The World of Otome Games is Tough For Mobs-Novel

Otomege Volume 5 Short Story

Short Story – Marie Route The Third

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Part 1

I obtained the freedom of school life. But at the same time I also obtained the binding that was engagement.

It’s been a long time, this is Leon Fou Bartfalt(リオン・フォウ・バルトファルト).

I safely advanced to be a second year student, but there was a bit of problem.

「How does it feel after selling out your big brother?」

「It sounds bad if you call it selling. Even though I did my best while thinking of big bro’s sake.」

「You’re always so shameless! Do you understand the hardship that I’m going through!?」

The second son of our family, Nix(ニックス) who had safely (?) graduated marched into the student dormitory and forced me to listen to him speaking fondly of his lover.

Now he was a feudal lord noble of the newly formed Bartfalt House with the rank of count──ruling over the floating island that was once governed by Count Offley(オフリー).

The previous ruler Count Offley was found out to be working together with sky pirates and so his status was stripped away from him.

Well, it was me who crushed him though. That felt good.

Now then, because of that a territory without owner was formed, but it also couldn’t be left alone like that.

It was also difficult to quickly find someone for managing a territory with a size at the level of a count house. Anyone would be troubled if they were asked to take such responsibility so suddenly.

Even the kingdom itself was troubled, and in the first place the kingdom had confiscated the assets of Offley House.

Only the territory remained. And that territory was a floating island with a tricky state.

There the kingdom decided to place a new feudal lord there.

I was the one who rendered a distinguished service in the case this time, but I was still a student.

And so the one who got selected for the position was my big brother Nix.

That sounded simple when I said it like that, but that was because I omitted just how many discussions there were that were carried out between the adults.

Because it was a long and boring story.

The kingdom also desired the territory of the count house, but more than that they wanted to grasp the territory of Marie(マリエ)’s family, the Rafan(ラーファン) viscount house that was located in the mainland.

Marie’s house was also ended up crushed, but the territory of Rafan viscount house was located on the mainland.

Its value was different from a floating island.

The kingdom chose to put the territory on the mainland under their direct control rather than the floating island.

As the result, Nix ended up as the head of the count house.

「I──I! I didn’t really study how to manage a territory in the academy! I also have no noble acquaintance of the same rank and age! Even though just establishing a new house is already really hard, I myself am a greenhorn. There’s no way I can be a count!」

「That’s what Dorethea(ドロテア)-san is for right? Ah, sorry, I mean Dorothea-onee-sansister-in-law.」

「That Dorothea is also too much for me!」

I introduced the house of Count Roseblade(ローズブレイド) to Nix in order to help him with his current situation.

It was a known prestigious family even among all the prestigious families in Hohlfahrt(ホルファート) Kingdom.

Their eldest daughter Dorethea-oneesan was someone with a slightly strong peculiarity, but she was a real beauty.

Nix was holding his head looking like he was at his wits’ end.

「She would say things like wanting to tie me or wanting to get tied──I don’t have that kind of hobby! I would be fine with a relaxed relationship like father and mother!」

「She is beautiful so it’s fine isn’t it? She also got big breasts.」

「I’m not going to choose my marriage partner based on the size of their breasts like you!」

I couldn’t hold back myself at those words.

He said I’m choosing my marriage partner based on their breasts size?

I couldn’t forgive that mistake even though he was my brother.

「Take those words back! Marie has no breast! Don’t talk like I’m fixated with breasts size after I chose that Marie! Big or small, that’s not the problem! There is no problem at all!」

The door’s room opened while we brothers were arguing.

From there──the happy looking Dorothea-oneesan and──Marie whose face was like a Noh mask appeared.

Dorothea-oneesan was waving her hand at Nix with a smile.

「I found you honey. We came to the academy today to scout the third year students. It’s not for you to play around with your little brother.」

I couldn’t believe that Nix was called ‘honey’.

I almost burst into laughter but I held it down. Nix’s angry glare stabbed into me.

Dorothea-oneesan entered into the room and smiled toward me.

「Leon-kun, you mustn’t bully honey.」

「I’m not bullying him. I’m just teasing him because he kept boasting about his love life.」

When I said that with a serious face, it seemed that my feeling went through.

Dorothea-oneesan slapped Nix’s back.

「Oh honey, really! So you wanted to brag to Leon-kun.」

Nix’s face that was looking at me was dreadful.

Rage, hatred──such emotions were blending in that face.

I couldn’t help but making a similar expression to ask him whether I was really deserving to be looked at with such negative emotions.

Nothing would begin if I dealt with hatred using hatred.

I sent off Nix with a smile.

「Do your best big bro!」

Nix’s hand was grabbed by Dorothea-oneesan and then he said to me with a small voice while getting dragged out.

「You’re the only one who I absolutely won’t forgive.」

──It felt like there was a genuine hatred in that voice, but surely it was just my imagination.

Because we brothers were intimate with each other.

Obviously he was just joking.

「Now honey, let’s go. We need to scout six people at least.」

「──Yes.」

Dorothea-oneesan brought away Nix whose head was hanging down.

It felt like there was grief drifting from his back, but surely it was just my imagination.

Good grief, what was he so dissatisfied about from having such beautiful and big breasted wife? What’s more she was really devoted to him.

──Well, if it was me I’d decline though.

When it was just the two of us inside the room, I looked at Marie who was standing there expressionlessly.

「And, what’s your business here?」

Marie briskly walked toward me and then she kicked my butt.

It wasn’t a girl’s kick.

She launched a sharp kick like a martial artist.

「Ouch!」

No, it was really painful!? The pain resounded heavily until the core of my body.

This girl, wasn’t her power uncommon even though her body was small!/

Marie’s face became like hannya.

「Whose breasts are you calling nonexistent!? You’ve never even seen my breasts before!」

Looks like she was seriously angry.

I was backing away against Marie’s pressure.

「B-but it’s true that you’re──ah, I’m lying. If I’m asked whether you have them or not──perhaps you have them, a bit?」

「Don’t be so obsessed with just some lumps of fat!」

「Woman’s breasts are stuffed with dream and hope! ──I’m sorry. I won’t say anything more, so please don’t make fighting stance like that. It’s really painful so don’t hit me.」

Marie was seriously starting to shadow boxing, so I surrendered.

