Arc 9 Chapter 25

Chapter 9-25: 『Emilia was Furious』

"I'm really, really angry right now, so even if my opponent is Al, I can't go easy on you."

Saying this, the 『Witch of Frost』, who had turned the area around the prison tower into a snowy landscape, cast a stern gaze. The anger burning in her violet eyes made Aldebaran feel a dryness in the back of his throat. Even in the Empire, he had often seen her stretch her long limbs to their fullest, her beautiful face serious as she fought. However, that seriousness always carried her characteristic earnestness and compassion, never consumed entirely by passion. This was the first time.

"――――"

It was the first time he encountered Emilia's eyes filled entirely with anger, glaring intensely at someone. Much less, the moment when that anger was directed solely at him was beyond imagination.

"...Thinking it was beyond imagination is too convenient, isn't it?"

The enemy of the world who manipulated the 『Witch of Envy』 with the aim of taking over the dragon shell of the 『Divine Dragon』 Volcanica and stalling 『Sword Saint』 Reinhard. Even before that, at the point when Natsuki Subaru was confined, there were many who became enemies of Aldebaran, even if not on a global scale. Emilia was at the forefront of them. This confrontation was the price of an inevitable decision.

"Oh my, isn't that strange? It seems like I've made you quite angry, Mister. You know, that lady is really scary when she's angry, did you know that?"

"Shut up."

"Oh, how scary, how scary."

Roy, unable to move while slung over Aldebaran's shoulder, sneered mockingly. The circumstances of Roy's capture involved the battle with Natsuki Subaru and others at the Pleiades Watchtower—naturally, Emilia was also present there. It was only natural that he knew her. Even before that, Roy had consumed many 'names' and 'memories' in Priestella, so it wouldn't be surprising if among them were those who knew Emilia. Therefore, what should be focused on now is not Roy's sticky banter, but—

"—. Well, what a coincidence to meet you here, young lady—"

Aldebaran struggled to choose his first words, and finally opened his mouth. However, the effort he put into selecting those initial words was unfortunately in vain. Because――,

"――"

In the midst of Aldebaran's cautious attempt to gauge the other person's reaction, Emilia leaned forward, causing the thin layer of snow at her feet to explode as she kicked off the ground, her silver hair dancing beautifully. In the snow-covered view, just as the shimmering silver hair caught the eye――,

"Heya!!"

――An unforgiving punch from an icy gauntlet pierced through Aldebaran's solar plexus.

△▼△▼△▼△

――The time rewinds slightly from the blow to the solar plexus.

"Subaru and the others...!?"

"Yeah, it's a message from someone in my circle. Everyone at the tower got done in."

The one who conveyed this information was Felt, who was staying in the Royal Capital at the time. It was their first meeting since the Watergate City Priestella, but there was no time to rekindle their old friendship. In the first place, the reason Emilia visited the Royal Capital wasn't for a warm occasion――it was to report to the Royal Castle the fact that Priscilla Barielle had lost her life in the Volakia Empire.

The report that would greatly impact the Royal Selection and, more importantly, sadden many who knew and loved Priscilla, caused Emilia immense heartache. The fact conveyed by Felt was a significant blow to Emilia.

"Al..."

Emilia couldn't bring herself to say something as insensitive as "Why would you do that?" If Al were to do something reckless now, it would undoubtedly be related to Priscilla's death. Al's grief over losing someone so important was unbearable to watch, and that's why Emilia and the others listened to Subaru's plea and sent them to the Pleiades Watchtower. There, they hoped Al might find a way to recover—or at least a reason to look forward.

And yet—

"—Lady Felt, could you please tell us a bit more in detail?"

Beside Emilia, who was biting her lip and clenching her fists tightly, it was Otto who spoke to Felt. Unlike Emilia, whose heart was flustered by the news she didn't want to believe, Otto's profile as he looked at Felt was calm, and his voice was steady. But Emilia knew. —That Otto was most angry when he acted like this.

