Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 26 - Chapter 3

United Front Again

Thursday, December 30th

By the time that Ceilēshu called for a ceasefire and demanded he produce the evidence he had against Elfaria, Vandarion’s chances at victory had practically been snatched away from him. The false evidence he’d fabricated would never hold up in court. Surrendering it would essentially be exposing himself as a fraud. He’d only expected to get away with it in the first place because he had so many judges and court officials under his thumb. They were loyal to him, and he’d had no reason to think they wouldn’t look the other way. However, after Ceilēshu called for the appointment of a special tribunal to handle Elfaria’s case, that was all meaningless. Turning the evidence over to Ceilēshu’s court simply wasn’t an option. But the price for that would was being branded a coup d’etat army. Vandarion had largely gained the support and aid of the citizens by claiming his real goal was to convict the corrupt Elfaria. But once he was unmasked as an enemy of the state, he and his cause had lost their validity. It was the beginning of a downward spiral, and it wasn’t hard to imagine what was going to happen next.

After being backed into a corner, however, Vandarion decided on a desperate plan to escape his desperate situation. He would lure Koutarou and the others out to the asteroid belt while he took forces to the imperial palace to capture the empress. However, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Even without Koutarou and company there, the palace was still considerably well guarded. On top of that, Imperial Army surface troops and Ceilēshu’s personal fleet had been stationed there. Yet somehow, Vandarion and his men had managed to kidnap Elfaria and Ceilēshu. There had to be something behind it.

“According to the royal guard, it sounds like they were completely outwitted. All of the security systems were bypassed. But even then, they would have needed extreme precision and speed to be able to pull this off. It would be the tactical equivalent of getting a tank through the eye of a needle at lightning speed,” explained Ruth.

She had talked with the imperial palace for quite some time and was in the middle of reporting what she’d learned to Koutarou and the others on the bridge of Blue Knight. Apparently Vandarion had sent a special force to launch a surprise attack on the imperial palace, and in the middle of the chaos, used the dragon to swoop in and capture Elfaria and Ceilēshu. The attack was methodical and meticulous. Everything was planned so that they moved in at the right time and in the right places, bypassing both the security systems and the guards. The accurate and swift execution of the plan was almost mechanical, and according to the captain of the royal guard, the enemy was one step ahead of them at every turn. They were practically powerless as Vandarion’s men charged in and took the empress away.

“Maybe they sent in a super spy? Y’know, the kind that gets orders that self-destruct after you read them, like that double-oh-something-or-another guy,” Sanae suggested.

Rationally speaking, a spy was a very real possibility. Someone could have gathered all kinds of information on the palace, analyzed the psychology of the guards, and bribed key personnel if needed in order to pull off this kind of raid. However, there was one major problem with that theory.

“There hasn’t been enough time for that. Since Her Majesty Elfaria returned to the imperial palace, the guards and defensive measures have been reorganized. I can’t imagine anyone could gather the necessary intelligence to perfectly bypass all of that in just a couple of days,” said Kiriha.

Kiriha felt that no matter how skilled a spy might be, the groundwork for a plan like this was just too massive of an undertaking for a single person over such a short span of time.

“In that case... our prime suspect is probably Darkness Rainbow. They were the ones behind that mechanical dragon last time too,” offered Shizuka.

After her encounter with it previously, Shizuka was primarily focused on the mechanical dragon. While it was equipped with various weapons and spiritual energy technology, it had also been enhanced with Darkness Rainbow’s magic. If they were involved this time too, it might help explain how Vandarion had been able to pull off such an attack on the imperial palace.

“Well, with Dark Green’s divination magic, they would have been able to execute the plan without any preparation, but...” mused Kiriha.

“I don’t think it’s them. They’re definitely villains, but this isn’t like them. Besides, if they were going to try something like this, they would have done so in our previous fight, right?” added Koutarou.

