Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 9

Novel Illustrations

These are novel illustrations that were included in volume 9.

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Prologue

The continent of Ark Strada.

Looking down towards it from the sky;

It was shaped like a dragon spreading its wings;

On it were five forces that were kept in balance.

I The dragon’s wing ~ Holy Espada Agency.

II The dragon’s body ~ Chevron Kingdom.

III The dragon’s jaw ~ Zepharos Empire.

IV The dragon’s tail ~ Labrock Trade Union.

Also,

V The dragon’s heart ~ Lautreamont Knight Country

Part 1

[Even I cannot bear this…]

Mirabel’s beautiful and sincere voice resounded across the dawning sky.

[I will expose the virulent evils and treason of the Third Prince Uriel. And I hereby declare Oscar Brailsford who is ranked one hundred and eighth in line to the royal succession as the next Chevron King—.]

Year 1365 of the A.S.B Calendar, the month of Scorpio. The declaration made by Mirabel, the Third Princess of the Knight Country on this day would later be called by historians—

—The <Argento Magus>’s declaration of war.

Part 2

In the guest room of Fontaine Palace, both Ash and Eco were completely stunned.

“Wait…what is going on right now!?”

Eco leaned on the windowsill as she looked up at the sky outside the window, her face pressed against the glass.

“I can’t tell at all either…”

Ash could do nothing but stand awkwardly on the spot as he answered. Two magic ships had initiated a confrontation over the capital of Fontaine City. One of those was the prided magic ship of the Chevron Kingdom, the Claíomh Solais. The other one was a strange magic ship that Ash had never seen before. However, since the ship’s interior which was projected into the air, it was possible to confirm that Mirabel and Oscar were aboard the ship. Just last night, Ash and Eco had done everything within their power to finally repel the <Schwarz Drachen Panzer> which had almost turned the capital of Fontaine City into a ruin. Yet not long after they felt a wave of relief—

Just as dawn broke across the sky, the Claíomh Solais with Prince Uriel aboard appeared above the capital. What was even more shocking was the fact that Uriel had taken Paladin Oswald as a hostage in order to make a despicable request to First Princess Veronica. As for Mirabel who had arrived just in time on that mysterious magic ship, she didn’t seem to have any intention of conceding to Uriel.

“In any case, we have to prevent a war from happening…”

Ash tightly clenched his teeth. If a war broke out in such a place, the consequences would be unimaginable. As an iconic capital city, Fontaine City would surely become the site of a tumultuous ruin. The city could be swallowed up by a sea of fire.

“Kuh…what should we do!?”

Ash quietly glanced at Eco’s face from the side. Why not ask Eco to transform into a dragon again to keep the two magic ships in check — even though thoughts such as those raced through his mind, Ash eventually decided to give up.

“What’s wrong?”

Noticing Ash’s gaze, Eco turned around with a confused expression.

“N-Nothing…it’s fine.”

At first glance, Eco’s appearance was no different than usual. Her fluffy hair was bathed in the morning light, giving off a brilliant pink and silver glow. Her rounded horns which served as proof that she was a young dragon had an ivory colour that made them appear smooth and bright. Her cheeks had a pleasing fullness, and their rosy colour gave off a healthy and energetic feeling. Even so, Eco had just experienced a fierce battle against the <Schwarz Drachen Panzer> last night. Even though she appeared to act so lively right now, she had most definitely consumed a lot of stamina and magical energy. Moreover, Eco’s very existence was one of the reasons that Uriel had launched his attack on the government of the Knight Country. It was in part due to the incident which occurred in summer—

An enormous dragon suddenly appeared on the eve of the Continental Congress <Elysium>, and that forced the conference to be put on hold. The true identity of that dragon was in fact Eco, who had been forcefully awakened by the Imperial Army. And now Uriel had gone after the Knight Country for concealing the existence of Eco. If Ash allowed Eco to Dragonise now — that would be exactly what Uriel wanted.

“Ash, you aren’t…”

Eco suddenly frowned. She placed both hands on her hips as she stared intently at Ash. As he was glared at by those fiery red eyes, Ash couldn’t help but flinch a little. It was probably the influence of her successful Dragonisation — Eco’s face gave off a more mature impression.

“You’re probably racking your brains to try and think of a way to singlehandedly reverse this deadlock, aren’t you?”

“W-Well…”

After Eco saw right through him, Ash hesitated on what to say. Eco seemed reluctant for Ash to intervene in the conflict between the two countries, perhaps because she was worried about his injuries. Thanks to the Ark that Eco had worked hard to complete, Ash’s body had undergone an impressive recovery. But even so, he was still a long way from a full recovery. As far as the current situation was concerned, Ash needed the rest more than Eco.

“But I—”

Just as Ash was about to convey his innermost thoughts to Eco…

“You two, please look up in the sky!”

The Paladin’s maid — Frieda Shelley’s cry caught their attention. Upon hearing that loud and unrestrained cry, Ash was reminded that Frieda had been standing by the door. Ash and Eco followed Frieda’s advice and shifted their gazes outside the window.

“How is that possible…!?”

Ash widened his eyes.

“Wha…!”

Eco also looked on in amazement with her mouth half agape. The rumbling engine of a third party made its way to Ash’s ears. Unexpectedly, a new ship appeared in the sky. The ship with a solemn atmosphere around it looked almost like a temple that had been constructed upon a floating island.

“I think I’ve seen it before…!”

Although Ash had the feeling that it was familiar, he was unable to connect the ship with its name due to his shock at the situation. And as if to continue where Ash left off, Frieda spoke with an awestruck look.

“That is the Espada Holy Agency’s Papal Ship — the Holy Ship, Esperanza.”

The magic ship with an outer appearance reminiscent of a temple inserted itself in between the imminent conflict that was about to break out between the two other magic ships. With widened eyes, Ash kept his eyes on the bow of the Holy Ship. Just a moment ago, it seemed that a figure had flashed across his field of vision. A young girl stood there calmly and with confidence. The curled hair wrapped around the left and right sides of her head sparkled with a blue tinge. It was said to be a unique sacred colour that had been used since ancient times to select the Pope. The headdress which was regarded as the Pope’s mitre looked even bigger than the girl’s head. The pure white robes that she wore gave off both a clean and dignified aura. The girl’s right hand held onto a papal staff that was even taller than her. On the top of it was an ornate winged cross which acted as a symbol of the Holy Espada Agency.

“That girl is—!”

 Seeing that Ash was too surprised to speak, Frieda explained on his behalf.

“There is no mistake. She is the child prodigy who ascended to the cathedra of Pope at the age of nine — the <Innocent High Priestess> — Her Holiness Raquel IV.”

From memory, the Holy Ship Esperanza had also been present in the capital of Fontaine City on the night before the forced cancellation of the Continental Congress <Elysium>. However, it was the first time that Ash had personally laid eyes on her. Ash inadvertently noticed — there was a woman dressed in a gorgeous outfit who stood behind the girl Pope. The woman was tall and slender, she was a beautiful woman with eyes as sharp as a warrior. In fact, although the woman was dressed like a high-ranking priest, a sword hung from her waist.

“And that woman is…?”

She is the confidant of Her Holiness Raquel IV, Cardinal Penelope Del Monde. She is the protector and advisor of Her Holiness, and at the same time, she is also the Captain of the glorious Holy Wing Knights of Espada—”

Just at that moment, as if to interrupt Frieda’s explanation, a strange phenomenon occurred.

[Good day, I am Raquel IV.]

A clear voice like a silver bell softly rang out in Ash’s mind.

“This is telepathic communication! She’s not Navi, yet a human being like her has that ability?”

In shock, Eco pressed her fingers against her temples.

“This is unbelievable…even though I heard that the past Popes have always had incredible abilities that could be described as miracles, I didn’t expect it to be to this extent…”

Even though Frieda was always calm and serious, it appeared as though it was difficult for her to conceal her surprise. It seemed that Raquel was communicating with everyone present via telepathy at the same time.

[There is one thing that I must convey to all of you. Although this news has not officially been made public, and I am very reluctant to inform you of it in this manner…it appears that I can no longer hesitate given the situation at hand.]

After saying that, Raquel momentarily paused and placed her hands over her chest as she took a deep breath. And then, she spoke the words which completely subverted the situation in one fell swoop.

[—Last night, the King of Chevron, Zacharias III, passed away.]

Everything both inside and outside the city instantly fell silent. The unexpected declaration sent Ash’s thoughts into disarray.

[The reason I have come here is so that I may convey to the people the King of Chevron’s final wish.]

Because everyone held their breath as they listened with deepening anticipation to Raquel’s words, both the city and the urban districts became unnervingly quiet.

[Bedridden due to illness, Zacharias III beseeched to me that whosoever obtains this sword shall be the next King of the nation—]

Pope Raquel pointed behind herself with the papal staff, towards Penelope. The beautiful cardinal who stood behind her held a large sword. Both the scabbard and the handle were adorned with magnificent gems. Because its ornate appearance appeared far too lavish, it seemed unsuitable for any practical use. Its brilliance accentuated the artistic style of the Chevron Kingdom to its extremes.

[Isn’t that the sword of the Royal Family that has been passed down from generation to generation, Tír na nÓg!?]

Oscar yelled loudly in surprise through her projection in the air. Her eyes clearly exposed a desire for the sword. To Oscar, that sword was the treasure that she had always kept her eyes on.

[…It seems that what Your Holiness has said is the truth.]

Uriel’s voice was transmitted through a magical amplifier. The Third Prince had always sounded leisurely up until this point, but there now seemed to be undertones of annoyance in his voice.

[Prince Uriel and Sir Oscar, please set aside your personal grievances for now and mourn the death of the king. This sword, Tír na nÓg, will temporarily remain in my care. And I — in the name of Raquel IV, forbid you from starting a war for the throne until the mourning period is over. Have I made myself clear?]

The believers of Rosa Maria made up as much as seventy percent of the total population of the continent. The Espada Holy Agency was the headquarters of the Rosa Maria religion, and the one who stood above them all was the Pope.

[…I understand, Your Holiness.]

It seemed that even the aggressive Uriel had no intention of going against the Pope. Uriel himself was also a believer of Rosa Maria, so he would be expelled from the Church if he rebelled against the Pope’s orders, so it was no surprise that he acquiesced. For a Prince of a nation, expulsion from the Church was equivalent to the loss of a significant foothold, an unimaginable fear. The magic ship Claíomh Solais slowly began to turn around. The bow of the ship pointed towards the direction of the Chevron Kingdom. At that moment, Raquel used telepathy to speak to Uriel.

[Prince Uriel, please stay. Please return Paladin Oswald to the Knight Country. Your conduct…considering the recent passing of Zacharias III, I will not pursue the matter for now — but the Holy Spirit of Rosa Maria sees all in her eyes, okay?]

As Raquel spoke, the Esperanza sailed forward and latched onto the Claíomh Solais. Even though the Claíomh Solais was decorated as a symbol of the Chevron Royal Family, when compared side-by-side with the Esperanza, the difference made it appear so trivial that it was astonishing. And so — both sides initiated a handover of Paladin Oswald.

Part 3

After several hours—.

After transferring Oswald to the Holy Ship, the magic ship Claíomh Solais finally returned on course and sailed towards the Chevron Kingdom.

“I didn’t expect the Espada Holy Agency to rush out and act as a peacemaker. I only hope that the situation doesn’t get more complicated…”

Ash placed his palm against the cold glass window as he muttered in a low voice. However, had Raquel not intervened for the sake of fairness, the two sides which were originally on the verge of conflict wouldn’t have been able to retreat, thus Ash was truly grateful to her for coming.

“…Hmm?”

Ash inadvertently looked up again at the Holy Ship Esperanza. He felt as though someone was staring at him. The young Raquel stood at the bow of the Holy Ship. Ash was startled. The Holy Ship floated in a position that was even higher than the spire of Fontaine Palace. But even so, Ash felt as though his eyes met with Raquel’s.

“Hey, Ash…”

A cold voice suddenly brought Ash back to reality. Ash hurriedly turned to his side to see Eco standing there with a furrowed brow and an irritated expression.

“I don’t really want to believe this, but you haven’t been charmed by such a small girl, have you?”

Eco silently gave off an intimidating aura. Slightly embarrassed, Ash quickly waved his hands about in denial.

“H-How could I possibly be such a pervert!? Her Holiness Raquel is only nine years old!”

“Hmm~ that’s pretty suspicious…”

“L-Let’s not mention that. We should hurry back to the Academy to help up with the reconstruction work. Don’t you agree, Eco?”

“…Reconstruction work?”

As fury took over Eco’s mind, she folded her arms in front of her chest.

—Ah, this is bad.

Ash’s instincts sounded the alarm bells of danger, and he couldn’t help but step backwards.

“You can say that after you’ve rested and healed your broken body! If you dare to ignore what I say, then be careful that I don’t crush you!”

“Hey, your words and your actions are completely inconsistent!”

As he watched Eco lift her foot up high, Ash let out a horrified wail.

“The Innocent High Priestess ~A.S.B.1365.11~” is closed.

Chapter 1 - The Ancient Magic Ship Escavaron

Part 1

Several hours after Uriel departed on his magic ship, the Claíomh Solais—.

The Holy Ship Esperanza and the mysterious magic ship were moored side-by-side at the dedicated dock for magical ships in Fontaine City.

“Looking at it from close up, it really is impressive.”

Having travelled from Fontaine Palace to greet Mirabel and the others, Ash gazed up in awe at the mighty appearance of the two ships. The enormous and unparalleled size of the Holy Ship Esperanza was particularly overwhelming.

“Compared to the Holy Ship, I think I like this magic ship more though. It just feels somewhat nostalgic.”

Beside Ash, Eco looked up at the mysterious magic ship in a slightly confused manner. Even though Eco had only just told Ash to rest in a somewhat infuriated manner, it appeared as though her curiosity had been piqued by the magic ship that stood before her eyes. Although its body belonged to the smaller class of magic ships, it was not inferior to even the Esperanza in terms of its presence. If the Holy Ship was one that captivated all viewers with its majestic size, then the magic ship beside it entranced its viewers with its unique artistic style. To draw an analogy, it was like a Strada that danced and soared through the sky. Its beauty was so dreamlike that it looked like something that belonged in a museum.

“Ash!”

At that moment, someone appeared on the deck of the magic ship and waved. It was a black-haired beauty dressed as a man. Beside her was a petite maid who wore an eyepatch. An enormous Maestro also sat tamely behind the two of them.

“Oscar and Celes! And even Tristan too…!”

As Ash’s eyes widened in surprise, Oscar and Celes rode atop Tristan’s head and flew off the deck. Along with the low-pitched howl of the wind, Tristan descended upon the ground with an earthy thud. Oscar looked like she could hardly wait as she jumped off Tristan’s head and leapt into Ash’s arms.

“Uwah! Oscar?”

Ash was instantly befuddled by her actions. A cool fragrance stimulated his nostrils. Although it was probably the scent of male perfume, it was still an agent of potent attraction to Ash given that he knew that Oscar was actually a girl.

“I’m so glad that you’re safe…! I was so worried when I heard that Klaus’ men also went off to attack you…”

As Oscar’s eyes grew moist with tears, she held onto Ash tightly, refusing to let go. Although she usually acted like an arrogant noble, the way she acted now was akin to an honest and sincere girl. Look at you, your handsome male image is getting ruined…although Ash had somewhat mixed feelings, he felt truly happy that Oscar cared for him so deeply, and so he wrapped his arms around her back in return. After physically interacting with Oscar in such a way, he realised that Oscar’s physique was actually as fragile as glass; it was something that was difficult to discern when she cross-dressed as a male. The instant that he realised this, Ash’s heartbeat rapidly accelerated.

“Oscar, thank you for worrying about me. I’m fine…so…”

“Is there anything wrong?”

“It feels like everyone is watching us…”

Ash nervously glanced around at his surroundings. A large number of guards of the Knight Country had gathered at the dock, filling the entire place with a tense and solemn atmosphere. Amidst all of them, the famous Oscar and Ash tightly embraced each other. Even if they were male friends who got along extremely well with each other, something like that demonstrated slightly too much closeness. In fact, all of the guards at the dock also watched the interaction between Ash and Oscar with bewilderment. If they didn’t clear the mood, it was likely that it could lead to a terrible misunderstanding. No, rather than the stares from the guards, Eco’s reaction was far more worrying. Indeed, it was because Eco already knew that Oscar was actually a girl—.

“Hey, what’s going on with you two…? When did your relationship progress to this level..?”

Eco’s ruby eyes were set ablaze by a spark of fury as she glared at Ash and Oscar. Her tightly clenched fists trembled slightly. At that moment, a dark silhouette nimbly butted in.

“Hey, Oscar. This isn’t the time to be playing around for your own satisfaction, you know?”

It was Celes. Her single eye locked on to Oscar like a bird of prey. Upon being glared at in such a fierce manner, even though Oscar was her master, she couldn’t help but wince and recoil away from Ash.

“You’re right, we don’t have any time…”

After Oscar’s expression returned to normal, she faced Ash once more.

“Why would time be tight?”

“Ash, you also heard Raquel IV’s telepathic message, right? Zacharias III has passed away. I heard about the worsening of his illness previously, and I thought that I had prepared myself for the bad news, but…”

Without realising, Oscar’s head began to droop.

“When I actually heard about his death, even I was a bit startled by my own reaction. It wasn’t so much sadness, rather, it was this feeling that a hole had been dug out in my chest. Perhaps it’s because…regardless of how much I despise him, that man is still my father, I guess?”

“Oscar…”

Just as Ash felt an irresistible urge to reach out to Oscar, she suddenly lifted her face. The melancholic expression that had been there just moments ago had disappeared. And now, her eyes stared directly at Ash, filled with scorching determination. Ash couldn’t help but feel captivated by her valiant courage.

“As a child of Zacharias III, and also as someone with a right to inherit the throne, it is my duty and obligation to attend the state funeral of Zacharias III. That is why I must immediately return to my country.”

“I see…”

“I can’t just skip the state funeral like I skip classes at school, you know?”

Oscar spoke jovially as if to sweep aside all of the doubts that cast an evident shadow over Ash’s face.

“I’ll be going then. I won’t be seeing you for a while, Ash!”

Oscar and Celes jumped together once more and saddled themselves on Tristan.

“Ooooooooooooooohh!”

Tristan spread its wings and let loose a tremendous roar.

“Oscar…”

Ash suddenly felt an ominous premonition tug at his heart. Although Uriel had heeded Raquel’s orders and agreed to a temporary truce, there was no way of ruling out the possibility that he had other schemes in mind. After all, he had once used Celes, as well as Kriemhild and Klaus of the Empire to instigate a major tragedy. He was a man who could not be underestimated. Just before Tristan was about to take off, Ash couldn’t help but rush up and yell,

“Oscar, please be careful of Prince Uriel!”

“Thank you for your concern, Ash! Let’s get married as soon as I become king!”

As Oscar directed an impish smile back at Ash, Tristan took off into the air.

“Hold on! Don’t just use that as an opportunity to talk nonsense!”

Although Eco puffed her cheeks out and retorted at the top of her lungs, Tristan’s speed was so incredible that it had already darted off into the distant sky in the blink of an eye.

Part 2

After Tristan’s enormous body passed over the clouds and completely disappeared from view—.

“—Ash, may I have a moment with you?”

Someone abruptly called out to Ash from behind. Ash turned around and realised that Mirabel had somehow crept up behind him without him noticing. Under the illumination of the morning sun, her brilliant glowing hair was an epitome of why she was called the <Argento Magus>.

“Princess Mirabel!”

Ash couldn’t help but cry out. After all, he had a mountain of questions to ask Mirabel.

How did she obtain that beautiful magic ship?

Did she truly want to crown Oscar before confronting Uriel?

Was it appropriate for a princess of the Lautreamont Knight Country to interfere in a clash for royal succession, especially considering that it involved the Knight Country’s suzerain state, the Chevron Kingdom?

While Ash hesitated on where to begin…

“Are you the famous Ash Blake-dono…?”

—Pokun!

A petite figure like that of a small rabbit suddenly jumped into the space between Ash and Mirabel. An innocent smile was drawn across her face, and her large papal mitre was reminiscent of a high-ranking priest’s outfit. In her right hand was a staff with a winged cross. Much like a soldier who had been caught by a sneak attack, Ash was so surprised that he stumbled a few steps back.

“Y-You’re…”

Wrought with nervousness, Ash was unable to form any comprehensible words.

“Fufu. I am Raquel IV. May the blessing of the saint be with you.”

The nine-year-old girl Pope revealed an innocent smile as she carefully examined Ash’s face.

“—!”

It was only then that Ash realised — the colour of the pupils in Raquel’s left and right eyes was different. Her right eye was blue like a sapphire, while her left eye was green like an emerald. Ash was stunned and mesmerised by the sight. He felt as though his very soul could be sucked into the vortex of her eyes at any moment. However, Mirabel’s words instantly brought Ash’s mind back to reality.

“…Your Holiness, he is indeed Ash Blake…however, he is also a dangerous person who has seduced the young dragon Eco, my dear sister Silvia, as well as many other women. It’ll be quite dangerous if you don’t keep a safe distance from him, okay?”

“Wait, Princess Mirabel! What kind of dangerous person are you labelling me as!? What are you going to do if a girl as young as her misunderstands!?”

“Oh, isn’t what I said the truth? That’s right, aside from the students, it seems that even Anya is infatuated with you.”

Mirabel said so in a serious manner. It was inevitable that Ash felt somewhat offended upon being treated like a playboy. However, it was certainly the truth that many beautiful girls had gathered by Ash’s side, thus he was unable to deny such allegations. He simply held mixed feelings about it in his heart….

Raquel then turned to Mirabel and gave a deep bow.

“Long time no see, Mirabel-sensei.”

“…Sensei?”

Seeing Ash mutter that in disbelief, Raquel smiled as she replied.

“Mirabel-sensei served as my swordsmanship instructor when she was studying abroad at the St Law University in Espada.”

“I see, so that’s why Your Holiness addresses her as ‘sensei’…”

Although Ash understood the reasons, he still had his doubts over whether or not there was a need for Raquel to learn swordsmanship. In fact, Ash had noticed that needle-like gazes remained fixed to him for a while now. Some distance away from Ash, several knights led by Cardinal Penelope maintained stern expressions as they monitored the situation with a chilling aura. They were probably members of the famed Espada Holy Wing Knights. Ash then recalled how Frieda had explained that Penelope was the leader of the Holy Wing Knights. In order to expand the influence of the Rosa Maria religion to the entire continent, that elite group had repeatedly fought against heathens and heretics — the Espada Holy Wing Knights. In contrast to the stern-faced Penelope and the others, a smile was always present on Raquel’s face. She turned to Ash and said,

“The stories of you and the young dragon Eco have been far-reaching. I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time.”

Raquel’s expression suddenly changed, and she appeared slightly nervous.

“Umm, Ash Blake-dono? There’s something that I’m wondering if you’d be able to do.”

“P-Please, do tell me what it is.”

Ash couldn’t help but feel nervous too. Although she was only a nine-year-old girl, she was still the Pope.

What could her request possibly be?

“Umm…err…”

Raquel fidgeted and hesitated, though after a while she seemed to gain the determination to stare straight into Ash’s eyes.

“Can I call you ‘onii-chan’?”

“…What?”

As he was gazed at with puppy-dog eyes, Ash couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“W-Why?”

“Because my dream is to become the little sister of an indomitable knight like you!”

Raquel removed a book from one of her pockets. The title of the book was [Tale of the Sky Dragonar]. Isn’t that a widely popular girls’ story…Ash’s memory was also triggered by that title. Ash had only read the first volume of it. Ash secretly thought to himself: although she’s the Pope, her interests in this regard are no different from an ordinary nine-year-old’s huh…. And while Ash ruminated over such thoughts, Raquel pushed herself closer to him.

“U-Umm, so I can’t after all? …I thought so. Anyone would feel that a girl who asks to call them ‘onii-chan’ on the first meeting is quite bothersome…”

Disheartened, Raquel’s expression became downcast and lifeless. Instantly, the Espada Holy Wing Knights standing behind them unleashed a terrifying murderous intent which prompted Ash to quickly shake his head and deny that statement.

“No no, not at all, I wouldn’t find that bothersome! I don’t mind at all!”

“Really!? Thank you, Ash-oniichan!”

A wide grin surfaced on Raquel’s face as she leapt into Ash’s arms.

“Uh…Your Holiness!?”

Ash immediately panicked. And of course, a dark and furious aura appeared to spawn from the Espada Holy Wing Knights. Among them, Penelope’s expression was the most ferocious, and it looked as though she wanted to rush forward and run a knife through Ash’s body. The young and beautiful female cardinal — could it be that her other side was actually an overprotective maternal figure? Raquel on the other hand did not seem to take notice of Penelope’s love for her, and she brazenly continued her show of affection towards Ash.

“And, you also have to address me like your real little sister. You are forbidden from calling me ‘Your Holiness’ and you can’t use any honorifics either.”

“Y-Yes…understood, Your Holiness.”

“Understood? Your Holiness?”

At those words, Raquel instantly puffed out her cheeks. Her adorable appearance made it tempting to poke her cheeks.

“I-I get it, Raquel!”

“Fufu, I’m so happy to have such a nice older brother!”

Just when Raquel expressed her heartfelt joy—

“Onii-chan…is it?”

Eco muttered in a low-voice from behind Ash. Given her tone, she was clearly sour about something.

“Eco…?”

Beads of cold sweat began to form on Ash’s brow. Taking Eco into consideration, she probably found it difficult to tolerate Raquel and Ash being so intimate with each other. However, Raquel was an innocent young child, and it didn’t appear as though she had any ulterior motives. Thus, she would only lose her grace as a grown-up if she argued with her now, therefore it was best to take a wait and see approach — that was roughly what weighed on Eco’s mind. Raquel’s curiosity suddenly shifted to Eco.

“Wow! So you’re the young dragon Eco? It’s so nice to meet you!”

“W-W-What are you doing!? Let me make this clear first, I don’t recognise you as Ash’s little sister!”

Eco was visibly troubled. She had never interacted with a nine-year-old child before, so she probably didn’t know how to deal with her.

“You have the appearance of a girl just like the rumours say! The things growing on your head…could they be horns?”

Raquel stood on her tiptoes and touched Eco’s horns with her small fingers.

“Hwah!”

Eco’s body suddenly felt weak. Ash had almost forgotten that they were Eco’s weakness. Eco tearfully guarded the horns on her head with both hands.

“Oooh…how cute…!”

Upon seeing Eco attempting to guard her horns, Raquel looked deeply moved.

“Can I keep touching them?”

“Geez! Of course not!”

Although Raquel didn’t have any malicious intent, someone touching her horns was rather problematic for Eco. Ash felt as though it was time for him to smooth things over between them, but at that moment…

“Ahem, Your Holiness Raquel. I think this is enough, don’t you? I actually have something urgent to discuss with Ash.”

Mirabel cleared her throat and interrupted from the sidelines. Hearing that, a mischievous smile formed on Raquel’s face as she tossed an absurd question at her.

“Something urgent…could it be a confession of love?”

“Wh…why would it be a confession of love!?”

For a moment, a rare situation occurred in which Mirabel appeared shaken.

“Because you’ve been staring at Ash-oniichan with such passionate eyes for a while now, Mirabel-sensei. As his little sister, I’m very curious about this!”

“T-That’s not it! Your Holiness, even if you are the Pope, there are some things that you can’t just say like that, do you understand?”

It appeared as though even the typically calm-mannered Mirabel could be led by the nose when interacting with Raquel. Ash watched the two of them as his surprise at their interactions gradually intensified.

“…I’ve been staring at Ash in contemplation because I suspect that there may be some connection between Ash and Escavaron. There is no other meaning.”

“Escavaron?”

Ash tilted his head in confusion. He had never heard the word ‘Escavaron’ before.

“Escavaron is the name of this ancient magic ship.”

“Ancient? Then, that magic ship is…?”

“Correct. It is the holy relic that I excavated from the Academy’s underground labyrinth. I willingly took over the post of headmistress for the sake of Escavaron—”

Mirabel solemnly spoke and approached until she stood directly in front of Ash.

“Now that you’re aware of the reason, may I borrow a moment of your time? I’d like to invite you into the Escavaron to take a look.”

“Yes, I don’t mind…”

Although he said that, Ash still had a somewhat dubious attitude towards the situation. No matter what was said, he refused to believe that the majestic and sacred ancient magic ship had any connection to himself.

“Then I’m coming too! To be honest, I’ve been quite curious about the Escavaron. Let’s go, Ash-oniichan!”

“Uwah, Raquel!?”

As Raquel pulled his arm along, Ash almost lost balance and slipped, but grabbed onto Raquel’s shoulders to keep himself up.

—Dododododo…!

Ash could somehow imagine the appearance of Eco and Penelope behind him releasing a dark, resentful aura, and he instantly shuddered out of fear.

Part 3

Mirabel took the lead as she ventured into the interior of the ancient magic ship Escavaron along with Ash, Eco, Raquel IV as well as the Espada Holy Wing Knights led by Penelope. Mirabel continued to advance straight towards the cockpit. At the centre of the cockpit was the captain’s seat, and the surrounding sides were equipped with seats for control and communication. The walls were densely packed with seemingly complicated control panels and various display screens. It had a rather similar vibe to the Silvanus’ cockpit. However, even though the appearance of the installations was familiar, this particular cockpit had an air of classic elegance which felt somewhat awe-inspiring. As he looked around, aside from Mirabel’s personal maid who was always in charge of brewing tea — Eunice, there was another familiar face that Ash was quite well-acquainted with. It was Anya. Although she had been associated with a cat-ear maid uniform as of late, she currently wore her revealing native dress.

