Chivalry of a Failed Knight Volume 11

It was the absolute fear that made the body of Ascaride quiver, a fear she
couldn’t fight against.

Possibly towards that enemy, towards Or=Gaule…

– I beg you…. Don’t tell anyone about this.

– B-but…

– I’m, fine. … This trembling is, my sin. … It’s a proof to not forget the
meaning that I survived and that I’m alive. I’m fine.

Ascaride murmured “I’m fine” over and over again as if she was persuading
herself while hugging her own shoulders.

– I must accomplish this mission. The regrets of everyone, without exception,
I…

– Ascaride-san…

With the figure of Ascaride-san, Ikki remembered the words he heard from
Or=Gaule in the distance in his flickering consciousness.

――It’s not like you forgot what happened to you when you fought seriously
with me, did you?

Ascaride and Or=Gaule.

He didn’t know what happened between them.

But, one thing was clear. And that was the fact that Ascaride… even though a
strong fear like that was etched into her, she stood in front of Or=Gaule to
save them and stood dignified until just now, and even indicated Stella the
actions she had to take.

So Ikki,

– Yes. I won’t tell anyone about this.

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He replied so and rubbed the rounded shoulders of the trembling Ascaride
without asking anything else beyond that.

I hope this calms her down a little.

– … Thank you.

Ascaride returned a pale, small smile to Ikki’s consideration.

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◆◇◆◇◆

『Hey, what’s with this broadcast!?』

『The Prince of Kledelland made a declaration of war, you know?』

『What!? Why is the Prince Johan starting a war with Vermillion!?』

『How am I going to know that!?』

『Anyways, the people in the Imperial Capital are telling us to stay inside of
our homes, so everyone is going back home!』

Flareberg, the Imperial Capital of Vermillion, fell into chaos with the sudden
declaration of war from the neighboring country.

Everyone moved about with unease and confusion.

《Crimson Princess》Stella Vermillion ran through the skies of the Imperial
Capital.

She was heading straight to the royal castle as she jumped from roof to roof
of the buildings in the Imperial Capital like Ikki did before.

Because this method was much faster to get to the castle than going along the
road.

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Stella’s unease became stronger due to the chaos of the Imperial Capital
below her, along the road.

Faster, faster――

She needed to inform everyone that Johan’s declaration of war was a farce
manufactured by a wicked criminal and that she didn’t want Vermillion to
hurt the people of Kledelland.

But,

– This is…!

Stella’s legs stopped the moment she finally got near the castle.

The main gate of the castle, which was always left open at this hour, was
closed.

And there were countless armed soldiers standing up under her eyes.

The level of defense had been raised to the limit due to the state of
emergency brought by the sudden declaration of war from the neighboring
country.

Naturally, Stella got down and was allowed to speak with the soldiers and
went inside without problems.

However, this was just the outer security.

But in the castle. She couldn’t imagine the number of checkpoints she had to
go through to finally reach the palace where Sirius was. And that――

(I don’t have time for such slow things!)

Stella immediately gave up to return from the main gate.

She raised her eyes above her.

And looked up at a palace window placed at the back of the high and

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towering wall.

A question was born in the mind of Stella with such a view.

– It’s alright, I can do it…!

It seemed to be impossible before, but now that she knew her true strength
――.

Stella muttered as if encouraging herself and hugged her own arms.

And then she put her strength into the hands that hugged her shoulders and
held a mental image as she pulled them towards her back.

There were things that humans weren’t endowed with.
However, those things were natural for her who was a『Dragon』.

A mental image of wings.

–!

At that moment, Stella felt a pain that pushed open her shoulder blades.

– AAAAAA――――!

A pair of blazing wings that burned red manifested from her back.
The ability that《Crimson Princess》Stella Vermillion was proud
of――《Dragon》.

With the superpower that manifested the strength of the dragon on her body,
Stella regained the ideal form she should have.

The superheated wings were natural organs that Stella was endowed with by
nature, she certainly felt that her own boiling blood flowed in them.

She could move them. As she wished.

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It wasn’t her memory, but her cells that were aware of it.

That being the case,

– Here I goooooooooo!!!!

Stella runway the roof and threw herself into the air.

The body of Stella that was thrown into the air was pulled by gravity, it was
about to fall, but then, in an instant.

As soon as the blazing wings flapped once, the strength of the dragon easily
ripped off the chains of gravity and elevated the body of Stella into the air
powerfully.

Then she could easily jump over the high and towering castle walls and
immediately went straight to that palace window――

She went straight through the window without hesitation and jumped into the
palace.

– W-what was that sound!?

– No way, is it a missile!? Or a person!?

– It’s an enemy attack! Shoot! Shoot them to death!

The soldiers rushed to the sound of the glass that blew off and resounded in
the palace without warning and turned their guns towards the one who
jumped in from the window without confirming who the person was; they
were about to pull the trigger.

It seemed that they became agitated with the war against Kledelland that
started so abruptly.

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Stella roared in a carrying voice,
– Calm down!!
Towards them.

With this, the fingers of the soldiers stopped squeezing the triggers.
Because they realized that it was their princess who jumped in from the
window.
– St-Stella-sama!
– B-but how!? Not that she departed to Kledelland a while ago…!?
The soldiers were surprised. And,
– Whaaat, Stella is here!?
Sirius came running as he pushed aside those soldiers.
When he saw the figure of his beloved daughter unharmed who he thought
was alone in Kledelland,
– Yeeeeees! Stella was saaaafeeeee!!!!
He opened his hands wide as he shed tears of joy and ran to hug Stella
tightly.
――But,
– Haaaaaa!
The hug of meeting again was prevented by Stella’s counter-like palm heel.
– Fu, bu, but, why…

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– Thank you for being worried but I’m sorry! It’s not the time to do so right
now!

Yes, she was happy for seeing him again, but it was unfortunate.

She had to inform that the army of Kledelland wasn’t the enemy before the
armies of Vermillion and Kledelland crashed. And for that, Stella looked for
her mother Astraea who was the real person commanding the politics of
Vermillion,

– Stella-chan!

– Okaa-sama!

She found the figure of her mother who ran with Daniel Dandalion, the head
of the Vermillion Branch of the International Mage-Knights League to where
she was.

– You didn’t get caught…. Oh, I’m so relieved.

