Arc-6 Ch-29

Beeeep! Beeeep!

The shrill Beeeep! Beeeep! alarm rang through the bridge, and the people there rapidly shifted into battle readiness. Their expressions carried excitement, but also a certain kind of fear. It was only natural—after all, the opponent they were about to face was the Redgrave Ducal House. Among the Holfort royal family’s nobles, they were the foremost lords in both rank and power, second only to the royal family itself. The difference in history and equipment between them and the territorial army formed only a few years ago by a young upstart noble was far too great. Veteran soldiers whom the lord’s father had brought from their former domain, young men who personally admired the lord, and then conscripted commoners who were trained through drills and real combat—this was the army that had been forged.

Even so, the fighting spirit with which they strove to fulfill their duty was something that could never be produced by men who merely had their roles thrust upon them by a superior. It was only because all the territorial soldiers deeply respected their lord and his wife. They themselves might not be fully aware of it, but Leon Fou Bartfort and Angelica Fou Bartfort were proving that they were persons of real worth.

“Looks like negotiations have broken down.”

Hardly anyone on the bridge had ever truly believed that the enormous challenge of persuading a duke would end in success. The wiser one was, the more clearly they understood how difficult the task had been, and how foolish their past words and deeds had been; awareness of that fact tormented them with guilt and regret. Even so, the reasons they cooperated with Leon Fou Bartfort’s plan were reverence for their lord, patriotism, and a kind of madness born from standing beside the hero of the kingdom.

“As soon as everyone is ready, this ship will begin liftoff.”

“Understood. We will head to the hangar.”

“Yes, sir. Please, I beg you, protect Lord Leon and Lady Angelica. I wish you good fortune in battle.”

The middle-aged knight entrusted with commanding the airship in place of the lord began rapidly issuing orders to the crew. Watching that out of the corner of their eyes, four men and one woman left the bridge. If the people of the Holfort Kingdom were to see the four men walking briskly through the narrow corridor of the airship in the streets, they would surely look upon them with longing. Four of the five heroes who had protected the nation alongside the Saint—if one made a play with such a scene, it would undoubtedly be a moment that brought great excitement. However, the heroes were filled with a gloomy air. Rather, the girl walking at the front was the one brimming with spirit.

“Failure, huh… heavy on the heart.”

“We knew from the beginning the success rate was low. There is no point lamenting now.”

“Still, success would’ve been better, obviously.”

“Even if it was a mess we brought upon ourselves, if I’d known it would turn out like this, I’d go back and punch my past self to stop it.”

They could not laugh at the sons and daughters of corrupt nobles; once, they too had believed that their noble birth and natural talents justified anything they did. Being born a noble did not justify trampling on lower nobles or commoners. Having someone you liked did not mean you could treat your parent-approved fiancées carelessly. It was never right to cut down challengers as nameless mobs and bask in the pleasure of victory. For nobles to enjoy comfort and luxury, the labor of the people was essential; if one ignored the law, the law would judge them, and the grudge of someone whose loved one was slain would persist into the children’s and grandchildren’s generations.

They had been children who couldn’t even understand something that simple; meeting her, protecting her, they grew arrogant, believing that made them admirable. Their negligent treatment of their fiancées’ families strengthened distrust toward their lord; the sister of the slain princess, obsessed with revenge, dragged many into a second conflict. Even if these events had been unavoidable fate, it was undeniable that they themselves helped turn the clock’s hands. Good intentions had brought about even worse outcomes—they could no longer judge whether their actions were truly right. The four heroes recalled the consequences their past actions had caused. They were not fools; they had enough decency to reflect and enough intelligence to foresee the future.

But that very decency and intelligence robbed them of their boldness and judgment. The heroes now resembled naughty children afraid of being scolded by their parents and unwilling to go home.

Tch!

A click of the tongue echoed through the corridor lined with metal walls, but the men did not notice. Not one of them realized that their attitudes were further souring the mood of Marie Fou Lafan. No—of Marie, the lady-in-waiting to the Saint of the temple.