“…Ash! Eco!”

As soon as Ash and the others entered the cockpit, Anya immediately got up from her seat and dashed over to the entrance.

“Anya! What are you doing here?”

“Princess Mirabel hired me as a bodyguard to accompany her investigation of the Academy’s underground. It’s great that both of you are safe, Ash, Eco…I was so worried because Klaus seemed to have sent troops after you…”

After confirming Ash’s safety with her very own eyes, Anya’s tension was instantly relieved. A stream of tears rolled down Anya’s cheeks.

“H-Huh? Why am I…”

It seemed that even Anya didn’t expect herself to cry, and so she wiped the tears away from her reddened face. Ash was moved by Anya’s strong, yet charmingly delicate appearance. Had no other people been present, Ash might not have been able to restrain himself, and he would have rushed up and embraced her. However—

“Hmm~”

Once again, Eco frowned as she folded her arms and glared at Ash with a somewhat ferocious look in her eyes. 

Not long after Ash and Anya shared a joyful reunion, Mirabel initiated her explanation.

“Following a series of deductions on prior events, I believe that the Escavaron activated simultaneously when Eco bestowed her complete Ark to Ash. In fact, when we discovered this magic ship, it showed no response at all. Ash, come over and have a look at this.”

Ash did as he was told by Mirabel and looked at one of the display screens. Shown on the screen was a single line of red text which read:

—Avalon Knight Dragner

“Although I have yet to fully grasp the overall status of the Escavaron, my opinion is that this magical ship is only operating at thirty percent of its full capabilities at the moment.”

“Thirty percent…?”

Ash turned and glanced around at all of the control panels which surrounded him. Certainly, the illuminated panels only accounted for a portion of all of them.

“It’s also my first time interacting with such a complicated holy relic, and there are too many things that I don’t understand. When we return to Ansarivan, I’ll need to conduct a much more thorough investigation.”

“That’s right! If this magic ship does have something to do with the dragon race, perhaps Navi could help us decipher it? Why don’t I summon her now and ask her? What do you think?”

Upon coming up with a great idea, even Ash himself felt proud of his fast thinking.

“—Did you call for me?”

Instantly, Navi descended from the sky like a wafting feather and stood by Ash’s side. She had returned to wearing her usual dress since she had probably gotten bored of the nurse outfit. A rose-like aroma tickled Ash’s nostrils.

“Fufu.”

After exposing a charismatic smile, Navi intimately snuggled up beside Ash. Whenever Navi materialised like this, she was no different from a woman with a body of flesh and blood.

“Hey! Navi! Why are you, the Dragweiss, acting so flirty over there!?”

Eco immediately lashed out at her, but Navi didn’t pay any attention to her.

“If you want to blame someone, then blame Ash. Originally, I only wanted to fulfil my responsibility as the Dragweiss, but he’s the one who taught me of the pleasures of being a woman. Isn’t that right, Ash?”

With an intoxicated expression, Navi cast an amorous glance at Ash. Even though Mirabel was right beside them, Navi was much bolder on this occasion than she had been in the past.

“What!? Ash! What have you been teaching her!?”

Unsurprisingly, Eco’s rage skyrocketed to its apex.

“How awful…Ash, I didn’t think that you’d already laid hands on her…”

Anya’s face turned ghastly pale, and she remained fixed to the spot as if the essence of life had been drained from her body.

“Both of you are misunderstanding! Navi, please don’t say nonsense like that! Princess Mirabel, I’m sorry…”

As Ash noticed Mirabel’s gaze focus on him, he couldn’t help but feel fearful of her. Ash wondered how Mirabel was able to maintain that expressionless poker face of hers even in such a situation. And then, Mirabel’s eyes drifted over to Navi, and she softly began,

“Indeed, the Dragweiss would logically have a record of any useful information. But immediately seeking help from Navi makes it feel as though I’m cheating, and I don’t like that. Moreover, I am a scholar, so I intend to conduct an investigation with my own ability first. If I truly cannot discover anything and reach an impasse, I will ask for your assistance then.”

“You are most welcome, Your Highness Princess Mirabel.” Perhaps out of admiration for Mirabel’s attitude, Navi politely bowed as she replied to her.

Part 4

“…Yes, Ash.”

After Navi returned to the Dragon Workshop, Mirabel suddenly seemed to recall something important as she made a recollective gesture with her hand. She cast a cool-headed glance towards Ash.

“Could I get you to sit in the captain’s seat for a slight experiment?”

“I don’t mind…”

However, it seemed unlikely to him that simply sitting in the captain’s seat would introduce any excitement to the situation. Thus, Ash readily agreed to her request. Unconsciously, everyone in the cockpit began to show anxious expressions as they intently watched every move that Ash made.

—I just have to sit down, right? Why is everyone acting so nervous…?

Ash pondered as he sat down in the captain’s seat. In an instant — every inch of the cockpit was illuminated by a colourful burst of light. Electronic sounds fired off one after another. It appeared as though the control panels which were originally unresponsive began to operate as soon as they activated. They were like animals which sprung into motion after a long hibernation as soon as spring arrived.

“What’s happening…!?”

Ash frantically looked around everywhere in confusion.

“Please excuse me.”

Mirabel abruptly reached out and rolled Ash’s left sleeve up. The <Seikoku> engraved on his left arm was unmistakable. After the bandages that were normally used to cover up his <Seikoku> were burned in the battle last night, Ash had not replaced them. The reason why he did not re-bandage his arm was not because he forgot. Although Ash thoroughly detested when other people saw his <Seikoku> in the past, he now felt as though there was no real need to keep it hidden. After all, that <Seikoku> was proof of the bond between him and Eco—.

The pattern that covered his entire left arm emitted a red glow as it radiated waves of heat. Its appearance was like an indication that it was currently connected to the magic ship. Mirabel leaned over and stroked his <Seikoku> which flickered and pulsed, startling Ash. Their faces grew incredibly close to each other. Mirabel’s fingers were cold like ice, and their touch felt rather comfortable against his own hot skin. Ash’s mind was occupied with thoughts of her beauty and the sensation of her fingers touching his left arm. Accompanied by the cool scent that oozed from her body, Ash couldn’t help but stiffen up as he sat in the captain’s seat. Mirabel stayed calm like a veteran surgeon in the operating theatre as she analysed the situation with her usual seriousness, but Ash was a healthy young boy after all. As Mirabel innocently pressed her body against Ash in order to make a focused observation, the charm that she exuded caused Ash to feel defenceless. Suddenly, Mirabel spoke with a somewhat excited tone.

“It’s just as I thought. Escavaron was a magic ship that was probably constructed for an ancient Avalon Knight Dragner…and now the current Avalon Knight Dragner — Ash’s <Seikoku> has validated this. It appears that the Escavaron’s construction is inseparable from Avalon’s Holy Dragon Emperors’ Family.”

“Really!?”

“Simply put, the genuine owner of this magic ship is Ash…”

As Mirabel explained, her vitality suddenly seemed to dissipate. Like a child whose toy had been taken away, she frowned and dropped her head in dejection.

“What’s wrong?”

Feeling uneasy, Ash stood up from the captain’s seat. More than half of the mechanical devices which operated smoothly just a moment ago immediately became dormant as soon as Ash left the seat.

“…It’s nothing.”

Although she said that, Mirabel’s eyes frequently stole quick glances at the captain’s seat. It appeared as though she coveted the position of the captain’s seat. Ash couldn’t help but reveal a wry smile as he hadn’t expected that even Mirabel could have a somewhat childlike side.

“I understand. The captain’s seat will be reserved for Princess Mirabel from now on.”

In surprise, Mirabel lifted her face and gazed at Ash’s expression.

“But in that case…Escavaron won’t be able to utilise its true capabilities, you know?”

“It’s enough as long as it can fly. Earlier, when I wasn’t here, didn’t the Escavaron fly from Ansarivan to Fontaine without any issues?”

“That is true…”

“To be perfectly honest, I don’t feel joy in knowing that this magic ship suddenly belongs to me. Moreover, I’m just an ignorant outsider when it comes to things like magic ships.”

Ash gazed straight into Mirabel’s eyes.

“In other words, I need you, Princess Mirabel.”

“Huh…!?”

Mirabel’s cheeks were instantly dyed a bright shade of pink, and she also covered her chest with both hands. It was almost as if she had been shot straight through her chest and was guarding the invisible hole that had been left behind. Witnessing her unexpected reaction, Ash instantly felt alarmed.

“A-Are you okay? D-Did I say something rude…?”

“I-I’m fine!”

Just as Ash was about to reach out to her with his arm, Mirabel unleashed an emotional outburst as she rushed out of the cockpit in panic. It was the first time that Ash had seen Princess Mirabel like that — the appearance of the ever-calm and serious <Argento Magus> fleeing.

“What happened to Princess Mirabel…?”

“To think that a single careless phrase could steal the heart of Mirabel-sensei…I didn’t know that onii-chan was such a deadly man…”

For some reason, Raquel stared at Ash with narrowed eyes and a somewhat contemptuous expression.

“Hold on, have you misunderstood something?”

“I haven’t misunderstood a thing! Ash-oniichan, listen carefully.”

With her moist eyes wide open, Raquel leaned forward.

“I am the only one in this world who can monopolise onii-chan! Even the Holy Virgin Saint Rosa Maria makes that clear in the [Star Book]!”

“What kind of fabrication is that!?”

Ash directed a quick glance towards Eco and Anya in an attempt to seek their help, yet—

“……”

As soon as their eyes met with Ash’s, they coldly turned their faces to the side.

“The Captain’s Seat ~A.S.B.1365.11~” is closed.

Chapter 2 - The Nation-Saving Hero

Part 1

Afterwards, Ash and the others decided to rest in Fontaine City for a night. Despite the fact that Ash wished to return to Ansarivan as soon as possible, the Paladin Oswald who had been safely released insisted on inviting Ash to a banquet. Moreover, Ash’s injuries had yet to fully recover. Not only did Fontaine Palace have an excellent and renowned doctor who could provide medical treatment, there were also soft and comfortable beds to get a good night’s rest.

Returning to his guest room in the palace, Ash fell into a deep slumber before he was even aware of it, and that was perhaps one of the reasons why his worries were temporarily put to rest as well. When he finally awoke, the silver pocket watch that never left him indicated that it was five o’clock. The glow of sunset sprinkled into the room through the windows.

“…Hmm?”

It was then that Ash noticed that a note had been left on the desk. The childlike handwriting that was scrawled over the note meant that it had unmistakably been left behind by Eco. Her message was something along the lines of having to take a bath and dress up in order to be ready for tonight’s banquet. Although there were parts of the message that Ash was unable to decipher, most of the meaning was quite clear to Ash. She had chosen to leave a message so as not to wake Ash up — it was the first time that Eco had been so considerate. Eco continued to grow and mature, day by day. As such thoughts were reflected in Ash’s mind, a smile naturally formed on his face.

It’s like I’m a father watching my daughter grow up into a fine young lady…although such a thought momentarily crossed his mind, Ash immediately denied it. Their relationship was nothing like that. I see Eco as a girl, and I even find her rather cute in that regard. Ash genuinely believed that to be his own version of the truth — though on the other hand, Silvia’s smile surfaced in his mind.

“Princess-sama…”

Ash clutched his head in distress.

I like Eco, and my feelings for her are absolutely true.

However, Ash was also strongly attracted to Silvia at the same time.

“Speaking of which…”

As those words escaped his mouth, Ash began to think back. It was actually the second time that he had been invited to dinner by Oswald. The first time that he attended, Silvia had also been present. Even now, the sight of her in a beautiful dress like a blue flower in full bloom was still clearly emblazoned in Ash’s mind. Like most fathers, Oswald repeatedly stressed how much he adored his daughter, and he then gave a stern warning to Ash.

—If you dare put your claws on Silvia…I, in the name of Paladin Oswald, vow to personally punish you! Do you dare to swear? Swear that you will never touch even a single hair of my Silvie?

Oswald’s voice endlessly echoed about in Ash’s mind. To put it simply — Oswald was a well-mannered and pure-hearted king who did nothing to offend others. However, a single mention of something related to Silvia could cause his disposition to change, and that was how he came to threaten Ash.

It had been several months since the first dinner that Ash was invited to, and his relationship with Silvia had made considerable progress. Ash unconsciously touched his own lips. He could clearly recall the sensation of his kiss with Silvia…

“If the Paladin finds out that Princess-sama and I kissed, he may really punish me…”

Just as Ash muttered his thoughts aloud to himself…

“I’m back, Ash!”

The room door was pushed open so suddenly that Ash panicked and tightened his mouth into a slit. The person who appeared at the entrance to the room was Eco, wearing a pure-white evening dress. Numerous small diamonds were sewn on at the neckline, giving it the appearance of being studded with crystal snowflakes. The hem of the skirt was slightly frilled and emphasised the slender curves of her waist.

Her pink hair which was tied up with a silver ribbon gave her a more mature look. Ash was so entranced by Eco’s dolled-up appearance that he even forgot to speak. Noticing Ash’s passionate gaze on her, Eco couldn’t help but blush. She fidgeted as she remained affixed to the spot, seemingly shy and self-conscious.

“U-Umm…well…you look good?”

Even as dense as Ash was, he quickly understood what kind of praise Eco was hoping to receive.

“Yeah. You’re really—”

—Dododododo!

Unfortunately, Ash’s words of praise were mercilessly interrupted. A mob of court maids poured in like an avalanche.

“It’s Ash-sama’s turn next!”

“I’m so thrilled to see the hero who rescued our nation!”

“I shall help to prepare the finest clothing for you!”

Contrary to their polite tones, the group of maids brushed aside all resistance as they collectively hustled and carried Ash away.

“W-Wait a…!”

Even though Ash tried to speak up, it was all in vain as the group of maids took him and withdrew from the room in the blink of an eye. Ash felt as though he was a piece of candy that was being carried off by an army of ants.

“Geez! What is this!?”

Eco’s thunderous roar reverberated through the corridor, and her hastened cry also made its way into Ash’s eardrums as he was carried away at an extremely fast pace.

Part 2

Evening.

Adorned with colourful embellishments of dragon crystal lamps, the radiance of Fontaine Palace majestically emerged from the night—. Led by a court maid, Ash and Eco made their way towards the dining room. What surprised Ash and Eco the most was how people treated them when they walked past each other in the corridors. As soon as each person saw Ash and Eco’s faces, they immediately retreated to the wall and offered them a deep bow. They were treated like state VIPs. It seemed that both Ash and Eco were treated like nation-saving heroes. However, this kind of treatment only made Ash feel numb and uncomfortable. After all, he was an ordinary citizen, and he couldn’t help but think ‘can’t you treat me with a more natural and easy-going attitude…?’.

“Hmm hmm hmm ♪”

Contrary to Ash’s dissonance and discomfort, Eco didn’t appear to feel anything from the way that other people treated her. She simply hummed a tune as she moved forward with great strides. The Imperial Princess of Avalon’s Holy Dragon Emperors’ Family was truly extraordinary.

“I wonder if I’ll be able to eat Chevron marbled beef today? I’m looking forward to it!”

However, her mind was dominated by her strong appetite, and she had already cast aside her dignity as a princess. When Ash and Eco entered the dining room, most of the invited guests had already taken their seats on time. Just like the last time that they attended, the length of each table was frighteningly long, and every seat at the table was lined with cutlery and napkins.

“Oh, Ash Blake and Eco-dono!”

Noticing their arrival, the Paladin Oswald was the first person to greet them. Despite the fact that he had been a prisoner who was almost executed, a relaxed smile formed across his face. Oswald had been taken captive and was paraded as a prisoner by Prince Uriel as a result of his trip, and he was even sentenced to execution. Even though he had just narrowly escaped the despair of death, he was able to maintain a calm and relaxed demeanour. Perhaps he was actually braver and more resilient than he let on.

“I am glad that you are unhurt. Paladin…”

After Ash gave a respectful bow, Oswald heartily laughed.

“Ash, what are you doing!? You and Eco-dono are the guests of honour tonight! Had you two not taken action, Fontaine City might’ve become a ruin. Not to mention that my very own life may already have been forsaken…now, sit down with pride!”

“Y-Yes!”

There were two vacant seats in front of Oswald. Following the Paladin’s greeting, Ash and Eco sat down next to each other. Contrary to Ash who was filled with fear and trepidation, Eco seemed so excited that she could barely contain herself, and her eyes shone brightly as she looked around. An enticing and appetising aroma drifted towards them from the kitchen. Inadvertently, Ash’s gaze met with the girl who sat opposite him. Surprisingly, that person was in fact Raquel IV. As expected of a religious figure, she did not particularly dress in a fancy manner for the occasion, but the usual priest-like clothing that she wore seemed very fitting for her.

“Tehee, we meet again, Ash-oniichan.”

“Ah, Raquel…”

Ash had almost carelessly tacked on ‘Your Eminence’ out of habit again, but he quickly swallowed such words. Although Ash felt uneasy with thoughts such as ‘Is it really okay for me to address the Pope by her name…?’, he had no choice but to push forward and oblige given that she had ordered him to do so. However, Cardinal Penelope who sat beside Raquel instantly directed a murderous glance at Ash. The look in her eyes was no different than that of a killer, and they were filled with apparent hatred for Ash. This only heightened Ash’s worries that he could be assassinated by her someday. The person who sat opposite Penelope was Mirabel.

“G-Good evening…”

Ash stared blankly at her as he expressed his greeting. On this particular occasion, Mirabel had dressed herself in an extraordinarily extravagant manner. She wore an elegant lilac evening dress, and she also wore a crown to symbolise her status as a princess. The exposed skin around her neck and chest were adorned with jewellery that was inlaid with many Bright Dragon Crystals. Before his very eyes, Mirabel had transformed from a cold scholar into a pure princess.

“I-If you keep staring at me like that…I’ll feel embarrassed.”

The instant their gazes met, Mirabel’s cheeks were dyed a bright shade of pink. She acted in a shy manner as if there was something that unsettled her. Speaking of which, ever since they separated from each other in the cockpit of the Escavaron, she had continued to look somewhat distracted. Ash couldn’t help but feel confused about what had happened to Mirabel.

“G-Good evening, Ash…”

Ash glanced across as the person sitting beside Mirabel greeted him.

“Anya!?”

At first, Ash had failed to recognise her. It was not until he saw her piercing eyes and brown skin that it dawned on him. Anya had let down her hair which was always in a ponytail, and she wore a one-piece dress that was adorned with flowers. Since it was a rare evening banquet, Ash thought that it would’ve been nice if Anya wore an evening gown as well — although it seemed like a pity to Ash, perhaps it was Anya’s decision. To her, perhaps the one-piece dress that she wore was the most that she could accept. Even so, the dress didn’t diminish her cute charm, and it caused Ash to feel somewhat fascinated. It seemed as though Anya felt unqualified to partake in tonight’s banquet. She looked rather nervous, and it was apparent to everyone else with just a glance. After Ash gave a wry smile, he pointed at Eco who sat beside him.

“You don’t have to feel so nervous. Just take a look at Eco…”

Even though the appetisers had yet to make their way onto the table, Eco already held a knife and fork in her hands as if she could hardly wait to begin eating. Eco’s calm self-confidence was an object of envy. Seeing Eco like that, Anya couldn’t help but giggle. Her laughter was refreshing and hearty, like that of a simple country girl—.

“Thank you, Ash. I feel a little more relaxed now.”

“I-I see. That’s good to hear.”

Ash was fascinated by Anya’s smile and his heartbeat accelerated despite his desperate attempts to remain calm. Fortunately, Eco’s mind was focused solely on the feast, as it was otherwise likely that she would’ve kicked Ash under the table. For some reason, Ash suddenly thought about Navi. After getting dressed, he had tried to ask if she was willing to attend, but she had declined his offer with a wry smile. As Navi did not possess a body of flesh and blood, there was no need for her to eat. Just at that moment—.

The doors to the kitchen suddenly burst open, and an assembly of palace maids who briskly pushed pushing dining carts forward emerged from within. The dining carts were filled with a variety of appetisers and drinks.

“…Hmm?”

Ash had a nagging feeling that he had forgotten about someone’s existence.

“Ladies and gentlemen!”

Nonetheless, Oswald raised his glass with great fervour, and so Ash pushed the matter to the back of his mind as he straightened his posture.

“First of all, let us raise a toast to express our endless gratitude to our nation-saving hero!”

And so, the dinner party began.

Part 3

Eco’s wish came true as the main dish of the night was Chevron beef of a certified grade — it was also filet mignon of a virgin cow. According to the head chef, the steak was cooked in a stone-fired oven, rather than just an ordinary hot plate. As soon as the meat was cut into with a knife, its juices would overflow along with a sizzling noise. Contrary to its crispy, burnt outer appearance, the inner layer of meat was a beautiful shade of pink. Even as someone who didn’t normally pay much attention to his food, Ash couldn’t help but drool as he thought to himself ‘It looks really delicious!’. Ash immediately picked his knife and fork up to cut and send a bite-sized piece of the beef into his mouth.

“Mmm…!”

The exquisite taste as it graced his tastebuds overwhelmed the very core of his being, and it made him feel as though he had been submersed into a pool of unparalleled happiness. How was it possible for the meat to taste so tender and smooth? The feeling of happiness itself spread through his mouth. In addition to the taste of the meat itself, the special sauce of red wine, black pepper and garlic was incredibly sweet and smooth. In a heightened mood, Ash unreservedly took a second bite. As for Eco who was beside him, she had already lifted up her plate and shouted to a maid ‘Give me another plate!’…in the blink of an eye, she had already devoured a single person’s serving of the mignon steak.

“Haha! As expected of Eco-dono! The way you eat is most certainly bold! Hurry to the chef to request more filet steak!”

Oswald laughed heartily as he conveyed Eco’s request to the maids. At some point, he had already gotten drunk, and his completely reddened face was proof of that.

—Click.

Amidst the cosy atmosphere of the dining hall, a door was suddenly opened, albeit softly. As Ash casually turned to look at the door, he noticed an elegant lady standing there in an evening dress. Not long afterwards, everyone’s conversations diminished into silence as they focused their gazes at the entrance.

—Such a beautiful woman.

Ash honestly thought so. She was a tall and slender woman whom he had never seen before. She appeared as though she was in her early twenties. Her pure blonde hair was done up in a gorgeous manner, and she wore a low-cut evening dress. Perhaps due to a mismatch in the size of her dress, her ample breasts looked like they were about to burst from the seams, and the hearts of everyone who laid eyes on her pounded against the walls of their chests. Based on the fact that a tiara similar to the one that Mirabel wore was on her head, she was probably the princess of a country. For some odd reason, her facial features seemed to bear a close resemblance to Silvia’s. Although she had a sharp pair of eyes like those of a falcon, her demeanour was oddly pure. She looked somewhat shy, like a flawless innocent maiden. Under the watchful gazes of everyone present, she lowered her face and slowly moved forward.

—…Clack………………clack.

Since she appeared unaccustomed to wearing high-heeled shoes, every step forward that she took seemed to require a tremendous amount of courage. As everyone else watched on, they couldn’t help but feel nervous for her.

As Ash wondered ‘Just who is she?’, the lady raised her face. For some reason, her eyes drifted towards Ash. Ash thought it was just his own imagination, but she was indeed looking at him — no, she was definitely staring at him. Ash was lost as to why she made such an expression at him.

“…Umm, Paladin? May I ask who that lady is? She looks like a rather important person…”

Ash asked Oswald with a feeling of expectant trepidation.

“Ah, ooohhhh!”

However, Oswald simply widened his eyes in apparent disbelief. His face went pale as if his consciousness had suddenly resurged from a drunken state. The ghastliness of his expression made it appear as though he was about to pass out.

“—Long time no see, Ash Blake!”

A tan-skinned girl suddenly appeared from behind the noble lady. No…Ash was well aware that that woman’s age was not nearly as young as her appearance. She nonchalantly rode atop a relative of the Asia inside the castle — the Basilisk-riding girl was in fact [Avdocha the Convicted]. After Avdocha snuck a peek at Ash, she loudly declared,

“Ash, you must be blind! Open your eyes and take a closer look!”

For some reason, Avdocha pointed at the noble lady with pride.

“The person over here is…she is…fu…kuhahahaha! O-Oh, I can’t help it! It’s seriously too funny!”

All of a sudden, Avdocha burst into laughter. Even her partner Basilisk shook its entire body as if it was trying to resist the urge of laughter. The lady immediately raised her fist and unrelentingly smacked Avdocha’s head. As a loud ‘thud’ resounded, Avdocha tearfully wailed back,

“It really hurts!”

“Imprudent girl! How dare you show such disrespect to laugh at your own master!”

As soon as he heard that stern voice, Ash instinctively stood up.

“Princess Veronica!?”

Once he recognised her, he became certain beyond any doubt that she was indeed Veronica. Because Ash was too accustomed to seeing her in a sturdy set of armour, he had not been able to immediately recognise her. Upon closer inspection, he was also able to see Captain Glenn of Veronica’s personal guard quietly hiding behind the door. He gave off the impression of an overly protective father as he kept his eyes on Veronica.

“You were way too slow to realise, Ash! I dressed up especially for tonight’s banquet! Do you know how much time went into dressing up like this!?”

“But, Your Highness, why did you willingly go so far? As I remember, Princess Veronica always wears her armour except for when bathing and sleeping…”

“T-That’s because…!”

Veronica instantly blushed and her gaze shifted around unsteadily. Every move she made resembled an innocent girl’s, causing Ash to feel embarrassed. Her vastly changed appearance even made Ash begin to doubt whether the woman who stood before him was truly the <Ironblood Valkyrie>. For a moment, Veronica raised her face as she mustered the courage to speak, and she murmured,

“I simply thought that wearing my armour to congratulate you as the nation-saving hero would be too stiff…moreover, you are my…u-umm…b-benefactor…so that’s why. Do you have a problem with that!?”

“No no no, of course not! Princess Veronica, you’re incredibly beautiful and enchanting right now. How do I put this…in any case, you look very much like a princess. Even if it’s just once in a while, I hope you’ll continue to show this side of yourself in future — wah, I’m sorry. Just a slip of the tongue as I got too carried away!”

Indeed, even though she looked beautiful when dolled-up, she was still the <Ironblood Valkyrie> nonetheless.

“I-It’s fine…you don’t have to worry so much about identity and status tonight.”

Despite her indifferent response, Veronica’s entire body began to turn red. Her face, nape and chest…all of her exposed skin tingled as it became a fiery red.

“L-Let’s not speak of such things. I’m not very used to wearing high-heeled shoes…it’s certainly hard to walk in them. Umm…if you consider yourself a gentleman, then please lend me a hand.”

Although she was clearly quite embarrassed, Veronica gently stuck out her right hand.

“If it’s a trivial matter like that, then please leave it to me, Princess Veronica.”

Just as Ash smiled and prepared to take Veronica’s hand — Avdocha unreservedly revealed a malicious grin.

“Urrah!”

As if in retaliation for being smacked earlier, she thrust her hands at Veronica’s back and gave a sudden push.

“Ah…!”

Veronica already had enough trouble as is, and that push caused her to lose balance.

“Uwah!”

Veronica’s cleavage zoomed straight towards Ash’s face. Ash’s face was buried into the valley of her soft and deep bosom as they collapsed together onto the floor. The sensation that enveloped his cheeks was so idyllic that he almost forgot about the pain of his backside against the ground.

“S-Sorry…Ash.”

Veronica slowly lifted her body. Her gentle demeanour was completely unlike her usual self.

“I-I’m fine so long as you’re not hurt, Princess Veronica—”

Before Ash could finish speaking, his face turned as white as a ghost.

“Wah! Princess Veronica! Y-Your chest…!”

As if in response to Ash’s panicked cry, all of the people sitting around the table cast their eyes towards the source of the commotion. Eco’s fury suddenly ignited as she stood up.

“Hmm? What about my chest…?”

In puzzlement, Veronica looked down at her own chest…and then froze in horror. The impact of her fall just earlier had caused the cloth that once tightly covered her chest to fall down. Two pink cherry blossoms were exposed in all their glory before Ash’s eyes.

“Iyaaaaaah——!”

During the banquet that night, Princess Veronica unleashed a bashful maidenly shriek unlike any that she had before.

Part 4

After Veronica and Avdocha joined the banquet, the feast entered its latter stage as it transitioned into a lively wine festival.

“What a blunder…how could I have been so careless…”

In order to recover from her earlier mental trauma, Veronica downed flask after flask of red wine.

“Hey, Mirabel!”

Halfway through a glass, she suddenly lifted her face and called out to Mirabel who sat diagonally across from her.

“I just noticed, but why are you dressed so formally tonight as well? Why is the nerd who’s always been too lazy to dress up suddenly wearing an evening dress and a tiara…could it be that you’ve also fallen in love with As—”

“T-That’s not the case!”

This time, it was Mirabel who was shaken — the way both her knife and fork slipped and dropped onto the ground was the most compelling evidence.

“I simply decided to put on a decent outfit to attend tonight’s banquet. Besides, aneue, even if someone has saved your life, you don’t have to act so stiff…I never imagined that you’d think like an overly-innocent maiden, so I was really surprised, aneue.”