Otto, displaying the type of anger well-known among everyone in Emilia's camp, seemed to exert a quiet pressure that Felt seemed to sense. Crossing her arms, Felt said, "Yeah, that's right."

"The knight brother and the little spirit kid have been captured by that helmet guy, or so they say. I don't know exactly how, but it seems they don't intend to kill them."

"No intent to kill? ...Do you know about the others at the tower?"

"Flam, who contacted us, is fine. Meili and Emilia's maid are safe too. But our teacher and that Garfiel guy took quite a beating. It seems like their lives weren't taken either, though."

"—. I see. Thank you."

"It's not something you need to thank me for. Knowing someone is there and not telling you would just make me feel worse."

After sharing the information without any hesitation, Felt looked towards Emilia. Emilia, still unable to unclench her fists, was taken aback by the intensity of Felt's gaze. Felt continued, addressing the tense Emilia.

"Our plan is set. From here, we'll use Reinhard to quickly return to the territory. There's a mountain of things we need to do, and we'll consult with Old Man Rom."

"The territory, you mean the Astrea Territory, right? If that's the case, it's close to the Augria Sand Dunes, so we could go together with you, Felt-chan—"

"—No, let's not do that, Lady Emilia."

"Huh?"

Emilia, leaning forward with eagerness, was halted by Otto's calm voice. However, not understanding why she was being stopped, Emilia was puzzled. After all, they needed to rush to the tower where Subaru and the others were facing a dire situation.

"Is it because having more of us would make things difficult for Reinhard? Well, it's... um, it's hard to become really light all of a sudden, but I'll do my best...!"

"It's not like having Emilia-neechan and that bug brother around will change much of his burden. But that's not really the point, is it?"

"Regardless of how Felt-sama perceives me... yes."

As Felt and Otto nodded in agreement, question marks floated above Emilia's head. However, Emilia didn't doubt that the thoughts of the two, which she couldn't quite catch up with, were well-considered and correct.

"Felt-chan, be careful. Tell Reinhard too. And as for Al..."

"As expected, I can't make any promises about that helmet guy. Sorry about that."

"—. No, I'm happy that you told me you can't make any promises."

The time for their reunion was short, and the content of their conversation wasn't particularly pleasant. Even so, Emilia hugged Felt tightly at the end, sending her off from the Royal Castle with a strange expression on her face. After this, it was said that Felt and the others would fly to the Astrea Territory with Reinhard and take care of various tasks there.

"Subaru..."

After Felt left like a storm, Emilia hung her head in one of the rooms of the Royal Mansion that was left behind. Even now, she couldn't quite release the strength from her clenched fists. According to Felt, everyone who had been sent to the Pleiades Watchtower had suffered a painful experience. But among them, the one Emilia was most worried about was her knight, Natsuki Subaru.

In the Empire, he had been striving tirelessly for Rem and Spica, fighting alongside Abel, shrinking and growing, yet still unable to help Priscilla. To punish himself, he let many friends in the Empire hit him, which was unbearable to watch. That Subaru had his compassion for Al betrayed—

"...I"

Emilia became aware of the strange sensation flickering deep within her chest, recognizing the heat in her heart. It was a feeling slightly different from sadness or heartache, one that Emilia rarely experienced, which is precisely why it greatly confused her. The last time she felt such a boiling sensation in her chest, behind her eyes, and at the center of her heart was back then—when she faced Regulus in Priestella. Regulus, who had selfishly bound Sylphy and the other brides' hearts, had genuinely angered Emilia. The anger she felt now was as strong as, if not stronger than, it was back then.

"Lady Emilia, I'm grateful that you listened."

"Otto-kun..."

Recognizing the overwhelming passion within herself that she couldn't contain, Emilia instinctively understood that Otto, with his calm demeanor, felt the same way. Of course, he would. Otto was also one of those who had been worried about Subaru and the others and had traveled all the way to the Empire with Emilia and the rest. This is just too much—

"Take that!"

