Chapter 3

Chapter 3 : Here & There

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Magic. Is not so incredibly rare that people think it is some mystical thing from legends. But it's also not so common that anyone can learn it by reading books and doing some practice.

The magic we're talking about here is actually just a rare ability someone is born with. People call it magic simply because there's no other term for that kind of supernatural ability.

"Come on Yuudai, keep rowing! Go! Go! Go!"

"Can you just shut up?"

The magic someone possesses isn’t always related to violence. But even so, most people with supernatural abilities would get scouted by military institutions, for their physical abilities are always far above average.

And Yuudai is one of those people. That’s why, right now, while everyone else is collapsed and exhausted, she’s still busy rowing the small lifeboat they’re all on.

“Don’t look at me like that. You don’t look like you’re voluntarily helping everyone.”

“Can you read my mind?”

“Hey, no one’s forcing you.”

In their small group, Yuudai is the one with the highest rank and has every right to give orders. So, of course, Haruki also doesn’t have the authority to order her around, since she technically outranks him.

But well, that small group isn’t functioning quite as it should.

“I’m just giving advice. It’s your decision whether to follow it or not.”

Right, what Haruki did was indeed just suggest that everyone rest and leave the rowing to Yuudai. But it’s advice the girl can’t refuse. As you can see for yourself, pretty much everyone has collapsed and is helpless.

Even though she doesn’t like Haruki’s suggestion, and she likes the guy giving it even less, she has no choice but to swallow those feelings and set her personal issues aside. After all, if she stops, they all die. And as the leader of this group, Yuudai has absolutely no intention of throwing away her subordinates’ lives, or her own.

Everyone except Haruki hasn’t eaten for two straight days and has no energy left to move. For now, they’re surviving by sipping water they brought from the ship, but the energy they spent escaping the disaster can’t be recovered by water alone. That’s why almost everyone on this lifeboat can’t, or won’t move.

Of course, that includes Amelie. In fact, if Amelie weren’t a magic user, she’d probably already be on the brink of death, given that she’s the weakest among them.

Yuudai could force them to help row, but even an idiot knows that would be useless. Making her agree with Haruki's suggestion to let them all rest.

So why is Haruki, who’s still conscious, not rowing and instead just giving orders? The answer is that, just like the others, he’s also at his limit. The only reason he can still talk like that is because he managed to eat something, giving him a tiny bit more stamina.

But the stamina he got from a dead fish stuck on their lifeboat isn’t enough to restore his strength. Yuudai can clearly see that the guy is also struggling to stay conscious. And she can’t let Haruki collapse along with the others.

She starts regretting the punishment she herself gave him.

“Haruki! How about you shut up for a bit? Your voice is giving me a headache! Seriously.”

“I don’t want you to get drowsy and fall asleep.”

“Then at least say something nice to listen to!”

“Something nice to listen to would just make you sleepier.”

“Sighhhhhh...”

After a long sigh, Yuudai goes back to rowing.

Just like her other comrades, Yuudai also hasn’t eaten anything for the same amount of time. And obviously, she’s hungry too. But even though she’s hungry, the girl still has plenty of stamina.

Thanks to her magic, which lets her draw energy from sources other than food, her condition is still pretty good, all things considered.

As long as there’s air and sunlight, she’ll have stamina to spare.

"Row a bit to the right, we're drifting off course"

"Okay"

While Yuudai is reliable for handling personnel problems, she can't be relied on for navigation due to her... less-than-stellar academic skills. This is why Yuudai isn't making Haruki waste his energy rowing. She needs him to make sure they don't stray from their course.

“Ugh... Haruki... aren’t you pushing her too hard?”

Haruki looks down after he feels something moving in his arms.

“I know, Amelie, but we don’t have a choice.”

The one moving in his arms is Amelie, who has just woken up. And upon waking, she immediately understands the situation. It seems she accidentally heard the conversation between Yuudai and Haruki.

Even though Yuudai’s stamina is reliable, that doesn’t mean she can work nonstop forever. Eventually, her body won’t be able to handle the strain and pressure of being forced to keep working.

“We don’t have any other choice.”

She might not feel tired, but the girl still needs rest all the same. Just like how a machine needs maintenance, Yuudai’s body also needs time to recover. If pushed too hard, she could suffer serious muscle or bone injuries.

But it’s not just Haruki. Yuudai also understands that they have no other choice. That’s why, even though she has plenty of complaints, she never stops rowing. A situation like this is exactly when it’s appropriate to force her body to keep going.

“I’m sorry.”

Again, Amelie wants to help, but she can’t do anything. Someone who can’t even clench their own fist is useless in their current situation.

“Enough! Just rest.”

“Mm.”

Amelie nods and leans back against Haruki’s chest. Then, the young man tightly squeezes Amelie’s cold, trembling hand before pulling the small girl even closer.

“Tch.”

As you can see, Amelie’s condition doesn’t look good at all. The hand Haruki holds feels weak and cold as ice, yet her body is so hot that he can feel the heat just by bringing his face closer.

Amelie is the most vulnerable among their group. Her physical endurance is below everyone else’s, and the bad weather they’ve been dealing with has made things even worse. If they don’t reach land soon and get hit by another bout of rain or bad weather, her condition could deteriorate to the point of no return.

“Haruki, aren’t you prioritizing the wrong thing? She might be a princess in her country, but right now, she’s just a regular student!”

“Her life isn’t more valuable than everyone’s safety!”

"But your safety also isn't more valuable than hers!"

".."

Yuudai wants to say something, but Haruki raises his right hand and explains that his words don’t mean what Yuudai thinks they do. He’s trying to say that both are equally important. Neither one takes priority over the other.

But of course, Yuudai refuses to just swallow the guy’s words. It’s quite blatant that Haruki is giving far more attention to Amelie. All his actions so far are undeniably a series of efforts to keep the small girl in his arms away from danger.

And his actions don’t seem to be based on some scheme to exploit the girl, either. You can clearly see how dearly Haruki treasures Amelie. He treats her as if she were a very precious, fragile object.

“Haruki, do you like that little girl?”

“Huh?”

In response to the question, Haruki immediately looks at Yuudai with a completely confused expression.

“Are you delirious? Save the delirium for when you’re actually sleeping.”

Yuudai obviously never expected a straightforward answer from him. And sure enough, he didn’t disappoint.

“Ha...”

Haruki sighs, then looks down to check on Amelie. After confirming that the little girl is sound asleep and can’t eavesdrop on their little conversation, Haruki decides to give her a proper answer.

“Yuudai, what do you think when you look at her?”

“I don’t understand your question.”

“What’s your opinion of her?”

“A burden...”

“Your perspective is really narrow.”

“I’m looking at her objectively.”

“That’s exactly why I call your perspective narrow.”

Even though they’re both in their final year, Amelie is still too young and inexperienced compared to her peers because of her accelerated education.

Her below-average physical ability, her inability to defend herself, and even her small stature make her unsuitable for the front lines. Rather than being a protector, she’s more suited to being someone who needs protection. And given her status as a princess, that’s exactly what her role should be.

In other words, to Yuudai, Amelie’s existence is not only useless, but also troublesome.

"She's not cut out to be a soldier!"

And their group doesn't need someone like her.

"Ooh... I see... What if I told you she has the ability to protect not just me and you, but everyone in our country?"

As Yuudai said, Amelie is indeed useless as a soldier. But that doesn’t mean she has no value. On the contrary, she’s a huge asset, not just to Haruki, but to their country as well. And it’s not just him who thinks that. The people who run the country think so too.

“Even though she’s just a useless princess?”

“That’s not even relevant.”

What’s important about her isn’t her position, but the person herself. Her value doesn’t come from her position as a princess of Amteric. It comes from Amelie herself.

“So what is relevant?”

“Before that, I want to ask you something. Do you know the leading cause of death worldwide right now?”

“War?”

“Nope!!!”

The biggest causes of death these days aren’t natural disasters, war, epidemics, or crime. It’s starvation. Starvation is the number one cause of death in this era.

“And what does that have to do with our conversation?”