Mirabel immediately retorted with a verbal counterattack of her own.

“That’s incorrect! You’re completely wrong, Mirabel!”

“Oh, are you saying that I’m mistaken?”

As expected, whenever Veronica and Mirabel encountered each other, they’d inevitably be at each other’s throats. However, perhaps the gorgeous evening dresses of the two had sweetened their relationship somewhat, as they weren’t arguing as intensely as they normally would. It was perhaps a silver lining. At that moment, with a wineglass in her hand, Avdocha walked over to Ash’s side and whispered into his ear,

“I’m going to tell you the truth, Ash. Veronica has been acting strange ever since you saved her that night. She gets lost in thought all of a sudden, and then she’ll suddenly heave a deep sigh. I thought she was bothered by something, and then she suddenly demanded [Prepare me a dress!], sending the city into an uproar.”

Apparently, there was a lot of commotion that occurred in the city whilst Ash was asleep during the day.

“Speaking of which…if it were the usual Princess Veronica, she’d have immediately rushed over to inspect Escavaron, but that doesn’t seem to have happened.”

“Mmmhmm. When a report that Mirabel had discovered an ancient magical ship was delivered, I was worried that Veronica would want to take it for herself, but that didn’t eventuate. And that’s because Veronica’s interest has been diverted to something else right now.”

“What else could it be?”

“Kufufu. That is not something for me to say.”

After Avdocha revealed a smug smile, she immediately became serious again.

“Leaving that aside, I’ve been worried about you extending your claws to my adorable Anya, and it’s even been making it hard for me to sleep.”

“Why would I do such a thing!? Avdocha-san, just what kind of person do you see me as!?”

“The saying goes that even heroes are weak to the charms of the beautiful — you’re a true hero right now, so even if you do try anything unsavoury, people will just turn a blind eye.”

“Can you please not slander me? I’m not going to lay my hands on anyone!”

Realising that he was constantly being smeared, he was suddenly reminded of something important.

“That’s right. How is Kriemhild doing?”

“Ah, that little girl? I didn’t expect her to be so calm. She was also very cooperative with us during the investigation. Based on what we’ve heard from her, it’s clear that she was only being used by Klaus. Don’t worry, we won’t harm her.”

“That’s a relief…”

Ash sighed with relief.

“…Hey. It couldn’t be, right? You’re not planning on extending your fulsome claws to Kriemhild, are you?

Avdocha stared intently at Ash’s face with a stern look.

“Where would I even get such ideas from!? I just hope that she’ll be able to find happiness!”

However, Avdocha didn’t listen to Ash’s rebuttal at all.

“Anya, long time no see. I’m glad to see you safe and sound! That outfit really suits you.”

With moist eyes, Avdocha went and embraced Anya tightly.

“It really has been a long time, Avdocha-san…!”

Anya also shed tears of joy as she soaked in the happiness of her reunion with Avdocha. Watching those two, Ash also felt emotionally touched by the scene.

Part 5

Around an hour passed by—.

After dessert was served, Ash turned around and looked at his neighbour.

“Mmm…my stomach…I can’t eat any more…”

Eco was slumped over and asleep with the side of her face against the table as she muttered such words dreamily. Her sleeping face was so innocent, and it even inspired a feeling of joy in those around her. It’s great that I was able to protect this smile — just as Ash genuinely thought so from the bottom of his heart…

“Mmm…I definitely won’t lose…to Veronica’s breasts…”

Ash panicked as soon as he heard such words slip from Eco’s mouth during her sleep-talk.

“Princess Veronica ~A.S.B.1365.11~” is closed.

Chapter 3 - The Academy City Aims for Reconstruction

Part 1

The next day was calm and warm, with good weather overall.

The sun warmed up early in the morning, casting some doubt over the fact that it was already early winter. Ash and Eco took off in the Escavaron as they headed for Ansarivan.

“Well, while it would be faster if I transformed into a dragon and flew, using this for transport is more comfortable!”

Eco could hardly conceal her excitement as she peered from the cockpit to the scenery below. Ash found it amusing that she had developed a sense of rivalry towards the magic ship as a dragon.

“Since the weather is clear today, we should arrive in Ansarivan in the afternoon if things proceed smoothly.”

Mirabel said. Although she wore a gorgeous evening dress last night, she had reverted to a simple and clean outfit this morning as she sat proudly in the captain’s seat. Anya sat at the helm, responsible for steering the ship. Despite her current situation, it was actually Anya’s first time at the helm just two days ago, and Mirabel believed that she had a natural talent for it. In fact, the magic ship could actually be put into autopilot mode once its route was set. Upon learning of this feature, Ash was shocked by the technical prowess of the ancient civilisation that had constructed the ship.

“It feels like we’re on a trip, onii-chan.”

Raquel tugged on Ash’s sleeve as she spoke.

—I want to give my condolences to Dragonar Academy which has suffered severe damage.

That was the reason she gave for her insistence in following Ash. Although Cardinal Penelope was strongly opposed to the idea at first, given Raquel’s nature as a child, it appeared that she was quite stubborn once she had her heart set on something. In the end, Raquel’s decision to give her commiserations was final. However, the attached conditions were that the Espada Holy Wing Knights led by Penelope would remain on board the Escavaron, and the Holy Ship Esperanza would also accompany it. Ash couldn’t help but feel a little dumbfounded by this, and he also felt that the Pope truly did as she pleased. However, a sense of warmth was undoubtedly generated in his heart as he watched the innocent Raquel. Most importantly, every time she called him ‘onii-chan’, Ash was reminded of his own little sister whom he had left behind in his hometown.

—I wonder how Linda is doing…

She was supposed to be twelve years old this year, and Ash worried about whether she had been obedient and looked after their mother. When Ash left his hometown to enrol in Dragonar Academy, she was only eight years old. She was a year younger than Raquel right now.

—Onii-chan, please don’t go…!

Even now, Ash still had a vivid impression of how Linda had cried and sobbed as she begged him not to leave. As he thought back on Linda’s crying face, Raquel actually seemed much more mature by comparison. After all, she was a girl who had ascended to become the Pope at just nine years of age, so it was only natural that she would be more mature than other girls her age…just as Ash thought that—

“Eco, let’s play together!”

Raquel jumped onto Eco’s back.

“Fuwah! W-What are you doing!?”

“Tehe!”

“Argh! I’ve already said many times that my horns are sensitive!”

Eco shed tears as she fled away. On the other hand, Raquel displayed a wide grin as she chased Eco around. From the perspective of an onlooker, it was a rather heart-warming scene. Though, it probably felt more like torment to Eco.

“Fufu…”

Even Cardinal Penelope who stood by the wall smiled and giggled as she watched the innocent and playful young Pope. Although the Cardinal seemed to be a strict person at a glance, it was clear now that she deeply cared for Raquel. 

“Geez, that’s enough! If you keep going, I’ll flatten you!”

However, as soon as Eco prepared to retaliate against Raquel, Penelope’s expression became stern. It appeared that Eco’s words had aroused her.

“Hey! Are you planning to turn all of the believers of Rosa Maria in the world against you!?”

Ash snuck a glance at Penelope’s expression as he hurriedly attempted to soothe Eco’s temper.

Part 2

While the sun was still bright, the magic ship Escavaron arrived in the sky above the Academy City Ansarivan. Under Mirabel’s direction, the magic ship landed in the Academy’s courtyard. The accompanying Holy Ship, Esperanza, also followed suit and landed. Since it was a dedicated field for dragon riding competitions, there was plenty of space even with two magic ships docked. Naturally, there was also a lot of commotion in the Academy City due to the unexpected arrival of two magic ships— 

“…What a terrible sight.”

As the first person to alight the Escavaron, Ash was stunned by the scene that stood before his eyes. As the sun softly glazed over the Academy, its appearance was leagues away from the one that Ash was familiar with. If that scenery had to be described with a single phrase — perhaps it would be best described as ruins from the aftermath of a fierce battle. Both the old and new school buildings, the Seventh Dragon House, and various facilities…the majority of the buildings had virtually burnt down, and if not, they were at least half-destroyed. Even from a distance, it was shocking to see just how much destruction had occurred. The silver lining amidst all of this was that the occasional roars of dragons could be heard, carried along by the wind. The dragons once under the control of Kriemhild which had become a part of the <Schwarz Drachen Panzer> seemed to have safely returned. As he heaved a sigh of relief, Ash felt thankful in his heart.

“We’re finally here…”

Following him, Eco’s tired voice came from behind. When Ash turned around to look at her, she looked extremely exhausted and much worse for wear.

“Thank you for accommodating Her Eminence Raquel to play, Eco.”

Cardinal Penelope calmly walked past Eco as she expressed her gratitude. The members of the Espada Holy Wing Knights followed closely behind her, lining up into a small squadron.

“Snu…zzz…”

Penelope carried Raquel in her arms, who had fallen asleep after playing so spiritedly. Her lips formed a fluid shape as she murmured in her sleep.

“Your horns are so adorably cute…”

“Hya!”

As soon as those words entered Eco’s ears, she instantly shirked back and attempted to protect her head. Her experience of being chased around by Raquel had probably been a somewhat traumatic encounter. After seeing Penelope and the others off as they returned to the Esperanza, Ash gently caressed Eco’s head.

“You did well to endure patiently, Eco.”

“Geez! That’s why I hate children…”

Eco crossed her arms in front of her chest in apparent discontent.

“Okay okay, there’s no need to be angry. You can have as many crepes as you want, it’ll be my treat.”

“Hey, don’t think that I’ll be won over by some food now!”

“…When you smile like that, the words coming from your mouth hold no persuasion at all.”

Indeed, although the words she uttered were meant to convey anger, as soon as the word ‘crepe’ escaped Ash’s mouth, Eco couldn’t help but smile.

“Muu…”

Just as Eco clenched her fists—

“Ash! Eco! I’m so glad that you’re both safe!”

Ash immediately recognised that beautiful voice. It belonged to Rebecca who stood atop Cú Chulainn’s head. No, Rebecca wasn’t the only person who had come. Silvia, Lucca, Jessica — and even Raymond and Max rode on Cú Chulainn’s back. Perhaps it was Rebecca’s idea that instead of splitting up with everyone riding their own Pals, it would be more expeditious to let Cú Chulainn carry everyone in one swoop. After Cú Chulainn landed beside the magic ship, the entourage of people climbed down from its back.

“As a princess of this nation, I must thank you! Ash, Eco, you’re both nation-saving heroes!”

Silvia rushed ahead to be the first to shake Ash’s hand. Her watery eyes glittered in the light, and emotions took control of her expression, making it seem as though she could burst into tears at any time. It appeared that the news of Ash and Eco’s successful defence of Fontaine City had already made its way to Ansarivan. Ash made a wry smile.

“That is an overstatement, Princess-sama. Besides, why would you think that? We simply did what we should have done.”

“Yes, that’s right. I also consider the Knight Country to be my homeland. And…I’d also be very grateful if you stopped squeezing Ash’s hands so tightly and let go.”

Eco raised her brow as she casually reprimanded Silvia. Silvia’s face quickly reddened once this was pointed out.

“T-There’s nothing wrong with just holding hands! After seeing you leave Ansarivan, I was constantly worried sick!”

 Unexpectedly, Silvia rebuked Eco, but the next instant—

—Don!

“Uwah! Hey! You two…!”

Jessica and Lucca performed a joint attack to instantly whisk Silvia away from in front of Ash.

“Ash-sama! As soon as the very thought of anything untoward happening to you entered my mind, no matter how small the chance, it made my heart feel as though it was suffocating!”

“Sorry for having worried you, Jessica…”

“But, Ash-sama! I have an extremely effective idea, and if we make it a reality, I’ll never feel lonely no matter how far apart we are!”

“Huh?”

Upon seeing Ash stare back blankly in confusion, Jessica clenched her fists and continued,

“Ash-sama, so long as I can bear your child, I will naturally develop unconquerable resilience! Ash-sama, please come to my room tonight — ah!”

At that moment, Lucca leapt forth and interrupted Jessica.

“…Jessica. Please restrain yourself and do not go overboard.”

After giving Jessica a stern warning, Lucca turned to face Ash. In her hands was a peculiarly shaped teacup. As Ash inspected it, he noticed that it was filled with a black liquid that emitted a warm mist.

“Please drink this, Ash. It is good for your body…”

As soon as the tea cup was presented to him, a pungent smell immediately invaded Ash’s naval cavity.

“T-This seems like a rather intense drink, in many ways…”

Although the herbal tea that Lucca normally prepared in the past was already considered strange, it could still be described as ‘tea’. However, the substance before Ash’s eyes was as dark as squid ink. It was the kind of drink that made Ash feel as though both his mouth and stomach would be stained black as soon as he ingested it.

“Don’t worry…although it has a deep colour…it’s effects are just as brilliant.”

“Right, I shall graciously accept then.”

With slight trepidation, Ash received the tea cup. Although both the odour and appearance of the substance were fearsome, Ash believed that Lucca’s herbal concoction skills were trustworthy. Ash held his breath and swallowed the liquid in a single gulp.

“…Guha!?”

As soon as he swallowed the liquid, a wave of heat raptured from his stomach. And slowly, his body began to warm up.

“This is totally different from the herbal tea that you used to make for me…”

After Ash murmured that to himself, Lucca nodded and replied,

“This is the <Arundel Herbal Tea> that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Ecbald tribe. It can activate…all the cells in the body and strengthen them…it enhances self-regeneration abilities. An affluent person would be willing to pay even a large sum such as a million Eccles to get their hands on it.”

“A million!? Are you sure you can give such incredible medicine to me for free?”

As Ash broke into a cold sweat, Lucca calmly nodded.

“It feels like power is rushing through my entire body…!”

Ash looked down at his own body in amazement. The heat that swelled in his body hit a peak. According to Lucca, it meant that all of the cells in his body had activated.

“—In any case, I’m relieved to see you so lively.”

Rebecca spoke to Ash in an earnest tone.

“Rebecca-san…”

“Do you still remember what I once said to you? ‘Whether past or present, the only one who can surpass me is you’.”

“Of course, I still remember.”

Ash straightened his posture.

“I simply never expected that you would surpass me so soon — it seems I must admit defeat. After all, you saved the entire Knight Country with Holy Dragon Emperor Eco.”

“Please don’t say that! Eco may indeed be a descendant of Avalon’s Holy Dragon Emperor Family, and it’s true that she has unfathomable power…but I’m still lacking in many ways.”

“Fufu. Despite accomplishing extraordinary feats and becoming a hero, you’re still so humble. Perhaps that’s why I’m drawn to — ahem!”

“Rebecca-san?”

“I-It’s nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

“Huh…?”

 Ash tilted his head in confusion.

What did Rebecca-san want to say just then?

He felt as though her demeanour was not as prideful nor firm as it usually was.

“Damn Ash, I can’t believe you’ve stolen President Rebecca’s heart as well! Ah, how I envy you!”

Seeing the look on Rebecca’s face, Raymond was clearly frustrated. On the other hand, Ash simply looked confused.

“Who would’ve thought that the Academy’s number one problem student would become the nation-saving hero? Life really is unpredictable. Anyway, it’s nice to have you back.”

Contrary to his usual poker face, Max revealed a genuine smile as he gestured for a handshake with Ash.

“Thank you, Max—”

Just as Ash returned a smile—

“Hey! It looks like Ash and Eco are back!”

“The hero has returned in triumph! Put your work down! Let’s welcome them back everyone!”

Following the yells that echoed across, a swarm of students suddenly lurched towards them. Because everyone rode atop their dragons, a ‘stampede’ was the only way possible to describe their overwhelming sense of momentum.

“Ash! Ash!”

“Eco! Eco!”

In the blink of an eye, everyone’s cheers filled the entire courtyard.

Part 3

Thanks to Rebecca, all of the students were eventually persuaded to return to their reconstruction work, giving Ash and Eco a much-needed break. If she hadn’t done so, the onslaught of congratulations and questions from the students might have continued without end.

Afterwards, Ash and the others decided to go to the students’ restaurant <La Tene> in order to discuss their plans for the future. Since most of the buildings on Academy grounds were almost totally destroyed, <La Tene> was in fact fortunate to have survived and remained intact.

“Welcome to <La Tene>!”

As soon as they stepped through the entrance, a line of waitresses dressed in cat ears and tails greeted them with a synchronised and uniform bow. Ash was rendered speechless upon bearing witness to this scene. Even Anya was present among the line of waitresses.

“Anya!? Weren’t you just in the cockpit of the Escavaron?”

Upon hearing Ash’s exclamation, Anya shyly cast her eyes downward.

“While you were surrounded by the entire school, I rushed off to explain the situation to the store manager…and the manager forced me to wear this…”

As usual, it seemed that Anya was unable to refuse a request from the manager.

“I see. Well, I think you look cute when you dress like this anyway, Anya.”

“Nya!? You said I’m c-c-cute…?”

Anya was clearly embarrassed by his comment, and a shade of red surfaced across her tan skin. As she panicked, she slipped and fell.

“Kya…!”

“Look out!”

Ash quickly threw his hand forward to render assistance, and Anya managed to grasp his hand just in the nick of time. However, Anya’s body had already been thrown off balance, and so she dragged Ash’s hand with her as she collapsed to the floor.

—Don!

Ash was pulled forward and also fell towards the floor. Although Ash narrowly managed to evade impacting his face against the floor, his body bore the full brunt of the hard floor, leading Ash to cry out in pain.

“Owww… —uwah!”

Just as Ash attempted to get back up, he was given quite the shock. Sitting on the floor, Anya’s legs were spread wide apart like the letter ‘M’. Her most intimate area which was obscured only by a layer of pure white cloth was brazenly presented before Ash’s eyes.

“Anya! I-It’s showing…”

Although Ash quickly averted his eyes, the contrast between her cute underwear and her brown skin had already made a deep impression on him.

“Huh? Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Embarrassed and in a panic, Anya scrambled up from the floor. She was probably so embarrassed that she wanted to hide herself in a hole. By the time Ash managed to stand back up, Anya had already slipped off and vanished. It was almost certainly the first time that Anya had ever exposed herself in such a manner to someone…

“Hmmmmmmmmmm!!”

Cold glares shot right through Ash’s back. They originated from Eco, Silvia and Jessica. Even the normally subdued Lucca joined them in glaring at Ash. As if saying ‘you’re hopeless’, Rebecca shook her head and shrugged as she muttered with a wry smile,

“…Geez, you haven’t changed a single bit.”

“I-I’m sorry…”

Just as Ash lowered his head and apologised—

“—You’re all too slow.”

A clear voice resonated through the restaurant. Having been the first to alight the ship, the Third Princess Mirabel enjoyed a cup of Eunice’s black tea as she cast a sharp gaze towards Ash and the others. And in this way, everyone initiated a meeting as they enjoyed a late lunch.

Part 4

“What? Apollo House was burned down…is that true?”

Before Rebecca could finish giving a report on the Academy’s damage status, Ash couldn’t help but interrupt out of sheer surprise.

“…Indeed. Of all the student residences, only Apollo House was affected by the battle. Unfortunately, the dormitory has been burnt to ruins, so it is impossible to repair it.”

“I see…”

Ash seemed to become lost in thought. Apollo House was the dormitory that had been allocated for male students in the Senios course. Ash’s time of residence there was less than a year, at best, only seven months. But his room was filled with many of the memories that he had made living together with Eco. Ash couldn’t help but grit his teeth in facing this sense of loss. Fortunately, Eco had temporarily moved to Silvia’s room during that time, so both her dragon plushie and her personal belongings were spared. Moreover, since the male Senios course students had lost their place of residence, they currently resided in shared accommodation in the old school building that had narrowly been protected.

“It will take at least four months to rebuild Apollo House. During this period, the male students of the Senios course may have to rough it out…though the problem is you, Ash. How will you deal with your residence?”

Rebecca’s question grounded Ash back to reality. This prompted Ash to think ‘yes, now is not the time to be wallowing in loss’.

“Although it seems that you are not in need of hospitalisation…you are still injured. Just a few days ago, you were seriously injured and had to be confined to a hospital for monitoring. Having you sleep on the floor with all of the other male students could impede your recovery. So instead, why don’t you use Julius Hall, as it is perfectly intact—”

“Please wait, President!”

Silvia suddenly raised her hand to put forward her own thoughts on the matter.

“There is indeed a lounge attached to Julius Hall, but it is only meant for brief usage to unwind and is not suitable for overnight stays. Moreover, since Ash has now become a distinguished hero, as a princess of this nation, I absolutely cannot agree with someone of his calibre staying in Julius Hall!”

After Silvia’s resolute declaration, she cast an expressive look at Ash.

“What do you think, Ash? Just like you did during summer vacation, why don’t you stay in my royal suite in Epona House for the time being?”

“I object!”

No sooner than Silvia brought up the topic did Jessica express her disapproval. Beside her, Lucca also nodded to express her agreement with Jessica. On the other hand, Eco quietly contemplated her own opinion.

“It should be fine. I already live in Silvia’s room right now anyway, and Cosette is also there, so it’s unlikely that anything unreasonable will happen…moreover, I’d never let such a thing happen anyway!”

“Umm…”

Seeing that their meeting had swiftly devolved into a dispute, Ash quickly stood up.

“Although everyone regards me as a hero, I don’t feel as though I’ve done anything worthy of respect. I simply wanted to protect this country from Prince Uriel’s destruction — in fact, that’s the simple idea that drove my actions. It is my hope that you won’t continue to give me special treatment…”

“Ash…”

Eco frowned in surprise.

“So, I plan to live with the other male students in shared accommodation.”

“What!?”

Silvia reacted in a loud voice. Everyone else also took note of Ash’s declaration.

“But I do hope that you’ll continue to allow Eco to stay in your room, Princess-sama. Although this arrangement may trouble you—”

“Hold it.”

A cool voice suddenly interrupted Ash. Everyone’s gazes naturally gravitated towards the owner of that voice. The person with another point of view was Mirabel, who had remained silent up until now.

“I’ve come up with an excellent idea. How about this? We’ll simply have Ash live on the magic ship Escavaron. What do you say, Ash?”

“Huh?”

Ash was momentarily stunned.

“That ancient magic ship seems linked to you as the <Avalon Knight Dragonar>. The interior of the ship also has living areas and medical equipment. Moreover, I’d like to perform a deeper study of the relationship between you and Escvaron. S-So…”

Mirabel’s cheeks turned slightly red as she made a determined expression.

“Starting from today, I will also live in the Escavaron.”

Her unexpected declaration instantly caused an uproar. Silvia raised her eyebrows as she interrogated Mirabel,

“Aneue! Do you mean to say that…starting today, you intend to live under the same roof as Ash for a while? S-Such a shameless proposal completely goes against your values! You might even be alone with Ash in the same room—”

“I-It cannot be helped. It is for the sake of important research…”

The <Argento Magus> rarely ever responded with such hesitation.

“Going by your attitude…you seem to be hiding something, aneue!”

“W-What would I have to hide!?”

“Even your face has turned red!”

“M-My reddened face is merely a symptom of high blood pressure…”

“How is that even related to blood pressure? In fact, as I recall, you seem to have an issue with low blood pressure, isn’t that right aneue?”

“Kuh…”

Before she even realised, Mirabel’s eyes had become watery.

“Aneue! Did something happen between you and Ash!?”

“A-Absolutely not. I speak the truth.”

“Hmm…do you dare to swear that before Saint Rosa Maria?”

“T-That’s…”

Everyone present anxiously bore witness to the back and forth exchange between the two of them. The argument between the two princesses exuded an extraordinary atmosphere, and it felt as though no one could intervene.

“Anyway! Please be more aware of your charm, aneue! In the worst case, Ash may lose all rationality and commit a sin against you!”

“Commit…a sin?”

After Mirabel’s cheeks seemed to wildly flush red with a ‘poof’, she instinctively hugged her own shoulders. In all fairness, Mirabel was far more underdeveloped when compared to Silvia in this regard. Exactly what kind of image did she conjure up in her mind…?

“Hey, don’t paint me in such a bad light! You’re treating me like a total pervert!”

Ash reprimanded Silvia at the first opportunity.

“Umm, I do have an idea in that case.”

Cosette, who had been standing behind Silvia in silence the entire time suddenly smiled and clapped her hands together, as if she had come up with a brilliant plan. Ash had an ominous premonition as he gazed at Cosette’s overly cheerful smile.

“Why don’t we all live together in the Escavaron? That way we’ll have nothing whatsoever to fight over, right? Ufufufufu.”

Part 5

Sure enough, Ash’s premonition became a reality—.

“In order to help analyse the ancient magical ship Escavaron that Princess Mirabel has discovered, the members of the Student Council will immediately begin living in the ship.”

Shortly afterwards, the Student Council publicly announced that decision to the entirety of the student body.

“Reconstruction Plans ~A.S.B.1365.11~” is closed.

Chapter 4 - The Beginning of a New Life, and an Investigation of the Omen

Part 1

One week had already passed since everyone began their new lives on the magical ship. During her lunch break, Rebecca took a shower in the ship’s bathroom. Since she started helping out with the reconstruction effort early in the morning, her body was covered in dirt and grime. Within the Academy, there was still a lot of work ongoing which involved the removal of rubble. The bathroom that she used was surprisingly spacious, one that wouldn’t have been expected from one inside a ship. Both the tiling and the bathtub were mostly constructed from marble. The faucet had been crafted in the shape of a dragon, and as a testament to the lavishness of the design, it was also made of gold. By twisting the faucet, hot water poured out from the shower head that resembled a dragon’s head. Rebecca’s fiery red hair had become dripping wet, and it stuck to her porcelain white skin. Each droplet of water that trickled down from her hair slid through the cleavage between her ample breasts. Every time Rebecca changed her position, her supple breasts bounced and swayed.

“Phew…”

Rebecca closed her eyes and contemplated the state of the Academy’s reconstruction. The good news was that the reconstruction effort was proceeding smoothly. Under Rebecca’s direction, every student and their Pals took part in the large reconstruction effort. The Academy’s board also decided to temporarily suspend all classes. However, all of the students had surprisingly radiant expressions, and not even the slightest trace of despair could be seen on their faces. Rebecca took this as a good sign. No one seemed to know that a full restoration of the Academy would take several years. Moreover, Rebecca herself would graduate from Dragonar Academy in just four months.

“This is the last great mission that I have as the Student Council President. What kind of outcomes will I be able to accomplish before I step down…?”

—Graduation.

As soon as that thought crossed Rebecca’s mind, a strand of loneliness stroked her heart. Inadvertently, she thought about Ash.

“Come to think of it…I haven’t seen Ash today.”

In order to observe the analytical work that was being performed on the Escavaron, Ash had recently been together with Mirabel more often. He had probably been forced to accompany Mirabel for one of her investigations again this morning. Perhaps…Ash and Mirabel were alone together. As soon as Rebecca thought that, there was a sudden ache in the depths of her chest.

“Kuh…”

It was then that Rebecca realised how her feelings for Ash had grown deeper and stronger. Originally, she only wanted to be the Student Council President who was quietly concerned with Ash’s growth. That gave her satisfaction, and she didn’t crave anything more than that. But as of late, not only had Ash performed exceptionally, he also awakened as the <Avalon Knight Dragonar> and protected the Knight Country from Prince Uriel’s vices. He had become a national hero.

“Ash, just how far will you grow…?”

Rebecca muttered to herself as she breathed a warm sigh.

“—Did you call my name, Rebecca-san?”

Ash’s voice suddenly resounded from behind as he casually embraced Rebecca.

“Wha…!?”

Given the unexpectedness of the situation, even Rebecca couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, prompting her to stiffen and cover what she could of her body.

“Is that you, Ash!?”

Rebecca always played the role of the Student Council President who was proud and awe-inspiring, but on this particular occasion, she was at a loss on how to respond. No, if the intruder hadn’t been Ash, she likely would’ve yelled ‘molester!’ and swiftly dealt with the matter…but for some reason, she was nervous and her limbs remained frozen in place. The next instant, Ash’s hands quickly began to move.

“Ahmmm…!”

An exquisitely seductive and bewitching moan escaped from the depths of Rebecca’s throat, surprising even herself. Without warning, while Ash embraced Rebecca from behind, he began to fondle her breasts as well.

“Ah…kuh! H-Hey…Ash! W-What do you think you’re…!?”

The unexpected development caused Rebecca’s entire mind to go blank.

“N-No, you can’t…Ash! I-If you…touch me like that, I’ll…my body will…!”

“Would you prefer it if I touched you like this?”

Rebecca’s cherry-pink nipples were pinched between his fingertips.

“Aahh!”

Rebecca felt as though an electric current pulsed through her entire body and she reflexively curled into the shape of a bow. 

“Enough is enough, Ash! Hero though you may be…don’t think that you have the right to do something like this!”

“The mere words that you utter don’t hold a candle to the truth that your body conveys, you know?”

Ash replied as he breathed purposely against the nape of her neck. Perhaps due to his own excitement, Ash’s breath felt hotter than the water from the shower against Rebecca’s neck.

“Ash…w-what’s wrong with you today? You’re acting strange!”

“What are you saying? I’m dead serious.”

Ash’s fingers then slithered down towards Rebecca’s lower body.

“Ah…!”

His feverish hand slid in between her tightly held thighs. A gentle caress stimulated the inside of her thighs.

“Uhh!”

The instant that Rebecca shuddered and contorted her body, her tightly clamped legs spread apart. Ash didn’t miss the opportunity to make the even bolder move of pushing his fingers towards Rebecca’s private garden—

“Hold on! Who are you!? No matter what, it’s impossible for Ash to act so rude and arrogant!”

