kscans

Chapter 5 - v1c3 - Red Cape Invasion

Confetti rained down from the blue sky, laying a seven-colored carpet over the streets of the Gato Kingdom. The assembled crowd of five hundred thousand Minya citizens all smiled toward the heavens, sending whistles and cheers to the world’s strongest air fleet as it passed overhead. The confetti fluttering down from the hull of the flagship, the Vera Clara, would turn into a rain of bombs by the time it reached the enemy territory of Red Cape.

"Whoever controls the Sea of the Sky controls the world."

This doctrine, born with the invention of the airship, had proven itself true in the eighty years since. It was difficult to attack a ship flying at an altitude of five hundred meters from the ground or sea, yet from the sky, one could ignore moats and castle walls to drop bombs with impunity. To avoid being invaded, one had to build and maintain more airships than the enemy. Such was the survival strategy for the monarchs of the Grapeland Sea.

Building an airship required Floating Stone, the material used for its buoyant body. To amass the naturally occurring Floating Stones from the Floating Sphere, one had no choice but to dispatch airships over a vast area to collect or seize them. Thus, the more airships one possessed, the more Floating Stones one could gather, enabling the construction of even larger airships. What had made the Gato Kingdom the world’s strongest was an act from thirty years prior, when the Chancellor of the time, the "God of War" Cassandra Cruz, persuaded King Dada to pour a third of the national budget into building an air fleet before any other nation.

The cheers of the five hundred thousand citizens were unending.

To the accompaniment of a military band, voices praising King Dada and the kingdom rose high into the autumn sky, one on top of the other.

Children, adults, the elderly, even the slaves—all looked up as one to pray for the fortunes of the celestial warriors heading into battle. Those five flying warships, and the grand fleet of over one hundred ships assembled on the sea and awaiting departure, represented the future of the five hundred thousand Minya. This great fleet of the sky and sea, built over thirty years through the combined efforts of half a million citizens, would surely bring an end to the centuries of conflict in the Grapeland Sea.

"Long live King Dada!" "Glory to the Gato Kingdom!" "For the peace of the Grapeland Sea! Good luck, everyone, and come home safe!"

The citizens’ cheers, which sounded almost like prayers, reached the sailors on the warships five hundred meters above as a great wave of sound. The four royals standing on the upper deck of the lead warship, the Vera Clara, bathed in the seven-colored confetti dancing on the air currents and the adulation of the half-million citizens who filled the ground below. Some waved, some chatted, and others were lost in thought.

King Dada, who had been looking down at the ground from the ship’s rail, let out a scornful "Heh," and brought his gaze back to the upper deck.

"All this fuss for putting down a rebellion in the sticks."

As usual, he wore neither tunic nor jacket. His bare chest was adorned with accessories and a sword belt, and below he wore only hunting trousers. As King Dada stood dressed for a deer hunt, the Second Prince, Toto Gattoland, returned a cool gaze.

"That’s because this fleet is far too grand for simply putting down a rebellion in the sticks."

He threw the fact that every citizen was thinking directly at the king. This was clearly a meticulously planned invasion, but the king insisted on presenting it to his people and other city-states merely as "suppressing the Red Cape rebellion."

About a month and a half ago, on August 20th.

Duke Callistratus, a powerful noble from the southern coast of the Grapeland Sea, had suddenly sortied three airships of his own construction. They had bombarded the Gato territory of Red Cape Fortress, while a thousand soldiers attacked from the land, capturing the fortress in just two days.

Having lost the "lower jaw" controlling the strait just before the implementation of the Three-pronged Strait transit tax, the Gato Kingdom began mobilizing troops to retake Red Cape. In response, the other great powers of the Grapeland Sea also began to gather their soldiers. Toto knew why.

"After you suppress the Red Cape rebellion, you intend to invade the other city-states, don’t you? Any pretext will do. That they secretly supported the rebellion, or incited treason. Your Majesty’s goal isn’t to suppress a rebellion, but to use it as a spark to set the entire Grapeland Sea ablaze… The powers of the Grapeland Sea are hastily mobilizing their forces to prepare for your invasion. …Am I wrong?"

King Dada listened to Toto’s accusation with his eyes closed, picking at his ear. The moment Toto finished, the king puckered his lips and blew the earwax from his fingertip at him.

"You’ve gotten smart, Toto… Think I’m going to get all emotional and cry about it? Of course it is. I’ve been preparing for this for a long time. After I crush the rebellion at Red Cape, I’ll find some fault with the nearby cities and crush them one by one so they can never defy me again. The transit tax was just bait for this. I can’t thank Duke Cali enough for falling for it and making his move."

The skin on his face was as rough as if carved with a knife, and his body was covered in scars like writhing earthworms. Emitting an intimidating aura befitting his moniker of "Brave King," King Dada turned his radiant face to the distant sky.

"It took fifty years to get here. All of the Grapeland Sea will be mine, and the long war will end. Order isn’t brought by words on paper; it’s brought by power. A new order where humans and demi-humans coexist will be born only after I’ve crushed my enemies by force."

King Dada’s dream was that of a boy, and it had remained unwavering for forty-eight years, ever since his coronation at fifteen. He had united the Minya, who had been forced into servitude by the Grapeland Sea’s powers, and through battle after battle had raised the Gato Kingdom into the region’s strongest nation. Now, the "Brave King" was about to chase his final dream of unifying the Grapeland Sea.

Toto, like King Dada, dreamed of a society where humans and demi-humans—the Minya and all other beastfolk—could live together. He had no objection to the goal, but he couldn’t believe that using violence was the right way to achieve it. He was certain his late, beloved sister would agree with him.

King Dada had not been the first to dream of a society where demi-humans and humans could live in harmony.

That dream had begun with Toto’s older half-sister, the First Princess Lala Gattoland. Chouchou, Toto, and Lulu had all been influenced by Lala from a young age, learning to cast aside their prejudice against humans and strive for a society where they could live together.

But ten years ago, Princess Lala was defeated by Ione, the "Sword Saint," and died in the decisive Battle of Sea and Air In Three-pronged Strait. King Dada still called out Lala’s name in his sleep, having poured such deep expectations and love into the child from his previous wife. The "future where demi-humans and humans coexist" that King Dada now spoke of was a version of Lala’s dream, and perhaps he had started this war to make his beloved daughter’s dream a reality.

But, for the king to fulfill Lala’s dream…

Toto decided to ask the king one more thing that had been bothering him.

"Duke Callistratus’s rebellion occurred at an awfully convenient time, right before the transit tax was to be implemented. Could it be that the rebellion itself is a strategy by the Grapeland Sea powers to trap Your Majesty in a snare?"

At Toto’s words, King Dada shot him an amused sideways glance.

"Oh? And?"

"…There are rumors… that there is a traitor in the heart of the Gato Kingdom, leaking information to other nations."

For some time now, such rumors had been circulating in the court and the markets, and among them was a name that could not be ignored.

Chancellor Nanahara Yoshiharu.

Incredibly, the man discovered by King Dada, who despite being from the Oyashima tribe had risen to the position of Gato’s Chancellor, was now rumored to be betraying the king and leaking vital information to the Grapeland Sea powers. These whispers had lately been circulating in the city as if they were true.

If the Chancellor really has betrayed us, our chances are slim…

After all, he knows secrets that even we, the legitimate children, do not.

Toto’s answer was met with a hearty laugh from King Dada.

"I see. So there’s a traitor among my inner circle. That’s not good."

Then he ruffled Toto’s hair roughly with one hand.

"You’re right. If that’s the case, the humans will all confidently join forces and defy us Minya."

He said this cheerfully, then fixed his gaze on the northeastern sky.

"Conversely, that traitor can give them confidence and set them up to make war with me. It’s a real blessing. I’ve been dying to smoke out who my enemies are and crush them."

That was what King Dada said.

Toto didn’t quite understand what the king was saying. A traitor who wasn’t actually a traitor, but was acting on King Dada’s will…?

"As you know, Ilias, who leads the Black Rose Knights, and our Yoshiharu were both disciples of the ‘God of War’ Cassandra. Fellow disciples, now on opposite sides, are about to begin a game of deception. Watch closely from my side what a clash between rulers looks like."

The king’s confidence was absolute, but Toto couldn’t clearly see the future he was painting. Perhaps only Nanahara Yoshiharu could.

"…Yes. I will learn."

Answering with all the reason he could muster, Toto looked up at the sky.

His view of the clear October sky was… gone.

What filled Toto’s vision was the underside of the buoyant body that suspended the ship’s hull.

Sixty meters long and ten meters wide, the cocoon-shaped buoyant body was a translucent blue. A harness was stretched over its entirety in a repeating diamond pattern, and cables—each made of four twisted ropes with steel wire cores—suspended the 350-ton hull. It took four to five years to collect or plunder enough Floating Stones for a buoyant body of this size, which was why among the powers of the Grapeland Sea, only the Gato Kingdom possessed five Vera Clara-class flying warships.

Three mainmasts jutting from the buoyant body caught the wind, leisurely propelling the hull, which was fully loaded with cannons, cannonballs, ammunition, and heavily armed combatants. From the ship’s prow, Vogstock Particles kicked up a seven-colored spray. Fitting for an air sailboat crossing the "Sea of the Sky," a rainbow-colored wake was drawn across the heavens.

"This air fleet will smash the old world. A new order will be born only after thorough destruction."

King Dada’s words melted into the wind.

Toto had no reply and was lost in thought.

To build a peaceful world, he would use military force to trample the humans—

That, in essence, was what King Dada had just said.

"Wow, it’s so beautiful! The ship is making a rainbow in its wake!"

The cheerful voice of the Second Princess, Lulu, came from the port side, opposite where Toto and the others stood. When he turned, he saw the First Princess, Chouchou, standing next to Lulu, her hands on the ship’s rail.

Lulu was dressed in the formal uniform of the Gato Naval and Air Forces, while Chouchou wore her usual white evening dress. Lulu was the Successor to the "Filial Piety" Holy Orb, and Chouchou the Successor to the "Propriety" Holy Orb, which, according to King Dada, was why he was taking them to the battlefield. This meant that the flagship Vera Clara currently carried four Successors: King Dada of "Benevolence," Toto of "Loyalty," and the two princesses. And Toto still had no idea what kind of powers Lulu and Chouchou possessed. Even for a sibling, knowing the power of a Holy Orb was forbidden.

‘There are powers that are more useful when they are unknown,’ was King Dada’s explanation. If a power was known, it could be countered. The powers Lulu and Chouchou had inherited were of that nature.

"The flying warship is scattering confetti. Red, blue, and yellow scraps of paper are falling to the ground like snow. The ground—the streets, the plazas, the rooftops—is filled with people looking up at the sky. We’re flying northeast at an altitude of five hundred meters, leaving a rainbow in our wake…"

Lulu was carefully describing the situation to her blind sister. Chouchou, a black silk bandage wrapped around her eyes, let her long golden hair flutter in the high-altitude wind, a faint smile on her lips as she nodded along to Lulu’s story.

Just then, a new girl emerged from a hatch on the upper deck and walked toward Lulu and Chouchou with a smile.

"Hello, Princess Chouchou. It has been a while. Do you remember me? It is Artemisia."

The Third Princess, Artemisia, gave Chouchou a polite curtsy. Chouchou returned the gesture.

"I remember. It’s been since the welcome ceremony, hasn’t it? I am glad to see you’ve grown so accustomed to the kingdom, Princess Artemisia."

Artemisia was also clad in the formal Gato Kingdom military uniform, looking both lovely and gallant. As Toto stared, mesmerized…

"Toto, what are you spacing out for?"

Lulu tossed a teasing remark his way with a knowing smile, and Toto hastily snapped back to reality.

"No, I wasn’t spacing out or anything…"

"Come over here and wave! Everyone’s cheering for us!"

