�Travelling sure is exciting!�

Siesta shouted, pushing her large chest against Saito's arm.

Rather than �exciting� I'd say it's �touching.�

With a flustered face, Saito gave a short nod.

Inside a carriage, sitting next to each other, were Saito and Siesta.

Siesta was wearing a dark green one-piece dress with high boots.

Also, she had a small straw hat, which altogether made for quite the nice appearance.

When the black haired, sweet and innocent Siesta had that appearance, she seemed almost too cute overall.

More than just being cute, it was hard to hold anything back.

Damn you, putting me in this condition.

And the worst part is that, while making such an oddly audacious move, the cute Siesta was still radiating a sweet, innocent atmosphere.

As she sat next to Saito, she hugged one of his arms to her and squeezed her breasts against it.

�S-S-S-Siesta, when you get so close to me... your breasts are touching my arm and�and�� Saito said, half crying and becoming incomprehensible...

�Ah, I meant to do it!�

Siesta said with a totally carefree, smiling face.

�L� Like that, on purpose, that is� At a place there is a person, like that, hey, you��

Saito, who couldn�t stop talking, in order to soothe his own conscience, protested.

�You don�t have to worry about the coachman. He�s a golem.�

The young man sitting on the coachman stand was indeed a golem, a puppet which moved somehow or other with the use of magical power.

Now that you mention it, its eyes are like glass beads emitting light.

Consequently, this made Siesta even bolder. She placed her cheek on Saito�s shoulder and her mouth near his ear, mixing sighs with her voice.

��Doing it like this, just the two of us�it�s been a long time, hasn�t it?�

�Y� Yeah.�

�I think I heard about it sometime, but during summer break, what did you do with Miss Valli�re?�

I can�t tell her that.

I can�t say that Henrietta requested a secret mission from us.

Though it was mostly washing dishes and stuff, it's a secret.

�Uh, umm, that is�, I worked at a bar. Louise worked in the castle so�, what she did, I don�t know,� Saito lied about Louise. Saying the truth about himself is probably alright, he decided.

�Oh! A bar! Saito did? Why?�

�Eh, uh, that is� I don�t have any money.�

�If it�s something like that, a money thing, just tell me and I would be happy to help!�

�You would?�

�Yes, it isn�t much, but I've scraped my wages and saved!�

As expected of a reliable village girl. Instead of squandering money, she�s quite frugal.

Siesta�s kind proposal made Saito glad.

�It�s alright. Somehow, I managed!�

�Really? But, if at times you are in need, please tell me without holding back.�

There is no way I can borrow even a little bit of money from this admirable girl who has scrimped and saved like this.

�I can't borrow money from Siesta-san!�

�Why? As long as it's for Saito-san, money isn't important to me!� When she finished speaking, the girl lowered her shoulders.

�Ah, right, you mean you are really not interested in using my money right?�

�That's not the reason why!�

�You must hate me!�

�No, it's nothing like that!�

�Really? But Saito-san is always so cold to me...�

�I am? How so?�

�I am sitting next to you, and you aren't making a move.�

While Saito moved around hastily, Siesta hummed a little and moved her lips to his neck. The kind of feeling that can make a person melt surprised Saito to no end.

Siesta moved her lips upwards, finally nibbling Saito�s ear.

While feeling as if his brain was about to melt, the air seemed to grow cold and as a shivering sensation went down his spine. He shakily squeaked, �Si-Si-Siesta-san...�

In the instant he said that, something blew the top of the carriage away.

Well, blown is not the right word. It was more like some hidden explosive sent the whole thing flying. In that moment Saito and Siesta�s carriage suddenly changed from an enclosed carriage to one with a sky-light.

Trembling from fear, Saito slowly turned around and saw a carriage that was nearly twice the size and far more luxurious, pulled by two horses.

Sensing a killing intent emanating from the carriage, Saito didn't become simply afraid, but extremely afraid.�It looks like I'm going to die before we arrive at our destination.

The luxurious carriage released an overwhelming aura of death.

�Wa�Wa�the roof of the carriage!� Siesta wailed while latching onto Saito.

�Si-Siesta-san!�

�What, What is happening?�

�If you don�t want to die, I think we should sit apart.�

But that only made Siesta cling on to Saito even tighter.

�I don�t know what's going on, but my heart is pure!�

She screamed and pushed Saito down. On one side, Saito was very happy and excited about her feelings, while another kind of message flashed through his mind, �Haha, this is the end of my life. It really was too short, I hope I'll at least get to return to Japanese soil..�

Noon, two days after leaving the academy...

Saito and the rest reached the La Valli�re territory. However, by the time they would reach the mansion of La Valli�re it would already be late at night. Upon hearing the words �late at night�... Saito turned pale. He realized that this �territory� was nothing more than a courtyard.

However, after half a day spent traveling, he could not possibly understand how something this big could be a residence�s garden.

By Japanese standards, Louise�s territory could be called a mid-sized city. A city... Saito had never heard of somebody possessing so much land before. These Upper Nobles were truly intimidating.

Louise�s status as a noble was truly displayed once they entered her territory.

They decided to take a break at an inn�

Once their carriages stopped, Siesta, who arrived just a bit earlier, quickly got out of her carriage. Having been trained as a maid, she went to open the coach's door for Louise.

�Uwaa, I can�t believe Siesta just did that... without any protesting,� thought Saito as he walked towards Louise�s carriage. But before he could get there, he was knocked down by a crowd of villagers running from the inn.

The villagers removed their hats in front of Louise, who had just stepped down.

�Miss El�onore! Miss Louise!� they cried while deeply bowing down.

The villagers thought that even Saito, who was now lying in the dirt, was a noble. They quickly helped him up apologizing for their terrible manners.

�No, I�m not a noble�� Saito nervously tried to explain.

�Even so, you must be Miss Louise�s or Miss El�onore�s attendant. And we cannot disrespect that.�

The plain looking farmers said while nodding.

They went on saying things like �Let me carry your sword for you,� and �It must have been a tiring journey to get here, huh?� as they treated Saito with the utmost kindness.

�We will be resting here for a moment. Please inform the family of our arrival,� commanded El�onore.

A young boy quickly jumped onto a horse and rode off in order to report this.

They walked into the inn. Once El�onore and Louise approached the table, chairs were immediately pulled out for them to sit on. The two sat down as if it were second nature. Saito tried to sit next to them, only to be given a demeaning glare by El�onore.

�Saito-san! Saito-san!�

Hearing Siesta call, Saito turned around.