This girl’s fist was heavy. Very heavy.

Her punch could send even a man flying.

She had a might that would echo until your bone.

Marie clicked her tongue.

「Even though I’m tired from showing Onee-sansister-in-law around since the morning.」

「So it’s you who brought Dorothea-oneesan to this room huh.」

「That’s right. Even so, that person too──she is amazing as usual.」

「──Yeah. After all she is someone who did something like exchanging collar for real.」

I recalled the spring break.

The marriage ceremony of Nix and Dorothea-oneesan──was held with only kin attending it due to a strong wish from Roseblade House.

They also held public unveiling and marriage ceremony officially, but we were requested for an unofficial ceremony──a ceremony where only relatives were participating to be held no matter what.

The count house was begging at us even though our house’s status was lower.

Please, let us hold the unofficial marriage ceremony within just the family! They asked.

The reason?

──Because Dorothea-oneesan wished to exchange collars instead of exchanging rings between the husband and wife.

She absolutely wouldn’t give up that wish even when others told her to stop it.

Dorothea-san only reluctantly gave up when they said that they would hold an unofficial ceremony in exchange of her restraining herself in the official ceremony.

She said that she wanted their marriage to be one where they would tie each other──it was amazing.

Of course only relatives who knew the situation could participate in that ceremony.

Both Marie and me were put off.

It would be hard for Nix from here on.

「Rather than that, I think that her words of love toward Onii-sanbrother-in-law were too heavy. It doesn’t matter even if we are reborn to be different people, I will find you so that we can be tied together again. That’s heavy. It’s feel too heavy for me especially knowing that reincarnation is real. ──That person, perhaps she will really manage it?」

We were reincarnators.

Dorothea-oneesan’s speech sounded strangely vivid to us and made us turned pale.

It doesn’t matter how many times you are reborn, I won’t let you get away──her words sounded like that.

Nix felt slightly pitiful when we thought that.

But this was something necessary.

I was forcing it a bit too much in order to save Marie, so to make up for it a sacrifice was necessary.

That sacrifice was Nix.

Well, even Nix himself became successful in life and even obtained a beautiful bride because of it so there was no problem.

This was a necessary sacrifice. And it also a really good offer for Nix.

It was a win-win.

This is a request from your cute little brother, so forgive me okay──Onii-chan.

「Then, you came to the male dormitory just to show Onee-san around?」

「Ah, that’s not all. Is Luxion(ルクシオン) here?」

When Marie called, Luxion suddenly appeared from empty air.

He was hiding with optical camouflage.

『Do you call?』

I joined my hands behind my head.

「Your business isn’t with me but with Luxion? What is it this time? If it’s because you have used up all of your money again, should I ask this guy to prepare some counterfeit money for you?」

Luxion took my joke seriously.

『Please leave it to me. I shall prepare some paper money with even better quality than the real thing.』

That’ll be a completely different thing then, but before I could say that Marie got angry.

「When did I ever ask for counterfeit money huh! How are you two usually seeing me!? That’s not it, both of us are second years already! Y-you know, soon, there will be many events going on.」

「Aa~, events huh.」

The story in that otome game would start progressing for real from the second years.

The middle stage of the game mainly would be war with Fanoss(ファンオース) Principality.

Marie was concerned by that.

「Remember, the war in that otome game was really difficult wasn’t it?」

「The developer was a demon. It was so hard I could feel the malice.」

Even thinking back now, it was a horrible game.

It was hard to even clear it without using paid item. The balance of the game was too weird.

Even though no one was looking for difficult battle gameplay from an otome game. Just what was the developer thinking?

「Right now things are going just like the scenario, but as expected I’m worried about the development from here on.」

If the main character Olivia(オリヴィア)-san lost──it would be game over.

That would be troubling for me too.

According to Marie, that otome game even had a sequel.

Olivia-san would also appear there. So we wished to avoid her dying.

Also it would feel unpleasant if an acquaintance died.

Luxion spoke while we were feeling troubled.

『I have always been thinking this when listening to the story of you two──is the situation going to be so terminal that they will send students into war?』

In the war with the principality, many students would also get involved in it including Olivia-san and his highness Julius(ユリウス).

And then they would also participate in the final decisive battle but──certainly, was Hohlfahrt Kingdom really alright as a country when they needed to recruit even the students for war?

Marie didn’t really get it.

「What do you mean by terminal? They won the war at the end.」

I was exasperated by Marie’s answer.

「You, didn’t you learn at school──at the previous life? What kind of country would send even high school students into war?」

「Ah!?」

It seemed Marie understood it as mere knowledge, but she didn’t really get it for real until now.

As a story, the great efforts of the youths would look beautiful.

There were also a lot of stories about the great efforts of students at our previous life.

But, when you thought about it realistically──didn’t that mean that the adults of Hohlfahrt Kingdom were unreliable?

Even though they won the war, it was only just barely.

The postwar situation was too scary to think about.

「Th-then, the story of that game──is really bad isn’t it!?」

Marie also got panicked, but let’s first confirm the flow of the situation from the beginning.

First, before the principality declared war, the movement of the sky pirates inside the country was becoming more active.

While the army was busily moving around, the academy’s students also encountered sky pirate in their extracurricular lesson.

There the students won.

After that, they learned the existence of Offley House that was manipulating the sky pirates behind the scene. The main character borrowed the strength of Julius and other capture targets and repulsed the enemy.

However it came to light that Fanoss Principality was behind this. The students became involved even deeper with the war.

Fanoss Principality made use of Count Offley to destroy Hohlfahrt Kingdom from within.

The problem here was Offley house that I defeated when rescuing Marie before this.

I defeated that house.

And then the sky pirates──were also defeated by me.

I crushed the important factors that were related with the second year events.

That was why the events also got crushed.

「Now there is no more air pirate rampaging within the country. The Offley House is also gone.」

Marie also agreed with my statement and looked uneasy about the future.

「That’s the situation. What’s left, is only Fanoss Principality that was acting behind the scene. But, they will start moving for real at the third year.」

In that case, we would get busy when we were third year.

