Chapter 53 - Volume 2
Volume 2 Chapter 5 part1
Suppression of the Sky Pirates
I was on a harbor for airships within the royal capital.
It was a floating island slightly separated from the royal capital. With airships constantly entering and leaving, this place looked more like a train station or a bus terminal rather than a harbor to me.
Though, instead of trains or buses, there were airships going in and out.
While many people were on tiny airships coming from the royal capital, my airship, “Partner”, was on standby.
This seven hundred meter airship that Luxon built was standing out in comparison to the other airships.
Its shape was simple, rectangular, and box-like.
Its appearance was made to resemble other ships, but its interior was quite something──it was a high-performance airship that made other airships look primitive.
“Did you make sure it was properly on standby?”
Luxon, who was hiding inside my luggage, replied.
[This much is within Partner’s capabilities.]
Partner’s camouflage then reproduced the figure of Luxon’s main body once more.
The form of Luxon’s main body was futuristic to say the least, and was unnatural for an airship of this world. It was more like a spaceship in the first place.
It had been disguised for that reason, but the problem was the matter of its interior.
I couldn’t let people inside since it was futuristic to the point I wouldn’t be able to explain it to others.
Since I had an airship that was a lost item, a device that was impossible to reproduce, there were many who wanted to go inside, so Partner had been built with great haste.
If the secret of Luxon’s existence was known, people would emerge who would try to kill me and take it.
This was part of a measure against that.
──Jeez. I didn’t even face any troubles when I had to use Luxon to return back to my home.
Well, this Partner was Luxon’s pride.
It had an attachment to Partner, like a doting parent, perhaps due to the airship being Luxon’s own construction.
Did AIs have things like affection?
[Master, have you noticed them?]
“I see them.”
I could see the figures of Cara and Livia next to Partner. Livia was carrying Cara’s luggage.
When they noticed that I was approaching, Cara snatched her luggage back from Livia, and then waved as if nothing had happened.
She seemed to have thought that I hadn’t noticed.
Leaving that aside, I hadn’t heard about Livia coming along as well. Furthermore, Livia was not energetic.
Had her reconciliation with Anjie failed?
“Baron, over here~.”
When looking at Cara, I once again thought about how scary women could be.
“Women are scary.”
[Women are afraid of you as well, so be at peace, Master.]
“Are you saying that it’s not because they hate me?”
When I arrived at where the two were, faces that I knew had approached.
Red and Purple──Greg, who was wielding a spear, and Brad, who had an expression of disgust.
“Greg Fou Seberg,” who held the spear, was a physical boy who had short, bristled hair. He was a man who took pride in strength.
“Ugh!”
“Why is Baltfault here?”
Their overbearing attitudes wounded my glass heart.
“What do you losers want?”
Greg and Brad approached me with a glare.
These guys really were bad news. They were like delinquents with colorful hair.
“What’s your problem?”
“Do you want to settle who the loser really is?”
Since the two intimidated me, I turned around and hid behind Livia.
“I have arrangements with Livia. It’s none of your business, so go where ever it is you need to go.”
However, the two didn’t leave the vicinity.
Greg scratched his head, and Brad looked at Cara with scornful eyes.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
Cara, who looked away from us with an expression of discomfort, seemed to be hiding something. Well, I knew that she was hiding a lot, though.
“U, umm, I was told that it would be better if everyone went on the baron’s airship to my household.”
When hearing that, we exchanged glances.
“Huh?! You’re saying that these delinquents are going to be on my prized airship?!”
When I said that, a vein appeared on the foreheads of Greg and Brad.
These people were way too short-tempered.
“Who are you calling a delinquent?!”
“What a detestable man you really are!”
Cara made an apology while staring at the two and at Livia.
“I, I’m sorry! To tell the truth, I had gotten in touch with Brad as well.”
When everyone stared at Brad, he made a reluctant explanation.
“She’s under the guardianship of my former fiancee. She asked for help, so I decided to lend a hand. There would also be remuneration, since the sky pirates had a bounties. I thought that Marie would try to help, so I took on the role for suppressing the sky pirates instead.”
Honestly, he sounded quite insane when he said it upfront like that.
Was it a mistake to have students involved in things like the suppression of sky pirates? Nope. That wasn’t the case.
In the first place, this was the world of “that” otome game. This was a world that where boys had to seek visible achievements, like suppressing sky pirates, in order to be liked by girls.
