Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 9 - Chapter 6

The Truth About Koutarou

Thursday, February 11th

Koutarou had just finished his club activities for the day and was on his way to Clan’s hideout. There was something he wanted to ask her. It concerned Ruth’s marriage. Koutarou felt like he couldn’t help her because he knew so little about modern-day Forthorthe, so he’d decided to go to Clan to learn more.

“Jeez, Clan... Your personality is dark enough as it is. You really should’ve chosen somewhere brighter to live.”

Koutarou complained as he walked up the dark mountain path. Clan’s spaceship was hidden away in the mountains so it wouldn’t stand out. Once the sun started to set, the way to it got a little treacherous.

“Oh yeah, now that I think about it, doesn’t this bracelet have a flashlight installed?”

Koutarou brought the bracelet on his right wrist up to his face. Though he had gotten it from Clan, it was the same as Theia and Ruth’s. It was equipped with all kinds of convenient functions, one of which was a flashlight.

“Hey, Cradle.”

“At your service, my lord.”

When Koutarou spoke into the bracelet, the crystal on it began glowing and produced a hologram of Clan’s spaceship. Just like Theia and Ruth’s bracelets were connected to Blue Knight, Koutarou’s was connected to the Cradle. The original design of the bracelet was something similar to a remote control for spaceships.

“It’s dark, so—”

“Veltlion.”

Just as Koutarou was about to order the bracelet to shine a light, the hologram of the spaceship was replaced with one of Clan’s face. She looked serious.

“Man, all I wanted was a light, but I got your sly mug instead.”

“Real bullets, Veltlion! I promise you real bullets next time!”

“There’s no need to get so worked up. It was just a little greeting.”

“A most unpleasant one!”

“Clan, your cute face is wasted like that.”

“I... I want to kill you... I haven’t had the urge to destroy someone like this in a long while...”

The hologram of Clan showed her with her fist clenched in front of her face. Her entire body was visibly shaking with rage.

“More importantly, did you want something?”

“Again with the dismissive comments... Urgh! But yes, of course! I called because there’s something I have to tell you!”

“I’m on my way to your place right now, so can’t we just talk there?”

“I called because I have to tell you now!”

“Then hurry up and spit it out.”

“This is all your fault, you know?! Honestly...”

Clan took a moment to compose herself and then looked at Koutarou with earnest eyes. It was an expression she only made when things were serious.

“Sorry, Clan. So what happened?”

“...That part about you is so unfair...”

Clan proceeded to tell Koutarou about Ruth’s visit.

“Her Highness’s marker is just up ahead!”

Using the information displayed on her bracelet, Ruth was heading towards a nature park. It was a forested area beloved by the people of Kisshouharukaze City.

Theia had taken over for Ruth, who was supposed to be preparing for dinner, and was showing Elexis around on Earth. Upon examining Theia’s location history, she’d been guiding him to sightseeing spots around the city. They were at the park now, but it seemed like an odd destination at this hour with the sun going down. Ruth tried to reach Theia over the comms, but couldn’t seem to get through to her. Even weirder still, it seemed that after entering the park, Theia’s GPS marker had stopped updating. It could have just been a simple system error, but Ruth was preparing for the worst case scenario.

“Your Highness, please be safe!”

It was possible that Elexis was up to something as Clan had suggested, but it was also possible the military had acted on their own if they’d caught wind that Ruth was going to decline the marriage.

Even if I declined, there was a chance I wouldn’t leave Earth! If this really is all just a plot, then there’s no way they hadn’t taken that into consideration! They must have been prepared to strike regardless of where I was! I was careless!

The most efficient way to capture Theia would be to strike when Ruth was away. If there weren’t any witnesses from Forthorthe, they could do whatever they wanted. Though there was a chance of Ruth leaving Earth if she declined the marriage, it wasn’t a sure bet. And since they couldn’t base their plan on an uncertainty, surely they had something else up their sleeve.

That’s why El-sama suddenly came to Earth! It was to make sure they had an opportunity!

If her future husband suddenly arrived on Earth, surely that would throw Ruth for a loop. Even if it wasn’t much, it would distract her somewhat from her primary responsibility of guarding the princess. That was part of why Elexis had come to Earth. His plan had more than one failsafe.

Thinking back, the fact that I was the only one sent to guard Her Highness might have been part of this plan too! I should have spent more time preparing for a possibility like this!

Ruth wanted to believe all of this was needless worry and that she was getting worked up over nothing, but she couldn’t shake the ominous feeling creeping over her. There was no way it was just a system error. All she really had to go off of was what Clan had said—the same girl who had been her bitter enemy just days ago—but she still believed she was telling the truth. Based on the trust Koutarou seemed to put in Clan, she couldn’t imagine that Clan would be lying.

If it hadn’t been for Clan-sama, I might have discovered this all too late... Though it’s mortifying, Clan-sama seems much closer to Satomi-sama than I am...

Koutarou and Clan had a secret that they hadn’t revealed to Theia and Ruth. If Koutarou trusted Clan, that made her more trustworthy in Ruth’s eyes, but even so, she couldn’t help being jealous of what they shared.

Just after Ruth arrived at the park...

“Oh my, if it isn’t Ruth-sama. Good evening to you.”

Elexis appeared before her. He bowed gracefully with a confident smile.

“El-sama?!”

Ruth, on the other hand, wore an intense expression. When she instinctively took a stance, Elexis began to look worried.

“Is something the matter, Ruth-sama?”

“Where is Her Highness?!”

“If it’s Her Highness you’re looking for, we parted ways over there.”

Elexis indicated the area behind him. There was a paved road that continued deeper into the park, but the falling darkness and tree cover made it impossible to see what was ahead. There was no sign of Theia, and an unspeakable uneasiness overcame Ruth.

“I was just planning on returning to the ship. I know... Why don’t you come with me? There are so many things I would like to show you there.”

In contrast to Ruth, Elexis was still smiling brightly. He politely invited Ruth back to his spaceship like a perfect gentleman, but Ruth couldn’t get away fast enough.

“No thank you. I have an urgent matter to discuss with Her Highness, so I will be taking my leave here.”

Ruth turned down Elexis’s invitation, tried to calm the anxiety brewing inside her, and headed for the path Elexis had indicated. She was still hoping this was all just her imagination.

“Oh, don’t say that.”

However, as Ruth walked past Elexis, he grabbed her arm.

“I would love for you to come with me.”

Elexis forcibly pulled Ruth back.

“Kyah!”

Because of her light weight, he easily swung her back around to the other side of him. He wasn’t especially rough, but Ruth courageously denounced his actions.

“What is the meaning of this, El-sama?!”

“Why, it’s all for the future—”

Elexis was interrupted by a loud boom from somewhere nearby. He stopped speaking to look over his shoulder. It sounded like it had come from deeper into the park. From Ruth’s current position, she couldn’t see the explosion itself, but she saw a momentary flash in the sky and crows rapidly fleeing the area.

“Your Highness!”