We would start preparing from now──just when our thought reached to that point, Luxion spoke in exasperation toward us.

『If the mastermind is already clear, then won’t it be better to deal with them ahead of time?』

「──Not a bad idea.」

It didn’t feel right to take action against the principality that wasn’t doing anything at the present stage, but I wouldn’t hesitate to act if it was for the sake of my peace of mind.

Marie clapped her hands and made an expression of someone who got a flash of idea.

「Yeah! If we defeat Fanoss Principality ahead of time then the war also won’t happen!」

『Yes. Then, I’ll immediately──sink down the territory of Fanoss Principality.』

Marie froze at Luxion’s statement.

I warned him for his joke that wasn’t reading the mood.

「Read the mood more, you annihilation maniac bastard. That doesn’t sound like a joke.」

『I’m serious though?』

「Eh?」

『It will remove any potential future trouble if the whole country is sunken down.』

T-this guy, he’s really a dangerous AI.

The idea of sinking the whole country in order to avoid war was crazy.

「Idiot! Why do we have to commit genocide huh! Countless people are going to die if the principality’s floating island got sunken down!」

『I won’t be troubled no matter how many new mankind die. Rather it’s going to be a weigh off my shoulder.』

This guy is really──.

「This is an order. Don’t sink down any floating island.」

『──Roger.』

This damn AI, he replied with a reluctant tone.

「We’re going to avoid war as peacefully as possible. With that in mind──it’ll be important to make the principality want to avoid war.」

Fanoss Principality’s objective was to sink the continent where the kingdom existed into the sea.

They possessed the trump card to make that into reality.

If we stole or destroyed it first──the principality would lose their trump card and became unable to achieve their objective.

Marie looked relieved while I was thinking about from here on.

「It’s reassuring that you’re holding Luxion’s leash tightly. If the wrong person got him, they might get cajoled by this guy instead and make a great mess.」

『New mankind will never become my master. If such situation occur, I will self-explode.』

「You’re extreme. Setting that aside, recently the atmosphere of the academy is bad isn’t it?」

Marie looked relieved knowing that we would manage the war somehow. I made a small talk with her.

「Atmosphere? Ah, because the girls are feeling scared right now.」

The atmosphere of the academy had changed since the end of the first year.

His highness Julius and other capture targets made the girls who bullied Olivia-san got expulsed.

It didn’t end there. The students who were involved got punished regardless of the degree of their involvement.

The five capture targets were competing with each other to find the involved students and asked them to be punished. A lot of noble sons and daughters got driven out from the academy.

In the end, even students who were speaking ill about Olivia-san behind her back because of her commoner status would get found out and condemned by the five──the atmosphere of the academy was the worst.

Certainly in the game there was also a development of the students who bullied Olivia-san getting punished.

But I didn’t think it would go this far.

However, thinking carefully this was also a natural progression.

The five capture targets were people who would shoulder this country in the future.

Anyone who drew the ire of those five──not only they would get expulsion, their life would also be over.

──In the game, the punishment of the students who bullied the main character only got mentioned briefly in passing, but it was this graphic in reality.

And then the problem was Olivia-san who had captured the heart of those five.

「I rarely caught sight of Olivia-san recently, but I wonder if she is doing alright? I’m worried that those students will resent her because of this situation, and perhaps the person herself is also troubled by this situation? Those five too, I wish they would be more considerate to their surrounding. Recently the atmosphere is turning gloomy. It’s uncomfortable here.」

When I caught sight of Olivia-san previously, I got the impression that she was a honest and kind girl.

Marie pouted slightly seeing me feeling concern for Olivia-san.

「You know, I heard that Olivia is sneaking away from the academy sometimes. Also, it’s not just Olivia and those five’s fault that the atmosphere in the academy is bad.」

「Eh?」

「It’s Angelica(アンジェリカ). The girls who got cornered by his highness and others sought help from Angelica. Because of that the relationship between his highness and Angelica also turned bad. The tension between students is rising. Well, it’s unrelated with us students of low standing though.」

Was Angelica-san covering for the cornered students?

It seemed that she got into confrontation with those five because of that.

Well, she was Olivia-san’s enemy in the game, so of course they would be in confrontation but──it was complicated when seeing it in reality.

Here she looked like she was protecting the cornered students.

Besides, Angelica-san’s had her position as a young lady of duke house──she had the role as the leader of the students.

Perhaps it couldn’t be helped that the people around her were relying on her?

Although it wasn’t something that was directly affecting mobs like us.

We couldn’t get close to Angelica-san, we also couldn’t get close to Olivia-san who was protected by those five.

His highness and the others were on guard. They wouldn’t let anyone whether man or woman got near Olivia-san.

If the story was progressing well then we also didn’t have any reason to get closer, so we wouldn’t.

As the result, now we were only listening to the rumors from afar at best.

Even so, game and reality were really different from each other huh.

「Well, we’ll just worry about dealing with the principality somehow.」

The story was at least progressing well, so I switched my feeling to think that it would be fine if we just gave some support as necessary later.

Marie put her hands on her waist and sighed.

「I thought I would be able to watch the story unfold from nearby, but this is the reality of the situation. We can only listen to the rumors even though we are in the same academy.」

「This is just fine for mobs like us. It’s too presumptuous to think that we’ll be able to get involved with the main casts.」

「You don’t sound like you’re speaking your true feeling though? Besides, we got involved before this.」

「That was only because of an emergency.」

Luxion apparently didn’t like my wording.

『That’s what they called being indecisive.』

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Part 2

In a corridor of the academy.

Few people were passing through here at the evening.

Julius and Olivia were walking together there happily.

The two had just returned from outside the academy. They were talking excitedly about today.

「Julius really like meat skewer.」

Julius replied to the smiling Olivia with a bright smile.

「I like it! It’s simplicity is great, but even more than that it’s the best how it doesn’t care of manner. Even so Olivia, you also looked like you enjoyed it.」

「I prefer a slightly informal setting when having meal rather than a stiff and formal one.」

「Me too. The palace is too fastidious about a lot of things. There are too many pointless things because they’re putting empathize to the ceremony and the etiquette too much.」

Julius felt like everything of him was accepted when he was together with Olivia.