�Commoners are not permitted to sit at the same tables as nobles.�

That reminded Saito. Recently, he had been sitting next to Louise without worrying. Nevertheless, it was a strange thing to do in this world. Come to think, at first, Louise made Saito sit on the floor.

Louise opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a glare from El�onore. Louise could do nothing but sit in her chair like a good girl. Saito stared wide-eyed � it was the first time he saw Louise in such a state. She really looked naturally obedient in front of her older sister. She must be a really scary elder sister to make Louise seem so weak.

�Oh, how Louise has grown!�

�She�s growing more and more beautiful!�

The villagers were chattering around them.

�It seems Miss El�onore has been engaged, right?� someone muttered.

�SHHH! Don�t talk about that!� someone else scolded.

El�onore�s eyebrows started to twitch and her expression darkened. The atmosphere in the inn took a plunge. Apparently, the topic of El�onore�s engagement was definitely something to be avoided.

The commoners, feeling the murderous intent coming from El�onore, didn�t dare speak another word. Saito and Siesta exchanged glances. Then Siesta quietly got close to Saito and grasped his hand. She was afraid.

Not noticing the change in her elder sister, Louise spoke.

�El�onore. El�onore nee-sama...�

�What��

�Congratulations on your engagement!�

The face of every commoner fell, and a deep sigh escaped from them.

Once again, Louise had completely misread the atmosphere. All of a sudden, El�onore�s eyebrows shot up as she pinched Louise�s cheek.

�It hwwuuuurrtsss!! Waaahhhhh! Nee-shammaaa!! Whhyy?! It hwurts it hwurts it hwurts!!!�

�You don�t know? You speak of it even though you know you shouldn�t!�

�I won�t whoh wah ur alking awout!!�

�The engagement has been canceled!! C-A-N-C-E-L-E-D!�

�W-why?�

�Who knows? Why don�t you ask Earl Burgandi? He said something about reaching his limit. ...I can�t understand why.�

Saito completely sympathized with this Earl Burgandi. Yes. It was understandable that anybody who listened to her would soon reach their �limit�. El�onore was much fiercer and abusive than Louise. The Earl must have thought he didn�t have the stamina.

In the end, being unhappy with the marriage cancellation, El�onore just vented all of her anger on Louise�

And so, the preaching started. She scolded Louise for blowing the roof of the carriage. Louise�s stretched cheek became very red and swollen by then. Naturally, Saito felt sorry for Louise.

However, the reprimanding didn�t last very long, because the door suddenly opened and a flow of pink blew in<!>.

A girl, wearing an elegant dress around her slim waist and a wide rimmed hat with a feather on top, had entered. Under the hat was a flow of silky pink blond hair � exactly the same as Louise�s.

Surprisingly, a lovely face popped up from under the hat.

Although from the first look it was obvious that she was older, she looked very cute. Such a beautiful face was beyond description. Her eye color and the way her eyes sparkled was the same as Louise�s as well. Noticing El�onore, the girl stared at her with wide eyes.

�Ah! I�m so glad I noticed the strange carriage outside and came over here to take a look. I didn�t think I would meet you! El�onore nee-sama! You�re back?�

�Cattle...ya...� El�onore muttered.

Noticing the sudden guest, Louise looked up. Seeing Louise, Cattleya�s face radiated a happiness which was mirrored on Louise�s face as well.

�Big sister!�

�Louise! No way! You are not my Little Louise anymore! You came back as well!�

Louise stood up and launched herself into Cattleya's chest.

�It�s been so long, big sister!�

Unable to control their excitement, the two hugged with a squeal.

It seems like Cattleya was Louise�s sister. She had the same hair color, the same eye color � it was like looking at an older Louise. However, Cattleya�s face seemed to have a more calm and placid look than Louise�s. This aura of complete calmness and tenderness coming from Cattleya made Saito�s heart race.

She was like a matured Louise, with added gentleness. Besides, her beautiful figure and breasts matched Saito�s tastes well.

Cattleya's mouth half opened as she finally noticed Saito.

�Ah, ah, ah , ahah!�

While Saito was wondering what this �Ah� might mean, Cattleya approached him and gazed at his face.

�W-w-what�s wrong?� Saito asked nervously.

Cattleya began to gently stroke Saito�s face. Saito almost fainted from the sensation.

�You are... Louise�s lover, right?�

�Huh?!�

Siesta, who was standing right next to Saito, suddenly turned cold. She stomped down on his foot. Hard. Saito jumped up.

Louise blushed furiously.

�He�s just my familiar! Not my lover!�

�Ah... is that so?�

Cattleya giggled and tilted her head with a sweet smile.

�I�m sorry, I got it wrong. Don�t worry about it.�

At the break of dawn in the castle�s garden, there was a giant cage with dragons at each of its four corners.

The servants that had gathered in the surrounding area simultaneously took off the wheels of the cage-like carriage. Footmen caught the dragons and, at the given opportunity, the servants opened the carriage door. A red carpet spread out all the way to the cage�s entrance in order to accept a middle aged noble.

It was Duke of La Valli�re. He was more than fifty years old. He had blonde hair and a beard that were both turning white, and he was dressed in wonderful clothes suitable for a king. On his left eye he had a monocle, and his eyes had a strong glitter to them.

The butlers walked briskly to the duke, took off his hat, fixed his hair and made sure that his robe was properly lined.

The Duke inquired in a bitter baritone voice, �Has Louise returned?�

Jerome, a butler who had served the La Valli�re family for many years, bowed respectfully,

�She returned last night,� he answered.

�Call her for breakfast!�

�Certainly!�

The mood in the La Valli�re family as they had breakfast on the sunlit balcony was the same as usual. The table was drawn out in order to have breakfast in the sunlight, everyone was seated. Duke of La Valli�re was seated in the seat of honor and next to him was his wife. And the unusually concentrated three sisters were sitting at the table, lined up by age. Louise�s body was a bit unstable, because she had cried so much last night. Even though she was supposed to get her father�s permission to participate in the war...

It appeared that the Duke was in a considerably bad mood.

�Damn that bird-brained idiot!�

At the beginning of his speech, the Duke insulted the Cardinal.

�What is the matter?�

Changing her facial expression, the Duke�s wife asked her husband. After her father�s first words, Louise knew this wasn�t the moment to ask.