“Ah— seriously, enough already!”

As Marie pressed her head in exasperation, her long tied-up blonde hair swayed wildly. Her appearance was overwhelmingly more “cute” than “beautiful,” yet she was the same age as the heroes. The childlike face and figure so unfitting for what they were about to do only made her more irritated at the four who kept wavering. Though she looked like a girl in her mid-teens, Marie’s combat ability was incomparably higher than that of the kingdom’s regular soldiers. Abused by her parents and siblings since childhood, forced to master firearms to hunt for food just to survive—her lifestyle, unthinkable for a noble daughter, had endowed her with the toughness and cunning of a wild beast.

Had she received plentiful love, proper education, and training from her parents, she might have become a famed female adventurer. However, Marie herself held no lingering attachment to the family that abandoned the kingdom and their noble duties. For her, the most important thing now was repaying Saint Olivia, who had picked her up when she was on the brink of death, and fulfilling the mission of helping build a better world.

“You guys! Line up right there!”

Four sturdy adult men and one delicate girl. The difference in their physiques was obvious; there was not a shred of a factor that would allow Marie to beat the four, no matter how she tried. Yet the four heroes were cowed into obedience by the force she radiated. Aside from being reprimanded during the engagement-annulment fiasco, and lightly scolded for breaking military discipline during their unauthorized actions, the heroes had barely ever been truly yelled at before. Even though they could have pushed back using rank or power, strangely, no anger toward Marie welled up at all. Perhaps it was a faint echo of a world in which she had become the Saint and led the heroes herself, or perhaps it was something wrought by the blood of the first Saint, Anne, shared by both her and Olivia.

“I’ve been listening to you for a while now, and all you’ve done is whine pathetically about regrets… And you still call yourself a man! Do you not have ●×□▲ down there!?”

Vulgar words that did not match her appearance struck their ears. A lovely girl was using crude language that any man would at least have heard, if not spoken himself. It was a somewhat strange sight, her words tearing out like a battle cry without any sense of lewdness, enough to make someone let out a dry laugh. But the girl speaking them was absolutely serious, and among the five people here, she was unquestionably the one who had steeled herself the most.

“I understand being scared. One wrong step and it could turn into a civil war. But sitting around regretting the past you can’t change and doing nothing is worse. If you don’t take action, no matter how reckless, the future will stay dark!”

“…I understand even without you telling me.”

“Then make up your mind. You have a better chance of surviving this than when you fought the Principality’s monsters.”

“That was a completely different situation.”

“It certainly was. The hero who fought alongside Olivia was gallant, dependable, a wonderful gentleman. Not this trembling coward terrified of everything.”

“That’s going too far!”

“Then show me something impressive!”

An angry Marie swung her arms and legs, landing precise blows on the bodies of the four men. They were strikes that would make an ordinary man collapse in agony, but the targets were gifted, well-trained, and wearing combat suits.

Poff, Bang, Thunk, Guguu

Light sounds echoed. In contrast to the four still bewildered men, Marie glared sharply, filled with fighting spirit.

“No one knows how the world will turn out from here. But if you don’t act, nothing will change. That’s why you agreed to help Lady Olivia, isn’t it?”

“…………”

“I’m not saying you can’t show weakness, and I won’t forbid you from whining. But just for now, focus only on helping Lord Leon and Lady Angelica.”

“…Understood.”

“We’ll do our best.”

“Got it.”

“You’re right, we’ve got no choice.”

“Good, then let’s go.”

Delaying perfection is worse than swift imperfection; time is hard to gain and easy to lose. What was needed in a constantly changing situation was not the best move, but the quickest one. It was pointless to lament the flaws in a plan they barely had time to review. Their top priority right now was supporting the Bartfort couple. They opened the heavy hangar doors, waved off the salutes of the mechanics, and boarded their prepared machines.

“Why am I the one in the armor?”

“It can’t be helped. One of us has to wear the armor.”