Desperately clinging onto her sense of reason, Rebecca spun around with a glare.

“…Oh my, I’ve been discovered.”

Shockingly, the person who stood behind Rebecca was — in fact, Cosette. Cosette had once served as a body double for Silvia, so it was a rather effortless and trivial task for her to emulate Ash’s voice.

“Ufufu, as expected of Rebecca-sama. Although you were only a smidgen away from being sullied, you managed to maintain your willpower until the very end. I’m deeply impressed.”

Cosette unhanded and liberated Rebecca with an unremorseful expression.

“Cosette, what is the meaning of this…?”

Rebecca remained vigilant as she cast a sharp glare at Cosette.

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to offend. I only wanted to verify your feelings, Rebecca-sama.”

“My feelings? For what…?”

“Because it’s possible that you may become the number one rival for the princess I serve, Rebecca-sama. If Rebecca-sama has also fallen for Ash-sama…that would be an important concern for the princess.”

“I see, so everything you did was for Silvia’s sake…but, don’t you think that your mischief went just a little too far?”

“Rebecca-sama, I sincerely apologise for that. Having said that — it was truly unexpected for me that the <Scarlet Empress> would exhibit such a lovely reaction. Ufufufufu…”

Rebecca’s skin instantly grew hot and was coloured a bright shade of pink.

“P-Please forget everything that you saw!”

“Obviously, I wouldn’t tell anyone about it. It’s just that your affection for Ash is a lot deeper than I thought it was. Ufufu…things just keep getting more interesting. Now then, please take care.”

Cosette lifted her skirt in a curtsy as she bowed and then silently disappeared.

“Geez, I just can’t let my guard down around her…”

After Rebecca murmured so with an irritated expression, she began to shower with cold water as if to cool her heated body.

“But then again…”

If the person who appeared in the bathroom wasn’t Cosette, but Ash himself, how would I have reacted — Rebecca couldn’t help but distract herself with that thought.

Part 2

While Rebecca was victim to one of Cosette’s devilish ploys—

Ash had stripped down to only his undergarments as he lay within a glass chamber. —This was within the infirmary of the magic ship Escavaron. However, its appearance was vastly different from what most people would expect of an infirmary. If not for the ancient characters inscribed on the door to indicate that it was an infirmary, it might not have been immediately obvious that it was the case. Various strange and bizarre-looking devices were installed in the room after all, and Ash’s body was contained within one of these devices. According to Mirabel, it was a magically engineered device that mimicked a mother’s womb. The ancient people named the device — <Iunones>. The initial impression that it gave off was that of a large capsule, and in terms of size, it was probably capable of accommodating three adults at once. Although Ash was entirely submerged in a liquid, it strangely didn’t affect his ability to breathe at all.

—So, is this what it feels like to be inside the womb…?

Ash couldn’t help but begin to muse upon insignificant matters such as that. That aside, the presence of Princess Mirabel and Her Eminence Raquel IV in the infirmary made him feel somewhat…no, most certainly uncomfortable. The two of them stared intently at Ash’s body with profound interest. Even though he was wearing underwear, his upper body was unclothed. It was undeniably embarrassing to have two ladies stare at him with such fixed rigour. Since returning to Ansarivan, Mirabel had invested all of her time and effort into an investigation of the Escavaron. On the other hand, although Raquel followed a busy schedule which involved visiting the city hall from time to time and expressing her condolences to the people assisting with the reconstruction project at the Academy, she could be found in the Escavaron whenever she had a moment to spare.

Part 3

On the other side of the glass—

While Ash received treatment, Raquel acted playfully with Mirabel as they stood before him.

“Fufu. Mirabel-sensei, your hands stopped moving, you know?”

“Eh!?”

As soon as that was pointed out, Mirabel immediately resumed scribbling down research notes. I accidentally became entranced when I stared at Ash’s chest — such words were an impossibility for her to actually utter, though it was actually the first time that a male body had stolen Mirabel’s attention.

—I wonder what’s wrong with me…

While Mirabel panicked, Raquel tugged on her sleeve, bringing her back to reality.

“Onii-chan’s body looks like it’s completely healed. This super ancient technology is amazing.”

“Indeed. The device should automatically switch off in thirty minutes. In the end, the condition of his injuries already improved thanks to the complete version of Eco’s Ark. Lucca’s <Arundel Herbal Tea> was also highly effective.”

“Combined with the effects of <Iunones>, Ash-oniichan might become even healthier than he was before his injuries!”

“…If he has too much energy, that might not be a good thing.”

After muttering so, Mirabel’s cheeks began to turn red and hot — even though she didn’t understand the reason for it herself.

“Umm, Mirabel-sensei?”

“W-What is it?”

Unwittingly, Raquel had gotten incredibly close to Mirabel as she peered at her face, and the two of them were so close that their noses almost touched.

“It’s such a rare opportunity that we’ve met again, yet you never play with me at all, sensei. I feel a bit lonely.”

“Even if you say that, I’m not sure what to do…”

Mirabel felt overwhelmed and unsure of how to react. She definitely harboured no hatred for Raquel, it was simply that she didn’t know how to interact with children. Strictly speaking, she actually thought that Raquel was rather cute, however…partly due to the fact that Mirabel spent her childhood obsessed with studying and learning swordplay, interacting with children felt more difficult than complex mathematical problems to her. Having said that, Raquel was the Pope, so she couldn’t just be ignored. At that moment, Raquel formed fists with both of her hands as she said,

“Mirabel-sensei, you should act more like an adult! You’re still the same as ever in that you don’t know how to get along with me, you know?”

“W-Well…”

Mirabel always had an impression of Raquel being a young child, but she soon felt embarrassed as Raquel bluntly laid bare the concerns that disturbed the innermost thoughts of her heart.

“Of course, I still like you this way, Mirabel-sensei.”

Raquel revealed an innocent smile as she turned and directed her gaze at the medical device known as <Iunones>.

“Say, Mirabel-sensei…do you think that device could perhaps be used for beauty?”

“Beauty?”

“Look! Don’t you think that Ash-oniichan’s skin looks way smoother than it was before his treatment?”

After listening to Raquel, Mirabel carefully examined Ash’s bare skin.

“Like you said, it really does appear to be the case…”

Mirabel heaved a sigh tinged with admiration. It was amazing that a nine-year-old child was able to discern such a detail.

“Speaking of which, have you been feeling tired lately, Mirabel-sensei?”

“Huh?”

As the topic of their conversation took an abrupt turn, Mirabel was caught off guard.

“Sensei, you’ve been working day and night doing investigations on the Escavaron, so it’s no surprise that your face looks so sleep-deprived! Why don’t you test out the effects of <Iunones> as well, sensei?”

“B-But, Ash is in the midst of his treatment…”

“Going by the size of the capsule, two people — no, even three people could use it at the same time without issue! Moreover, you can also perform an experiment to see whether it can treat multiple patients at the same time — wouldn’t this be killing two birds with one stone?”

“An experiment? …I suppose you’re right. If it’s for the sake of experimentation, then I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Although it seemed as though such a reason was close to self-deceit, Raquel’s suggestion certainly did have an element of reason to it. Having made up her mind, Mirabel turned around and looked at Eunice, who stood behind her.

“Eunice, have you memorised how to operate <Iunones>?”

Eunice, who was working on brewing a pot of black tea, answered with confidence,

“Please leave it to me, princess-sama.”

“Very well, I shall also enter!”

“Hold on! What does ‘very well’ mean!?”

Raquel didn’t take heed of Mirabel’s verbal attempt at restraint, and she set her Papal mitre down on the table.

“Eunice-san. Please help me keep an eye out to make sure that Penelope doesn’t find out whilst she stands guard outside the door!”

Her playful smile was exactly what one would expect of a nine-year-old girl. It was at this point that Mirabel found herself with no way to turn back.

Part 4

Ash closed his eyes and allowed himself to sink in the liquid solution, feeling as though he was in a dream—.

All of a sudden, someone else squeezed into the same capsule as him, sparking confusion which interrupted his thoughts.

—Princess Mirabel!

Naturally, she was also in her underwear. As the fabric of her underwear absorbed the liquid solution, it clung tightly to her porcelain skin. The contour of her chest was clearly discernible. Although she was smaller than Veronica and Silvia in terms of size, she potentially had the best shape out of the three…while Ash silently scored them in his mind, he suddenly choked on reflex. Mirabel’s underwear turned half-transparent, and her pink nipples became faintly visible beneath her underwear.

—She hasn’t noticed!?

Ash quickly averted his gaze. Although he wanted to remind Mirabel of such things, verbal communication was not possible as he was submersed in liquid.

[Ash-oniichan! I’m next!]

Raquel’s voice then resounded through his mind.

—Whaa!

Ash was stunned. Even Raquel was dressed in only her underwear.

—W…W-Wait! Why is Raquel coming in as well!? What’s going on!?

At that moment, someone knocked on the glass wall of the capsule and Ash directed his eyes to the source of the noise. Eunice held a notebook open for Ash to read. In large font, it read: “Her Highness and Her Eminence the Pope have entered the capsule for an experiment. Thank you for your understanding and support.”

—What on earth are they trying to test!?

While Ash panicked, Raquel playfully hugged him.

[Fufu. I’m so happy that I get to play in the water with you, onii-chan.]

Although Raquel’s innocent telepathic voice resounded through his mind, Ash was incapable of comprehending anything. It was because the bare skin of a girl who wasn’t even ten years old could be felt against his back. Although her chest looked flat when she wore her usual outfit — a slight bulge could be felt in that area.

—I thought she was just a girl, but she’s actually surprisingly…

[Onii-chan? What are you thinking about?]

When Raquel innocently questioned him, Ash quickly shook his head. At that moment, the sound of water splashing around reverberated to his ears, and a turbulent current whooshed through the liquid in the capsule. Mirabel had lost her sense of balance…and by the time Ash realised, his vision had already been obstructed.

—I can’t see what’s in front of me!

Unexpectedly, Mirabel tightly clung around Ash’s head in order to maintain her balance. It was Mirabel’s bosom that obstructed Ash’s vision. Despite the small size of her bosom, it still possessed the unique softness of a woman. Mirabel forcefully grabbed onto Ash’s head with both hands and she ceaselessly flailed about in the liquid. Given how sheltered she was, it was possible that she had never swam before. Despite being a landlubber, she still entered the capsule without regard for the consequences for the sake of an experiment.

—In any case, this situation is really bad. Absolutely dreadful…

While Mirabel desperately clung onto Ash’s head, Raquel was akin to the experimental control who cheerfully held herself against Ash’s back. Being sandwiched between the Third Princess and The Pope was far too surreal — to the point that Ash felt as though he had ascended to the comforting bliss of heaven. Mirabel’s underwear had been saturated in liquid and stuck closely to her skin. Ash felt that there was barely any difference between her naked body and the present state. Moreover, Mirabel’s hands gripped him more tightly as time went on, which meant that her slender body became more closely entwined to his.

—Oh no…I’m going to have a nosebleed…

Ash lamented and struggled, though there was nothing he could do but float buoyantly in the liquid. 

After some time, Mirabel finally calmed down, and she let go of Ash in embarrassment. At the same time—

—Dododododododododododododododo…!

Feeling a terrifying and murderous intent in the air, Ash turned and looked out to the side of the glass wall. Ash also felt the sensation of the capsule itself trembling, though he was uncertain if it was real or not.

“Guha!”

The unexpected scene that Ash’s eyes lay witness to caused him to choke. Unwittingly, Eco, Silvia, Lucca, Jessica and Cardinal Penelope had all gathered around the <Iunones> to stare at him. Eco and the others were supposed to be helping out with the Academy’s restoration work, so they probably made use of their break to come and visit Ash. On the other hand, Cardinal Penelope who had been waiting outside must’ve taken the opportunity to come in along with Eco and the others to check up on the situation in the infirmary. Eco and the others would probably calm down after venting their anger verbally for a while, but what about Penelope? The strict-looking Cardinal was very fond and protective of Raquel. At present, Raquel was still attached to Ash’s back and refused to let go.

—I might actually die this time…

Part 5

That night — Ash heaved a sigh as he lay atop his bed in the Escavaron.

“Geez, it was a total mess during the day…”

After being punished by the iron fists of Eco and the others, Ash returned to the <Iunones> to heal the pain that had been inflicted upon his body. If Raquel hadn’t stepped forth to intervene, his head might’ve been separated from his body. Such a description was testament to the unbridled fury that Penelope displayed at the time.

“The way she dotes on her also makes it somewhat troublesome for others.”

Ash turned over as he thought about the Cardinal who looked like she was ready for blood.

“Snu…snu…nngh~”

Beside him, Eco was sweetly asleep. She hadn’t forgotten to cuddle with her plush toy which had escaped the battle unscathed tonight either.

“Mmm…I…can’t eat anymore……”

Eco murmured adorably in her sleep. It appeared as though she was dreaming of a feast. As she turned over, she revealed her pale white stomach. Ash made a wry smile as he helped straighten out her pyjamas, and then pulled the blanket up to her shoulders.

“In any case, this bedroom is really luxurious…”

Ash glazed his eyes over the room once more. Pale rays of moonlight shone in from the round windows, dimly illuminating the room. The decadent styling of this bedroom made it resemble one that would belong to a nobleman. There was also a magic-powered heating device installed in the room which maintained a constant temperature. The bedframe was gorgeously decorated, and its size was more than ample given that there was extra room even when Ash and Eco shared the bed. This room probably belonged to the most highly-ranked individual on the ship — the captain’s personal room. Ash still felt uncomfortable in it because of its sheer extravagance.

“It’d be nice to go out and get some fresh air…”

Ash quietly crept out of the bedroom whilst trying not to wake Eco up. He walked through a narrow aisle towards the deck. Thanks to Mirabel dragging him around the entire week, he had almost memorised the entire structure of the ship. The interior of the Escavaron was roughly divided into four areas. The first was the central area that surrounded the cockpit. Next was the area that extended from the hangar to the deck. The dragons aside from Eco — Cú Chulainn, Lancelot, Gawain, Arianrhod and Rhiannon all lived there. They’d come out to bathe in the sun when the weather was good, and they’d nest in the hangar on rainy days. However, Rhiannon was a Hydra, so it usually hid in the hangar and joyfully made its way to the deck on rainy days instead. And then there was the engine room that contained the magic engine. Because Mirabel expressly forbid anyone from entering, Ash never went in to explore. Finally, there was a living area composed of personal bedrooms, a kitchen and dining room, as well as bathrooms and other facilities. After a while, Ash reached the end of a long corridor.

—Pah!

The moment he opened the heavy metal door, a draft of cool evening wind poured into the ship. Ash had forgotten that it was already the month of Sagittarius. As Ash was reminded of the cool outdoor temperature this time of year, each breath he exhaled was a haze of white. A starry night sky cast its luminescence from above.

“I wonder what will happen to us…”

Ash felt something inexplicable within himself about the great changes that he had undergone. Up until Eco’s birth, he was just a student — a failure of a student who was last in everything to be precise, though he was now hailed as a national hero. Although he did feel happiness in it, he still had concerns which troubled him. In order to protect Eco, his precious comrades and the Knight Country, Ash had continued to put up a desperate fight, and that somehow elevated him into the pages of history — bluntly speaking, that was all he had done. However, such a simple reason was no longer permissible. Ash had already foiled Prince Uriel’s plans twice in a row. If everything had gone exactly according to Prince Uriel’s ambitious plans, the Lautreamont Knight Country might already have become a part of the Chevron Kingdom. There was no way that someone as determined as Prince Uriel would take Ash’s interference lying down. If Uriel still had another plan up his sleeve, Ash planned to confront him with everything he had. Amazingly, Ash didn’t feel even the slightest bit afraid. At present, he had Eco as his Pal by his side. Moreover, he also had the support of strong comrades such as Silvia, Rebecca, Lucca, Jessica, Oscar, Celes, Anya, Cosette, Raymond, Max and Navi. Mirabel had also formally declared war against Uriel. Even Mirabel, someone who only cared about academia, was enraged by Uriel’s actions. Even though their opponent was the formidable Third Prince of the Chevron Kingdom, Ash didn’t think that the odds were stacked against them.

“I just wish Oscar would come back soon…”

Just as Ash murmured his thoughts towards the night sky—

“…Hm?”

Ash quickly narrowed his eyes. There was an object moving at high speed in a corner of the night sky.

“Is that a Maestro?”

Indeed, there was a single Maestro which let off an immense magical glow as it approached Ash. As the distance between them shrank, Ash was able to make out that the Maestro appeared to be rather large. Even among the larger Maestros, this one in particular was at the far end of the scale.

“Uwah! Is it really trying to come over here!?”

Ash hurriedly retreated backwards. The landing site chosen by the mysterious Maestro was the Escavaron’s deck.

—Zoooooooooon!

The Maestro landed on the deck, accompanied by a violent impact that rocked the entire ship. A black crystal was embedded on its forehead. The instant that Ash recognised it as Pluto, he yelled out,

“Oscar, you’re finally back!”

However, there was no response that could be heard from Oscar, nor was there any sign of that brave handsome figure on top of Tristan’s head.

“…What’s going on? Did Tristan fly back to Ansarivan by itself?”

As Ash quietly uttered that to himself, he realised — there was a person in Tristan’s mouth.

“Grrrr…”

As if to lament something, Tristan uttered a low-pitched whimper. Ash trembled as he approached Tristan. Tristan lowered its neck and slowly entrusted the person in its mouth to Ash. Ash was dumbstruck as soon as he recognised that person’s face.

“…It’s Celes!”

Her doll-like beauty, black leather eyepatch and black maid outfit was unmistakable — she was undoubtedly Celes. However, her clothing was in a terribly ragged state, and the bare skin exposed by her torn clothing was marred by unsightly scars. It appeared that Tristan had already given her first aid with healing magic. As a result, her blood loss was under control, but she had yet to regain consciousness.

“What on earth happened Tristan!?”

Ash questioned Tristan with fuelled emotions, but it simply curled up like a cat and fell asleep. Its stamina and magical energy had probably been pushed to the limits of exhaustion. Looking closer, Tristan was also just as hurt as Celes. Its silvery fur was covered in blood all over the place. Celes and Tristan made a desperate attempt to escape, which meant that—

“Is Oscar safe? What happened in the Chevron Kingdom!?”

Part 6

In the middle of the night, everyone on board the ship gathered in the infirmary. Everyone who had been sound asleep was abruptly awoken by the impact when Tristan landed. Even the deepest of sleepers, Eco, was no exception.

“Should we worry about Oscar’s maid…?”

Raquel quietly murmured as she joined everyone from the Holy Ship. She was wearing only her pyjamas and a robe on top. The impact of Tristan’s landing had also affected the Esperanza which was docked next door.

“Don’t worry, Celes will be fine.”

Ash’s reply also seemed to act as solace for himself. Celes was still unconscious when she was delivered to the infirmary bed. Lucca and Cosette assumed responsibility for her treatment. Cosette used aspects of medical training that she had received, while Lucca used her knowledge of herbal medicine to effectively treat Celes’ wounds. Ash suddenly felt puzzled.

“Princess Mirabel, why can’t we allow Celes to use the <Iunones>?”

“…That would be our last resort. The <Iunones> is a medical device of the holy attribute. However, the Pluto in Celes’ left eye is of the dark attribute. It’s possible that allowing the <Iunones> and Pluto to interact with each other will worsen her injuries.”

Following Mirabel’s calm response—

“—For starters, her life is not in danger.”

Cosette wiped the sweat from her forehead with a sleeve as she made an announcement that put everyone at ease. Everyone simultaneously heaved a sigh of relief.

“Anyway, what’s going on? The Kingdom just held the funeral of Zacharias III a few days ago. It stands to reason then that the Kingdom should be in mourning until the end of the year…”

Silvia muttered with a doubtful expression.

“It must be because Prince Uriel couldn’t wait for the funeral to finish and decided to go after Oscar first. Oscar should’ve expected as much, or maybe Prince Uriel’s actions were truly a surprise…”

Rebecca answered with a prudent expression.

“He’s gone too far…!”

Ash clenched his fists as he tried to contain his overflowing fury. If he had things his way, he would immediately rush off to rescue Oscar. But, if they didn’t first ask Celes about what had happened, they’d have no way of knowing what kind of situation Oscar was in.

“In any case, we need to wait for Celes to wake up first. Lucca and Cosette, please continue to stay by her side to take care of her.”

With Mirabel’s conclusion, everyone else dissolved from the room.

“Iunones ~A.S.B.1365.12” is closed.

Chapter 5 - Celes’ Confession

Part 1

“Ash! Why are you still lazing around, you sleepyhead! Hurry and get up!”

“Uwah! Princess-sama!”

Early in the morning, Ash, who had been sound asleep, was abruptly awoken by unbridled shouting that rang through his ears. He opened his eyes to see Silvia in her Academy dragon-riding uniform standing gallantly by his bedside. Her hair was unkempt, and beads of sweat were dripping from her forehead. Based on her appearance, it looked like she had just finished some training by herself. In addition to feeding Lancelot breakfast, she also performed knight training — that was Silvia’s daily routine. Even though the centre of her life had moved to the Escavaron, her lifestyle habits remained unchanged which was very fitting of Silvia’s character.

“Ungh? Hey…Ash…who is that woman…?”

Eco turned over and uttered several inexplicable words of sleep talk. Although Ash was curious about what kind of dream she was having, there were more pressing matters at the moment. Indeed, for Silvia to charge into Ash’s room with a pale expression, it must’ve meant that something serious had happened.

“What’s happened, Princess-sama?”

“Look at this!”

The thing that Silvia presented him with was the newspaper that was published in the Academy City. Keen to broaden her knowledge, it was no surprise that Silvia kept abreast of all matters that concerned the country. However, Ash’s admiration for her lasted only a short time.

“What…!? What is this!?”

After glazing his eyes over the newspaper, Ash was left stunned and his mouth agape. A sensational headline was prominently plastered on the front page.

Ranked 108^th in the royal succession, Lord Oscar Brailsford is actually a girl! Caught in a storm of rumours, Lady Oscar Brailsford has been arrested for breaking the royal succession laws! Is Third Prince Uriel’s succession to the throne all but determined?

“How could this have happened!?”

Ash’s lips trembled and his face gradually turned pale. Due to the sudden and unexpected nature of the incident, Ash was unable to understand the situation right away. At that moment, the bedroom door which had been slightly ajar was gently pushed open.

“Ash-sama, Celes-sama has just regained consciousness.”

Appearing at the door, Cosette gave them an update with a serious expression that she seldom displayed.

Part 2

Ash made his way through the ship’s passageways at full speed and rushed into the infirmary while Silvia followed him.

“Ungh…”

Shortly afterwards, Eco also arrived. She was still half-asleep, so Cosette had to lead her by the hand. Rebecca, Lucca, Jessica, Max and Mirabel were already in the infirmary. Lying on the bed, Celes eagerly tried to get up as soon as she caught sight of Ash.

“Ugh!”

However, she immediately frowned and groaned in pain.

“Are you alright?”

Ash immediately rushed over to Celes’ bedside.

“Ugh…Ash…Ash!”

As tears trickled down from Celes’ right eye, she buried her face in Ash’s chest. The blanket that was draped over her body slid off, revealing her bandaged chest.

“…Celes!?”

The way that Celes spontaneously hugged him in such a vulnerable manner…was surprising for everyone, but what surprised Ash even more was her pitiful demeanour. The usual Celes always mocked Ash for being a ‘filthy insect’, but the way she acted now was like a helpless lost child who could do nothing but tremble and sob. All of the girls present also seemed shocked to see Celes in tears, so they exhibited no intent to forcibly separate the two of them.

“…Have you calmed down now?”

Ash softly asked after a while, and Celes responded with a nod. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and then looked around at everyone in the room with a sharp glance. After that, she began to tell her story—.

Part 3

“Zacharias III’s state funeral concluded without any complications. Since Oscar and I both expected Uriel to make a move during that time, we were surprised that nothing happened. After the funeral, Oscar returned home to the Brailsford territory to spend the night…but, armed soldiers suddenly broke in.”

“What did you say!?”

Ash was astonished to hear that, as was everyone else in the room given how they had been rendered speechless.

“Those guys forcefully arrested Oscar on the charge of violating the royal succession laws. Needless to say, they were all puppets sent by Uriel…”

“Uriel already knew about Oscar’s secret? No, wait—”

Indeed, although Celes had currently sworn her allegiance to Oscar, she was originally a spy for Uriel. Therefore, it wouldn’t have been strange if any information on Oscar was leaked to Uriel.

“It’s strange though. If Uriel had revealed Oscar’s secret earlier, he would’ve won without a fight. So why did he wait until now…?”

“That’s the kind of man he is. To Uriel, this is all just part of the game that’s known as the royal succession. His pride wouldn’t allow him to obtain victory over Oscar by revealing her gender, and he also had an ace up his sleeve with <Pluto Children>. It’s just that he never anticipated both me and Kriemhild falling into your hands — cough!”

“Are you okay!?”

Ash asked as he anxiously leaned forward.

“Yes, I’m fine. Compared to Oscar…injuries of this degree are not even worthy of mention.”

Celes began to speak again whilst Cosette comforted her back. Despite her pale complexion, a determined will was ablaze in her right eye.

“The crux of the problem is that Zacharias III’s death at this point in time has officially ignited the battle for the throne. According to the rules of the Chevron Royal Family, there are two key conditions that must be fulfilled by those with royal blood — the first is being male, and the second is having the greatest power. That is all that matters.”

Such rules are truly too antiquated…although Ash found it hard to believe, he continued to listen to Celes in silence.

“In the past, Oscar was always able to endure and maintain patience against Uriel’s secret ploys, but after Zacharias III’s death, she was finally able to retaliate in earnest. The present situation allowed her to proclaim herself as the strongest contestant and attack Uriel openly.”

“I see…”

“In this way, the tide of the situation turned to favour Oscar given her ability as a Dragonar. That was why Uriel tried to defeat Oscar with his own schemes before Zacharias III passed away. He truly is a deplorable bastard…”

“Which means that Uriel realised he could no longer remain calm given the circumstances — is that a fair assumption? After all, he finally resorted to the means that he had originally cast aside as unsportsmanlike.”

Mirabel commented with a solemn expression.

“However, shouldn’t Oscar have known that this was Uriel’s true nature? To be arrested so easily…it doesn’t feel like a mistake that Oscar would make…”

Upon hearing Rebecca’s question, Celes pursed her lips in shame. Her hands trembled as she clutched her blanket.

“Actually…something that’s been hidden from the public is that Oscar was drugged. It’s a narcotic that was formulated by one of the court pharmacists serving Uriel, it’s called <Galatea>.”

“A narcotic? What is that?”

Ash frowned. Though he had never heard the term before, it gave off a rather ominous impression.

“I have…heard of it.”

Lucca, who had been busy grinding herbal medicine for Celes, instantly perked her pointy ears up. After lowering the pestle that she had been holding in both hands, she glanced around at everyone with her amethyst eyes.

“The people who ingest <Galatea> are deprived of their will and become like soulless puppets…a forbidden drug…it was invented by the ancestors of the Ecbald Tribe — the fairies.”

The colour drained from Ash’s face as he remained speechless. Eco, Silvia and the others also appeared to be genuinely horrified. As Celes nodded to affirm Lucca’s words, she continued,

“The current Oscar is no different than a lifeless doll. No matter how I call out to her, her eyes remain hollow…”

“How could Oscar have been so careless? When was she drugged?”

As Ash pressed on aggressively, Celes fell silent whilst enduring his questions before finally lifting her head.

“…Oscar’s assailants were her parents — strictly speaking, her adoptive parents.”

The atmosphere in the infirmary instantly froze. Upon hearing Celes’ confession, everyone fell silent.

“Despite how cautious Oscar was, she completely let her guard down in front of the family that she hadn’t seen in so long. Even though it was my job to protect Oscar, I was completely deceived…”

Ash realised that Celes’ heart was filled with remorse and self-blame.

“The members of the Brailsford family welcomed Oscar’s return with warmth and affection. However…it was all just a façade. Uriel’s men had long been on standby in every corner of the Brailsford territory, prepared to charge in at any time…Uriel’s men barged in right after Oscar had dined.”

Celes’ elaboration made Ash realise how naïve he had been. He had a hunch that Uriel would secretly do something during the mourning period. Even though Raquel had declared that no battle for the throne could be conducted before the end of the mourning period, it wan’t difficult to see that Uriel was hardly the type of person who would obediently follow such an instruction given what he had done over the past year. That was why Ash felt an ominous premonition when he separated from Oscar. He had also reminded Oscar to be wary of Uriel. Alas, Uriel’s plan far exceeded Ash’s imagination…

“The members of royalty and nobles currently allied with Uriel account for seventy percent, while roughly twenty percent remain neutral. Regrettably, the proportion who support the Brailsford family isn’t even ten percent. Oscar’s adoptive father — Lord Arthur Brailsford was also ambitious, which is why he adopted Oscar at first…but he eventually acquiesced to Uriel’s request in order to protect his own life, his family and his territory.”

“What’s going to happen to Oscar? She not going to be executed is she—”

 Before Ash could finish his despairing question, Celes shook her head.