“What if I told you she managed to feed hundreds of people when she was just five years old?”

War is something everyone wants to avoid. With war comes not only the loss of life, but also threats to wealth and livelihoods. That’s why war is often equated with destruction.

But in reality, once a war begins, the percentage of deaths caused by starvation often decreases. War doesn’t make the land more fertile, war doesn’t make harvests more abundant, and war certainly doesn’t make farmers healthier or capable of working twice as hard.

So how can the same amount of food production meet the needs of more people?

“The answer is economics.”

War gets the economic wheels turning and makes the distribution of goods more even across all parts of a country.

“You can’t go to war on an empty stomach after all.”

War can’t be won with strength and courage alone. An army needs supplies to operate, and a large army needs a large amount of supplies.

This need for supplies brings merchants and entrepreneurs from big cities to small regions. And when they come to an area, they also bring business opportunities the locals can use.

All of these things would result in the transportation of goods between cities and smaller regions becoming smoother.

“A general never starts a war. The ones who start it are kings and nobles.”

The main reasons for war can be divided into two categories. Politics and economics.

And the main reason Amteric declared war on its neighboring countries was economic. Maybe their justification was racial superiority, but only a fool would truly believe that.

The previous king saw that his country was too dependent on its neighbors. And he didn’t want his country’s economic situation to be dictated by others.

“With proper distribution, you can reduce starvation. And with the right methods, you can build a strong economy without using war as a means.”

No long-term war is ever profitable. If you have money, you can avoid war and save many lives without even having to sacrifice others. And if you have enough food, you won’t be easily driven to steal from others.

“And this little girl...”

Haruki gently pats the top of Amelie’s head.

“...is the ace we need to achieve that goal.”

Right now, Yamato is a country with great influence in the region. Plus, thanks to its agricultural success, starvation is practically a ghost. Something you ought to fear, but that isn’t actually real.

But nothing in this world lasts forever. There are too many examples of powerful, influential, and wealthy kingdoms that couldn’t keep up with the times and eventually crumbled.

Internal conflict in Yamato could flare up again and tear the country apart. Albion might try to colonize Yamato again. Another country might surpass Yamato’s productivity and cut into its profits. Its strategic position might become irrelevant to future international trade.

“If you want to make plans for a country, you can’t look just one, five, or ten years ahead.”

You have to think about how your country can survive fifty, a hundred, or even two hundred years into the future.

“A new era needs a new paradigm, new ideas, and a new way of thinking. You can’t get stuck in the past.”

A country stuck in the past is a country ready to welcome its own destruction.

Amelie. By Yamato’s standards, her physical abilities might be of little use in military school. But even so, she possesses incredible management skills and a flexible mind capable of solving even unexpected problems.

Amelie is a solution waiting for a problem.

“The point is, Amelie is very important, and Yamato doesn’t want to lose her.”

The girl is so important that the people behind Yamato’s leadership tried to use her status as a political hostage to prevent her from going on the field exam.

It’s just that Amelie is too clever to be held back by mere words. She can find holes in the arguments made by school officials and immediately turn the tables on them. If someone wants to defeat her, they have to resort to physical means.

And they almost did.

But luckily? Or unluckily? Haruki’s father, who has many connections, managed to push through a middle-ground solution to Amelie’s request by sacrificing his own son.

After that, Amelie was finally permitted to go.

Haruki looks at Amelie’s head resting against his chest.

“Sighhh... haaahh...”

He finishes his explanation with a long, deep sigh.

Yuudai, still busy rowing, turns her gaze away after hearing Haruki’s lengthy explanation. Then, in a voice quiet enough that Haruki can’t hear...

“I know she’s clever, but we have you! Why do we need some outsider to...”

But before the girl can finish her sentence, Haruki hurriedly grabs the binoculars from Amelie’s bag and looks toward the horizon.

“Yuudai, you can rest now”

Land is in sight, and from what he can see, Haruki doesn’t spot any enemy troops. Or, actually... any other humans at all.

“Alright, wake the others.”

Yuudai gives the command, and Haruki obeys. Haruki wakes his other friends, telling them to use the last of their strength to row their lifeboat to shore.

“I know you’re all tired! But listen carefully and row with all your might! When we reach the shore, I’ll handle the food.”

Finding food, foraging, and identifying edible things are skills Haruki is unmatched in, even among his classmates in the special class. After all, he’s sure no one there has lived as frugally as he has.

And so, their miserable two-and-a-half-day journey finally ends.

Everyone manages to reach the shore after completely exhausting their energy. Then, the moment they set foot on land, everyone simply drops onto the beach and lies there.

Haruki hands Amelie over to Yuudai while he goes off to look for food as promised. He also doesn’t forget to check the surroundings for enemies.

An hour later, Haruki returns to his friends carrying a lot of edible things. It’s just that what he’s brought isn’t something normally considered food. What Haruki brings is grass, leaves, stems, fruit, and even some insects.

In an emergency situation like that, there’s no room for luxury. And the luxury in question is “taste.” The plants and insects Haruki brought are safe to eat. But not a single one of them comes with a “delicious” label.

Since no one has enough energy to protest, everyone turns into obedient children and eats whatever they’re given. They end up chewing grass and leaves, then sucking on roots and tree stems to get fresh water.

As for the insects, as expected, no one even tries to touch them. If they at least had a fire, they could roast those crickets, but with Amelie’s match soaked, no one can make one.

Well, once they have some energy, they can look for their own food and eat whatever they can hunt. There should be a lot more normal food around once they stop prioritizing speed.

But for now, they have only one task! Recover and regain their strength so they can continue their march toward the next safe place.

Haruki wants to start planning their journey immediately, but talking to people who can’t think straight because of hunger and exhaustion seems useless. So he decides to leave his friends alone for a while first. Besides, thanks to his bad reputation at school, he isn’t sure anyone would even listen to him without Yuudai’s help.

Only Yuudai can control the mood, but that girl disappeared with Amelie as soon as they landed. Not wanting to waste time waiting, Haruki heads into the mangrove forest and takes off his clothes.

First, he washes his body, cleaning off the remnants of seawater clinging to his skin. After that, he washes all his clothes, leaving only the underwear he’s still wearing. Finally, he tries to catch some fish and crabs while waiting for his clothes and the match he took from Amelie to dry.

Or, that was the plan.

Unfortunately? Or fortunately? As soon as he begins exploring the river, he hears the sound of splashing water coming from a nearby spot. Not only that, but he also recognizes two familiar voices. It seems he isn’t the only one who thought of cleaning himself and his clothes first. The two girls who disappeared earlier are here, too.

Without thinking, he moves to approach their position to check on Amelie. But the moment he peeks from behind a large mangrove tree, he is treated to the sight of Amelie’s small, smooth, white, and graceful body, which is devoid of even a single blemish.

Sunlight filtering through the gaps in the dense canopy makes her already fair skin seem to glow.

Moreover, although her frame is small, she isn’t thin like someone starving. Her body looks healthy, nicely filled out in the right places, proportional, and possesses beautiful, feminine curves.

Even though he knows he shouldn’t be looking, Haruki ends up staring at Amelie’s naked body for quite a few moments.

"..."

Not long after, Haruki realizes what he is doing and quickly hides back behind the large tree.

Haruki tries to forget the sight he just witnessed, but the opposite happens! He ends up remembering it even more clearly. If there is any bright side to the situation, it is the fact that Amelie was bowing to wash her hair at that moment, her long, wet hair covering most of her body from his view.

But of course, that isn’t enough to calm the sudden, boiling turmoil inside his body and mind. Haruki is older than the girl, but their age gap isn’t wide enough for him to simply shrug off what he saw.

Amelie is a proper young lady, and while Haruki is legally considered an adult in this world, both his body and mind are still not far removed from those of a teenager.

"Hahhhhhhhhhh..."

Haruki takes a deep breath and lets all the air out of his chest in one long sigh.

"Don’t panic, Haruki. What you saw was just a mischievous fairy."

