imagine what was really going on. There was a growing anxiety in each of them.

“Um... Wouldn’t your mom know something about Satomi-san and the others, Theia-chan?”

Unusually enough, Yurika was the one to come up with a good idea. While Yurika was always lazing about, she couldn’t do that with Koutarou gone. And after racking her brain on the matter, talking to Elfaria was the solution she’d come up with in her own way.

“You’re on fire today, Yurika-chan. He wouldn’t have left without saying anything to Her Majesty!”

Shizuka smiled and clasped her hands in front of her chest. She believed that Yurika was right. The other girls felt the same way too.

“All right, then let’s hurry to mother—”

Beep, beep, beep, beep!

But before they could put the plan into action, Ruth’s bracelet sounded out an alarm. It was the signal for a medium-level threat, so there were no loud sounds or flashing lights, but the six girls felt the tension in the room rise.

They all waited with bated breath as Ruth tapped away on the console of her bracelet to figure out what had happened.

“Your Highness, this is serious!”

“What’s happened?!”

“It seems that a portion of the fleet headed towards the rally point has been attacked by Vandarion!”

Theia’s personal battleship, Blue Knight, was powerful, but it was still unthinkable for it to travel the Forthorthian solar system on its own. For safety, they’d planned to meet up with an allied escort fleet. However, according to what Ruth was saying now, part of that fleet had been attacked by the Imperial Army before they could group up. It would have been harder to strike at the fleet once they were all together, so of course Vandarion would take this chance to try and pick off smaller units of ships.

“Ugh, we’ll have to talk to mother later then! Men, to the bridge!”

“Theiamillis-san, I’ll come too.”

“You just stay here, Harumi! This’ll be a fleet battle anyways!”

While everyone was anxious about Koutarou and the missing girls, it wasn’t a problem they could resolve right away. What was important right now was handling the crisis before them.

By the time Theia and the others got to the bridge, the main computer’s AI had already begun gathering information. Intel on where the battle was taking place, the numbers and positions of allies and enemies, and all kinds of other data was being displayed in hologram form.

“What’s the situation?!” Theia demanded.

“Allied forces are outnumbered two to three. If left alone, there is a 95 percent chance that the allied fleet will suffer fatal damage,” the AI responded.

Being attacked was a small fleet consisting of one battleship, one carrier, one destroyer, and one defense ship. In comparison, the attacking Imperial Army had that, plus an extra battleship and an extra destroyer. The difference in firepower was significant enough that the allied fleet would surely fall without any aid.

“Can’t we send reinforcements?!”

“Negative. Due to the margin of error while navigating spacetime, reinforcements reaching target location before the fleet is destroyed is unlikely.”

Because the enemy had attacked while the fleet was in the middle of preparing for spacetime navigation, or warping, escaping with their own power was next to impossible. Moreover, even if they were to send allied reinforcement, because of the imprecise nature of warping, it was expected to take over ten minutes for backup to reach the battlefield. The odds of the battle being over by then were high.

“Wait, wouldn’t it be possible with Blue Knight?!”

However, Theia hadn’t given up hope yet. Judging from the star map, she believed her ship would be able to make in time. Fortunately, Blue Knight had already finished preparations for warping in order to reach the rally point. But since the allied fleet was much closer to Blue Knight’s current location than the rally point, it wouldn’t take anything more than adjusting the warp settings for them to change their destination. A royal flagship had a much more accurate warp drive than a standard warship. What would take other ships ten minutes would only take Blue Knight one, and the odds were much better that the allied fleet would be able to hold out for that long.

“Negative. While the contributions of this ship may make up the difference in combat capabilities, the chance of victory is still estimated to be less than 50 percent due to entering combat after the battle has started. It is not strategically viable with royalty on board.”

“But I’m not just any royalty! With a 50 percent chance, I won’t lose!”

“Warning: Recommending strategic judgement.”

“Silence! Stop complaining and warp to the target location!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

Despite the AI’s objections, Theia was full of confidence. The calculated odds of victory were less than 50 percent, but that was strictly based on the abilities of a royal class battleship. Without Koutarou on board, Blue Knight was a pretty standard battleship for its class, but its crew and captain were a different story. With access to magic and spiritual energy, a fifty-fifty chance was as good as victory. Theia was sure of it.

By the time Theia’s Blue Knight reached the target destination, the battle had indeed already commenced. The other information from her ship’s AI seemed to be accurate too. The allied fleet had four ships while the Imperial Army had six, and they were both in the middle of firing on each other. And although they were putting up a fight, since the allied fleet lacked firepower, they were losing. The barrier of the defense ship at the front was already starting to collapse.

“Flag!” Theia ordered.

