Chapter 5: Suppression of the Sky Pirates 

I was on a harbor for airships within the royal capital. 

It was a floating island slightly separated from the royal capital. With airships constantly entering and leaving, this place looked more like a train  station or a bus terminal rather than a harbor to me. 

Though, instead of trains or buses, there were airships going in and out. 

While many people were on tiny airships coming from the royal capital,  my airship, “Partner”, was on standby. This seven hundred meter airship that Luxon built was standing out in  comparison to the other airships. 

Its shape was simple, rectangular, and box-like. 

Its appearance was made to resemble other ships, but its interior was quite  something──it was a high-performance airship that made other airships look primitive. 

“Did you make sure it was properly on standby?” 

Luxon, who was hiding inside my luggage, replied. 

[This much is within Partner’s capabilities.] 

Partner’s camouflage then reproduced the figure of Luxon’s main body once more. 

The form of Luxon’s main body was futuristic to say the least, and was unnatural for an airship of this world. It was more like a spaceship in the first place. 

It had been disguised for that reason, but the problem was the matter of its interior. 

I couldn’t let people inside since it was futuristic to the point I wouldn’t be able to explain it to others. 

Since I had an airship that was a lost item, a device that was impossible to reproduce, there were many who wanted to go inside, so Partner had been built with great haste. 

If the secret of Luxon’s existence was known, people would emerge who would try to kill me and take it. 

This was part of a measure against that. 

──Jeez. I didn’t even face any troubles when I had to use Luxon to return back to my home. 

Well, this Partner was Luxon’s pride. 

It had an attachment to Partner, like a doting parent, perhaps due to the airship being Luxon’s own construction. 

Did AIs have things like affection? 

[Master, have you noticed them?] 

“I see them.” 

I could see the figures of Cara and Livia next to Partner. Livia was carrying Cara’s luggage. 

When they noticed that I was approaching, Cara snatched her luggage back from Livia, and then waved as if nothing had happened. 

She seemed to have thought that I hadn’t noticed. 

Leaving that aside, I hadn’t heard about Livia coming along as well. Furthermore, Livia was not energetic. 

Had her reconciliation with Anjie failed? 

“Baron, over here~.” When looking at Cara, I once again thought about how scary women could  be. 

“Women are scary.” 

[Women are afraid of you as well, so be at peace, Master.] 

“Are you saying that it’s not because they hate me?” 

When I arrived at where the two were, faces that I knew had approached. 

Red and Purple──Greg, who was wielding a spear, and Brad, who had an  expression of disgust. “Greg Fou Seberg,” who held the spear, was a physical boy who had short,  bristled hair. He was a man who took pride in strength. 

“Ugh!” 

“Why is Baltfault here?” 

Their overbearing attitudes wounded my glass heart. 

“What do you losers want?” 

Greg and Brad approached me with a glare. 

These guys really were bad news. They were like delinquents with colorful  hair. 

“What’s your problem?” 

“Do you want to settle who the loser really is?” 

Since the two intimidated me, I turned around and hid behind Livia. 

“I have arrangements with Livia. It’s none of your business, so go where ever it is you need to go.” 

However, the two didn’t leave the vicinity. 

Greg scratched his head, and Brad looked at Cara with scornful eyes. 

“What’s the meaning of this?” 

Cara, who looked away from us with an expression of discomfort, seemed to be hiding something. Well, I knew that she was hiding a lot, though. 

“U, umm, I was told that it would be better if everyone went on the baron’s airship to my household.” 

When hearing that, we exchanged glances. 

“Huh?! You’re saying that these delinquents are going to be on my prized airship?!” 

When I said that, a vein appeared on the foreheads of Greg and Brad. 

These people were way too short-tempered. 

“Who are you calling a delinquent?!” 

“What a detestable man you really are!” 

Cara made an apology while staring at the two and at Livia. 

“I, I’m sorry! To tell the truth, I had gotten in touch with Brad as well.” 

When everyone stared at Brad, he made a reluctant explanation. 

“She’s under the guardianship of my former fiancee. She asked for help, so I decided to lend a hand. There would also be remuneration, since the sky pirates had a bounties. I thought that Marie would try to help, so I took on the role for suppressing the sky pirates instead.” 

Honestly, he sounded quite insane when he said it upfront like that. 