She wouldn’t nag him with things like how it wasn’t appropriate for a prince.

Besides it was fun being together with her.

「Olivia, if you don’t mind──」

Stay together with me forever, Julius was about to continue with that, but from the corridor ahead Angelica came with a quick pace and talked to him.

Her expression was grave. Julius was fed up seeing that expression.

It spoiled his pleasant mood.

「Your highness! Just what are you thinking, expelling the daughter of Count Neville like that!」

Seeing Angelica’s expression that was becoming even sterner day by day, it made Julius realized that his feeling toward her had completely cooled down.

Recently he was thinking unpleasant thought about Angelica even more than before.

He unconsciously stood in front of Olivia to protect her and narrowed his eyes.

「That girl spoke ill about Olivia behind her back. She even gathered some students and planned to ambush her at night wasn’t she?」

Angelica was protecting such female student.

「Can’t you overlook it as a joke!? Certainly, I admit that she went too far. But, she just needs to be reprimanded, how does it become a talk about expulsion? Besides when I asked her there is nothing about this ambush planning! She came crying to me about her innocence!」

Angelica’s argument was irritating.

Julius decided that she was just accepting the excuse of a noble daughter without questioning it and he silently let out his anger.

「Reprimand you say? Angelica, is it as I thought that you’re looking down on commoner? Besides, are you seriously telling me to accept the situation just by listening on one side’s argument?」

「Wh-what are you──」

Julius became convinced when he saw Angelica getting flustered.

When he turned to look at Olivia behind him, she was scared against Angelica.

She was casting her eyes down sorrowfully with her shoulders hunched down.

That act stimulated his desire to protect her. It stirred up Julius’s heart.

「Julius, it’s alright. Even if the like of me am killed, the noble’s reaction will be like this at most. But, even so──if I can just stay at Julius’s side」

Angelica got enraged by the pitiful look that Angelica showed.

「You! What kind of lie have you told his highness! You deceived his highness’s heart──」

Julius’s hand stopped Angelica who was trying to question Olivia.

「Stop!」

「Y-your highness? Why. Why won’t you listen to me!? Count Neville is enraged by the matter this time. He even proclaimed to father that he is leaving his highness’s faction. Count Neville is an important member in your highness’s fa──」

「Enough already.」

「──Eh?」

Julius was fed up.

His pleasant mood until just now had been spoiled. He took Olivia’s hand and started walking while ignoring Angelica.

「Your highness!」

Angelica called out to him, but Julius didn’t even turn toward her and spoke.

「I don’t care about factional dispute between nobles! Don’t drag Olivia into something like that.」

Angelica bit her lower lip and looked down.

「──Why won’t your highness understand, that faction will be indispensable for your highness’s rule」

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Part 3

「Ahahaha! It’s really refreshing to make that girl who has the blood of Hohlfahrt flowing inside her looking frustrated like that!」

In a small mansion that was built near the student dormitory.

It was the exclusive lodging house for Olivia.

It was something that Julius and others prepared for her. Although it was small, the construction was solid and the furniture was also extravagant.

Olivia was taking a bath inside that mansion.

She was washing her body thoroughly.

「It’s nice to have flesh and blood like this. It makes the feeling of interacting with the world more real.」

It had been a long time since she had a flesh body.

The female grudge that was once called the saint had stolen Olivia’s body.

But, the body’s condition would sometimes turn bad.

Her arm was numb and wouldn’t move.

「It’ll still take time until I’m fully adapting to this body.」

Her right hand was moving to grab her neck.

That was the resistance of Olivia whose body was hijacked.

「Olivia──you’re still resisting? You’re a strong child. But, I have been waiting for this time for all this time. I’ll have you go along with this until I accomplished Liia(リーア) and my revenge.」

The right arm was gradually stopping to move. Olivia stood up.

「──Now then, the progress with breaking up Julius faction is going well. The talk with this country’s traitors is also advancing nicely. I’ll let them play around for a bit more.」

Olivia looked up to the ceiling and smiled mysteriously.

「Now then, I guess I’ll play an act.」

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Part 4

At the palace of Fanoss Principality.

We were sneaking into the palace that was lacking a king deep at night, sneaking into the treasure warehouse.

「Which one is the magic flute?」

Magic flute──it was the key item that summoned the last boss in the first and third game.

It wasn’t an item that the main character possessed, so its function was unknown, but it would materialize monsters when the princesses of the principality played it. They also could control those monsters.

It was the extremely troublesome trump card of the principality.

Marie was sneaking in together with me, but her eyes were sparkling seeing the treasures inside the warehouse.

「Look at that Leon! This accessory is amazing. I wonder how much it will sold for?」

Seeing the numerous accessories that were fitting for princess to wear, she was thinking of how much they would sell rather than how she would look wearing them.

Even though just a little while ago she was a woman who yearned to be a princess and aimed to marry rich and powerful men.

「Don’t steal them okay?」

「I won’t! More importantly, I’m amazed we can sneak in this easily.」

The reason for that was Luxion.

Luxion who was monitoring the surrounding answered Marie’s question.

『After master heard about “that otome game’s sequels”, he finally ordered me to investigate the neighboring countries after this late. The area that needed to be investigated is vast and it took a lot of time, but it’s easy to obtain simple information like how to sneak into a palace.』

「You really can do anything.」

『Yes. After all I’m outstanding.』

「──You’re really overconfident.」

『I’m only stating the fact. The items that seem to be the magic flutes are always stored separately. The one here is only one of the two.』

There were two magic flutes that could summon last boss.

I thought there was only one magic flute. I didn’t know that Heltrude(ヘルトルーデ) had a sister.

I was shocked when I heard from Marie that game had sequels.

There was no way we could just ignore this, so I had Luxion investigating.

Marie found a flute that was placed on the most extravagant stand.

「I found it! This must be it! I think the flute has this kind of shape!」

『Ah, that one is a fake.』

「Eh?」

『The real thing is hidden. The mechanism is this way──』

Marie and I moved the mechanism inside the treasure warehouse and found the magic flute.

「Found it.」

「To think they prepared a fake. They’re really cautious.」

We found a black and thorny flute and reached toward it.

However Luxion got in the way.