– Yes, I was rescued by《Black Knight》who came from the League and so we
came back here with《Divine Gate》.

– I see. By the way, what about Luna-chan and Ikki-san?

– They both came back to Vermillion with us. Since they were injured, I
didn’t bring them here, instead I had《Black Knight》take them to the hospital.

– They’re injured!? Wh-what about Luna!? Is Luna alright!?

– Luna-nee is fine. She just fainted. Ikki was considerably wounded when
protecting us… but he’s okay. He’s not the kind of guy who would kick the
bucket with something of that degree.

Because that man was a man who surpassed himself and tore off even his
fate.

– For the time being, the most important thing is to not get into a situation
where they’ll take the royal family as hostages. However, if《Black Knight》

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has moved, then that means… that she was notified by the headquarters about
this strife and the criminal participating in it, isn’t that right?

Stella greatly nodded in response to Dandallion’s question,

– Listen, Otou-sama, Okaa-sama! There’s something very important I have to
tell you!

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◆◇◆◇◆

After she arrived at the palace and reunited with her parents, Stella told them
everything she saw in Kledelland.

That Kledelland and their government, army and even the people should be
under control of《Marionette King》Or=Gaule.

That everything about this declaration of war and violation of territorial
sovereignty were crimes committed by Or=Gaule half-joking.

… And that King Clef was murdered by his evil hands.

And the moment she told them everything,

– ――!

A strong earthquake shook the Imperial Palace.

It was the sound of a pillar in the Imperial Palace that Sirius hit and broke.

– THAT PIECE OF SHIT!!!!

– Otou-sama…

A heat haze that distorted the surrounding scenery rose up from the huge
body of Sirius.

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His friend, who promoted peace between both countries together with him,
was killed. Sirius looked like the fury was burning in his body.

– Thank you, Stella-chan. … The enemy has become a serious matter.

-《Marionette King》Or=Gaule. That power he has was regarded as dangerous
by League in the past, but to think that the degree of the real ability he had
could cause such terrible actions is… What is《Rebellion》trying to achieve
with this, I wonder?

– He said he already quit《Rebellion》. Though I don’t know if that is true. …
But, there’s no doubt that this damn guy truly enjoys the misfortune of others,
I’m sure of it. It was… my first time seeing it, the malice that became his
happiness as he injured the ones around him. I truly think he’s trying to cause
a war just to torment us.

This was nothing but a game for that devil.

That level of pleasure was like going to the city to watch a movie if it was
compared to them.

He attempted to mess up both Kledelland and Vermillion for that level of
pleasure.

This wasn’t a ridiculous story.

It couldn’t be ignored at all. Because of that,

– Otou-sama! Okaa-sama! The army of Kledelland that is heading towards
here is being controlled! We only have one enemy that should be defeated!
That’s why I beg you! To tell this to everyone on the front lines right now!
To not fight with the army of Kledelland! At this rate, we’ll just end up
hurting our friends who are only being manipulated! If that were to happen,
then both sides will have to carry a disgrace on their backs that will never
disappear…!

If that was the scenario designed by this devil, then she had to stop it by any
means necessary.

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That was what Stella proposed to Astraea.
Astraea gave a nod to that and,
– You’re right. It’s as Stella-chan says. That’s not a ludicrous story.
– Of course not! In that case――

– But, it’s impossible to tell this to the ones on the front lines.

She put aside Stella’s proposal with a cutting tone of voice that didn’t hide
her dignity as an Empress and was different from her usual carefree way of
talking.

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◆◇◆◇◆

– Eh…?

The scenario of Or=Gaule, the devil.

Stella, who only thought that her own proposal of informing the front lines
about the contents was going to be accepted unconditionally, couldn’t
understand the rejection of Astraea.

– W-why!? Why!? Everyone is just being manipulated, aren’t they!?

Stella persisted while being very agitated.

Astraea shook her head with a sad facial expression and said.

– … Stella-chan. I’m very sorry, but it doesn’t matter if they are being
hostiles towards us or not.

– W-what do you mean!?

– Suppose there was a reason why, the army of Kledelland invaded the
territory of Vermillion with weapons in hand and turned their muzzles
towards us. The combat is inevitable to protect both our territory and to
evacuate the population. What… do you think will happen if the soldiers on
the front lines were to listen to the argument that the army of Kledelland is
being controlled?

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– What will happen…? Ah.

– They certainly will hesitate to pull the trigger towards their friends who
want to be saved by them with soundless voices because they’re only being
manipulated. And… that faltering will certainly cause enormous damages to
the army of Vermillion.

Stella, who was admonished by Astraea, became aware of it.

It was just as her mother had said. If they were to tell Signard and the others
on the front lines about that, they wouldn’t be able to turn their muzzles
towards the army of Kledelland.

But on the other hand, there was no mercy for the army of Kledelland that
was being controlled.

If both armies were to clash, the result of that would be self-evident.

– I think you want to save the people of Kledelland. But we are the royal
family of Vermillion. We have a duty to prioritize the lives of the citizens of
Vermillion above all else. That’s why… that information, even if it’s true, it
will spoil us, it can’t be sent to the front lines.

– But! B-but! If, if we do that!

Stella tried to object Astraea’s decision, but… she couldn’t find the right
words for it.

Because what Astraea said had no room for objection, it was the right
decision as the royal family. The lives of another country’s people or the
lives of the people of their country. There was no comparison.

Exposing the people of their country to danger to save the people of another
country; that in itself was an unreasonable act for the royal family and for the
nation. Even if Stella desperately thought of not wanting to abandon
Kledelland, there was no reason or anything of the sort that would go through
to set Astraea’s claim aside.

But still,

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(I must do something, one way or another…!)

She couldn’t help but remember.

The memories of when she was staying in Kledelland when she was a child.

It wasn’t like something big happened that was unforgettable.

There wasn’t an obligation like fighting and giving one’s life for the sake of
Kledelland.

However, the amicable greetings she got when she passed by the side of
someone in the streets, when she went shopping and got lots of candies… as
well as Johan, King Clef, Luke and the others, and everyone who was kind to
her younger self.

And when she piled up all those small memories, she finally thought.

I want to protect the world around me, including Kledelland.

However――and although it was for the sake of the nation, she had to
abandon them, but was that okay?

Even though their freedom was stolen and were forced to fight a war they
didn’t want to, they might be desperately wishing to be saved with soundless
voices…!