�After calling me all the way to Tristainia, I was wondering what he was going to say to me... 'Organize one army corps,' he said! Don�t joke around with me!�

�Did you agree?�

�Like hell I would! I already retired from military service! Why doesn�t he command the soldier that took my place and let me stay with my family! Moreover, I�m against this war!�

�That�s true. But, is that fine? Didn�t the Cardinal�s official notice state that right now, the fatherland has to unite in order to defeat our bitter enemy? A rumor that the La Valli�re family is treacherous will spread, which will affect our social life as well.�

As she was saying that, the Duke�s wife had an extremely cool face.

�You shouldn�t call a bird-brained idiot like that a 'Cardinal.' 'Idiot' is more than enough. Even more, to take advantage of such a young queen...�

Louise coughed and spewed the bread she was eating. El�onore glared at Louise.

�Oh, how scary. Sorry for making you hear the truth about the court�s sparrow.�

�By all means, feel free to let us hear what you think.�

Louise who had been quiet up to that point opened her lips while trembling,

�There is something I�d like to inquire of Father.�

The Duke watched Louise intently.

�Of course it�s fine, but before that, won�t you give your father, who you haven�t seen in a while, a little kiss, Louise?�

Louise stood up and approached her father, and after that gave him a kiss on the cheek. After that, she stared directly at her father and asked:

�Why is Father opposing my decision to join the war?�

�Because this war is a huge mistake.�

�It is a war against Albion, who invaded us in the first place. What is wrong with ambushing them?�

�Attacking them from the side isn�t something I would call an 'ambush.' Look here!�

The Duke manipulated the plate and food on it and started explaining to Louise.

�The thing you call an 'ambush' is having a military force so overwhelming that it can succeed from the first time. The enemy�s army is about fifty thousand. Our army, together with Germania�s, is sixty thousand.�

Moving the knives and forks, with the help of the meat�s fragments, the Duke created a simulation of the war.

�Doesn�t our army have ten thousand more men?�

�If the attacking army was three times as big as the defending army, it would be a certain victory. Because their sky forces have been organized and they have good positions, with this number it will become a difficult battle.�

�But...�

The Duke peered into Louise�s face.

�Our siege is excellent. We will blockade that annoying continent from the sky and then just wait until it runs out of resources. If we do that, eventually they�ll come asking for peace. The conclusion of the war will come just like that, just like blending white and black. However, what are you going to do if the ambush fails? The possibility for that isn�t small.�

Louise was silent. Every single thing her father had said was a good argument.

�Because of the victory at Tarbes we�ve grown overconfident. Overconfidence leads to negligence. To make matters worse, taking the Academy of Magic�s pupils along as officers? I can only say that that is stupid. What can kids do? In war, you know, you can�t say you are strong enough just because you have greater numbers. Ambushing is an act that means you have absolute confidence that you will achieve victory from the first attempt. There is no way I�d let my daughter enter such a war.�

�Father...�

After the Duke finished saying that, he stood up.

�Now then, breakfast is finished.�

Louise bit her lips and stood still for a while.

�Louise. From here on out you are under house arrest. You won�t be allowed to leave this castle until the war is over.�

�Wait!� Louise shouted.

�What? I told you that the talk is over.�

�Louise... you...�

Eleonore pulled on Louise�s hem. Cattleya was watching Louise worriedly.

�To the Princess... no, to Her Majesty, I am a necessity.�

�What do you mean when you say that she needs you? Your ability with magic is...�

Louise couldn�t tell her family that she was the bearer of the Void.

�Right now, Right now I can�t say, but... I...�

Louise hesitated, but she brought up a triumphant face.

�I am no longer the me from the past!�

�Louise! What are you saying to Father?!�

El�onore said with an intense voice.

�Big Sister, you be quiet! Right now, I�m leading a conversation!�

All the family members were surprised by Louise�s attitude. The Louise from the past would never go up against her sister in such a manner.

�I have always been treated like an idiot. I always felt regret when I was being compared to my sisters and was told that I have no talent in Magic. But, but, now it�s different. I was clearly told by Her Majesty that I am necessary to her.�

With those words, the color of the Duke�s eyes changed. He turned towards Louise, went down on his knee and peered into his daughter�s eyes.

�...You have finally realized what your dominant Element is?�

Louise nodded confidently.

�Which of the four?�

Louise thought for a while. Of course, she wouldn�t talk about the Void. But would it be ok to lie to her own Father? For a moment, Louise was troubled. And... opening her lips, she told a lie.

�... Fire.�

�Fire?�

For a little while, Duke of La Valli�re gazed at Louise�s face and then he slowly nodded.

�You have the same Element as your grandfather. I see, Fire, hmm. ... In that case, it�s only natural that you would be attracted to war. It�s a sinful Element. Truly, an Element covered in sin.�

�Father...�

The Duke hung his head feebly.

�If I remember correctly, you said that Her Majesty needs your power, right?�

�Yes.�

�Listen, Louise. It�s an important thing. There is no mistake about it. When nobody else was around, Her Majesty told you that your power is necessary to her, right?�

Louise declared clearly.

�Yes. I was told by Her Majesty that my power is necessary to her.�

The elderly Duke shook his head.

�What a honorable thing. A terribly honorable thing. However... As I thought, there is no way for me to recognize this.�

�Father!�

�People can certainly make mistakes because of this thing called loyalty. I will report to Her Majesty myself. Jerome!�

�Yes.�

The butler jumped out and stood by the Duke�s side.

�Prepare paper and a pen.�

After that he turned towards Louise,

�You have to choose a son-in-law for me,� he declared.

�Huh? Why?�

�I can�t recognize your participation in the war. I absolutely can�t recognize it. You�re probably despaired, because of that traitor Wardes, right? That�s why, choose a son-in-law for me. Also, calm down your heart, ok? You've told me that you want to go to war twice now. This is an order. No changes are allowed.�

�Father!�

Louise shouted. However, the elderly Duke shook his head.

�Jerome, don�t let Louise out of the castle. Understand?�

�Certainly!�

The butler nodded.

Then, the Duke left his breakfast seat.

His wife and the elder sisters that were left behind surrounded Louise.

Her mother and bossy sister criticized Louise.

�Father isn�t young anymore. Don�t worry him so much.�

�Because you worried Father so much, now you have to choose a son-in-law.�

El�onore declared coldly.

�Why do I have to?! According to the order, El�onore-nee-sama must...�

As she was saying that El�onore stretched Louise�s cheeks.

�I-I�m sowwy... Vut, to me, berrege is fill...(marriage is still)...�

�Why? For what reason? You have a lover, right?�

Having been told that by her mother, Louise shook her head.

�Don�t have. Don�t. No such thing.�

The Duke�s wife and El�onore seemed to have noticed something because of Louise�s expression. The two exchanged glances.