Lulu pointed to the ground, a smile on her face. Toto, his cheeks slightly flushed, walked over to the three princesses gathered on the port side.

"Hello, Prince Toto. That uniform suits you very well!"

Artemisia greeted him with a bright smile. Six months had passed since she had come to the Gato Kingdom, and she was much more cheerful than she had been initially.

"You think so? You too. It’s… very gallant, and it suits you."

It wasn’t just flattery; Artemisia’s presence up close was even more refreshingly pure. Beneath her braided silver hair, her deep violet eyes held more power than usual, and the uniform, clinging to the lines of her body, accentuated her nobility.

"Thank you! When the fighting starts, I will fight bravely alongside you, Prince Toto!"

Artemisia said this jokingly, placing a hand on the hilt of the slender rapier at her sword belt. He had never heard that she was skilled with a sword, but Toto played along.

"That’s reassuring. But if a real battle starts, be sure to stay by my side, okay?"

"Yes! …Will you protect me?"

Artemisia said this as she looked up at Toto with a mischievous glint in her eyes. The gesture, as if she knew her own charm, was both infuriating and, at the same time, irresistibly cute.

"…That… Of course."




As he said this, blushing and averting his gaze slightly, Artemisia’s face broke into a radiant smile.

"I won’t leave your side, Prince Toto!"

"R-right. …That would make me happy."

His heart began to beat faster. Doki doki. At the same time, a pang of pain shot through his chest as he guessed the real reason she had been brought to the battlefield. She wasn't here because she was expected to fight. She was here to be executed on the spot if the Black Rose Knights betrayed them.

"…No matter what happens, I’ll protect you."

He renewed his vow before her. Artemisia looked up at Toto with a flicker of suspicion, then bashfully lowered her gaze.

Lulu, who had been watching the two of them, shot Toto a mischievous grin, as if plotting something, and took Chouchou’s hand.

"Chouchou, shall we go wave from the other side? We can leave this side to Toto and Miisha."

"Oh, yes."

Thinking she was being helpful, Lulu gave Toto another knowing, suggestive smile before walking away with Chouchou to the starboard side.

Toto and Artemisia were left behind on the port side.

A little too obvious…

Toto felt slightly exasperated but managed an awkward smile for Artemisia.

"Shall we wave to everyone? It’s our job to give them courage."

"Yes. With pleasure."

Artemisia returned a bashful smile and stood next to Toto, waving to the crowds that filled the ground below. Toto was happy to see that Artemisia’s smile, which had been so stiff six months ago, had recently become much softer and more relaxed. If they could continue to spend peaceful times like this here, perhaps one day they could become a real family…



Meanwhile, Second Princess Lulu guided First Princess Chouchou to the starboard rail and then glanced behind her. Toto and Artemisia were standing side-by-side, waving to the ground from the port side.

"I wonder if those two will get married. They’re the same age, a handsome boy and a beautiful girl—they’d make a great couple. And if they did, we’d be related to the Black Rose Knights, so it’d be good for the Grapeland Sea, too."

Lulu chattered happily to Chouchou.

"…"

But Chouchou’s face was pale, her lips were drawn tight, and she wasn’t smiling. The bandage over her eyes made her expression hard to read, but she seemed to be afraid of something.

"…Chouchou? …Is something wrong?"

Lulu noticed that Chouchou’s hands, resting on the rail, were trembling slightly. Her face was drained of color, looking pale even under the sunlight.

"Hey, what is it? Are you feeling unwell?"

As Lulu leaned in with a worried look, Chouchou said,

"…I’m sorry. I’m feeling… a little…"

Lulu furrowed her brow and placed a hand on her blind sister’s shoulder.

"…What’s wrong? Airsick…?"

Just as Chouchou was about to say more…

Basabasa! With a flutter of wings, a gazelle bird flew over their heads.

"Whoa!"

Lulu instinctively ducked. Right behind her, Toto ran up, out of breath.

"Excuse me, just a moment."

With that, Toto leaned over the starboard rail, his eyes fixed on the gazelle bird slowly circling the ship. Chouchou swallowed the words she was about to say. Lulu, her face still surprised, shifted her gaze between Toto, Chouchou, the gazelle bird, and Artemisia, who had arrived a moment later.

"Is that bird really so interesting…?"

Artemisia, looking slightly displeased, asked this to Toto’s back as he leaned over the rail.

"That gazelle bird flew from Chancellor Nanahara’s room. A white tube with gold vertical stripes is the mark of an especially important letter."

Toto answered Artemisia’s question without turning around, continuing to observe the bird.

The gazelle bird, carrying a small tube on its back, circled above the Vera Clara twice, then, as if it had made up its mind, turned northeast and flew away.

"That’s… the direction of Red Cape…"

Muttering this, Toto fell into deep thought. Beside him, Artemisia asked with a puzzled expression,

"Is it that unusual for the Chancellor to use a gazelle bird?"

"Normally, no, but we’re at sea right now. All official communications are supposed to go through the captain in the sterncastle. The gazelle bird Chancellor Nanahara just sent from the forecastle is private correspondence, so it caught my attention."

At these words, Artemisia’s expression clouded with worry. Toto offered a reassuring smile.

"…Chancellor Nanahara has a spy network throughout the Grapeland Sea, so I imagine he was sending orders to our allies who have infiltrated the Red Cape area…"

As he said this, Toto watched the bird’s retreating form disappear into the blue October sky.

Yoshiharu had been a mere steward on a galley ship, but at the age of eleven, he had saved King Dada from a perilous situation during a naval battle. He was then taken on as an apprentice squire to Chancellor Cassandra, and through his talent alone, he had acquired status, wealth, and numerous privileges. Looking back on his life, it was clear that Yoshiharu had dedicated himself body and soul to the interests of the Gato Kingdom. That was why King Dada had even told him secrets about the Holy Orbs that he hadn’t told his own legitimate children. There was no way in ten thousand that such a man would betray the king, Toto told himself.

"…Um, I’m going… to my room…"

Beside him, Chouchou said this, covering her mouth with one hand, and moved away from the starboard side. Lulu, looking worried, took her hand and guided her to her room.

"…Chouchou, did something happen?"

At Toto’s question, Chouchou turned her face toward him, but after starting to say something, she stopped and walked away with weak steps toward her room in the lower part of the forecastle…



†††



A girl stood alone, her elbows resting on the rail of the Callistratus fleet’s flagship, the air sailboat Viridium, staring up at the blue sky.

Having just taken off from Red Cape Fortress, the ship was flying south-southeast to face the Gato air fleet in a decisive battle. Unlike a surface vessel, the upper deck of an air sailboat had no masts and, of course, no slave rowers. Looking up, one saw the underside of the buoyant body. Returning one’s gaze to the horizontal, one had a wide view of the sea, and the wind blew through refreshingly. Many of the combatants, who would normally be packed into the hold of a surface ship, were out on the upper deck, enjoying the view from five hundred meters up and feeling the wind on their faces.

Looking back, beyond the seven-colored wake left by the Vogstock Particles, two flying galley sailboats followed. They were medium-sized galley sailboats, each with forty rowers and five oars per side. For now, the oars were stowed, and they were sailing with their sails spread on the three masts set atop the buoyant body. The hulls suspended beneath the twenty-five-meter-long buoyant bodies were packed with ten cannons and forty combatants, preparing for the upcoming aerial battle with the Gato Kingdom’s air fleet.

Then, the girl spotted a speck in the blue sky.

"It’s here, Brother."

The girl leaned over the rail, pointed at the speck in the sky, and informed her brother beside her.

The brother squinted in the same direction and recognized what the speck was.

"…Teruhiko…"

As he murmured the name, the small black dot rapidly took the form of a gazelle bird. The bird, with a white tube on its back, flew down with a flutter of wings and landed on the sister’s shoulder.

"Haha, good work, Teruhiko! Was Father well?"

The sister, Mihohara Kuon, smiled brightly and stroked the clever gazelle bird’s head, taking some crushed beans from a pouch. As she watched Teruhiko peck at the beans in her palm, Kuon, clad in jet-black combat gear, smiled softly.

Her reddish-brown hair was tied into a side ponytail on the left side of her head. She wore a jet-black jacket fastened with gold buttons, gold-leaf shoulder plates and a breastplate, and a black train embroidered with golden vines that was cut deeply on the right diagonal. Her slender right leg was covered up to the knee by a black leather boot, while her left leg was covered to the thigh by a loincloth similarly adorned with gold embroidery. It was a novel outfit, but what drew the eye most was the greatsword slung diagonally across her back. It was as long as she was tall, far too large for her slender frame to wield.

"That’s… Dad’s… letter…"

Her brother, Mihohara Michihiko, pointed to the white tube with a gold stripe that the gazelle bird carried and told his sister. He had black hair that reached his shoulders, an eyepatch over his right eye, and a sullen expression. A lean, tall frame, a tight-fitting white shirt, black trousers, and long leather boots. In contrast to his bright, cheerful sister, the brother had a gloomy expression, and his words lacked energy.

"Report… to the general…"

"Yes. But Brother, please be sure not to be rude to His Grace the Duke."

After reining in her ill-mannered brother, Kuon, with Teruhiko still on her shoulder, turned her toes toward the sterncastle where Duke Callistratus was.



She showed the gazelle bird to the guard in front of the sterncastle, stated their business, and after receiving permission, the two entered the structure.

It was a narrow but bright interior, with large glass lattice windows on three walls. The cross-shaped shadows of the window sashes fell onto the floorboards. The absence of gauze curtains was likely to maintain a constant watch over the airspace. A few steps away stood the large back of a middle-aged nobleman facing a desk, his back to them.

"Mihohara Kuon, legitimate daughter of the Chancellor of the Gato Kingdom, Nanahara Yoshiharu, and her brother, Michihiko. We have come to deliver a letter to Duke Callistratus."

When Kuon called out, he turned only his head, glanced at the gazelle bird on Kuon’s shoulder, and said in a voice hoarse from the sea breeze,

"Bring the letter here."

He spoke curtly and turned back to his documents. "Yes, sir," Kuon responded, then took the tightly rolled parchment, sealed with wax at both ends, from Teruhiko’s tube.

As she gently placed the letter from Yoshiharu on the Duke’s desk, she discreetly observed his profile.

He was in his mid-fifties. Long, shaggy hair cut around shoulder length, thoughtful silver-grey eyes, and a neatly trimmed beard from cheeks to chin. Broad-shouldered and sturdily built. He was already dressed for battle, but perhaps to deny any connection to the Black Rose Knights, his attire was based on a light grey rather than jet-black. Only his leather boots, sword belt, and trim were black; his velvet bodice, the sleeveless jerkin beneath it, and his trousers were all light grey. The only decorations were some inlay work scattered on his shoulder and knee guards—a plain outfit for a man about to go to war.

Soon, Duke Callistratus finished the letter he was writing, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it by pressing a signet ring with a flying horse into the melted wax. Only then did he turn halfway to Kuon and the others.

"Is Chancellor Nanahara well?"

Asked in a calm tone, Kuon straightened her back against the wall.

"We have not seen him since he divorced our mother three years ago."

Duke Callistratus turned a suspicious gaze on Kuon.

"…And what was the reason for the divorce?"

Asked this, Kuon was at a loss for an answer.

"…Even we cannot fathom our father’s intentions. However, we believe it was likely for the sake of this stratagem."

Duke Callistratus stared at Kuon in silence for a while. She thought she saw a hint of pity in the depths of his silver-glowing eyes. Three years ago, Kuon’s father, Yoshiharu, had suddenly divorced his wife, Michiko. Kuon, then fourteen, and Michihiko, seventeen, had moved to Athena Island, which was controlled by the Black Rose Knights, relying on Michiko’s old connections. Kuon herself did not know the true reason why Yoshiharu had divorced Michiko.