“Gregg and I specialize in melee combat. Jilk is the best at piloting an air bike.”

“Magic is effective against groups of enemies, but the killing power is too high.”

Brad, assigned to pilot the armor, voiced his dissatisfaction while the other three desperately tried to calm him. Marie sat on the rear seat of an air bike with a somewhat exasperated expression. For this mission, Jilk was assigned to air bike operation, Gregg for physical toughness, and Chris for swordsmanship—each chosen for their suitability for acting inside the ducal residence. Brad’s specialty was magic, but using it here would be disadvantageous. If he used wide-area magic, he could destroy the mansion’s facilities and equipment, causing fires or explosions. Of course, as a seasoned mage, Brad could regulate his power, but bringing it down to non-lethal and non-destructive levels required extreme caution.

If it turned into a chaotic melee, that hesitation could cost him his life. Even the four heroes of the Holfort Kingdom, accompanied by a maid serving as the saint’s guard, might not be able to handle unforeseen complications.

“Marie, could you… take my place?”

“I can’t pilot armor. And I can’t pilot an air bike either.”

“…………”

Brad fell silent as his alternative suggestion was preemptively rejected, looking on the verge of tears.

“…Maybe I should support that bill recognizing female knights and female lords.”

“You mean that thing about training women at home and in school so they can fight? Gives me the chills.”

“But I believe allowing daughters to inherit is necessary. Too many families lost their heads or heirs in the war.”

Originally, the Holfort Kingdom had a shortage of adult noblemen. The lower the social class, the more men there were; the higher the social standing, the more numerous the women. You would think that meant highly placed women would take more official roles, but at present, political authority was held only by the queen and the saint. Other noblewomen were merely expected to bear children. A lord’s wife managing territory was the limit. Daughters had no inheritance rights, and households with only daughters were abolished unless they took in a son-in-law.

This cold treatment of ruling nobles, enforced by the Holfort royal family, had begun to corrode the kingdom itself. Few nobles wanted to marry fallen women, and a distorted society emerged where multiple noble ladies and widows gathered around a single nobleman. After the war, this reality had become impossible to ignore. If houses that lost their heads or heirs in defense of the kingdom were abolished, even loyal court nobles beyond the rebellious lords would turn against the royal family.

As a compromise, the kingdom loosened restrictions on late adoption and allowed wives and daughters to be temporary acting heads. Furthermore, Saint Olivia, who saved the kingdom twice, had begun reshaping society’s view of women’s roles. Depending solely on male heirs was no longer viable. With study and training, shouldn’t women also serve as heads of houses or knights? Society was beginning to show the first signs of that change.

“Alright, alright! Leave the complicated talk for later! Hurry up and get ready!”

“…Why is she the one running this place?”

“No idea. But my instincts say we must not oppose her.”

“She serves Olivia. You’d need to be that intense to keep up with her.”

“A terrifying girl. I doubt any man on earth would ever marry her.”

“I CAN HEAR YOU!!”

Marie’s shout made the four men panic and rush into preparing. They put on the helmets handed to them by the mechanics and moved to their machines. Two air bikes carried the pairs Jilk–Gregg and Chris–Marie, while Brad boarded the armor. Just as they all finished preparations, the airship shook heavily and began vibrating.

“This vessel will now begin takeoff. After holding position directly above the ducal residence, we will proceed with the operation. All personnel move to your stations.”

The announcement ended, and tension filled the faces of everyone aboard. The four heroes and the lone maid were no exception. Marie, in particular, had experience guarding Saint Olivia, but this was her first major military operation. Anxiety surged within her, and without thinking, she tightened her grip on Chris, who was piloting the air bike.

“Could you loosen your grip a little?”

“…Sorry.”

“Well, look at that, you do have a cute side.”

“Quiet. I’m just a little nervous.”

“If you’re scared, you can stay here.”

“That’s not an option. Lady Olivia entrusted me with a role. I won’t run away and betray her expectations.”

“You are quite the dependable maid, then. In that case, allow me to escort you.”