Suppressing sky pirates appealed to girls!
Thinking carefully about it, this world was crazy from the beginning.
Greg thrust the blunt end of his spear onto the ground. The only thing praiseworthy about this guy was his ability to make daunting poses with his spear.
“I decided to participate as well after hearing that.”
What could he do with a single spear?
The characters in this otome game world really were insane, weren’t they?
“What about the other three? You know, the black, green, and blue guys.”
Brad got angry when I referred to them by color.
“Stop labeling us with colors! The three were summoned to their homes. Also, Marie had errands to do, so she couldn’t come. Well, even if she didn’t have any errands, I wouldn’t let her come since it’s dangerous. So, it’s just us.”
Greg smiled.
“Those guys were quite bold to go back to their homes, knowing that they were going to be scolded. I was also summoned home, but I followed Brad instead. He’s an unreliable guy, after all.”
“How naggy, you meathead! If anything, I would have wanted Chris to tag along.”
“What did you just say?!”
These guys were out of their minds. What did these two plan on doing?
To make matters worse, they didn’t have any decent weapons.
Sky pirates were given that name because they owned airships.
Did they think that they could fight opponents on airships with a spear and some magic? Was this a joke they just came up with?
There was no person who could accomplish such a thing.
After all, we were dealing with infamous sky pirates, ones who owned many weapons and armor. There was no way that a human of flesh and blood could battle against them and win.
Cara hurried us.
“A, anyways, let’s cooperate together and work hard. Hey Olivia, you should ask too.”
Livia casted her eyes downward.
Since she didn’t react, Cara made a small click of the tongue, as if she didn’t expect us to notice.
I scratched my head.
Livia’s state was worse than I thought.
I would need to attend to this matter later.
“For the time being, just get on board. All of you, don’t cause any mischief on my Partner.”
Greg soon got mad.
“Don’t talk to me like I’m some kind of brat!”
I laughed scornfully.
He was a brat precisely because he would get angry from just this much.
“I’m warning you since you are a brat.”
“You picking a fight?!”
“Your hot temper is proof that you’re a brat, idiot!”
When I ran off towards Partner and took Livia by the hand with me, Greg and Brad followed along, as did Cara, who made a smile as if things were going according to her plan.
──Well then, what should I do now?
◇
The female dorms.
Anjie came to the dorms used for the girls in the regular class while carrying a present.
She searched for the room she needed visit while a little nervous.
“W, will this be okay?”
She checked over the present in her hands many times.
She bought it for Livia, but was worried about whether she would like it.
She wanted to consult Leon, but he had already headed towards the Wein household’s territory, and was no longer in the academy.
“That idiot. He even brought an airship for the people who are trying to use him.”
She was worried about Leon, who had said that he would go despite not wanting to.
Her household was aware of the situation, but Anjie didn’t have an airship that she could use freely in the first place. She wouldn’t have been able to take immediate action like Leon could.
There was something she had wanted to tell Livia, and came to find her.
She was worried about how to say it.
(What kind of face should I make? Will Livia forgive me?)
When she walked over to the women’s dormitory while feeling uneasy, confused girls where moving aside in order to make way for her.
There were also girls who tried calling out to her, but Anjie wasn’t concerned about them and turned them down by saying “There’s some business I have to take care of right now.”
Then, when she reached the front of Livia’s room, she was surprised.
“W, what is this?”
It wasn’t a room that the girls in the academy would use.
Perhaps due to it being formerly a storeroom, there was a label above the door that read “Storage Room.” Such a location was the room prepared for Livia.
That wasn’t all, students had written abusive phrases towards Livia on the door and walls.
Anjie prepared herself, but when she knocked on the door, there was no reply.
“L, Livia, it’s me. Anjelica.”
When she thought that there was nobody around to answer her calls──
“Oh, if it isn’t Anjelica.”
When she turned around, she saw the daughter of the earl household, who still had wounds on her face, and her followers.
“You again.”
When Anjie spoke to her opponent, she squinted her eyes and looked down at her. Her opponent understood her intentions, and seemed annoyed. They both emitted a threatening aura.
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“It seems you hate me very much. Do you really dislike people who’ve risen in rank that much? It’s really troublesome knowing that you think you’re all high and mighty just because your family has some history.”
“Risen in rank? It’s quite improper to call yourself as such. It’s an extreme discourtesy to all the people who’ve actually risen in rank.”