“Warning: There is a chance of drawing concentrated fire,” the AI warned.

“That’s exactly what I want! Just shut up and do it!”

“As you wish, my princess. Deploying beam flag. Changing IFF signal.”

Approaching the fight, Theia had her ship raise its flag. While it was called a flag, it wasn’t a real one, but rather the image of one created using beams. The golden beams of Theia’s flag in particular formed a flower crest over Blue Knight when she activated it. Simultaneously, the ship’s IFF signal changed from the standard one to a special one. Together, the flag and signal indicated that princess Theiamillis was on board. It was a sign that the Mastir family that had gone undefeated for two thousand years had stepped onto the battlefield.

“Your Highness, one of the battleships and the two destroyers are turning around! They’re headed this way!” Ruth called with a sense of urgency in her voice.

“Looks like they panicked! That’ll make you good targets!” Theia called back in excitement.

The fact that Theia herself had come out was significant to the Imperial Army soldiers. With public opinion shifting, pointing weapons at members of the royal family was getting harder and harder for the soldiers, even as enemies. Even the soldiers who didn’t feel the drop in morale tended to panic. Only those who didn’t fit either mold were able to remain calm, but sadly for them, the captains of those three ships were far from calm right now.

“One Imperial Army destroyer has taken serious damage! It’s falling back from the front lines! The remaining two ships have taken minimal damage! They are still on course for us!” Ruth shouted.

Not even a novice would miss the opportunity of an enemy ship disengaging combat to change course. The Reborn Forthorthian Army had focused their attacks as the three ships had done exactly that, causing serious damage to one of the destroyers. The remaining two ships, however, had hardly taken any damage and were still heading towards Blue Knight in order to defeat Theia.

“Well done! You have my praise!” Theia hollered back to Ruth.

With the enemy splitting up into two units, things were potentially turning in the Reborn Forthorthian Army’s favor. The four ships of the allied fleet were now only facing off against three ships: the Imperial Army’s battleship, carrier, and defense ship. With superior numbers, they should be fine as long as they didn’t do anything stupid. And if Theia could do something about the battleship and destroyer heading towards Blue Knight, the Reborn Forthorthian Army’s victory was assured.

“Sanae, Yurika, I’m counting on you!”

“Aye aye, captain!”

“I’ll do my best!”

“Don’t think you can defeat us with just two ships!”

There were several methods of controlling Blue Knight, and right now Theia was sitting in something akin to a fighter pilot seat. She turned Blue Knight to face the ships approaching from the bow and put the thrusters to max. While it looked like a reckless charge at first glance, Theia knew exactly what she was doing.

“Maiden Power, Full Charge! Annnnnd.... Sanae-channel!”

“Greater Perfect Illusion! Modifier: Effective Area, Colossal!”

Thanks to Sanae, Theia’s reflexes were increased to their very limits and she could sense enemy attacks before they came. On top of that, Yurika used her magic to create several fake battleships and destroyers around Blue Knight, sending the Imperial Army into tumult. Of course, after creating illusions over a such a wide area that were so convincing that they would even fool Forthorthian sensors, Yurika had practically used up all of her mana. All she could do from this point on was cheer, but considering the situation, it was a good plan.

“Good job, you two!” Theia congratulated them.

“Victory!” Sanae cheered.

“The rest is up to you!” Yurika added.

Satisfied with what Sanae and Yurika had accomplished, Theia charged right into the enemy fleet. Now that the enemy was firing at the illusionary fleet too, only a few attacks came for Blue Knight. And with a limited number of attacks to dodge, Theia could evade them all with the power she’d borrowed from Sanae. Even if a couple of shots slipped past her, it wouldn’t be enough to get through the ship’s barrier. Theia’s reckless charge, in the end, wasn’t reckless at all.

“It looks like Uncle and I won’t even get a turn at this rate.”

“Just leave this to me!”

“We’ll make sure you won’t have to go out, Shizuka-sama!”

Of course, Theia wasn’t just playing on the defensive. She was skillfully controlling Blue Knight’s evasive maneuvers while working on a counterattack.

“Deploying unmanned fighters!” Ruth announced.

“Hand control of the main armament over to me!” Theia called.

“As you wish, my princess. Changing FCS mode of main armament to manual operation,” the AI responded in its synthesized voice.

“Now it’s our turn!” Theia cried.

Boom, boom, boom!

As Theia repeatedly fired the anti-ship beam cannon, the entirety of Blue Knight shook slightly. Her attacks were faster and more precise than when the artillery was left on automatic firing. She also knew she would need to be the one in control of firing in order to defeat the enemy without completely destroying them.

“Enemy destroyer’s distortion field has disappeared,” the AI informed her.