Haruki tries to erase Amelie’s face from his memory and replace it with the face of a small fairy from a painting he once saw in the royal palace of Hispain. That way, he can trick himself into thinking that what he saw was just an illusion created by some little fairy.

And since what he saw was just a fairy, it doesn’t matter if she was naked. She’s just a little, sly creature that loves to use her cuteness to lead people astray.

"Yep, just fairy pranks."

The Amelie in Haruki’s mind transforms into a small fairy who can’t influence the intensity of his libido.

"Amelie... did you bring a change of clothes?"

Hearing Yuudai’s voice, Haruki, who was about to leave immediately, decides to stop moving. Unlike Amelie, Yuudai has a keen perception of her surroundings. If he makes a careless move, she will easily detect his position and catch him.

He can’t defend himself if he’s accused of peeping, especially since he’s only wearing underwear. The consequences would be far worse than just a peeping charge.

"Ah... Of course... I brought both a spare of the special uniform and the regular one too... What about you, Yuudai?"

"They are at the bottom of the ocean... Do you have a blanket or something? I want to cover myself while waiting for my clothes to dry."

Just like Amelie, Yuudai is naked too. But as Haruki can’t see her, he doesn’t care one bit about it.

"I have a towel, but they are small."

"No problem."

If she can move and take care of herself, it sounds like Amelie’s condition has already improved. And as for safety, if Amelie is with Yuudai, then she’ll be fine. The girl might hate Amelie, but Haruki is sure she will protect her. She has too much pride to let her subordinate get hurt.

Yuudai covers herself with Amelie’s towel. But it is so small that it barely covers anything. Her bust is on the verge of bursting out, while her healthy thighs peek out into the outside world.

“Why are you staring? Are you still dizzy?”

“N-no, but suddenly I have a headache.”

Only, her headache isn’t physical.

Amelie understands that the difference in their physiques comes from the gap in their ages. But as a fellow woman, she can’t help but feel defeated.

The fact that her mother is also a slender-type woman doesn't help either. Now she's worried about her future.

"That's good then. After this, we still have to move, so you need to be able to walk"

“Mm... Don’t worry. After having a proper meal, I’ll be back to full strength! I’m sure Haruki is looking for some actual food right now.”

“Must be nice, having a personal knight.”

“Eheheh...”

Amelie can’t help but awkwardly laugh at Yuudai’s snarky comment. After all, it’s true that she always receives Haruki’s kindness.

“Well, it’s the privilege of being his childhood friend.”

“Are you seriously saying that?”

“He is a kind boy. Seeing his childhood friend suffer must hurt his conscience.”

If she ever saw Haruki sick and weak, Amelie would do everything she could to help him get better too. He must feel the same way. That’s why he works so hard for her.

That is Amelie’s train of thought.

“So you are actually serious.”

Unbelievable. That is the first word that comes to Yuudai’s mind after hearing Amelie’s reasoning.

If we’re talking about the position of childhood friend, Yuudai, who comes from a military family and has close ties to Haruki’s family, would also count. They even played together a lot before the boy followed his father on his journeys. Yet Yuudai doesn’t receive the same amount of attention from him.

Anyone with working eyes could tell that Amelie is special. And it definitely goes beyond some random task given to him by the higher-ups.

“Ugh...”

Amelie stumbles as she tries to climb out of the river.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes. I want to sleep for a bit! Can you wake me up later?”

Her fever hasn’t fully gone down yet, and her head still feels a bit dizzy.

She prepared some medicine, but only the bare minimum. Most of it is for external wounds. Other medicines are usually available at the training camp, so she didn’t prepare enough.

While Amelie is still thinking about how to deal with her health issues, Yuudai decides to ask her something.

“You can sleep, but before that, I want to ask you something!”

“What?”

“Why did you want to take the exam?”

Amelie stops wrapping herself in another towel and turns her face toward Yuudai.

She didn’t expect Yuudai to start another conversation with her. Just a few days ago, the girl outright rejected her attempts to get close. But now she wants to know about Amelie?

“The reason? All Military Academy students are required to take it.”

Amelie is just doing her duty as a student.

“But you don’t have that obligation, right?”

Amelie is just a political hostage. Normally, she wouldn’t be given any freedom, and her movements would be restricted under strict surveillance.

But because providing special accommodations and maintaining strict surveillance would cost too much money and effort, the little girl was placed in the Military Academy. At least, that’s the official reason given by the teachers.

There, her movements can be restricted, and even without dedicated personnel, her actions can be monitored by other students, teachers, and school staff who don’t need any extra incentives. So basically, the school is just a place to confine Amelie. Her status as a student isn’t binding.

Amelie is there not for the sake of her education. She’s given the chance to learn not because someone expects her to become smart, and she becomes smart not because someone wants her to achieve something. All that’s wanted from her is her willingness to obey and her ability to restrain herself from causing trouble.

So basically, even if she does nothing, Amelie can still stay at the academy. Even if she doesn’t study, even if she doesn’t take exams, and even if she just lazes around in her room.

At least, that’s the view held by most of the Military Academy students around her.

“Honestly, your existence here is just a burden, and I don’t like it.”

Amelie already knew that her relationship with Yuudai was like that of strangers who happened to know each other. But now she realizes that her guess was way off. Yuudai doesn’t even want to know her.

She has known for a long time that many people hate her. But even so, until now, no one had ever outright told her to her face that they didn’t like her.

Her words shocked her more than she thought they would.

“Huuufff...”

Amelie takes a deep breath, then turns her back to Yuudai before looking at the clear river in front of her. Or, more precisely, she looks at the reflection of her face in the water.

“Why did I want to go, huh?”

She has no obligation to go, and even when she said she wanted to, many people tried to stop her. But she forced her way through and found various ways to still take the exam.

After searching for the reason, she finally finds a selfish desire that made her want to go even if she had to force it. A desire she can’t use as a proper reason when arguing with the higher-ups.

And those reasons are...

She doesn’t want to be the only one who’s different. She doesn’t want to be the exception. She wants to graduate normally. And she wants...

To force Haruki to show his abilities.

Amelie scoops up some water and roughly splashes it onto her face.

“The reason is... it’s kind of embarrassing.”

Yuudai glances at Amelie, trying to peek at what kind of expression the little girl is making.

“Hey, Amelie.”

“Mm?”

“Do you like Haruki?”

 

Yuudai decides to voice the question she previously threw at Haruki.

“Huh? Whaaat?”

“Are you in love with Haruki?”

“In love? Heeeeeeee?... ... No!! Of course not!! Why would you think that?!”

“Seeing your panicked reaction just makes me even more curious.”

“I’m panicking because you asked a weird question!!!”

“What’s weird about it? Seeing how close you two are, I think my question is pretty normal. You two having a special relationship is kinda common knowledge among the students.”

“Sp-special relationship... No! There’s nothing like that between us! It’s true we’re close, but that’s just because we’re childhood friends.”

“Really?”

Again, the childhood friend’s reasoning comes out.

“Of course, obviously!!”

“Then why were you so insistent on following him to take the exam?”

“You’re wrong, Yuudai. I wanted him to follow me to take the field exam.”

If not for Amelie, Haruki wouldn’t bother taking the field exam.

“You’re really spoiled, huh? Do you get lonely without Haruki?”

From Yuudai’s perspective, Amelie just looks like a stubborn child who doesn’t want to be separated from Haruki. A view that, while wrong, is also generally right.

“You might see me as just acting spoiled! But I have my own goals!”

When I was little, Haruki helped me, my family, and the people in my territory a lot. That’s why I want to help him as much as possible in return.

“In return?”

“Yes, in return.”

This time, Yuudai is the one who lets out a sigh. After that, she carefully observes Amelie.

“But helping... what exactly can you help with?”

Yuudai has heard about Amelie’s talent from Haruki, but in their current situation, that talent is completely useless. On the contrary, by being here, she’s just causing trouble for the boy.

“In battle, I am useless, and I understand that I’m a burden... It’s just... how about we look at it from another perspective?”

She takes a deep breath.

“My words might sound like just an excuse to stay here, but that’s what I truly believe.”