Duke Callistratus broke the wax seal on the parchment he had received from Kuon with a knife and read its contents.

From the corner of her eye, Kuon continued to observe Duke Callistratus.

An intelligent and calm demeanor, a natural dignity and grace emanating from his very presence. He hardly seemed like a country noble who had started a reckless rebellion against the Gato Kingdom, which boasted the strongest forces on land, sea, and air. In his own domain, he was said to personally judge petitions of all sizes, from land boundary disputes to inheritance problems and sibling quarrels, and was praised as a wise ruler.

Furthermore, Duke Callistratus was one of the "Three Saints," the strongest swordsmen, standing alongside Ione the "Sword Saint" and Lukamakion the "Demon Man." He was the Successor to the "Brotherhood" Holy Orb, and in the Battle of Sea and Air In Three-pronged Strait ten years ago, he had reportedly assaulted one enemy flying galley sailboat after another as if walking on air, single-handedly causing a thousand of the kingdom’s soldiers to fall to their deaths. Despite being both a wise ruler and a warrior worth a thousand men, his demeanor was not in the least bit arrogant, yet he was not overly familiar either. He was a man who seemed to be the very embodiment of the word "solitude."

After finishing the letter, Duke Callistratus touched the parchment to the flame of a candlestick. The rising flame vividly illuminated the wrinkles at the corners of the Duke’s eyes, which held deep contemplation.

"This battle is like fighting Litany and Homeogard at the same time."

After confirming the letter had turned to ash, the Duke leaned back in his chair and muttered to no one in particular.

The Battle of Litany three hundred and fifty years ago, and the Battle of Homeogard one hundred and thirty years ago, were both great successes in surprise attacks that were always cited in military textbooks. Both were rare instances where a small force defeated an army ten times its size through a surprise attack, but they were also miracles that happened only once a century or so.

Litany and Homeogard, two miracles recorded in history, must now be performed simultaneously, or the Grapeland Sea would fall into the hands of the Gato Kingdom. The worst possible future, where monsters with cat ears sprouting from their heads would rule over humans, would become a reality… so Duke Callistratus was saying.

Michihiko received Callistratus’s words with a look of displeasure, his mouth twisting.

"…So we can’t… win…? …My old man… even divorced his wife… and betrayed his own country… We have to w—GYAAAH!"

His rude remark was cut short as Kuon stomped hard on his foot.

Seeing Michihiko biting his lip and hopping on one foot, Duke Callistratus gave a faint smile, rose from his chair, and walked to the ship’s window.

Beyond the high-quality, transparent glass, a clear blue sky stretched on endlessly.

"Chancellor Nanahara is a crafty one. This very plan we believe in may also be part of his larger scheme."

"…"

"Bringing you two, his own children, here may have been to make me trust his plan. There is no end to suspecting others, but still, he is a disciple of the ‘God of War,’ Cassandra Cruz. There is no harm in being too suspicious…"

The Duke’s suspicions had not yet faded. He suspected that Nanahara Yoshiharu might have only pretended to betray King Dada, and had in fact proposed this conspiracy to Callistratus to create a pretext for Gato to go to war. It might seem overly suspicious, but as the one responsible for the lives and property of his vassals and people, Duke Callistratus could not afford to trust others lightly.

Duke Callistratus continued, his words more like a monologue to himself.

"…However, if we sit idly by, we will be exploited by the transit tax and grow weaker with time. We have no choice but to gamble everything at some point, and now is that time. If we win, we live; if we lose, we die. I do not mind either outcome… but to surrender without a fight and force my people to submit to the alien Minya is a fate more painful than death."

From the corner of her eye, Kuon looked at his large back.

The conflict that Duke Callistratus was wrestling with seemed to create a heat haze in the room.

This rebellion was not the rash act of a country noble rejecting a transit tax. Duke Callistratus was playing a part in a grand strategy orchestrated by Nanahara Yoshiharu, born of deep thought and conflict. All so that the humans living in the Grapeland Sea would not be trampled by the cat-eared Minya tribe.

If this is a plan for which this man is willing to risk his life… then perhaps…

Such a hope began to bud, however faintly, within Kuon. The nobles, knights, and mercenaries who had joined the rebellion had all rushed to this seemingly hopeless battle because Duke Callistratus was leading it. Duke Callistratus stood here as the last bastion of hope for the humans who were about to be oppressed by the Minya.

"We will soon reach the battlefield. You two should put on your harnesses and prepare your gliders. I cannot have you dying here. This ship is a decoy; the real battle is at Red Cape Fortress."

With that, Duke Callistratus turned back to his desk. Kuon and Michihiko bowed and exited the sterncastle.

Once back on the upper deck, Kuon immediately glared at Michihiko.

"Brother, he is a great noble. Please try to choose your words more carefully."

"Shut up… idiot… it’s his fault… for spouting nonsense…"

Kuon stomped on Michihiko’s foot again, as hard as she could. Michihiko let out a scream and hopped around the deck.

"You have no right to call the Duke ‘him,’ Brother. He is a truly fine gentleman. I understand why so many vassals follow him, even after he started such a reckless rebellion."

Having been ordered by her father to participate in a seemingly hopeless battle, Kuon had, until a moment ago, been thinking only of not missing her chance to escape. But now, she wanted to bet on Duke Callistratus’s convictions. Duke Callistratus possessed the kind of lordly charisma that could make one feel that way after just a single meeting.

"We must put on our harnesses. And the gliders. Our true strength is in ground combat; this sky is not our place to die."

With that, Kuon descended into the ship through a hatch. To descend to the ground, they had to wear a Y-shaped harness on their bodies and carry a glider on their backs. They needed to be prepared to jump from the ship at any moment…



†††



"Ship sighted! Northeast, three of them! Course southwest!"

The moment the lookout’s report flew, the captain of the flying warship Vera Clara, standing like a guardian deity next to the helmsman at the ship’s wheel on the aft upper deck, put a spyglass to his eye and confirmed the enemy.

"All decks, prepare for battle! All hands to stations!"

Simultaneously with the captain’s command, the boatswain’s shrill whistle echoed across the upper deck of the Gato air fleet’s flagship, the Vera Clara. A signalman on standby tied four signal flags—red, red, yellow, yellow—to the mizzenmast and hoisted them. Off-duty sailors who had been gambling or drinking in the hold rushed to their posts, gunners undid the gun-tackles, and sand was scattered on the deck to prevent slipping. The combatants packed into the hold hastily donned their breastplates and pauldrons, slid their swords into their sword belts, put on their helmets, and raised their visors, preparing to board the enemy ship.

The four-colored signal flags indicating "battle stations," raised on the mizzenmast, were relayed in sequence by the four friendly flying warships following behind—the second ship, Aguirre Maura; the third, Brezza Regina; the fourth, Alba Idea; and the fifth, Fiamma Elder. On board the ships that received the signal, the sailors and soldiers began their preparations, and from the single-file formation, with each ship two hundred meters apart, the drums of the military band began to sound.

A heroic roll of the drums filled the airspace with the tension of battle.

As the fife and drum corps began to play, King Dada, Chancellor Nanahara Yoshiharu, Second Princess Lulu, Second Prince Toto, and Third Princess Artemisia rushed up to the sterncastle, exposing their bodies to the high-altitude wind and glaring at the northeastern sky. The blind First Princess Chouchou did not go out onto the bustling deck, but remained in her room in the forecastle, listening to the clamorous music.

The spyglass held by King Dada also captured the image of the Callistratus air fleet—one flying warship and two flying galley sailboats, for a total of three ships.

Cloud cover was at two-tenths. Scattered clouds drifted overhead, but there were no clouds in the airspace at five hundred meters, and visibility was good.

King Dada grinned.

Today, the Gato air fleet, built over thirty years, would finally show its true power to the Grapeland Sea.

You humans who have treated demi-humans as inferior creatures and discriminated against us for so long.

Now it is our turn to trample you.

We will teach you the humiliation of having your honor, your dignity, your families, and your homes trampled…!

King Dada gave an order to the signalman waiting behind him.

"Hoist the battle flag!"

The signalman tied a battle flag—a blue field with crossed swords—to the mizzenmast and hoisted it. As the four following ships raised their battle flags in unison, the three enemy ships approaching them also raised their battle flags at their sterns in the same manner. This battle flag was common throughout the Grapeland Sea and meant, "We honorably challenge your fleet to a decisive battle."

The Gato and Callistratus air fleets approached each other head-on, while the sailors on both sides raised a war cry in unison.

"Ei, ei, oh! Ei, ei, oh…!"

Though born in different cities, they were sailors living under the same sky. An expression of their will to decide the outcome without hatred melted into the battle airspace as a war cry. The great powers of the Grapeland Sea, who had been fighting sea battles for a thousand years, had at some point devised this strange ritual, and it had become customary to perform it before a decisive battle.

"The wind is better for them," King Dada, the commander-in-chief of the Gato air fleet, remarked, lowering his spyglass and gazing at the enemy, now about two kilometers away. Beside him, Yoshiharu, who also served as his strategist, maintained his usual gentle smile.

"As long as Princess Lulu is here, we cannot lose."

Yoshiharu said this with a sideways glance at Second Princess Lulu, who stood anxiously in the sterncastle.

But King Dada returned Yoshiharu’s reply with a displeased snort and looked at the approaching enemy ships.

"I don’t want to use her power at the wrong time. In the opening phase, we’ll let the enemy do as they please."

Having boarded warships himself and experienced dozens of naval battles since his accession to the throne at fifteen, the nuances of the battlefield were etched into the very core of King Dada’s being. The "Filial Piety" Holy Orb that Lulu had inherited possessed a power so immense it could decide the outcome of a fleet battle, but to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy, one needed to gauge the tide of the battle.

"Enemy galley ships, tacking!"

The lookout shouted the term for "heading upwind." The captain, positioned in front of the ship’s wheel on a lower level before the sterncastle where King Dada and the others were, turned to look back.

"They’ve switched to rowing. The wind doesn’t matter to them now."

Looking over, the two medium-sized flying galley sailboats had extended their oars from their buoyant bodies, furled their sails to the yards, and begun rowing. Their course was west-southwest. The wind was blowing from the west. The enemy had switched their power source from wind to slave rowers and intended to get upwind.

The captain stared intently at the enemy’s movements and, recognizing the metal protrusions like rhinoceros horns on the prows of the hulls suspended from the buoyant bodies—the rams—he clicked his tongue.

"They’ve got horns. They’re fast and maneuverable. They’ll hit our flank."

The ram was an old-fashioned ramming weapon, but in recent years, few warships were equipped with them. The reason was that if you destroyed the enemy’s hull, the cargo would fall five hundred meters to the ground or sea below, making it impossible to capture. However, its effectiveness as a shipboard weapon was still maintained.

"Let them. Do nothing, maintain this course."

Receiving King Dada’s reply, the captain raised his eyebrows.

"You’re going to let them ram us? Let the enemy hit our flank?"

"Relay this to the gunnery commander. Right battery, prepare for battle. But do not, under any circumstances, fire until I give the signal. No matter how close the enemy gets, absolutely not."

Without answering the captain’s question, King Dada sent a Royal Guard as a messenger running down to the gun deck in the lower hull. Then he turned his face to the captain.

"Does the gunnery commander have experience in air combat?"

"Sir Rembrow? Yes, I believe he has, once."

"Experience commanding the cannons of an airship?"

"Ah, well, that would be a first. Air battles don’t happen very often. But he’s had plenty at sea. In the Sea of Rocks, against the Ripante pirates…"

"Shut up. Just answer what you’re asked."

The expression of the captain, who looked up at the king behind him, was clearly one of bewilderment. But King Dada unilaterally ended the questioning and called out to Second Princess Lulu behind him.

