RATH 27

TL: Eevee

4. The others stories (1)

#1 Their story: the story of the one who defeated the Sword Star.

The enemy has defeated the Sword Star!

Kuaak, this, thisaaaaarrrrghh!

Damn it, tighten the encirclement! We cannot let him escape!

Ah, damn it. Why am I running away.

To not get hit.

Thats it!

Magic that changed the landscape, and arrows that could paralyze with a scratch all flew over my head.

Ahh. Damn it. Im tired as hell, and according to my original estimations we should have been captured a long time ago.

Stop! You are already surrounded. Its too late for you to run now!

The knight chasing after me is the problem!

Whats there to hide, thats the dukes daughter Ive constantly been referring to all this time!

And now that reminded me, the princess herself was part of this operation!

In that case it wasnt weird for the princesss knight order to mobilise, meaning that it was possible to meet up with said daughter, but to think wed meet up right in front of each other!

If she saw me right in front of her eyes, how would she act?

Would she try to kill me for playing her? Or would she cry with tears streaming down her face?

Either way Id prefer not to deal with. Especially the latter.

Now, isnt it about time for us to get caught?

Since you defeated the Sword Star some really dangerous things are flying at us now too!

No.17, duck.

Hiik! Hu, hurry with the warnings!

No.17 of the Nermia family yelled at me as she just ducked under the arrow.

At this rate it seems like itll be hard to get support from the Nermia family as well.

Hm. Yep. Lets just

Should we just die?

What bullshit is that!

Save the sleep talk for when youre actually asleep!

I think we really are going to die.

A large-scale magic dropped in front of us and left a crater.

It seems that the mage brigade have shown up in the air as well.

I think theyre still mistaking me for the instructor at this point, I was wondering if I should mix in a counter or not but.

Thats dropping right this way?

What the hell, thats a bombardment! And a direct line of fire!

Dodge!

Thats an attack that even left No.1000 terrified, who the instructor said dodged the Empire-style bombardment like a joke.

Ah, now that I think about it, the instructor could have thought if its this human, they probably wont die from just this. and just poured on the attacks.

If I go forward, its dangerous, if I stop the noble girl is waiting. Options, options.

There is one!

Yes, there was a way.

Although it really did a number on my conscience, its better than me meeting directly with the girl.

Doppelganger, if you complete this successfully then youre free.

Im ready for anything.

As I saw the doppelganger nod, I had the doppelganger take off its hood and run in a different direction from ours.

And the bait was successful.

Re, Rein?!

Although my heart hurts to see the noble ladys wide eyes on seeing the doppelganger but it cant be helped!

-Run, as far as possible!

-Alright.

I said the contract would be complete once it was caught.

But instead, getting caught deliberately was forbidden. It just had to run as far and fast as possible to divert attention.

Kasen! You lead the squad and continue pursuit. I will chase after the stray.

Eh? Vice-captain, what?!

Thankfully the noble lady took five subordinates and started chasing the doppelganger.

After separating from us the doppelganger would be lucky to last ten minutes.

If a person uses magic then they could exert speeds even faster than a horse, but theres a limit.

Because of this weve been using many tools the instructor had given us to stop the horses movements and increase the distance between us, but we were running out of tools, and I didnt want to feel any guiltier seeing the noble lady nearly fall off her horse several times chasing after us.

And now, since shes not here

Surrender now?

Is it finally over?

End?

The moment we stopped the bombardment stopped like a lie, and the kids breathed a sigh of relief.

Dont move!

Iiiit?

Hold, hold on?!

But very quickly, I brought a dagger up to No.1s neck.

Hes still a dukes son, therefore he has plenty of use as a hostage!

We need to buy more time.

Wait, but why am I the hostage?

Your house is the best off.

Really?

Looking at is, our pursuers made baffled expressions.

Yes, organization members were running away together, and if they suddenly start up a hostage scenario then anyone would find it weird!

Ahhh~ Im Duke Rainas son Raina rel Swin! I was undercover in the evil organization as a spy, but I got caught! Save me.

Oi, thats way too awkward, cant you act properly.

This much should be fine?

With those words it seemed there was a commotion among the knights before another knight came forward after sending the others back.

I am Her Highnesss Third Knight Orders First Squadron Captain, Kasen! If theres anything you want then begin negotiations!

Wow, it seems like the name of the knight order really is the Third Knight Order. While others use family names, flowers, animals and such, the rumours that princess said she couldnt be bothered and just named them by their ordinal numbers was true!

Wait, before that.

What kind of deal do I have to make so that I dont show myself getting caught to the noble lady.

Shes going to come back anyway once she realises the doppelganger is a fake, so if Im caught now the end result is the same anyway.

Should I ask for my face to be hidden? Or, should I ask to be carried away by the mage corps instead of the knights?

Tell us your demands. Right now thanks to the mages, only you and I can hear each other! So tell me what you want!

We had no warning?!

Theyre serious is this the skill of the empires strongest mage corps?

To my horror and No.17s lament. The surroundings were already surrounded with a thick magic barrier.

That meant that we were already trapped, and the barrier could not only absorb sound, but also act as a formation to keep us trapped, and also a method to kill us.

And to think they could trap us like this without any of us getting the slightest warning!