The reason Anjie hated her was because they were from opposing factions.
In addition, there were many bad rumors about the earl household this girl belonged to.
It would’ve been fine if they were just rumors, but it was known that they had indeed gotten involved in wicked deeds.
This earl household had risen in rank quite unnaturally,
In addition, the girl was Brad’s former fiancee.
Her exclusive servants from before had disappeared, but there were many more servants she brought along to replace them.
It seemed they were newly purchased.
Her followers looked like they were here to play around, but they too knew about the situation.
(This squandering of her newfound wealth is quite childish. It’s really pathetic to see all these sub-race slaves she brought along.)
They felt quite like a gang led by a girl in the academy.
The earl daughter clicked her tongue.
“You did a number on me during the school festival.”
Learning from when she had been attacked by Anjie, she didn’t start a fight this time.
“I’m busy. I don’t have the leisure to care about you.”
The earl daughter made an unsightly smile.
“Oh, you’re here to meet your favorite pet. It seems you cherish her quite a lot.”
Anjie silently glared at her opponent.
“──Is there something you’re trying to say?”
The earl daughter shortened the distance between Anjie and her to mere centimeters, to the point that their noses could touch, and glared at her face.
Anjie grimaced from the smell of strong perfume.
“Anjelica, it’s not good if you don’t properly keep yourself in the know about your important follower and your precious little pet. You’d be sad if they up and died, right?”
When the girl made a malicious smirk, Anjie’s eyes widened.
The earl daughter, perhaps pleased by that reaction, smiled and showed her white teeth.
“Are you implying what I think you are?”
“If you knew about it, you should have stopped them. It seems that daughters of duke households can be quite heartless.”
However, Anjie didn’t panic.
(What a fool. Do you all even know who you’re up against? If you think that Leon’s just a glorified watchdog, then you’re all are done for.)
Anjie had suspected Cara’s request.
Her suspicions rose from her knowing who Cara was a follower of.
Cara’s household was treated as semi-barons by the kingdom.
However, the household was classified as one belonging to small feudal lords, and relied on the largest household in their hometown in order to maintain themselves.
Cara’s household was one that relied on the earl daughter’s family.
In terms of classification, they were alike, but in the Holfault Kingdom, it was decided that affluent households like this would look after small feudal lords in their hometown and have them be under their guardianship.
Anjie knew what family Cara was from.
(Perhaps Leon didn’t know about her origins, but he should’ve realized that he would get into trouble. Why did he lend a hand? I cannot read him, just as ever.)
On the contrary, Anjie felt sympathy for the girl.
“Oh right, your favorite pet went out.”
“Went out?”
“Yep, she went to Cara’s territory. You could say that they went together since they’re friends. Quite the curious relationship between Cara and her. She brought a friend to a dangerous location where sky pirates appear.”
──It took only a moment.
Anjie grabbed the earl daughter by the collar and thrust her towards a wall.
She constricted her chest and pinned her up against the wall with one arm.
“──Hey, what did you do with Livia?”
“T, too tight──”
The earl daughter, whose feet no longer touched the floor, used both of her hands to seize Anjie’s arm while fluttering her legs.
Her followers and exclusive servants were about to take action and help, but Anjie’s glare caused their movements to halt.
“Hands off. ──I’ll crush you.”
Once she said that in a quiet but chilling voice, nobody moved, and Anjie turned back towards the earl daughter, who seemed to be in agony.
“I have little patience. Tell me right now. What are you people planning?”
“R, release me!”
Although the earl daughter was somewhat panicked, but had a self-confident attitude since Anjie was the one who struck first.
“My father won’t stay silent about this. Your household is in for it──”
Anjie interrupted the earl daughter.
“Answer the question. If you want to make a fuss, do it later. There were many fools who made light of me after the matter of the duel. Since this is the perfect opportunity, I could make an example out of you.”
The many fools she referred to were fellow girls. For Anjie, they were a source of distress. The boys still acted upright towards her.
The earl daughter smiled while in pain.
“You should see for yourself.”
Anjie threw the girl onto the floor, and walked away as if nothing happened.
“Then allow me to do so.”
After taking a distance from the earl daughter, she started sprinting after turning the corner.
(I need get in contact with Leon at once. No, perhaps it would be faster for me to head there myself. However, it will be difficult to catch up if it’s Partner that’s heading off.)
Anjie decided to head to the duke house in the royal capital and prepare an airship.