Was it a mistake to have students involved in things like the suppression of sky pirates? Nope. That wasn’t the case. 

In the first place, this was the world of “that” otome game. This was a world that where boys had to seek visible achievements, like suppressing sky  pirates, in order to be liked by girls. 

Suppressing sky pirates appealed to girls! 

Thinking carefully about it, this world was crazy from the beginning. 

Greg thrust the blunt end of his spear onto the ground. The only thing  praiseworthy about this guy was his ability to make daunting poses with his spear. 

“I decided to participate as well after hearing that.” 

What could he do with a single spear? 

The characters in this otome game world really were insane, weren’t they? 

“What about the other three? You know, the black, green, and blue guys.” 

Brad got angry when I referred to them by color. 

“Stop labeling us with colors! The three were summoned to their homes. Also, Marie had errands to do, so she couldn’t come. Well, even if she didn’t have any errands, I wouldn’t let her come since it’s dangerous. So, it’s just us.” 

Greg smiled. 

“Those guys were quite bold to go back to their homes, knowing that they were going to be scolded. I was also summoned home, but I followed Brad instead. He’s an unreliable guy, after all.” 

“How naggy, you meathead! If anything, I would have wanted Chris to tag along.” 

“What did you just say?!” 

These guys were out of their minds. What did these two plan on doing? 

To make matters worse, they didn’t have any decent weapons. 

Sky pirates were given that name because they owned airships. 

Did they think that they could fight opponents on airships with a spear and  some magic? Was this a joke they just came up with? 

There was no person who could accomplish such a thing. 

After all, we were dealing with infamous sky pirates, ones who owned  many weapons and armor. There was no way that a human of flesh and blood could battle against them and win. 

Cara hurried us. 

“A, anyways, let’s cooperate together and work hard. Hey Olivia, you should ask too.” 

Livia casted her eyes downward. 

Since she didn’t react, Cara made a small click of the tongue, as if she didn’t expect us to notice. 

I scratched my head. 

Livia’s state was worse than I thought. 

I would need to attend to this matter later. 

“For the time being, just get on board. All of you, don’t cause any mischief on my Partner.” 

Greg soon got mad. 

“Don’t talk to me like I’m some kind of brat!” 

I laughed scornfully. He was a brat precisely because he would get angry from just this much. “I’m warning you since you are a brat.” “You picking a fight?!” “Your hot temper is proof that you’re a brat, idiot!” When I ran off towards Partner and took Livia by the hand with me, Greg  and Brad followed along, as did Cara, who made a smile as if things were going according to her plan. ──Well then, what should I do now? 

◇ 

The female dorms. Anjie came to the dorms used for the girls in the regular class while  carrying a present. She searched for the room she needed visit while a little nervous. “W, will this be okay?” She checked over the present in her hands many times. She bought it for Livia, but was worried about whether she would like it. She wanted to consult Leon, but he had already headed towards the Wein  household’s territory, and was no longer in the academy. “That idiot. He even brought an airship for the people who are trying to use him.” 

She was worried about Leon, who had said that he would go despite not wanting to. 

Her household was aware of the situation, but Anjie didn’t have an airship that she could use freely in the first place. She wouldn’t have been able to take immediate action like Leon could. 

There was something she had wanted to tell Livia, and came to find her. 

She was worried about how to say it. 

(What kind of face should I make? Will Livia forgive me?) 

When she walked over to the women’s dormitory while feeling uneasy,  confused girls where moving aside in order to make way for her. 

There were also girls who tried calling out to her, but Anjie wasn’t concerned about them and turned them down by saying “There’s some  business I have to take care of right now.” 

Then, when she reached the front of Livia’s room, she was surprised. 

“W, what is this?” 

It wasn’t a room that the girls in the academy would use. 

Perhaps due to it being formerly a storeroom, there was a label above the  door that read “Storage Room.” Such a location was the room prepared for Livia. 

That wasn’t all, students had written abusive phrases towards Livia on the door and walls. 

Anjie prepared herself, but when she knocked on the door, there was no reply. 

“L, Livia, it’s me. Anjelica.” 

When she thought that there was nobody around to answer her calls── 

“Oh, if it isn’t Anjelica.” 

When she turned around, she saw the daughter of the earl household, who still had wounds on her face, and her followers. 

“You again.” 