"You can handle the Holy Orb, can’t you?"

When asked, Lulu placed a hand on her chest and nodded nervously.

"…I’ll be all right. …I’ve practiced… many times."

Receiving that reply, King Dada grinned broadly.

"I’m counting on you, goddess of the battlefield."

"…"

Lulu, her expression still fearful, could not respond. Beside her, Second Prince Toto shifted his gaze suspiciously between his sister and father, but swallowed his questions and exchanged a look with Artemisia, who was standing anxiously by his side.

"Princess Lulu is…"

Artemisia began to ask something, then stopped and swallowed her words. Toto, sensing her anxiety, softened his tone.

"…It’s all right. This ship won’t sink."

He told her that. This was a battle between a leopard and a mouse. There was no way they could lose.

"…Yes. I’ll stay close to you, Prince Toto."

Receiving Artemisia’s reply, Toto raised his head and looked at the approaching enemy galley sailboats.

"Enemy galley ships, setting sails!"

The lookout’s tense voice echoed. The two flying galley sailboats, having moved upwind, stowed their oars neatly above their buoyant bodies and simultaneously unfurled the sails that had been rolled up on the yards.

All the square sails swelled with the blowing wind, and the enemy ships accelerated at once. Unlike surface vessels, airships, with less resistance from the sea, accelerate rapidly when they have the wind at their backs. In contrast, the flying warship Vera Clara, being massive, was sluggish and could not turn quickly.

Twenty-five meters long, six meters wide, the slender enemy galley sailboats rode the wind, closing the distance to one thousand meters in an instant.

"If we fire, they’ll get scared and run," the captain suggested.

"They’re not pirates; they’re Duke Cali’s direct vassals. They won’t run from something like that."

Dismissing the captain’s suggestion, King Dada still did not permit them to fire. The effective range of the twenty-centimeter cannons mounted on the Vera Clara was said to be fifteen hundred meters, but in King Dada’s experience, the effective range of ship-mounted cannons was less than three hundred meters.

"Do as I say. Don’t offer any unnecessary advice."

The salty-looking captain turned his sunburnt face forward with a look of dissatisfaction.

"Aye, sir, Admiral. I won’t speak out of turn again."

He said this in a slightly sullen tone and closed his mouth. King Dada stared intently at the two approaching enemy galley sailboats.

Their silver-glistening rams jutted from their prows, cleaving the October air and kicking up the seven colors of the Vogstock Effect. Their speed was nearly double that of his own ship.

Because their hulls were so slender, it would be difficult to score a direct hit now, even with a broadside of thirty starboard cannons.

To hit them, they needed to draw them in closer.

Just then, a messenger from the gun deck ran up the ladder and reported to King Dada.

"Message from Sir Rembrow! Starboard battery, all thirty breeching ropes released, positions taken! May we open the gunports!?"

"Heh," King Dada snorted. A gunnery commander who had come up from surface ships wanted to fire from an airship with the same feel as he would at sea. But King Dada recognized the importance of the first strike in an air battle between fleets. This was the sky; the battle here was different from the sea.

"I told you I’d give the signal when it’s time to fire, you idiot. Just shut up and watch."

"…Yes, sir!"

"And while you’re at it, kick Rembrow in the ass. That’s his punishment for wasting my time."

"…Y-yes, sir!"

He sent the bewildered messenger away and returned his gaze to the airspace.

Relative distance, five hundred meters. The Callistratus family crest—a golden pegasus on a red field—hoisted on the foremast was now clearly visible, right down to its mane. The battle attire of the enemy noble standing like a guardian deity on the prow of the flying galley sailboat, the velvet hem of his cloak fluttering in the wind, was also visible. At the same time, a fierce odor came from upwind. The ankles of the forty slave rowers were shackled to their seats, and they naturally relieved themselves where they sat, so galley ships stank intensely.

"The stench is unbearable. Shouldn’t we just fire?"

The captain, who was supposed to have fallen silent, looked back with an expression that said he could no longer hold it in.

King Dada ignored him and turned to Second Princess Lulu behind him.

"Do it, Lulu."

"…Yes."

Lulu lifted her face, a mixture of resolve and sorrow, took two steps forward, and stood beside the king.

Second Prince Toto, standing behind them, sensed that his sister was about to use the power of her Holy Orb.

You can do it, Lulu…!

Toto sent silent encouragement to his sister’s small back.

"Princess Lulu…"

Beside Toto, Third Princess Artemisia looked anxiously at her stepsister’s back. Toto sensed Artemisia’s unease.

"…It’s all right. Lulu is strong…"

She was usually peaceful and carefree, but she also possessed a sense of responsibility that made her willing to fight to protect the Gato Kingdom. She was a wonderful sister—bright, kind, and with a strong core.

Lulu clasped her hands in front of her chest and closed her eyes.

Amidst the drifting clouds, her long golden hair fluttered in the wind at five hundred meters, and a seven-colored light glittered at the tips.

"…Mm…"

Toto noticed a slight change within himself. Deep in his chest, something was stirring on its own. The region deep within his consciousness where the "Loyalty" Holy Orb resided began to ripple and stir, like the surface of a lake heralding an earthquake.

"This is…"

When he looked up, a light was beginning to form behind Lulu.

A faint golden wisp transformed into a fine geometric pattern, its outline gradually sharpening to draw a complex design resembling the halo of a divine statue. Whenever the power of a Holy Orb manifested, such a light always appeared behind the Successor, but…

"…Incredible…!"

Toto’s eyes widened. The light that appeared behind Lulu was far larger and more brightly colored than the halo Gasper had worn during the duel at the banquet. It was so distinct it seemed almost tangible.

"Filial Piety."

The character that appeared in the space glowed golden, larger than Lulu’s torso. The decorations and colors surrounding the character also had a seven-colored shimmer within the gold, and Lulu, with her hands clasped before her chest and her eyes closed, looked as divine as a goddess statue.

This… is different from mine…!?

Toto realized it. When Toto activated the "Loyalty" Holy Orb, his halo wasn’t nearly as bright or large as Lulu’s. His "Loyalty" was a faint light, like moonlight through clouds, and the character for "Loyalty" itself was pale and small.

Why is there such a difference…?

Does Lulu have a higher aptitude as a Successor than I do…?

Beside the pondering Toto, the wind was rent with a high-pitched hyou.

"Whoa!" "Huh?" "Ooh!"

The sailors on the upper deck let out startled cries and looked up at the signal flags on the mizzenmast.

Suddenly, the wind direction was changing.

Hyuuou!.

An even stronger wind blew from the east. The west wind that had been blowing until now vanished, and a sudden wind came from the complete opposite direction.

It was not a temporary gust. With several roars, the strong wind blew relentlessly from east to west, one gust after another.

The flying warship Vera Clara, which should have been downwind of the approaching enemy flying galley sailboats, suddenly found itself upwind of the enemy.

"…!"

Toto’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Could the true nature of the power of "Filial Piety" be—

Goooo! Suddenly, the wind howled.

The strongest possible wind was now blowing continuously from the most convenient direction for them.

Throughout history, in battles between sailing ships, the one who stood upwind won. The upwind ship, receiving a tailwind, gained mobility and maneuverability, while the downwind ship had to sail against the wind, severely hampering its mobility and making it difficult to steer.

"Jibe!"

King Dada shouted the order to turn the bow downwind. The sailors who had been on standby on top of the buoyant body scrambled to the braces, and the captain in the sterncastle gripped the ship’s wheel himself.

The flying warship Vera Clara began a majestic turn to bring its bow to bear on the two enemy galley sailboats.

In contrast, the enemy galley sailboats, which had been charging forward with a tailwind, suddenly found the wind direction reversed and were brought to a standstill.

The enemy galley ship’s crew was frantically trying to furl their sails. From above the buoyant body, oars once again jutted out like crab legs, and they began preparing to row. For a small flying galley sailboat to ram a large air sailboat, attacking from upwind was an absolute prerequisite. If they were to launch such an attack from downwind, the smaller ship would be crushed instead.

"Jibe!" "Jibe!"

Ships on both sides strained as they turned, their hulls creaking, trying to point their bows downwind.

From their sides, Vogstock Particles kicked up a seven-colored spray. Scattering rainbows in the autumn sky, a life-or-death turning contest. The enemy galley sailboats needed to turn one hundred and eighty degrees, while the Vera Clara aimed for a ninety-degree turn. King Dada whispered to Lulu beside him.

"The wind is too strong. Can you weaken it a bit until we finish turning?"

"…Yes. …I’ll stop the wind."

As Lulu responded, the wind died.

"Ooh," the captain cried out in delight. Wind hitting the sails during a turn was nothing but a hindrance. Now that the wind had ceased, the flying warship turned leisurely with only inertia and the operation of the helm—

Now, in its sights, it caught the turning enemy flying galley sailboats.

All they needed now was for the east wind to blow strongly once more, and victory would be theirs.

"Lulu, I need an east wind. A strong one."

"Yes."

Lulu opened her crimson eyes and fixed her gaze on the battle airspace.

She looked at the enemy galley sailboats desperately trying to flee.

I am about to become a murderer.

She confirmed this in her heart. Because of the power she was about to use, the several hundred people on those two ships would fall from an altitude of five hundred meters and become food for the fish.

The horror of air combat lay in the fact that the hundreds, even thousands, of people aboard an airship shared a single fate. In a ground battle, one could scatter and flee, but in a ship battle at five hundred meters, there was no escape. To flee a sinking ship, one had to wear a glider, but how many people could instantly strap on something so large and bulky and take flight?

With this power, hundreds of people will die.

Understanding the terror of the power she had inherited, Lulu raised her right hand high.

The golden halo burned even more dazzlingly bright.

"Filial Piety."

The character that floated in the space emitted an even greater light.

A strong wind blew all at once from the east, sweeping away the clouds.

No wind was needed for turning. But for a charge, a strong tailwind was desirable. The overly convenient wind that all sailors wished for was now blowing through this sky.

King Dada grinned.

He raised his thick right arm and gave a loud command.

"All sails set!"

At the command, all the sails of the flying warship Vera Clara were unfurled and caught the wind.

For a moment, the deck beneath their feet seemed to float, and the seven colors of the Vogstock Particles were kicked up as if cleaving the wave crests.

The five flying warships, led by the Vera Clara, caught the fair wind in all their sails and charged straight for the enemy.

"Cannonballs are a waste, just ram them!" "Kill all the humans of the Grapeland Sea!" "You arrogant humans, know the pride of the Minya!"

In response to King Dada’s orders, the roars of the sailors, convinced of victory, rode the wind and swept over the despair of those who foresaw defeat, and thus, death.

The enemy was desperately trying to begin rowing, but they couldn’t turn in time.

"Evasive action! Evasive action!" "No, don’t come!"

Amidst the screams of the enemy sailors, the prow of the Vera Clara’s lower hull collided with the side of the enemy galley sailboat, shattering its side and riding up onto its upper deck.

The flying galley sailboat’s buoyant body shattered, breaking into three pieces. The mast broke, the yardarm fell, the rigging flew apart, and the forty slave rowers who had been rowing on top of the buoyant body were thrown into the airspace, still chained to the shattered buoyant body.

From the hull, which had been broken in two, wooden crates, barrels, cannons, structural materials, and hundreds of enemy soldiers were thrown into the air. The hull, freed from the yoke of its suspension cables, also fell, scattering ten million ashes.

Several huge water columns rose one after another on the sea surface directly below. The ship, its cargo, its equipment, and its sailors all turned to nothing but foam on the sea. Sailors, each of whom took three years to train to a professional level, were thrown into the air, falling into the sea by the hundreds, the thousands, like confetti.