Ruth’s intuition told her that the explosion was a sign Theia was in danger. For Elexis, the explosion told him it was time to take off his mask.

“Goodness me. And I gave them strict orders not to use their weapons, too... Princess Theiamillis really is something.”

Though he was dumbfounded at his subordinates’ carelessness, he was equally impressed at the fight Theia was putting up. The five bodyguards that Elexis had brought with him were actually a special forces unit from the military. They had all kinds of rigorous training, but even they were reduced to using extreme weaponry to capture Theia. Elexis had to commend her for that.

But after the explosion, Elexis knew the jig was up. There would be no point in trying to fool Ruth anymore. So instead of playing a part, he would simply be himself.

“To think she’s capable of making a special forces unit resort to heavy weaponry... If she’s that strong, why is she advocating disarmament?”

“El-sama, so you really are...!”

“Oh, so you were aware of our plans? Splendid. Despite your age, I should have expected no less from the daughter of the Pardomshiha family.”

Elexis had a composed expression on his face as he smiled at Ruth. It was an awfully casual smile, as if saying this was just another workday for him.

“Let go of me, you coward! Are you really so hungry for power that you’d go this far?!”

Ruth’s face was flushed with rage as she tried to shake off Elexis’s hand.

“What a foolish question. You can’t do anything without power. I imagine you understand that quite well right about now.”

Unfortunately, Ruth’s small frame worked against her now. She was no match for Elexis’s strength. Struggle as she might, Elexis wasn’t letting go.

“You’d even go so far as to pretend to be a charitable man... all just for this?!”

Even if she could do nothing against him physically, Ruth lashed out at Elexis.

“That hurts. I’ll have you know there was nothing insincere about those donations. Business is best when society is at its best, after all. And that’s all I really want. An ideal society. I just don’t think I can get it with the way Elfaria is running things. Nothing personal.”

It wasn’t like Elexis harbored any malice for Ruth or Theia. He’d simply ended up siding with the military because he didn’t agree with the current politics of Forthorthe. That was all there was to it.

“So what?! You’re going to demand that Elfaria-sama abdicate by holding Her Highness hostage?! This is no joking matter!”

“I agree. However, the royal families are the ones holding all the political power hostage, so this is the only way we can achieve anything. It’s only fair that we have a royal hostage to level the playing field.”

“Have you forgotten all the sacrifices the Mastir family has made to support Forthorthe?!”

“I haven’t, but times have changed. When parts get old and rusty, you replace them. Upgrade them, even. Isn’t that just common sense?”

“Nonsense! Blue Knight, the Anti-Personnel Stunner!”

Realizing that she could do nothing struggling against Elexis on her own, Ruth shouted an order into her bracelet. She was going to use Blue Knight to incapacitate Elexis.

“I’m afraid that won’t work, Ruth-sama.”

“The network connection has been lost. Instruction cannot be executed.”

“What?!”

Despite Ruth’s orders, the bracelet didn’t respond with the usual affirmative. Instead, a jarring warning sound and reported that it was unable to carry out the given orders.

“How?!”

This unexpected development made Ruth’s expression stiffen.

“It was a mistake to let us aboard your Blue Knight.”

“So that’s what you were up to!”

“Without weapons, both you and Princess Theia are just normal girls. You never stood a chance to begin with.”

Elexis regrettably shook his head. He personally held no ill will towards the girls, and he seriously pitied Ruth as things stood.

“Your only real option was to marry me and end this in a draw, but truth be told, even that may have counted as a loss for you...”

When Elexis had first arrived aboard Blue Knight, his five subordinates had set up devices on the ship that allowed them to freely jam communications, eavesdrop on Theia and Ruth’s private rooms, and much more. After learning of Ruth’s true feelings from the bug in Theia’s room, Elexis had decided his plan B would be capturing Theia in this empty park. When he discovered Ruth was en route, however, he’d left Theia to his subordinates and come to slow her down. It seemed Theia and Ruth’s fate was sealed when they failed to notice the devices planted on Blue Knight.

“Blue Knight, Blue Knight!”

Ruth tried her bracelet over and over again. She used all kinds of methods to try to contact the ship, including electronic, gravitational, and hyperspace communications, but she received the same error message every time. Blue Knight was out of reach no matter how many times Ruth called out to it.

“Please just give it up. Communications have been completely jammed. Nothing you do will help, and your voice won’t reach anyone here. So please just give in and come with me.”

Elexis looked at Ruth with pity in his eyes—pity that indicated he was absolutely sure of his victory.

“If I give up, who else will save Her Highness?! I will never surrender! I am Her Highness’s knight after all!”

“But can’t you see how useless all this is...? If not, that’s truly unfortunate for both of us.”

Seeing as Ruth was refusing to give up, Elexis felt he had no other option. He was going to have to knock her out. Once unconscious, he would bring her aboard his own spaceship. He could then use Ruth as a bargaining chip to get Theia to cooperate. And so Elexis raised his fist.

“I don’t think it was useless. Besides, the only one that’s going to be regretting this is you.”

But instead of Ruth being struck, Elexis was. A fist blindsided him from the right and connected squarely with his cheek.

Having taken a direct hit to the face, Elexis collapsed. In the process, he lost strength in the hand that was holding Ruth, and she managed to break free. When she turned to look at the person who’d punched Elexis, Ruth’s eyes began sparkling.

“Satomi-sama!”

“Hey, Ruth-san. Your voice reached me, you know.”

It was indeed none other than Koutarou. After hearing the situation from Clan, he’d gone immediately looking for Ruth.

You saved me, Clan...

Since Koutarou’s bracelet was connected to Clan’s Cradle and the Hazy Moon, he couldn’t access Ruth and Theia’s location information directly. However, thanks to Ruth using various communication methods in an attempt to contact Blue Knight, Clan’s unmanned reconnaissance craft was able to determine her location. Clan relayed that information to Koutarou, and he came straight to the park. Really, it was only because Ruth had refused to give in that he was able to find her.

“So Ruth-san, what’s going on?”

Koutarou glared at Elexis, fists still clenched. Elexis was clearly staggered, but he was still conscious. After collecting himself and lightly shaking his head, he slowly stood up.

“Satomi-sama...”

Seeing Koutarou step between her and Elexis, Ruth was overcome with a secure feeling. She felt safe.

Ah, he really is the one... As long as he’s with me, I will be okay no matter what... He’ll definitely be able to save Her Highness too...

Nothing had been resolved yet, and she had no grounds for thinking any of that. But even so, Ruth believed everything would be okay with all of her heart. She believed in Koutarou, and after wiping away tears from her eyes, she converted those feelings into words.

“Please lend me your strength, Satomi-sama! I want to protect Her Highness! From all kinds of enemies! And from all kinds of hardships!”

That was the future that would make Ruth the happiest. It was her wish. She was sure of it now.

“As you wish, my lady!”

And Koutarou responded without any hesitation. He was prepared to answer that call because he had his own wish, and he’d resolved to uphold it a long time ago.