Shizuka made a good point, but Kiriha and Koutarou were skeptical. While it seemed like a possibility that Darkness Rainbow might be involved in the attack on the palace, they’d actually already had more than one opportunity to do something like this. However, in their previous fight, Darkness Rainbow had specifically refrained from attacking the palace and using more firepower than was necessary in order to prevent civilian casualties. Vandarion’s raid took the complete opposite approach, and Koutarou and Kiriha were reluctant to believe Darkness Rainbow had suddenly done a one-eighty like that.

“There’s so much we don’t know... but we can’t save my mother and Ceilēshu until we get to the bottom of this.”

In the end, the problem was summarized by Theia. If they tried to go save Elfaria and Ceilēshu without a better idea of what kind of tricks Vandarion had up his sleeve, they could all be in trouble. It was simply dangerous to try anything like that without knowing what they were up against.

“Looks like I’ll have to play along,” Koutarou conceded.

Elfaria and Ceilēshu were currently being held captive in a space fortress hidden behind Planet Forthorthe’s moon. Vandarion had asked that Koutarou come alone, and he was willing to, considering the situation.

“Koutarou!”

“You can’t, Koutarou-sama!”

Theia and Harumi protested, but it was clear the other girls were against it as well. They could tell what Vandarion was really after.

“Even if you give in to his demands, Vandarion isn’t going to let mother and Ceilēshu go! He’s asking for you to come alone so he can kill you! You know that, don’t you?!” Theia shouted.

Vandarion had kidnapped Elfaria and Ceilēshu in order to lure in Koutarou and kill him. After that, he would keep them hostage and use them to negotiate with Forthorthe. With the current empress and a princess captured, the Imperial Army’s hands would be tied—especially so with the Blue Knight out of the picture. Vandarion’s plan was perfectly transparent. He wanted to finish off Koutarou and use his death to strip the people of their hope.

“Even so, I can’t abandon those two,” Koutarou said, shaking his head.

“Koutarou...” Theia said, the concern audible in her voice.

With two royal hostages, Vandarion would kill one of them and claim that the Blue Knight had abandoned the royal families if Koutarou didn’t do what he wanted. He would use that to provoke the citizenry and foster dissent. But that wasn’t what really mattered to Koutarou. His primary concern was rescuing Elfaria and Ceilēshu. They’d both fought so desperately to protect the country and its people, and Koutarou couldn’t allow himself to sit back and watch as they met a terrible fate after everything they’d done. He wanted to go save them, even if meant stepping into the lion’s den.

“But I’m not going to die. If I rush into action, we might be able to figure out how they raided the imperial palace. I want you to save Her Majesty and Her Highness.”

If Koutarou made a move on the space fortress in an attempt to save Elfaria and Ceilēshu, Vandarion might try and fight him with the same tactics he’d used to storm the palace. If Kiriha could come up with a plan based on that, they might actually stand a chance of saving Elfaria and Ceilēshu. Koutarou was willing to make a wager on that possibility, however slight.

“Right now, that’s our best shot. Don’t you think?” Koutarou asked, turning to the girls.

With those words, silence fell over the bridge of Blue Knight. The nine girls around Koutarou all knew that what he was saying was correct, but even so, they were reluctant to admit it. It was hard to let Koutarou go off to handle this on his own. If they did as he said, he was taking a risk that made them all nervous. Still, they knew it needed to be done. Everyone knew the answer, yet no one was willing to say anything. The silence continued for several long minutes.

“Sorry for interrupting during your meeting, commander. We’ve received notice that the former CEO of DKI has an urgent message for its largest shareholder.”

In the end, what broke the silence was a curious incoming message from the Imperial Army headquarters.

The current largest shareholder of Dragon Knight Industries was Koutarou. He’d used his ample funds to secure 51 percent of the company’s shares, which technically made him the largest shareholder, but also gave him a great deal of influence over the management of the company. Koutarou didn’t have any intention of changing the direction the company was headed, but he had closed several departments and dismissed the previous CEO in order to keep the company from exerting any of its influence over the current political situation. And now that dismissed CEO was calling Koutarou. Considering the timing, it was impossible to ignore.