Theia’s bombardment had been accurately focused on the top of the destroyer’s barrier. Thanks to the considerable difference in generator output between Blue Knight and the destroyer, the barrier went down almost immediately. However, because her fire had been focused on the top of the destroyer, only a couple of antennas had been damaged when the barrier buckled.

“Ruth, now!”

“Understood! Commencing laser bombardment!”

Now that the enemy’s barrier was down, they were playing right into Theia and Ruth’s hands. All twelve laser cannons installed on Blue Knight were fired simultaneously. But they weren’t shooting at the destroyer; they were aiming for the empty space around it. However, upon reaching that supposedly empty space, the lasers suddenly changed direction. That was thanks to the unmanned fighters Ruth had released earlier. The lasers bounced off the reflectors on the unmanned fighters and assaulted the destroyer from normally impossible angles.

“Enemy destroyer has taken minimal damage, but the ship has been crippled,” the AI reported.

Blue Knight’s lasers only shot through the destroyer’s FCS, the hull’s control systems, and the ship’s thruster controls. With that, the destroyer was completely incapacitated. While the damage itself was relatively

minor, with no way to defend or attack, all the crew on board could do was wait for rescue.

“You sure do terrifying things awfully casually, Ruth...”

The vessels of the Imperial Army were all Forthorthian ships, so while they had known where to fire for maximum efficiency, actually pulling it off was a feat only Ruth could have managed. There’s no way a normal operator would have been able to make all of the necessary arrangements. Because Theia was an expert marksman herself, she understood just how difficult of a move it was. That’s why she hadn’t expected perfect results, but seeing the destroyer now left completely dead in the water, Theia was shocked.

“However, from here on out, it’s time for my specialty... forcing my way through!”

With a fearless smile, Theia shot down the missiles that the point defense laser system had missed. Now that the destroyer was incapacitated, all that was left was a single battleship. Theia was more than confident she wouldn’t lose in one-on-one.

“Draw the anti-ship energy sword! Shooting mode!”

“As you wish, my princess. Drawing anti-ship energy sword Signaltin in shooting mode.”

Theia held the massive sword equipped to the right arm of the ship as a gun. It was essentially a massive beam sword, but it also had the capability shoot out its energy in bullet form. That was Theia’s weapon of choice for taking out the battleship.

“How about this?!”

Boom!

As Theia fired, the massive recoil rocked Blue Knight. The energy sword on the right arm had the second most power of all the weapons on Blue Knight after the antimatter cannon Genesis Buster equipped on the left arm. And since anitmatter cannons couldn’t be controlled but so precisely, the energy sword was the better weapon when something other than totally destroying the enemy was the goal.

Boom! Boom!

In total, Blue Knight rocked violently three times. The first shot made the enemy battleship’s barrier unstable, while the second shot took it out altogether. The third destroyed the barrel of the main armament that was just about to fire. Taking down the next cannon in line to fire like that created a gap in its firing pattern, opening the ship to further attacks.

“Go, Theia! Knock ’em deaaad!” Sanae cried.

“Yeah! Anti-ship energy sword, change mode!”

“As you wish, my princess. Changing anti-ship energy sword Signaltin to close combat mode.”

Using that opening, Blue Knight closed in on the battleship and thrust forth the massive sword on its right arm. With over two million tons of mass moving at high speed behind that thrust, Theia pierced through the battleship’s armor like it was paper. She’d lodged the tip of the sword in the ship exactly where she was aiming: the battleship’s main computer in charge of controlling the entire ship. With that down, the Imperial Army battleship fell silent.

“All right!”

Following the destroyer, Theia had now incapacitated the battleship. The only enemies left on the field were the three ships in combat with her allies. At that point, Theia was convinced of her victory.

“This is bad, Your Highness! I’ve detected enemy ships on the gravitational wave radar! Another eight ships have appeared and they have us surrounded!”

“What?!”

“They seem to be stealth ships that had their generators powered down!”

“We’ve been had!”

In spite of all her confidence, the situation didn’t unfold like Theia expected. The battle in a region only Blue Knight could reach turned out to be a ruse de guerre to lure out Theia and the others. The Imperial Army

had observed the movements of the Reborn Forthorthian Army and picked a fleet in a convenient location to attack. Theia had walked—charged, even—right into their trap.

If Kiriha were here, this wouldn’t have happened. This is my fault!

In that moment, Theia bitterly regretted Kiriha’s absence. If she had been there, they probably wouldn’t have fallen prey to such trickery. The same could be said if she had just heeded the AI’s warning. In other words, Theia’s headstrong nature and confidence in her abilities had brought crisis upon them. Even so, it seemed cruel to blame her for it. She and everyone else aboard the ship were still shaken from the sudden disappearance of their friends.