“No, from what I’ve been able to find out, Uriel has a much crueller idea. It was during my investigation that I was discovered by Uriel’s men and almost lost my life…”

What kind of fate could be crueller than that of execution? Everyone’s mouths became parched and their lips dry as they anxiously waited for Celes to continue. After a while, Celes solemnly uttered the answer.

“It seems that Uriel intends to make Oscar his queen—”

Part 4

For a moment, everyone was silenced as if from fear.

—Uriel’s planning to make Oscar his queen?

The unexpected development caused Ash to feel numb and paralysed.

“Hold on! If you think about it…aren’t Prince Uriel and Oscar-senpai siblings related by blood?”

Jessica was the first person to break the silence. Indeed, that’s right — Ash also had the same thought. Although half-siblings, both Uriel and Oscar’s father was Zacharias III. At that moment, Mirabel cleared her throat with a subtle ‘ahem’.

“Cases of marriage between blood relatives has occurred occasionally in the history of the Chevron Kingdom. There are many examples in particular of marriage between half-siblings.”

“…Even if marriage between blood relatives is legal in their country, I still don’t understand why Uriel wants to marry Oscar.”

Following Ash’s confused questioning, Celes revealed a despondent expression.

“It’s clearly because Uriel hopes that his offspring will also be able to inherit Oscar’s talent as a Dragonar. Uriel is a cold-blooded beast. He might even just want to use Oscar as a tool for producing successors. After all, as long as he keeps her on a steady feed of the potion, he won’t have to worry about her ever returning to normal.”

“But if she continues to be drugged for a long time…won’t that have an adverse effect on a mother and child?”

Ash enquired with puzzlement.

“The narcotic <Galatea>…only has an effect on the mental side. It would have no effect…on her as a mother bearing a child.”

Lucca shuddered as she gave a chilling answer.

“Moreover, so long as Oscar is held hostage, Tristan won’t be able to retaliate…”

After Celes said so with a tone of despair, she burst into tears once more. She held onto Ash’s body tightly as she implored,

“Please! Ash! I know that I’ve caused a lot of trouble for you in the past and that I don’t have the right to ask for such a thing…but I’m still begging you! Please save Oscar!”

Ash gently wrapped his arms around Celes’ back. Her skin was as cold as ice. As his fingers touched her bandages, they became moist with fresh blood that oozed from them. Celes’ body was so slender and fragile that it seemed as though she would crumble if embraced with excessive force. Even so, Celes had survived. As a mere girl, she had single-handedly escaped the pursuit of Uriel’s men and made it so that she could convey the news of Oscar’s situation to Ash and the others. And now, it was his turn to respond — such thoughts surged forth in Ash’s mind.

“Don’t worry, Celes. We’ll definitely rescue Oscar!”

“Thank you…”

After giving a muffled thanks, Celes body suddenly became devoid of strength. Like a puppet with its strings cut, she collapsed onto Ash.

“Celes!”

An ominous premonition swept across Ash’s mind. He swiftly directed his gaze at Celes’ face and found her right eye closed shut.

“Hey, Celes! Celes!”

“—Do not fret. She has simply fallen asleep because she’s finally been able to relax.”

Beside Ash, Cosette reached over and explained whilst checking Celes’ pulse.

“I see…that’s good.”

As Ash breathed a sigh of relief, the anger within his heart stirred once more.

“I won’t forgive that bastard Uriel…”

“But, Ash…what are you planning to do?”

Rebecca stepped forth and placed her hand on Ash’s shoulder. It was as if she was trying to soothe his overflowing anger.

“Strictly speaking, this is an internal affair of the Chevron Kingdom. How will you justify your intervention? You aren’t planning to just fly over there in Escavaron, are you? Or are you going to charge over there with Eco transformed as a dragon and yourself as the <Avalon Knight Dragonar>?”

“I…”

Just as Ash hesitated and found himself unable to give an answer, someone suddenly opened the door to the infirmary.

“Rebecca-dono is absolutely right, Ash-oniichan.”

A tall papal mitre and a sceptre with a winged cross appeared, and the person who stood at the doorway was Raquel IV.

 

Raquel stood before Ash, along with Cardinal Penelope who followed behind her.

“All of these things have happened on the other side of the border. Moreover, Prince Uriel is the most popular successor to the throne in this battle…Ash-oniichan, if you really do enter the Chevron Kingdom, the situation will evolve into one that can no longer be brushed off as a simple ‘difference of opinion’.”

“Then…will it really…?”

“Yes, it will definitely turn into a war.”

“War…!”

Ash was speechless.

—War.

The potency of that single word weighed down heavily on his shoulders.

“Also, if the Kingdom and the Knight Country openly declare war, the Empire that’s remained quiet as of late may make a move again. As the Pope…I cannot allow you to act on a momentary impulse, Ash-oniichan.”

It was no wonder that Raquel was the Pope of the Holy Espada Agency given how she could continue to express calm and reasonable judgement despite the situation. Her thought process was on an entirely different level from an ordinary nine-year-old child.

“Why not…send a small elite group to infiltrate the Kingdom and rescue Oscar?”

Silvia commented, though with barely any confidence in her own words.

“The Arkham Castle is a famed fortress for being easy to defend and difficult to attack, and I’m sure that Uriel is already well aware of that. Moreover, the dragons that we rely on as our principal fighting force and not invincible, making that plan almost the same as a suicide mission.”

Rebecca answered, saving Raquel from the same explanation.

“But as long as we have the dragons’ offensive magic…!”

Although Silvia persisted with her stubbornness, Rebecca also stood her ground.

“Of course, if the only purpose was to capture Arkham Castle, then letting the dragons run wild would be for the best. However, you have to understand that this will only bring suffering to Oscar and the innocent royal servants, Silvia. At the same time, this will inevitably cause immense collateral damage to the city that surrounds Arkham Castle. The power of dragons is so great that if you use them without any regard, what makes it any different from a massacre?”

“………”

A breathless and heavy silence shrouded over everyone in the room. But even so, Ash made up his mind.

“…You seem to have come to a conclusion, Ash.”

Rebecca questioned Ash upon noticing the subtle change in his expression. Ash nodded, and then turned to look around at everyone present.

“To be honest — whether or not this leads to war isn’t important to me at all. Compared to what Oscar’s going through, such concerns are simply trivial.”

Ash raised a clenched fist in front of his chest.

“I’m going to confront Prince Uriel directly and save Oscar!”

“Calm down! <Avalon Knight> — Ash Blake!”

The person who raised their voice to curb Ash was Cardinal Penelope, who had remained silent until now. As a member of the clergy and the leader of the knights, her gaze was piercingly sharp. Like a frog paralysed by a snake’s glare, Ash’s entire body stiffened and froze.

“If a famed citizen of the Knight Country such as yourself decides to invade the Chevron Kingdom for a personal matter, the international community will not doubt interpret your behaviour as ‘the Knight Country initiating war against the Kingdom’.”

“Kuh…!”

“When that time comes, public opinion will not be on your side no matter how desperately you try to tell the world about Uriel, you know? After all, Prince Uriel is like an idol in the eye of the public, and he’s also extremely skilful at manipulating public opinion. On the basis of combat strength, the <Avalon Knight> is indeed stronger, but if you compare things overall — you don’t stand a chance.”

“Cardinal Penelope’s analysis is logically grounded, Ash. And once the two nations begin fighting, Her Eminence Raquel will be bound by positional duty to condemn the Knight Country. That is because Rosa Maria’s scipture in the [New Testament Star Book] promote the spirit of love and anti-violence…”

With a furrowed brow, Rebecca supplemented Penelope’s statement.

“Damn it! What are we supposed to do then!?”

Ash racked his brains for anything that could help. To this day, they had constantly been between a rock and a hard place. Since these events had taken place on the other side of the border, it meant that the entire problem was on a scale that surpassed what Ash could handle on his own. Ash desperately wanted to rescue Oscar, but at the same time, he couldn’t allow the Knight Country to commit the taboo of ‘invading the suzerain state of the Chevron Kingdom’. If Eco’s Dragonised form hadn’t been revealed and she was still a giant mysterious dragon in the eyes of the public, the option of charging straight into the Chevron Kingdom might’ve worked. However, the story about the ‘giant mysterious dragon’ belonging to the Knight Country had already been spread far and wide, becoming common knowledge. This news was well-known to all when Uriel appeared in the sky above Fontaine City. The development of events had gone exactly as Uriel wanted. In addition, Ash had been shackled due to his ‘national’ stature and thus lost his ability to act freely.

“—In terms of the method, there is one that I can think of.”

At that moment, Mirabel’s murmured voice raised a glimmer of hope for Ash, and he glanced up at her. As he gazed at Mirabel’s lovely face, his expression conveyed just how hard he was trying to keep everything together. No, it wasn’t just Ash. The others also awaited Mirabel’s next words with bated breath. 

“It goes without saying that this method will require preparation. Ash, you should prepare yourself mentally, okay?”

Ash nodded with vigour.

“If there’s a way to save Oscar without affecting the standing of the Knight Country’s government, I’m willing to endure it no matter how difficult it may be. Please tell me!”

“I understand.”

And thus — Mirabel put forward an astonishing proposal that was far beyond the realm of Ash’s imagination.

“The Royal Crisis ~A.S.B.1365.12~” is closed.

Chapter 6 - Destination, Imperial Capital Arkham

Part 1

Following the explanation of Mirabel’s astounding proposal, the gathering immediately dispersed. Afterwards, Silvia locked herself in her personal room aboard the ship and didn’t touch her breakfast or lunch, all she did was sit crouched over on the bed huddling her legs. She no longer participated in the Academy’s revitalisation efforts either. Before she realised, the afterglow of dusk began to shine in through the small round window in her room. Mirabel’s suggestion was so absurd that Silvia couldn’t come to terms with it. Naturally, she hoped to rescue Oscar and couldn’t forgive Uriel’s cowardly behaviour. Even so, she couldn’t help but shiver at every thought of Mirabel’s proposal.

Is there really no other way?

She was so troubled by the problem that she couldn’t even act like her usual self. Ash is just as unreasonable…Silvia thought to herself. If Ash actually carried out Mirabel’s proposal, he would no longer be an ordinary person, instead—.

“Princess-sama, please eat at least a little bit…your body won’t hold up otherwise.”

Upon hearing Cosette’s worried persuasion for her to eat, Silvia returned to her senses. At some point unbeknownst to her, sandwiches and coffee had been set down on the table beside her bed.

“…Sorry for worrying you.”

After Silvia’s listless reply, she picked up a sandwich. Cossette’s handmade sandwiches contained various fillings such as eggs, bacon, cream cheese, an assortment of salad and grilled chicken. Ever since Silvia’s childhood, Cossette would make these sandwiches for her whenever she was sad or in pain. Cossette revealed a gentle smile as she silently watched Silvia sample the sandwiches and coffee.

“…Was there something that you wanted to say?”

“Princess-sama, if I may be so forthcoming, continuing to shut yourself in your room will not help. This matter is insignificant when compared to the resolution you made to inherit the title of Paladin, is it not?” 

Clearly, Silvia’s troubles could not hide from Cossette’s perceptiveness.

“Geez…you’re much more magnanimous than me.”

After making a wry smile, Silvia finished the remaining coffee in her mug with a single gulp. Strangely, the troubles that had been nagging at her seemed to alleviate.

“Thank you, Cossette. I’ll talk it over with aneue again..”

With her spirit restored, Silvia walked out of the room in a confident manner. However — after just a few meagre minutes, Silvia found herself lost once again in a puddle of her spilt thoughts. Just as she prepared to turn the corner, she happened to witness the scene of Ash entering Mirabel’s room.

“Did Mirabel-anesama have some kind of business with Ash? But why…no, it must be for tonight’s plan.”

Silvia furtively crept towards the door.

Part 2

“Pardon the intrusion, Princess Mirabel.”

Just as Ash entered the room, the tolling of the five o’clock evening bell could also be heard from outside.

“Ash, sorry for calling on you so suddenly. Take a seat somewhere first.”

Mirabel calmly greeted Ash after lifting her eyes from the pile of documents laid out upon her desk.

“Sure.”

Ash anxiously sat down on the sofa by the wall. Over the past few days, various daily necessities and research materials had been moved into Mirabel’s room. Her room had been thoroughly transformed, and it now felt more like a small yet densely packed laboratory. Although there was a small bed in one corner, most of the space had been consumed by volumes of information.

“Eunice, it’s time for tea. Make a cup for Ash while you’re at it as well.”

“Understood, Princess-sama.”

Eunice, who had been standing as still as a piece of furniture, began to move like a wind-up machine doll as soon as she received Mirabel’s order. Shortly afterwards, a citrus aroma wafted about and filled the room. It was Mirabel’s favourite tea variety produced by Chiron, [El Gloriana].

“Please enjoy, Ash-sama.”

“Thank you, Eunice-san.”

Just as Ash expressed his gratitude to Eunice and placed his lips on the edge of the teacup—

“You cannot take Silvia with you in the upcoming battle. Do you understand the reason for that?”

Mirabel’s unprovoked comment caused Ash to suddenly stop. Her words were almost akin to a warning.

“—Is it because Princess-sama is the one who will eventually become the Paladin?”

“Correct. Silvia has publicly announced that she intends to become the Paladin. Although she is the Fourth Princess, she has become heir to the Lautreamont Knight Country’s Royal Family. There is no turning back from that.”

“That makes sense…”

“I must do everything within my power to remove obstacles which may be detrimental for her succession to Paladin. The fate of the Knight Country’s future is in her hands, and that is why I cannot allow Silvia to partake in this battle.”

—Clang.

At that moment, the sound of something colliding seemed to originate from the other side of the door, but Ash didn’t give much thought to it.

“Princess Mirabel, if that’s the case, then you’re also…”

Ash raised his eyes and glanced over to Mirabel.

“You’re assisting me as a princess of the Knight Country. With regard to the sensitive nature of your identities, isn’t it the case that both of you need to avoid suspicion?”

Mirabel paced towards the window, her back facing Ash.

“You’re wrong about that, I’m vastly different from Silvia. I just happened to be born into the Royal Family. To be frank with you, I’m satisfied as long as I can make achievements in my academic career.”

Mirabel gracefully turned around and stared straight at Ash. The transparency in her crystal-like eyes mesmerised Ash. And then, the ensuing words that escaped Mirabel’s mouth caused Ash to doubt his own ears.

“Since I have a role to play in this plan, I intend to give up my status as the Third Princess.”

“That’s—!”

Almost unconsciously, Ash jumped up from the sofa. He hadn’t expected Mirabel to plan ahead to such an extent, and he was severely shocked by the weight of her determination. Seeing Ash react in this manner, Mirabel made a slight smile.

“That is why I will not allow you to call me ‘Princess Mirabel’ anymore. Do you understand?”

“…Yes.”

Ash consciously decided not to argue with her, and instead nodded dutifully. It was because he believed that Mirabel’s determination was so unshakable that not even the worst of disasters would change her mind.

“That is all I have to say. What are you still procrastinating here for? Hurry up and chase after her.”

As she said that, Mirabel cast a sharp glance towards the door. It was only then that Ash realised the door had been pried a sliver ajar.

“…It can’t be!”

Having said that, there did seem to be a few faint noises from outside earlier. It probably meant that the person who was eavesdropping outside was so shocked that they accidentally made noise. If that was the case, it was clear and evident who the person eavesdropping outside was.

“Ash. You’re responsible for persuading her.”

Mirabel valorously stared directly into Ash’s eyes.

“To begin with, the reason that I asked you to come here was so that I could ask you to persuade Silvia as she still harbours doubts.”

“I understand!”

After rushing out of her room, Ash sprinted off as fast as he could.

Part 3

“Wait! Princess-sama!”

After chasing her all the way out onto the deck, Ash finally caught up to Silvia. The sunset felt almost illusory as it dyed the Maestros that were snoozing on the deck a shade of crimson. As he saw Silvia run towards Lancelot, he reached out to her with his hand. His fingers grasped hold of Silvia’s arm and he thought that he had caught up with her, but—

“Leave me alone!”

Silvia forcefully flung Ash’s hand away — throwing her own body off balance in the process.

“Kya…!”

Her blonde hair gleamed in the light of the setting sun whilst the breeze caused it to gently flutter.

“Princess-sama!”

Panicking as he saw Silvia’s back about to hit the floor, Ash caught her in an embrace. However, Ash had also overextended himself and fell forward.

“Kuh!”

After feeling a weak impact, Ash’s vision was completely obscured by something as his entire face was smothered by a soft sensation. A sweet floral scent wafted into Ash’s nose.

“I’m sorry, Princess-sama. Are you okay…”

Ash hurriedly lifted his head from Silvia’s chest. His heartbeat raced because of their sudden intimate contact, and he felt as though his heart would pound through the walls of his chest. Both of them were tightly entwined from the waist down to the thighs, and Ash could feel the warmth of Silvia’s body against his own. From an onlooker’s point of view, it would almost appear as though Ash had forcefully pinned Silvia to the floor. Even though Ash wanted to quickly untangle himself from Silvia, he was unable to do so.

“…Wait.”

It was because Silvia had extended her arms and embraced Ash’s neck while a serious expression coloured her face. As for the reason behind the redness of her cheeks — was it really just because of the setting sun’s glow? The two of them silently gazed at each other for a while. After a while, Silvia opened her lips and conveyed her thoughts to him.

“Logically, I also understand the seriousness of the matter. Now that I’ve publicly declared my intention to become the Paladin, I can no longer partake in the plan or have anything to do with you…although it hurts, Mirabel-anesama’s words are so precise that it upsets me…”

After murmuring those words, Silvia exerted force into both of her arms.

“—Uh!”

Ash panicked as he was suddenly pulled forward. Their faces became so close that their noses almost touched each other’s. Ash’s upper body also pushed against Silvia’s body, meaning that her soft breasts were tightly pressed against his chest.

“But, Ash, as a woman…I’d be willing to follow you to the ends of the earth, even if it means abandoning my country!”

Large tear drops trickled out from her sapphire-like eyes.

“Princess-sama…”

Ash had nothing left to say. He couldn’t think of the words to tell her anything. After all, even if he did say something now, it was unlikely to give her any comfort. After a while, Silvia squeezed out an unnatural smile and she averted her eyes from Ash’s face.

“…Sorry for showing you such an unsightly side. Thank you for listening to me vent, I feel much more refreshed now. Thank you.”

“There’s no need for thanks…you’re being overly polite, Princess-sama.”

Just as Ash made a wry smile and answered—

“Don’t get me wrong though, Ash!”

Once more, Silvia tightened her embrace around Ash and their faces grew close again.

“I haven’t given up on you yet!”

A sudden gust of wind whistled across the wide deck.

“—!”

Ash’s entire body stiffened. It was in that moment that their lips touched.

—Princess-sama!?

No, their lips weren’t just touching. After Ash’s lips were attacked, he could also feel Silvia’s warm tongue pushing through. Her tongue pried his mouth open and slinked deep into his mouth. Their kiss was much deeper and more intense when compared to the kiss that they shared in the novitiate’s courtyard on that summer night. If their previous kiss was an innocent childlike kiss, then — this one was a mature, adult kiss. Both of their tongues were entangled with a feverish heat. A few moments later, Silvia backed off and a strand of saliva that connected them followed her retreating motion. Silvia’s cheeks were completely red.

“…It’s a strange feeling. If it was the old me, I’d never have allowed myself to kiss in such a debaucherous manner regardless of who the man was. B-But, you know…I don’t dislike such a kiss.”

The Silvia before his eyes caused his emotions to stir. Ash found it hard to resist the urge to kiss her again on impulse.

“Princess-sama…”

“I-I’ll wait for your triumphant return, and then we can continue!”

Upon hearing the tone of pleasant surprise in Silvia’s voice, Ash couldn’t help but doubt his ears.

“What do you mean by that…?”

“M-Must you really make me say such an embarrassing thing out loud!?”

Silvia hurriedly stood back up and then dashed towards Lancelot.

“Lancelot, how long are you going to sleep for!? Prepare to head back to Epona House!”

“Guuuuu…”

Awoken in the midst of its nap, Lancelot slowly rose from the ground and spread its wings.

“Princess-sama…”

As Ash reflected on the kiss that they had just shared, he gazed up at the sky—

“…Phew. As expected, even I got excited during all of that.”

Out of nowhere, Ash was startled by a familiar-sounding voice. It turned out that Cossette had silently slipped behind his back unbeknownst to him. Her cheeks were flushed as she tightly embraced her own shoulders. Ash hadn’t expected it to be possible for Cossette to display such a sweet and charming expression.

“C-Cossette! You were peeping again…?”

“The two of you were so much more intense than usual today. Whew…just thinking about the scene of your passionate kiss makes me want even more…”

Ash was so embarrassed that he felt the urge to immediately jump off the deck, and he shouted back,

“Please, please don’t say anything else!”

Part 4

That night, the members on board the Escavaron gathered in what was known as the operations command room. Those participants included Ash, Eco, Mirabel, Rebecca, Max, Lucca, Jessica and Eunice, as well as — Navi, who had manifested into physical form and stood behind Eco. Although Celes was heavily bandaged, she was still in attendance. A flame burned bright in her right eye. Anya was also present at this meeting. Upon hearing of the news, Anya immediately asked for leave from the store manager and decided to come on board as its pilot. Raymond was present as well. As soon as he heard about the situation from Ash, he volunteered his help as one of Ash’s close friends. After all, with few males on board the ship, Raymond and Brigid officially joining them was welcome assistance. It was just that both Silvia and Cossette had disappeared without a trace. To Ash, it was somewhat saddening that both of them were missing. However, due to the nature of this last resort, he simply had to accept it with reluctance. The final person to join them was Raquel IV.

“—I will return to the Esperanza first. I already have a rough idea of what Prince Uriel will do after the mourning period concludes. In order to ascend to the throne, he must first inherit the treasured sword Tír na nÓg that has been passed down through the Chevron Royal Family for generations. Moreover, it is customary for the Pope of the Holy Espada Agency to crown the new king at the coronation ceremony. As soon as the mourning period ends, Prince Uriel will be eager to get in touch with me…which means that there is little time.”

Unlike her usual demeanour, Raquel was dead serious at the moment.

“Because both you and Prince Uriel are believers of Rosa Maria, it stands to reason that I must remain neutral. However, as a human being, I truly have no appreciation for Prince Uriel. Although I must return to the Holy Espada Agency, I will be privately supporting you. I, Raquel IV, will take on the responsibility of keeping Tír na nÓg safe. May the spirit of Rosa Maria in Heaven bless Oscar as the next owner of the treasured sword.”

“Thank you, Raquel.”

After expressing gratitude from the bottom of his heart, Ash almost instinctively reached out to shake Raquel’s hand. He also gazed at Raquel with passion and sincerity.

“Eh!?”

For some reason, Raquel was startled and her cheeks became flushed.

“I-I wish you good luck and Godspeed…Ash-oniichan…”

With those words, she hurriedly made her exit from the operations command room.

“What’s wrong with Raquel?”

Ash tilted his head as he pondered that to himself.

“Hey, plebeian.”

Cardinal Penelope suddenly towered in front of Ash like a solid wall.

“You used your dirty paws to touch Her Holy Eminence without permission, and you used that doggish mouth of yours to deceive the innocence of Her Eminence with honeyed words?”

Penelope’s eyes burned with a raging blaze, and her hand rested on the hilt of her sword — she was completely ready for war.

“I-I’m sorry! I thought of her like my own little sister, and I couldn’t help myself…”

Overwhelmed by Penelope’s imposing presence, Ash slowly backed away. Cold beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

“Hmph…I think we need to have a nice long chat someday.”

After Penelope reined her anger back in, she followed after Raquel and made her exit.

“Phew…”

Ash breathed a sigh of relief and immediately noticed the strange atmosphere that permeated the room.

“…Hmm~”

Eco, Jessica, Lucca, Anya, Raymond, Max and even Rebecca was no exception as they all glared at Ash with suspicion.

“You…won’t even let a nine-year-old child out of your grasp?”

Eco’s question was spoken as if on behalf of everyone present. Rather than an expression of anger, it was closer to disbelief.

“No! It’s nothing like that! I never held any unsavoury feelings towards Raquel!”

“…Ahem. Let us get back to business.”

Fortunately, thanks to Mirabel’s calm demeanour, Ash was finally liberated from everyone’s sceptical gazes. Afterwards, Max made a report on their reserves of food and other daily necessities. Lucca and Jessica then conveyed information to everyone on topics such as medical supplies, dining, bathing and other aspects of daily life. Rebecca then raised her hand to express her opinion.

“The purpose of our voyage has not been conveyed to the student body. This has been in consideration of the fact that information may leak to the city if we were to disclose it to them. However, it is necessary to give them a detailed explanation once all of this is over…in any case, when we safely return, we need to think about how we’ll form an understanding with the other students.”

Everyone present nodded in agreement with Rebecca. Finally, Mirabel’s sharp gaze landed on Ash.

“Given the rare opportunity, why don’t you conclude today’s meeting, Ash?”

Although Ash was somewhat troubled that he had been pushed forward by Mirabel, he nodded. After all, if he panicked over such a trivial matter, his desire to rescue Oscar would be a mere fantasy.

“Very well, we shall depart — no, let’s head out!”

Ash raised his head and stood firmly upright as he declared,

“Our destination is the Imperial Capital Arkham!”

“Princess Alone ~A.S.B.1365.12~” is closed.

Chapter 7 - Uriel Strikes Back

Part 1

Imperial Capital Arkham – this was the capital of the Chevron Kingdom as well as one of the few large metropolises of the world. The majestic and magnificent Arkham Castle stood in the centre of this world-class city. Arham Castle wasn’t just a fortress that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, it was also an artistic building that made the style of the Chevron Kingdom known throughout the world.

After dinner — with elegant dark long hair and amber eyes, the resplendent Second Princess Cassandra Lautreamont walked side by side with Uriel through a corridor of the castle. Since they were still in the mourning period for Zacharias III’s death, both Cassandra and Uriel wore dark mourning clothing. However, Casssandra did not truly feel any grief or sentiment in mourning the death of the Chevron King. Moreover, she even said to the royal tailor “prepare me the most beautiful mourning dress in the world”. In fact, the mourning dress that Cassandra wore did indeed exude a seductive aura that was reminiscent of black butterflies. Upon seeing Uriel and Cassandra, the servants who had been bustling through the corridor immediately retreated to the walls and made sure to bow. The Third Prince of the Kingdom and the Second Princess of the Knight Country were relaxed as they proudly strode forward, like lions paying no heed to mere ants crawling on the ground. The place that Uriel brought Cassandra to was a corridor on the fifth floor of the east wing — an area that was lined with a row of luxurious doors. All of these rooms were exclusively for royal guests, and Cassandra had stayed here in the past as well. At the very end of this eastern corridor was the most exclusive room among these luxury suites. Four palace maids expressionlessly stood in front of the door. Although they appeared to be ordinary maids, their expressions were so stern that they almost seemed to resemble guards.

“Good work. How is her condition?”

“Yes. There have been no abnormalities.”

The most senior of the maids opened the door and then gestured for Uriel and Cassandra to enter. As soon as Cassandra entered, an odd smell permeated her nostrils. The smell was akin to a bitter herb. As she looked around, she noticed that incense had been lit in every corner of the room and filled it with a hazy white smoke. The form of the haze was irregular and variable, giving the room a somewhat exotic atmosphere. In contrast to the oddly shaped incense burners, the tables, sofas, bed frame, display cabinets, bookshelves and other furniture were all first-class products that were intricately crafted by renowned artisans. In front of the fireplace was a beautiful lady who remained completely motionless. The woman had long black hair that reached down to her back, and a layer of light makeup on her face. A bridal gown covered her slender body. The pure white silk was embroidered with vast amounts of gold, silver and precious stones. A corset was wrapped around her waist, emphasising the curvature of her waist. The fluffy hems of her skirt resembled a blooming daffodil. Even when Uriel and Cassandra appeared before her, the lady remained motionless and unresponsive as she sat on an antique chair. Her appearance was just like a wax figure on display in a museum.

“—And just like this, the <Baron of Sonic> exists only in name now.”

Cassandra derisively examined the lady’s face. It was hard to believe — this young and beautiful lady was in fact a noble who had travelled abroad under the guise of Oscar Brailsford. Even with Cassandra’s rude glare, Oscar continued to stare into empty space without any reaction at all. It was as if her spirit had been left behind somewhere.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? To think that Oscar is now just a living doll.”

“This <Galatea> narcotic…it’s more potent than I imagined. I’d heard about it in fairy tales before, though I didn’t think it was actually possible to concoct.”

“Yeah. In the fairy tales, not only <Galatea>, but all of the narcotics are described as secret drugs produced by elves. In the past, I doubted the existence of the elven race and thought it to be mere fiction, let alone these narcotics. But, after investigating some ancient literature, the truth was immediately revealed. In ancient times, not only were there elves, there also existed powerful magic that could compete against the dragons. Although elves were once on the verge of extinction, they were able to pass their genes on to make half-elves.”

“Half-elves? Are you implying…”

“Indeed. They are the Ecbald Tribe.”

“So, the court pharmacist who concocted this <Galatea> also happens to be…?”

“You guessed it. The court pharmacist seems to be out today, but I’ll introduce you someday.”

“A pharmacist so powerful that they can make ancient drugs…they’re an interesting kind of genius.”

After Cassandra stroked Oscar’s cheek, she gave Uriel a cold glance.

“…So, are you really going to marry this lifeless doll?”

“It’s precisely because she’s become a puppet that Oscar will obey me.”