"Waaah, waaah…"

The cheers of their allies echoed amidst the rising dust. Lulu found it too horrifying to watch. In that single, explosive moment, the lives of nearly five hundred sailors and slaves had come to an end. The sheer abruptness of it was terrifying.

The remaining enemy ship desperately completed its turn, unfurled its sails all at once, and tried to flee using both sail and oar.

"Starboard gunports, open!"

King Dada’s command was instantly relayed by a messenger, who stuck his head into the hatch to the gun deck below and shouted.

"Push out!" "Push out!"

The lids of the starboard gunports, which had been closed until now, were pulled upwards, and from them, thirty twenty-centimeter cannons on one side thrust out their barrels all at once.

"Commence firing!"

From directly below, the booming voice of the gunnery commander, Rembrow, echoed, and at the same time, thirty cannons fired as one.

"Whoa!" "Ugh!"

The sailors on the upper deck couldn’t help but let out such cries at the earth-shattering roar of the cannons and their recoil.

The lower hull, due to the recoil of the cannon fire, was lifted backward like a swing, then swung forward in an arc, and back again. The billowing gunsmoke rode the wind and covered the downwind side. The enemy was not visible.

"Next round, reload, hurry!" "Hurry, hurry!"

Shouts crossed on the gun deck. The gunners pulled in the barrels, cleaned the insides with sponges, packed powder into the touchholes, and loaded the ten-kilogram cannonballs and powder, ramming them in with a ramrod.

The shaking was terrible.

Because there was no mechanism to absorb the recoil from the cannon fire, the hull, suspended from the buoyant body, swung violently when they fired a broadside.

It was swinging too much to aim.

"Damn it, not now!"

Gunnery commander Sir Rembrow grit his teeth and looked out through the gunport. The reason King Dada had emphasized the first strike and drawn the enemy in to the absolute limit was because he knew about this swinging. A surface ship’s recoil would be absorbed by the sea after a single backward movement, but in the case of an airship, the hull suspended from the buoyant body swung back and forth like a pendulum without resistance. With this much swinging, it was difficult to aim precisely.

This is completely different from training…!

Rembrow cursed inwardly. The three-kilogram practice rounds required less powder, so even a broadside hadn’t caused this much of a swing. But the ten-kilogram live rounds required more powder, and inevitably, the recoil after a broadside was greater. He would make a point of complaining later to the captain, who had skimped on the amount of powder for practice to embezzle funds.

Where’s the enemy…?

Through the haze of smoke, Rembrow strained his eyes to see the battle airspace.

The high-altitude wind had already carried away the gunsmoke.

The enemy galley sailboat that had been their target was… gone.

Only shattered fragments of Floating Stone, scattered pieces of wood, and the faces of terrified slave rowers, still fixed to larger pieces of Floating Stone, were visible.

Looking down, he saw the remnants of new water columns on the sea surface five hundred meters below. What appeared to be the corpses of enemy soldiers floated listlessly in the blue waves.

Rembrow let out a long sigh of relief. It seemed to have been a direct hit. The enemy ship, having taken multiple direct hits from close range, had fallen to the sea and disappeared, leaving nothing behind but its Floating Stones. The sailors and combatants on the lower hull would all have been killed in action.

But.

"Further back! Enemy flying warship, approaching!" "Opposite course! Coming from the left!"

The lookout’s voice and a messenger from the sterncastle intersected. The remaining ship, the enemy flying warship Viridium, which Duke Callistratus was aboard, had apparently not given up the fight.

"Port battery, prepare!"

As Rembrow gave the order, the gunners who had been at the starboard battery rushed to the port side battery and undid the breeching ropes of their assigned cannons. A sailor, shouldering a powder box, emerged from the hatch leading to the lower deck, dropped the box, and ran back to the powder magazine. The gunners quickly loaded the cannonballs and powder from the muzzle and stood by the gun-tackles, awaiting orders. The swinging was finally beginning to subside.

"Port gunports, open!"

A messenger on the upper deck stuck his upside-down face through the hatch and shouted King Dada’s command.

The gunners, who had been waiting, pushed up the lids of the gunports.

Light streamed in. Beyond the clear air at five hundred meters, the silhouette of the enemy flying warship Viridium, which had closed to a horizontal distance of about seventeen hundred meters. It was showing its port side to them, its gunports already open.

It would be a battle on opposite courses. A close-range exchange as they passed each other.

Magnificent courage!

Rembrow praised the enemy commander, Duke Callistratus. Undaunted by the sudden change in wind direction, he had taken advantage of their preoccupation with the two galley sailboats to close to this short distance without firing a single shot. A truly seasoned and heroic general, his command was both precise and bold.

"Push out!" "Push out!"

The gunners pushed out the thirty port cannons all at once.

The flying warships Vera Clara and Viridium, two massive vessels, were now rushing toward each other like jousting knights, about to exchange a fatal blow.

The timing of the shot was left to the gunnery commander. The horizontal distance to the enemy had closed to less than sixteen hundred meters. He could fire, but if he missed, that swinging would again plague the hull.

Just then, unexpectedly, the gusting wind died down.

Just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.

In the windless air, the two ships closed in on each other by inertia alone…



"Lulu!" "Princess Lulu!"

Meanwhile, at the command post on the forecastle roof, Lulu had closed her eyes and fallen sideways. A worried Toto and Artemisia knelt beside her, checking her breathing and pulse. The moment the wind had died, Lulu, who had been holding her right hand up, had collapsed.

"She’s overused her power. She’s not going to die. Carry her to her room."

King Dada glared at the approaching flying warship Viridium with his right eye, not even glancing at the fainted Lulu as he spoke.

Couldn’t you at least show some concern!?

Toto shouted at his father only in his heart and laid Lulu on her back. He grabbed her slender wrist and checked her pulse. It was normal. It seemed she had fainted from overusing the power of her Holy Orb. Thanks to Lulu, they had been able to sink the two enemy galley sailboats without a scratch; she had more than fulfilled her duty. Toto regained his composure and asked a Royal Guard.

"Lulu’s room is below the sterncastle. Please carry her there and let her rest."

"As you wish."

"Miisha, I’m sorry, but could you look after Lulu?"

"Yes, leave it to me!"

The Royal Guard lifted the limp Lulu into his arms and, accompanied by Artemisia, carried her to her room in the lower sterncastle. The blind First Princess Chouchou was in her room in the lower forecastle and couldn’t move, so he would leave Lulu’s care to Artemisia.

"The wind is coming back. The real wind," King Dada said, glaring at the enemy ship. Lulu’s power to manipulate the wind was immense enough to decide the course of a sea or air battle between sailing ships, but it seemed the duration of its use depended on the Successor’s stamina.

Such a powerful Holy Orb… why was it passed to Lulu, and not Gaga?

Toto didn’t understand. The First Prince, Gaga, had far more stamina, so why was such an important Holy Orb passed to the less physically capable Lulu?

"It’s a north wind. We’re going to take some damage," King Dada said to Chancellor Nanahara Yoshiharu beside him, his eyes fixed on the enemy flying warship.

The pale blue fragments of Floating Stone scattered in the airspace showed the direction of the wind. It was now a tailwind for the approaching enemy flying warship Viridium. The moment Lulu was gone, a wind unfavorable to them had begun to blow. Was it the hand of heaven, seeking to be fair?

"The enemy’s cannon fire will arrive in five minutes. We have five ships, they have one. There is no doubt we will win, but with this wind direction, we must be prepared for some degree of damage," Yoshiharu said, comparing the wind and the state of the friendly and enemy ships. In a cannonade, the projectiles of the upwind side rode the wind, extending their range, while the range of the downwind side was halved. The Gato air fleet, forced to fight a cannon battle from the downwind side, would not be able to get through this battle unscathed.

This battle is the prelude to a massive war that will soon engulf the entire Grapeland Sea.

Will the king recklessly allow his prized flying warships to be damaged here…?

As if in answer to Toto’s thoughts, King Dada glared at the enemy.

"It wouldn’t be a bad idea to show them here and now the fate of those who defy me," he muttered and took a step forward.

"…"

Yoshiharu, his usual gentle smile on his face, did not stop King Dada.

"I haven’t used the Firebird in ten years. This is the time to use it to make the humans of the Grapeland Sea tremble, isn’t it?"

At the king’s words, Yoshiharu nodded silently. Beside him, Second Prince Toto’s eyes widened.

King Dada is going to use the "Firebird"…!

The strongest Holy Orb, known to all in the Grapeland Sea: "Benevolence."

The manifestation of the power of "Benevolence," the head of the eight Holy Orbs, was the "Firebird," which could melt anything in this world—even diamonds.

The legendary monster that even Toto had never seen was about to appear in this sky.

Toto held his breath and stared at his father’s back.

Frankly, he was not a father he liked. He was crude, boorish, had little interest in his children, and had neglected his beautiful mother to father two hundred children with his concubines—a crude, violent, and selfish man.

But.

He is the strongest warrior in the world.

Everyone acknowledged that. Even at the age of sixty-three, as long as he was the Successor to the "Benevolence" Holy Orb, King Dada could not be defeated by anyone. Even Ione, the "Sword Saint," who had achieved legendary feats in the Battle of Sea and Air In Three-pronged Strait ten years ago, had been forced to retreat before the "Firebird" that King Dada commanded.

I will burn the pinnacle of strength into my eyes.

Before Toto’s eyes, King Dada wore his usual leisurely smile, glaring down from the front at the enemy flying warship Viridium, which had closed to a horizontal distance of fifteen hundred meters, and muttered to himself.

"Long time no see, Duke Cali. How does it feel to be danced on my strings to the very end?"

Light began to gather behind King Dada. A crimson light, like a burning, cold flame.

A heatless flame burned in the space. Like the halo of a divine statue, the flame formed a geometric pattern, gathered together, and a crimson brushstroke ran through the space.

Beyond King Dada’s defiant smile, a circumference with a radius of one and a half meters overlapped, and a complex pattern resembling a mandala was drawn.

In the center of the circle.

"Benevolence."

The vividly appearing name glowed, flickering and burning behind King Dada.

"Ooooh, ooooh…!"

The allied sailors, noticing the activation of "Benevolence," raised a cheer and praised King Dada. The veteran sailors who had witnessed it ten years ago, convinced of victory, raised their hands to the heavens in thanks. The sailors who had climbed the yards to handle the sails also whistled in support of their king.

"Firebird!" "Firebird!"

Before long, the calls became a chorus, enveloping the airspace—

The entire battery of the enemy flying warship Viridium simultaneously took aim at the Vera Clara—

King Dada, a vicious smile on his face, said,

"Your turn, Firebird."

In that instant—

Flames swirled in the airspace above the Vera Clara.

Not one. Two, three—as if entrances to different dimensions had opened, flames sprouted from the space around the Vera Clara, swirled, and joined together, beginning to writhe like a living creature.

In the middle of the blue sky, the dancing flames became a spiral, and from the center of the spiral, a crimson wisp emerged, which gradually began to form the shape of a phoenix—

"I won’t let you."

In that instant—

Duke Callistratus stood right before King Dada, his battle-axe raised.

"Brotherhood."

Behind Callistratus, that single character shone with a golden light.

"Tch."

King Dada clicked his tongue, leaped back, and drew his sword.

Gakiin!.

The sound of steel clashing against steel.

Gakiin, gakiin!.

Twice, three times, steel sang in quick succession. The Vogstock Particles reacted, adding a seven-colored hue to the sparks. Callistratus lunged deep at the stumbling King Dada, entering the killing range. The Vogstock Particles, reacting to the retreat and lunge, drew seven-colored ripples in the space, as if the two were fighting underwater.

The battle-axe roared. King Dada’s double-edged knight sword, which had received the blow, could not completely kill its momentum and turned its blade toward him.

Fresh blood spurted from King Dada’s temple. The king fell to one knee.

"Guh."

"Die."