�It seems you�re thinking of someone.�

�There�s no such person!�

�Who? From which noble house?�

�Count? Baron?�

�Honored Baron? You couldn�t... it can�t be a mere Chevalier, right?�

Louise�s body solidified.

�Oh no, this girl... I see, Chevalier or Order of Merit, I don�t know, but... she fell in love with a man with low social status.�

El�onore�s face became bitter. The mother pressed down on her forehead.

�Ooh, it�s because I never really took proper care of this girl...�

�I-I didn�t fall in love with a Chevalier.�

Louise said in haste. The truth was he wasn�t even a Chevalier, but a simple Commoner. Even more, a Commoner that came from a completely different world... if they knew that, a simple sorry wouldn�t be even nearly enough of an apology. Even though she always repeated to herself that she doesn�t really like him, right now her head was full of thoughts of Saito.

Cattleya was looking worriedly at Louise.

�No matter how old this girl gets, she will always worry us, won�t she? Not only does she want to join the war, but to make matters worse she has fallen in love with a Chevalier...�

�I said, I haven�t...�, and, she hesitated. Her mother and sister both shouted.

��Be quiet!��

It was the usual threatening attitude. After Louise used up the courage she used to talk back to her father earlier on, now she became completely dispirited.

Suddenly feeling sorrowful, Louise ran off.

�Hey! Wait right there!�

She heard the shouting voices of her mother and bossy sister.

Each student who applied for the royal army through the recruiting official, who came to the magic academy, received training for around two months and then was assigned into various forces.

Tristain�s army was split into three branches.

First, the �Royal Army� that is directly under command of the current king. The noble generals and officers belonging to the monarchy command the mercenaries assembled through money. The student officers like Guiche are primarily assigned to this royal army or the later mentioned Sky Navy.

Next is the �National Army,� where the greater nobles in various places would recruit the people in their territory. This organization is also called the �Marquis Army.� The nobles that received land from the king would follow their pledge and organize an army. This is what the Cardinal requested Louise�s father, Duke of La Valli�re, to organize.

Because the soldiers were originally farmers, the national army is considerably inferior to the mercenary-composed Royal Army. It isn�t suitable for campaigns, but the royal army by itself was lacking in number, so they ended up being brought along. There were many nobles, like Louise�s father, Duke of La Valli�re, who opposed the war and refused to contribute soldiers too.

Also, because this war is a campaign, half of the national army are wagons� meaning that it ended up being used as a supply unit.

The last is the �Sky Navy.�

It was the branch that operated the ships that floated in the sky or the sea.

With the captain at the peak, this branch was most certainly a miniature version of the feudal system. Below the captain, who had absolute authority in the warships, were noble officers that directed the sailors. Though they were called sailors, everyone was some kind of specialist to operate the ship. Unlike the army, which was a branch that was fine as long as the number of people were gathered, experience and habitual training were stressed above all else.

Guiche, being assigned as a reserve officer to the Royal Army, arrived at the Champs de Mars Training Facility in the capital city Tristania on the day after Louise and the others returned home.

Rosha Regiment, Lashene Regiment, Navarre Regiment� The regiment colors that waved in the gardens of the regimental commanders� mansions were, today, assembling at the Champs de Mars Training Facility.

With a letter of introduction written by a drill officer in one hand, Guiche walked around the training facility, where the twelve regiments of the Royal Army, twenty thousand soldiers had amassed. The group he had ended up being attached to was the De Vineuil Independent Battalion of the Royal Army. He had never heard of it before, but Guiche was excited about his first battle.

Just recently, he had met with his father, the Marshal of the Royal Army.

Because a Marshal is a job for the ones at the end of their life, his father, having retired from military services, was the Marshal. His senile father was very frustrated that he couldn�t participate in this war and encouraged Guiche.

�Don�t value life, but value name,� his natural-born soldier of a father said, sending Guiche out. All three of his brothers were departing too. His first brother is in charge of de Gramont family�s army. The second brother was the captain of the air forces. His third brother was an officer of the royal army.

And he himself� was participating as an officer of the De Vineuil Independent Battalion. However, he couldn�t find that essential battalion. He couldn�t find the battalion flag drawn on the letter of invitation anywhere.

Reluctantly, he questioned a scary-looking bearded officer.

�Um, where is the De Vineuil Independent Battalion?�

That officer began to preach to Guiche about how he didn�t know the way home.

When Guiche said �This is my attachment from today,� he looked at Guiche's head to the tip of his foot, and asked �A student officer?�

�Y-Yes! That's correct!� When he saluted with the military language he remembered, his head was hit.

�Listen, student. On the battlefield, even if you say that you don't know where your battalion is, no one will tell you.�

Then the officer said, �There,� and pointed to a corner of the training facility.

It was right beside the lodging house, and little sunshine hit the area.

The soldiers were leaning on the wall of the lodging house, staring at the sky dully. Guiche was shocked to see that there were people drinking sake too.

Looking carefully, he realized that most people there were old men and unmotivated people. The group seemed to be a washout already.

�D-Don't tell me, this is...� Flustered, he asked one soldier.

�H-Hey, soldier.�

�What is it?�

An old mercenary carrying a heavy lance stood up.

�Is this the De Vineuil Independent Battalion?�

�Yes.�

Guiche stood petrified to the spot, as if he had been hit by something on the head.

It was his glorious first campaign, yet the group he was assigned to were old men or delinquent soldiers that clearly looked unmotivated. In other words, it was just a scum battalion for fitting numbers.

It was �independent� and not attached to any regiment for probably that reason. In other words, no regimental commander wanted to take charge of them.

When he asked, �But, where is the battalion commander?�, the old mercenary pointed to one section of the corner. A weak, white-haired old man was standing there, supporting himself with his staff. Beside him stood a young and fat noble wearing a staff officer badge on his shoulder. It seems that that was the �battalion headquarters�.

That's the battalion commander...�It was an old man who seemed like his heart would stop just from the voices during the time of assault, without having the need to get hit by a projectile.�I really got the short end of the stick here.�Guiche thought, getting depressed. Anyways, Guiche approached them to give his greetings.

�Reserve Officer Guiche de Gramont, here to take up my new post!�

�Haa? What?! What's going on?!�

Battalion Commander De Vineuil, asked back while shaking. It seems he has bad hearing.

�I am Guiche de Gramont! I have been assigned to this battalion as a reserve officer. I want to receive approval,� Guiche shouted near his ears.