Once he got back on his feet, Elexis had lost his previous calmness. The unexpected interruption had thrown him off his game.

“Curse you, you primitive barbarian...”

From Elexis’s perspective, a gorilla had interrupted important business by punching him. And so he gave Koutarou—the gorilla—a wicked and condescending sneer of a glare.

“Hmm...? Hahahaha!”

Koutarou, however, only laughed when he saw it. Elexis reminded him of someone he’d met long ago. The whole encounter was similar, really, and Koutarou laughed even harder when he realized that. It was obvious that this was a completely different person, but the resemblance was so striking that Koutarou couldn’t help it.

“...What are you doing in a place like this, Dextro? You haven’t taken a single step forward in two thousand years...” Koutarou mumbled to himself in a quiet voice as he chuckled.

“Dextro...?”

Only Ruth heard what he said.

Satomi-sama just said “Dextro”...

Ruth knew that name. He was a character that appeared in the legend of the Blue Knight. However, in the interest of conciseness, Theia hadn’t included him in her play. So it wasn’t a name that Koutarou should have known.

Maybe Her Highness showed him a movie when practicing for the play...?

Ruth ended up writing it off and shifted her focus back to Elexis. She didn’t have the time to be thinking of anything else right now.

“What are you mumbling about, Neanderthal?”

“Neanderthal? It’s been a while since someone called me that.”

Clan, it seems this synchronicity thing of yours might really exist...

Koutarou recalled something Clan had said to him as he casually approached Elexis. Elexis pulled out a pistol and leveled it at Koutarou. It was a new model that DKI had developed; not only was it compact with little recoil, it was also a multipurpose firearm that would take all kinds of bullets. It was one of the products that DKI wanted to sell to the army.

“What does the unarmed Neanderthal want?”

A smug grin crossed Elexis’s lips as translucent white hexagonal tiles appeared around him. It was a barrier activating. An unharmed human wouldn’t be able to touch him now. To Elexis, Koutarou only looked like a thoughtless Neanderthal who didn’t know when to back down as he approached.

“It’s true that I’m unarmed, but you shouldn’t get too full of yourself.”

“That’s true. There’s a saying in my family that you shouldn’t play around when things get serious.”

A loud bang rang out. Elexis didn’t hesitate to fire at Koutarou.

Looks like you learned a little, Dextro!

However, Koutarou dodged the bullet with merely a turn of his head.

“What?!”

Elexis doubted his eyes. He couldn’t believe that his gun could be dodged at such close range.

In order to improve the accuracy of the gun in Elexis’s hand, it had been made so that the trigger didn’t need to be pulled. Instead, it sensed pressure that was applied to it. That improved the accuracy of the gun by eliminating the need to move your finger to fire it.

It also meant that Koutarou shouldn’t have been able to tell when he was about to fire. And considering the speed of the bullet, no human should have the reaction time to dodge it.

“Your shooting is too honest!”

Koutarou broke into a sprint to close the distance between him and Elexis as quickly as possible.

“Who the hell are you?!”

“I’m the victim!”

As Koutarou closed in on him, Elexis continued firing. But not one of the bullets scored a direct hit. Instead, they would graze his cheek, pass under an arm he had casually raised, or slip between his arm and body. It was a bizarre sight that made it look like Elexis was missing on purpose.

How?! Why can’t I hit him?!

Elexis started to panic as he fired round after round. Even though he was the one on the offensive, he couldn’t have been more confused.

Koutarou was able to dodge the bullets thanks to the spirit sight he had gotten from Sanae. Elexis’s aim was quite precise, and so was the gun. Elexis didn’t have any hesitation like Ruth did, and his shots were logical and accurate. The bullets went exactly where he intended them to go. That’s why his attacks were so easy to dodge for Koutarou.

“A victim, you say?!”

“That’s right! I’m just a regular civilian from a planet that your princess invaded!”

Koutarou was now right in front of Elexis. Elexis fired one last shot at him, but the bullet flew wildly astray as Koutarou’s fist struck Elexis in the face and knocked him flat onto his back.

“Wh-What happened...?”

After hitting the ground, Elexis was unable to move. Part of that was because he was dizzied from the punch, but mostly it was because he was so taken aback. Despite being protected by a barrier, Koutarou had been able to punch him. Elexis had no clue what had happened.

“Satomi-sama... you...”

Ruth, who had been watching Koutarou from behind, saw the whole thing. Yet even though she’d witnessed it with her own two eyes, she was still surprised.

Immediately before El-sama fires, the barrier in front of the gun vanishes for a moment! Satomi-sama punched him during that small window! I... I see how it worked, but that should be impossible! Just how much training would you have to go through to be able to do something like that?!

Koutarou had been able to pull it off thanks to a combination of the power Sanae had given him and all of his combat experience. Elexis had a tell when he fired his gun. Just before shooting, he would hold his breath. He used it to focus on his attack, and that showed in his aura. Koutarou also knew from experience that it was a common habit among marksmen. So by reading Elexis and swinging his fist at just the right time, he was able to land a blow right before Elexis fired.

“Ouch, that barrier recovers quickly...”

While Ruth looked on in surprise, Koutarou shook his right hand in an attempt to ease the pain. He’d managed to hit Elexis, but then he was repelled by the reformed barrier. Still, he was acting so casually about it now that it was hard to believe he’d just done something so amazing.

“I see, Neanderthal, you aimed for the opening when the barrier was down!”

Elexis finally put it together when his tactical support computer reported on what Koutarou had done.

“But now that I know that, your little trick won’t work on me again!”

Elexis ejected the magazine loaded into the gun and quickly exchanged it with another.

“All I have to do is attack you with lasers without lowering the barrier!”

The new magazine contained a miniature irradiation device that fired lasers. By loading it into the pistol, it was essentially now a small laser gun. Since it was only a prototype, there was a limit to the amount of shots it could fire, but this kind of flexibility was the selling point of the gun.

“You’ve surprised me quite a bit, but it looks like I win, Neanderthal-kun!”

After loading his new magazine, Elexis ordered his computer to change the settings of his barrier. Normally Forthorthe’s protective barriers guarded against lasers as well, but Elexis now instructed his to allow lasers to pass through. That would let him fire at Koutarou without having to lower the barrier.

“Let me tell you something.”

“Is that your wish? I’m no knight, but I’ll at least hear your final words.”

Elexis waited for Koutarou’s last words with his gun held at the ready. He was absolutely certain of his victory now.

“Unarmed, I have no way of breaking through your barrier, but you can still attack me all you want. All I can do is run around, but I won’t be able to save Theia that way.”

“That’s right. I’m glad you at least understand that much.”

“However...”

Koutarou began running towards Elexis once more.

“What is this? Are you so desperate you’d go in for a suicidal charge? I guess that’s only fitting for a Neanderthal!”