『Please don’t reach out so carelessly. There is another mechanism. If that mechanism is triggered, a trap that prevents the flute from getting taken away will activate.』

「What a strict security.」

We deactivated the mechanism and collected the magic flute. Even so, this flute really looked ominous.

Marie tilted her head while looking at the magic flute.

「What’re we going to do with this?」

It would be safer to destroy it but──we didn’t know what would happen after we destroyed it.

If we destroyed it carelessly, the sealed giant monster was liberated! What were we going to do if it had that kind of development? It was scary, so we decided to bring back the magic flute.

「Let’s take it home and have Luxion research it.」

「Hm~. Ah, that’s right. You also researched the saint’s necklace before this right? What happened with it?」

The saint’s necklace that I obtained was apparently possessed by some kind of suspicious existence.

Luxion caught it and he was in the middle of researching it right now.

『It’s actually an interesting existence, so I’m still continuing to research it even now. Well then, just in case please store that magic flute in this case. It won’t be able to taken out so easily if it’s put in here.』

We put the magic flute inside an attaché case and started moving.

There were soldiers and knights patrolling inside the palace.

But, the route that they were patrolling──the area where the security was light.

Luxion was monitoring them all in real time, so we arrived to the next destination without encountering any enemy.

That place──was the bedroom of the second princess, Hertrauuda(ヘルトラウダ).

There were knights standing guard in front of her room.

I aimed a handgun with silencer attached at those knights.

「Sleep for a bit. It’ll end soon.」

*Pshew*, such sound sounded out several times.

The knights that were shot moved their hands toward their weapon in surprise due to the sudden pain──but their eyes rolled back and then they collapsed.

Luxion hurried me up.

『There is only thirty minutes until the next shift of knights come. Please hurry.』

I understood that but──.

「It feels a bit awkward to enter a girl’s room. Marie, you go inside.」

「Haa!? Why do I have to do something so dangerous? You go inside!」

──I entered inside her highness Hertrauuda’s room with Marie pulling my hand.

There were several females inside, but I immediately made them fell asleep with the tranquilizer gun.

Luxion immediately scanned the inside of the room.

『Found it.』

He moved the mechanism inside the room. Then the picture that was hanged on the wall slid aside and a safe appeared.

Marie approached the safe before looking at Luxion.

「What’s the password?」

『The dial over there is a fake. The way to open it is──』

We followed Luxion’s instruction and opened the safe. Then Marie took out the magic flute from inside.

「Second flute get~!」

Marie said that with a small voice and put the magic flute inside a second case.

With this the principality had lost their trump card. We had surely taken a big step toward avoiding the war.

We looked at each other’s face before moving to escape immediately──.

「Who? Father? Mother?」

──His highness Hertrauuda woke up.

I immediately aimed the tranquilizer gun toward her highness, but Marie stopped me.

「Stupid! She is still a kid!」

「You’re the idiot!」

Fortunately we were dressed in all black.

We were also hiding our face.

But it was bad that our figure was seen.

Our voice was also heard.

His highness Hertrauuda was gradually waking up before I could have her fell asleep again.

Her eyes snapped open seeing the wall opened and the maids lying on the floor.

「Wh-who send the two of──」

She was about to yell, so Marie immediately covered her mouth.

「Hey, your voice is too loud! People would come!」

She talked loudly for that you know?

While I was thinking about what to do now, Luxion talked to me with a small voice.

『I’ve made it so that no sound will come out of this room. Master, if you want to settle this peacefully──』

「──Haa? Is it alright doing that?」

『Yes.』

I listened to Luxion’s advice and felt a bit worried if it would be really alright to do as he said but──there was no time to hesitate so I followed his advice.

The princess had long and straight black hair, and strong-willed red eyes.

She was almost as tall as Marie, but the difference between them wasn’t just their hair and eye color.

Even though she should be younger than Marie, her breasts were more splendid than Marie’s.

Growth was really cruel.

I kept the tranquilizer gun pointed at her as a threat while approaching her highness Hertrauuda.

Her highness had tears in her eyes, but she was glaring at me.

「Oi, take off your hand.」

「I-is it alright?」

「There is something I got to tell her.」

When Marie took off her hand, her highness Hertrauuda screamed.

「Thief! Isn’t there anyone outside!?」

Nobody came no matter how loud she yelled.

Her highness calmed down slightly after realizing that.

「──Looks like the soldiers outside are defeated.」

「They were really weak. The soldiers of the principality are really low quality.」

Her highness glared fiercely at me. I told her a hint that was close to the truth.

「We’re taking the magic flute. With this the principality has lost their trump card against the kingdom.」

「──Looks like it.」

She averted her gaze from me.

She must be feeling relieved that there was still one more magic flute.

「We have also taken away the one in the treasure warehouse. Not the exaggeratedly decorated fake, we have found the real one that was hidden.」

Her shoulders moved just slightly.

It looked like I managed to shaken her.

Marie watched our exchange attentively.

「Are you mortified?」

「Not really. Just kill me if you want to kill me. But, you will surely receive the retribution for this.」

「──What a pitiful child. You don’t even notice that you’re just an ignorant puppet whose string is manipulated by others.」

「What did you say?」

「If you want to know the truth then ask the old man in charge of the library. Tell him you want to learn the true history. Ask that old man and not anyone else. You two have many enemies inside this palace.」

I led Marie outside the room while keeping my gun trained on her.

And then I broke out into a run at full speed after the door was closed.

Marie also followed close behind me.

「Wait, what were you talking about there!? I never hear anything about it!」

「I also don’t know anything! I only said that because Luxion told me to!」

『If Hertrauuda take action with this, then master will get a step closer toward the peaceful slow life that master mentioned.』

「Is that really true!? I don’t want to do this kind of phantom thief play anymore you know!?」

We desperately ran and got on the airbike that was hidden at the palace’s courtyard before making our escape.

.

Part 5

The next day.

Government officials were rushing into Hertrauuda’s room.

The officials who were specialized in investigation used magic and tool to search for any trace of the intruders.

But they didn’t find anything and were at their wits’ end.