�Oh, I see! It's time to eat! Can't fight on an empty stomach! You need to eat properly too!�

Giving up, Guiche nodded. There, the battalion staff officer whispered something to the battalion head.

�Wh-What! Assignment! Then you should have said so!�

I have been saying that�Guiche thought discouragingly.

�Li-Li-Line-up!�

The weak battalion head raised his voice. Dully, the soldiers assembled in sluggish movements.

�In-In-Introducing the new company commander!�

Heh? Company commander?

While Guiche stood dumbfounded, the battalion commander continued.

�Assigned to our glorious De Vineuil Independent Musket Infantry Battalion... Name!�

�I am Guiche de Gramont!�

�I am leaving the second company to this Grandel-kun! Therefore, the second company will now be designated as 'Grandel Company'! Salute to the company commander!�

Sluggishly, the soldiers belonging to the company saluted.�Hey, the name is wrong. More importantly, company commander? That's impossible!

�Wai-Wait, battalion head! I'm a student officer! To be the company commander all of a sudden!�

Becoming the company commander meant he would be in command of over a hundred soldiers. There was no way he could do that.

However, the battalion head, while shaking, placed his hand on Guiche's shoulder.

�The company commander deserted this morning. We were looking for a new one.�

The company commander deserted? What kind of battalion is this?

�There are more senior officers, right?!�

�Ah, besides me, the staff officer, and the other company commanders, there are no nobles in this battalion.�

�That's why the only other possible officer is you. Welcome, company commander.�

He had heard the Royal Army was lacking officers, but for it to be so severe. Guiche face visibly paled.

The De Vineuil Independent Musket Infantry Battalion is a gun corps with about three-hundred and fifty people. It is split into three companies. Two are gun companies. One short spear company as a guard. One of the gun companies was entrusted to Guiche soon after he took up his new post. Even though it's a gun corps, the equipment consists of only antique arquebuses. The newer models, muskets, were nowhere to be found.

More importantly, gun corps...�Guiche grabbed his head. He had never learned how to use guns in his training. He couldn't really make any complaints over the two months of sudden training...

Either way, it would have been nice if they told the branch of the group he was being assigned to in advance.

He had heard the disorder in the Royal Army, which employed large amounts of mercenaries despite the lack of officers, was severe... but for it to be this bad...

While Guiche was worrying like that, a smart-looking middle-aged man came up to him, carrying an arquebus that had the gun barrel shortened and a dagger on his hips. Wearing a steel helmet, he wore thick fur and an iron breastplate.

�Greetings, company commander.�

�Y-You too. You are?�

�Nicola, a sergeant for this company. I act as an aide and such.�

�Act� was probably modesty. There was a cut on his forehead and suntanned face. He looked like a sergeant who had been doing military services for a long time. It was certain that he, a non-commissioned officer, was the one managing the company.

�Iyaa, what a disaster.�

A mercenary sergeant, who could even look older than Guiche's father, muttered to him.

�Forced to be the company commander so soon after you arrived. From appearance, you seem to be a student.�

�Y-Yes.�

Guiche nodded.

�Well, me and my comrades will look after the company. Commanding Officer should settle down a bit.� Being told by the experienced mercenary sergeant like that, Guiche felt a bit at ease.

A trumpet sounded far away. To align the soldiers, the company commanders started raising their voices. The instructions of Albion expeditionary force's commander-in-chief General Olivier de Poitier were about to begin. After receiving the general's report, the soldiers gathered in this training facility will depart for La Rochelle. There they will ride on boats and aim for the sky continent of Albion.

Now then, at the same time.

This is the harbor of La Rochelle, where the main fleet of the air forces were stationed.

On the fleet hanging on the harbor created using an enormous tree... the dry wood of the ancient Yggdrasil, last riggings and boarding of officers and sailors were being conducted.

Standing at the root of Yggdrasil, Malicorne, who was scheduled to board a warship as a military cadet, was looking up in awe.

The sight of several tens of sailing warships, the main air force of the kingdom, hanging on the branches of the enormous Yggdrasil and waiting to depart was certainly an unexpected spectacle.

�Uwaah...� He stood gaping. While looking up at the sky, Malicorne was sent flying.

�Wh-What!� Yelling that, a tanned man was staring at him. Examining, the man wasn't wearing a mantle and just a commoner. Realizing he was sent flying by a commoner, Malicorne was enraged.

�H-How insolent! How dare you send a noble flying!�

Doing so, the sailor stared at Malicorne. Figuring out that Malicorne was just a military cadet, the man smiled profoundly.

�Hey, Bo-chan. This place is different from that corrupt world. I'll teach you the order in the air forces, so dig the holes in your ear and listen well.�

�Eh? Eeh?�

It seems that in the air forces, you can't just swagger around because you're a noble. He couldn't imagine a commoner that is greater than a noble.

�First is that captain! He is the greatest on the ship! Next is the executive officer! The earlier officers are appointed here. Voyage head, sail head, artillery head, deck head, kitchen head... In the air forces, even commoners can become officers if they achieve enough!�

That's how it is�Malicorne's eyes widened. An army system that has the possibility of commoners becoming superior officers... That is the air forces.

�And next are the non-commissioned officers! And below that is finally military cadets like you guys! On a boat, you guys are just useless maggots! Remember this!�

Malicorne stood up and saluted.

�Un, understood!�

�I'll give you guts! Clench your teeth!�

Still standing attention, Malicorne received a sharp slap to his face.

�Okay, go! Run! Fool! If a military cadet walks on a warship, they'll be shouted at!�

Malicorne ran off perplexed.

The warship he finally found,�Redoutable, was a splendid warship with forty-eight gates on the gunwale and seventy mails in length. A new warship that was perfected one month before.

Climbing up the trap and trying to board the warship that was hanging on a branch, an officer at the entrance stopped him.

�Hey! You! Where do you think you're going?!�

Panicking, Malicorne saluted.

�Military cadet, Malicorne de Grandple! Taking up a new post today!�

�I'm Lieutenant Moranju, person in charge of shifts.�

It was a noble officer wearing a mantle. He was checking the boarding soldiers at the entrance of the ship. Malicorne was relieved that the man was a noble.�Guess that after all, there aren't many commoner officers.

After looking over Malicorne's fattened body from top to bottom, he asked.

�Is that your only luggage?�

Malicorne lifted up the bag hanging in his hand.

When Malicorne answered �Yes,� the Lieutenant scowled. After thinking a bit, Malicorne realized he had made a mistake. An answer like �Yes� does not exist in the army, especially the air forces.