“But we can’t just let them gang up on us! Contact the allied fleet and reconstruct the formation!”

“Theia-chan, Uncle and I will go out! My weight won’t matter if we die here!”

“I’m counting on you then!”

“Your Highness, I’m reading high energy reactions from the entire enemy fleet! Lock-on detected! They’re attacking!”

“I’m counting on you too, Sanae! Since Yurika’s used up all of her mana, you’re all we’ve got left!”

“Yeah! Leave it to me!”

At first there had been six Imperial Army ships, and now another eight had appeared. Theia had taken out three, but that sill left them with eleven enemy ships to handle. In contrast, Theia and the allied fleet had five ships between them. Even taking into consideration that Blue Knight was stronger than a standard battleship, they were clashing against a force more than twice their size. Theia genuinely wondering if she could overcome such a desperate situation on talent alone, but she chose to put her concerns aside and concentrate fully on the battle ahead.

“All ships, take defensive measures!”

“Incoming bombardment!”

All together, each of the enemy ships opened fire. Between the eight new ships that had joined the battle and the three that were already in combat, lasers and beams flew through space like a hail of shooting stars.

“Theia!”

“Yes!”

Theia used Sanae’s spirit sight to weave her way through the volley of incoming fire. And with the aid of the illusions still in effect from Yurika’s spell, Blue Knight only took a few hits. If they’d hit all at once, it still would have been bad. But fortunately, the hits were more sporadic than that and the barrier was able to block them all. Sadly, the same wasn’t the case for the four allied ships.

“The defense ship’s wide area distortion field has shut down due to overload! Twenty-four seconds until its function is restored! The destroyer has taken moderate damage, the carrier has taken minor damage, and the battleship has taken minimal damage!”

Defense ships had the power to disrupt electromagnetic waves and gravitational waves, as well as use barriers and other devices to protect friendly ships from enemy attacks. But even with its defensive capabilities, it wasn’t enough to stand up to that many ships at once. It may have been a different story in a country where the native technology was inferior to theirs, but here they were fighting against other Forthorthian ships and had no such advantage.

“Send the fighters to the front and let the others know to follow us!”

“But then Blue Knight will draw all the fire!”

“If we don’t do it, we’ll all be wiped out anyway! This is the only way for us to win!”

With their allies already having sustained damage, they wouldn’t stand a chance if they fought normally. They needed to try something else, no matter what the dangers of it might be. In this case, Theia decided to place her bets on close combat with Blue Knight. The closer they got, the harder it would be for the enemy ships to use their bombardment tactics. While closing in on the enemy was taking a huge risk, it was a chance they had to take if they wanted to win.

We have to avoid capture no matter what. I’d just be a hindrance to mother... Worst case scenario, I can let Sanae and the others escape while I stay behind...

Although Theia was still bravely issuing orders, she was mentally preparing herself for defeat. Even she could see the writing on the wall at this point. However, just before Theia charged ahead, something unexpected happened.

Beep, beep, beep!

“Confirming a light signal! The Imperial Army has ceased their attack and is falling back!”

“What?!”

Three large balls of light were launched from the bigger battleship assumed to be the Imperial Army flagship. They were vividly colored red, blue, and yellow. It was the traditional signal for requesting a ceasefire.

“Why would they call for a ceasefire now?! They have the upper hand!”

If the Imperial Army pressed on for just a bit longer, chances were that they would defeat Theia and seize victory. Despite that, they had backed off. Since killing or capturing Theia would make great strides towards victory in the war, not just this battle, there seemed no possible way that Vandarion’s troops would back down. And yet, nevertheless, that’s exactly what they’d done. Theia was awestruck.

“Your Highness, I’ve discovered the reason! A meeting of the royal families is calling for a ceasefire throughout all of Forthorthe!”

“A royal family meeting?! But Vandarion wouldn’t back down over that!”

A royal family meeting held powerful sway over Forthorthe’s royalty. As title and authority could be stripped from any royal—including the empress, as was evidenced by what had happened to Elfaria—there were consequences for not abiding certain conventions. However, such a threat didn’t affect citizens without royal authority. Vandarion certainly had no reason to play by the rules in that regard.

“Wait, Your Highness! There’s a reason! It’s not just the royal families! The ceasefire was universally proclaimed by the regent empress, Ceilēshu! Even Vandarion had to pull back in order to avoid being labeled a traitor!”

“Did you say regent empress?!”

A ceasefire called for by the royal families was one thing, but a ceasefire decreed by a regent empress was another story altogether. Regent or not, the empress held the highest authority over Forthorthe and its people.

Those who defied her would be branded traitors, and in order to avoid that, even Vandarion had backed off.

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