When Anjie spoke to her opponent, she squinted her eyes and looked down at her. Her opponent understood her intentions, and seemed annoyed. They both emitted a threatening aura. 

“It seems you hate me very much. Do you really dislike people who’ve risen in rank that much? It’s really troublesome knowing that you think you’re all high and mighty just because your family has some history.” 

“Risen in rank? It’s quite improper to call yourself as such. It’s an extreme discourtesy to all the people who’ve actually risen in rank.” 

The reason Anjie hated her was because they were from opposing factions. 

In addition, there were many bad rumors about the earl household this girl belonged to. 

It would’ve been fine if they were just rumors, but it was known that they had indeed gotten involved in wicked deeds. 

This earl household had risen in rank quite unnaturally, 

In addition, the girl was Brad’s former fiancee. 

Her exclusive servants from before had disappeared, but there were many more servants she brought along to replace them. 

It seemed they were newly purchased. 

Her followers looked like they were here to play around, but they too knew about the situation. 

(This squandering of her newfound wealth is quite childish. It’s really pathetic to see all these sub-race slaves she brought along.) 

They felt quite like a gang led by a girl in the academy. 

The earl daughter clicked her tongue. 

“You did a number on me during the school festival.” 

Learning from when she had been attacked by Anjie, she didn’t start a fight this time. 

“I’m busy. I don’t have the leisure to care about you.” The earl daughter made an unsightly smile. “Oh, you’re here to meet your favorite pet. It seems you cherish her quite a  lot.” 

Anjie silently glared at her opponent. 

“──Is there something you’re trying to say?” 

The earl daughter shortened the distance between Anjie and her to mere  centimeters, to the point that their noses could touch, and glared at her face. 

Anjie grimaced from the smell of strong perfume. 

“Anjelica, it’s not good if you don’t properly keep yourself in the know  about your important follower and your precious little pet. You’d be sad if they up and died, right?” 

When the girl made a malicious smirk, Anjie’s eyes widened. 

The earl daughter, perhaps pleased by that reaction, smiled and showed her white teeth. 

“Are you implying what I think you are?” 

“If you knew about it, you should have stopped them. It seems that daughters of duke households can be quite heartless.” 

However, Anjie didn’t panic. 

(What a fool. Do you all even know who you’re up against? If you think that Leon’s just a glorified watchdog, then you’re all are done for.) 

Anjie had suspected Cara’s request. 

Her suspicions rose from her knowing who Cara was a follower of. 

Cara’s household was treated as semi-barons by the kingdom. However, the household was classified as one belonging to small feudal lords, and relied on the largest household in their hometown in order to  maintain themselves. Cara’s household was one that relied on the earl daughter’s family. In terms of classification, they were alike, but in the Holfault Kingdom, it  was decided that affluent households like this would look after small feudal lords in their hometown and have them be under their guardianship. Anjie knew what family Cara was from. 

(Perhaps Leon didn’t know about her origins, but he should’ve realized that he would get into trouble. Why did he lend a hand? I cannot read him, just as ever.) 

On the contrary, Anjie felt sympathy for the girl. “Oh right, your favorite pet went out.” “Went out?” “Yep, she went to Cara’s territory. You could say that they went together  since they’re friends. Quite the curious relationship between Cara and her. She brought a friend to a dangerous location where sky pirates appear.” ──It took only a moment. Anjie grabbed the earl daughter by the collar and thrust her towards a wall. She constricted her chest and pinned her up against the wall with one arm. “──Hey, what did you do with Livia?” “T, too tight──” The earl daughter, whose feet no longer touched the floor, used both of her  hands to seize Anjie’s arm while fluttering her legs. Her followers and exclusive servants were about to take action and help,  but Anjie’s glare caused their movements to halt. 

“Hands off. ──I’ll crush you.” 

Once she said that in a quiet but chilling voice, nobody moved, and Anjie  turned back towards the earl daughter, who seemed to be in agony. 

“I have little patience. Tell me right now. What are you people planning?” 

“R, release me!” 

Although the earl daughter was somewhat panicked, but had a self- confident attitude since Anjie was the one who struck first. 

“My father won’t stay silent about this. Your household is in for it──” 

Anjie interrupted the earl daughter. 

“Answer the question. If you want to make a fuss, do it later. There were  many fools who made light of me after the matter of the duel. Since this is the perfect opportunity, I could make an example out of you.” 