With a strong slap, Emilia struck her own cheeks with both hands. It was so sudden that it startled Otto, making him exclaim, "Eh, Emilia-sama?"

Feeling a bit apologetic for surprising him, Emilia lowered her hands from her tingling cheeks and said,

"My mind was all over the place, and I didn't think I could speak properly. But now I'm okay! ...Though saying I'm okay is a lie, I can talk properly now."

"...I see. In that case, I will too—"

"Kyaa!"

Mimicking Emilia, Otto also slapped his own cheek with a loud smack. The sound was so loud that it almost seemed like he might get a nosebleed, which surprised Emilia. However, Otto didn't get a nosebleed, and with his cheeks turning just as red as Emilia's, he said,

"—. I'll explain why I didn't accompany Felt-sama. It was because our presence wouldn't have made a difference and... to prepare for any eventuality."

"…Please continue."

With both hands still on his cheeks, Otto continued his explanation, and Emilia did not interrupt him. She had questions. She had things she wanted to say. But first, she would listen to everything the other person had to say. Otto surely had answers prepared for what Emilia was thinking.

"If 『Sword Saint』Reinhard stands on the front lines, sending in any number of forces based on military strength is meaningless. Lady Felt should understand that. Even so, the reason she returned to the territory is—"

"—Is that preparation?"

"Yes. Think about it. Regardless of Natsuki-san and the others, if someone attacks Lady Felt's associates at the tower, it's obvious that 『Sword Saint』Reinhard will emerge. Yet, Al... that man took the plunge."

Finally, Emilia began to understand what Otto was trying to say. Reinhard is incredibly strong. Probably, among those Emilia knows—or rather, including those she doesn't know, Reinhard is the strongest in the world. Puck said so too, so there's no doubt about it. Knowing that he would clash with Reinhard, it's strange that Al wouldn't have prepared anything. Therefore, Al must have made preparations, and even Reinhard might be in danger.

"Felt-chan returned to prepare because she's worried about Reinhard. ...But then, what about us? If it's about preparation, we could be with Felt-chan and the others..."

"We are the next line of preparation after 『Sword Saint』Reinhard for Lady Felt and the others."

"――. I see. If you knew Reinhard was coming and were preparing for that, then even if you were preparing for the preparations... um."

"That's correct. Of course, if you start talking about preparations for the preparations for the preparations, there's no end to it. The reason that man acted recklessly is due to what happened in the Empire... I don't think he had the time to plan that far or spend time on preparations. He should have had the same amount of time as us."

"...Yes, that's right."

Thanks to the detailed explanation, Emilia was able to catch up with Otto and the others' understanding. While impressed by the depth of thought, Emilia couldn't help but feel a sharp emotion when Otto referred to Al as 'that man.' Otto has a very strong sense of camaraderie. Surely, he's the strongest among Emilia and the others. While that's very reassuring, it also forces him to make very painful compromises.

But even so――,

"...I also don't know what to think, Al."

There is a reason. There must be. However, even with a reason, there are things that cannot be forgiven. I'm worried about Natsuki Subaru. I wonder if Beatrice is okay. I heard Garfiel got injured. Petra and Meili must be filled with anxiety. Even Patrasche, who loves Subaru dearly, might be crying. ――Deep in my chest, a fiery heat begins to rise.

"――It's my blunder."

Suddenly, Otto muttered this in front of Emilia, who was igniting a fire in her heart. The unexpectedness of his words made Emilia widen her eyes in surprise and left her speechless. Otto covered his face with the hand he had placed on his cheek and stared at the ceiling. With him being taller than her, Emilia couldn't see his face.

However, she could tell from the tremor in his voice that it wasn't just simple anger.