It’s true that she might be useless in battle, but outside of physical combat on the battlefield, there are very few things Amelie can’t do. She has studied many things, gathered thousands of pieces of knowledge, and gone through hundreds of trials and errors to put that knowledge into practice.

There are so many things she can do.

“I might not be able to help much, but even so, there must be something only I can do!”

And when the time comes when he needs me, I’ll do my best to be useful.

That’s why she studied so many things, even small things that seemed unimportant. She did it all so that whenever he needs help, Amelie can immediately come and lend a hand.

“...”

Amelie speaks with such a bright, happy face that it melts away Yuudai’s desire to argue. Even though the girl denies it, the expression Amelie is showing is exactly the kind of expression a girl who wants to make the boy she likes happy would have.

A guess that isn’t too far from reality. Considering that her main goal in taking the exam is not only to graduate quickly, but also to restore the boy’s reputation to its former glory. To show that the boy is a competent young man.

“I’m going to look for some more food. I’ll wake you up when I’m done.”

“Thanks.”

Hearing Amelie talk about Haruki makes her feel like someone just shoved a mouthful of sugar into her mouth. And she doesn’t like it. So she decides to back off and end their conversation.

ᯓ

A few hours later, everyone regroups near their boat to discuss their next move. They’ve survived one disaster, but the problems they’re facing are far from over. If there’s any good news, it’s simply the fact that they know where they are.

With a small campfire at the center, their small group sits in a circle. Once everyone has settled down, Yuudai starts the meeting.

“Even though we’re safe, our safety isn’t guaranteed yet. Our goal is the fortress belonging to the nearest allied forces, which is not close at all.”

Amelie takes a map out of her bag, places it on the sand, and pushes it toward the student next to her so he can give it to Haruki. Unusually, Haruki isn’t sitting right next to her. He’s now sitting beside another student. In his place, Yuudai is sitting beside her.

“Haruki!”

Yuudai calls Haruki’s name and directs the other students’ attention toward him. Without a clear signal that Haruki has been entrusted with authority, the academy students around them likely wouldn’t consider what he says important.

“Ahem.”

After receiving the map, Haruki accidentally looks toward Amelie, making their eyes meet. But once again, he does the unexpected. Haruki quickly looks away and clears his throat.

“I’ll explain the situation.”

Their group consists of too many people for a secret trip, but too few for an open march. A bunch of people who aren’t merchants traveling together would invite suspicion even if they weren’t doing anything suspicious.

Legally, the place they’re in is Amteric territory, but it’s an open secret that the common people don’t see it that way. And there are quite a lot of those people. Many are still trying to overthrow the new government and reclaim the area from Amteric’s control.

You could say they’re currently stranded behind enemy lines. They aren’t from Amteric, but they are from a country helping Amteric maintain its control over the region. If their identities as coalition force members are discovered, their situation will undoubtedly turn for the worse.

“That’s why, let’s split up and use separate routes.”

Even though no one is happy with that decision, everyone understands the situation. They all know that if they stay together, they’ll only invite more danger.

Haruki draws a rough map in the sand and marks several points.

“There are many routes to the fortress we’re aiming for, but I recommend only two.”

Some students feel uneasy about receiving instructions from Haruki, who is notoriously considered incompetent. But as students of a Military Academy that always emphasizes the importance of hierarchy, they still pay attention to what he says after Yuudai appoints him as the strategist for their small group.

This is where you can see the competence of the students of Yamato Military Academy.

“First! The normal route! And second! The unusual route!”

The normal route is the regular public road commonly used by ordinary people. Meanwhile, the unusual route is further divided into two options, going around the mountain or cutting through it.

The normal route is safer, but you must be good at blending in with ordinary people, avoid acting suspiciously, and stay hyper-aware of your surroundings.

The route along the edge of the mountain has few people, but you still have to be careful because groups of bandits often choose such locations to set up their bases. As for those who want to cut through the mountain, they must be wary of wild or poisonous animals and plants, as well as the high chance of getting lost.

There’s a risk of dying on every route.

“Consider your choices carefully!”

After explaining all the options he can think of, Haruki immediately tells everyone to form groups of two or three. And the result is...

“Uwa... I’m truly impressed by their ability to avoid me.”

As soon as they’re told to form groups, everyone immediately moves toward their closest friends or someone they think is trustworthy. Because of that, Yuudai’s group ends up with five members.

It seems they have some experts at hunting among them, so they choose the middle route, cutting through the mountains.

Judging by their member composition, they’re the type of people who hit first and ask questions later. They definitely can’t blend in well in a town.

The next two groups have four and three members. One will follow Yuudai’s group’s route, while the other will take the less strenuous route around the mountains.

As for Haruki and Amelie, as usual, they end up in the leftover group, consisting of the remaining people no one else wanted. Even though Amelie had a feeling this would happen, she’s still a little disappointed by the reality that she truly has no close friends besides Haruki.

“Welcome to the leftover group.”

Haruki welcomes the new member of their group, who is just like them, blatantly being avoided by everyone else. Aside from Amelie and Haruki, there’s also one other loner in their year.

“My name is Shun Jurou.”

Amelie approaches the boy and offers her hand to Shun. The two shake hands, then Amelie turns to Haruki and offers her hand as well, just as a joke. But Haruki simply brushes her off and goes back to talking with Shun.

“But this team is totally a leftover group.”

All of them are infamous people in the academy. The incompetent former genius, the hated weak princess, and the strongest school bully.

“I’m not a leftover. I chose to be with you.”

Amelie says this with confidence.

“Mm... yeah.”

Once again, Haruki doesn’t give Amelie the response she hoped for. And he is being very blatant about avoiding any conversation with his childhood friend.

“Amelie, give your compass to Yuudai and your map to the group going around the mountain.”

“Are you sure?”

“You already memorized the map, right?”

“I do, but once again! Are you sure?”

The maps given to academy students are pretty simple. Only the higher-ups have access to more detailed ones. In fact, they’re so simple that Amelie can easily replicate their contents from memory alone.

“We’re taking the normal route, so we don’t need a map or a compass.”

“Eh? The normal route?”

“For the three of us, that’s the safest.”

They don’t have enough combat capability to face serious danger. Haruki doesn’t want to risk dealing with wild animals, venomous creatures, or getting jumped by bandits. On top of that, he doesn’t know how good Shun’s abilities are. That’s why he chooses the relatively safer route.

Of course, he knows Shun is good at fighting people, but all of his past fights have taken place in controlled environments and have only been against humans. How will they fare against something like a bear or a tiger? He doesn’t know. And frankly, he doesn’t want to know.

Using the normal route increases their chances of encountering enemies, but luckily, Haruki’s social skills are one thing he can be proud of. The boy is confident that he can blend in with ordinary civilians, who, notably, aren’t too concerned with the ongoing conflict.

Based on a report he once read, at least in this region, the most rebellious people are the former landowners who lost their power and wealth. As for the common people, Amteric may be bad, but their former rulers weren’t exactly good either. They don’t really care who sits atop the throne.

After everyone finishes preparing, the groups scatter along their respective routes. Haruki, Shun, and Amelie immediately head toward the road leading to the nearest settlement.

Which, once again, is not even close.

As they walk, the three of them discuss the details of the route they’ll take. Which roads to use, which villages they’ll pass through, how to avoid checkpoints at certain spots, and dozens of answers to questions they might be asked, like their background, origin, business, and much more. Just in case they get interrogated at the borders.

Two hours later, they finally reach the main road. At the same time, the three of them finally get to the most important topic of their journey.

“Now, how much money do we have?”

Haruki holds out his hand and shows six copper coins. Shun shows three silver coins, while Amelie shows five silver coins.

“Princess, are you actually poor?”

Shun chirps.

“Haruki rushed me so much that I forgot to take my wallet.”

The wallet was inside her cupboard, a cupboard that is now sitting at the bottom of the sea.

“We are seriously broke.”

Amelie tries to initiate another round of banter with Haruki. But sure enough, the boy avoids even looking at her and immediately changes the subject.