Elexis confidently kept his gun trained on Koutarou. He had no need to defeat Koutarou with this attack. He only needed to buy time, so he’d be fine as long as Koutarou didn’t take him out. And he wasn’t worried about that since there was no chance that an unarmed opponent could break through his barrier. Elexis had been caught off guard the first time, but he wouldn’t make that mistake again. He had the upper hand now.

“Satomi-sa— Ah...”

At first, Ruth was also worried that Koutarou was throwing his life away. But then she noticed that Koutarou was smiling. It was the same kind of smile he usually had on his face when he was teasing Yurika.

“My partner is the slyest of them all!”

Before Elexis could fire, several beams of light came pouring down from above. They passed right through his barrier. They struck the gun in his right hand and the barrier generator on his waist, destroying both.

“Wh-What?!”

Elexis was once again taken aback by this most unexpected turn of events. But he didn’t have much time to appreciate it. Koutarou’s fist came at him full force. And without a gun or his barrier to defend him, Elexis was helpless. He just stood there, stock-still and slack-jawed. An easy target.

“Guah...”

Elexis passed out as Koutarou’s fist buried itself in his stomach.

With Elexis defeated, Koutarou and Ruth headed deeper into the park under Clan’s guidance. While Koutarou was fighting, she’d managed to identify heat sources corresponding to Theia and five men using her reconnaissance craft.

“This is all I can do to help. I can’t leave any evidence that the Schweiger family was involved.”

Clan had sniped Elexis with her lasers, and she had guided Koutarou and Ruth to Theia. If she did any more than that, there was a high chance that Elexis and the military would discover she was helping them. That meant this was as far as she could go with them.

“Thanks, Clan.”

“You just keep owing me more and more, Koutarou.”

“I know, I know.”

“Thank you very much, Clan-sama.”

“Why am I being thanked by Pardomshiha? Jeez...”

Since Clan wasn’t good at socializing, she barely knew how to handle heartfelt thanks from someone she wasn’t used to. Dealing with Ruth was a completely different ballgame than dealing with Koutarou. As a result, Clan’s hologram projected by the bracelet blushed ever so slightly.

“...I’m confused myself.”

Ruth put her hand on her chest and smiled gently. Ruth’s earnest feelings seemed to have an effect on Clan as she gave an embarrassed smile in return.

“One last warning, Koutarou. DKI is trying to sell weapons far more powerful than that gun to the army.”

“So what should I do?”

“I would say this is an ‘all our resources’ scenario.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

By quoting Koutarou, Clan conveyed the magnitude of the situation to him. He pulled himself together and began thinking in preparation for the upcoming fight. Seeing Koutarou get so serious, Clan smiled gently.

“...You came back through all those hardships. Now protect her until the end, Satomi Koutarou.”

With that, Clan terminated the hologram and recalled her reconnaissance craft to the Cradle. The rest was up to Koutarou and Ruth.

Not long after Clan withdrew, Koutarou and Ruth reached their destination. The incinerated trees and scorch marks told them they were in the right place. From the look of things, the fight must have been a fierce one

“Her Highness is... there! She’s over there, Satomi-sama!”

“Theia!”

A bit away from Koutarou and Ruth, just past some trees, was a spaceship even smaller than Clan’s Cradle. It was only about the size of a large truck. Walking towards it were the five men, one of which was carrying Theia over his shoulder. She appeared to be unconscious. She almost looked like a doll slung over the shoulder of such large man.

“Oh no! If we don’t hurry, they’ll take her away!”

“So there’s no time for petty tricks, huh?”

Theia would be carried into the spaceship any moment now. If they just idly stood by, she would be taken away right in front of them. However, Koutarou and Ruth only had the weapons for self-defense that Clan had left with them. They couldn’t use anything too powerful that would tip anyone off that Clan had been involved. Against five men with special forces training and cutting edge technology, however, that wasn’t going to be easy. They’d been able to take out Elexis because he was alone, but not even Koutarou could dodge attacks from five men if they decided to attack him with lasers all at once.

But there was no time to waste. There wasn’t even time to call for backup. They had to act immediately, but they stood no chance of winning as things stood. Realizing his dilemma, Koutarou repeated what Clan had said to him.

“All our resources, huh?”

Koutarou had said something similar before their battle with Maxfern. Back then, just like now, they were faced with a terrible dilemma. Knowing that, Koutarou had told Clan to be prepared to use any means necessary, even if it was a last resort.

Back then, our last resort was Clan’s Super Space-time Repulsion Shell. So what is our last resort now...?

Just as Koutarou reached that thought, Ruth spoke up.

“Satomi-sama, I’ll act as a decoy and draw them away. Meanwhile, please save Her Highness. I’m sure you can do it, so I’m counting on you! Please save Her Highness!”

Ruth couldn’t wait any longer, so she quickly explained her idea to Koutarou with a serious expression on her face. It was an extremely dangerous plan with almost no chance of Ruth surviving.

“Ruth-san...”

Koutarou understood Ruth’s determination. He didn’t even need to look at her aura. It was obvious enough just by looking at her face.

Ruth is prepared to die for this. She wants to save Theia, even if it costs her her life. Because she would always regret it if she didn’t... Because she can’t be happy without Theia...

“Here I go! I’ll leave to rest to you!”

Ruth didn’t fear her own death because she knew that even if she died, Koutarou would still save Theia. In the face of Ruth’s selfless resolve, Koutarou made up his mind.

There’s no meaning in keeping the secret if it leads to Ruth’s death. And I’m sure Her Majesty will forgive me for using it in this situation. It’s for the sake of the people Her Majesty fought to protect, after all!

Koutarou was prepared to use any means necessary to protect Ruth and Theia.

“...Please wait, Ruth-san.”

Koutarou grabbed Ruth’s shoulder just as she was about to rush out towards the men.

“Satomi-sama?”

Ruth was confused as to why he’d stopped her and gave him a puzzled glance.

“Ruth-san... If possible, I’d like you not to mention what you’re about see to anyone else.”

Koutarou smiled at Ruth. It was his normal smile. An awkward, yet earnest and guileless smile. The very one Ruth loved to see.

“Satomi... sama?”

Ruth didn’t understand the meaning behind Koutarou’s smile in this situation, however, so she instinctively questioned him. Rather than answering her with words, Koutarou thrust his right hand forward.

“Cradle, give me my sword.”

“As you wish, my lord.”

The gem on the bracelet Koutarou was wearing blinked repeatedly and confirmed his order.

Satomi-sama’s sword? Saguratin should be on Blue Knight right now... And what’s this expression on his face? I’ve never seen Satomi-sama look like that before...

What Ruth was seeing for the first time was Koutarou preparing himself for a real fight.

“Come, Signaltin.”

“Call sign confirmed. Coordinate axis fixed. Commencing transfer of Signaltin.”

“Wha—”

Before Ruth could even express her surprise at the name of the sword Koutarou had whispered, the transfer was in action.