"I thought Natsuki-san was too involved. I forcibly convinced myself that if he acted for what the late Priscilla-sama left behind, it might distract him and bring some relief. I tried to believe that as long as Beatrice-chan, who had been separated from him, was by his side, everything would be fine. I thought Petra-chan would bravely handle the care and support, yes."

"Otto-kun..."

"More than anything, we left it all to Garfiel. Something that all of us should have done together, we made that straightforward, honest, and sensitive Garfiel do it."

"Otto-kun!"

At the moment when the tremor in that voice signaled an impending breakdown, Emilia grabbed Otto's arms, lowered his hands and face, and faced him directly. And then, she saw it. —Otto's bluish eyes, glistening with tears as if seeing them for the first time.

"Damn it... Why am I always so thoughtless...?"

"――――"

"When my hands can't reach, when my feet can't make it in time, when I'm lacking, I have no choice but to use my head. Even though I pretend to understand that, at the crucial moment, I'm always—"

"――"

Emilia didn't want to hear Otto's self-reproachful voice any longer, as he looked like he was about to cry. So, she pulled the arms she had been holding, bringing Otto's head to her chest. She held his head there, forcibly silencing him. Otto, seemingly very surprised by Emilia's actions, froze without a word. In that moment—,

"Don't speak so poorly of yourself! Otto-kun is doing his best! We all understand. We understand, so we want to listen properly to what Otto-kun has to say!"

"Emilia-sama..."

"I know! Even if I say this, Otto-kun, you understand that too, right? But I only have my own words, and I can only say what I've thought, so at the very least, I can only speak with my feelings. So—"

"——"

"Nothing is over yet. We can still work really hard!"

While tightly hugging Otto's head, Emilia spoke firmly. It was as if she was telling herself, but at the same time, they were words she believed in. It was none other than Natsuki Subaru, Emilia's knight, who had made her believe this many times. It was the greatest pride and trust that Emilia had built together with Subaru.

"We are really bad at giving up."

I'm not good at it. When I think it's over, I just want to curl up, hold my head, and run away. But because we can't do that, we have no choice but to keep trying without giving up.

Perhaps Emilia's plea reached him. Suddenly, the tension left Otto's body, and then,

"…Please let go of my arm. Natsuki-san will kill me."

"No, no one is going to die! That's why we're…"

"I understand! I understand, so please let go!"

As Otto struggled and flailed, Emilia reluctantly released her grip. Watching him closely to see if he had really regained his composure, Otto wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and sighed. A very big and deep sigh.

"It's not the time for this, but I remembered."

"Remembered what?"

"—The reason I'm helping Natsuki-san and Lady Emilia."

Wiping the corners of his eyes with the handkerchief to erase the traces of tears, Otto spoke with a calm expression. Unlike the very angry face he had just moments ago, it was a brave face, as if he had made a decision.

"The opponents have abducted Natsuki-san and Beatrice-chan. There must be a reason for that. The aim of the abduction is usually to threaten those involved, or the purpose is directly related to the person..."

"So, it's either us or Subaru they have business with, right?"

"Yes. If the 『Divine Dragon』 is truly involved, then this is an issue for the entire kingdom. We must fulfill our roles here in the Royal Capital."

"――. Yes, let's do that. We need to act swiftly."

While listening to Otto's vision for the future, Emilia earnestly suppressed her impulses.

"――――"

It was a delayed impulse, the urge to rush immediately to Subaru and the others. It was a strong, overwhelming feeling that tried to push aside the proper reasoning Otto had considered, like the presence of Reinhard or the preparations Felt had made.

She wanted to touch. She wanted to gaze. She wanted to hear his voice.
When you seem about to be hurt and hang your head, I wanted to be by your side.

"――Subaru"

Emilia still didn't know the name of the emotion burning in her chest, separate from anger.

△▼△▼△▼△

"Eiyaa!!"

She dove straight in and delivered a full-force blow to Al's solar plexus without listening to a word. ――All of this was under the instructions of Otto, who had sent Emilia out here.