-〜〜〜〜〜〜〜…!

Stella didn’t know what to do, she couldn’t move in this narrow space
between logic and emotion.

Astraea, who attentively watched such kindness of Stella, was proud of her.

However, being kind wasn’t everything; she wouldn’t be able to protect what
was important as she would be too drunk on her own kindness.

Politicians had to ignore their own kindness so they could sink themselves in

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reason.

Especially Stella who was Vermillion’s best fighting power.

From now on, whether it became an all-out conflict with the army of
Kledelland or they attempted to subjugate Or=Gaule with a selected few, they
would certainly need Stella’s strength.

That being the case, it would be a problem to have her standing still
indefinitely.

And so, Astraea decided.

In order to cut off Stella’s hesitation――she would allow a preemptive strike
on the army of Kledelland that was invading their territory deeply with the
imperial army of Vermillion that she would lead.

Her daughter wasn’t frail to the degree that she would continue to hesitate
once the battle had begun.

That was why she made a harsh decision. That was the duty of adults.

Astraea, who resolved to do so, looked towards the private line terminal
installed in the room of the Imperial Palace. And,

– Hey, Signard! It’s me! Yes, listen to this! The army of Kledelland is being
controlled and they are being forced to fight! You must absolutely not show
any hostility over there!

She saw the figure of her husband Sirius who told everything to the imperial
army general Signard who went first through the terminal as he tried to hide
it from her.

– O-Otou-sama!?

– Sirius!?

The surprised voices of Dandalion and Stella who were next to Sirius were
raised due to his action.

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But Sirius wasn’t concerned about the reaction of the ones around him,

– If you don’t understand, do as I say anyways. Stella returned a few
moments ago and told us about the situation over there. Kledelland and even
that kid Johan were contacted by League before they were completely taken
over by the criminal. In other words, this war has been a farce from the
beginning! Signard! Don’t get involved in this stupid farce so that guy
doesn’t make a fool out of us! Yes, change to defensive battle. Give them all
the territory they want! Just protect the citizens and bring everyone to the
Imperial Capital at once! Yes! Don’t kill anyone! Make sure to not kill
anyone! Because we’ll beat the enemy to death! These are the orders of the
King!

He strongly ordered to Signard who commanded the army and hung down the
telephone receiver.

– Papa…

– This fool understands that what mama says is correct. However… I don’t
agree with it at all! Not when… Kledelland needs our strength! If we extend
our hands to protect ourselves above all else, then what is the point of all
this time we’ve spent so far!?

Kledelland and Vermillion overcame the long-established custom of snarling
at each other in old-fashioned, pent-up resentment and cooperated to become
friends of equal status.

Not just the royal families. But the citizens and everyone else worked hard
for it.

But, if they were to turn their palms here and let Kledelland die without
helping them――

– The day that we can be equal friends will never come again. At least, we
ourselves won’t allow that.

Sirius said so. What he said was “sorry”. Because,

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– Vermillion follows virtue rather than reason! In these 30 years, in this time
when both nations got closer, I never told a lie! This is a notification to all
stations! We’re going to save Kledelland! The dimwit that is doing
whatever he pleases on the other side will be beaten to death by our hands!
And then we’ll pull dimwit’s head out and offer it in front of Clef’s grave!

This is Vermillion’s great cause, Sirius Vermillion declared in a loud voice.

To such… Sirius, who chose and took the decision she wanted to choose, the
same Sirius who Stella flying-kicked without feeling hate or because there
was a reason behind it,

– Otou-sama――――!!!!

Stella clung to him as if she jumped at him.

– Whoa!? W-what are you doing so suddenly, Stella?
– Thank you…! I’m so glad I’m Otou-sama’s child!

– I, I see, h-however, saying that thing in front of me makes me feel
embarrassed.

Sirius rubbed the hair of Stella as he warped his stern facial expression as if it
he felt uneasy.

And then, he asked.

– … Stella, you’re our weapon, you’re Vermillion’s weapon. Will you help
us out?

The reply Stella gave back was decided.

– Of course! Leave the foes of King Clef, Luke-san and the others to me!

– … I’m sorry, mama. I’m not so smart like mama after all.

– Don’t worry about that. … That time when papa went berserk in

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Kledelland. It didn’t matter how many times I said it was hopeless, you didn’t
listen to me. You started it arbitrarily and by yourself, and in the end you
came back with a serious injury. I’m so used to it that it doesn’t surprise me
anymore.

– L-like I thought, mama got angry, didn’t she…?

– Obviously. Ever since then, your left eye almost doesn’t see, does it? I see
through papa’s actions, even the secret ones.

Astraea glanced at Sirius with half-opened eyes.

Sirius was terribly consternated by this, but… the very next moment, Astraea
changed the sharpness of her facial expression and became sentimental,

– … But, it doesn’t matter how angry or amazed I get, I’ve lived honestly
believing in your righteousness, even when it’s always absurd… but that ends
up giving everyone a smile on their face. And that’s the papa I loved and love
♪.

– T-then that means…!

– Yes ♪. I’ll follow papa to the end.

Astraea showed understanding to Sirius’s decision as she smiled.

The appeasement with Kledelland was also a result of Sirius’s mentality,

That was why Astraea understood.

(This is… the blood of Vermillion, isn’t it?)

Astraea thought so as she looked at father and daughter who couldn’t choose,
who didn’t try to choose reason.

Astraea was studying history at a university before getting married to Sirius.

That was why she knew this very well.

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――That Vermillion wasn’t a country built on logic.

In this country, a certain nobleman threw away his duties and the『Reason』
that every person should have to serve his king. This country was born
precisely because he fought for the weak who needed for his help.

He knew that. There was something more important than reason in this
world.

That was virtue. That was Vermillion itself.

These two people probably knew that even if they didn’t get it in their heads.

The way of doing things, that is, the national power of this country, was the
most important thing.

(I’m a little, just a little envious)

Because she, who didn’t have that blood, ended up giving priority to reason
above all else.

But… that was something that could be done by herself.

That was to try filling the『Reason』that Sirius didn’t have.

Astraea, who resolved what to do, told the two of them.

– Save Kledelland. And since we’ve chosen to do that, don’t we need to
elaborate more on it?

Dandalion, who stood next to her, nodded.