「Just who in the world infiltrated here?」

「Is it the kingdom?」

「No one noticed the infiltration, not the knights or the maids──」

Rauda was watching that going on. Beside her was Count Garrett(ゲラット).

He was gently twirling the moustache he was proud of, but the attitude he showed to Hertrauda was harsh.

「Your highness, this is a great blunder. To think that you couldn’t do anything except watching the magic flute getting stolen.」

「──I have no excuse.」

「Naturally. The magic flutes are this country’s treasure. Your highnesses are qualified to be the successor only because you two have the aptitude for the magic flutes. And yet those magic flutes are stolen. Do you know what will happen now?」

This man, even though he was a retainer but he was acting really haughty.

He didn’t have any respect toward the royal family.

Hertrude(ヘルトルーデ) couldn’t bear watching Garrett’s attitude and approached.

「Are you saying that there is something Rauda can do against someone who the knights were helpless against? Garrett, let Hertrauda rest already.」

Garrett looked dissatisfied.

「I can’t do that. We have to gather information about these thieves immediately. Her highness Hertrauda is the only witness of this theft. She can rest after the investigation is finished.」

「Garrett!」

Hertrude was enraged. It was there a huge man arrived.

When that man who was past middle-aged and wearing armor came, Garrett showed a timid attitude.

「I-isn’t this black knight-dono.」

「Her highness Hertrauda is tired. She need rest, is there any problem with that?」

「Eh? ──Y-yes! Of course there isn’t.」

Pressured by the black knight, Garrett reluctantly withdrew.

Rauda recalled the words of the intruders after seeing this.

(There are enemies inside this place, huh.)

Rauda headed to the library that evening in order to investigate, just in case.

(With this commotion, perhaps I can even give the knights who usually guarded me a slip.)

.

Part 6

Rauda made use of the commotion to become alone. She followed what the intruders said and talked to the old man in charge of the library. She told him that she wanted to know the truth.

The old man looked surprised. At first he refused.

But when Rauda asked her the second time, he said 「Originally I was ordered to dispose of them」 and brought several books to her.

Those were very old books.

Rauda was surprised after reading them.

「──What is this」

Written in those books was the history between the kingdom and the principality.

It told her something different from what she knew.

Even though until now she had been taught that the kingdom was the root of all evil, the history book wrote that the cause was actually the principality.

The old man spoke to the shocked Rauda.

「After the late king and queen died, I was given the order to destroy these books. But these books have historical value, so I can’t bring myself to carry out that order.」

Rauda was trembling.

「Th-this is the fact? Are you saying that this is a fact!?」

The old man nodded.

「It’s also a fact that the kingdom attacked us twenty years ago. But, before that the principality was also rampaging in the kingdom doing the same thing──」

Raida was flustered because it was different from what she was told until now.

「Why. Why weren’t we told this!」

「──Your highness, forgive me.」

The old man kneeled and shed tears.

「Right after both of you were born, the late king and queen who were in the peace faction were assassinated by the nobles of the pro-war faction.」

「Assa, sination?」

After that the old man talked about the open secret of the principality.

The royal family at that time was thinking to broker peace with the kingdom.

The pro-war faction was enraged by that. They assassinated the king and the queen.

The left behind princesses were used by the pro-war faction as their puppets. That was the current situation.

Rauda fell on her knees and laughed while crying.

「This is stupid! Then, we are actually──w-wait. Then, what about Bandel(バンデル)? What about Onee-sama’s guard Bandel? Those who approached us are the pro-war faction who betrayed Otou-sama and Okaa-sama isn’t it!?」

The old man told her with a pained look.

「Bandel-dono is──not involved with the assassination. But, he is an authority within the pro-war faction since the past. I don’t believe, that he doesn’t know.」

Raida didn’t know what to believe in anymore.

.

Part 7

I and Marie returned from Fanoss Principality. We came to the research room that was inside Luxion’s main body.

The analysis of the magic flutes was carried out there.

『It’s surprising. This is a tool that was created after the old civilization was destroyed.』

「What does that mean? It’s not a tool from your era?」

『Yes. I believe that there were several civilizations between our civilization and the current civilization where master is living in. This item came from one of those civilizations in between.』

Marie was looking at the magic flute while listening to our conversation.

「I get it now but, what’s so surprising about it?」

『That civilization finished a tool to control the monsters. I believe this tool make the monsters obey by forming magical contract with them. The catalyst used for that is the soul of the user.』

「Eh!?」

Marie was shocked. She stepped away from the flute.

I also quietly took a step back.

It couldn’t be helped, a tool that handled the soul was just scary.

「Let’s destroy it right away.」

『It’s useful so let’s destroy it after analyzing it. But please rest assured. The user’s soul won’t be taken away just by ordering around the small fry monsters. At best the user will only feel tired mentally. But, the artificially created monster that is sealed by this magic flute is a different matter.』

The magic flute was sealing a giant monster. By using the flute the user could freely summon it.

What was troublesome was that even if that giant mobster was defeated, it could be summoned again right away.

『It’s not accurate to call it sealing. This magic flute is preserving the data that become the base of the giant monster. The user will use their soul to gather the magic element in the surrounding area and materialize the monster.』

Marie didn’t really get it, so she wanted to destroy it right away.

「That’s troublesome. So this flute can’t be destroyed?」

『No, if it’s destroyed then it will break without any bad effect to the surrounding area. But the magic and science technology used to create this flute is valuable so I wish to continue analyzing it.』

I didn’t mind that as long as it wouldn’t bring any trouble.

「Just destroy it properly later.」

『Of course.』

Inside the research room there were also various other tools or creatures stored. It seemed Luxion gathered them here.

There were even monsters among them.

But even among them, there was one thing that was stored with specially rigorous containment──it was a black shadow that was sealed inside a spherical glass.

The shadow had female silhouette, but it looked like it was struggling violently.

「And, what is this thing?」

Marie also became curious when I pointed at it.

「This woman, it feels like I have seen her somewhere──I’m not sure.」

『It’s the existence that was possessing the necklace. It’s an astral body.』

Isn’t that something like ghost or specter?

It was the first time I saw a real one after getting reincarnated into this fantasy world.

But, it wasn’t scary when seeing one imprisoned like this.