The many fools she referred to were fellow girls. For Anjie, they were a source of distress. The boys still acted upright towards her. 

The earl daughter smiled while in pain. 

“You should see for yourself.” 

Anjie threw the girl onto the floor, and walked away as if nothing happened. 

“Then allow me to do so.” 

After taking a distance from the earl daughter, she started sprinting after turning the corner. 

(I need get in contact with Leon at once. No, perhaps it would be faster for me to head there myself. However, it will be difficult to catch up if it’s Partner that’s heading off.) 

Anjie decided to head to the duke house in the royal capital and prepare an airship. 

◇ 

Returning home, Black──err, Julian, was being scolded by Milaine. 

Milaine, who was in her office handling documents, held up her hand and spoke to Julian in a disinterested manner. 

“You want to earn fame by suppressing sky pirates? Julian, you don’t understand your position. You currently don’t have the war assets to deploy a single airship──no, not even a single suit of armor. You don’t have the authority to mobilize the soldiers of the kingdom. You plan on suppressing sky pirates under such conditions? That’s not even a funny joke.” 

Julian recoiled from her argument, and frantically tried to go against it. 

He was thinking that perhaps if he was able to convince Milaine, she could lend him some of her assets. 

In that case, he would also have been able to assist Greg and Brad. 

“But Mother! Isn’t the suppression of sky pirates the duty of us nobles?” 

“It’s the duty of people who are suited for the job. Julian, can you do better than the knights or soldiers who regularly suppress sky pirates? There are cases where boys from the academy are able to accomplish the absurd, but do you realize the amount of vocal opposition there is from it?” 

Boys did their best to appeal to girls. 

Knowing that, their upperclassmen knights and soldiers couldn’t firmly stop them. 

In some cases, lenient knights helped their underclassmen in accomplishing meritorious deeds. 

Everyone desperately wanted to get married. 

Milaine was well aware of those circumstances. 

“I understand the situation of boys, though. You should give the opportunity of suppressing sky pirates to other boys. Since this is a matter of a semi-baron household’s territory, we will dispatch the general troops after obtaining permission. During that time, we’ll also ask for people from the academy who are interested in──” 

It seemed that she was dealing with the sky pirates by letting the boys accomplish what they wanted while not interfering with the general troops. 

When working, Milaine hid her usual impression of naivety. 

She seemed like a different person than usual, even for Julian. 

(Grr! I won’t be able to help those two at this rate!) 

Thereupon, someone’s voice resounded in the front of the office. 

Once a guard got approval from Milaine, Jilk entered the room. 

His breathing was a bit discomposed. 

Milaine squinted her eyes. 

“What happened?” 

Milaine listening to Jilk while turning towards her documents and moving her hands. 

Jilk took a deep breath while concerned about Julian. 

“──Milaine, it seems that Baron Baltfault has departed on an airship to suppress sky pirates. Greg and Brad are also there with him.” 

When hearing Jilk’s report, Julian soon looked at Milaine. 

He was a bit angry while thinking about how she seemed to have sent Jilk  here for just a small report. 

However── 

“Huh, Leon?” 

──Unlike just a bit ago, Milaine wasn’t in her work mode, but her usual  motherly self. 

Actually, she was a bit different from usual. 

Julian was bothered by the fact that her cheeks were just a tad bit red. 

(Motheeer! Come to your senses. Just what part of Baltfault are you drawn  to?! No, wait. I can use this!) 

Julian tried to persuade Milaine. 

“Mother! We should send reinforcements right away! Please leave the fleet  to me. You’ll see that those sky pirates will soon be dealt with!” 

Milaine returned from her blushed, relaxed expression back to her serious one once responding to Julian. 

“Julian, you don’t have any experience commanding a fleet, do you? You shouldn’t, you’ll get in the way. Also, do you understand that you have to take the knights and soldiers into consideration as well? Jilk, is that information true?” 

Jilk elaborated on the credibility of the information towards Milaine, who had returned to her work mode. 

“Indeed. I have already confirmed it. It seems that he has gotten involved with the Olfery earl household, something which my expectations──” 

“Please convey just the information.” 