Callistratus raised the battle-axe in his right hand.

A surprise attack.

Alone.

The moment he realized it—Toto drew the rapier at his waist, stood before King Dada, and, holding the rapier in a reverse grip with the point angled backward, received the descending battle-axe.

Sparks exploded, as if shaving the blade of the rapier.

Deflected by Toto’s block, the battle-axe’s trajectory was corrected, and it pierced the deck planks.

A flurry of wood splinters, sparks, and Vogstock Particles.

One heartbeat.

Toto momentarily lifted his rapier, and as if by magic, switched to a forward grip, then dove deep into Callistratus’s guard.

Two moves, three moves, four moves.

Seven-colored sparks exploded along the path of the rapier.

Seven moves, ten moves, fourteen moves.

A rainbow danced.

"Hmph."

Callistratus, as a matter of course, parried the accelerating rapier.

"Buy me time, Toto."

"Yes, sir."

The moment he received King Dada’s order, Toto activated the "Loyalty" Holy Orb.

The Royal Guards, their minds still unable to catch up to the fact that Duke Callistratus had launched a surprise attack from an enemy ship fifteen hundred meters away, crossing over floating stones in the Floating Sphere as if they were stepping stones, could only stand frozen.

A pale green light gathered on Toto’s back. The faint character for "Loyalty" emerged.

Having evaded the twenty-five moves unleashed in the space of four heartbeats, Callistratus muttered,

"The Second Prince, is it?"

"Toto Gattoland. I presume you are Duke Callistratus."

With a pale green halo at his back, Toto quickly surveyed his surroundings. The only enemy was Callistratus.

Callistratus was clad entirely in light grey battle attire, his armor consisting of a breastplate, pauldrons, and greaves. In his right hand, a battle-axe; in his left, a small shield. Behind him, at the center of a golden halo that looked like multiple overlapping Y-shapes, was the character for "Brotherhood."

Callistratus of the "Three Saints"…!

The three holy knights renowned throughout the Grapeland Sea: Ione the "Sword Saint," Lukamakion the "Demon Man," and Callistratus the "Pegasus." Toto was now facing one of these famed holy knights, sung of in ballads, in a one-on-one duel.

I will surpass him.

Without fear, Toto closed the distance with Callistratus. A rainbow trail followed behind him. The upper deck of the airship was within the Floating Sphere, so the Vogstock Particles, reacting to their movements, drew mysterious patterns like flowing water around the two of them.

Toto looked into Callistratus’s deep-set eyes.

Callistratus’s silver-grey gaze met Toto’s. When crossing swords with an opponent, one could not avoid meeting their eyes.

And the property of the "Loyalty" Holy Orb was…

To stop an opponent who meets my eyes…!

"Ngh!"

Callistratus’s movements stopped for an instant.

Toto could see the Duke’s confusion as his raised axe froze.

It works, even on one of the "Three Saints"!

From his practice against knights in the training grounds, Toto had learned to control an opponent’s movements for the space of a single heartbeat. It was a short time, but in a sword fight where a single moment’s opening could be fatal, a pause of even one heartbeat was more than enough to pierce a throat or heart.

"Shh!"

With an exhalation, he thrust his rapier at Callistratus’s throat.

But Callistratus, who should have been unable to move, barely managed to scrape the ground with his heel.

"!?"

The single step back he took was abnormally long. Callistratus reached out with his left hand and touched the underside of the buoyant body that formed the ceiling above the upper deck.

Seven-colored sparks scattered, and Callistratus accelerated further, grabbing onto the harness strapped to the buoyant body with an impossible maneuver.

"…!"

Toto’s eyes widened in astonishment. Incredibly, Callistratus was supporting his own body with a single horizontally extended left hand, floating in the air…!

This is the power of "Brotherhood"…!

He realized it. Just by kicking… or rather, "scraping" the floor with his heel, he had made that leap. Callistratus had crossed the fifteen hundred meters from the enemy ship by using fragments of Floating Stone drifting in the Floating Sphere as stepping stones.

He’s not flying. It’s just harder for him to fall than a normal person.

The force that made things fall had almost no effect on Callistratus. It was better to think of it as fighting an opponent made of leaves. Toto practiced swordsmanship daily, but he had never yet fought an opponent who was outside the laws of this world.

Don’t watch his footwork. If I try to track this opponent by his center of gravity, I’ll be the one to get my head split open.

He couldn’t fight him with conventional swordsmanship. If he relied on his body’s reactions, he wouldn’t be able to respond to his opponent’s movements, which defied common sense, and he would die on the spot.

"The Successor to ‘Loyalty.’ Your sword skills are excellent."

With that, Callistratus, right in front of Toto, swung down the battle-axe he had raised.

"…!"

Toto snapped back to reality and deflected the heavy blow with the blade of his rapier.

He looked into Callistratus’s eyes. But Callistratus did not meet his gaze. He kept his eyes only on Toto’s feet, predicting his sword moves by his footwork and blocking with the shield in his left hand.

The characters for "Loyalty" and "Brotherhood" that each carried on their backs crossed on the narrow deck.

Three moves, five moves, nine moves…

The more they exchanged blows, the more Callistratus pushed him back. The golden halo took on a burning brilliance, and the Vogstock Particles, reacting to his fast, heavy movements, kicked up rainbow-colored streams in the empty space.

Even though he knew it, the footwork, center of gravity, and distance of movement didn’t match, throwing his own senses into disarray. The more they fought, the more that slight discrepancy would eventually lead to a fatal blow.

He’s strong. But.

I won’t lose.

The character for "Loyalty" began to glow. Toto, with the pale green halo at his back, fought back with all his might, staring into Callistratus’s eyes. Callistratus, knowing the power of "Loyalty," could not meet Toto’s gaze. He could only watch his footwork. It was undoubtedly a troublesome ability for Callistratus.

Rapier and axe clashed. Steel sang. Seven-colored spray colored the swordplay of the two Successors. The Royal Knights finally noticed the situation.

"Enemy attack! One enemy!" "It’s Duke Cali, take him down!"

The Royal Guards who had been watching the enemy ship from the bow rushed to the sterncastle, and the combatants who had been in the hold also appeared on the upper deck, raising their weapons and charging at Callistratus.

Incredibly, Callistratus did not flee.

He attached the small shield in his left hand to his shoulder, gripped a battle-axe in both hands, and counterattacked the knights who rushed him, swinging the axes in both hands.

"…!"

He was absurdly strong. His blows were heavy and fast. Regardless of his physical strength, he could move one to two meters with a single step sideways, so the kingdom’s soldiers couldn’t keep up with his movements at all. The battle-axes in his hands deflected the sunlight, and each time the Vogstock Particles raised a seven-colored spray, blood and flesh splattered the deck.

But.

Suddenly, a new shadow leaped out—a flash of a halberd.

"Ngh!"

As Callistratus leaped back, the shadow pursued him with a deep lunge, a second blow, a third.

Battle-axe and halberd clashed in a complex trajectory, the paths of the strikes overlapping like lightning, the scattering colors like a shattered rainbow.

The shadow challenging Callistratus was—

"Laggy!"

Toto shouted. The werewolf Laggy Daylight, Artemisia’s personal knight, who had been in the hold with the other combatants, had noticed the disturbance and come up to the upper deck. This werewolf, probably the strongest in the kingdom at present, was in no way inferior to Callistratus of the "Three Saints" in terms of combat skill.

"Not bad."

Perhaps tired of defending, Callistratus leaped up again, grabbed the harness of the buoyant body with one hand, and floated in the air.

"…"

Once he escaped there, they couldn’t follow. With his halberd at the ready, his feet planted firmly on the upper deck, Laggy turned his seething eyes on Callistratus.

Just then.

"Time’s up, Duke Cali."

King Dada, who had not participated in the battle, still with the "Benevolence" halo at his back in the sterncastle, said this and sent a scornful laugh to Callistratus.

"Watch your home burn from there."

The cold, crimson flames filled the sky above the flying warship Vera Clara, having taken the form of a phoenix.

Its massive wings, over fifteen meters in span, had the sun at their back, and its body, over seven meters long, beat the air at an altitude of five hundred meters.

It had a neck, a sharp beak, a crimson burning mane, and two wings and a tail.

Slowly beating its wings, the giant beast, covered in something like a lava flow and burning brightly, glared once at the distant flying warship Viridium.

"Burn it all, Firebird."

The moment King Dada commanded it, the incarnation of the "Benevolence" Holy Orb flew through the sky at five hundred meters.

The Floating Sphere reacted, and a seven-colored spray rose beneath the "Firebird."

The bird, flying while burning, even boiled the space itself, and its wake burned.

The rainbow stirred up by the Vogstock Particles and the flames on the periphery of the "Firebird" mixed, dyeing the battle airspace in fantastical colors—

"No, run!" "It’s the Firebird, don’t fight, run!"

The veteran sailors aboard the enemy flying warship Viridium, convinced of their defeat, shouted this and put on their own harnesses. It was forbidden to wear a harness before battle, as it was considered cowardly, but even the supposedly brave veteran soldiers began preparing to flee without shame or regard for appearances…



"We’re getting out of here, Brother!"

Meanwhile, the siblings Mihohara Michihiko and Kuon, having pulled their gliders from the hold of the Viridium and finished connecting them to their harnesses, spotted the approaching "Firebird" and placed one foot on the starboard rail.

The glider’s frame was made of pterosaur wing bones, and its wings were made of fine-weave linen cloth coated with tree resin oil, allowing it to be folded for transport. The two had already finished unfolding the wings; all that was left was to jump.

Michihiko, with a double-bladed scythe at his waist, looked back at the Firebird beyond the port side, bit his lip, and said,

"I wanna… see it breathe fire…!"

He gave voice to the dream of all the boys and girls who lived in the Grapeland Sea.

"If you want to die, be my guest! I’m getting out of here!"

Ordered by Kuon, who gripped her beloved greatsword "Onibunchou" in one hand, the two took a deep breath together and threw themselves into the air from the starboard side.

The specially made wing membrane, also used for sailboat sails, caught the wind. The glider had no power of its own; it was a tool for gliding down through the sky. The two operated the control sticks in their hands and turned their faces toward the landmass of Red Cape.

"Fire!" "Fire—!"

The four swivel guns positioned at the bow and stern turned their muzzles on the "Firebird" and, in a fluid motion, unleashed a barrage of fire. The four shots fired by the brave gunners hit the "Firebird" at close range.

In that instant, pure white steam erupted from the "Firebird’s" body. The six-kilogram cannonballs, faced with a body made of lava flow, did not penetrate but instead vaporized. The one-thousand-degree flames it was cloaked in melted steel on contact, rendering normal physical attacks meaningless. The "Firebird" paid no mind to the cannons and leisurely spread its wings, hovering directly in front of the Viridium.

"It’s no use, bows and cannons don’t work!" "We can’t beat this thing, run!"

The cries of the veteran soldiers exploded on the upper deck. The sailors frantically put on their harnesses, and the quicker ones strapped on gliders and threw themselves into the air from the opposite side.

In a flash—

The Firebird let out a particularly high-pitched cry. The sound alone made the hull of the flying warship Viridium tremble—

"Run!" "Ruuun!"

With no time to put on even a harness, let alone a glider, many of the sailors on the mainmasts on top of the buoyant body and on the upper deck simply stood stunned, watching the "Firebird" as it threw back its long neck—

The battle airspace was filled with a flow of lava.

The upper deck of the Viridium was instantly covered in crimson flames.

The three masts, the foremast, the mizzenmast, the folded sailcloth, the three utility boats and the captain’s launch, and nearly a hundred sailors—everything that existed on the buoyant body and the upper deck was swallowed by the lava flow and vaporized.

It was not a single expulsion. The "Firebird" continued to spew lava flow at the pitiful Viridium, as if it were an active volcano.