“I’m counting on you. If we succeed, I might even go out with you.”

“Is that supposed to be a reward?”

“I feel insulted.”

“Frankly, I can’t see you as a woman.”

“I must respectfully decline.”

“I knew it! I hate all of you!!”

As Marie shouted, the rear hatch of the airship opened. It seemed they had reached their designated location. The vibrations of the air bikes and the armor resonated through the hangar. The steel steeds and giant frame leapt from the floating airship, descending toward the ground under the pull of gravity.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Leon took something from the inner pocket of his formal clothes and pressed what looked like a button firmly. From where I was, held in his arms, I could see it, but Father and Brother could not. Leon’s smooth way of taking the button back out of sight again was so natural that he seemed to possess the talent of a swindler or a magician.

“Take it by force if negotiations fail? Are you insane? You would walk the path of ruin for your wife.”

“I’m not insane, just madly in love, I suppose. For me, the most important thing is my family. I’ll use any means necessary to protect them, but if it doesn’t concern my family, I’ll ignore even a national crisis. Asking me for loyalty is a mistake.”

“The only part worth praising is that you speak so frankly without lying.”

“Thank you very much.”

“That was sarcasm. Don’t take it at face value.”

“I thought so. Same here.”

Leon answering Father’s sarcasm with sarcasm was bold and reckless. From the beginning, our plan only went as far as persuading them. My divorce was completely beyond what we expected. Because Leon was a descendant of Leah Bartfort, and because our children carry Leon’s blood, I foolishly assumed they would maintain our marriage to preserve ties with the Redgrave family. I curse my own shallow judgment. That Father would choose such a hardline stance now that Leon was no longer a convenient pawn was something I had never imagined. With so little experience in conflict, I always assumed things would stay within the boundaries of my expectations.

But on a battlefield, reckless actions that would be unthinkable in normal times succeed, and unshakeable strategies collapse due to unforeseen events. And Leon himself was the very embodiment of the battlefield. I hid my inner turmoil and turned to face Leon. Something was wrong. Even though the situation was clearly spiraling out of expectation, Leon behaved as though nothing had happened, utterly composed. I recognized that behavior. It was the same as the kidnapping incident from nearly half a year ago.

Back then, Leon deliberately exposed himself to draw Zora’s attention so that Father-in-law and Brother-in-law could carry out a surprise attack. He kept provoking them, forced a fight with Lutoart, and even maneuvered things so that the armed sky pirates were taken down. Leon’s behavior now felt just like then—he was deliberately acting like a fool to buy time. Then what was the other plan Leon had prepared?

Using him directly was the final card. If things went poorly, it would drag the Holfort royal family and the Redgrave ducal house straight into full confrontation. Some asset of the Bartfort household I didn’t know about? Or new information?

There is nothing in the management or finances of the Bartfort domain that I am unaware of. As for information, Lady Mylene had already given me the latest updates. Something exists. There must be something Leon knows that I do not.

“The ducal house will divorce you by its own authority. As compensation, all funds, personnel, and supplies lent to the Bartforts until now will remain as they are. We will waive the obligation to return them, as well as the interest.”

“I have no attachment to my title or territory. Saying that makes me unfit as a noble or lord, I suppose. But for me, Angie and the children matter most. I need Angie for my happiness.”

“You are stubborn. We cannot grant any further concessions.”

Leon and Father continued their parallel conversation. There was no meaning in continuing. No matter how many hours or days we spent on this, our compromise points were too different for a conclusion ever to be reached. All I could do was choose.

“Father, I will cut ties with the Redgrave family.”

“!?”

“Angelica, are you sane!?”

“Do not do anything foolish!”

For once, Leon was shaken. Normally, Leon caused some sort of trouble, tried to hide it from me, I would confront him, and he’d apologize—that was our usual pattern. I always reprimanded the unreasonable Leon; it was rare for the opposite to occur.

“My husband was willing to abandon his title and territory and even rebel against the Redgrave ducal house just to choose me. I want to repay him as a woman, not as a daughter of the ducal family.”