After being criticized, Jilk straightened himself and continued. “An airship from the Redgrave duke household has also departed to chase after Partner, the airship heading towards the semi-baron home in question. This information comes from a reliable source.” When hearing that the Redgrave duke household was taking action, Julian  looked at Milaine. Milaine thought for a bit. “Reinforcements are not necessary. This is a good opportunity to know the  strength of Baron Baltfault. Is he as strong as a knight, and can he fight against a sky pirate? Since a duke household sent an airship, it’s likely that it’s for reinforcements, but it does seem a little rash. Considering the current position of a duke──” 

Julian protested. “Mother! Please let me go as well. Why is Baltfault fine, but I’m not?!” Milaine resumed working. She let out a sigh. “──I can’t let you go precisely because you don’t understand why.” 

◇ 

We were in one of Partner’s rooms. It was a recreational room. Tables were lined up, giving off a casino-like aura. Billiards, darts, and the like were there, making it an ideal place to kill  time. In this room, Brad, Greg, and I were playing cards. 

Of course, we were gambling. In contrast to my composed smile, the two had displeased expressions  while glaring at their cards. “What’s it gonna be? Are you in or out?” Greg groaned. “Wait! Let me think this through a little longer!” I managed to earn a reasonable amount of money from these two. Perhaps  these two had earned quite a bit from the school festival. This money that they painstakingly earned would fall into my hands. “Ready to give up? I’ll let you off easy if you withdraw here.” Knowing that they were irritated, I spoke in a way that would further  agitate them. There was sweat on Brad’s forehead. “As if I would withdraw here! I’ll win this next one. It’s impossible for  you to keep winning this game. I’ll definitely be the victor!” I had been winning against the two, but I was obviously swindling them. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for me to keep winning. I was just collecting their passenger fees. Besides, these guys ought to have  studied more about society. I was teaching them the cruelty of the world before they would end up in pain from being cheated. The two hadn’t noticed that how kind I was in doing this for them. “──C’mon!” “I’ll win this round!” 

The two had faces of determination as they placed down their cards. 

Greg had a triumphant face. 

How many times did he think he would win using the same predictable  strategy? 

“How about this?!” 

Brad was also confident. It would certainly seem like he would win if  looking at his hand. 

“This one’s my win!” 

I made a brief sigh while slowly showing my cards. 

My hand was the stronger one, causing the other two to go pale while  slumping onto the table. 

“My bad. I win again.” 

Greg was at his wits’ end. 

“Unbelievable! This has to be a sham!” 

He was right. However, it was their fault for not realizing it. 

Brad’s scratched his hair and made a scream. 

“To think that I had lost so many times! This is impossible!” 

I gathered the cards while speaking to the two. 

“You guys are really stupid.” 

The two glared at me, but no longer played, perhaps due to their wallets  being empty. Once I put away the cards, an exhausted Greg spoke to Brad. 

“Hey, what kind of girl was your ex-fiancee?” Brad answered while glancing at his desolate wallet. “She was an unusual type of girl.” Brad spoke while seeming displeased for some reason. She certainly was unusual. She was already quite extreme for a girl of the academy. She bought a ton of slaves and jaunted around with them in a flashy  manner. While many noble girls of earl households and above were calm, some were showy and horsed around, so it was inevitable that she would stand out. Come to think of it, she was the one who trampled on my head at the cafe, wasn’t she? “I had only seen her a few times prior our engagement being decided, though. Even at the academy, I can count the number of times I’ve spoken with her. It’s nice that we didn’t fight like what happened with his Highness or Jilk, though. It was a typical marriage of convenience. I know that she’s gaudy and likes to mess about, but I don’t know about things like her personality of hobbies.” “I’ve heard rumors. Doesn’t she belong to an infamous household? Why would you get engaged with her? I don’t see any benefits.” It seemed that Greg didn’t know Brad’s ex-fiancee that well since he was  unfamiliar with aristocratic talks. “I was engaged to her because there were indeed benefits.” I prepared some tea while listening to them talk. Brad began explaining the situation. 

“The Olfery earl household had been usurped, you see. It seemed that the former head of the family was a merchant. They wondered if by marrying the Field household, they could take some of their blood lineage for themselves.” 

Greg made a displeased face. 

In the Holfault Kingdom where adventurers became nobles, nobles were naturally the descents of outstanding adventurers. 

Rising up in status would happen to someone like me, who found success as an adventurer. 

Either way, one was valued based on the achievements of adventurers. 