A large black hole about ten centimeters across appeared in front of Koutarou’s extended right hand. And from that hole, a sword still in its sheath emerged. It had a complex engraved design of swirling curves on its white and silver hilt, making it look like an elegant work of art. Without hesitation, Koutarou stuck his hand into the black hole, firmly grabbed hold of the sword, and pulled it all the way out.

When Koutarou placed his hand on the hilt of the sword, it began releasing a pure white glow. The sword bathed everything around it in light almost as bright as the sun.

“What sword is this?! Alaia’s crest is engraved on the handle! And the royal family crest is engraved on the sheath!”

While she was perplexed by the sword’s light, Ruth was primarily aghast at the crests engraved on the sword. They were the two most well known emblems in all of Forthorthe: the royal family crest of the Goddess of Dawn, and Alaia’s personal crest of silvery white snow. Even in the powerful white light of the sword, the crests shone brilliantly as if declaring themselves to the world.

“Your Excellency, Lord Blue Knight, this ship, the Cradle, will pray for your fortune and glory in place of the nation of Forthorthe.”

“...Thank you.”

Koutarou stood in the center of the light, holding the sword in both hands. In his right hand was the handle, and in his left, the sheath. Koutarou turned back to Ruth and called out to her.

“Ruth-san.”

“Signaltin...? Your Excellency, Lord Blue Knight...?”

Ruth was so absorbed in the moment that she couldn’t even respond to Koutarou.

It’s a replica... No, it’s too well made for that... And this light... Moreover, why did the Cradle call Satomi-sama the Blue Knight? A code name, perhaps? No, this is...

Without waiting for Ruth’s reply, Koutarou smiled and continued speaking.

“I... will protect everyone’s future with my life and these two swords.”

He didn’t just mean Ruth and Theia. Koutarou wanted to protect everyone who was suffering. He couldn’t protect everyone in the world, for he was no god, but he at least wanted to protect the smiles of the precious people who made him smile. That was Koutarou’s oath to himself. His wish. It was the reason he had returned from Forthorthe of the past.

“So let’s go, Ruth-san. Theia is waiting.”

“Uh... Um...”

Koutarou pulled Signaltin from its sheath as Ruth struggled to come up with something to say. Its silver blade seemed to respond to Koutarou’s emotions as it shot out more white light.

Elexis’s five bodyguards weren’t special forces in name alone. At the first sign of the strange white light, they realized that danger was upon them. Their professional experience told them something was afoot, so the men in black—carrying beam cannons, barriers, and the like—vigilantly waited for the enemies to show themselves.

“It’s just one Neanderthal and the Pardomshiha girl...?”

“The Neanderthal has a knight’s sword, and the girl has a small arms for self-defense.”

“Are they insane...?”

However, contrary to what they’d expected, the approaching enemy appeared to pose no threat at all. It seemed their intuition had misled them. Looking at their targets—Koutarou and Ruth—they seemed almost hilariously out of place.

To the five experienced men, it looked like these two children were lost. Not only were they vastly outnumbered, but they were armed with toys. The boy had an old knight’s sword, and the girl only had weapons intended for self defense. All the special forces unit could figure was that this was a desperate, suicidal act of loyalty.

As such, they chose not to use the powerful weaponry they had stored on their spaceship. They believed it would be no issue to take them out with the equipment they had on hand. It wasn’t a matter of pride, either. It was a genuine assessment of the situation and what they believed would be the best way to handle it.

“How shall we proceed, captain?”

“Kill the Neanderthal and capture the girl as planned.”

“Roger.”

“I wonder what happened to Elexis-sama. He moved to intercept the girl... Did they miss each other?”

Out of the five men, three stepped forward with large guns. They had determined that that would be sufficient to deal with Koutarou and Ruth. The remaining two men had other jobs to take care of. The captain would confirm Elexis’s whereabouts, and the last remaining team member would get Theia inside the spaceship.

Seeing how the five men were proceeding, Koutarou let out a sigh of relief.

Phew, they all stayed here... Now we at least have a chance to win...

What Koutarou had feared the most was that the special forces team would split up, leaving a few men behind to fight him and Ruth while the others took Theia away. Fortunately that hadn’t happened. They had decided to stay together since they were only facing two opponents and they wanted to wait for Elexis.

“Still, the quality of Forthorthe’s soldiers sure has dropped... Flair-dono would grieve this...”

Koutarou was thankful for the situation, but he couldn’t help thinking it would surely upset his old friend. Amused at the thought, he smiled as he turned to face the men.

“S-Satomi-sama, you can’t just attack them from the front!”

“It’s okay. Leave this to me, Ruth-san. I want you to save Theia as soon as you find an opening.”

“Satomi-sama!”

Koutarou left the worried Ruth behind and casually stepped forward. Seeing that, the men began laughing.

“What? It looks like he seriously wants to fight us.”

“Let him do as he pleases.”

“Fair enough. If we shoot him dead before he even gets to swing his sword, he’d never be able to rest in peace.”

Despite Koutarou approaching the men with a sword in hand, they remained confident. They were convinced that some old sword would never be enough to break through their barriers. That’s why they were planning on letting Koutarou do as he pleased.

“Hey, boy. Just go ahead and attack. Show us those sword skills you’ve practiced.”

“Are you sure?”

“You bet, kid. Give it your all.”

“Are you really sure?”

“Yeah, knock yourself out.”

“All right, then I’ll take you up on that.”

Koutarou glared at the three men in front of him while focusing his mind and heightening his spiritual energy. He then conveyed his intentions to the sword and activated its mana.

Sorry, but I’ll defeat you all before you even have the chance to fire those guns!

Now that he was fully ready for a fight, Koutarou dashed forward.

“Change of plans! Kill him right now! He’s—”

The captain shouted out to his men right as Koutarou began to dash towards them. The captain’s face was pale. He had just received a report on Koutarou from Elexis, who had finally come around.

“Captain?”

But it didn’t make a difference. In the end, the three men never got the chance to fire their guns. With a single swing, the barrier generators at their waists exploded. The barriers were up and running, but they’d taken so much damage that the generators were almost instantly fried.

“What?!”

“Uwaaah!”

“C-Captain!”

Surprised, the three men were knocked off balance and totally exposed. Seeing his chance, Koutarou mercilessly swung Signaltin again. Without their barriers, the men took the attack directly and were sent flying.

“Relax. I only used the flat of the sword. You’d never be able to rest in peace if you died before you got a chance to shoot those guns, after all.”

The three men had been blown away by a magical shockwave that surrounded the sword. They fell to the ground and were unable to move, but they were largely unhurt. The shockwave had been adjusted to be nonlethal.

“Who is this guy?!”

“Captain!”

“Don’t just stare! Fire!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Having lost three of their allies in an instant, the remaining two men hurriedly took aim at Koutarou. It wasn’t until he’d taken out more than half their team that they realized there was more to him than met the eye.

The men fired, but yellow torrents of light shot out of their guns rather than bullets. They were heavy metal particles given a high amount of energy. The men were wielding mass-produced beam rifles.