“What do you want, Elexis? Did you call to complain?”

“I know when to give up, Koutarou-kun. Complaining now wouldn’t be very becoming, would it?”

Elexis shrugged in a typically dramatic fashion. Even through the hologram, Koutarou could see he was covered in bruises and bandages. He certainly didn’t look like much of a villain in his current condition. Koutarou thought “unbecoming” would be putting it lightly.

“That’s true. So why did you contact me?”

“Actually, we’ve run into some trouble on our end, and it’s a bit too much for us to get out of on our own. You’ve cut me off from DKI, after all.”

Elexis was still rich, but he’d lost the power of his company, which is why he was coming to Koutarou to ask for help.

“So you are complaining.”

“But it’s the truth, isn’t it? But that’s beside the point... I’d like to set my pride aside and ask you and your friends for help. This should benefit you all as well. And if you cooperate with us, I wouldn’t be against some kind of compensation.”

However, Elexis wasn’t asking for charity. There was something in it for Koutarou too. In other words, Elexis was calling to strike a deal.

“So it’s that important and urgent, huh? All right, I’ll at least hear you out. We can decide where to go from there.”

Fortunately for Elexis, Koutarou was also in a position where he could use some help right now. Knowing there was a possibility he might be able to get it from Elexis, Koutarou was at least willing to humor whatever he had to say.

“Thank you, Koutarou-kun. I’m grateful... The truth is that Green was kidnapped.”

“What?!”

“After we lost to you, Vandarion’s men attacked us. Fortunately we were able to escape thanks to Green, but she was captured in the process.”

As neither side had any time to waste, Elexis got straight to the point and summarized what had happened for Koutarou. After the decisive battle against Koutarou, they were attacked by Vandarion’s forces. Knowing that they were exhausted and spent from their fight with Koutarou, Vandarion was looking to wipe them out since they were no longer useful to him. But thanks to Green’s magic, Elexis, Maya, and the other members of Darkness Rainbow were able to escape. The price was that Green had been captured, and that was ultimately why Elexis was calling.

“We’ve come to you for help because we want to save Green no matter what.”

“I see... So that’s how Vandarion was able to attack the palace.”

After what Elexis said, Koutarou started to get a sense of the bigger picture. Green was somehow being used by Vandarion’s faction, and that had been the key to their raid on the palace. With her power to read the future, they wouldn’t have needed any other preparations. And without specific countermeasures against that kind of magic, the palace would have been helpless against it.

“What do you think, Aika-san?” Koutarou asked.

“I think it logically makes sense. But...”

Maki, who was standing at Koutarou’s side, mostly agreed with him. However, there was an unanswered question that gave her great pause, and that concerned Darkness Rainbow.

“Crimson, you should know what it is that concerns me.”

That’s why Maki called out to the member of Darkness Rainbow that she knew the best: her former friend Dark Crimson. Crimson walked up beside Elexis and answered Maki with a wry smile.

“I sure do. And I know what you want to say. I think it’s strange too. Who would have ever thought the day would come that we try and save one of our allies without anything in it for ourselves?”

That was precisely what Maki had doubts about. Darkness Rainbow was a very individualistic organization. Its leaders had come together to combine their strength because they had mutual interests. They were more like associates than allies, and the thought of risking themselves to save one another was utterly foreign to the way they operated. Yet according to Elexis, they were trying to do just that. That was why Maki had her doubts. She suspected that there were some ulterior motives at work.

“I think the reason this happened is because we kept losing to you guys,” said Crimson.

“To us?” asked Maki.

“We couldn’t beat you as individuals who were ready to abandon our allies if need be. In order to stand up to you guys, we had to combine our strength over and over again. I guess we just grew to depend on each other, and that turned into a need to protect each other.”

It had all started in a very calculating way. It was clear that it was impossible to win a fight against Koutarou and the others alone. There was constantly a need to combine their powers, and it was more efficient to protect their allies than to wait for successors to be trained to replace who they lost.