“That is true. If Oscar still had any consciousness, she would’ve commanded Tristan to trample you.”

“That is precisely my worry, given that she’s a talented Dragonar after all. That being the case, I thought I’d make good use of her as a tool for giving birth to my children.”

“I see your interests are still just as vulgar. Putting that aside for now…and onto a serious note, I don’t think that Ash Blake and the others will idly stand by and watch. Allow me to warn you beforehand…Mirabel is not to be underestimated any less than Veronica.”

“Hmph. That’s certainly a persuasive statement, given that this is coming from Mirabel’s older sister. I was definitely taken aback by her actions. I didn’t expect a scholar like her to intervene in politics.”

“She used to be the quite the gloomy child who would lock herself in a research lab all day and night. It’s possible that Mirabel was also influenced by Ash Blake.”

“However, both Mirabel and Ash Blake should be aware that any reckless action will trigger a war. The only thing they could do is send a few elite troops into Arkham Castle in an attempt to rescue Oscar.”

With a vicious expression, Uriel continued,

“Due to the enormous size of the dragons, they aren’t suited to such stealth operations. Moreover, Arkham Castle’s defences are impregnable. Once the mourning period is over, I plan to openly make my way to the Holy Espada Agency where the coronation ceremony will be held, and I’ll officially become the king.”

“…I’m a little disappointed though.”

“Oh…would you care to tell me the reason?”

“Do you remember what you once told me? You said that you wouldn’t publicise the secret of Oscar’s gender. I felt somewhat attracted to you back then, you know?”

“You certainly have nerve to tell me that when you never let me touch you. Having said that…I didn’t originally want to resort to such a cheap method. If it wasn’t for the failure of <Operation Zauberflöte>, this would’ve been settled…whatever, it’s useless to ponder such things now.”

“Well, what will you do with the Brailsford family and their territory now? Given your tendencies, you’re not just going to spare them like this, are you?”

“The Brailsford family was originally one of the most renowned houses in the Chevron Kingdom. However, they’ve produced no significant lords over the past few hundred years, leading their family towards ruin. In order to break out of that dilemma, the current head, Arthur Brailsford, came up with a plan. With no children of his own, he fancied the illegitimate daughter of the king, Oscar, and adopted her as his own son. Although her right to succession would rank at the bottom, she happened to be a Breeder…which was why she had a chance of taking the throne.”

Uriel stood beside Oscar and caressed her black hair with his fingers.

“Although an adopted son, the Brailsford family would be given the opportunity to restore its former glory so long as she could assume the throne in the future — that was Arthur’s wishful thinking. Unfortunately, I could only ask him to pay for his arrogance and stupidity with his life.”

“Fufu, how cruel. The reason why Arthur callously poisoned Oscar was in the hope that he’d be of use to you after you take the throne.”

“Sadly, I have no use for a peon who would sacrifice his own daughter in exchange for fame and fortune.”

Uriel lifted a corner of his lips as he brought them close to Oscar’s ear.

“Your family home and territory — I think it’s already nothing but scorched earth now.”

Part 2

—Late at night.

The ancient magical ship Escavaron used the cover of night as an advantageous time to cross the border. From there on, it ventured into the airspace of the Chevron Kingdom. After dinner, whilst filled with anxiety, Eco fell asleep at once, but Ash on the contrary couldn’t get himself to sleep. Although Rebecca had suggested that this was the prime opportunity to rest and recuperate, when Ash contemplated the importance of the task that was upon his shoulders, it was impossible for him to leisurely fall asleep. Moreover, the tension that raced throughout his body didn’t allow him to relax. 

“If I can’t sleep then I can’t sleep…”

After tossing and turning in his bed several time, Ash finally decided to climb out of bed. He left his bedroom and walked towards the deck. As soon as he opened the door that separated the ship’s interior from the outside, a strong wind suddenly blew across.

“Uwah!”

Although he was startled at first, the wind’s force wasn’t strong enough to blow him off his feet. Ash shut the door behind him and walked towards the ship’s bow.

“…Is that you, Ash?”

Unexpectedly, there was already someone else there — Celes.

“Oh, you can’t sleep either, Celes?”

“…Of course. When I think about how Oscar is being subjected to unimaginably inhumane treatment every second…I feel so worried that I can’t fall asleep. If I had known things would turn out like this, I never would’ve left Oscar’s side…”

Celes’ usual intrepid personality had turned into depression as a result of her demoralisation.

“Don’t say things like that.”

Ash replied in a firm tone as he stood side by side with Celes.

“Celes, you risked your own life to come here and tell us the truth. If it wasn’t for you, we’d probably still be blindsided by plausible reports and news, and we’d have failed to take that step forward.”

“Ash…”

“Celes, it’s thanks to you that we learned the truth and decided to put up a fight. You’re undoubtedly the person who has led us to this step.”

“Kuh…you idiot!”

“Oww!”

Ash exclaimed in surprise as Celes suddenly kicked his rear without warning.

“Wait! Why did you suddenly kick me!?”

As soon as Ash retorted, Celes threw herself into his arms.

“Celes?”

After burying her face in Ash’s chest, Celes spoke with a stifled voice,

“You really are a filthy insect…to feed me such gentle words when I’m most vulnerable — making me fall for you!”

“Celes…!”

Ash couldn’t help but return Celes’ embrace by putting his arms around her back. When he thought about how Celes had struggled to survive with such a petite figure, the cognisance of wanting to protect her feelings surged forth within him. Just as Ash continued to hold a sobbing Celes in his arms—

“Ash! So this is where you were!”

Someone abruptly opened the door to the deck — and the person who rushed out was Rebecca. Although Rebecca had the image of a calm and collected Student Council President, even she couldn’t help but freeze in astonishment upon seeing Ash and Celes embracing each other. 

“…I didn’t expect that the two of you had such a relationship. I didn’t see this coming at all.”

For some reason, Rebecca’s tone seemed unusually cold. Was it just Ash’s imagination? In the past, Rebecca simply would’ve handled the situation maturely and with a wry smile.

“Uwah!”

Ash and Celes immediately jumped away from each other’s arms.

“Umm, Rebecca-san…you’re not angry, are you?”

Following Ash’s apprehensively probing question, Rebecca responded in a manner that surpassed his expectations. Her cheeks were flushed as were her ears as she snappily replied,

“…J-Just because I saw you and Celes enjoying a little tryst, you think that I’ll get angry?”

Ash was dumbfounded. It was blatantly obvious that Rebecca was angry, yet she desperately tried to deny it…her expression and actions were surprisingly cute.

“…You womaniser.”

Seeing Celes mumble at him in apparent disbelief, Ash felt even more anxious.

“Ahem! Leaving your relationship aside for the moment—”

Rebecca made a serious expression as she stood at the edge of the deck.

“According to this map of the continent, our magic ship is currently passing over the Brailsford territory, however—”

After saying that much, Rebecca paused and examined Celes’ expression.

“Celes, the scenery here may be somewhat cruel to you…”

“It can’t be—!”

Celes shouted as she rushed to Rebecca’s side. She almost seemed to shift her entire weight over the deck as she leaned over and forcefully gazed into the night.

“That is…!”

Ash also noticed. It was already late at night, and the moon had obscured itself behind dark clouds.

By logic, the ground should’ve been completely dark with nothing to be seen — however, the hills, forests, and even houses were encased in fire so bright that it illuminated the entire surrounding area. Even the mansion that towered in the centre of the idyllic countryside had been caught in a raging inferno. If that tragedy had to be described in a single sentence, perhaps it was a freshly war-torn battlefield. The Brailsford territory had become scorched earth.

“How can this be…is this a joke? The Brailsford family mansion…the territory…it’s all on fire — aside from the lord and lady in that house, my mother was also…!”

Celes’ body suddenly collapsed. Slightly shaken, Ash caught Celes from behind. When he peered down at her face, he found her unconscious. Perhaps the shock overwhelmed her to the point that she refused to accept reality. In retrospect, the reason why Celes had been willing to do Uriel’s bidding in the past was to ensure that her sick mother would receive proper care. Although her words and actions were often rude, she was actually a kind girl who was filial to her mother. Ash had also heard that her mother was under the protection of the Brailsford family. After putting Celes down to allow her to rest, he stood up.

“There might still be some survivors! We’ll immediately land Escavaron and begin a rescue operation!”

“Don’t be impulsive, Ash. We must concentrate on accomplishing our goal of rescuing Oscar and defeating Uriel. You realise with the way things have progressed so far that we can no longer turn back, right?”

“The problem is that a lot of innocent people are now suffering because they’ve been dragged into this battle for the throne. That also includes Oscar’s family and Celes’ mother…”

“It appears that you’ve made up your mind. But, Ash, you are now the highest-ranking person in charge of this magic ship. Therefore, I cannot allow you to venture onto a perilous battlefield.”

“But!”

“Calm down and listen to me, Ash. I’m only saying that I cannot allow you to go. If you’re truly concerned about the safety of those people, then you need only order someone competent to rescue them as the highest-ranked person in charge. See, it’s simple, right?”

“You mean to say…!”

Ash finally understood what Rebecca was implying to him.

“Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. For example, I have an excellent Pal named Cú Chulainn. A Dragonar’s role on the battlefield isn’t just combat, right? Scouting and rescue activities are an easy task for Dragonars.”

With a smug smile, Rebecca placed one hand over her chest.

“But, no matter what you say, I don’t feel like I have the right to give an order to you, Rebecca-san…”

“That won’t do, Ash.”

After making a wry smile, she lightly tapped Ash’s head and then closely inspected his face. Ash felt the illusion of almost being sucked into her emerald green eyes.

“Can the man who’s determined to fight against Prince Uriel really act so cowardly? Perhaps it would be best to start practicing as soon as possible?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean practice for giving other people orders. From now on, no matter how absurd or unreasonable an order you give me, I promise to listen and obey.”

Rebecca averted her gaze and fidgeted as if she was embarrassed about something.

“So, you don’t have to worry. Just boldly tell me what your desires are.”

“Wait! What do you mean with that…what do you take me for? If I ordered you to kiss me, would you obediently comply, Rebecca-san? Something like that can’t—!”

In an instant, Rebecca interrupted Ash’s words. She placed both hands on his shoulders — and then kissed him on her own initiative.

“—!”

Upon receiving the sudden surprise attack, Ash’s body became completely stiff. Rebecca had kissed him on the cheek twice before. The first time was when he decided to become a member of the Student Council. The second time was when he visited Rebecca after she had been injured during the first round of the Dragonars’ Gunnar Bout. On both of those occasions, Ash felt that it was normal in their relationship as a junior and senior at the same school. They were like kisses of good luck and encouragement. However, this kiss was lip-to-lip. There weren’t any excuses that could be borrowed…after all, such behaviour could only be described as the relationship between a man and a woman—

“Mmm…!”

Rebecca’s kiss was much like the colour of her hair, ablaze with fiery passion. Their tongues touched and entwined with each other as if they would melt and become one. She was the Student Council President at the apex of Dragonar Academy, as well as a Dragonar who held the title of <Scarlett Empress> — Rebecca Randall. She was like a flower on a lofty peak beyond anyone’s reach, yet she had thrown herself at Ash, revealing her true feelings as a woman. Smothered in Rebecca’s bodily fragrance, Ash entered a realm of ecstasy so comfortable that all thoughts escaped from his mind. …After a while, Rebecca pulled her lips away and cast out a warm breath. Her unfocused eyes stared at Ash with a raving passion.

“This is what it means to give someone an order. Make sure you never forget this experience…”

With solidified determination, Ash gazed back into Rebecca’s eyes.

“…I understand. Rebecca-san, please investigate the Brailsford territory and provide assistance to any survivors that you find. For your safety, please avoid operating on your own.”

“Thank you for your concern, Ash. I shall invite Lucca and Max to come with me then.”

After nodding in acceptance of her order, Rebecca had instantly returned to acting like the <Scarlett Empress> that everyone was familiar with.

Part 3

The Escavaron landed behind a mountain with coverage to hide itself, and after just over ten minutes — Rebecca, Lucca and Max completed their investigation sooner than expected and returned to the magic ship. Ash welcomed the return of Rebecca and the others in the operations command room. Mirabel, Jessica, Anya and Raymond had already assembled in the command room as well.

“Unnh…”

In fact, a sleepy Eco also attended the meeting. Ash was the one who had woken her up and dragged her here just before the meeting. In addition, since Celes had yet to awaken from an unconscious state, Eunice looked after her in the infirmary. After looking around at everyone, Rebecca began her report.

“Although the home of the Brailsford family was completely burnt down, we did not find any corpses at the scene of the fire. None at all. It wouldn’t have been surprising if Oscar’s adoptive father, Arthur Brailsford, was instantly killed, but it seems that he was taken away by someone.”

“Taken away? Perhaps it’s good news that he wasn’t killed…”

Ash pondered. The one who betrayed Oscar and turned to Uriel was none other than Arthur. Perhaps he had expected to gain some kind of benefit from siding with Uriel. However, as if to mock the foolish course of action that Arthur had taken, Uriel decided to unleash fire that burned everything to the ground. Of course, it was Arthur’s mistake to begin with, so one could say that this was what he deserved. But even so, the action of setting fire to someone’s territory was simply extreme. Just how much malice did Uriel have to do to satiate his appetite…? Ash clenched his fists as rage churned in his heart.

“By the way, are all of the citizens safe?”

Upon hearing Ash’s question, Rebecca folded her arms as she appeared to give it deep thought.

“Now that is an interesting point. We didn’t see any residents at all during our investigation.”

“Not even one?”

“Yes. If they were killed in the raid, there should be corpses left behind. But we didn’t find anything suspicious. Not only the Brailsford family, but even all of the citizens appear to have vanished into thin air…and now that I think about it, it seems the retreat of Prince Uriel’s army was unnaturally fast…”

“Could it be possible that the citizens managed to escape the conflict by hiding in the forest or mountains?”

Rebecca shook her head to deny Mirabel’s speculation.

“No, we broadly searched all of the possible locations that people could have hidden. If there were any survivors still hiding, Cú Chulainn, Arianrhod and Gawain surely would’ve picked it up. The Brailsford territory has already become a complete ghost town.”

“So…it’s possible that aside from the Brailsford family, Prince Uriel’s army also took away all of the citizens?”

This time, Rebecca nodded in agreeance with Mirabel’s conjecture.

“Indeed. I also think the possibility of that is quite high. But assuming that they really were taken away…it’s difficult to figure out the objective of Prince Uriel’s army. Strictly speaking, his army didn’t even ransack anything.”

“Yes, that is truly surprising.”

“Yes. I checked the residential houses that had become vacant and found that all money and personal effects were in neat condition. The most unnatural thing is that the Brailsford mansion was destroyed by fire, but precious treasures such as gold, silver and gemstones could be found amongst the rubble. Generally speaking, such items would’ve been the first to be located and taken…”

“Since that’s the case, it’s likely that Uriel ordered his army not to loot, and taking hostages was instead their priority. His objective is still puzzling though…”

Mirabel frowned and fell into silence. Even as knowledgeable and intelligent as she was, it seemed that she was unable to see through the motive of Uriel’s army.

“…Umm.”

At that moment, Lucca, who had been standing behind Rebecca, shyly raised her hand. Everyone suddenly affixed their attention to Lucca.

“I’ve heard something…in the past. In the Ecbald Village, the concoction of narcotics — is a taboo. Those who violate the rule…will be sentenced to death.”

“Why the death penalty?”

An ominous premonition circled around in Ash’s mind. He already knew the terrifying effect of narcotics and understood why it would be regarded as a taboo. Yet, the death penalty felt somewhat extreme. With a rare, serious expression, Lucca stared at Ash — and then revealed the horrifying truth.

“It’s because the ingredient used to make narcotics…are living people.”

Part 4

“—By the way, Cassandra. Does Mordred show any signs of revival from lying asleep in your body?”

Uriel asked an abrupt question after looking away from Oscar, who had turned into a lifeless doll.

“Unfortunately, it is sound asleep. Its joint defeat at the hands of Ash Blake and Eco seems to have been a serious blow. No matter how I call out, there is no response.”

“Very well, let it be then. I don’t have an immediate need of Mordred’s strength anyway.”

“Perhaps Ash Blake will soon be at our doorstep?”

“So long as I stay inside the Kingdom, there is nothing that he can do to me. Even if they cross the border, they will only be regarded as the aggressors. International public opinion will not be forgiving of their foolhardy actions, and as they are also citizens of the Knight Country, any act of aggression from them will simply put the Knight Country’s government in hot water. I don’t think they’d truly be willing to come rescue Oscar while taking on such a large risk—”

“Please excuse me, Your Highness Uriel!”

At that moment, soldiers serving the royal family burst into the room without warning.

“…What’s all this noise for?”

Uriel spoke with an unusual, gruff tone. Perhaps it was because he was irate that the soldier had abruptly rushed into the room where Oscar had become an empty shell.

“We have a report that a magic ship violated our national airspace not long ago! According to the report, the ship is suspected to be the ancient magical ship that Princess Mirabel unearthed from the underground labyrinth in Ansarivan the other day! This is clearly an invasion!”

The unexpected news stunned Uriel. He remained silent for a while—

“Kuku…hahahahaha!”

And then his mouth opened wide as he unleashed a cacophony of laughter.

“It seems they’re far more stupid than I thought. Very well, I shall also head out to pay tribute to their stupidity. Go and prepare the Claíomh Solais for takeoff immediately!”

“Understood!”

After watching the soldiers leave, Uriel turned back around and looked at Cassandra.

“It seems I misjudged Ash Blake and the others. They’re the first ones to exceed my expectations and surprise me.”

“The Scorched Earth Policy ~A.S.B.1365.12~” is closed.

Chapter 8 - The Battle of Hévin-LeCoultre ~Battlefield~

Part 1

The night was submerged in total darkness with both the stars and the moon completely absent from the sky. The time was two o’clock in the morning. With the Imperial Capital Arkham in the centre, the western part of the Hévin-LeCoultre Plains expanded around it in all directions. In the sky above — the Escavaron and Claíomh Solais faced off against each other. The generations to come would call this — [The Battle of Hévin-LeCoultre].

Part 2

Uriel’s voice reverberated clearly through the magical amplifier.

[Your ship has violated our national airspace. That being the prima facie, I am willing to listen to an explanation. After all, I am a magnanimous monarch.]

Ash and Eco stood beside each other on the Escavaron’s deck. Ash grasped hold of the loudspeaker’s microphone and then raised his voice.

“Don’t be mistaken, Uriel! You are not yet the monarch of a country. I won’t allow you to become the King either. Absolutely not!”

[Oh, does that voice belong to Ash Blake? A mere commoner dares to threaten me…haha!]

“What’s so funny!?”

[If you can’t stand the fact, then why don’t you just use the main gun of the Escavaron to shoot down the Claíomh Solais?]

“…What are you trying to do?”

[Oops, there’s something I forgot to tell you. Your precious Oscar Brailsford is also on board this ship. Knowing that, you’re not going to fire those guns, are you? Not to mention the use of Oracles.]

“…Is that why you’re here?”

[To begin with, you’re the ones who have committed the crime of invasion. Even if you do manage to shoot down the Claíomh Solais, the international community will not forgive you — no, it would be more correct to say the entire Lautreamont Knight Country. It is truly unfortunate. Your reckless actions mean that the Lautreamont Knight Country will forevermore go down in history as the rebellious country that turned against its suzerain state.]

Upon hearing those words, Ash revealed a wide grin. He realised a certain truth — even as cautious as Uriel was, he was unable to see past their decision.

“Is that all your brain is capable of? Uriel, are you mistaken again?”

[…What do you mean?]

“Allow me to tell you. Eco and I, as well as everyone else on board the Escavaron are no longer citizens of the Lautreamont Knight Country.”

Ash took a deep breath, infusing his entire body with the power to unleash a deafening cry.

“Raise the national flag!”

At Ash’s command, Raymond and Max who were on standby in a corner of the deck for what felt like an eternity immediately sprung into action. A flag fluttered in the wind upon the Escavaron’s deck.

…Bang!

And then, the two illumination devices that Max operated unleashed intense beams of light. The flag was like a dragon, flying majestically in the space where the two beams of light intersected. The insignia on the flag was the family crest of Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Family.

[What are you trying to do?]

“This means — we are no longer citizens of the Lautreamont Knight Country.”

Ash loudly declared,

“We are Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights!”

[What!?]

“We are an aristocracy that holds the Escavaron as our territory, and an independent nation!”

[Are you mad, Ash Blake!?]

“All of us are perfectly sane. If I had to say something, I’d say that your underhanded tricks were what forced us to take this path. That is all!”

[How foolish! Do you even understand what you’ve done? In order to save a mere woman, you’ve unveiled a flag and declared independence…it’s madness!]

At last, the cold-hearted Uriel displayed his unbridled emotions.

“Uriel, you’ve finally unmasked yourself! Didn’t you know that the impossible could be made possible for the sake of protecting a woman!?”

[What…did you say…?]

“Allow me to introduce myself to you again, Uriel!”

Ash majestically announced his name,

“My name is Ash Blake — Commander of Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights!”

Part 3

Upon hearing Ash’s magnificent declaration of his name and title, Uriel’s lips quivered as he sat in the captain’s seat of the Claíomh Solais. In his fury, his knuckles began to turn pale from clenching onto the armrests so tightly. Even the officers on the bridge seemed to be in a state of panic as they speechlessly winced. Uriel racked his brains as he attempted to come up with a breakthrough.

“Hmph…there’s one thing that you’ve forgotten, Ash Blake! Do you really think the international community will recognise your independence? A country as small as yours is bound to require the backing of a considerably powerful ally. Even the Lautreamont Knight Country cannot survive without the Chevron Kingdom supporting it!”

In order to boost the morale of his officers, Uriel deliberately raised his voice to an exaggerated level.

“Tell me, Ash Blake! Is there anyone willing to acknowledge you!?”

[—You need not worry about that issue.]

A pure female voice that seemed out of place suddenly interjected from the side, and the officers in the Claíomh Solais’ bridge also began making a commotion.

“Where did that voice come from!?”

Uriel furiously denounced the communications officer.

“The signal’s coming from the outside! This frequency is…please wait — it’s being transmitted from the Holy Ship Esperanza! The person who spoke was…Her Eminence Raquel IV!”

The communications officer was so flustered that even his tone of voice changed.

[The establishment of Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights has been officially recognised by myself — in the name of Raquel IV. Thus, there are no issues in that regard.]

Raquel’s playful tone of voice disrupted the rhythm in Uriel’s mind.

“Impossible! The Holy Espada Agency can’t be on his side.”

As Uriel’s expression changed, Raquel continued,

[Oh yes, Prince Uriel. I just received an urgent report from former Third Princess Mirabel Lautreamont — as the Pope, I cannot ignore the evil deeds that your private army has committed against the Brailsford territory.]

“You misunderstand, Your Eminence. That was purely to suppress some civil unrest that occurred in our country. Your Eminence, it’s not a problem that required your intervention, right?”

[If it truly was for the sake of suppressing civil unrest, then it would certainly not be my place to state my opinion. However, if people were forcibly taken from their homes to be used as materials for a drug…then it is no longer something that I can condone.]

“…!”

Uriel couldn’t help but gasp. He hadn’t anticipated that the truth would be revealed to such an extent.

[An investigation team under my command set off for your country not long ago. Although they may be called an investigation team, they are actually composed of elite members from the Espada Holy Wing Knights. I suggest that you do not put up any unnecessary resistance. Over!]

With a single shout, the broadcast was cut off!

“Kuh!”

As if the floor beneath his feet had crumbled, Uriel felt as though he was in a state of constant flux, falling into a bottomless abyss — it was the first time in his life that he had experienced such a sensation.

Part 4

—Regarding Mirabel’s proposal.

Just as Ash had declared, it was to establish an independent country with the magic ship Escavaron acting as its territory. According to Mirabel, a country could take on various forms. In the past, there once existed a ‘knight corps’ that was also a ‘nation’ of its own at the same time. Upon hearing of such an example, Ash was immediately convinced and decided to adopt this methodology. In this way, even if Ash and the others invaded the Chevron Kingdom, the Lautreamont Knight Country would be spared from condemnation.

In addition, the reason why Silvia was excluded from the ship was — she could not be labelled as one of the citizens on board the ship because her nationality as a citizen of the Knight Country could not be renounced if she intended to become the future Paladin. On the contrary, Mirabel sent a letter to Paladin Oswald before they departed on their journey. The main idea was that she would renounce her status and identity as the Third Princess, thereby severing their parent-child relationship. Mirabel had thus also become an official member of Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights.

Part 5

“Are you ready, Eco?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to you? Of course, I’m ready to go at any time!”

With a confident smile, Eco removed <<Avalon’s Bracelet>>.

“I am the true descendant of the illustrious Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Family…mine own name is Eco Pendragon Aurora Christa Lena Angeles Iria Lorence Liliane Muirel Octavia Robertine de la Rosa L’Espérance van Compostela de Avalon—”

Her bright red eyes then overflowed with a dazzling brilliance.

“I shall bewray mine own true form here!”

Just as Eco declared so, she leapt into the night. Indeed, she jumped off from the ship’s bow. Tremendous magical energy swirled into a vortex, encasing Eco’s body. A pillar of light erupted, running straight from the earth and piercing into the night sky. The clouds that obscured the night sky were cleaved in half, allowing the crescent moon and stars to reveal themselves amidst the night. The roar of thunder echoed loudly. The silhouette of a girl had at some point disappeared, and an enormous entity began to manifest. Soon, the gigantic body of a dragon gradually began to take shape. It had three sharp horns that stood erect like a crown and sharp eyes that seemed as if they could see thousands of miles away. The mane that fluttered in the darkness of the night was a peachy silver, much like the colour of Eco’s hair. The instant that her wings made a low-pitched flapping sound, the two magical ships rumbled unsteadily as they were shaken by strong winds. Finally, <<Avalon’s Bracelet>> transformed into a piece of jewellery that was elegantly adorned around the dragon’s neck. And thus, Holy Dragon Emperor Eco manifested…!

“Uoooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh!”

It was a roar that caused tremors across the sky. An enormous amount of magical energy suddenly covered Ash’s entire body. It meant that Eco was bestowing him with the complete version of his Ark. Although the Ark was predominantly white, many parts of it were still gold and bright red. It was only the second time that Ash had equipped the complete version of his Ark. Ash mounted Eco’s head as the <<Avalon Knight Dragner>>. The <<Seikoku>> engraved on his left arm spread across his entire body and radiated heat on a level that verged on pain.

“We’re following as well!”

Rebecca followed after Ash, riding atop Cú Chulainn.

“…If it’s to support Ash, then I can do it.”

Lucca murmured in a timid voice as she rode Gawain beside Rebecca. Max also called out to Ash,

“Listen up, Ash. I’m not here today for you, but for Ashley! I have no regrets!”

Ash almost tumbled off Eco’s head upon hearing that.

“It looks like I need to find time for a nice long talk with Max…”

Although Ash seemed to be in complaint about it, it helped calm his nerves substantially.

“Let’s go, Eco!”

Eco responded to Ash’s cry by soaring gracefully into the night sky. Rebecca, Lucca and Max trailed closely behind them.

[Fire the cannon! Kill that monster!]

Uriel’s anxious voice echoed deafeningly through the air. Amidst the panic, it seemed as though he had even forgotten to switch off the magic sound amplifier. The Claíomh Solais’ main gun then fired immediately after.

“Uooooohhh!”

However, Eco simply waved her forelimb, instantly wiping out the large shells that had been ejected.

[What are you all doing!? Shoot! Keep firing—]

Uriel’s commanding voice continued to reverberate outside, though it was suddenly cut off…probably because one of the officers had realised and cut the microphone.

“Prepare yourself, Uriel!”

As Ash shouted, Eco flew ahead to position herself directly in front of the Claíomh Solais and then flicked her tail.

“Whooaaa! The main gun was destroyed in a single blow…!”

“Run! We’ll be trampled to death!”

The many soldiers who were originally deployed on the deck immediately began to disperse like a flock of startled birds as soon as Eco’s tail obliterated the main gun. By the time that Ash had landed on the deck, he found it to be completely empty.

“It’s going to be a close-quarter melee from here on, Ash.”

Having equipped her second Ark form, Rebecca landed on the deck behind Ash.

“Yeah.”

If they were going to rescue Oscar, they would have to search inside the ship. However, due to the enormous size of the dragons, it was no longer possible to rely on them for movement.

“We’re lucky that Uriel was kind enough to give us exactly the information we wanted, so we’ve been spared the trouble of investigating where she might be.”

Ash made a wry smile as he replied to Rebecca’s sarcasm.

“Exactly. Let’s split up to search the ship’s interior.”

 Just as Ash raised his fist—

“I have some experience when it comes to close-range combat!”

“Me too! In fact, melee combat was my old line of work!”

Both Celes and Anya appeared. The two girls had ridden on Cú Chulainn’s tail to arrive here. Wielding a combat dagger in her hand, Celes’ right eye shone brightly with determination. On the other hand, Anya wore her revealing native outfit and wielded her prided leather whip. As an aside, Eunice took control of the Escavaron’s helm after Anya left the ship.

“Ash, I’ll also lend you my strength!”

“I’ll do my best as well…”

Max and Lucca also jumped down from the backs of their dragons onto the deck. Both of them carried a vast number of Bright Dragon Crystals in their hands.

“Thank you everyone!”