The power and speed of their rifles was vastly inferior to what Clan used, but the mass-produced versions were cheaper to manufacture. When given to a whole squad, the overall effect was stronger. On top of that, they were easier to maintain than older models, and had been designed to function in all environments. This was yet another weapon that DKI wanted to sell to the military.

“They’re probably not bad guns, really... but they still don’t stand a chance!”

Koutarou swung his sword horizontally to catch the two oncoming beams. As he did, they were snuffed out like candle flames. Koutarou had experience against Clan’s high-performance beam cannon, so he wasn’t exactly afraid of these lower-quality versions.

“He cut them! He seriously cut the beams!”

“H-He’s a monster! This guy’s not human!”

“How rude, you two. Seriously...”

Beams didn’t work on Koutarou, and their barriers couldn’t protect them against him. Koutarou defied all logic, leaving the two men in a state of panic. They were frightened like they’d just witnessed a paranormal phenomenon.

“I’m not the amazing one. The amazing ones are the people lending me these powers.”

Koutarou, though amazed himself, readied his sword. With one more swing, the frightened men were unconscious.

After confirming that all five men were unconscious, Koutarou relaxed his shoulders.

“Phew...”

No matter how often it happened, Koutarou still couldn’t get used to the feeling of people trying to kill him, even if he wasn’t in any real danger.

“How could this be...? He finished things in an instant with just that sword...”

While Koutarou was sighing with relief, Ruth’s heart was starting to pound faster and faster. She couldn’t believe what had just happened right before her eyes. It was as if she was watching the prince rescue the princess in a fairy tale.

Satomi-sama was strong before, but this is far beyond that... And he’s not even wearing his armor...

All Koutarou had was a single sword, and it wasn’t even a piece of modern weaponry. There was no science in it. No advanced technology. It was really just a sword. Despite that, Koutarou had swiftly dispatched five heavily armed men with it.

“Signaltin... Blue Knight... Could it really be...?”

Ruth’s gaze was drawn to the sword in Koutarou’s hand. It was a knight’s sword shining silvery white. It was old, but it was clearly in no way inferior to a modern weapon. It was elegant, shaped like a traditional Forthorthian knight’s sword, and it shone as though it was magical.

Magic... That’s right, Yurika-sama’s staff!

Ruth suddenly recalled that Yurika was now in possession of a real magical staff. Koutarou had gifted it to her as a souvenir when he returned. Ruth knew that it was genuinely magical because she had confirmed it personally several times. And if that staff was magical, Koutarou’s sword very well may be too.

If that sword really is a magical sword... If it really is Signaltin... then that would mean...

Ruth concocted a hypothesis. It was certainly out there. Outright fantastical, even. The idea that Koutarou and Clan had traveled to the past was nothing compared to what she was thinking now. But in spite of how outrageous it was, Ruth had already started to accept it as the truth. She had all kinds of circumstantial evidence backing her up. Moreover, she wanted it to be true. She wanted to believe it. Just thinking about it, her heart began throbbing.

“Ruth-san, Theia...”

“R-Right.”

But it would have to wait. Koutarou wasn’t going anywhere, and she could ask him for answers later. Right now, Ruth had to focus on saving Theia. She pulled herself together and chased after Koutarou towards the hatch of the small spaceship.

“There she is!”

“Your Highness!”

Theia had been set down right inside the ship. With the hatch left open, the wind blowing in was gently rustling her skirt. Since the man carrying her had been in a hurry to join the fight, he’d just left her lying there.

“Thank goodness... Her Highness is all right.”

Ruth let out a sigh of relief and wiped away her tears. She’d been so worried that the moment Ruth saw Theia was safe, she almost collapsed to the ground out of sheer relief. Theia was still unconscious, but her complexion was fine and she didn’t seem to be injured. Elexis’s subordinates had at least been somewhat courteous with the princess. Based on how she looked, it would only be a matter of time before she woke up.

“Ruth-san, let’s carry Theia out of here.”

“Yes, let’s.”

Though their enemies were defeated, they weren’t dead. It was still in their best interest to clear the area quickly. Koutarou was going to take Theia back to room 106 for now. He had allies there that would help protect both Theia and Ruth.

Koutarou returned Signaltin to its sheath and shouldered Theia’s small body.

“Hup.”

Ruth was helping him out, but she was still absentmindedly staring at the crest on the sword.

No matter how I look at it, this really is...

After confirming that Theia was safe, Ruth concentrated on the mysterious blade.

“...Hmm?”

That might not have been the reason why, but Koutarou was the first to notice a new enemy approaching.

“Not good...”

After they’d taken a few steps down the paved path in the park, Koutarou sensed an incoming hostile presence.

“Satomi-sama?”

“Is he still planning on fighting...?”

It was Elexis. Though there was still some distance between them, Koutarou recognized his aura. It seemed like he had woken up and was headed their way.

“Alert: High-density energy reaction detected. A hostile small mobile weapon is approaching. Please retreat immediately. Based on the enemy’s total energy output, the chance of victory is estimated to be less than 4 percent with current armaments.”

The alert message from the bracelet confirmed Koutarou’s suspicion.

“A mobile weapon?!”

“Ruth-san, please take care of Theia.”

Koutarou put Theia back down and leaned her up against a nearby tree.

“What about you, Satomi-sama?!”

“I’ll go defeat that mobile weapon or whatever.”

Considering the speed at which Elexis’s aura was approaching, they wouldn’t be able to run away. And as long as the mobile weapon’s sensors weren’t broken, they wouldn’t be able to hide either. With little other option, Koutarou determined that he had to defeat the mobile weapon.

“You can’t, Satomi-sama! No matter how strong you might be, it’s too dangerous to fight a mobile weapon by yourself! You at least need your armor!”

When she heard what Koutarou said, Ruth began panicking. Though it was small, a mobile weapon would be equipped with military grade weaponry, including explosives that could cover a wide area. No matter how quick he was, there was no way Koutarou would come out of a fight like that unscathed. Ruth couldn’t imagine that he had any real chance of winning against one, and believed that their best bet at surviving this would be to retreat.

“It’s not a problem. I should be fine against something like this.”

“What’s your basis for that?!”

Ruth’s voice was close to a scream. She couldn’t easily believe Koutarou claiming that he would be fine.

“My basis...? Huh, good point. Cradle, please collate the combat data.”

“Please set a condition.”

“What would be easier: fighting Alunaya or fighting this enemy without my armor?”

“Under that condition, chances of victory are estimated to be 280 percent higher against the current enemy than against Alunaya.”

“See?”

The bracelet, or more accurately the Cradle, gave the prediction that Koutarou was expecting. His chances of victory against the mobile weapon were almost three times higher than what they’d been with Alunaya.

“Don’t give me that! Why would you compare this to Yurika-sama in a costume?!”

“It’s okay.” Koutarou smiled as he drew his sword. “I’ve fought against the real deal.”

“Huh? Th-The real deal...?”