– We shouldn’t wait for the army of Kledelland that was transformed into a
marionette to come. Even if Signard and the rest were to retreat with all their
might, the actions to guide the evacuation of the population will surely be
delayed. And they will surely end up being reached by them. The first thing
we should do is stop the army of Kledelland that drew near before our very
eyes without hurting them, yes? It is essential to think about that. The most
certain thing would be to defeat《Marionette King》, the culprit of everything,

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but as long as our opponent remains in Kledelland, a collision between the
two armies will end up happening before that whether we want it or not.

Sirius gave his own thoughts,

– I thought about it, but what if we hit them hard with《Illusionary Form》?

In response to Dandalion’s words.

Since《Illusionary Form》didn’t harm the human body, shouldn’t we be able
to render the soldiers powerless without hurting them?

However, Dandalion looked grave because of Sirius’s opinion.

– … Well, there shouldn’t be any effect on them. The damage caused
by《Illusionary Form》is similar to a strong suggestion. It does not hurt the
body of the persons in question through that suggestion, but rather by reaping
the consciousness. However…. If we limited this to what we have heard from
Stella-sama, the opponent turned the soldiers into lifelike dolls. As long as
they are not moving by their own free will, there would be no point in adding
an attack like that on their consciousness, don’t you think so?

Stella, who listened to their conversion from the side, had the same point of
view as Dandalion regarding her father’s opinion.

She stopped《Icy Derision》that was controlled via《Illusionary Form》once,
but that guy, that method could do it because there was a marionette that
controlled《Icy Derision》near there.

《Illusionary Form》 had sufficient destructive power against objects, but it
was harmless against humans.

She made the best use of this special characteristic and destroyed the
marionette《Hiraga Reisen》that controlled《Icy Derision》and physically
released《Icy Derision》from the control of the threads by cutting off the
source.

In the end, 《Hiraga Reisen》also seemed to be a relay of《Marionette King》,
however,

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(――! Wait, what if there’s a hub…)

At that moment, an insight ran in Stella’s mind.

– Come to think of it, one of my acquaintances in Japan said this before.
“There’s a theory to set up a relay when a『Steel wire user』is going to control
a puppet from a faraway location”. Since Or=Gaule is in Kledelland now,
then he definitely must be using hubs to control the army of Kledelland this
time! In that case, if he’s relaying his control in some way or other, then we
will able to set everyone free without hurting them, right!?

– Indeed.

(Eh…!?)

The voice that affirmed the insight of Stella didn’t belong to Dandalion, her
mother or her father.

However, Stella recognized the voice of a bit husky female with that little
intonation.

No way!? She turned around and,

《Black Knight》Iris Ascaride and Kurogane Ikki were standing there.

– Ascaride-san…! And Ikki too! Are your wounds healed!?

Stella immediately ran up to Ikki and checked his physical condition.

Ikki returned a nod and,

– Yup. It’s all thanks to Ascaride-san’s《Orichalcos》.

– Oh, is that so…?

With those words, Stella remembered. The existence of an infinite
regeneration according to the concept of《Fortitude》 used by《Orichalcos》
which was shown when they were attacked back then.

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That power on Ikki, who put that armor on, seemed to have healed his
wounds.

– Does that mean you’re really alright!?

– Yeah. I’m sorry for worrying you.

– Hey! I don’t care about you! What about Luna!? Where’s Luna!?

Sirius forced his way between Stella and Ikki while shouting in anger.

Ikki replied to Sirius regarding Lunaize’s whereabouts.

– Lunaize-san was taken to the hospital. She ended up losing consciousness
due to a minor hypoxic encephalopathy but it wasn’t a risk for her life, and
she ultimately woke up when we reached the hospital. However, she sprained
her right foot when she fell on the ground the moment she lost consciousness,
so she stayed in the hospital and is receiving treatment.

– I, I see…. It’s only a sprain, huh. That’s a relief….

Sirius fell to his knees on the spot, the relief was too big.

Astraea, who was behind him, let loose a sigh of relief just like him, but she
immediately tightened her crumbled appearance,

– 《Black Knight》-san. When you said “indeed”, was it because of what
Stella-chan said? That if the relays are crushed then the people of Kledelland
can be saved?

She continued the discussion right away so that the matter wouldn’t end up
being diverted.

Ascaride returned a nod to her.

– … Yes. 《Marionette King》prepares relays to artificially increase the joints
to diversify the pattern of movement of threads and to manipulate many
people and objects. This time, 《Marionette King》should be using dozens or
hundreds of people in the army as relays. If you restrain those relays and seal

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their movements, the soldiers who were under the control of those relays will
be released from the dominance of《Marionette King》. However…

– Ho-however, what?

– It’s very difficult to identify the people who are relaying. Extraordinary
powers of concentration, sharpened powers of observation and combat
perception backed up by experience are needed. There might be some knights
in this country who can do it, like the branch head and I… and that person,
just the three of us.

Ascaride, who said so, pointed at Ikki with her eyes. But,

– Still, three people won’t be enough. I requested reinforcements when I got
in contact with headquarters before I rescued Stella-hime and the others, but
it will take time for them to arrive, so we can’t count on that.

The army of Kledelland, which was heading towards here, exceeded 10,000
soldiers.

That probably meant that the number of hubs were also around the three
digits.

Three people couldn’t cope with them at all.

And then――the one who interjected the words of Ascaride was Ikki.

– About that, I thought of an idea, but can you listen to it, Ogifu-san*?

*TN: Father-in-law.

– ――――――…… Goldenagato | https://mp4directs.com

Page 168

Chapter 9: Urban Warfare in
Caldia

Distant thunders resounded above the cloudy Vermillion.

There was a small town with refined small buildings made of stone lined up
under the sky that seemed it would collapse at any moment.

Caldia city.

Located precisely between the border of Kledelland and Vermillion Imperial
Capital Flareberg,

This rural town once prospered as an inn town and as an important point of
transportation between both countries, but now that public transportation
such as airplanes and railroads had improved, and because it didn’t have any
industry in particular, it rarely received people from other places.

But this silent town was now occupied by men dressed in heavy equipment.

They were the Imperial Army of Vermillion.

Since they received evacuation instructions by means of King’s orders, they
gathered all the residents of the national border who already had finished
evacuating by command of the local police then took them along and started
retreating straight to the Imperial Capital Flareberg, however, on the way
they received a different order from Sirius.