Ash jumped down from Eco’s head and onto the deck. He then turned around and looked at Eco.

“Sorry, Eco. I’ll be back soon.”

Although Eco made a low groan in apparent dissatisfaction, she nodded obediently and agreed.

“Founding of the Nation ~A.S.B.1365.12~” is closed.

Chapter 9 - Cassandra of Corruption

Part 1

Ash and the others swiftly moved through the narrow passages within the ship. Although armed soldiers appeared one after the another to block the path ahead of them—

“Magic spear Gáe Bolg!”

“I’ll show you how the Tantalos tribe fights!”

“Ooooooooooohhhhh!”

The combat styles of Rebecca, Anya and Celes were akin to lions. As soon as enemy soldiers appeared, they immediately pounced upon them.

“Crimson Ex-Breath!”

“Lightning Blast!”

Acting as the rear guards, Max and Lucca also used Oracles to contain the enemies who approached them from behind. The teamwork of the five-man group was so seamless that it seemed as though they had trained in advance for this day. Ash was deeply impressed. As a result, there had been no need thus far for Ash to draw the holy sword Excalibur. The number of soldiers that he had defeated was also zero.

“Umm, Rebecca-san…I’m not participating in this battle at all…”

While Ash continued to make his way through the aisle, he spoke to Rebecca from behind.

“What are you saying? You’ve already become the head of state, so you can just leave these lowly soldiers to us.”

“But—”

“Moreover, the destructive power of your Excalibur is excessively strong. You can’t control its power output like my Gáe Bolg, right?”

“…You’re right.”

Just when Ash shrugged in dejection, Max pointed to what lay ahead of them.

“Look Ash, that should be the bridge.”

Just as Max said, there was a seemingly sturdy door at the end of the passage. A large crest belonging to the Chevron Royal Family was emblazoned upon the door. Soldiers armed to the teeth also guarded the door. They were probably members of Uriel’s personal guard. They seemed much more formidable than the soldiers that they had encountered earlier. The moment for Ash to unsheathe Excalibur had finally arrived — as soon as the idea flashed across Ash’s mind…

“Magic spear Gáe Bolg — Wheel of Fortune!”

Rebecca launched a long-range attack, but Uriel’s guards were too slow to react and thus defeated in one fell swoop.

Part 2

—Boom!

Anya and Celes lifted their legs at the same time and kicked open the door to the bridge. Ash immediately entered the room.

“…Dear me, what a crude bunch.”

Sitting in the captain’s seat, Uriel swivelled his seat around, facing Ash and the others. With complete disregard for the tension that filled the room, Uriel brought a wine glass to his nose and sniffed its aroma. Bottles of wine sat on a round side table. A lady sat in an antique chair beside Uriel. The woman was as stiff as a doll and her eyes completely devoid of life. Even though Ash had boldly barged in through the door, she remained expressionless.

“Oscar!”

As soon as the lady’s face entered her view, Celes immediately yelled with all the volume that her throat could muster.

“You’re telling me that’s Oscar!?”

Ash shuddered as soon as he saw the powerful effect of the narcotic <Galatea> with his own eyes. However, Ash couldn’t help but look away from Oscar. That was because Second Princess Cassandra also sat beside Uriel. Just like Uriel, she elegantly sipped on a glass of red wine. As usual, she emanated a seductive charm. Aside from Uriel, Cassandra and Oscar, there were also more than ten soldiers in the bridge, though all of them timidly stood on the sidelines and watched Uriel’s face.

“This is checkmate, Uriel. Return Oscar to us.”

Although Ash took a step forward, Uriel remained calm.

“Don’t be so hasty, Ash Blake. A monarch should behave as a monarch does. Since you’re also a head of state, should we not calm down and negotiate at this time?”

“Do you really think that there’s any room for negotiation between us?”

“If you are an independent country, then form an alliance with me. Of course, I will return Oscar to you. If that does not satisfy you, then I will give you even more in compensation. Though your country may be small, a considerable amount of funds is still necessary for it to operate. Is this not an advantageous deal for you?”

“…………”

“Well? Let our bygones be bygones so that we can discuss politics together.”

“…You’re right. We do have things to discuss.”

Ash stepped forward until he stood in front of Uriel. A content smile spread across Uriel’s face as he planned to gulp down the remaining red wine in his glass.

“But, Uriel, before we start negotiating—”

With his left hand, Ash suddenly grabbed Uriel’s chest.

“This is for Oscar!”

He then launched his right fist at Uriel’s cheek. Uriel’s handsome face contorted, and his nose began to bleed.

“This is for Celes!”

He then threw at hook at Uriel’s chin.

“And, this is for Tristan!”

Finally, Ash poured all his strength into a punch directed at Uriel’s unprotected flank.

“Kuh…!”

Uriel couldn’t help but fall to his knees. After all, Ash’s fists were encased by special armoured gauntlets. The force of those strikes was far beyond what Uriel had imagined.

“Don’t think that I’ll forgive you for this rudeness—”

“That’s enough, Uriel. Continuing to bluff will only bring you down even further.”

Cassandra was the one who discouraged Uriel from continuing to put up an act. Ash exhaled in relief, feeling grateful that he did not have to make an enemy of Cassandra. He was reluctant to resort to forceful methods against Silvia’s older sister.

“Your Royal Highness Second Princess Cassandra. Your relationship with Uriel is only one of a romantic nature. As long as you’re willing to assist in this investigation, we can guarantee your safety.”

However, Cassandra couldn’t stop herself from laughing as soon as she heard Ash’s offer.

“Oh my, have you misunderstood something? Although it’s true that I did act in concert with Uriel before, that was only because our interests aligned. Our so-called lovers’ relationship is just a farce.”

“What did you say?”

—Thump.

In an instant, Ash felt a ferocious aura and goose bumps all over his back.

“…Am I just paranoid? Just then—”

“Guaaaaaahhhhh!”

A shrill scream was suddenly produced near his feet.

“Uriel?”

In dismay, Ash brought his gaze back towards Uriel. It was an uncanny sight. Cassandra reached out with her fingers and touched Uriel’s forehead. A dark helical aura was slowly drawn into Uriel’s forehead from her fingertips—

“W-What are you doing!? Cassandra! S-Stop…you can’t enter……my body!”

Uriel groaned in pain as he thrashed and struggled on the floor. Ash seemed to recognise the dark aura before his eyes. He couldn’t possibly forget. It was exactly what had tormented both Celes and Kriemhild, the same aura as Pluto. No, this aura was far more ferocious than what he had previously seen. A black crystal was thus embedded in Uriel’s forehead.

“What’s going on…!?”

From Ash’s point of view, the black crystal seemed to have been constructed from the dark energy that was produced at Cassandra’s fingertips. Why did Cassandra possess this abnormal ability?

“Ash, get away from that thing!”

Celes tempestuously shouted. She pressed down on the eyepatch over her left eye as a shudder rattled her entire body.

“That is Pluto! And it’s much stronger than the one in me and Kriemhild. The amount of magical energy in it is simply ridiculous…”

Celes’ expression turned pale as she went on a complete turnaround from her usual bold self.

“What did you say!?”

Ash immediately pulled away from Uriel and Cassandra. A cruel smile spread across Cassandra’s lips.

“I’m disappointed, Uriel. And here I thought you were such unassailable man. The least you can do is become a demon and entertain me.”

“This can’t be possible! Didn’t you say that the Dark Dragon King was still asleep…”

After speaking with a strained voice, Uriel extended a trembling hand towards Cassandra.

“Did you say [Dark Dragon King]!?”

Dark Dragon King — Ash was taken aback as soon as he heard the macabre words that Uriel had uttered.

“Mordred is indeed still asleep. But a portion of its great power has already awakened inside of me. I simply concealed it from you and didn’t speak of it.”

Cassandra made a devilish smile as she stood up.

“Princess Cassandra! Just…what is happening?”

Upon seeing Ash struggle to understand the situation, Cassandra slowly turned around.

“Fufu. To put it simply, this is what’s happening.”

Her black low-cut evening dress exposed much of her snow-white skin. Most of her pastel skin was covered by an enormous <Seikoku>.

“Wha…!”

Memories of the summer vacation flashed through Ash’s mind. He recalled that the director of Albion Church had once said,

—Prince Julius probably had the same feelings as Ash. The prince’s <Seikoku> totally covered his back…I thought it was a kind of bad omen the first time I saw it. It was not be unreasonable for him to dislike anyone seeing it.

The <Seikoku> that was sprawled across Cassandra’s back was completely in line with how the director had described it.

“Well then, please take care everyone.”

Cassandra shattered the glass wall and dove into the night sky. Like a fallen angel, her lone silhouette was engulfed by the night and she disappeared without a trace.

“Was that for real…?”

Ash questioned himself in incredulity, but the situation forced him to face reality. 

“Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh…!”

A shrill cry erupted from Uriel’s throat once more.

“Be careful, Ash! He’s started to become a demon!”

Celes loudly yelled, reminding Ash to remain vigilant. In fact, Uriel’s body was already in a state of perpetual transformation. His blonde hair that originally exuded a noble lustre stood erect while a large Pluto remained embedded on his forehead. His slender eyes gleamed with a brilliant luminescence, and his lips twisted into a wicked smile. All the muscles in his body inflamed, and the skin on his back split apart — black wings soon sprouted in its place. Both his canine teeth elongated and became a pair of sharp fangs. A long and sharp tail grew from his body as well.

“It’s such a pleasant feeling! I see now, so this is what it means to exceed the power of human beings? I suppose you’ll be my practice targets!”

The demon Uriel’s glare fiercely focused on Ash and the others.

—Zuu!

Just being within its line of sight almost compelled Ash to shudder. In an instant, a countless number of tentacles emerged from Uriel’s back and they simultaneously sprung forth in assault.

“Shit…!”

Caught off guard, Ash had no time to summon Excalibur. He stood his ground firmly in an attempt to protect his comrades who were behind, but—

“Step back!”

Rebecca swiftly pushed Ash aside. In that instant, dozens of tentacles flew at Rebecca, ensnaring her neck, armpits, arms, wrists, her ample breasts, her slender waist, thighs and ankles. Despite her sturdy and impregnable Ark, it was almost no different from an ornament against the tentacles which oozed dark aura. Piece by piece, Rebecca’s Ark was stripped off by the tentacles. Her porcelain-white skin was gradually exposed. The tip of each tentacle secreted a viscous liquid which dripped onto Rebecca’s hair, face and breasts…

“N-No!”

Rebecca wailed in desperation. The magic spear Gáe Bolg which she clenched tightly in her hand fell to the ground.

“Kuku! To think that the famous knight Rebecca Randall is in such dire straits! Did you know that your prestige is acknowledged by everyone in my country?”

The demon Uriel spat out words of mockery as even more tentacles proliferated. The tentacles seemed to possess a will of their own as they dug beneath her clothing and squirmed about. 

“Rebecca-san!”

“Please…don’t stare at me, Ash!”

Rebecca blushed as she cast a pleading look towards Ash. Her courageous eyes were now filled with tears.

“I advise you not to act rashly, Ash Blake. With a bit of force, Rebecca’s head will be severed from her body.”

The demon Uriel issued an arrogant warning. There was indeed a tentacle that was wrapped around Rebecca’s neck. Mocking Ash’s helplessness, the demon Uriel got carried away. He enhanced the strength of some tentacles and used brute force to pry Rebecca’s legs apart. The <Scarlett Empress> that all students admired as a role model — at this moment, the honourable Student Council President of Ansarivan was revealed in an incredibly embarrassing state—

“Ah…no…”

“Fufufufufu! Rebecca, your voice is starting to sound rather slutty! Watch as I tear the mask of a heroine from your face and reveal your carnal nature!”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaa…!”

Finally, Rebecca let out a scream.

“Hiyaaaaa!”

Anya suddenly jumped up from behind Uriel. While Uriel was focused on tormenting Rebecca, she had sneakily crept behind him. Anya put away her favourite whip and held up a large dagger which she had concealed behind her arm. With a single thrust, she plunged the blade into the demon Uriel’s back. In that instant, the tentacles visibly spasmed and a stark-naked Rebecca was thrown into the air. In truth, Ash had noticed that Anya was preparing to attack, hence he deliberately pretended to be at the demon Uriel’s mercy.

“Rebecca-san!”

Although it was a perilous wager, Rebecca fell into safe arms as Ash caught her. Her red hair was a mess, her bare skin was wet and slimy, and red marks appeared on her wrists and ankles.

“Ungh, ah…!”

After Rebecca’s body convulsed a few times, she fainted.

“Tch! Damn Tantalos girl!”

After the demon Uriel furiously cursed, he swung a muscular arm behind him. Anya quickly let go of her dagger and did a roll in order to evade the counterattack. However, the demon Uriel did not continue to pursue Anya, but instead leisurely said,

“Hmph…the game ends here. I’ll show you my true power!”

“True power!?”

Standing before Ash, the demon Uriel infused all of his tentacles with magic energy. His tentacles ascended like pythons rising from a jar, and then—

“Uwaaaaah!”

The target of the countless tentacles were the officers who were manning the control and communication equipment.

“What are you trying to do!?”

Ash was perplexed. What was the demon Uriel’s intention? The tentacles swarmed together and seemed to drown all of the officers.

“Your Highness Uriel! Please come back to your senses!”

“Gaaaaaaahhh!”

The officers all voiced pitiful screams. But, it was clear that Uriel’s intention was not to devour the officers. Ash then watched as a myriad of tentacles swallowed up the control panels full of magical engineering devices one by one.

“That can’t be! Is he trying to merge with the magic ship itself…?”

Celes murmured with a pale expression. A supernatural force lifted away the eyepatch that originally covered Celes’ left eye. It was likely a result of the resonance between both Plutos. Celes’ magic eye emitted an intense light. In an attempt to restrain its aura, Celes used her hands to cover the left half of her face.

“As expected of a <Pluto Child>, you have keen observation. You’ve guessed it right, traitor Celestina!”

The countless and immense tentacles finally covered the entirety of the floor, walls and ceiling of the bridge. All of the officers had been buried beneath the tentacles. Even if the deceased once stood against him, witnessing the wanton murder of human life impelled Ash to feel bitter about his own weakness.

“Oscar!”

Celes pushed her legs and rushed forward. She used her dagger to slice off each of the tentacles that went after Oscar.

“Geez, you’re such a troublesome master, you know!?”

Despite Celes’ ridicule, Oscar remained silent. Even though she was witness to the horror that had unfolded, her eyes remained hollow, empty and devoid of reality.

“I won’t give Oscar to you!”

The demon Uriel propelled a new tentacle towards Celes.

“Azul Ex-Blizzard!”

Lucca shouted with vigour. Advanced ice magic surged forth, instantly freezing the tentacle that was aimed at Celes. Thanks to the layer of defence that Celes was afforded by the frozen tentacle, she became free to move. She gently cradled Oscar into her arms and rushed back to Ash’s side.

“What do we do now, Ash?”

Max inquired with a timid and shaken tone of voice. Dozens of tentacles had advanced to where Ash and the others stood. It seemed as though the demon Uriel had actually managed to integrate himself with the magic ship Claíomh Solais using his tentacles. As a result, even if Ash and the others fled, they would not be able to escape. The tentacles were now akin to a protective barricade that made it difficult for Ash and the others to even approach the demon Uriel. Although Ash had considered the idea of using the holy sword Excalibur to eviscerate the tentacles, Uriel was still continuing to integrate with the magic ship. If he audaciously attacked Uriel’s body and the power of the holy sword penetrated the core of the magic ship…there was the possibility of a large explosion. If such a tragedy did happen, there would inevitably be casualties among his precious comrades who were also on board.

—That’s right, I need to pull myself together! I just have to think about how to protect everyone!

Ash rallied his own morale. After giving it some thought, he decided to put the puppet-like Oscar in a safe place before commencing a showdown with Uriel.

“All members are to immediately retreat from the Claíomh Solais! Celes and Max, please protect Oscar! Anya and Lucca, please take care of Rebecca!”

“Roger!”

Without delay, all of his comrades unanimously shouted in response. After handing Rebecca over to Anya and Lucca, Ash stood in front of the advancing tentacles to block their path.

“Leave the rear guard to me!”

Part 3

By the time that Ash and the others had retreated to the deck, all of the ship’s passageways were already occupied by enormous tentacles.

“Uoooohhh!”

Ash turned away from his comrades as he forcefully closed the steel door that stood between the ship’s interior and the deck. A tremendous pressure immediately pushed back against the metal door from the inside, but Ash’s strength was augmented by the power of his Ark. He pressed hard against the steel door, exerting all the strength in his body against it. If he relied just on his own flesh and blood, he would’ve already been sent flying along with the door. The others took advantage of Ash’s effort to contain the tentacles, preparing for their escape.

Firstly, Max and Celes shared Arianrhod, along with the puppet-like Oscar who was in their care. Lucca and Anya shared Gawain. They had intended to take the unconscious Rebecca with them, but Cú Chulainn came forward to pick up its abject master. Eco brought her head beside the deck and uttered a low growl to urge Ash on, but he didn’t respond to her.

“All of you, get back to the Escavaron immediately and tell those in the cockpit to get as far away from here as possible!”

“What are you thinking!? Hurry up and get on Eco as well!”

Max yelled back.

“No, I’m going to stay here and fight with Eco! Max, I’m leaving everyone in your hands!”

“…I understand. Make sure you defeat the demon Uriel and come back safely!”

Max displayed a rare expression as he offered words of encouragement to Ash before taking off with his Pal. In sequence, Arianrhod, Gawain and Cú Chulainn took off from the Claíomh Solais’ deck.

“Eco! It’s our chance to shine now!”

Ash let go of the steel door and sprinted without looking back. The sturdy metal door was instantly thrust open and an army of tentacles poured out like a tidal wave in hot pursuit of Ash. After narrowly escaping from the onslaught of the tentacles, he jumped over the deck’s railing and into the night sky without hesitation.

“Eco!”

Flying in parallel with the Claíomh Solais, Eco quickly turned and caught Ash with her head. On the other hand, the demon Uriel’s tentacles fully encased the Claíomh Solais’ exterior, completing his fusion with the ship.

“Let’s go, Eco! It’s time for us fight Uriel!”

“Uoooooooooohhhhh!!!”

Eco responded to Ash’s cry with a mighty roar of her own.

“The Apostate Princess ~A.S.B.1365.12~” is closed.

Chapter 10 - Cassandra of Corruption

Part 1

The demon Uriel had finally absorbed the entirety of the magic ship Claíomh Solais — organic and inorganic matter was chaotically fused together to form a supersized living body. Gaps in the partially broken sections of the ship as well as weaponry installed on the deck exposed a complexly intertwined network of tentacles. Its form was abstract and absurd. The sight of it was something that instilled fear. It was as if the concept of hell had been made a reality and then wrapped around the ship’s hull. If it had to be given a name, then perhaps it would be ‘Demon Ship Uriel’.

“It really is chaotic…”

While Ash rode atop Eco’s head, he looked back down at the demon ship that had begun to move, feeling dismayed by its presence. Perhaps the silver lining in all of this was that the ship’s hull was covered by a thin film of tremendous magical energy that kept the ship illuminated at all times. As such, it was fortunate that the possibility of the demon ship escaping with the cover of night was low. If a dangerous monster such as this was allowed to slip away, it would inevitably bring disaster upon the various parts of the continent.

[Groooooooo…grrrrrraaaaaaaaaa!]

The Demon Ship Uriel unleashed a mad roar. It appeared that the function of the magical sound amplifier had also integrated with the demon’s body. Ash widened his eyes in astonishment upon realising the irregularity that had appeared on the upper section of Demon Ship Uriel’s hull. Organic tissue had fused with the ship’s guns, transforming them into brand new weapons. Alien-like barrels took shape one after another. For whatever reason, the muzzles of all of the cannons were aimed at the ground.

—Boom! Badoon! Booooooommm!

Red, blue, green…a myriad of colourful magic shells were fired consecutively. The target of the cannons were the city streets of the Royal Capital Arkham. In the blink of an eye, it had transformed the city streets into a hellish scene as people were suddenly awoken from their sleep by the air strike. Even Ash could clearly feel the panic and distress of the people on the ground from his aerial position high above them.

“The Royal Capital Arkham has been…!”

The streets of Arkham which had originally been kept under the shroud of a quiet night quickly burst into flames, and great infernos became visible everywhere.

“Stop! Do you understand what you’re doing!?”

Even so, the Demon Ship Uriel refused to halt its crazed assault. It didn’t seem to pay any heed to Ash’s words.

“Eco, we’re going to stop that guy!”

Ash sailed through the sky with Eco, blocking the path in front of the Demon Ship Uriel. The bow of the demon ship immediately began to metamorphose, revealing a new type of cannon. Was that the main gun? What Ash laid eyes on was an irregular cannon that was the merger of a barrel and tentacles, resulting in a massive extra-terrestrial cannon that exceeded human imagination.

—Boom!

The Demon Ship Uriel blindly fired the main gun.

“Look out!”

“Gaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!”

Eco instantly read Ash’s mind and deployed a shield of defensive magic.

—Bang!

Streaks of light violently flashed as the magic bullet landed a direct hit on the shield that had been constructed with defensive magic. 

—Doooooooooooooon!

The sound of an explosion rang out, followed by an echoing rumble. The resultant shockwave pulsed through the atmosphere. Ash was almost swept away by fierce gusts of wind, and it took immense effort just to maintain stable footing.

[Graaaaaaaahh!]

The Demon Ship Uriel let out another snarl as Ash and Eco recovered from the situation. There were numerous significant changes that had taken place upon its wicked hull.

“Hey…is that for real?”

Ash was shocked and dumbfounded. Every single one of the tentacles that protruded from the ship’s surface were just as thick as the tail of a Maestro. Moreover, there weren’t just ten or twenty of them. A rough estimate based on visual inspection placed their number at around a hundred or so.

“Kuu…”

Upon witnessing the overwhelming scene, Eco uttered a cowardly whimper. Eco was attacked by the tentacles of a Necromancia shortly after she was born, and that might’ve left her with a traumatic experience when it came to tentacles.

“Don’t be afraid, Eco. You’re the Holy Dragon Emperor right now, and even a crying child will settle down when they hear your name. I’m right by your side as well.”

To help defuse Eco’s fear, Ash offered tender words of encouragement.

“Grah!”

Eco growled as if to say ‘Of course!’ in response. This also reaffirmed to Ash that Eco was still Eco, even if her appearance had become that of a dragon.

“Let’s go!”

Ash looked at the tentacles that could strike at any moment and surround them like a net as he envisioned the shape of his Ark Weapon.

“O all-conquering steel that slashes through all, the holy sword destined for the knight of all knights—”

A tremendous amount of magical energy manifested into a structure, and a solid sensation was transmitted to his hands. The <Seikoku> that covered Ash’s body heated up and reacted strongly, as if welcoming the manifestation of the holy sword.

“Appear, Excalibur!”

As he declared its name, Ash swung down with the holy sword. A beam of light with the holy attribute hit the Demon Ship Uriel.

“Yeah!”

Ash instinctively raised a cheer, but immediately noticed that something was off about the situation. Although the holy sword had indeed wiped out the majority of tentacles that were on the ship’s surface, the ship itself was unharmed.

“How is that possible!?”

Just as Ash stared at it in astonishment, new tentacles emerged one after another to completely cover the bare ship’s surface once more. At that moment, a mass of tentacles pierced through the cold night sky, targeting Eco’s large body.

“Guuhhhhh!”

Her forelimbs, hindlimbs, wings, tail…the tentacles that encroached toyed with Eco’s defenceless body.

—Zyun!

The vicious tentacles also swarmed towards Ash. A knight and their Pal shared a common thread of life. If Ash were to lose his life, then Eco would also lose hers because they were connected through Astral Flow—

“As if I’ll let you!”

Ash swung his sword left and right, cutting off the assailing tentacles one after the other.

“What’s the meaning of this, Navi!? Why doesn’t Excalibur have any effect!?”

After Ash shouted aloud, Navi responded by projecting her voice in his mind.

[Pluto’s aura is too strong, and it’s offsetting the power of Excalibur. It appears that Princess Cassandra embedded an extremely pure Pluto in Uriel’s body. The ability to produce such pure Pluto…I can’t think of anyone capable of it aside from the Dark Dragon King.]

Navi explained. It was also indirect proof that the thing residing in Cassandra truly was the Dark Dragon King Mordred.

[—Fire!]

At that moment, a lovely voice resounded from a magical amplifier…

—Boom!

A dazzling beam of light streaked through the night sky, exploding at the flank of the Demon Ship Uriel.

[Guahhh!]

As the Demon Ship Uriel screeched in pain, the ship lost balance and began to lean sideways. Ash and Eco used this opportunity to escape from the grasp of the tentacles. Ash glanced back to find that the ancient magical ship Escavaron was approaching.

[Are you okay, Ash?]

Mirabel asked from the ship. Ash was so tense that he forgot to offer any words of gratitude, instead shouting,

“Please retreat immediately, Princess Mirabel! You cannot allow Escavaron to continue approaching such danger!”

[…I am no longer a princess.]

However, Mirabel simply offered a cold reply.

“Geez, now isn’t the time for arguing! Fine, Mirabel-san!?”

[Yes, what is it?]

“Please leave this airspace immediately! The demon Uriel and Claíomh Solais have merged together! If you’re not careful, the Escavaron might even be taken down!”

Ash shouted in reply as he glanced sideways to assess the situation with the Demon Ship Uriel. Although the Demon Ship had taken a direct hit from the Escavaron’s main gun, its appearance remained the same. No, although the main gun had indeed been activated, its current firepower was far from its full capability because Ash was not sitting in the captain’s seat. Ash recalled an explanation that Mirabel had once given in the ship. As the <Avalon Knight Dragner>, it was necessary for Ash to sit in the captain’s seat, otherwise the Escavaron would be unable to utilise its full potential. One by one — tentacles slowly appeared from the damaged section of the Demon Ship Uriel. It appeared that the Demon Ship had already begun to repair itself. It had also deployed a defensive magic barrier in front of itself, in preparation for the Escavaron’s second wave of attack. That cautious attitude was very much in line with Uriel’s personality.

[…I understand. We’ll continue to monitor Uriel while we—]

—Boooooom!

In that instant, Mirabel’s voice was interrupted as a shockwave impacted the Escavaron.

“That’s impossible!”

Bearing witness to the unbelievable scene, Ash was rendered speechless. In the blink of an eye, the Demon Ship Uriel had used high-speed movement to ram the stern of the Escavaron. From Ash’s point of view, the Demon Ship Uriel seemed to have closed that distance instantaneously.

“It actually has the ability to move that enormous mass instantaneously…!”

While Ash remained stunned, the Demon Ship Uriel commenced its next wave of assault. While the sharp end of its bow was ploughed into the Escavaron’s stern, an endless mass of tentacles poured out from it. The Escavaron’s exterior was gradually surrounded by a net of tentacles. The squeaks and whines of the Escavaron’s structural stress could be heard as a result of the pressure exerted on it. Just as Ash had worried, the Demon Ship Uriel intended to absorb the Escavaron as well. Once invaded by the tentacles, it would be extremely difficult to escape.

“Eco, how is your body holding up?”

Upon hearing Ash’s question, Eco growled in a low tone. She had been caught off guard earlier, but it seemed that a spark had been lit in her motivation to face Uriel.

“Good! Let’s pull Uriel off from the back of the Escavaron!”

Following Ash’s order, Eco spread her silver wings and zoomed towards the aerial location of the Escavaron.

[—Ash, be careful! It’s about to attack!]

A warning came to Ash’s mind from Navi. Ash also quickly realised — magic turrets had gradually appeared all over the Demon Ship Uriel. The turrets began to simultaneously release rays of light. Countless rays of light pierced through the night sky, locking onto Eco’s giant body as she approached. Although there was a surreal beauty to them, Eco would surely fall if she took a direct hit—

“Evade them!”

Eco promptly turned around in response to Ash’s command, and an astonishing lateral force pushed against Ash’s body during the manoeuvre. It felt as though his body weight had instantly become several times heavier. Although under the protection of his Ark, he still struggled to cling onto Eco’s body. However — the terrifying beams of light changed direction, desperately chasing after Eco’s tail.

“They’re homing in on us!?”

Ash couldn’t help but complain to himself. If this went on, it would only result in Eco being pushed further and further from the Demon Ship Uriel. While Ash and Eco were concerned with keeping themselves safe, Uriel used that opportunity to continue his encirclement and integration of the Escavaron with his tentacles. In the corner of his eye, Ash confirmed that almost half of the Escavaron’s exterior was already covered by tentacles.

“We have to hurry back to rescue everyone…!”

The moment that Ash tightened his grip on Excalibur, everything in his field of vision suddenly turned to white.

—Boom!

“Kuuuuuuuuuuhhh!”

Eco couldn’t help but cry out in agony upon being hit by a projectile. Ash quickly surveyed Eco’s body with his eyes. Smoke drifted off from her left hind leg. Although there didn’t seem to be any blood loss, it had definitely been burned. The cause of the smoke likely arose from the burning of her left hind leg’s fur.

“Are you okay? Eco! Uwahhh—!”

Perhaps the excessive pain caused her to lose control momentarily — Eco moaned in pain as she spiralled down.

Part 2

—The Escavaron’s cockpit.

Mirabel sat in the captain’s seat, while Anya manned the controls and Celes sat at one of the communication terminals. Sitting neatly at another of the communication terminals was Oscar, who had become nothing more than a living doll. Although she was conscious, her eyes remained lifeless and not a trace of willpower could be felt from her.