Not a moment later, Elexis appeared. The mobile weapon destroyed the trees in front of it and entered the open area where the spaceship was. The mobile weapon stood about five meters tall. It was small by Forthorthian standards, but it towered over any human. Despite being cloaked in the darkness of night, it still stood out like a sore thumb.

Elexis’s amplified voice blared from the speakers of the mobile weapon.

“I won’t let you escape, Neanderthal-kun. I’ll have you leave the ladies behind, please.”

Elexis was sitting in the cockpit in the upper part of the mobile weapon. His face could be seen through the transparent windshield.

“Hey now, Dextro... You really love that thing, don’t you?”

Despite being face to face with a mobile weapon, Koutarou didn’t appear surprised. Instead, he smiled as he looked up at Elexis.

“It looks like your personality has improved a little, but you’re still the same...”

“What are you smiling for?”

“Oh, no reason. I was just thinking that your toy looks strong.”

This mobile weapon had the usual appearance: a stocky humanoid figure. The most accurate description of it would be to say it looked like a massive, muscular knight wearing heavy armor.

To think I’d face something like this again...

Koutarou had experience fighting against magical steel giants, and Elexis’s mobile weapon didn’t seem much different. In a way, he felt nostalgic seeing it.

“It is strong. In the future, this will be a DKI bestseller. Once they’re released, please do buy one.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll do just that.”

Koutarou pointed the tip of his sword at the giant. Koutarou stood less than two meters tall while the giant was easily five. It was almost three times his height. It appeared Koutarou didn’t stand a chance, but this time Elexis wasn’t going to let his guard down because of that. Sitting in the cockpit, he cast a sharp glance at Koutarou.

“I never would have imagined using this against a flesh and blood human, but since you seem to be bending all the rules, I’m going all out. Behold the pride and joy of my corporation.”

“You’re the CEO?”

“Yes. But rest easy, Neanderthal-kun. If it looks like you can win against this, I won’t be laying a hand on you for a while.”

“You don’t go in on deals that would cost you... Is that it?”

“Precisely!”

Koutarou and Elexis grinned at each other. That was when the boosters on the giant’s body suddenly activated, and it came flying towards Koutarou. With its size and weight, the giant clearly wasn’t suited for walking. Instead it flew by manipulating gravity. When rapid acceleration was necessary, it would also use boosters. It was much the same as Koutarou’s armor in that regard.

“I’m happy to hear it! You really haven’t changed at all!”

Koutarou rushed forward with his sword in hand. His speed was nothing compared to the giant, but it was still exceptionally fast for a human. That was all thanks to his spiritual energy and the sword’s mana.

“How about this?!”

While approaching rapidly, the giant fired the large gun on its left arm. It was a canister shot that spread into small bullets covering an area of about a meter, and they were all coming right for Koutarou.

“Whoa!”

Koutarou rolled forward under the bullets. A few of them grazed him, but the sword’s magic protected him by deflecting them.

It looks like he can even dodge canister shots. Let’s see if it was a fluke!

Koutarou swiftly got up and started rushing towards the giant again. He wasn’t as good at controlling the sword’s mana as Alaia was, so relying on the sword to protect him was dangerous. In order to keep from being shot, he’d have to get in closer.

“Expertly dodged! Very impressive!”

After firing a couple more canister shots at Koutarou, Elexis determined that he wouldn’t be able to hit him that way and swiftly changed his method of attack. His next weapon was an axe meant for melee combat. It was huge from Koutarou’s perspective, but it was merely a handheld weapon to the metal giant. As such, the giant could swing it around swiftly. And with its long reach, each swing of the axe covered a wide area. Between the length of its arms and the axe, anything within three meters of the mobile weapon was in danger. Elexis was sure he’d be able to hit Koutarou this way.

“It is an honor to be praised!”

Koutarou accepted the challenge. Since he wanted to get in and attack with his sword anyway, this was his chance.

The giant charged with its boosters’ thrust set to max while Koutarou braced himself to take it on. The distance between them disappeared in the blink of an eye. The giant’s attack reached Koutarou first.

“Take thiiis!”

The giant swung its long right arm horizontally, and the axe quickly came at Koutarou. Between its weight and speed, Koutarou would be dead even if only the arm of the mobile weapon hit him. It was an incredibly dangerous position to be in for Koutarou who wasn’t wearing any protection.

“You’ll never hit me with something like that!”

Koutarou quickly jumped to evade the axe that swept under his feet. Then using his momentum from jumping, Koutarou moved to attack the giant.

“I thought you’d do that, Neanderthal-kun!”

However, that was exactly what Elexis had wanted. The giant pointed the gun on its left arm at Koutarou mid-jump. In the air, there was no way he could dodge a canister shot. That’s why Elexis had swung the axe horizontally in the first place. It was all to get Koutarou to jump so he could essentially corner him mid-air.

“Oh crap! Signaltin, I’m counting on you!”

The giant fired. As it did, Signaltin began glowing. Koutarou unleashed Signaltin’s mana to create a barrier before kicking off of it. Through that, Koutarou was able to change the direction he was moving in and just barely managed to dodge the canister shot. The next moment, the canister shot crushed the barrier that Signaltin had created.

“Really, wonders never cease with you. You just jumped again mid-air, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. Despite how I look, I’m pretty flexible.”

But the giant was surprisingly swift too. By the time Koutarou landed and readied his sword, it already had its weapon pointed at him.

“However, it’s about time I end this little game of ours. I’ve already completed my goal.”

“Your goal?”

“Satomi-sama! The soldiers!”

It wasn’t until Koutarou heard Ruth’s voice that he finally caught on to Elexis’s real goal.

I see! He did this to let his subordinates escape! Dextro pulled a fast one on me!

Two additional soldiers that had been hiding somewhere nearby had carried the other five into the spaceship. Elexis had attacked to buy time for them.

“So you’re just buying time again... You’re surprisingly caring when it comes to your subordinates.”

“I don’t know about that. Really, the most important thing for us is not to leave behind any evidence that we were involved. It’s not to kill you or capture the ladies.”

Elexis had distracted Koutarou so his subordinates could make preparations to retreat, but that retreat would be meaningless if they left any evidence behind.

Well played... With this, even if I defeat him, we’ll only be escaping danger for the moment...

Blue Knight’s systems, including Ruth and Theia’s bracelets, were being scrambled, ensuring there would be no recordings of anything that happened. The devices Elexis had planted aboard Blue Knight were set to self-destruct. And the only soldiers who’d witnessed what had happened were on Elexis’s side. He’d thought of everything.

The only proof that would remain would be in the logs of Koutarou’s bracelet, but using that would only put Clan in a difficult position. Clan was personally cooperating with Koutarou, but her family was on bad terms with Theia’s family. Clan had to stay in the background of all this in order not to get them involved, and Koutarou didn’t want to force her hand in the matter.

“My only miscalculation was not taking into account the existence of an anomaly like you.”