Unlike in the forest, they can’t just pick fruit or hunt animals for food. They also can’t simply sleep by the roadside, and lastly, they have a problem with their appearance. Walking around in the military uniforms of an opposing country behind enemy lines doesn’t sound like a wise decision at all.

They need money for food, lodging, new clothes, and, of course, some for bribes. Just in case. They also need to buy Amelie some new clothes.

Amelie already draws attention on her own, but her uniform, which is different from those of the other academy students, makes her even more noticeable.

While walking, they use their knives to remove any identifying emblems or symbols from their uniforms.

After almost five hours and passing through several small villages, the three of them reach a small town. There, Shun offers to sell their clothes. It seems his parents are merchants, so he’s confident that he can at least sell their clothes for a fair price without getting swindled.

And sure enough, because their military uniforms are essentially rare items of good quality, they get quite a lot of money for them, even with the damage they have sustained. Enough to travel comfortably for five days.

Once the price is agreed upon, the three of them are immediately given a place to take off their uniforms and change into the ones they bought. Shun and Haruki change quickly, but the moment Amelie comes out of the changing room, both of them immediately make pained expressions.

“Haruki, she is really something.”

“I know what you mean, Shun. I was thinking the same thing.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Shun scratches his head, struggling to answer Amelie’s question.

“Your appearance is a bit problematic.”

“Problematic? Is something wrong?”

Amelie spins around and looks at her appearance again. She feels like there’s nothing wrong. The clothes Shun bought are second-hand, so even though they look clean, what she’s wearing can’t exactly be called nice-looking.

“Lots of things!”

Since they want to blend in with ordinary people, they naturally decide to buy inconspicuous clothes. The clothes they choose are cheap, second-hand, and slightly below standard, giving the impression of poor villagers visiting a big city for the first time.

But even though she’s wearing shabby, worn-out clothes, for some reason, the aura Amelie gives off still isn’t that of a poor village girl.

“Shun, this is what you call a real princess.”

“I get it.”

Thanks to her mother’s upbringing, Amelie never forgets to take care of herself, even without a maid’s help. Her shabby clothes can’t hide her healthy, smooth, pale skin, her soft hair, or her well-maintained, cute face.

“I think we need to buy some extras. Get a hooded robe if possible, a big one that can cover her face.”

“No other choice.”

Haruki and Shun check the girl’s appearance again. Once they’re satisfied, the three of them finally decide to continue their journey.

Shun immediately finds a cloak and buys it, then gives it to Amelie to cover her head. She still looks suspicious, but at least now they can simply say they’re guards escorting a runaway noble’s daughter.

Once their shopping is done, the three of them continue their journey. When night comes, they stop again in a small town and rent a room at an inn.

“We’ll sleep outside.”

One room. They only rent one room.

“Eh?”

They could afford to rent more than one room with the money they have. But Haruki doesn’t want to waste their funds, so they end up renting just one room. He insists on saving as much as possible for emergencies.

“Sorry, but I don’t want to sleep outside after paying for it.”

Shun raises a valid point.

Unlike Yamato, the Amteric continent has a colder climate due to its geography. It’s only natural that Shun doesn’t want to sleep outside when he can rest inside.

They’ve already paid for the room, and the money used to pay for it isn’t just Amelie’s. So Shun feels that he also has the right to sleep in the room they rented. But Haruki firmly tells him to go outside and sleep in the dining room.

“Stop complaining!”

Haruki pushes Shun out of the room, but then Amelie pulls on Haruki’s clothes from behind.

“Don’t go.”

Amelie isn’t just asking Haruki not to go, she’s also asking Shun to stay. But since she’s holding onto Haruki’s clothes, it gives the impression that Amelie doesn’t want Haruki to leave.

Which is exactly what Shun thinks.

“Ooooh, I see... You should have said so from the start... I understand!”

Hearing that, Haruki immediately panics.

“Don’t think weird things, you idiot!!!”

“No need to be shy! I understand it completely! Enjoy your time! I won’t disturb you.”

“You don’t understand at all!!!”

Shun smiles as he slowly backs toward the exit.

“Amelie!! Say something to him!”

“Say what? I just want to talk to you.”

“Amelie!!!!”

“Enjoy your night chat... my sleeping spot isn’t too far from here, so don’t moa... talk too loudly.”

The young man closes the door, disappearing from their view and leaving Amelie and Haruki alone.

At first, Haruki is a bit flustered about being left alone with Amelie, but once he realizes there’s no way Amelie asked him to stay for the reason Shun thinks, he calms down.

Remembering that this kind of situation isn’t new for them, he relaxes and asks the girl:

“So what is it, Amelie?”

“I just want to ask something.”

“Ask what?”

Amelie takes a deep breath before finally continuing.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

“I don’t understand your question.”

“You’ve been avoiding me all day.”

“But I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Not that!!”

Since they washed up on the beach, Haruki has tried not to communicate with Amelie unless absolutely necessary. Normally, the two of them could argue endlessly over even the smallest, most useless things. But since yesterday, their communication has been unusually quiet.

Then, when discussing strategy, Haruki would usually ask for Amelie’s opinion first. But this time, he decided everything himself without discussing anything with her.

When Amelie tries to throw in a joke, Haruki only gives a half-hearted reaction, followed by an equally half-hearted laugh before quickly ending the conversation, as if talking to her is a bother.

Even after they form their group, Haruki prefers to discuss everything with Shun and doesn’t pay much attention to her opinions. And if the girl wants to add something, it’s not uncommon for the two of them to communicate through Shun as a mediator.

“And lastly...”

Amelie looks into Haruki’s eyes, but the young man immediately looks away.

“You haven’t looked into my eyes once for a whole day too”

“That...”

“What?”

“Mmm...”

The reason is very simple. He overheard too much about the girl's feelings. His hiding spots weren’t that far away, so he was able to hear everything she said to Yuudai.

And because of that, Haruki is so embarrassed that he can’t look her directly in the eye.

“Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong? If I did, I’ll apologize!... But don’t be mad anymore.”

Receiving an apology from someone who doesn’t even know what mistake they’re apologizing for will usually only make the person receiving it even more upset.

Normally, that is. But Amelie is different. If a man had a wife or lover like her, he might cry tears of happiness. Not only is she not mad at Haruki, but she also tries to be understanding and even apologizes first.

“You haven’t looked me in the eyes even once all day.”

“Stop, Amelie. I think our roles are a bit reversed here!”

Haruki feels very guilty about receiving the young girl’s apology.

“You don’t need to apologize! You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not mad at you either.”

He isn’t trying to placate the girl. That is the whole truth.

“Then why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not avoiding you... It’s just...”

He can’t tell her the reason.

He may be quite a bit older than Amelie, but he isn’t a fully fledged adult yet either. There are still many unstable parts of his mind.

“Just know that I’m not mad at you, and you didn’t do anything wrong. Sorry if you’re uncomfortable, but everything’s fine.... Please don’t ask anything else.”

Haruki looks at Amelie, worried that the girl might press him for a clearer answer.

“Huuuhh... Then the issue is resolved... Don’t avoid me again, okay!”

But just as the young man requested, Amelie doesn’t press him for an answer. She simply smiles, making him extremely grateful because he could never explain the real reason.

“Fuuuhh...”

Haruki lets out a sigh of relief.

If his conversation partner weren’t Amelie, there’s no way Haruki could get off so easily. He’s even asking something from the very person whose feelings he hurt. That alone could have made the situation even worse.

But once again, the girl shows that she is more mature than her physical appearance would suggest.

Sometimes, Haruki even feels like he’s talking to his mother.

“Then I’ll go.”

The misunderstanding may have been resolved, but there’s still another topic to discuss.

“Wait! I feel bad sleeping here alone while you guys sleep in the dining room.”

“Huh?”

“If you sleep out there, I’ll also sleep outside with both of you and waste our money.”

“Amelie.”

Seriously, she reminded him of his mother way too much.

Even her teasing is similar.

“Fine.”

Haruki calls Shun back, and finally, the three of them sleep in the same room. Amelie sleeps on the bed, while Haruki and Shun sleep on a mat on the floor. They use her towel and robe as blankets.