「So this thing was possessing the saint’s necklace. What is it saying? It looks like it’s struggling violently.」

『Its voice is cut off from reaching outside. I made it so that it can’t see outside from inside there. It’s making ruckus asking to be let out from there and won’t answer my question at all──so I keep experimenting on it.』

Marie clung on my hand.

「Leon, I think I’m actually more scared against Luxion rather than the ghost.」

「What a coincidence. I also feel the same.」

『What rude people. I won’t harm mankind.』

This guy, he had the nerve to lie.

「Don’t lie. You tried to kill me when we first met!」

『──That was an unfortunate miscalculation.』

Really, this guy.

While I was thinking that, Marie noticed even more problem with Luxion.

「Wait a second. The mankind that he said refer to the old mankind isn’t it? This guy, is he perhaps not considering anyone else other than us as human?」

When I and Marie turned our gaze at Luxion──he averted his red eye.

『Now then, master and Marie are here, so let’s try conversing with this ghost. Perhaps we will learn something.』

Don’t avoid the topic! I wanted to say that, but the ghost became able to see us and yelled loudly.

『Kill! I’LL KILL YOU ALLLLL!!』

Because the voice was too loud, Luxion lowered the sound’s volume.

『Don’t be so noisy. I brought Marie here just like you asked. Please show me a different reaction.』

When Luxion said that, two red eyes appeared on the black shadow.

It saw Marie and tried to leap at her──but the glass blocked it and it couldn’t approach further.

『Found you. I found you, Marieee! You who descended from my bloodline. HAND OVER YOUR BODY TO MEEEEEEE!』

The thing it said was too horrible.

Besides, its appearance was also really scary.

It looked like a real evil spirit.

But Marie was laughing scornfully at it because it was imprisoned.

「This thing really look like a fierce animal in zoo. In the first place, isn’t it just unreasonable asking someone else to hand over their body like that? Luxion, exterminate this thing.」

『I guess. I have also finished analyzing it. I judged that there won’t be any problem with that.』

The evil spirit howled in response to the two’s conversation.

『You’re calling yourself my descendant like that!? Don’t you hate it, THIS HOHLFAHRTTTTTT!! I’ll throw the descendants of those shitty bastards into hell, I am Liia’s──Li.....ia’s......?』

The evil spirit turned its gaze toward me.

Its red sharp gaze turned round when it saw me.

「O, oi, what is it. Why are you looking at me? Eh, could it be I’m cursed?」

When I was about to back away in fear, the evil spirit swelled up and struggled even more violently.

『Liia──LIIAAAAAA!!』

「Gyaaaa!!」

The intensity of the evil spirit that was trying to approach me──it was really scary it made me wanted to cry.

The spherical glass started cracking, so walls came down to isolate the evil spirit.

「Aa~, it was scary.」

Marie was chuckling seeing me like that.

「What’s that, even though you’re a man. That’s pathetic.」

「No, that was scary wasn’t it!? Ghost is just plain scary even for a man!」

「Hah! There are things even scarier than ghost in this world. Reality is far more scarier.」

It looked like there were things even scarier than ghost for Marie who had gone through a harsh life in her previous life.

I criticized Luxion’s blunder in order to hide my fear of ghost.

「Oi, manage that thing properly. What’re you going to do if it escape?」

『What astonishing power. Even so, it looked like it was reacting to master. Why does it react more intensely with master even though Marie who it kept asking for is here? Besides, it was yelling Liia after seeing master.』

「How can I know! Aa~, it was scary. I’ll go home for today and sleep.」

Let’s finish my business in the bathroom quickly and then go to sleep fully covered in blanket.

Marie made fun of me.

「Could it be you’re scared? Like, you won’t be able to go to toilet at midnight? Leon, you’re cute~. Do you want to sleep together with me?」

This girl, how dare she made fun of me!

「I’m telling you I’m not scared!」

「You look childish to get worked up like that.」

──Th-this girl, she was acting haughty just because she wasn’t scared.

Even so──the saint’s key item was cursed. Wasn’t this something dangerous?

Should I make Luxion investigate it?

「Luxion, I have a little request.」

『What could it be?』

「I want you to investigate the saint’s items.」

『──It’s possible but, I’ll have to postpone it due to my current resource and priority matter. I’m currently investigating this planet. My main body will also travel to the opposite side for a while, so I’ll have to ask for a bit of more time for the investigation.』

I made him investigated too many things. The amount of work that Luxion could do was reaching the limit.

「I’m also concerned about other countries. ──But this matter is also important. Investigate it for me.」

『──Understood. I will hurry as fast as I can.』

His voice sounded a bit protesting, but was it just my imagination?

.

Part 8

Inside the spherical glass.

The first generation saint’s grudge that was trapped inside looked like it was sitting down.

「There is no doubt about it. That’s Liia. How──why?」

The grudge was weeping. It recalled how her descendant was standing beside him.

「I see. He is together with that girl──Marie. I see──」

Its wish that didn’t come true during its lifetime had gone past eras and came to reality in this era.

「Liia, I......I wanted to live and be together with you.」

The grudge kept crying and stayed obediently inside the glass like that.

.

Part 9

Night.

Olivia went out of the academy at night taking Julius and Jilk(ジルク) with her.

「Both of you, thank you for accompanying me shopping.」

Oliva smiled at them. The two of them got embarrassed.

「Don’t mind it. Just this much is nothing.」

「Yes, that’s right. Both his highness and I will always make time for Olivia-san no matter what.」

The two of them were foster brothers──they were raised together since they were little and got along very well with each other.

But they were conversing like rival in front of Olivia.

「Thank you. But, didn’t you have a plan Jilk?」

Olivia was toying with these two.

She aimed at the timing when Jilk had a plan to invite him to go shopping.

But Jilk didn’t show any sign of noticing it.

「I don’t mind. It’s not an important business anyway.」

Jilk smiled. Julius sulked slightly seeing that and criticized him a bit.

「Not an important business, huh. Certainly, talking with your fiancée must be just something trivial for you.」

「Y-your highness. You don’t need to say something like that in front of Olivia-san.」

「How many times it has been with this? You should take time to be with her already.」

「Does your highness mean that I should refuse Olivia-san’s invitation then? Unfortunately right now I’m just a student. I don’t want to be tied down by a family matter here, so I’ll do as I want.」

This plan that Jilk abandoned was a meeting with his fiancée Claris(クラリス).