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That command was “you will put a front here in Caldia” in order to meet the
army of Kledelland that was heading straight to the Imperial Capital, their
objective, and to release them from the control of《Marionette King》here in
this place.

General Signard Iruon, who commanded Vermillion Army under this
instruction, left the evacuation of the residents to the police who had
previously entered Caldia by Sirius’s command and proceeded with the
preparations for the urban warfare against the Army of Kledelland.

The deployment of barbed wire and iron fences.

The obstruction of their advance by blowing up the buildings and spreading
the debris on the road.

All of this was just pestering, but still better than doing nothing.

Signard told the soldiers as she gave them directions.

– Everyone, hurry to change your equipment! We don’t have much time
before the Army of Kledelland arrives!

The soldiers dropped their weapons loaded with live ammunition as they
were hurried up by Signard’s voice which was amplified by a megaphone.
What they took in their hands instead were non-killing weapons used for mob
suppression like rubber bullets, stun grenades, stun guns and bulletproof
shields that the police brought when they came for the evacuees.

All to help the Army of Kledelland.

Since they decided to do so, they couldn’t afford to aim at them with
weapons loaded with live ammunition.

Therefore, the Imperial Army soldiers replaced their equipment with things
that didn’t have power to kill, and performed inspections and test firings to
know the characteristics of the weapons even if it was a little in the small
frame of time they had until they came into contact with the enemy.

And then, a person among them, a middle-aged soldier, gave a wry smile.

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– This is police equipment, isn’t it? The usability itself isn’t different from
our equipment, but… look at this. There’s no hole in this drum.

*Knock knock*, he knocked the drum with the tip of a toe and a big dent
carved by the test firing of a rubber bullet was made.

It was greatly crushed, but it didn’t penetrate it.

“I can’t expect too much from something of a man-stopping power like this”,
he understood.

– Isn’t this reliable though? They won’t die if we hit them with this.

A man of the same age returned in a talkative manner to the complaint of the
soldier, and,

– Hey, move, move! You guys are in the way!

They were hit by an angry voice.

They turned their faces to such voice and an old man with a grave face turned
up from the hatch of the tank and ordered them to veer away to a side of the
road because they were in the way.

– Tanks are also being pulled back?

The man on the tank nodded.

– Yeah. The big size of the shells will smash people to atoms even if they are
rubber bullets. And it will be bad if we leave them more or less scattered
around the town.

As the man said, the tanks that were supposed to follow them side-by-side
were moving to the back of the front before they knew.

The middle-aged soldier who complained a while ago shrugged his shoulders
before this scene.

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– This is getting funny, don’t you think? Even though they’re being
controlled, we can fight with just these toys against opponents who are
carrying machine guns and even have tanks lined up. While they don’t have
ground-to-ground bombers like Vermillion, not having them pass through is
absurd.

All the soldiers who heard this returned a nod to the grumble of the soldier.

– Yeah, it’s absurd. Truly absurd. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the
order. They’re asking too much.

– I totally agree. Even though we were attacked all of a sudden and have been
extremely busy giving instructions and rescuing the population who lost their
homes, now we’re trying to save Kledelland. Our King is truly a hopeless
goddamn idiot!

Discontent and grumbling began to overflow among the soldiers.

But that was natural.

Those words were assessed as outrageous by the soldiers in the scene, they
deliberately had to lower the grade of their equipment against opponents who
were seriously after their lives. How were they going to go to war while
worrying about their enemies’ safety? Such foolish words. They weren’t a
joke. Because they were the only ones who would put their lives on the line.

Complaints were a certain thing. It was natural to be angry.

――However,

– … Even though you guys say so, you seem to be looking forward to it,
don’t you?

They expressed their discontent and their complaints, and yet, their
expressions were somehow bright.

– That’s how you are. You feel so bad that you’re breaking into a smile.
When we had real guns in our arms until a while ago, yeah, we had faces like
it was the end of the world.

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– Hehe. … There’s nothing we can do. Not even I get this at all. I really don’t
get it, but… to be able to fight as a soldier of this stupid country that began to
say things like “save the people of another country by putting your life on the
line” when this might get us killed is… how to say it, it makes me incredibly
happy.

They were shocked when they heard that the Army of Kledelland was
invading them.

They couldn’t believe it.

However, when a hurried call and an urgent intercept order were issued and
the equipment was allocated, they actually felt it.

That from this moment, they were going to kill each other against the people
of Kledelland.

Just as that happened, the equipment that they had loaded on the trucks many
times and that always carried felt very heavy.

They thought of wanting to throw these disgusting things they held in their
hands away.

It wasn’t a surprise.

The Imperial Families weren’t the only ones who had been promoting peace
between the two countries.

In the exact same way, the citizens that lived in both countries emulated their
Kings and gradually shortened the distance with their neighbors.

Particularly their generation, who knew Kledelland and Vermillion before the
reign of Sirius.

At that time, they were taught by the man-eating fiend who lived there that
they had to detest each other’s life.

There was certainly a period of time when they were nothing but disgusted by

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the people of Kledelland.

That seemed to be the same for the Kledelland side.

Because of that, it was complicated to meet each other’s gaze immediately
after the trial of the appeasement policy.

But, due to repeated small exchanges, they got to know each other little by
little, demolished the old tradition and cultivated friendship.

“There’s no way we want to kill those people”.

And so, on the way to the front packed with trucks after the order of
interception was given, the ones who chose their occupation as “soldier”
were full of regret.

But――Sirius wiped out such gloomy feeling.

The Army of Kledelland was just being controlled, they had no animosity
towards them.

They had other enemies they should kill, they would never kill each other.

(I, who’s a mere soldier, understands that…)

This decision of Sirius――was something he couldn’t think of with common
sense.

Whatever the reason was, the Army of Kledelland was trampling down the
territory of Vermillion with weapon in hand. Interception was natural. A
normal nation would make their soldiers pull the trigger to defend themselves
from the danger. Certainly that would have happened if the soldiers weren’t
told that their enemies were controlled by a criminal. The nation should have
devoted itself to national defense while hiding everything.

… But that would have resulted in their hands covered with the blood of their
innocent friends.

That was normal.

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That was the military.
Their King said things that couldn’t be think of with common sense.
But now that was… they were tremendously glad.
That their King wasn’t a man who would make them kill their friends.
(… The decision of King Sirius certainly exposed our lives to danger)
But that was fine.
We are fine with it.