Once morning comes, they have breakfast at the inn before continuing their journey.

And luckily, everything goes smoothly without any obstacles.

They even get through the border checks with only minor debates. After repeating what they did the previous day, the three finally reach the second border on the way to the fortress.

But the moment they get near their destination, the three of them realize that the smooth journey they’ve had so far was nothing more than the calm before the storm.

“Why does there have to be an assault now?”

Haruki pulls his hair in frustration upon seeing wave after wave of soldiers moving toward the fortress they’re also heading to. They’re carrying cannons, spears, shields, swords, and arrows. There are probably around four thousand of them.

No wonder the border security wasn’t too tight. It seems most of their forces are busy here.

“There’s no other choice. Before they can completely surround the fortress, we have to find a way to get inside.”

“Are you sure, Haruki? Wouldn’t it be better if we just ran away?”

“Where?”

They could run away, but if they did, their fate would become even more uncertain. They wouldn’t be able to reach the next fortress, which is much farther away. They could head toward Amteric’s main territory, which is closer, but even though they’re formally allies, their diplomatic relations can hardly be called good.

“What about the other teams? Do you want to leave them?”

Amelie asks in a worried tone.

“You don’t need to worry about them.”

Since they took routes far from settlements, they should have been able to move faster and arrive even before Haruki and his group. Most likely, they’re already inside the fortress.

Of course, Haruki doesn’t know that for sure, nor is he completely confident in his assumption. But right now, his priority is Amelie. The others are a secondary concern. And that includes the fate of his other friends.

“Get down!!!”

Shun pushes Amelie to the ground, while Haruki instinctively ducks upon hearing Shun’s command.

“…”

After confirming the direction of the attack, Haruki immediately gets up, carries Amelie, and runs behind a large tree. Then, in hushed voices, the three of them begin talking.

“Scout party?”

“Seems we’re not the only ones looking for a way into the fortress.”

“Not only that, they’re also using an air rifle.”

Five years ago, air rifles started being mass-produced by all sides in the conflict, making the casualties of this war far greater than those of any previous war recorded in history.

Well, even though he says “mass-produced,” the manufacturing process is difficult and the materials aren’t readily available. As a result, their price is still quite high, and not every army can afford them. The poorly funded rebel forces shouldn’t have something like that. Instead of buying a dozen or even a few dozen air rifles, they could use the same amount of money to buy hundreds of bows and arrows.

Something is wrong.

“Giving an air rifle to a scout? Aren’t they afraid the enemy might take their weapon if they get caught?”

“Maybe they have a lot of money.”

Shun hides behind a large tree across from Haruki, observing the situation by paying close attention to the sounds around them. Even though the weapon their enemy is using makes very little noise, in a forest, footsteps alone are enough to determine someone’s location.

“What should we do, Haruki?”

Amelie, who is still in his arms, asks nervously. She might have trained in self-defense and various aspects of combat at the academy, but training and real combat are very different. Even though she was taught tactics for dealing with riflemen, Amelie feels like her body refuses to put that knowledge into practice.

Ultimately, she decides to rely on Haruki, whether consciously or not.

“First, follow Shun and listen carefully to your surroundings.”

The attack just now came from only one direction. But that doesn’t mean their enemy is definitely alone. If that person is part of the enemy’s scout party, he must have comrades.

“Shun! Can you take out the guy?”

Seeing that their enemy hasn’t signaled his comrades and that they also haven’t heard any movement from the shooter, it’s highly likely that he’s still in the same location. If they can take him out, their journey to the fortress will be safer.

“If he comes down from the tree, I think we can handle him.”

They both know the location of their attacker. If they turn around, the person is at their one o’clock position, about seven or eight meters away. He’s hiding on top of the largest tree there, five meters above the ground.

“Now the question is, how do we make him come down?”

“You can go out and bait him into attacking you, or you can run away and bait him into chasing you.”

After that, Shun will chase him down and take him out from behind.

“How about it?"

Shun asks.

“Is it my imagination, or am I still the bait either way?”

“I think being bait is a suitable task for you, the unkillable soldier.”

“..”

Unlike before, Haruki doesn’t answer Shun’s remark in a joking tone. All he gives him is a sharp glare, as if he wants to shut the guy’s mouth.

Forever.

“...”

Shun simply smiles. Unlike most other academy students, he has never once looked down on Haruki. If you know how their school works, where incompetence is not tolerated, you can easily guess that Haruki is no ordinary person.

Although, in Shun’s case, he only knows this because he accidentally overheard some academy instructors talking about how Haruki always returns from his missions, no matter how difficult they are. Even when a mission fails and his entire team gets slaughtered, the boy still manages to return and bring back important information.

Besides Shun, Yuudai also knows about Haruki’s history. But unlike Shun, Yuudai can read the mood and understands that Haruki doesn’t want to talk about his past in front of others.

“So what do we do? We can’t just keep hiding here until he leaves.”

The main rebel force could arrive at any time. The longer they stay there, the greater the chance that enemy troops will discover their position.

“Sighhh.... No other choice…”

Just as Haruki decides to give in and agree to be the bait, he suddenly feels Amelie lightly tugging on his hand.

“How can you two be this calm? Isn’t this a matter of life and death?”

Haruki is a veteran who has spent much longer in the military world than Amelie. On top of that, he has been on real missions outside the academy, so his experience far exceeds both Shun’s and, of course, Amelie’s.

“Eh... That’s the fun part of war! Facing the enemy and killing each other is exactly what makes it fun!”

Meanwhile, that is Shun’s entire reasoning.

“I knew you were crazy, but I didn’t know you were this crazy.”

Just as Shun knows Haruki’s background, Haruki also knows Shun’s background. As he said when they formed the group, Shun is the school bully. He really likes causing trouble, and his parents sent him to military school in an attempt to fix his personality.

Unfortunately, instead of getting better, his violent tendencies only got worse. Since there are so many strong students at the academy, he became even more addicted to fighting.

While he doesn’t really bully people, he tends to go overboard during training. He’s responsible for a lot of broken bones at the academy. That’s why he’s hated by many students and is known as the strongest school bully.

In terms of pure combat ability, Shun is even deadlier than the older and physically stronger Haruki.

“Wait a second!!!! Instead of using Haruki as bait, how about we just counterattack?”

Amelie proposes.

“Counterattack?”

“I brought it because I was afraid it would get stolen, but I think now is the right time to use it.”

Amelie takes a weapon and a small, long metallic tube out of her bag. The weapon looks like a flintlock pistol, but the weapon she starts assembling has neither gunpowder nor a striker to blow it up. Instead, it has a fairly large gas cylinder and fires sharp pellets instead of round iron bullets.

“Don’t tell me... Is this another Erwin invention?”

“Alright, I won’t tell you.”

Even though Amelie doesn’t confirm it, Haruki knows there’s only one person who could make and give something like that to Amelie.

“Didn’t you tell him to restrain himself? Why is he still giving you dangerous things like this?”

“He said it was for emergencies.”

“Sighhhh...”

Haruki facepalms.

Erwin spoiling Amelie is nothing new. But his habit of going overboard with everything he does is dangerous for everyone. All of his creations have the potential to change the world. But among all his inventions, the weapons he makes are the most dangerous.

At the beginning of the war waged by Amteric, no one used air rifles. But after Haruki returned, he started hearing about a new type of weapon being used in warfare. And sure enough, when Yamato troops brought back weapons captured from the enemy, he found an air rifle that looked very much like a replica of the rifle Erwin had used in the past.

He’s already changed the world once. Haruki doesn’t want him to do it again anytime soon. Especially not while they’re in the middle of a massive conflict like this.

"The effective range is only ten meters, and after the third shot, the effective range drops to five"

Amelie finishes assembling her air pistol and hands it to Haruki. The additional muzzle attachment she installed will stabilize the pellets inside, ensuring they don’t stray far from the target.

“So I still have to get close, huh?”

Haruki complains. In response, Amelie says...

“I can distract him for a moment. You can use that chance to approa…”

Which immediately earns her two big, fat...