There were also cases who one was promoted through their work on the battlefield, and there were many other ways that people became nobles. 

There were also many who rose very rapidly, but nevertheless as a result of success. 

It could be said that they were fairly evaluated. 

However, this kingdom also had exceptions. 

One of which was the household of Brad’s ex-fiancee. 

The household was originally that of barons, but after merchants forcibly took it over, it rose into an earl household. 

That earned the resentment of the kingdom’s nobles. Even if one performed meritorious deeds, it was expected that they wouldn’t become a noble if they weren’t successful as an adventurer. Even so, they managed to slip through the eyes of law and became nobles through making use of a legal gray zone. 

After that, it seemed that they had gotten involved with various wicked deeds. 

Even though they were hated, they had allies. There was supposed to be  some kind of faction involved as well, but I wasn’t sure on the details since I had little interest in things like the affairs of the kingdom or its factions. 

However, the problem with the earl household was its heir. 

The previous head was a merchant who became a noble. 

It was nice that the former head’s son was able to succeed the household, but neither the current head nor the earl daughter had descended from nobles. 

Brad’s engagement with her happened due to the circumstances requiring the blood lineage of a noble family. By having Brad, they would be able to gradually introduce noble blood. 

I was unable to comprehend why they wanted to be promoted so badly that they would go so far. 

It seemed that Greg recalled something. 

“Dukedom. A household active in the diplomacy of a dukedom!” 

Brad was amazed and said “You realized that just now?” 

“My house is entrusted with a dukedom on the national border. After talks of diplomatic relations concluded, the earl household requested us to consider marriage negotiations. At the time, my father accepted because he didn’t think it would go through.” 

“You made quite the fuss when it ended up happening. You were saying that you shan’t be afraid of that ‘Black Knight.'” 

“In the end, my engagement had been officially decided.” 

The Field margrave household was the forefront of the Fanoss Dukedom. 

There was a nasty knight called the “Black Knight” who was very strong and caused serious damage whenever appearing in a war. 

They could not refuse the request of the earl household, who settled matters with diplomacy, and it seemed that Brad ended up having to marry into the problematic earl household. 

“Disregarding those circumstances, are they a good household?” 

“Like I said, they’re troublesome. Actually, Wein had shown signs of wanting to cooperate in breaking up the engagement as well. How cunning. I suppose great minds think alike.” 

Greg nodded with a quiet expression. 

“It’s the same for me. I’ve only met with my fiancee a few times. It wasn’t really a matter of romance.” 

It seemed these guys had it rough too. If I recall correctly, Greg’s and Chris’ fiancees never appeared in the game. I wondered what kind of person  they were. 

As I was listening to their conversation, Luxon made a report to me. 

The two couldn’t hear Luxon’s voice. 

[Master, it seems someone’s here to greet you.] 

There was still some time until we would arrive at our destination. 

Yet, I was meeting someone. 

[There are sky pirate airships. Two are heading this way.] 

I gulped down the tea I made and called out to the two. 

“Guys, it’s showtime. Make sure to do your job properly.” 

The two looked at me in surprise with their mouths open. Their reactions  were improper, as if they didn’t understand what I was saying. “I’m telling you to prepare because enemies have arrived.” 

Greg got up. “I, I get it!” Brad got up as well, but both of them were puzzled. They looked all around their surroundings and seemed restless. “S, so anyways, what should we do?” ──These guys were unbelievable. Leaving Brad aside, didn’t Greg have a lot of battle experience? “I see. For the time being, you guys should be on standby in the ship.” Greg got angry. “And just why?!” “Because you don’t know what to do! Do I need to spell it out for you?!” I exited the room and gave instructions to Luxon. 

◇ 

The sky pirate airships hoisted black flags with a skull and crossbones marked on them. An airship captain of the sky pirate group, named “Winged Shark”, whistled when seeing Partner. “The boss would be happy if we got a hold of this thing.” His subordinates agreed. “What a valuable object. Though, are there really only four brats riding it? For something that big?” 

“Yeah, three guys and one woman. I’m also doubtful of whether or not that’s true since it’s a lost item. We’ll soon know once we get there and look around.” 

“How will we deal with the four?” 

“You fool. The three guys are nobles from rich families. We can earn extra by selling them off to to rich hags. We can have a good time with the woman and then throw her away later. She’s a commoner, so we can’t even hold her ransom.” 