A chain of explosions from within the ship. The sides shattered, and flames erupted. The buoyant body could not withstand the high temperature and began to melt, and the suspension cables snapped. The lava flow pierced through the five decks, incinerating the interior and cargo.

The lower hull, burning, began to list, the anchor chains flying out and writhing like snakes, the keel broke, and people, cargo, and ballast were thrown into the air from the damaged sections. The flames had already engulfed the hull, and the wood, steel frame, and all structural materials were being vaporized into the atmosphere.

The "Firebird" did not stop its emission.

As if in punishment for its defiance, it continued to stubbornly spew lava flow at the clearly dead hull of the Viridium—

The long hull disappeared from the airspace.

Only the boiling and bubbling Floating Stone, transformed into tens of millions of fragments, wandered the Floating Sphere, melting like mercury.

From the flagship of the Gato Kingdom army, the Vera Clara, which had witnessed everything from a distance of fifteen hundred meters, the cheers and applause were unending…



"Rejoice, Duke Cali. Your house just burned down."

Along with King Dada’s words, the crimson halo he wore faded, and the character for "Benevolence," which had been burning brightly, also vanished into the space as particles.

King Dada, paying no mind to the blood flowing from his temple, re-gripped his double-edged knight sword.

Callistratus, still gripping the harness of the buoyant body, sent a quiet gaze to Dada.

His light grey battle attire was now completely soaked in blood, and the battle-axes in his hands were so steeped in blood that even their hilts were dyed red. Even after losing his mother ship, Callistratus showed no signs of distress, looking down on them all with composure.

"Prince Toto, and you, wolf over there, you have good skills. I will wait at Red Cape Fortress. If you want the ‘Brotherhood’ Holy Orb, you must kill me and take it."

Spitting out these parting words, Callistratus glanced at the land, more than ten kilometers away, and then abruptly let go of the harness he was gripping.

"Oh…" "Incredible…"

Before the eyes of the sailors watching from the deck, Callistratus, with the golden halo and the character for "Brotherhood" behind him, began to glide leisurely from five hundred meters toward the ground, like a bird, and departed.

So it’s true, the force pulling things down is weaker on him…!

Watching Callistratus’s retreating form, Toto confirmed this fact. Callistratus could not ascend after jumping; he could only glide down through the sky with a trajectory similar to a glider, heading for the landmass of Red Cape.

He’s not flying. Weakening the downward pull is the ability of "Brotherhood"…!

Having confirmed this fact, Toto sheathed the sword he had been holding and turned to King Dada.

"Let me treat your wound."

"It’s just a scratch, nothing more."

King Dada laughed and rubbed the wound with his palm. The army doctor who had been in the hold rushed over with bandages and disinfected the wound with boiled wine.

Toto looked to the northeastern sky. The "Firebird" and Callistratus were already gone. Having lost his three airships, he would probably hole up in Red Cape Fortress with his subordinates.

When he turned around, the sun was already beginning to set in the west. In another two hours, it would be dark.

"The air fleet has been annihilated. Now our naval fleet can land troops in the morning without fear of threats from the sky," Yoshiharu reported to the king. On the forecastle now were only King Dada, Yoshiharu, Toto, two messengers, and two signalmen.

"We won too easily. It’ll be a problem if Ilias doesn’t make a move," King Dada said to Yoshiharu in a low voice. King Dada’s worry now was that Ilias, the Commander of the Black Rose Knights, would sense that the Gato Kingdom had the upper hand and fail to betray the kingdom.

Yoshiharu, his usual gentle smile plastered on his face, said,

"Conveniently, Your Majesty has suffered a head wound. Let us exaggerate this and inform my children via gazelle bird."

"Hmm," King Dada’s mouth relaxed into a pleased expression, and he prompted him to continue.

"King Dada gravely wounded… Callistratus will surely relay this report to Ilias. If the kingdom’s army has lost its most fearsome weapon, the ‘Firebird,’ Ilias will move his prized air fleet close to our fleet under the cover of night, planning a pincer attack with the fortress…"

"…and at dawn, they’ll be turned into roast pork by us, lying in wait… Not bad."

King Dada’s objective was to make Ilias, the Commander of the Black Rose Knights, believe that "now is the time to annihilate the kingdom’s air fleet" and have him attack from behind. Ilias, who was under the impression that Chancellor Nanahara Yoshiharu had betrayed the kingdom and was on the side of the Black Rose Knights, would believe the false report of "King Dada gravely wounded" that Yoshiharu would spread, secretly approach the kingdom’s fleet tonight, and at dawn, launch an attack—and be destroyed.

"Let’s go with that. I’m counting on you, Yoshiharu. Don’t screw it up."

"Yes, sir."

Yoshiharu bowed deeply to the king.

King Dada glanced at his bowed head and marveled inwardly.

Your disciples are monsters, Cassandra.

Cassandra Cruz, once King Dada’s sworn friend and the "God of War" who had elevated the small nation of Gato to the leader of the Grapeland Sea.

Her two disciples, Ilias and Nanahara Yoshiharu, were now playing out a spectacular game of deception on the stage of the Grapeland Sea. The conclusion would likely come tomorrow morning.

The strategy Yoshiharu had devised for this operation boiled down to "making Ilias believe that Nanahara Yoshiharu had betrayed them." For this alone, Yoshiharu had divorced his wife and children three years ago, sent them to Athena Island, and, through his wife’s words to Ilias, succeeded in convincing him that "Yoshiharu intends to betray the kingdom."

Three years had passed since then.

Yoshiharu had, at times, even leaked information detrimental to the kingdom to Ilias, successfully making him believe in his betrayal. It was precisely because he was convinced that Yoshiharu had sided with the Black Rose Knights that Ilias had agreed to let Artemisia become King Dada’s ward. The rumors circulating in the markets and taverns that "Nanahara Yoshiharu has betrayed us" were also spread by Yoshiharu himself to make Ilias believe in his betrayal.

All for—the operation to come.

Believing Yoshiharu’s false report, the Black Rose Knights’ air fleet, which would come to the airspace above the Three-pronged Strait using the cover of night, would be annihilated by the waiting Gato air fleet, and Ilias’s dream would be crushed in this sky.

"I’m much more scared of you than of the idiot rulers of the Grapeland Sea, Yoshiharu."

King Dada told Yoshiharu his true feelings, looked up at the sky, and gave a faint, half-incredulous smile. Yoshiharu had divorced his family and, for three long years, had continued to act the part of a traitor, even at his own expense, all to make Ilias believe the single letter he would send from now on. But the poison contained in that one letter was powerful enough to destroy the Black Rose Knights.

"I have dedicated my life to Your Majesty. This operation is the culmination of it all. Please, sit back and enjoy the end of these fools."

Glancing at Yoshiharu, who said this with a smile, King Dada stretched once.

"…It’s been a while since I summoned the bird. I’m tired. I’ll eat in my room."

"…As you wish. …On that note, Princess Artemisia is currently in Princess Lulu’s room, nursing her."

Yoshiharu relayed this in a low voice. The king grinned.

"Is that so? Excellent. …After a battle, I’m fired up."

Toto and Chouchou’s rooms were in the forecastle, while the upper level of the sterncastle was Dada’s room, and directly below it was Lulu’s room. Yoshiharu had arranged the rooms.

"You know me better than I know myself, Yoshiharu."

"I am honored."

"Tonight, let no one into my room. Any contact, you make with me directly."

"Understood. I will post guards."

Having received the king’s words, Yoshiharu watched King Dada’s back as he entered the sterncastle. The door was guarded by Royal Guards, and currently, only King Dada, Second Princess Lulu, and Third Princess Artemisia were inside.

"…"

For a moment, Yoshiharu stared at the closed sterncastle door, then turned on his heel and headed in the opposite direction, toward his office in the forecastle. He had to send a gazelle bird to Callistratus at once to inform him of "King Dada’s injury" …



†††



Lulu, the Second Princess of the Gato Kingdom, lay on the bed in her room in the lower sterncastle, dreaming.

It was a dream of a woman and a knight in love. Lulu recognized the woman. She was someone who had been kind to Lulu when she was a child. …The First Princess, Lala Gattoland. The daughter of King Dada and his previous wife, she was Lulu’s half-sister, more than twenty years her senior.

"Princess Lulu…?"

A voice calling her from close by suddenly woke Lulu.

"Oh, did I wake you…? I’m sorry, you seemed to be having a terrible nightmare…"

Looking up, she saw the Third Princess Artemisia, changed into her nightclothes, looking down at her worriedly from the side of the bed.

"…Miisha…"

The remnants of the dream still lingered in her chest, and her heart was pounding. She realized that the memories of Lala, the previous Successor to the "Filial Piety" Holy Orb, had appeared as a dream. Perhaps because she had just used the power of "Filial Piety," the dream had been far more vivid than usual.

Lulu let her eyes wander around the room. A floor of joined planks, dull-colored walls and ceiling, a faint swaying, and the sound of the wind. Moonlight streamed in through the porthole, dyeing the room a pale blue.

"Is this… my room…?"

"Yes. His Majesty the King is resting on the floor above. You collapsed after using the power of ‘Filial Piety’ to summon the wind…"

"…I remember. …Is it the middle of the night?"

"Yes. Everyone has finished their meals and retired for the night. I was about to go to sleep as well. …May I rest here?"

At this, Lulu was a little perplexed. The room was small, and there was only one bed.

"I don’t mind… but where will you sleep?"

Artemisia said shyly,

"…On the floor. I’m worried about you. I brought a sleeping bag."

At this, Lulu sat up and looked at the floor beside the bed. The bedding Artemisia had brought was laid out on the floor.

Lulu smiled, troubled.

"…If you sleep there, I’ll be the one who can’t rest. Let’s sleep together. This bed is big enough for two."

"Oh, but, I couldn’t possibly…"

"It’s fine, we’re sisters. It’s fun to fall asleep while talking."

At this, Artemisia fidgeted for a moment, then lifted her shy face.

"…Thank you. …To be honest… I was a little scared to sleep alone."

"Haha," Lulu laughed. After seeing so many terrifying things on the battlefield today, Lulu, too, was honestly feeling a bit lonely sleeping by herself.

"Alright, come on."

Lulu lay down again and lifted the blanket beside her, inviting Artemisia in. Artemisia smiled.

"Yes. But a little while ago, His Majesty the King summoned me. I must go."

"…His Majesty? …At this hour?"

"…There seems to be some suspicious movement from the Black Rose Knights. …So, he has some questions for me…"

Lulu furrowed her brow. She knew that the king had not yet let down his guard around Artemisia, but still, to summon her in the middle of the night like this.

"…When will he ever be satisfied with his suspicions? As if Miisha would ever do something like that. …Should I go with you? I’ll give him a piece of my mind."

As Lulu sat up again, Artemisia hurriedly pushed her back down.

"It’s alright, it’s not as if I’ll be treated harshly… Just normal questions. You have another battle tomorrow, so please rest…"

"But…"

"…Here, this is poppy juice from the doctor. Please drink it and rest well…"

Artemisia handed Lulu a wooden bowl of poppy juice. Drinking this would make her head feel fuzzy and sleepy. But.

"…Are you really okay? He won’t do anything awful to you?"

For some reason, she was terribly worried about Artemisia. In the current situation, that capricious father of hers was capable of a harsh interrogation. He was a king who sometimes did unreasonable things just to show his vassals that he could do whatever he wanted.

"…Since I came to this kingdom and became part of your family, I have never once been treated harshly."

Seeing Artemisia’s brave smile, Lulu, though still anxious, was soothed and took a sip of the poppy juice, then lay back on the bed. This would surely help her sleep, but…

"…Good night, sister…"

"Yes, good night…"

Sleepiness weighed down on Lulu’s eyelids. In the darkness, she could faintly see Artemisia leaving the room. King Dada’s personal quarters were directly above. Feeling sorry for Artemisia, who was being questioned by the king at this hour, she fell asleep under the effects of the poppy juice—



A noise woke her.