“No!”

“No!”

Shout Shun and Haruki at the same time. Shun might love causing trouble, but even someone like him still has some conscience left. If something happens to the girl, even Shun would feel guilty.

And as for Haruki? Don’t even ask. Of course he doesn’t want Amelie to endanger herself.

“You don’t need to worry! I’m an expert at running away!”

Haruki takes a deep breath, then closes his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

“What…”

He looks a bit confused. It’s as if he’s trying to do something but can’t quite manage it.

“Haruki..? What happened?”

“Nothing, don’t worry.”

After that, he closes his eyes again before slowly opening them. This time, Haruki’s pupils turn gold for a moment, indicating that his magic has just activated.

“Shun, two o’clock, five meters.”

Shun doesn’t know why Haruki gives that order before they even get a reaction from their enemy, but without hesitation, he immediately runs toward the direction Haruki indicated.

Bam!

After shouting the order, Haruki comes out of his hiding spot and runs straight toward where their enemy is. And, of course, a shot immediately flies straight toward his forehead. But with minimal movement, Haruki dodges it and immediately counterattacks, shooting toward the enemy’s location.

Bam!

This time, it’s his enemy’s turn to avoid Haruki’s counterattack. Without hesitation, the enemy drops to the ground.

“What the hell?”

Not only is their enemy fine after dropping from such a height, but he can also immediately run again. Luckily, someone is already running straight toward the exact spot where the enemy is headed.

“Haaaa!!!!”

Shun launches a punch straight at the head of their hooded enemy. But his opponent immediately ducks and swings the rifle he’s carrying like a spear, aiming it at Shun’s body.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

Instead of dodging, Shun meets the attack head-on.

Quickly matching the speed of his hand with his enemy’s attack, he catches the opponent’s weapon. Then, he pulls on it, trying to drag the man closer to him.

“…”

But his attempt fails because his pull doesn’t budge the opponent’s body. And it’s not because he’s weak. Rather, it seems that some other force is preventing him from pulling his opponent closer.

“How about this?”

Far from being out of options, Shun simply switches tactics and uses his left hand to target the enemy’s face again.

“…”

But once again, his attempt is thwarted. His fist is caught by the enemy, forcing him to improvise again. He lifts his leg and tries to sweep the opponent’s leg. Only…

“Ha…”

His opponent does the same thing, resulting in both of them kicking each other in the shins.

“Aghhh...”

And even worse, Shun feels like he just kicked a rock.

“Now it’s my turn!”

Finally, their opponent speaks, even though Shun still can’t see his face clearly. But he can see the smile plastered across his enemy’s face.

This time, it’s Shun’s body that gets pulled.

“Ugh…”

Shun tries to resist by pulling back, but he’s easily overpowered, showing the difference between their raw strength.

“You…”

This explains a lot.

Their opponent is a magic user. His ability to remain unharmed after falling from such a considerable height, along with his incredibly hard body, can be explained by his magic.

“Haruki!!!!”

Feeling like he can’t fight back, Shun has no choice but to ask his partner for help.

Bam!

Unafraid that his attack might miss and hit Shun, Haruki shoots at their opponent. But even though his shot hits the intended target with one hundred percent accuracy, his attack has absolutely no effect.

The man simply lowers his head and lets the pellet from the air pistol hit his hood, stopping the projectile in an instant.

“That power…?”

Don’t tell me…

Still doubtful of his guess, Haruki draws the ballistic knife he got several years ago. Then, once again, as if he doesn’t care about Shun’s safety, the boy aims the knife’s blade at their opponent and presses the trigger on its handle.

Psshhh…

The kinetic energy stored in the small gas cylinder and spring inside the handle is instantly released, launching the blade toward their enemy’s chest.

And sure enough…

Pang!!!

The moment the high-speed blade collides with their opponent’s hand as he tries to block it, it produces a sound akin to two pieces of metal colliding.

“…”

Hearing that sound, Haruki no longer has any doubts about his conclusion. And with that, the young man immediately shouts…

“Erwin! Stop!!”

…stopping their opponent just as he is about to slam Shun into the ground.

“Haruki?”

His suspicions began when his magic failed to affect their opponent. He never expected to meet him in a place like this.

Their opponent releases Shun from his grip. Then, slowly, he pulls back his hood, revealing his face. After getting a clearer look at the young man, Haruki is certain that the person they were just fighting is none other than his childhood friend, Erwin Frank.

𖦏𖦏𖦏

He is just a year older than Haruki, but his height and build already resemble those of a fully fledged adult. Even covered by clothes, you can still see his solid build and perfectly proportioned body, tempered by years of training. As a military member, Haruki is fit, but compared to his other childhood friend, he looks ordinary.

But even with all that masculinity, his presence carries a gentle vibe. Not only because of his handsome face, but also because of his cheerful personality.

He is truly the embodiment of a young girl’s dream of the perfect man.

“For a reunion, don’t you think that’s a bit too excessive, Erwin?”

Though to Haruki, he is just an annoying old friend.

“Don’t blame me! Enemies are everywhere! I need to stay vigilant!”

After successfully entering the fortress, Erwin, whose status as a guest from Amteric grants him special privileges, manages to request a room to welcome Haruki and his companions.

“Yet you seem not to want to kill anyone?”

“How do you know? I’m very sure I haven’t unveiled this yet.”

He puts down his weapon. It’s an air rifle, but unlike the most common type used by troops all across the world, it looks a bit different.

If you liken your average air rifle to a sailboat, Erwin’s new air rifle is more like the new Albion steamship. It’s two or three generations ahead of the current production models.

The design, materials, and construction methods all seem to be more advanced than those of the current air rifles.

“Well, I just know! So why make such an advanced but harmless weapon?”

“The weapon itself isn’t harmless. Only the pellet is.”

Erwin shows everyone the pellet from his weapon. It looks hard, but also soft enough that it wouldn’t kill someone. Since he is sneaking around, he thought knocking people out would be better than straight-up killing them.

After all, when people die, they don’t just die quietly.

“Of course, I also have lethal ones.”

While Erwin explains his reasoning, Haruki rolls the item between his fingers, feeling its texture. After a while, he puts it down and makes a horrified face.

“Is this… rubber?”

“As expected of Haruki, you know your stuff.”

That confirmation doesn’t make him happy. Instead, it scares him.

One of the biggest weaknesses of current air rifles is their seals. When the rubber dries out, air leaks through. If they aren’t stored properly, the seals can also degrade quickly. If those problems can be solved, air rifles could become even more widespread.

“Stop using that!”

They can’t afford to have someone pick one up and study how to refine rubber the way Erwin does. It would be catastrophic.

“Why, though? It’s just rubber.”

Amelie is a little confused. From her point of view, having more options is better. If you can avoid killing people, then it’s a good thing.

“It’s not JUST rubber.”

Amelie is smart, but this time, it seems even she fails to understand the magnitude of Erwin’s discovery.

“Don’t worry, Haruki, I understand your concern! Here, I’ll even pick up the pellet I shot.”

Just like Amelie, Erwin also used to struggle to understand how his little invention could have such a huge impact on the world. For geniuses like them, the things people consider world-changing are often trivial, so they tend to underestimate the effects they can have.

But it seems Erwin has grown up a bit.

“Good, then.”

“Don’t underestimate your elder.”

Erwin nods.

“You’re just a year older than me.”

Being treated like the younger one by a boy who is only a year older is kind of infuriating. Erwin is nineteen, and Haruki is eighteen. All things considered, they’re peers.

For quite a while, their conversation comes to a halt.

“So, what’s your relationship?”

That’s why Shun, who knows nothing about the dynamics between everyone, decides to start a new topic.

He also wants to stop hearing National-Secret-level information being discussed so casually. Meeting the original creator of the air rifle alone is already a big deal, yet he even catches a glimpse of a far more advanced weapon.

That information alone is worth so much that he could make his parents retire early if he sold it to the nation.

“Let me introduce him. His name is Erwin Frank! He’s the son of a military noble family in Amteric, but you don’t need to respect him because, basically, he’s just Amelie’s henchman.”