When the people around heard that, they showed motivation, and the the  airship flying next to them began to descend. 

They were approaching Partner from above, and were trying to corner it. 

The ship’s captain placed his hand on his neck and turned. 

“One of them is unthinkably strong, but he’s still just a brat. We’ll have  him learn what a real fight is.” 

“Right! He’ll learn real soon!” 

Sky pirates wearing armor leaped from the ship one after the other. 

More than twenty figures in armor tried to jump from the two airships onto 

Partner. 

The armor of this world were like power suits that could fly in the sky. 

They were weapons in the shape of humans. 

They were one of the common weapons in this world where the ground  floated. 

“We get to have some fun today thanks to some idiotic brats.” 

“Right you are.” 

They planned to later hold them down using their airships, and steal Partner while not letting them escape. 

The captain thought that this was just work as usual, but something flew out from Partner and approached the armor of the sky pirates. 

It was gray, heavy armor──larger than an ordinary one. 

“What can just one person do? Even if he’s a little strong, he’s just a brat. Hey, surround him so that──” 

Before the captain could issue an order, the armor that came from Partner grasped and destroyed the inferior armor of each sky pirate using its hands. 

It threw the destroyed armor towards their airships, and continued to destroy the armor of the surrounding sky pirates barehanded. 

It kicked the armor of a sky pirate who was readying a rifle and sent it flying. 

Perhaps soon realizing the danger, the captain gave orders to flee. 

His perception had allowed him to persist up until today. 

“What is that? It’s rising! Risin──” 

──However, he was too late this time. The airship shook violently before he could finish speaking. 

The captain clutched a nearby handrail and looked at the situation. 

“What happened?!” 

“A, a barrage! We’re being fired upon by our prey!” 

“Don’t be stupid! We’re right above them!” 

In this world, it was fundamentally better to have the high ground. Artillery had poor accuracy, so fights involved large numbers of cannons that had to be lined up on the side of the airships, firing massive cannonballs. 

The reason for their massiveness was due to magic. 

Magic could generate a barrier and protect an airship. 

In order to pierce a barrier and sink an airship, it was necessary for  cannonballs to be massive. 

The sky pirates were cautious of a barrage, so they assaulted while directly above them. 

“How is that big airship able to shoot its cannons at us? In the first place, there are only four people who──” 

Something the size of Partner should’ve only operated if thousands of people gathered together. 

Due to that, they thought that with only four people, or five if there was a  steward, they wouldn’t be able to operate it. 

That was common sense in this world. 

Even though they knew that it was a lost item, they still thought in terms of  common sense. 

Partner’s barrage was still violently shaking the airships of the sky pirates. 

The captain yelled. 

“We surrender! We’re going to surrender! Hurry up and hoist the white  flag──” 

Judging that they couldn’t escape, he told someone to hang a white flag to surrender. 

◇ 

Greg watched Arroganz descend onto the deck. Brad was binding the sky pirates who were being tossed onto the deck, and  yelled “Come here at once and help me, meathead!” 

However, Greg was watching the gray giant, Arroganz, while thinking. 

(There’s no winning against that thing.) 

Arroganz was larger than ordinary armor and its massive plating made it  look heavy. However, it looked completely light in the air. 

The crude armor of the sky pirates were no match for it. 

Greg believed that they wouldn’t have won without Leon’s power. 

(So much for having actual combat experience. Well, don’t I seem  powerless alone.) 

Up until now, he believed that Leon was able to accomplish what he did through the help of retainers. 

On the contrary, he saw that Leon was able to fight against sky pirates by himself. 

Greg noticed that unlike Leon, who immediately took action once enemies had arrived, he himself couldn’t fight properly without someone else’s  support. 

“Am I a brat? Was I just a brat trying to look cool?” 

It seemed natural that Leon would call him a Brat. 

Greg felt very pathetic while feeling that Leon a was stronger guy than he  and the others had thought. 

◇ 

I was inside Arroganz. 

I checked my surroundings. “Has everyone been neutralized?” Luxon answered from within Arroganz. It sat on a disc-like pedestal and turned its one eye towards me. [Indeed. The engines of the two airships have already halted. There’s no  problem even if they go haywire. We only need to shoot them down.] “Idiot, stop that. We’re taking them back to sell them.” The airships could make a profit, and that’s leaving aside the crude armor. 