The weapons equipped on the giant’s shoulders took aim at Koutarou. On the right shoulder was a large beam cannon, and on the left shoulder was a multipurpose missile launcher that could fire up to eight shots at once. They were the most destructive weapons in the giant’s arsenal.

“If possible, I’d like to get rid of that anomaly right here and now.”

“Aren’t I an anomaly because you can’t get rid of me?”

“Well, when you put it that way...”

Elexis fired the missiles as he spoke. These missiles were trained on their target’s heat signature, but were also guided by camera. Once they locked on to their target, they would chase after it as long as it was still alive.

“Damn it!”

Koutarou was planning on getting as close to the missiles as possible before dodging, but they exploded with a loud boom a few meters before they reached him. Elexis had used something known as a proximity fuze, which detonated as it closed in on its target rather than on contact. The intent was to deal damage over a wider area. Not even Koutarou could dodge an attack like that.

“Satomi-sama!”

Ruth screamed when she saw Koutarou caught in the explosions of the missiles. It was the kind of wide area attack that she had feared all along. She had no way of knowing what had happened to him, but it couldn’t be good. Ruth’s heart sunk as she shielded Theia from the blast wave.

“Satomi-sama! Satomi-sama!”

A cloud of dust shrouded the area where Koutarou had been. Since the explosions had been so close to the ground, dirt and debris had been kicked up everywhere. It made it impossible to see anything, but the winter wind quickly cleared the area.

Once the dust lifted, Ruth could see Koutarou lying wounded at the bottom of the blasted crater in the ground.

“Nooooooooooo! Satomi-sama!”

Seeing Koutarou collapsed like that, Ruth couldn’t help screaming. This was like watching a nightmare.

“I guess not even you could do anything about that...”

Next the beam cannon on the mobile weapon started moving. The turret’s motor growled as it turned towards Koutarou. Elexis was planning on finishing him off with it.

“Farewell, Neanderthal-kun. You put up a good fight.”

“Stop it! Please don’t kill Satomi-samaaaa!”

Koutarou was going to die. The same Koutarou who was supporting Theia and Ruth’s dream. His death might as well be the end of the world to Ruth. She screamed again and again, feeling like her soul was being torn apart.

But her screams didn’t reach Elexis, and he calmly pulled the trigger. The enormous amount of electricity generated by the giant was concentrated into a powerful beam which shot forth like a giant spear of light.

The crater in the ground from the missiles was widened even more by the beam. It kicked up more dust, shrouding the area again.

“Satomi-sama! Please answer me, Satomi-samaaa!”

Ruth was screaming and crying like a child. She was frustrated that she couldn’t leave Theia’s side. She wanted to run to Koutarou and save him even now, but she had to stay with Theia. All she could do instead was scream and cry.

“Well, that takes care of the anomaly. All that’s left is—”

“Like I said... I’m an anomaly because you can’t get rid of me.”

At that moment, the giant’s right arm and leg were cut off.

“Wh-What?!”

Having lost its support, the giant—and confused Elexis inside of it—toppled over to the right. And as it was falling, its left arm and leg were severed as well. By the time it hit the ground, the giant was limbless and defenseless.

“Hahh... it’s finally over.”

The one who had cut off the giant’s limbs was Koutarou, who had managed to sneak up on it. He flicked his sword, sending the oil on it flying, and then pointed it at the cockpit of the fallen giant.

“Surrender. You’ve lost.”

“Satomi-sama! Y-You’re all right!”

Ruth screamed out one more time, but unlike before, this one was a scream of joy.

“How?! How are you standing there?! I just killed you!”

Elexis’s face was riddled with confusion. Koutarou, the boy he was sure he’d just killed, was now standing in front of him. It was like he was having a bad dream.

“The me you shot just now was what you would call a hologram.”

“I see! You hid when the missiles exploded and left a substitute behind!”

“Yeah. As a result, my clothes are a wreck. How are you going to make up for this?”

Koutarou had been caught in the missile blast, but he hadn’t taken enough damage to be incapacitated. Really, all he had to show for it were a few bruises and his burnt clothes. Signaltin and the defensive spell Yurika had cast on him earlier had managed to save him, albeit just barely. In the end, the proximity fuze had helped. If the missiles had exploded on contact, Koutarou would have been much worse off.

But after the explosion, Koutarou used the dirt it kicked up to hide while creating an illusion of himself with Signaltin. Since he wasn’t as good as Alaia at controlling Signaltin, the illusion he made was only a simple one that couldn’t move. Luckily, that was more than enough to emulate a collapsed and injured Koutarou.

Then, while Elexis was distracted by the illusion, Koutarou snuck up on the giant and cut off its limbs. In the end, the wide area attack that Elexis was sure would bring him victory had instead been the reason for his defeat.

Thanks, Magical Girl Yurika. To think having a real magical girl would be this useful...

Yurika had become a real magical girl just the other day. To Koutarou, she was now more helpful than ever. She’d been so useful now—today in particular—that Koutarou was planning on offering her dinner for the next couple of days.

“...So losing sight of you was the end of the line for me, huh? I suppose now I’ll have to offer you one of my suits at a later date.”

“Thanks.”

“And would you do me the pleasure of giving me your name? I want to know the name of the man who bested me.”

Elexis graciously accepted his defeat and smiled wryly as he spoke to Koutarou.

“It’s Koutarou.”

“Koutarou, huh? It’s an odd name, but I’ll remember it.”

“Now surrender already. You’ve lost.”

The tip of Koutarou’s sword touched the cockpit’s windshield. However, Elexis simply shook his head and smiled.

“It’s true that I’ve lost, but I can’t surrender. I’m a CEO with a lot of employees to think of.”

Suddenly the giant began spewing out a large amount of smoke. The white smoke quickly filled the area and obscured Koutarou’s vision.

“What?! A smokescreen?!”

Over the chaos of the moment and through the thick smoke, Koutarou could hear something like an explosion.

“Let’s meet again, Koutarou-kun!”

The explosion was the sound of the giant’s ejection seat activating. The seat and Elexis were both launched high up into the sky, and he was picked up by his subordinates in the spaceship before anyone knew it. Without his armor, Koutarou couldn’t chase after them, so by the time the smokescreen cleared, Elexis and his men were far out of his reach.

“...Well, I guess you’re still as shrewd as you were two thousand years ago, Dextro.”

Koutarou sighed as he followed the spaceship with his eyes.

After activating the ejection seat, Elexis’s giant caught fire and was enveloped in an intensely burning flame. It was a self-destruct feature that had been prepared beforehand, and it would leave nothing behind of the metal giant.

And once it was gone, there really would be no evidence left. The fact that Theia and Ruth were attacked by the military and DKI had been completely covered up. They had appeared without warning and left without a trace. They weren’t necessarily strong opponents just yet, but they were clever.

“What a troublesome enemy...”

The fires from the burning giant lit up the area. Even though Koutarou had won the fight, Elexis’s retreat was so well orchestrated that Koutarou couldn’t help gritting his teeth in frustration.