"Please resist the urge to listen to what they have to say or their circumstances. You can do that after you've ensured they don't reveal their hand."

Otto, who had pushed Emilia forward as she dashed out, had used his 'Divine Protection of Speech' to the fullest to locate Al and the others, making his already pale face look ashen like a sick person.

He didn't want her to do anything reckless. But when it's time to be reckless, there's no choice but to be reckless. Emilia wasn't living a life where she could avoid being reckless to that extent.

So, to wrap up this recklessness as quickly as possible, Emilia would do her best.

"With this――"

Just as she was about to say, "How about that," Emilia felt something off with the sensation of her ice-hardened fist. She should have struck Al's bare body with her fist, yet the recoil felt like she had hit a hard, sturdy wall――,

"That was sudden...!"

With a strained voice, Aldebaran said that, his torso protected by a stone armor. Although it was a preemptive strike as Otto had instructed, it failed. But there was no time to dwell on it. If it didn't work the first time, try again and again.

"It's lonely when you won't even listen."

"That's because! Aldebaran, you too—mmph!"

"Mmph?"

"Promise not to talk, okay—!"

As Aldebaran was hit by Emilia's punch against his stone armor and was knocked back, Emilia forcibly closed his mouth midway and swung a hammer made of ice with both hands. Aldebaran, with one arm, was carrying a small figure on his right shoulder. Feeling it was unfair to take advantage of his handicap, Emilia deliberately struck Aldebaran's left side.

A full-force swing would hurt a lot if it hit. But that's not all.

"Tch!"

Aldebaran stopped Emilia's unfair blow with his left arm—a stone arm created by magic. However, Aldebaran clicked his tongue and immediately destroyed and discarded the left arm he had just made. The reason was that the part hit by the ice hammer began to freeze, and it was about to reach Aldebaran's body.

『If we ignore the emotional issues, we need to capture that man alive to rescue Natsuki-san and the others. In that regard, Emilia-sama's fighting style is well-suited. However――』

"――Promise you won't do anything reckless like Subaru!"

With the exchange and promise with Otto-kun before departure in her heart, Emilia creates new twin ice swords. ――Emilia's Ice Brand Arts, with an added change in its usage. The ice weapons she creates freeze the opponent they hit, depriving their body and weapons of freedom. It uses slightly more mana than creating ordinary weapons, but if it's not for numerous battles, it's within the margin of error. Stopping the opponent without taking their life. ――This is the new potential of martial arts that Emilia desired.

"Ahahaha! Old man, aren't you in quite a bad spot?"

"Shut up!"

Al, who discarded his frozen artificial arm, shouted angrily at the person he was carrying who was teasing him. Confirming with her own eyes that the person Al was carrying so persistently was indeed Roy Alphard, who had been captured in the Prison Tower, Emilia bit her lip.

Roy is the Sin Archbishop that Emilia and her group, along with Anastasia's team, worked hard to capture at the Pleiades Watchtower. Julius, in particular, put in a lot of effort, but Emilia held a very favorable view of both his decision not to take Roy's life and Anastasia's courage in acknowledging it.

"And yet, both of them end up disappointed...!"

No matter the objective, Emilia will stop Al here. Therefore, she will also stop Roy, whom Al has taken away, right here.

"I have no reason to go along with that scheme."

Just as Al was determined, the ground beneath his feet suddenly rose, launching the two of them into the sky. It seemed like an attempt to distance themselves from Emilia and escape from this place. Caught off guard, even if Emilia extended ice now, she couldn't catch up.

But—,

"Icicle Line—"

The barrier of ice and snow surrounding the prison tower does not allow any escape.

A scream of "Guh!?" echoes in the sky as Al's attempt to flee is thwarted by the ice canopy that completely envelops the area. Al crashes headfirst into the icy ceiling and falls upside down. Emilia moves to the spot where he is about to land and strikes him in mid-air with her twin ice swords――,

"――!?"