The sound came from the floor above, from the king’s room.

The sound of something heavy falling had echoed once, loud enough to break her sleep.

But the sound had come only once, and after that, there was only the sound of the wind in the silence.

Lulu, in her bed, lay with her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, and pulled the blanket up to her face.

It wasn’t her imagination. There had definitely been a loud noise. In the darkness, she felt a strange tension, like a beast holding its breath, stalking its prey…

Before long.

Faint footsteps came from the floor above. It was a sound so soft that she wouldn’t have caught it if she hadn’t been straining her ears, but someone was definitely walking around upstairs.

Then, another long silence, and then—

The ladder leading to the upper floor creaked. Then, creak, the door to Lulu’s room opened…

In the darkness, the moonlight shining through the porthole illuminated a human figure.

"…Miisha?"

"Oh… sister. …You were awake…"

"…Didn’t you hear a noise just now? It woke me up…"

When she said this, Artemisia fell silent for a moment. It was too dark to see her expression; only her small silhouette stood out in the room.

"…Hmm?"

A strong scent of perfume came from Artemisia. A mixture of cinnamon, musk, and jasmine, it was less a pleasant fragrance and more like a deodorant, a scent in poor taste. Before she had gone to the king’s room, she hadn’t been wearing any perfume like this…

"…I didn’t hear anything. …Perhaps you were imagining it. …Um… may I… also rest in the bed?"

Artemisia’s voice was slightly tired and hoarse. If she had been answering the king’s questions until this late at night, it was only natural that she would be tired. Lulu made space beside her.

"Oh, yes, of course. Let’s sleep together."

She invited her, but Artemisia hesitated for a moment, then said with difficulty,

"…Yes. …And… I have a selfish request…"

"Eh, yes, what is it?"

"…Um… I would like you to sleep with your back to me…"

Artemisia said this, looking down, as if she were very embarrassed.

"…Um… I… I can’t stand being touched by people… so…"

At this, Lulu understood. Artemisia had an extreme aversion to physical contact, and even if it was someone she was close to, she would push their hand away strongly if touched. If they were sleeping in the same bed and Lulu’s hand accidentally touched Artemisia, she might do the same thing.

"Oh, okay, I understand. I’ll just sleep like this, then."

Lulu smiled and turned onto her right side, her back to Artemisia.

"…I’m sorry. Thank you, sister…"

Artemisia said this apologetically, sat down on the bed, and took off her slippers. The strong perfume still wafted from behind her, but Lulu maintained her composure and said nothing. Instead, she made a small request.

"…Since I granted your request, will you grant mine…?"

"Yes, what is it…?"

Artemisia lay down on Lulu’s left side, also on her right side. Before Artemisia’s eyes was Lulu’s slender back, wrapped in a silk nightgown.

"Call me ‘Big Sister.’"

At this, Artemisia smiled and grabbed a handful of Lulu’s hair with her right hand.

"No way."

Then, she drew a knife she had hidden inside her nightgown and swiftly and deeply slit Lulu’s throat.

"The thought of you being my family makes me want to vomit."

Lulu’s eyes widened as she saw the blood gushing from her own throat.

Artemisia’s left hand dropped the knife, grabbed a pillow, and pressed it against Lulu’s face.

The bulkhead was soaked with the stream of blood gushing from Lulu’s throat.

Artemisia pulled hard on Lulu’s hair with her right hand, wrapped her own left leg around Lulu’s left leg, and absorbed Lulu’s screams with the pressed pillow.

"Every time you called me ‘Miisha,’ it was a struggle to keep from throwing up."

And then, with a smile on her face, she whispered in Lulu’s ear. Lulu desperately grabbed Artemisia’s left hand with both of her own, but her slender arm did not budge and continued to press the pillow against Lulu’s face.

In a calm tone, laughing a little, Artemisia whispered.

"It sounds like ‘Minya,’ doesn’t it? It made me feel like one of you four-eared monsters… Every time you said it, my insides would churn."

Artemisia smiled as if admiring a favorite doll, pulled on Lulu’s hair, forcing her head back, and widened the wound in her throat.

The blood gushing from the deeply sliced carotid artery stained the wall a deep red. Lulu’s flailing arms and legs gradually lost their strength and turned into convulsions.

"Do you remember the day we first met?"

Bringing her lips close to Lulu’s ear, Artemisia whispered in a sultry tone.

"You told me to ‘hold my head high as a royal of Gato,’ didn’t you?"

After repeating Lulu’s words in a patently mocking tone, she removed the pillow in her left hand from Lulu’s face.

Lulu’s face was ashen, the bleeding was subsiding, and she knew it would only be a moment before she died. In the instant Lulu’s life was fading, Artemisia grabbed the top of her head, forced her to face her, and smiled sweetly.

"How could I hold my head high being lumped in with monsters?"

As the words left her mouth, Lulu’s eyes clouded over, and the strength left her body.

"I am Artemisia, daughter of Ilias, Commander of the Black Rose Knights. Be grateful I put up with you monsters’ little game for six months."

Artemisia looked into Lulu’s eyes to confirm her death and got off the bed.

The moonlight streaming in from the porthole dyed Lulu’s tragic corpse a ghostly blue. Thanks to Lulu turning her back, Artemisia had not been splattered with a single drop of blood.

"…"

As she stood silently looking down at Lulu’s corpse—suddenly, a golden, glowing object appeared on the spot, floating weightlessly in the space.

"…"

Artemisia confirmed the object, wrapped in a heatless flame, and the character for "Filial Piety" engraved in its center. She had heard that when a Successor dies, the Holy Orb emerges from their body, and she had seen with her own eyes the "Loyalty" Holy Orb rise from Gasper’s corpse during the duel at the banquet. But she did not know how to inherit it.

Artemisia then climbed the ladder to the upper floor. She stepped into King Dada’s room and glanced at the king, lying naked on the bed.

"…"

Like Lulu, his throat had been slit, and his entire body had been stabbed repeatedly with a knife. He was still staring at the ceiling with his eyes wide open. Directly above his corpse floated the "Benevolence" Holy Orb.

Artemisia added more incense to the censer to hide the smell of blood. Then she knocked three times on the entrance door, and without opening it, told the Royal Guard outside.

"…His Majesty the King summons Chancellor Nanahara."

"Yes, sir," the Royal Guard acknowledged and went to fetch Yoshiharu. This guard knew that it was not the first time Artemisia had entered the king’s room at bedtime, and he had been told in advance by Yoshiharu that "the king will summon you late at night."

Before long—

"…Magnificent, Your Highness."

Chancellor Nanahara Yoshiharu, who had stepped into King Dada’s room, raised the lantern in his hand, confirmed the king’s corpse on the bed, and praised Artemisia.

"Your training has paid off. There is no finer practitioner of the bedroom arts than you, Your Highness."

Artemisia, illuminated by Yoshiharu’s lantern, had no blood on her clothes at all. But her face and the area below her neck were sticky with blood. Presumably, the body beneath her clothes was as well.

"Please wipe yourself down and change your clothes. I will be downstairs…"

Yoshiharu stored the "Benevolence" Holy Orb in an iron cage, covered it with a black veil so it couldn’t be seen from the outside, and went downstairs to confirm Lulu’s corpse and the "Filial Piety" Holy Orb.

"This is a victory comparable to… no, superior to that of our entire military."

Deeply impressed, Yoshiharu muttered to himself. Tonight, Artemisia, all by herself, had achieved a great victory that far surpassed the Battle of Sea and Air In Three-pronged Strait ten years ago.

Then, he placed his palm over Lulu’s still-open eyes and closed them. Did King Dada and Princess Lulu understand in the afterlife the meaning of what had happened?

He betrayed the betrayal of a betrayal.

Yoshiharu had pretended to betray King Dada, divorcing his wife and child to do so, and had succeeded in making contact with Ilias. …Or so it seemed, but in fact, he had not betrayed King Dada, but had succeeded in luring Ilias to his death by feeding him false reports. …Or so it seemed, but in fact, he had truly betrayed King Dada, using the king’s pedophilia to recommend that he take Artemisia as a ward. The king, as expected, had welcomed the beautiful Artemisia into his bed… and Artemisia, using the bedroom arts she had been training in for three years, had assassinated King Dada. All that remained was for the Black Rose air fleet, led by Ilias, to annihilate the Gato air fleet, which would be in chaos after losing its king, and Yoshiharu’s lifelong plan would be complete.

I have done it…

Yoshiharu sat on Lulu’s blood-stained bed, lost in a sense of accomplishment.

Whether Artemisia succeeded in the assassination here tonight was the turning point of Yoshiharu’s plan.

If she had failed, he would have informed Ilias of that fact, called off the decisive battle with the kingdom’s fleet, and waited for the next assassination opportunity… but now that Artemisia had succeeded, there was no longer any need for them here.

All that was left was to escape.

He closed his eyes and waited for a while, and then Artemisia, having wiped off the blood and changed into a Gato Kingdom military uniform, came down from the upper floor. Despite her great victory, she showed no excitement; her expression was cold, inorganic, and detached.

"Let’s get out of here quickly. We have no more use for a place like this."

"Before that, please inherit the ‘Filial Piety’ Holy Orb. You just need to crush it."

"…"

Artemisia gave the "Filial Piety" Holy Orb floating there an uninterested glance, then crushed it with a carelessly outstretched right hand.

A golden light exploded, enveloping Artemisia. Before her chest, the Oyashima character for "Filial Piety" shone brightly once, then disappeared.

"…So now I have the power to summon the wind?"

"Yes. It will be an invaluable power for the Knights."

Artemisia listened to Yoshiharu’s words with an air of indifference.

"How do we escape?"

"I will have the captain prepare a liaison boat for myself, you, and Laggy to board. After we escape from here, we will rendezvous with the Black Rose air fleet and engage the Gato fleet in a decisive battle tomorrow morning. With the ‘Benevolence’ and ‘Filial Piety’ Holy Orbs on our side, victory is beyond doubt."

Listening to Yoshiharu’s words with half an ear, Artemisia added more incense to the censer in this room as well. The smell of Lulu’s blood was getting on her nerves.

"…Then hurry up. This smell feels like it’s going to stick to me."

Artemisia urged Yoshiharu on. In her chest, she could feel the newly inherited "Filial Piety" Holy Orb squirming, and it reminded her of Lulu’s death throes, making her feel sick to her stomach. She wanted to quickly return to her home fleet where her father, Ilias, was waiting, and cast off this filthy Minya military uniform.

For a moment, Artemisia looked down at the blood-soaked Lulu. Her corpse was stiff, her legs thrown out at an untidy angle.

"…Feeling lonely? Don’t worry, your doting brother Toto and your useless big sister Chouchou will be joining you soon. I have to kill them both to get the ‘Loyalty’ and ‘Propriety’ Holy Orbs, after all."

A natural sneer formed on her lips.

"Are you frustrated? Soon, your precious family will all be killed by me. How foolish. Welcoming an enemy’s daughter as family, blabbering all your secrets… Did you really think I would cry and grovel in gratitude?"

Speaking in a tone one would use to mock a toddler, the corners of Artemisia’s mouth curled up.

"The king and queen, the four siblings… I’ll cut off all six of your heads and display them on the castle gates. You can all watch together as your beloved kingdom burns and the filthy Minya are exterminated."

Hehehe, hehehe… Artemisia looked down, letting out such laughs over and over, until she could no longer bear it and looked up at the ceiling, laughing out loud, Ahaha, ahaha… She laughed with a bright, happy voice, so much so that tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, until Yoshiharu stopped her.