Claris was concerned with the situation in the academy recently. She had asked Jilk to meet and talk several times saying that she had something important to talk about.

Olivia──invited Jilk every time that talk was going to be held and went out of the academy.

And then Jilk was moving exactly as Olivia expected him to do.

(So his awareness is only to this degree even after ignoring his worried fiancée several times. Even though there is no guarantee the other side will feel the same like what you expect them to do.)

Olivia knew that the woman called Claris had strong feeling.

She genuinely loved Jilk.

Olivia planned to tear the two of them apart, but Jilk himself didn’t love Claris from the beginning.

Only that point was extremely disappointing.

The three were intentionally walking on a street with few passerby.

They were walking in this kind of place because Olivia invited the two of them saying that this was a shortcut.

(Now then, it’s about time I guess.)

Olivia showed a smile while feeling around the presences of the surrounding area──and she found reactions just like she expected.

Men wearing hooded robe appeared with weapon in hand.

They appeared from both sides of the alley to pincer the three. Then they drew out their weapons.

Julius and Jilk immediately took position to protect Olivia.

「Who are you guys!」

Julius shouted, but the men weren’t perturbed.

Jilk took out a handgun from his chest holster and pointed it at the men.

Then the gazes peeking out from the men’s mask turned grave.

Olivia was convinced.

(See, they’re baited.)

One man yelled angrily at Olivia as the representative of the men.

「You──witch!」

The men attacked the three with weapons in hands.

Jilk also shot them with his handgun, but the enemies were too many and surrounding them. It was a difficult situation.

Besides the enemy tried to kill them, they were suicide soldiers──they seemed intent to throw away their own life.

Even when they were attacked, they would not care and kept attacking.

They didn’t fear getting shot and headed toward the three.

「These guys, just who the hell are they!?」

Julius was also shocked by their abnormality. Even Jilk was losing his calm.

「Your highness, I’ll cut open a path to escape! Please escape together with Olivia-san then!」

「No way I can do that! The three of us are going to survive this together!」

Olivia made her eyes moistened at this show of beautiful friendship.

「Both of you──do your best!」

Inside her mind she felt like she was going to puke.

(So Marmoreal(マーモリア) will always be Hohlfahrt’s flunky no matter how many generations passed. They really give me the creeps.)

Then a laughing voice came from the rooftop.

「Stop there you villains!」

A man in white suit and black mantel jumped down from above.

He was wearing a mask. His identity was unknown.

Even Olivia was surprised by his entrance.

「──Wh-who!?」

The masked man greeted Olivia with his back turned toward her.

「I shall offer my assistance in the name of justice. You can call me──masked knight.」

Jilk was wary toward the man who appeared out of nowhere. Even so he expressed his thanks to him for his assistance.

「Thank you. Your highness, people will come soon with this much ruckus. Let’s endure this for a bit more.」

But Julius alone was showing a conflicted look.

「Y-yeah, you’re right.」

They fought the attackers for a bit more, and then it was just as Jilk said.

The soldiers who heard the commotion were running this way immediately.

「──We’re retreating.」

The attackers withdrew from their leader’s words.

Then the soldiers chased after the attackers──several soldiers pinned down the masked knight.

「L-let go! Why are you catching me!?」

The soldiers answered seriously.

「Of course we will capture a man who wear a strange mask while loitering around at night! You must be those guys’ comrade!」

「W-wrong! I’m the masked knight! S-stop. Don’t twist my arm!」

Olivia was losing her composure inside her heart seeing that scene.

(Who is this guy? Is he getting in the way of my plan?)

Then Julius talked to the soldiers.

「──That man saved us. I’m sorry, but let him go. I shall give my guarantee that he isn’t a bad guy.」

「Your highness!? U-understood.」

The soldiers were bewildered, but they released the masked knight.

The masked knight fixed his ruffled outfit.

「T-thank you. I shall take my leave with this.」

He walked normally when going back.

Jilk was confused when he saw Julius watching the masked knight’s back with a complicated look.

「Is he your highness’s acquaintance?」

But Julius strongly denied that.

「N-no! A-anyway, I’m glad that you two are unharmed. More importantly, just who were those people who attacked us?」

Those people attacked them with strong determination.

Furthermore they weren’t just night burglar.

It was a trained group. Both Julius and Jilk also noticed that the opponents had training with martial art.

Olivia asked the two whether they were injured with a worried tone.

「Both of you, forget about that. More importantly are you two injured!? When I think that the two of you might get injured from protecting me, my heart can’t bear it──」

Olivia acted like a weak girl and made an appeal with her concerned question.

「No problem. How about you Jilk?」

「I’m more worried about your highness rather than myself.」

「──Big talk coming from you.」

The two of them were competing to act cool in front of Olivia.

Olivia watched them while pondering about the masked knight.

(Masked knight he said? What nonsense, he really did something unnecessary.)

Olivia harbored an anxiety that she couldn’t express against the existence who suddenly appeared to save them.

(But, there is no change of plan.)

Olivia incited Julius and Jilk who were still arguing even now.

「B-both of you. Actually, I might know something about those men.」

Julius and Jilk stopped arguing when they heard that and started to emit anger.

They were angry toward the enemies who attacked Olivia.

(──Now, show me whether you will still cover for them this time too, Angelica.)

.

Part 10

The next morning.

Angelica who received the report met with Claris, a third year.

The place was a parlor inside the academy.

But there were knights standing guard at the entrance. The window was also blocked with improvised iron bars.

Claris was imprisoned there.

「──Really, just why does it turn out like this?」

Angelica was standing in front of Claris with her hands clenched.

Claris was sitting on the chair opposite of her. There were dark circles under her eyes.

She looked thinner than before. Her hair was also not groomed.

Eyes that looked terribly cloudy looked up at Angelica from between the messy hair.

「It was me who gave the order. My followers were only following my order.」

「You are still giving that excuse even in front of me? Claris, your followers had confessed that they attacked on their own initiative without telling you. They’re giving testimony that you ar