*TN: “We” is the furigana reading for “Vermillion”.

– In a wide world such as this. That exists a country that goes to war with
such a good-natured pretext is great, don’t you agree?

– You’re not wrong…!

The thinking of this soldier was shared by everyone who was there.

――The same went for Signard who gave instructions to the soldiers.

– You! For how long are you going to chatter pointlessly!? Once the
inspection of the equipment is done, start deploying it immediately!
「「「Y-yes ma’am!!」」」

Signard gave a sweeping view to the Imperial Army as she rushed the
soldiers.

… Her face seemed like it would burst into tears just now, it was hard to

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believe.
– Guys, listen! Don’t kill anyone! Don’t make anyone die! And nobody will
die! Those are the direct orders of our King! Show them the pride of the
Imperial Army!!

「「「Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah――――!!!!」」」

All members of the Vermillion Army got excited with Signard’s oath.
Verge of death with some handicap. Even though they were forced to go to
an absurd fight, everyone’s face was full of vitality.
Their will and courage to fight for their friends was overflowing.
The morale of the Imperial Army of Vermillion was reaching its peak since
they came here.
――Now they certainly could overcome any predicament.
Signard was convinced,
– Our preparations are almost complete. You are our『eyes』! We trust in you,
Kurogane!
She told to the microphone of the walkie-talkie as she looked up to the sky.
Kurogane Ikki, who took his body out from the helicopter flying under the
cloudy weather in front of Signards’ line of sight, bowed his head in assent.
– Please leave this to me.

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◆◇◆◇◆

『I have an idea about that, but can you listen to it, Father?』

*TN: “Father” is the furigana reading for “father-in-law”.
『――――……, tell me about it』

Sirius agreed after a somewhat long silence to Ikki’s proposal who came to
the Imperial Palace together with Ascaride.

In response to that, Ikki proposed to him.

The hubs of Or=Gaule exceeded three digits.

The only method to neutralize them was with their existing force. And those
were――
『I will be the eyes of the Vermillion Army』
『What?』

The strategy suggested by Ikki didn’t sound complicated.

Ikki, who was able to identify the hubs, got on a helicopter to overlook the
battlefield from the air.

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In order to identify the numerous hubs with a wide field of view and to
provide local information to the Imperial Army.

『So you’re going to identify the hubs from the sky while flying around on a
helicopter…!?』

『Correct. Vermillion and Kledelland are both member nations of League. Not
just ground-to-ground bombers, the retention of aerial military strength that
allows long-distance flights outside one’s own country is also prohibited by
the Treaties of League, so preparations shouldn’t exist. This way, I can
concentrate on identifying the hubs』

『But how do you intend to tell us their locations? The enemy is composed of
tens of thousands of troops. The battlefield is all jumbled up, there’s no way
to tell who is who』

『About that, I think we can overcome it if we borrow the ability of Miriallia-
san』

『Miri’s!?』

Ikki agreed to the surprised Stella,

『That’s right. Her faculty to grasp the space and her eyesight to accurately
control distant bullets. Her real ability as a sniper is one of the best. She will
put a mark with a paint bullet to every hub that I’ve found. This should let
everyone know where the hubs are』

All the members who were there had a confused facial expression due to
Ikki’s affirmation.

Certainly, if they were marked with paint bullets, then sharing the position of
the hubs to all the soldiers was a reality, and the shortage of manpower would
be cancelled, but――

『Do you really know who has really become a relay just by looking over the
small soldiers from the sky?』

Could he really do that? That was the question.

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In fact, 《Black Knight》Ascaride, the fourth strongest person in League,
shook her head to the question of Astraea.

I can’t do that.

And Dandalion also,

『… I believe it’s impossible for me. Because what I can mostly see is the
area at the top of the head from the helicopter』

But Ikki, to such negative reactions,

『I have confidence in my eyesight』

Raised his voice,

『The wounds of my body were healed by《Orichalcos》, but my trump card
was weakened on my first contact with Or=Gaule. I’m completely out of
magic power, and I’m almost to no use as a fighting force. But I can’t stand
doing nothing in this predicament of Stella’s hometown. Please let me do
whatever I can…!』

And――stared directly at Sirius Vermillion.

To believe in him.

Sirius returned a long silence to that… and he finally opened his mouth.

『This is a problem between Kledelland and Vermillion. It has nothing to do
with a Japanese brat like you』

『O-Otou-sama! Are you still fixed on that!?』

Stella tried to flare up at the words of rejection of her father.

But Astraea interrupted her.

『Stella-chan. Wait』

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Sirius continued immediately after that.
『However, if you become one of us, the story would be different』
『Father-in-law-san…!』
『If you lead Vermillion to victory in this war, then I’ll also recognize you.
Although the situation has changed a bit, that promise is still on foot. …
Show me that you’re not just a boy with a big mouth』
It wasn’t in the form inserted by Lunaize,
Or something that he had to say against his will,
He promised so with his own words and of his own volition.
“To recognize Kurogane Ikki as a representative of Vermillion”.
The challenge of Kurogane Ikki revolving Stella.
He was going to accept it as a man.
『Yes…! Definitely!』

――He was certainly going to accomplish it.
Ikki strengthened his determination again while he recalled the promise he
made at the Imperial Palace several hours ago with his eyes closed on the
helicopter.
He couldn’t show a pathetic side to the father who accepted his challenge that
would probably steal the irreplaceable existence of his Stella.*
*TN: “Stella” is the furigana reading for “daughter”.
With his mind sharpened, he settled down his feelings.

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And with the pulsation of the blood flowing in his body, he raised his eyelids
with an extremely high concentration he could even feel a single downy hair
being swayed by the wind,

– They came.

Ikki saw them.

The tall buildings destroyed by the army with the great visibility of his view.

At the end of that, a black tsunami approached, crossing over the gentle hill.

Ikki asked Miriallia Lazy, the girl who had a knee on the floor and who was
checking her sniper.

– Miriallia-san. Are you ready?

Miriallia showed an unconcealed, displeased look on her face to such words,

– Just call me Miri. Miri-chan dislikes formalities.

– … Miri. Are you ready?

– Lock n’ loaded.

Miriallia replied, her weapon was ready, loaded with paint bullets.

Ikki then switched to the walkie-talkie and asked Signard.