“Do you understand what you are saying!?”

“I am perfectly sane, Father. My wish is for Leon’s happiness. If that happiness does not exist within the Redgrave family, then I need only sever my ties.”

“Wait, hold on, Angie.”

Calm yourself, Leon. You cannot be more shaken than I am.

“You intend to betray the Redgrave family? Your own family?”

“The Redgrave family is not my only family. Father, Brother. Thank you for everything. Please stay well.”

I rose from the sofa and moved to leave, and Leon hurriedly stopped me. Father and Brother glared at me with expressions of fury I had never once seen from them before. Once, that alone would have made me cower. But now my heart was strangely calm. If the Redgrave family intended to use the Bartforts, then I would cut ties. If they intended to use me and our children as convenient political pawns, then I would resist with everything I had.

I was no longer Angelica Rapha Redgrave. I was Angelica Fou Bartfort.

“That will not be allowed.”

I stopped at Father’s low voice. It wasn’t anger—something far heavier, a denser negative emotion that clung to the heart. He was not addressing a rebellious daughter. He was addressing a woman who stood opposed to the Redgrave ducal house. I glared back. If I couldn’t endure even this, I could protect nothing. I would not be a woman Leon must always protect; I would protect Leon and our children myself. If they were enemies, even if they were my father or brother connected by blood, I would show no mercy.

“You two will not be permitted to leave the ducal residence.”

“You intend to confine us? If you resort to such force, even the royalist faction will not stay silent.”

“Silence, you. To think you would choose your husband over the Redgrave family.”

“The daughter who obeyed her parents no longer exists. I suggest you update your understanding of me.”

“In that case, I cannot let you leave. At least not until everything is settled.”

I felt apologetic toward the child in my belly, but I had never regretted my pregnancy more. If I were not expecting, we might have had a better chance of escaping. But in the final month of pregnancy, I could barely walk, much less run. I had to help Leon escape somehow. If only I could distract Father and Brother for even a moment. I was dragging Leon down again.

“Everyone calm down.”

Leon let out a relaxed voice and sat down again on the sofa. I knew he was intentionally trying to lighten the tension, but it did nothing to change the situation. Still, I could only trust that he had already taken some measure.

“Let’s all be friendly, friendly. Families must get along.”

“Who do you think caused this situation!”

“Well, well. Brother-in-law, Father-in-law, please take a deep breath.”

“I refuse to be called father by you.”

“I understand how you feel, but we are still in the middle of our conversation.”

Leon began rummaging for something at his feet, and the rest of us watched suspiciously. What he pulled out was a thick book bound in leather.

“I brought some valuable, exclusive information. Please hear that before drawing a conclusion.”

“There is more?”

“Anything you say is nothing but calamity for us.”

“I understand how you feel, but this is important. It will decide the kingdom’s future, after all.”

Leon murmured and began unfastening the leather clasps one by one. I had never seen such an item in the Bartfort residence. What kind of information could it be?

BOOOOOOM

At the sudden tremor, the reception room went dark. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling rattled, and several ornaments fell to the floor. Something outside the window was blocking the sunlight. A massive shadow—clearly the cause of the vibration. It took several seconds for everyone in the room to comprehend it. Everyone except for one person. The only reason I noticed before Father and Brother was because I was right beside Leon. The thing I thought was a leather-bound book was actually a disguised box.

Leon grabbed something stored inside. What he pulled out—something that looked like a crude, heavy block of metal—was in the shape of an instrument meant to take lives.

┳⁠━━━━⁠━⁠⁠━⁠━⁠━━━⁠┳

Authors Note

┻━⁠━━━━⁠━━⁠━━━⁠┻

Four Idiots & Marie enter the scene.

And Angelica defects from the Redgrave family.

The conversation between Angelica and Vince & Gilbert is an homage to volume 10 of the original novel.

The battle scene will continue next time.

If you share your thoughts or impressions, it would really motivate me going forward.