�Yes sir, Lieutenant!� And he saluted. Right away, Malicorne was made to fix his language and the way he saluted.

�There is no need to be so stiff in the air forces. Boy!�

A boy approached them and saluted.

�He takes care of you cadets. If there is something you don't understand, ask. Lead him to the apprentice officer room.�

The last part was targeted at the boy.

�I will carry your bag, cadet. Ah, my name is Julian.�

Malicorne handed him his bag. The boy was younger than him. A black haired boy still around fourteen or fifteen.

�Cadet, where did you come from?�

�The Academy of Magic.� When he answered that, the boy's face lit up.

�What's wrong?�

�My older sister is working there. Her name is Siesta... Do you know her?�

Malicorne shook his head. The number of servants working at the academy was large. He pretty much remembers the faces, but he hasn't remembered every single name.

�That's expected. There's no way a noble would remember every single servants' name.�

After leading Malicorne to the apprentice officer room, Julian left running. It seems the boy has a mountain-load of jobs to do.

In the apprentice officer room there were three other military cadets like Malicorne. Moreover, one of them was a student from the Academy of Magic. He was an upperclassman, so Malicorne bowed his head. He was an attractive man with wild features. With thick eyebrows, a smile was on his cordial face.

�I'm Stix. You are?�

�Malicorne.� Saying so, he was asked if he was in the same class as Kirche. Thinking back to the boy just a while ago, he grumbled that there were quite a number of local subjects on this ship while nodding.

�In the past, a bit, you know, I got along well with her.� Stix said embarrassedly. Looking closer, there were traces of burns on his forehead.�In what way did they know each other?�He thought, but Stix was an upperclassman, so he couldn't ask. If it was an embarrassing wound, he would be angered.

Stix was firmly sitting in his chair.

�Now then, everyone.�

When Malicorne entered, it seems there was a serious meeting going on in the apprentice officer room. The other three were bending over and bringing their faces near Stix. It seems they were whispering. The newcomer Malicorne was offered a chair and sat down.

Stix stared seriously into Malicorne's face.

�We have to explain everything to a newcomer, it seems. Malicorne-kun, this ship is carrying fearsome explosives.�

�Explosives?�

Malicorne swallowed his breath and looked at the senior cadet.

�That's right.�

�Is it a new type of gunpowder? Or is it a new weapon?�

Shaking, he asked. A powerful new gunpowder? Or perhaps a difficult new weapon? Either way, it doesn't seem like something that could just be ignored.

�It's not something like that.�

Stix whispered.

�Then... what is it?�

�Human.�

�Human?�

Stix frowned and muttered.

�Yes. There is an enemy on board this ship.�

�Which means there is a traitor here?�

Malicorne raised his voice without thinking.

�Shhh! That person hasn't betrayed yet..., but the possibility isn't low. That's what I think. There are quite a number of senior officers that think this way too.�

�Just what is that person?�

Stix nodded.

�Now then, shall we show our new companion the rat?�

�Agreed.�

�Yeah.�

And so, Malicorne ended up going to inspect this �fearsome explosive�.

Proceeding to the afterdeck, the captain was there. He was discussing something with a tall noble officer. Seeing the captain, Malicorne became nervous. Mustached, he was a middle-aged man with a strong presence. Being the captain of the warship, he must be quite an elite. Just like his outer appearance, he is also quite �skilled� on the inside. And, the �fearsome explosive� the military cadets were talking about seems to be able to talk down on this captain.

�That would probably cause the ship to sink. To sail in the clouds is to always gamble with danger.� The fearless-looking man, who was at the prime of his life, said in a strong Albion accent to the captain beside him. The captain hanged his head in shame.

Hearing that voice, Malicorne jumped as if tongs were thrust at his spinal column.

Albion accent? Isn't that an enemy?!

Secretly, Stix whispered into Malicorne's ear.

�Look. His name is Henry Bowood. Without a doubt, a man of Albion.�

�What did you say? Why is someone from an enemy country on board?�

�Let me teach you what he did at the battle of Tarbes. He is, that large warship... Do you know about it? The 'Lexington'.�

�The giant warship that was sunk by the miraculous light of our army, right?�

The sinking of the Albion fleet became known as the �miraculous light�. Of course, there are not many people who know it's true identity.

�He was the captain of that 'Lexington'.�

�Wha-!�

Malicorne almost bit his tongue.

�Our army has employed several Albion air force officers, to help pilot around Albion's airspace, that were captured as prisoners of war. It is limited to people who hold dissatisfaction towards Albion's current political administration, but... how can they trust such people?�

�Exactly. How could they board on a ship with former enemies.�

�However, it seems the air forces have decided to use them. In other words..., we can't do anything about it.�

Stix spoke angrily. Hearing that, one military cadet said, �It's like they are saying we won't be of use,� in self derision.

At that moment, the captain saw the military cadets and waved his hand for them to come.

�Boys, come and say your greetings. This is Mister Bowood. He is here as an instruction officer. Mister, these are the youngsters of my fleet.�

Bowood smiled and held out his hand. Malicorne felt anger welling inside him.

He's an enemy.

It's too much to seek help from an enemy just because you don't have confidence in your own seamanship. And now we, military cadets, have to lower our heads to him?

The captain's expression changed.

�You boys... Mister Bowood worked for an enemy country, but he is employed in our army now. Not only that, but he is also from a noble pedigree. I won't let you go without your greeting.�

Being ordered by the captain that way, the military cadets reluctantly saluted.

Bowood spread his hands and disappeared to the main deck.

�Instruction officer!� The captain rushed to chase after him. No matter how skilled he is, if the captain is like that, he'll be a bad example for the crew.

Stix whispered to Malicorne and the others in a small voice.

�I have a plan to make that man powerless.�

�What kind of plan?�

�What, the warship will be in chaos during battle.�

�Probably so,� Malicorne agreed.

�And, it isn't certain that bullets will fly from the front.�

The whole group felt tense at Stix's words. He was suggesting that they shoot and kill him in combat.

D�Angleterre (Angle Province)

Located in the southwest area facing the sea, these settlements were said to be built a few centuries ago by immigrants from Albion. This area had always been troublesome for the kings of Tristain over the generations.

This was because there was a culture of independence here; whenever something happened, they would oppose the central government.

So around a hundred years ago, when a religious leader from the religious country Romalia started an event to practice their religion, the highly motivated people in this region all rushed to join in this event. Even though this displeased the king and raised his suspicions� Still the people in this region continued to maintain the unique carefree style, and willingly accepted the terms suggested, so there wasn�t any vigorous suppression.