The twin swords are deflected by a hard sensation, causing Emilia to widen her eyes and gasp. If Al had blocked with his artificial arm like before, she wouldn't be so surprised. Al had indeed crafted a new arm, but that wasn't all he had made.――He had also created twin swords made of stone.

"Earthbrand Arts, is it?"

"Copycat...!"

"This was thought up by Natsuki Subaru, right? Then I have the right to use it too, don't I?"

In front of Emilia, who widened her eyes, Aldebaran spun around from the recoil of clashing ice and stone dual swords, distancing himself and landing once again on the snowy ground.

Around Aldebaran, stone weapons began to emerge one after another with a sound. Emilia realized and braced herself, noticing that Aldebaran could do the same thing with earth magic as her Ice Brand Arts.

Aldebaran, with stone-made arms holding stone-made weapons—on his shoulder, the figure of Roy, who should have been there until a moment ago, was absent.

"No way..."

"Yeah, it would be cool if I could say I let him escape in the confusion earlier... but that's not the case. I just threw him away because he was in the way. Over there."

Aldebaran shrugged his shoulders at Emilia, who had raised hers, and jerked his chin in that direction. What Aldebaran indicated was the earthen pillar that had risen earlier, where Roy was pinned upside down in the middle.

Covered with an earthen blanket and pinned to the pillar, Roy laughed at Emilia's gaze,

"Do your best, miss. If you don't win, we'll have no choice but to follow that old man's orders. Huh? But even if you win, we'll just end up back at the Prison Tower... haha, it doesn't matter who wins, does it?"

"...If you can wake up and reflect, then wake up and reflect."

Responding to Roy, who was staring intently, Emilia felt relieved that she hadn't let him escape and turned back to face Aldebaran. Roy, who had been immobilized by magic, was now unsealed, which was quite dangerous. However, keeping him frozen in time wouldn't allow for any reflection. At the very least, Emilia's compromise was to create an environment where he absolutely couldn't escape and make him reflect while awake.

"All of this has to be properly dealt with here first."

"That's fine, but... what, have you decided to talk to me now?"

"Oh! ...From here on, I won't speak anymore."

"That's cold. I thought if we talked, you'd understand—whoa!"

As Aldebaran tried to continue the conversation, Emilia launched an ice stake as a declaration of her intent. Aldebaran dodged it with a side leap, and Emilia maneuvered around to thrust an ice spear at his side. The tip of the ice spear was caught by the blade of Aldebaran's stone sword, and both shattered simultaneously. Immediately, Emilia created another ice thrusting sword, and Aldebaran crafted another stone sword, beginning a duel where weapons were created and shattered in a continuous cycle.

"Good, great, fine, sure, maybe, isn't it nice, it should be, because I can think it's good! Binge drinking! Gluttony!"

While watching the icy rock swordplay between Emilia and Aldebaran, Roy's voice could be heard licking his lips. Consciously ignoring it, Emilia launched several sharp attacks, which Aldebaran narrowly and precariously dodged, making her feel something was off. It seemed like he should be hit but wasn't. It felt like kicking at shapeless water.

More than anything—

"I don't really want to praise it, but it's a well-executed technique. I'm envious of your mutual affection, young lady."

At such an outrageous remark—Emilia was Furious. She resolved that she must eliminate the cunning and tyrannical king. —Remembering what Subaru had told her was a stock phrase for when she was angry, Emilia was Furious.

She didn't want Aldebaran to speak of her and Subaru in such a manner. What made Emilia even angrier was that Aldebaran didn't genuinely believe it; he said it just to provoke her. And—,

"Hey, I've been wondering for a while, why do you always look so lonely when you talk to me, Al?"

"――. It's not like I'm talking to you..."

"Don't bring that up only when it's convenient! And one more thing!"