“Princess-sama!”

At that moment, the door to the cockpit was abruptly pushed open as Eunice’s voice surged through. Out of old habit, Eunice still addressed Mirabel as ‘Princess-sama’ in that instance. It was only when Eunice made a mistake that Mirabel did not seem to voice a correction. Eunice supported Rebecca on her shoulder.

“Sorry. Princess Mirabel…no, Mirabel-san.”

Rebecca’s expression looked terribly haggard and even walking appeared to be strenuous for her. Bandages completely wrapped around her naked upper body. If not for Uriel’s attack, it would’ve been possible to use the medical device <Iunones> at full capacity, but the situation at hand didn’t allow her to rest and heal without worry.

“I’m sorry…Princess-sama. Some tentacles have already invaded the infirmary’s ventilation passages. All I could do was bring Rebecca-sama here…”

“It can’t be helped. I should actually thank you for bringing Rebecca here.”

After offering praise for Eunice’s efforts, Mirabel pondered for a moment in silence. Although Max, Lucca, Raymond and Jessica had formed a defensive line on the deck with their Pals, it was likely a difficult task for just four knights to fend off the vast number of tentacles. On the other hand, Eco had just been struck and fell from a high altitude. In the worst case, she might have fallen at the centre of the Royal Capital Arkham. Ever since they had been shot down, not a word had been heard from Ash and Eco.

The most unbelievable fact was that the demon Uriel had merged to become one with the Claíomh Solais. Moreover, it seemed that Uriel wanted to take over the Escavaron as well. If that really was his objective, then where would the tentacles move towards as their top priority target? Uriel’s will was controlling the tentacles. By observation, it didn’t seem as though the tentacles were blindly thrashing about like wild beasts. In fact, when they discovered Rebecca and Eunice in the infirmary, they should’ve immediately attacked them without mercy. By deduction, was the target of the tentacles truly the engine room where the magical core was located? After all, the magical core was the power source for the entire magical ship.

“Anya, are there any abnormalities in the figures for the magical core?”

“Nothing abnormal so far!”

Returning to the helmsman’s position, Anya quickly inspected the gauges and meters on the panel and answered with a sonorous tone.

“In that case…Uriel’s first target…could it be—!”

—Boom!

The instant that Mirabel stood up from her seat, the door behind them was forcefully busted open. An intricate entanglement of tentacles that moved as a single entity occupied the space where the door originally sat. Its dark purple appearance glistened due to a layer of slime as it slowly invaded the cockpit.

“Is it planning to take over the cockpit’s primary control systems first…?”

Mirabel murmured as beads of cold sweat continually formed on her brow.

“If that’s the case, we’ll just have to hang on until the very end! After going through all that trouble to rescue Oscar, we’re not going to be killed in a place like this!”

Celes picked up the door that had been shorn off its hinges and rushed towards the doorway with it.

“Take this!”

Celes forcefully pushed the door back into the frame that was filled with tentacles. The tentacles that were sandwiched between the door and the frame began to spasm in apparent pain.

“I’ll help you too! Eunice-san, please take the helm for me!”

After taking off from the control seat, Anya worked with Celes to support the door while Eunice immediately traded places into the helm. However, a number of slender tentacles began to invade the room once again from the tiny gaps between the door and its frame.

“Azul Ex-Blizzard!”

Rebecca activated an Oracle to keep them out of danger. Although she was bruised all over, she still had a Bright Dragon Crystal in her hand. The tentacles that constantly tried to invade via the doorway and its gaps were frozen solid by advanced frost magic, completely sealing them off.

“Phew. We’ve held them off for now.”

Celes breathed a sigh of relief as she muttered to herself.

“But, if this goes on, it’ll only be a matter of time…”

—Crack!

As expected, the door that had been frozen solid was pushed down. As powdered ice splashed into the air, an astounding number of tentacles charged into the cockpit from the doorway.

“Damn it. So we are going to die here…”

Although Celes always had a strong expression, her face finally revealed a look of despair.

“…………”

Anya didn’t utter a single word either as she stood in front of Mirabel, intending to use her own body as a shield.

Even Mirabel fell into despair — is this as far as we go? Rather than face the assault of these monstrous tentacles, wouldn’t it be less painful to die on my own terms?

—Ash, are you okay…?

These feelings are so hard to describe. Even though I’m about to die, why is it that the last person I’m thinking of is Ash—?

The tentacles surged forth like an unstoppable wave. Mirabel closed her eyes as her entire body stiffened. Her four limbs were ensnared by tentacles, her clothing was stripped off, and her entire body was swallowed up — the moment that she felt as though death would be a better ending than staying alive, Mirabel felt that something was wrong.

“…?”

A deathly silence that numbed everyone’s senses descended upon the cockpit. Mirabel trembled as she slowly opened her eyes to take a peek — all of the tentacles had stopped, frozen and motionless as if time had ground to a halt. Moreover, the tentacles that were once so energetic slowly began to disappear—

[W-What is this…!? There’s something…something is inside my body…this unpleasant energy…what is it…!?]

The demon Uriel suddenly groaned in pain.

“…What’s happening?”

After Mirabel murmured so to herself, she found that Celes and Anya were also dumbstruck. Rebecca and Eunice also seemed full of doubt.

“What we can be certain of is that some kind of abnormality has occurred to Uriel’s body.”

Mirabel rested her chin on her fingers as she pondered in thought. Soon, she came up with a certain postulation. Because the demon Uriel was overcome by his desires, he merged with the magical ship Claíomh Solais without thought or hesitation. However, in the Claíomh Solais’ engine room—

“…I see, so that’s how it is.”

Having come to a sudden realisation, Mirabel wanted to explain the situation to everyone else who had given up hope. After all, if they wanted to stop the demon Uriel, the only great opportunity that they had was now—

“Everyone, get back to your posts! This ship will be free from Uriel’s entanglement!”

Part 3

—Going back in time slightly.

After being hit in her hind leg, Eco continued to spiral and fall like a meteorite. Looking down, it appeared that they would soon crash into the pointy spires of Arkham Castle—

“Stop, Eco!”

Ash knelt down on one knee and concentrated his whole mind on his connection with Eco.

“Kyuuuuun…”

After Eco unleashed a roar that seemed to resonate with feelings of excitement, she halted the rotation of her body. She spread her wings wide to combat the opposing force of the wind and gravity. After narrowly avoiding the spires of Arkham Castle, Eco managed to maintain altitude as she flew towards the outside of the city walls.

—Doooooooooonnnnn!

At last, Eco made an emergency landing on the Hévin-LeCoultre Plains. Eco’s enormous body created a large crater in the plains. The distance to the city walls was only a mere twenty metres. One of the silver linings in this was that she didn’t fall into the city of Arkham — but in the next instant, a flash of dazzling light filled the night sky. The scene of thousands of beams of light pouring down from the sky looked like a rain shower of light, but this was not the time for them to be fascinated by the scenery. The Demon Ship Uriel’s onslaught still showed no sign of stopping.

“Eco! Can you still go on!?”

“Gooooooooooooohhhhh!”

—Who do you think I am!?

If one had to translate Eco’s growl, that was probably close to what it meant. Eco’s wings shaped the wind as she darted off in a straight line, carrying Ash away from the Royal Capital Arkham with her at a speed that he had never experienced before. Just before the shower of light was about to bombard the surface, it suddenly changed direction and began to chase after Eco.

“More! Go even faster!”

“Ooooooohhh!”

Eco’s entire body emitted an astounding amount of magical energy. A fraction of that magical energy streamed off behind her, cutting into the Hévin-LeCoultre Plains and kicking up a storm of dust.

“Now!”

Eco’s enormous body responded to Ash’s shout and immediately took off into the air. The dense cloud of dust that was kicked up acted as a smokescreen, causing the homing beams of light to momentarily lose track of their target. Thus, all of the beams fired into the plains and exploded. Ash and Eco borrowed the strong winds caused by the explosion to climb up into the night sky at a frightening speed as they flew straight towards the Escavaron.

“We can see it!”

Ash gazed into the night as he spotted the immobile Escavaron and the Demon Ship Uriel that chased after its stern. The next instant — the Escavaron’s magical engine made a low-pitched hum as it began to operate and quickly accelerate. The Escavaron which had been affixed to a point in the air began to drag the Demon Ship Uriel along with it.

“That’s odd. What’s wrong with Uriel? The Escavaron is already trying to break free, but he doesn’t seem to be resisting at all…”

Ash frowned as he pondered the cause. Eco also looked up at the Escavaron and Uriel with confusion but continued her approach anyway. The Escavaron gradually continued to increase its speed and then rolled. The hull that had been pushing ahead with speed suddenly turned sideways. Driven by the hull, the stern generated a large centrifugal force which caused a sudden change in direction. The tentacles which had been tightly holding onto the Escavaron were torn apart in an instant. The Demon Ship Uriel was hurled into the night sky like a stone thrown by a catapult.

[—Guaahh!]

Uriel’s cry echoed through the sky as his whole body was covered in broken tentacles, and he drifted further and further away from the Escavaron’s airspace.

“Mirabel-san! What on earth happened!?”

Ash shouted towards the Escavaron. If he was lucky, perhaps his voice would get picked up by the main system and transmitted across to the cockpit. After a few seconds of silence — Ash’s expectations were met as Mirabel replied to him through the magic amplifier.

[Ash! I’m glad you’re safe…!]

Mirabel’s voice was fuelled by emotion, completely unlike her usual calm self.

[By my speculation, I’m afraid…it’s likely that Uriel has completely integrated himself with the magic ship Claíomh Solais, so even the ship’s power source — the Millennium has also been absorbed into his body.]

“The Claíomh Solais’ Millennium…”

[Indeed. I’ve heard that the Claíomh Solais’ Millennium belongs to the holy attribute. To draw an analogy, it would be like a slow-acting poison spreading through Uriel’s entire body. Go, Ash! If you’re going to defeat the demon Uriel, now’s the time. This is a unique opportunity!]

“Just a minute, Mirabel-san.”

Ash calmly replied,

“It’s too dangerous to attack Uriel in a place like this. The area right below us is the city of Arkham. With the holy sword Excalibur, it’s not really a problem to strike Uriel down, but I can’t cleanly erase even the remnants of the Claíomh Solais…”

[Don’t worry about that, Ash. You’ve got the most powerful Pal, Eco, to support you.]

“What do you mean by that?”

[The breath of Avalon’s Holy Dragon Emperor, also known as <Sacred Breath> boasts overwhelming firepower — that is how it was recorded in an ancient manuscript that I once read.]

“You mean…?”

[Yes, as long as Eco fully utilises her power, even the demon Uriel who has merged with the Claíomh Solais is bound to be vulnerable.]

Although this plan of attack was sloppy by Mirabel’s standards, it meant that the current situation called for urgency and did not allow for any far-sighted planning. After all, it was impossible to rule out the possibility that Uriel would find a way to suppress the influence of the Millennium. That was why Mirabel was correct — this moment in which Uriel was tormented by the holy attribute of the Millennium was the perfect opportunity to counterattack. Even though Ash also understood this, there was still a freckle of hesitation in Ash’s mind.

“No matter how wicked that guy is, he’s still Oscar’s brother. If possible, I’d want to arrest him rather than kill him…”

Ash clenched his fists. He also knew that it was an unrealistic ideal. However, the method of using Eco’s overwhelming firepower to erase Uriel from the world was something that Ash couldn’t bring himself to do. Regardless of the ideal possibility, upon giving it calm thought, a key point was that there was information on Cassandra which could only be obtained from Uriel himself. Thus, erasing him right now was not the smartest solution — perhaps coming to understand the thoughts that circulated in Ash’s mind, Mirabel then said,

[Listen closely, Ash. If Uriel still has a trace of conscience left…perhaps the <Sacred Breath> will avoid Uriel’s actual body.]

“What do you mean?”

[Exactly what I said. <Sacred Breath> is not an absolute weapon that burns everything indiscriminately. <Sacred Breath> will not burn anyone with a conscience to ashes.]

“Although I don’t fully understand…Eco, can you do it?”

Eco slowly lifted her neck and let out a groan through her nose as if she wasn’t fully pleased about something.

—This is all we can do right now!

Ash couldn’t help by reveal a wry smile as he somehow sensed that was what she tried to express.

“Alright! It’s up to you, Eco!”

“Ooooooooooooooooooooohhhh!!!”

With a valiant roar, Eco condensed her magical energy to its limit. Her silvery fur began to stand on end, and strong winds began to howl around them. A faint glow emanated from Eco’s body, softly enveloping Ash within it. The <Seikoku> that spanned Ash’s entire body began to feel warm, shimmering brightly all of a sudden. This was a unique and vital opportunity. They couldn’t afford to miss…! With the determination that one hit would decide it all, Ash declared,

“Now, Eco!”

Eco used her full power — and let loose <Sacred Breath>!

“Kuh…!”

With his entire field of vision dyed a pure white, Ash reflexively closed his eyes. The white flames that Eco spewed forth turned into dense light that shot straight up towards the sky. And then, they hit the centre of the Demon Ship Uriel.

—Boom!

The demon ship was then enveloped in purifying flames. A gust of wind that felt sharp enough to cut through skin kicked up and raced about, as if to disintegrate the night with its scorching heat.

“Urgh…!”

Ash used all the strength in him to hold onto Eco’s body. The aftermath of the fire was intense enough to blow him away if he became careless for even a moment. Even with Eco’s enormous body, she was almost blown out of the air by the tremendous force of the wind. Not far away, the Escavaron also rocked about unsteadily. Just staying adrift in the air was probably a difficult task for it.

[Guahh…I won’t forgive you, Avalon Knight…guahhhhh…!]

The demon Uriel’s screams echoed and mingled with the deafening explosions. Even though he had attained extraordinary power with Pluto, that would become fragile when exposed to such immense heat. After a while, the heat waves dissipated, and their vision gradually cleared up again. Ash was filled with confidence. Scorched by such powerful flames, the Demon Ship Uriel must’ve been eliminated without a trace, just as Mirabel predicted, becoming mere particles of dust—

“That can’t be…!”

Looking up at the sky, Ash was so shocked that no other words could escape from his mouth. The biological body of the demon Uriel had indeed been destroyed. However, even after being burned by fire, the Claíomh Solais’ bridge remained intact. The volume of that wreckage alone was enough to match a three-storey fortress. As one would expect, the wreckage of that bridge began its free fall descent. If that large wreckage was allowed to fall into the city centre, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Navi, why is this happening? Why wasn’t <Sacred Breath> effective!?”

[Eco’s attack was undoubtedly at her full power. It’s just that the demon Uriel’s defences exceeded our expectations…and that’s all.]

“That guy is way too ridiculous…”

[Putting that problem aside for now, I suggest that you return to the Escavaron as soon as possible. In another ten seconds or so, Eco will revert to her human form and your Ark will also be lifted.]

“What!?”

Ash then realised that something was amiss. It was no wonder that he felt as though Eco was eerily quiet — it was because she had exhausted her magical energy. Her body was gradually shrinking.

“Come on, Eco! Let’s return to the Escavaron…!”

Just barely taking notice of Ash’s encouragement, Eco began to fly. After resting her head on the Escavaron’s deck to let Ash down, her strength was completely drained. Eco’s enormous body was instantly shrouded in light, and — she reverted to a naked girl who lay in Ash’s arms. Just as Navi predicted, Ash’s Ark also turned into particles of light which drifted into the air and silently disappeared. On the other hand, Max, Raymond, Lucca and Jessica were all lying on the Escavaron’s deck as well. They had more or less been lightly injured. The six dragons Cú Chulainn, Tristan, Arianrhod, Gawain, Brigid and Rhiannon were also similarly injured and paralysed on the deck.

“Damn it! There’s nothing else we can do!”

Ash murmured, but then suddenly recalled one thing.

“That’s it, Mirabel-san! We can use the Escavaron’s main gun—”

[That won’t work, Ash. In order to fire it a second time, we have to wait fifteen minutes. Moreover, if you’re not sitting in the captain’s seat, we won’t be able to utilise its full firepower…]

Mirabel communicated with Ash through the sound device that was installed on the deck.

“Kuh! Does this mean that we can only sit and watch as the innocent citizens of Arkham become the victims of our war against Uriel? How could this happen…”

Just when Ash slammed his fist against the deck, resenting the situation—

“This is a destructive weapon that can turn the entire continent into ashes.”

From somewhere, words that seemed to form a chant resounded.

“And so I vow to that I will only wield this extraordinary power to protect the people that I love.”

In bewilderment, Ash looked up and around the night sky.

“That voice…could it be!?”

An Ark Dragonar darted across the sky at high speed, as if they were intending to block the falling wreckage.

“That can’t be possible though…!”

Ash stared into the night sky with widened eyes. After the knight entered the bottom section of the bridge, they disappeared from Ash’s view.

“I swear this as the Fourth Princess of the Knight Country, Silvia Lautreamont!”

Even so, the knight’s oath resounded powerfully throughout the sky.

“Appear, the power to destroy evil! The Dragonar Gun bestowed to me by the great Maestro Lancelot—”

Overwhelming magical energy overflowed and filled the cold night sky.

“Its name is Arondight!”

Magical energy dyed a shade of icy blue rapidly expanded, shining brightly like a star.

“Princess-sama!”

Ash couldn’t help but cry out in that moment.

“Uoooooooohhhhh!”

Silvia howled as she exerted all her energy into a point-blank attack. Ash’s vision was once again smothered by pure white. Moreover, an ear-splitting explosion followed soon after it, so deafening that his hearing even blanked out momentarily.

Part 4

That night, a vast number of meteorites appeared in the skies above the Royal Capital Arkham. In the city centre that had turned into a hellish landscape as a result of the massive explosion of Demon Ship Uriel above it, it was heard that many citizens stopped in their tracks, fascinated by the sudden appearance of falling meteorites. Fortunately, the small objects that fell scattered across the city, or the fragments of the magic ship to be precise — caused no harm to the citizens. And when Silvia returned to the Escavaron, another person was carried along on Lancelot’s back. However, that person’s appearance was a mess with tatters of clothing stuck to their body, they truly were a pitiful sight. Moreover, they were completely unconscious — despite all of that, it was still clear that this person was indeed Third Prince Uriel. Eco’s <Sacred Breath> seemed to have been effective given that the Pluto which had been implanted in his forehead by Cassandra was completely gone.

“The End of The War ~A.S.B.1365.12~” is closed.

Epilogue

Part 1

Having destroyed the remnants of the bridge, Silvia arrived at the Escavaron’s cockpit with a surprisingly calm expression while Cosette followed behind her. Mirabel and Ash were the only two people in the cockpit. Because Anya and Eunice were in the infirmary tending to the injured, they had switched the ship to its autopilot mode. Aside from Rebecca who sustained serious injuries, Max, Lucca and Jessica who were responsible for the ship’s defensive line also sustained light injuries, hence the infirmary was somewhat overcrowded.

Welcoming the arrival of Silvia and Cosette, Ash was overjoyed at their reunion. Although grateful for saving them from a predicament, some doubts also emerged in Ash’s mind. 

“Princess-sama, I hope that you’ll accept my gratitude first. If you hadn’t arrived in time, I’m afraid that it would’ve resulted in an irreversible tragedy. But, why are you here? Princess-sama, you’re the eventual future Paladin. Even though we clearly repeated that you shouldn’t get involved with us…”

Ash questioned her, unable to suppress his doubts.

“Hey, Ash. Are you misunderstanding something?”

“Huh?”

“It is indeed my goal to become the next Paladin. That is why I cannot join the independent country of Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights”

“Ah, I see.”

Ash wondered about the need to emphasise that.

“To tell the truth, the reason that I came to visit your country was not for the purpose of providing assistance. Helping to destroy the wreckage of the Claíomh Solais just happened to be on the way.”

“What did you say!?”

The wreckage of the bridge that forced Ash and the others into despair — having destroyed it, what was most surprising was that Silvia described it as something ‘on the way’. Looking closer, it appeared as though the present Silvia had somehow grown in a few different aspects. What had happened? Silvia straightened her posture and then made a jaw-dropping declaration,

“I was sent here today as Fourth Princess Silvia Lautreamont, ambassador for the Lautreamont Knight Country!”

“Ambassador!?”

Ash retreated backwards in astonishment.

“I’m not just an ordinary ambassador, but one with special executive authority. Therefore, I would like to borrow a room in your country for use as the embassy of the Lautreamont Knight Country, if you would be so kind as to make the preparations.

“Ufufu. I would also like to apply for residence as an assistant and maid of Princess-sama.”

Cosette smiled amicably behind Silvia. Perhaps this ingenious idea was instilled in her by Cosette…Ash couldn’t help but speculate.

“Hold on, Silvia. I’m willing to accept your determination, and I can’t find a reason to refuse…but, did you get permission from father and aneue first? I suspect that this is something that you’ve decided on your own, is it not?”

In a rare show of seniority, Mirabel began to admonish her younger sister. Immediately, Silvia’s expression became one of embarrassment.

“U-Umm, I haven’t consulted with them yet…”

Under the cold glare of Mirabel’s eyes, Silvia felt too ashamed to lift her head. The maturity that she had displayed just earlier completely disintegrated.

“…You’re such a troublesome girl. To begin with, someone who’s honest to a fault like you is unsuitable to be an ambassador. Without an indecipherable poker face and a silver tongue, you’ll be incompetent when it comes to diplomacy.”

“Ugh, u-umm, I—”

Silvia could barely string a sentence together as she completely lowered her head. At that moment, Mirabel wordlessly stepped forward. She gently embraced Silvia.

“Ane…ue…?”

Silvia buried her face in Mirabel’s chest, stunned beyond words.

“But it’s a fact that you saved us. I’ll tolerate it this time.”

“T-Thank you, aneue…!”

Perhaps this was the first time that Mirabel had praised Silvia in such a manner. Ash watched on while the sisters embraced each other with warmth and emotion — though he failed to notice that Cosette had snuck up close to him.

“By the way, Ash-sama—”

When someone suddenly whispered into his ear, Ash couldn’t help but jolt as he was startled.

“W-What is it?”

“Speaking of the Escavaron, it’s now your territory, base, and even a harem, huh? Ufufu. You’re quite the cunning genius.”

“W-W-What are you going on about!?”

Ash’s face instantly turned bright red. The word ‘harem’ continued to echo through his mind. Frankly speaking, with so many beautiful blossoming girls gathered here, Ash also felt rather troubled that it actually felt as though he was surrounded by a harem.

“Moreover, it appears that your bedroom has an extravagant luxury to it, Ash-sama.”

“Uwah!”

Ash was completely embarrassed. Just thinking about that extravagant bedroom caused his heartbeat to accelerate. The bed in that room was so large that it wouldn’t be an issue even if multiple girls joined him on it at the same time though—.

“Hah…will my body be ravaged by Ash-sama someday as well?”

“Stop making fun of me! And what do you mean by ravage!? You’re damaging my reputation!”

Whilst teased to the point of embarrassment by Cosette, Ash considered plans for the future. To start with, Third Prince Uriel had successfully been captured. Although Uriel was lucky enough to survive, he had made a disastrous mistake. As an heir to the throne, he had little chance of a comeback. In the future, Uriel would be extradited to the Knight Country’s government where he would face a merciless interrogation by Veronica. Eco’s <Sacred Breath> didn’t destroy Uriel’s body. This meant that despite all of his wrongdoings, Uriel did still retain a shred of conscience. Although there weren’t any expectations, perhaps he could still repent for his actions.

Once the symptoms onset by the narcotic <Galatea> healed, Oscar would immediately be able to become the king. The only problem was that the narcotic <Galatea> was a highly toxic drug with an unknown composition. Lucca had said that <Galatea> was a narcotic that used live humans as ingredients and was not something that could easily be detoxed. Thus, the next goal of Avalon’s Holy Dragons’ Emperor Knights was clear. Indeed, it was to restore Oscar to good health. 

The young Pope Raquel IV established a connection for urgent communication.

[Onii-chan, congratulations on your successful rescue of Oscar-dono! The elite troops of the Espada Holy Wing Knights who infiltrated the Chevron Kingdom have reported that all citizens of the Brailsford territory were protected and are safe!]

In that moment, cheers and applause suddenly filled the Escavaron’s cockpit.

“Thank you, Raquel!”

 Ash sincerely thanked Raquel for her kindness. Raquel then continued her report,

[Ah yes, it appears that Oscar-san’s adoptive parents, Lord Arthur Brailsford and his wife, are among the rescued citizens. Although Lord Arthur seems to have been quite hurt, he is not in life-threatening danger. Celestina Lafon-dono’s mother is also safe!]

Upon hearing Raquel’s report, perhaps due to a release of all her pent-up tension, Celes heaved a sigh of relief before passing out. Tears of joy faintly spilled out of her closed right eye. Eunice hurried over to take care of the unconscious Celes.

“Did Uriel’s army put up any resistance?”

When Ash asked, Raquel proudly replied,

[Apparently, as soon as Uriel’s army saw the banner of the Espada Holy Wing Knights, they raised a white flag and surrendered.]

“That’s quite amazing…”

Ash remarked. But perhaps such a result was to be expected. The majority of Uriel’s soldiers were believers of Rosa Maria. Rather than being excommunicated from the Church because of their resistance against the Holy Espada Agency, they chose unconditional surrender. For devout believers, excommunication from the faith was a punishment more painful than death. In addition, it seemed that the Epada Holy Wing Knights would be responsible for escorting the citizens released by Uriel’s army back to the Brailsford territory.

“We’ll have to cure Oscar quickly let her know about the good news.”

Ash vowed to himself once more.

Part 2

The good news that they had received was certainly encouraging, but the actions of Second Princess Cassandra who had abandoned Uriel were also worrying. The Dark Dragon King Mordred seemed to be slumbering in Cassandra’s body. They had already caught a glimpse of that on Cassandra’s body…. The combination of Cassandra and Mordred felt extraordinarily dangerous. The long-standing grudge between the Holy Dragons’ Emperor family and the Dark Dragons’ King family since ancient times — to Ash, it felt like an external affair that he couldn’t empathise with. The best outcome would be for the two families to put an end to their past grievances and make up…. There were as many difficult problems as stars in the sky.

—Anyway, I’ll just sleep until tomorrow morning for now.

After deciding so, Ash left the cockpit and made his way to his bedroom. Eco had likely already fallen asleep, occupying the luxurious bed without a care in the world…as soon as he thought that, the corners of Ash’s mouth naturally lifted into a smile.

“The Avalon Knight Dragner IV” is closed.

Afterword

Hello readers, I’m Shiki Mizuchi. Following the end of the last volume’s exciting conclusion, I started the ninth volume of [Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi] with a tense scene. What are everyone’s thoughts on [Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi Volume IX]?

Compared to the numbers ‘three’ and ‘seven’ which have great significance in the Christian religion, nine might just be an ordinary number. But, for an author who absolutely loves Norse mythology, the number nine has extraordinary significance. From this perspective alone, I’m truly grateful that I’ve been able to reach this milestone of a ninth volume.

In fact, when I first began writing [Seikoku], I had a certain goal in mind, and it’s one that I’ve finally achieved in this volume. Having attained an ancient magical ship, what kinds of decisions will Ash make in order to save a girl — yes, as an author, that is the premise that I hoped to one day describe when I first began writing two years ago. As for the details on what happened, please read the contents of this book. Now that one of my long-awaited wishes has been fulfilled, Shiki Mizuchi will continue striving towards the next goal!

In addition, a girl who was only introduced by name in the fourth volume — Pope Raquel IV has also made her official debut in this volume. She is the nine-year-old child genius (!) and monarch of the Holy Espada Agency which serves as the headquarters of the Rosa Maria faith. And upon her debut, she was instantly promoted to a leading heroine with a cover illustration. Her Eminence is truly above us (laughs). Readers, please look forward to the role that Raquel will play in the future.

And so, here are my acknowledgements. Editor Shoji-san, sorry for my delay in congratulating you now on your promotion to Deputy Editor-in-Chief. You also provided many meaningful suggestions in this volume, and I will not forget how much you have helped me.

Shimesaba Kohada-san — aside from Raquel on the cover, each and every one of the beautiful illustrations are transcendental this time as well, and I am truly grateful. Recently, I tried to put the full collection of [Seikoku] on the magazine rack in my room, and the spectacular sight left me lost for words.

RAN-san, thank you for your hard work on the serialisation in the monthly Comic Alive magazine! The story has finally reached the third volume of the original novel. Thanks to the blessing of RAN-san, I’ve been able to constantly discover details that I had overlooked when writing the novel. I look forward to every new chapter!

Responsible for the manga version, Editor Misaka of MF Bunko J’s editorial department and Deputy Editor Takahashi of Alive’s editorial department, I’m sorry that I still haven’t had the chance to meet you because I live in a rural area, so please allow me to use this opportunity to extend my deepest gratitude.

Staff in the editorial and sales departments, Studio Shindosha, distributors, proof-readers, overseas translation staff…and so on, you’ve provided immense support for this volume. Thank you!

Finally, to all of my readers. Ever since the creation of mizuchishiki.com, I’ve received many fan emails and would like to express my gratitude to all readers. I would also like to express sincere thanks to the authors of handwritten letters. As an author, I’m ashamed that I haven’t been able to find the time to write back (cries).

Well then, let us meet again next time. In the next volume — the second arc concludes!

July 2012, Shiki Mizuchi

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