In other words, the people in D�Angleterre were slick and pleased both sides.

Twenty years ago, they forced the Tristain government to recognize their own independent government, and set up a temple for a new religion.

Because of that, they became an eyesore to the Romalian government. In the end, Tristain was pressured to send an army to suppress them� That was what was recorded regarding the incident then.

That day, twenty years ago, Agnes was still only three years old. Her memories about then are fragmented, yet still very fresh and strong.

The three-year-old Agnes was originally collecting seashells on the seashore.

Then she found something more beautiful than the pretty seashells sculptured by the waves. It was� A ring with a big ruby on it, beautiful like a fire-- It was sparkling on the finger of a young female that had been washed ashore.

The three-year-old Agnes felt afraid, as she stretched out her hand to touch that ruby ring. At that instant, the female opened her eyes and she asked Agnes in a trembling voice.

��This is?�

�D, D�Angleterre.�

After Agnes replied, the young female appeared satisfied, and nodded.

After that, Agnes ran to inform the adults that she had found someone who had been washed ashore. Even though that female was on the brink of death, under the care of the villagers she managed to pull through.

She called herself Vittoria. Even though she was a noble, as she was a member of the new religion, she was pursued by Romalia but she escaped.

A Tristain squad came to this place a month later.

They burned the village indiscriminately.

Fathers, mothers� The home she was born and grew up in� All swallowed by flames in an instant.

The young Agnes kept running amidst the flames, and finally escaped into the house Vittoria was hiding in.

Vittoria hid Agnes under a blanket. Not long after, a group of men rushed into the room.

�The Romalian woman is here!�

The rough male shout made Agnes very scared.

Following that, she heard a voice chanting a spell.

The next moment, Vittoria, who let Agnes hide on the bed, was surrounded by flames. As Agnes� consciousness gradually faded away, she saw someone who, despite being burnt by scorching flames, was casting water magic on Agnes to increase her resistance to fire-- It was Vittoria.

Agnes�s memories ended there temporarily. The next scene that was reflected in her eyes was--

A man�s neck.

An ugly neck that had very obvious burn marks.

Agnes was being carried piggyback by that man. Seeing the wand in his hand, Agnes understood that he was a mage. In other words, she understood that this was the man that used Fire magic to burn her village into ashes.

Agnes�s consciousness began fading once more� When she woke up, she realized she was lying by the shore, wrapped in a blanket. The village kept on burning in the massive flames. Agnes stared at the wavering flames without shifting her eyes.

She was the only survivor.

From that day, over twenty years had passed.

Yet whenever she closes her eyes, that massive flame would appear before her eyes.

That massive flame that killed her family and savior.

At the other end of that flame, a man�s back would appear.

After growing up, Agnes learned that incident was part of Romalia�s �New Religion Hunt�. The trigger for that incident was due to the village protecting Vittoria who escaped from Romalia. Furthermore, she investigated and found out that it was conducted with the excuse of �eradicating a contagious disease�.

Since there was a change in religion in Romalia, the New Religion Hunt came to a halt as well. However, the wound in Agnes�s heart had not healed.

Even though she had put an end to Richmon--The man who accepted bribes from Romalia and made the plans for that incident-- with her own hands, her revenge was still incomplete. The flames of vengeance in Agnes�s heart would not extinguish until all the people who burned D�Angleterre to ashes were eradicated.

The information bank for the Royal Army is situated at one corner of the eastern part of the Tristain Palace.

Even among the Royal Army, only personnel at high positions are allowed to enter this place. In fact, Agnes can be said to have worked hard to prove herself in order to earn the right to enter places like this.

The Musketeer Corps that Agnes leads is one of the few defending squads that will not participate in this battle of conquest against Albion, even though they are imperial guards. In a war like this where the entire country�s strength is immersed, by right they should participate in the battle as well� But the most crucial reason is that the highest commanding officer for the upcoming battle, de Poitiers, has no pleasant feelings towards them.

Even though the scale of the battle would be small, the position of leader of the imperial guards is equivalent to a general commanding a distant conquest, or even higher. So if the imposing and qualified Musketeer Corps participated in this battle, it is quite likely that de Pointiers' achievements would be taken away by them. So the General, who hoped to make marshal, naturally refused to let them participate in the battle. That is to say, all the contributions and achievements would be gathered by him, and he would not tolerate someone above him during military conference meetings.

Besides, Agnes is not even a mage. What can a mere commoner do? De Poitiers has always looked down upon Agnes and her squad.

Of course, the reasoning on the surface was an entirely different story. He put forth a reasonable justification that, �Regarding the Musketeer Corps of the imperial guards, they should naturally do their utmost to protect Her Highness.�

But to Agnes, this was instead a good chance.

Frankly speaking, she did not care about what happened to Albion.

With such a mindset, Agnes immersed herself in the information bank of the Royal Army, and after about two weeks, she finally found the document she was searching for. The following words were written on the cover of that document:

�Magical Research Experimental Group�

It was a small group of only around thirty people; it was the squad that destroyed Agnes� village.

She flipped through several pages; all the members were nobles.

That guy too? There were names recorded in there that shocked her.

Agnes bit her lips hard, and carefully read through each page. To her dismay, quite a number of these members were already dead.

Reading though it, Agnes was so surprised that she widened her eyes� Immediately following that, her expression became distorted by hatred and displeasure.

This was because the page regarding the leader of the squad was ripped off. It was clear who did this� Yet there was no way to find out who was their leader now.

Unable to find out about the most sinful man;

Agnes�s body began to tremble.

The end of the year, first week of Wynn's moon, Man's day of the week became a day that was imprinted in the history of Halkeginia.

It was the next day of Void, when the two moons that hung in the sky overlapped. During this day, when the Albion continent was at its closest point to Halkeginia, a large fleet of Tristain and Germania ships carrying a united army of 60,000 soldiers sailed off from La Rochelle for the Albion invasion.

Tristain and Germania together had 500 ships. Only sixty of them were battleships while the rest carried soldiers and supplies.

Queen Henrietta and Cardinal Mazarini were in La Rochelle port, standing on top of the World Tree pier, watching the fleet sail off.

All the ships going up into the sky at the same time surely was an amazing sight to behold.

�It's as if they are seeds carried away by the wind,� Cardinal Mazarini said, sharing his thoughts.

�Seeds that will repaint the continent.�

�There�s no seed that can repaint a white country, blue.�

The flag of Tristain�s royal family was a white lily on a blue background.