Is this the skill of the imperial princesss mage corps, that are called the empires strongest!

Then I surrender on the condition that my identity is not revealed!

What kind of conditions are those?

Adults have adults problems. If my face is revealed right now then Im in big trouble

Wait, wasnt this to stall for time for the instructor?

Just for old times sake, just because the princess was chasing after the instructor, that was why I was running away with you?! But this was just for your own problems?

Wow, these kids eyes are getting icy. If I drag this any longer I thought I might be blindsided by these kids first

The reason is is it because of the other women you met. Or

But there was someone else that blindsided me first.

Is it because of me, Rein?

Milady?!

Rein, did you really think I wouldnt recognise you?

This is a trap! Im currently under the influence of illusion magic by these skilled empire mages. There, theres no way that person can be the real deal!

Hm, by the looks of that expression it seems you believe that Im an illusion brought on by magic.

Ha, how?!

Well, its obvious on Reins face.

Those blue eyes look into mine and curved into gentle crescents.

Is that really an illusion?

As if he could tell my insecurity, No.1 who was caught as a hostage muttered.

Um, could you please not hold the knife so close to my neck? Youre shivering a lot right now? Because of that the blades brushing my neck a lot, at this rate it really seems like Ill see blood? Wait, hold on! Youre shaking even more! Dan, dangerous!

Now Rein, leave that thing behind, and come to me. Even Her Highness permitted it as well.

That thing? Did she just call me that thing?

No.1, I dont think nows a time for us to interrupt.

Yep.

Hey, do you think those words would come if you were in my shoes?!

No.1s yelling something, but since the noble lady in front of me took up more of my attention I ignored him.

When did you know?

Id be lying if I said from the beginning. Just. Out of curiosity. I asked Her Highness, and she told me.

Then, why

Thats. because I like you.

Those were lines that should definitely be giving me a touching feeling, but all of a sudden, for some reason I understood the instructors sentiments.

Such as Sia or the princess, just why he went around running away from beautiful women.

I know. That you were working for the organization. That you handed over the information you got from us over to them. But, you never once told them any of our secrets, and you never lied to us, not even once. And Rein is too kind so you cant abandon people.

The sword at her waist slowly rose higher and higher. But the direction it was pointing at was the opposite direction to its normal use.

Now, this is a hostage, Rein. If you dont come to me, this sword will stab the human named Iris.

Holding yourself as hostage, are you insane?!

I dont know. For all you know, this is an illusion, like you imagined. But Rein, Ive told you before. I.

-Rein. If its for you, then I could even die for you.

Rein, if its for you, then I could even die for you.

The moment the girl wearing a beautiful dress and the knight in armour overlapped in my imagination, a red line of blood started to trickle down her throat.

Milady!

Heheh, Ive got you.

If this is an illusion then I dont have a choice but to be captured

Wow, theyre ignoring us and filming a love story

Ah, Im getting goosebumps. I hate those kinds of things.

I only had one meal today.

Although its a heavy love that these kids cant understand, but I still cant abandon her.

The warm blood that I touched as I brought my hand up to her neck only served to tell me that this was reality.

Really, did you have to eh?

Click.

Ive really, caught you.

But, as I was wiping the blood off the ladys neck, at that moment I felt something fasten and lock around my own.

During my tertiary trainee days, the words that the instructor had said to me then flashed through my head.

-Ahh, I nearly died back then. In the pandemonium called the imperial court, I was working under that princess to boot. Plus, the. Princess. Always. Picked. People. Si. Mi. Lar. To. Her. As. Her. Own. People. So. Even. Her. Sub. Ord. In. Ates. Were. All. Si. Mi. Lar. To. Her. So everyone close to the princess were all essentially miniature versions of her.

And not too long ago, what Id said when we parted from the instructor.

-Just what is the princess to you that youre doing this

-A Sia on a bigger scale?

-I cant refute that.

And, the story of the black rose Id talked with this girl previously.

-I met Her Highness a while ago, she said she was raising black roses as a hobby. She said she was raising them to give to someone, and I thought that the princess had a unexpectedly girlish side to her. Ah, Rein, do you know what a black rose means in the language of flowers?

And the last thought was, when I told the instructor that I was working as a club host under the Intelligence Agency, he had said this.

-Let me make a prediction. Ill put one gold on you either getting enslaved or stabbed to death by a girl you meet there.

Ah, instructor. The comments you threw so casually so often became reality, but was that not a joke?!

At least you should have put more money on it to make me more careful!

But was that it? Before I worried about the instructor, did I have to watch out for myself first!

No.17. Hold on. Somethings weird?

Moron, we didnt see anything. Didnt you learn this in the organization?

Where from?

The Intelligence Agency vice-director.

I think I get it.

Right now I wanted to turn my head to those kids and yell at them to save me, but the ladys hand that had put something around my neck held my face tight and stopped me from so much as turning my head.

This is a special collar that Her Highness gave to me to put on the person called Ast. Its a special dwarven collar that has no key hole, and once its locked the only person that can undo it is the mana flow of the person of the original user. As a matter of course, it can track the wearers location, and it can also paralyze or knock out the wearer. So Rein.

As her red lips came closer to me and kissed my cheek, she whispered quietly into my ear.

Now you cant, run away.