“Naturally we began talking more, and we gradually understood each other better. Eventually, we even came to respect each other. As people, not just as leaders of Darkness Rainbow. I think having a common major goal changed us.”

After working together time and time again, the girls of Darkness Rainbow had started to change. As they got to know each other, they slowly became friends. Even if they didn’t agree with each other’s goals, they learned to respect them and cooperate to achieve them regardless. And after all that, when faced with powerful enemies like Koutarou and the others, they’d finally begun truly working together.

“For instance, we even learned that Purple doesn’t like kurka fruit. Apparently she doesn’t like its unique aftertaste. Isn’t that strange? Just a while ago, we all had no idea...”

“What did Green wish for?”

“In the past, she lost something important because her predictions were wrong. She’s fought all this time wondering how things might have been different if she was able to use her forecast magic freely.”

After Maki, Green was the first person Crimson had truly gotten to know by learning what her goal was as a member of Darkness Rainbow. It happened in the middle of a fight before the decisive battle of Folsaria, where she then learned of Purple’s suffering. As the stage of the battle shifted to Forthorthe, Darkness Rainbow continued to learn more about each other and their motivations. All of that led up to this moment and them wanting to save Green.

“So please cooperate, Maki. You too, Koutarou.”

“If I’d known sooner, I...”

“Yeah, I regret it too. That’s why I want to get Green back.”

“...All right. I’ll believe in you, Crimson.”

“Thank you, Maki.”

Maki decided to trust in Crimson. She’d once been her friend, and Maki knew that Crimson didn’t like petty tricks or underhanded tactics in the first place. Maki didn’t think she’d lie to her now. And seeing Maki’s trust in Crimson, Koutarou made his own decision.

“Now that I think about it, they started calling you young master over there, didn’t they, Elexis?”

Thinking back on it calmly, Koutarou had seen the signs. The best example was Elexis himself. Darkness Rainbow had accepted a normal human like him, and they were helping each other. And even though Elexis had lost a great deal of his power, they were still working together.

“Yes. Sadly, having lost my company, that’s what I’ve been reduced to.”

Orange calling him young master and Crimson reluctantly being willing to follow his orders probably weren’t the result of cunning and guile. Just like Koutarou’s relationship with the nine girls he knew had changed over time, so had Elexis’s with Darkness Rainbow.

“So you want to save Green as the young master?”

And that was precisely who Koutarou wanted to ask about. Not the former CEO of DKI, but this man Orange called young master. What were his true intentions? With politics and investments aside, did Elexis personally want to save Green or not? Koutarou couldn’t team up with him before knowing that.

“Well, it’s true that girl is in trouble. And she did help me during the attack after all. And it wasn’t a lie when I said I wanted to partner up with the people of Folsaria and allow them to return. So what can I say? Yes, I suppose I want to uphold my principles as the young master.”

Partnering with the people of Folsaria meant treating them as equals. That of course included Green. Elexis didn’t think it was right for her to die, and he certainly didn’t feel like he could just abandon her. A sacrifice in the middle of battle would be one thing, but this was different. She’d saved his life and he had a debt to repay. That too was because he considered the members of Darkness Rainbow to be his equals.

“Why couldn’t you guys have just said all that from the start?”

Elexis’s answer was exactly what Koutarou was hoping to hear. However, he also realized something of a contradiction had budded within Elexis and Darkness Rainbow. The same thing had happened with Koutarou and the girls. And upon realizing it, Koutarou smiled. He smiled at everyone, including himself.

“What am I supposed to do, Koutarou-kun? I can hardly believe it myself. We’re supposed to be the bad guys, after all.”

“...Even then, I’m choosing to put my faith in you. You guys are still human, after all.”

Koutarou and the girls had squared off against Elexis and Darkness Rainbow several times in the past. They had been through ceasefires, partnerships, and rivalries together. Yet in spite of their complicated relationship, these two camps would be allying one final time. But this time, it wasn’t a bargain or a calculated deal. They both had people they wanted to save, and they were all putting their differences aside to come together in the end. This would make the first time they would be allies in the truest sense of the word.