– Enemy forces in the northern hill have been confirmed! How are things on
your side, Signard-san!?
『All members were assigned to their designated positions! Start whenever
you feel like it!』

Together with that reply, the soldiers raised a war cry that resembled a gust of
wind from the ground.

Ikki, who felt with all his body that the morale of the troops certainly hit the

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heavens, thought.
… This is a good country.
(It doesn’t matter whether it’s Stella’s hometown or not anymore)
As a knight ―― what would make the people in this place sad?
And then, he told his feelings towards everyone who gathered in the
battlefield.
– Let’s go! Operation start…!

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◆◇◆◇◆

The 50,000 man of the Kledelland Army controlled by《Marionette King》
Or=Gaule pierced Vermillion in a column formation like an arrow and went
straight towards the heart of Vermillion, the Imperial Capital Flareberg,
without stopping.

Vermillion Army, who faced them, used nothing but their whole military
force, the 30,000 soldiers they had and could be mobilized, and spread a line
of defense in Caldia, which was the halfway point between them and their
military advance.

Caldia, which once prospered as a trade route connecting both countries, had
three main roads that connected both countries: one to the east, another to the
west and lastly to the north in its beautiful townscape that resembled
Kledelland.

Vermillion divided its military strength in three and blocked all of them.

They were prepared to engage the Army of Kledelland.

And when the clock exactly marked 5pm, the two forces clashed at last.

Firing sounds that sounded like squalls reverberated under the cloudy
weather.

Signard ordered the whole army in the midst of those noises.

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– Don’t try too hard! All that you have to do is to slow down the actions of
the guys of Kledelland until the knights have found the hubs! If it gets too
dangerous, pull back!

「「「Yes ma’am!」」」

There was an absolute equipment difference between both parties.

The controlled Army of Kledelland used live ammunition, their tanks
included, they had no hesitation in killing their opponents. On the other hand,
the equipment of the Army of Vermillion, which aimed to save them from the
control of《Marionette King》, was an equipment used for mob suppression
loaded with rubber bullets.

If it was compared to the equipment of Kledelland, it was just like a toy.

If they exchanged shots directly, it would impossible to call that a match.

However, the side that had been taking advantage of the battle since the clash
was the Army of Vermillion.

– The legs! Aim for the legs! They won’t stop moving if you hit their heads,
but if you break their legs, their advance will slow down!

– Don’t forget to cover! This is not your usual practice!

There was something called the『Three-to-one law』in war.

This advocated that in order to attack and defeat the enemy, the ratio of the
military force must be at least 3 to 1.

Paradoxically speaking, it also meant that a soldier on the defensive could do
the part of three soldiers on the offensive.

30,000 soldiers from Vermillion against 50,000 soldiers from Kledelland.

In a simple number comparison, Vermillion had the disadvantage, but if the
law previously mentioned was taking into account, the military force of
Vermillion that was on the defensive would considerably skyrocket to

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90,000.

Moreover, Vermillion had grasped enough cover points and had finished the
advance arrangements of effective crossfire points before Kledelland arrived.

It was impossible to smash with a charge of 50,000 soldiers the 30,000
soldiers who had prepared all this.

The invasion of the Army of Kledelland was being stopped in Caldia.

However, that superiority wasn’t going to last long.

If the gun battle had a decent distance between the armies, they could have an
evenly matched fight against live ammunition as long as they took cover
consistently.

But if the battle was dragged on and the distance between both armies
narrowed, the difference in equipment would actually come in sight.

Because the Army of Kledelland would take out the weapons with the power
to blow away the walls and shields used for cover.

– H-hey, a soldier over there is preparing…!

– This is bad! It’s a rocket!

– Evacuate, everyoneeeeeeeeeee!!!!

It happened on one of the three roads, on the east main road.

A grenadier that had been hiding behind a soldier with an assault rifle until
now pulled the trigger of a Kledelland Army weapon aiming at them when
the distance of both armies was shortened.

RPG-7

Concrete walls and even the armor of a tank were helpless in front of the
exploding grenade.

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The soldiers of Vermillion fell back in a hurry, but human legs are too slow
compared to the speed of a grenade with a propulsion device. The evacuation
wasn’t done in time, the soldiers shut their eyes and resigned themselves to
death, and immediately after, the grenade blasted the soldiers, the concrete
wall and everything.

It emitted a burst of flames and a roaring sound similar to a crash of thunder.

But,

– W-what?

The flames didn’t reach the soldiers who were prepared for death.

How? They opened their eyes and,

– Ah, you’re…!

– ――――――

In front of the concrete wall they used as a cover point.

There was the figure of a black armor that stood dauntingly as if protecting
them while being enveloped by the black smoke.
Yes. 《Black Knight》Ascaride dressed in her resilient Device《Orichalcos》
received the grenade with her body and protected the soldiers.

– Are you okay?

Ascaride, who looked back, asked in a calm tone of voice.

– Y-yeah, we’re fine, but, i-is knight-sama alright?

– You were hit directly, no?

-… Not really.

Ascaride returned something along the lines of “not at all” to the worried

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soldiers.

In fact, Ascaride hadn’t even suffered minor damage from the direct hit of the
grenade.

While it was true that Blazers had a strong resistance to physical impacts, the
direct hit of a grenade had chances of being fatal, but Ascaride had her body
clad in《Orichalcos》that boasted the hardest defensive power among the
current existing and known Devices. If it was an impact that wasn’t
accompanied by magic power, this product was able to endure even the direct
hit of an anti-ship missile.

Therefore, the soldiers of Kledelland emptied their magazines on Ascaride
who didn’t waver even a bit with the grenade she was struck by, but that
wasn’t a threat for her either.

She slowly moved forward while being struck by the storm of bullets sprayed
at her whole body.

She stood alone in the middle of the enemy lines and surveyed her
surroundings.

And then,

– I found it.

She muttered and manifested a huge battleaxe in her right hand.

She started running, aiming at a soldier who fired his machine gun
indiscriminately towards her.

She shortened the distance in the twinkling of an eye as she repelled each and
every flying bullet and brandished the battleaxe.

The soldier flipped up the machine gun he had in his hands, but he was
immediately pinned down by her.

And then, with a movement similar to a flow, she turned his hands to his back
and handcuffed him.

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Immediately after.