Raising her voice, Emilia swung down a large ice sword, which Aldebaran blocked by holding a rock sword above his head. At that moment, someone clung to Aldebaran's legs and waist. Aldebaran gasped as he realized it was the owner of the ice arms—an ice soldier. The presence of the ice soldier, modeled after Natsuki Subaru and relied upon by Emilia, made Aldebaran grit his teeth in frustration, muttering, "This is the worst...!" Emilia then lifted her foot, clad in ice shoes, and—

"When you talk to me, make sure to look at me properly!!"

This time, her powerful kick broke through the rock defense and struck Aldebaran directly.

△▼△▼△▼△

"――――"

Felt keenly noticed the subtle twitch of Yae's eyebrows. It wasn't that she was certain. It was just that, in this pitiful situation where she was completely helpless, she thought that any further disgrace was negligible and decided to cling to every hope she could.

One of those hopes was the possibility that something insignificant might be listening to her conversation with Yae, recalling the time when she was 'made to prepare for death,' and hoping for it.

"Keep quiet."

Yae, who usually kept her eyes narrowed, opened one eye and moved towards the door of the room. The undeniable pressure of her words was enough to make Felt believe that if she moved carelessly, the thread around her neck would exact its punishment.

Thus, leaving Felt unable to move, Yae reached out to open the door—when, in an instant, a sharp sword tip silently pierced through the door, mercilessly aiming for Yae's throat.

"――"

Felt held her breath as she watched Yae's white throat seemingly pierced by the sword—yet it wasn't. The sword tip stopped just before tearing Yae's throat.

It wasn't the opponent who stopped it. Yae had managed to barely defend herself by entwining threads around the sword tip.

It was a narrow escape from death, a hair's breadth, but Yae's crisis wasn't over. Another sword, separate from the one she halted, flashed with a gleam, cutting down the door, and the slashing light raged wildly.

"――――"

Amidst the oncoming storm of swords, Yae leaped back significantly while wielding her threads. One wielded a sword, the other threads, yet the clash of these two weapons resonated in the room like the pleasant sound of steel striking steel, burning Felt's eyes with the sword's gleam.

Yae, skillfully manipulating her hands, unleashed a barrage of threads filling her field of vision, tearing apart the luxurious room decor. However, the opponent also performed an impressive swordplay with both hands, cutting through the onslaught head-on, and forcefully swept aside the threads that entangled his sword—

"Zaaah!!"

"――Guh"

The front kick delivered struck Yae's slender waist directly. Yae twisted her body instinctively, spinning halfway as she was sent flying, landing on the floor with her feet against the wall, clutching her abdomen with her hand.

And then, she looked straight at the intruder who had done this.

"You are quite the merciless guest to suddenly kick a lady in the stomach, aren't you?"

"――Is it necessary? For someone like you, a shinobi, to show mercy?"

"Isn't that discrimination against shinobi? That's not something a gentleman would do, you know?"

"Unfortunately, I have no memory of ever being worthy of being called a gentleman. No matter how far I go, I am nothing more than a swordsman who can only wield a sword."

Saying this, the person shook off the threads from the swords in both hands and directed their calm blue eyes at Yae. To this self-assessment, Felt muttered quietly, "Don't be ridiculous."

Indeed, whether he is a gentleman or not is unknown. However, he cannot be confined to the evaluation of just a swordsman. Felt also knows that many would not allow him to be described as just that.

Because the man who calls himself a swordsman is the 'Sword Demon' who once triumphed at the pinnacle of swordsmanship――,

"――Wilhelm Trias. I heard of the kingdom's dire straits and have come to offer my humble assistance."

Hearing this introduction, Felt stepped back to the corner of the room, sighing. While harboring a deeply complex feeling about the unexpected reinforcements――,

"…Zodda bug brother, you're seriously not choosing your means, are you? …What's going on with the guy from Emilia's place?"

He muttered this, half in amazement and half in admiration.