“What kind of introduction is that? I’m Erwin! Amelie’s number-one knight who also doubles as her big brother!”

“You’re not my brother.”

Amelie, busy eating the biscuits in front of her, corrects the false information Erwin is trying to spread.

“By the way, isn’t our seating arrangement kinda weird?”

Erwin asks.

“Nothing’s weird!”

Amelie answers before chewing on another biscuit.

Their current seating arrangement is Haruki, Amelie, Shun, and then Erwin sitting in front of the three of them.

“If I don’t do this much, you’d jump on Amelie.”

“Of course! Do you know how long it’s been since I saw her face? I really missed her.”

The moment Erwin saw Amelie come out of hiding, he immediately hugged her tightly. Something she initially tolerated, considering they hadn’t seen each other in years. But then he started clinging to her like there was no tomorrow.

Even though Amelie isn’t uncomfortable with being hugged by Erwin, they aren’t little kids anymore. Not only does she feel embarrassed about being constantly hugged by someone of the opposite sex in front of so many people, but she also doesn’t want to cause misunderstandings among those around them. That’s why she asks Haruki and Shun for help in stopping Erwin.

She still remembers the social lessons Haruki gave her at the academy about relationships between men and women. And apparently, in this world, girls her age are already considered old enough to marry and start families.

She doesn’t want the people in the fortress to think of her as Erwin’s local lover or something like that.

Amelie puts down her teacup and starts the topic she’s been wanting to bring up.

“So, Erwin, what’s your purpose in coming all the way here from Amteric?”

“I was ordered to bring you home.”

Among everyone present, Amelie herself is the most surprised.

“Why? I can’t just go home like that.”

Amelie is a political hostage. Of course, she can’t just go home whenever she pleases. Besides, as long as she’s a student at the Military Academy, she can’t go anywhere without permission from the school.

If she must go home, Amteric should provide a replacement or compensation. And of course, such political matters also need to be decided well in advance. Not suddenly like this.

“I brought a letter from your father. You can read it yourself.”

Erwin slides an envelope bearing the royal seal of Amteric toward the girl sitting in front of him.

Her father has, of course, contacted the coalition and discussed the matter of recalling Amelie with them. He sent Erwin to pick her up so they can leave immediately once his request is approved by the coalition forces and Yamato. The letter he carries is basically just a formality that Erwin needs when dealing with other kingdoms along the way.

“What does it say, Amelie?”

Haruki asks.

“…My father is sick.”

The letter Erwin brought explains that Amelie’s father has fallen ill, and he wants to quickly choose a successor because he isn’t sure his health will improve. As a country facing domestic and international problems on a massive scale, they can’t afford to have a vacant throne. That’s why they want to hurriedly select a new ruler.

For that reason, they are recalling all their political hostages. Amteric will compensate the countries holding the hostages by issuing them bonds, which will be repaid once a new ruler is chosen. After that, the immediate family of the new king or queen will become the new political hostages.

“Sigh, why am I being dragged into this? Do I even have a chance of winning a power struggle like this?”

Amelie doesn’t want to become queen. And even if she did want the position, she has no support from anyone anyway. Her mother is an orphan with no connections to any noble families. Even if she miraculously wins, she would probably die within a few months from some mysterious illness.

Getting killed by scheming people in the palace is not part of her life plan at all.

“You might not be able to win, but your support is going to be important for your other siblings.”

“Eh? How? What kind of support do they want from me?”

Thanks to Erwin’s help, her territory might be a bit richer today.

But the wealth she possesses can’t even compare to that of an actual noble family. If they’re after her connection to the Frank household, they’ll also be disappointed, because Erwin has basically been disinherited.

“Actually, after you left, several nobles asked for our help.”

Erwin and his mother, feeling that there was no harm in gaining more allies, decided to provide help through monetary aid or special products made by him. This made several middle- and lower-class noble families willing to give their support to Amelie.

Even though they individually lack the power and influence of the great noble houses, they have enough clout to make a difference in the financial situation of other factions.

Plus, thanks to her mother’s help in their territory, the people there have also extended their gratitude toward her daughter, making Amelie’s popularity among the commoners skyrocket.

Something many candidates vying for the throne desperately want.

Even though the support she receives might not be enough to make her queen, it is still significant enough to make a difference.

Hearing this, Haruki can’t help but frown.

“Erwin, are you seriously asking Amelie to go back? In a situation like that?”

If some people find Amelie’s existence beneficial, surely there are others who would see her as a threat. Returning home at a time like this is practically asking to become a target for assassination by her own siblings.

“Her father knows that. That’s why he sent me to pick her up.”

In such an unstable situation, even Amelie’s father realizes that sending his personal guards won’t guarantee her safety. That’s why he chose Erwin, whom he trusts not to betray Amelie and who has the ability to safely bring his daughter home.

Haruki puts his hands on the table, barely holding himself back from smashing it.

“I disagree. Amelie can go home! But not now, or tomorrow, or next month! I’m sure we can delay her departure at least until the graduation exam is finished.”

Haruki wants to buy time to request confirmation from Yamato first. He wants to ask for further instructions regarding his mission. Not to mention, he also wants to grant Amelie’s wish to graduate normally with him.

Erwin stays silent for a moment.

“Haruki... I understand where you’re coming from. I also don’t want to endanger Amelie, but...”

Besides all the issues surrounding the struggle for the throne, Erwin also needs Amelie to return for another reason.

Erwin shifts his gaze to Amelie.

“Your mother is sick, and I heard our neighbors want to take over our territory.”

Amelie’s expression does a complete one-eighty upon hearing the news.

“After you left, the workload in our territory increased a lot.”

Plus, because the economic situation in Tagave is relatively better, they have also received many immigrants who moved in and then caused problems.

All of this alone has already put a lot of strain on her mother, Anneliese.

But among those immigrants, there are also slaves who escaped from their masters. This led to their territory being accused of stealing their property and protecting criminals.

“I’m sorry, Amelie. Your mother and I tried to negotiate, but our efforts failed.”

Erwin couldn’t use his former family’s influence, and their opponents also refused to settle the matter with money. Not only that, they looked down on Anneliese’s position and made absurd demands.

Considering the timing, this is definitely a plot to crush them.

The only way they can negotiate properly is if Amelie, someone with royal blood, also sits at the table.

“I even thought about wiping out everyone...”

Erwin clenches his fist, his face filled with hatred. But soon after, his hand begins to tremble and eventually comes to rest on his thigh.

“But the consequences are too great.”

With his own abilities and those of his people, he could easily burn the neighboring territory to the ground. But even if he could win, what would come after that?

If he alone had to face the consequences, Erwin could accept them.

But in this world, the punishment for a crime isn’t something you bear alone. Especially when the victims are nobles.

If he really carried out his intention, it wouldn’t just be Erwin who got punished. His parents, his siblings, and everyone who helped him would also suffer the consequences. Even Amelie and her mother could be dragged into it simply for housing him all this time.

And in the ruthless world of nobility, the scenario in his head isn’t far from the reality that could very well happen.

“I’m sorry, Amelie! I’m sooo sorry!!”

Erwin bows deeply, both out of guilt for forcing her to do something she doesn’t want to do and for putting her in danger. Not to mention, for being so useless that he has to burden the girl he swore he would support for life.

“...”

As you’d expect, even Haruki, who disagrees with Amelie’s return, can’t say anything in response.

“Hufff... I understand the situation.”

Amelie takes a deep breath.

“But for now, I don’t want to think about it. We must prioritize finding a way to defeat the rebel forces outside.”

With numerous enemies outside the fortress, they can’t even go anywhere, let alone go home. The problem Erwin brought is important, but finding a way to improve their current situation is even more crucial.

For now, that is.

“Amel...”

Haruki looks at the face of the girl sitting next to him. Her expression doesn’t show any significant change, but he doesn’t miss the sight of her trembling hands beneath the table.

“...”

Haruki wants to hold her hands and calm her down. Tell her that everything is okay. But everyone knows that those words would ring hollow.

What should he do?

TOC