�It�s possible that we will be defeated,� Mazarini muttered.

�I do not intend to be defeated.�

�General De Poitiers is a great commander who is both bold and careful. He is likely to succeed.� Henrietta knew that calling him a great commander was a bit of a stretch, but there were no other generals with more talent than him. Generals who surpassed him existed only in history books.

�I wonder why we have to fight though?�

Mazarini muttered, in a barely audible voice.

�Why would you ask such a thing?�

�We could have blockaded Albion to make them starve. With careful planning, it could be a very successful idea.�

�We will march.�

Henrietta muttered without changing her expression.

�Don�t say that. Courage is not necessary to settle it once and for all. Well, maybe I'm just getting old.�

Mazarini patted his whitening beard.

�If we were going to lose, would you use the �Void� in this war, Your Majesty?�

It was a highly secret matter to discuss. Only a few people knew that Louise was a Void user. Henrietta, the Cardinal� and a few royal generals.

�I should be burned... with pleasure I would burn as a retribution for my sins.�

Henrietta muttered silently, staring into the emptiness.

�Calm down. Your Majesty won't go there alone. Hopefully my old bones are good enough for that.�

Henrietta entrusted generals with knowledge of the Void only as the trump card.

After hearing about Louise�s Void, at first, General De Poitiers did not even try to believe in it. But it was not impossible either. Because Void was considered a legend, he could not believe in its existence.

However, after being reminded about the military results in Tarbes, with much effort, the general believed in it.

Obtaining the legendary element of Void, redoubled his courage and he promised Henrietta a swift victory.

Henrietta, to ensure the victory in the first battle, gave him permission to control the Void.

Henrietta sighed over her own sinfulness.

This war� against country, people.

It was nothing more than letting one's personal grievance out on them.

The war was only a means to calm down lover's enmity.

How many humans did I send away to death for this?

It even included her childhood and best friend, too.

In such war, there is no victory or defeat, it cannot make one�s crimes disappear, Henrietta thought.

Despite knowing this, I still declare the patriotism for the sailing off troops, I will burn in hell for this.

A trickle of blood ran down the edge of her lips as Henrietta bit them, screaming out,

�Viva Tristain!�

The sounds of the queen�s cheers sounded in the sky.

Officers lined up on the upper deck, saluted Henrietta, who was seeing them off, and shouted following the queen,

�Viva Tristain! Viva Henrietta!�

These shouts, accompanied with a chorus of the rest of 60,000 men that joined in, roared in the sky.

�Viva Tristain! Viva Henrietta!�

The chest-piercing repetitive cheers only intensified Henrietta�s awareness of her crime�

The 8 o�clock bell rang across the battleship�Redoubtable, signifying the start of the morning shift.

The morning in which the fates of two countries and that of another would be decided.

Malicorne, who had been standing atop the watchtower, took in a long, deep yawn, before hurriedly looking left and right about him. If an officer cadet was to be seen yawning like that by a deck officer, a cruel punishment would surely await� Malicorne�s body did well to remind him in the two days he had been here.

Malicorne was the sentry on duty.

The ringing of the morning bell� it should be 8 o�clock in the morning right now� his shift had finally ended! All that was left to do was to change shifts with the next group of officer cadets, then he could finally return to the cabin for an eight hour sleep, the belltower in the morning was cold as hell... Malicorne could only idle his time by as he waited for the next cadet to climb up the tower. And the person who climbed out of the tower opening was his upperclassman at the Academy of Magic � Styx.

Malicorne remembered how he had said he was going kill Bowood, but at the moment, nothing was more important to him than returning to his warm, cozy room and enjoying a nice warm cup of orchid tea.

Upon seeing each other, they both greeted and smiled to one another.

�Well, it looks like I�m gonna be freezing in this frozen wasteland, fat-boy.�

�But I still envy you, upperclassman, I mean, at least the sun is up and shining.�

�Do you still remember, Malicorne?�

�Remember what?�

�How I said I would take care of that Albion guy someday.�

�Of course I remember that.�

�I think it is best to proceed with it in the heat of battle.�

�I think so too.�

�Who knows how long it�ll be, before the fighting finally starts?�

In order to demonstrate his courage to the younger cadets, it was said that he almost couldn�t wait any longer. Malicorne looked up at the clouds absentmindedly� and drew in a sudden breath.

�What�s wrong, Malicorne?�

��It doesn�t look like you need to wait any longer.�

�Eh?�

Styx turned and stared at where Malicorne was pointing, his face paling immediately.

�Enemy ship sighted!�

Early morning, four o'clock. The sun had not risen yet, the sky was dark.

In the sky above the Academy of Magic one small war frigate appeared.

Menvil stood on the deck, watching the sky right ahead. Wardes, with inaudible steps, approached Menvil from behind.

The wind�s square indicated by itself that it was the same sky.

Wardes came out to test Menvil.

Can this man lead such a difficult plan to success?�He had his doubts.

However, Wardes's doubts seemed to be unfounded.

Not taking his eyes from the sign, Menvil called Wardes out of distance,

�So what trial is it now, Viscount?�

Wardes was surprised.

Menvil did not even turn around.

Even if you did turn around � it�s just too dark. One couldn�t even make out an approaching silhouette.

Yet� what kind of skills did he use to notice Wardes approach from such a long distance?

�Now then, we're almost there.�

Menvil muttered without turning around. Wardes, while feeling admiration, carefully approached Menvil.

�We're lucky. Oh dear, as an attacking side, we should not let them know from which side they will be attacked.�

They managed to avoid mage's familiars that were patrolling in the air� it was fortuitous that they managed to get this far without being spotted.

�In order to express our gratitude, when you return to Albion, please let me treat you to something, Viscount.�

�Don�t think too much about it, think about surviving first,� Wardes said. Menvil suddenly pulled out a cane and pointed it at the scruff of Wardes's neck.

�Watch your mouth youngster. Or do you want to turn to ashes right here and now?�

Wardes expressionlessly watched Menvil.

�I�m joking, Viscount. Don�t stare like that.�

Laughing, Menvil jumped from the deck into the air.

One after another, all other members, wrapped up in black cloths, followed Menvil.

A lot of people disappeared from the deck with a surprising swiftness.

Fouquet, who came up there, muttered in an unpleasant voice.

�Creepy guy. And scary.�

�But he has the skills needed. Can�t hope for more.�

�Is he more skilled than you?�

Fouquet laughed, asking Wardes a mischievous question.

�Maybe.