The soldiers around them stopped moving abruptly and crumbled down right
where they were like dolls with broken threads.

Yes. The person that Ascaride restrained now was a hub that controlled the
soldiers around him, and as a result of the limited movement of the hub, the
farthest soldiers were unable to have an adequate balance movement and the
fell into malfunction.

The surrounding soldiers of Vermillion applauded Ascaride who had found a
hub splendidly and rendered the soldiers around her powerless.

– A-amazing! You didn’t even flinch from all that concentrated fire, it’s like
you’re not a human like us!

– The fourth rank in the world is so reliable! We’ll be counting on you!

Ascaride returned nothing but a nod in silence to this ovation,

– … You really seem to distinguish them from the sky.

She looked up to the sky and spilled her admiration.

Ahead of her line of sight was the figure of a helicopter flying over the
battlefield.

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◆◇◆◇◆

Above Caldia.

There was a helicopter that flew at a low altitude of about 30 meters as if
gliding.

A medium-sized helicopter for goods transportation had Kurogane Ikki and
Miriallia Lazy on board.

– Miri. The next target is the company going south on the 45th Street. Do you
see them?

Ikki took his body out from the opened door of the helicopter and pointed at a
part of the battlefield.

– There’s a soldier running behind everyone and who has an antenna
extending from the rucksack, right? Shoot him.

Ikki had a high-angle view of Kledelland Army with which he distinguished
the locations of the hubs.

He gave a command to Miriallia who was next to him with a knee on the
floor, that is, in a shooting posture.

– Roger. I’m on it〜.

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In response to this firing instruction of Ikki,

– Aand, here it goes!

Miriallia fired the paint bullet at the designated target with the rifle.

Miriallia’s outstanding space grasping ability to control very distant bullets
from her in 3D allowed her to easily hit the target without worrying about the
unstable foothold on the helicopter.

And with the paint as a sign of that,
『Alright, that’s the guy! The next unfortunate fool has been found!』
『Imperial Guard, to the front! Everyone, chaaaaaarge!!』
『Go go go! Push forward! Go go go! Push forward!』

The Royal Imperial Guard of Vermillion went straight ahead while carrying
bulletproof shields.

And when they broke through the front of the Army of Kledelland forcibly,
『Capture him immediatelyyyy! Wrap him up gently!』
『With one of the Imperial Guard Style Enforcement Laws: Oil-hell man in a
mountain of men!』*

*TN: The kanji for the mess written above after the “:” is “漢特盛り油地
獄” which doesn’t have any reference in Japanese other than a crappy
Japanese movie using “Oil-Hell” which I just pasted here.

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Page 191

They stripped their happi coats off and threw themselves upon the soldier of
Kledelland that was the hub and completely sealed his movement by lying on
top of one another like a mountain.

If the hub was squashed by a mountain of muscles, and that made him unable
to move even a finger, then the surrounding soldiers would collapse as well.

『A purging law that punishes fools who have created lovers on their own and
have disturbed harmony in our group! Helping you in this way is the best
there is!』

『Have you realized, you criminal!? This is the strength of Vermillion!』

– Hey, Ikki. May I also shoot the disgrace of the country while I’m at it?

Miriallia asked Ikki as she turned the muzzle from far away in the air to the
members of the Imperial Guard who declared impressively and who
succeeded in neutralizing the hub.

Ikki returned a wry smile to her,

– Maybe later.

And replied.

(It’s fine if it’s later)

Miriallia was a bit surprised by the poisonous return of the gentle Ikki to
everyone.

Did those guys do anything to anger him? She wondered.

Well, if that’s the case, then I’ll shoot a few bullets at them after we’ve
finished.

… Be that as it may,

(Isn’t this going exceedingly well?)

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The battlefield below.

Miriallia, who overlooked the soldiers of Kledelland who fell face down,
caught her breath.

Kurogane Ikki had found around 20 hubs since the battle started, they had
succeeded in neutralizing all of them due to the cooperation with the Army of
Vermillion. As he had suggested to Sirius, he had almost flawlessly carried
out his role as the eyes of the Vermillion Army.

Miriallia, who was sat next to such amazingness, actually felt that more than
anyone else.

Because, even though they both were looking at the same scenery, Miriallia
didn’t have the ability to distinguish who was a soldier and who was a hub at
all.

――Honestly speaking, she even felt that her pride as a sniper was hurt.

So,

– Hey, umm, how does Ikki grasp the location of the hubs just by looking at
them from above? You shouldn’t see more than their heads from this place,
right?

Miriallia asked about his method of discrimination.

Ikki answered.

– That’s enough for me. Or more precisely, in this case, there’s no need to
observe closely.

– But that still sounds ambiguous to me?

Ikki supplemented to Miriallia who inclined her head to the side.

– The precision the ill-natured 《marionettes》of《Marionette King》 have is
considerably high. Johan-san, the people of the town of Kledelland and I had
a meal together, but I never realized they were being controlled. I’m pretty

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sure that《Marionette King》can seize the original personality of a person and
their memories through his magic threads. … It’s not something that one can
find out by looking at their faces, for example. But then again, detailed
information is unnecessary. It’s better to look at the whole picture with a
wide view even if it’s from a distance. The battlefield is something like a lake
surface on a rainy day. By having a commander as the starting point, the
ripples of『motion』spread throughout the battlefield. In this case, the reason is
even easier to understand because they aren’t being commanded with voice,
but actually their movement is transmitted through threads. And there’s
always a hub at the starting point of those ripples.

– … Oh, I see. A lake surface, huh? Interesting, interesting.

(I don’t get at all what he’s talking abooout!!)

Miriallia was convinced that the words of Ikki were said with an unwavering
self-confidence.

In the first place, what they saw was completely different.

Even when she was told it looked like a lake surface, the enemy soldiers
below her were chattering and moving erratically, so finding where those
starting points were was impossible.

The number of information perceived was poles apart.

As expected of someone who wasn’t acknowledged by Stella for nothing.
Reliable to the best of his ability. In that case, she wasn’t going to hold him
back from achieving this operation.

To Miriallia, who set her weapon again,

– But the only thing I can do is to find them. I don’t have the skill to mark the
targets accurately with a long-range sniper. ――Thank you, Miri. Thanks to
you, I can fight for this country.

– 〜〜〜〜…!!!!

Ikki thanked her from the bottom of his heart.

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