Of course, the air pirates were profitable as well. Due to that, I decided to seize everything. It was better than leaving them alone. [It would’ve been faster if we had just shot them down. Wouldn’t it be tedious to bring all of this back?] “No, I don’t have the kind of mentality to commit murder while still being  in high spirits. It seems I’ll have to be careful if I use you in fighting.” Luxon responded in an electronic voice, sounding colder than usual. [Master, would you be content if a blunder like that causes your own  undoing?] I soon understood what this thing wanted to say. It seemed to be saying that showing sympathy could be a mistake one day. Luxon was telling me [Why didn’t you kill the sky pirates?] ──I was reluctant to commit murder. 

“Like I said, I don’t want to get involved in these kinds of things.” 

Since I made such a decision, I didn’t want to participate in a war on my own accord. 

If I initiated a war, I would be going back on my words. 

If someone ordered me to fight, I could still make up excuses for myself. 

However, it was very detestable for me to willingly decide on killing a human, 

How did things come to this? 

I wanted to keep a reasonable distance from the major characters and live peacefully. 

However, I couldn’t abandon Livia and the others at this point. 

I also knew that things would get troublesome because of this half-hearted attitude I was taking. 

Nevertheless, I didn’t want to go through the route of massacre. 

I definitely didn’t have the spirit for it. 

I wondered how long I could keep being this lenient towards ruffians. 

“Leaving that aside, I gave more than enough warning shots towards our enemies. Why did you shoot?” 

[I will not allow anything to befall upon Partner.] 

Was this thing in any position to raise complaints about people? 

This AI had the nerve to carry out its own self-interest. 

I couldn’t tell whether this thing was amazing or useless…well, that was how the AI of the otome game worked. Besides, it was better if I thought of this thing as an ally. 

Seriously though──if this thing was a genuine AI and it started a rebellion, that would be frightening. 

This fellow felt a bit tepid, but that was just right for me. 

◇ 

There was a room inside Partner. Cara, looking outside the window, trembled while holding a  communication device. “T, this is no joke. H, how did they lose so easily?!” Cara, who had guided the sky pirates, was flustered by her disappointment. She didn’t think that Leon could be this strong. Furthermore, there was the matter of Partner. Even when counting Cara, there were only five people onboard, so she  didn’t think that it could be operated normally. In addition, it’s performance was quite something. The sky pirates were no match for it. “I was told that this was a lost item, but to think that it was this powerful. 

At this rate, they’re going to arrive at my household.” Cara was ordered by Brad’s ex-fiancee to lure Leon and the others to this  location. The intent was to have the sky pirates attack them. Cara was the only one planned to be spared from the sky pirates. She tightly grasped the communication device in her hand. 

After she initiated contact with the sky pirates, communications were suddenly cut off. 

“Why isn’t it working?!” 

There was a harsh noise, perhaps from a poor reception. 

Communication ability was generally poor. 

That was considered normal in this world, but it was possible to manage if the other party was nearby. 

Cara threw the communication device while thinking about how the attacking sky pirates were supposed to be at a distance where communications wouldn’t act up. 

She was in distress over the plan failing. 

“I haven’t contacted my home. Furthermore, if Milady knows about this, I’ll be the one to suffer.” 

Leon, who captured the sky pirates, resumed his travel towards the semi-baron household. If that were to happen, then her household would find out. 

In addition, she wouldn’t know what to say towards the daughter of the Olfery earl household. 

“I, I got it. I’ll use that commoner girl. I’ll have something bad happen with her. R, right, that Baltfault guy will definitely let his guard down since he has a soft spot for her. T, the other two were disinherited and have no  power, so it’s fine to ignore them.” 

Cara spoke to herself. 

In the corner of the room, a small camera was closely observing Cara. 

◇ 

It was evening by the time Partner arrived at the Wein semi-baron  household. 

“The sun had set pretty early.” 

To make matters worse, it was cold. 

Since there was no harbor in the semi-baron’s territory for Partner to dock  at, we landed using a small airship. 

However, a problem had risen. 

Brad was complaining towards me. 

“Why are you so calm in this situation?!” 

Currently, we were surrounded by soldiers from the semi-baron household. 

I gallantly raised both of my hands up. 

They were all pointing guns at us, after all. 

“Don’t freak out. I’m worried as well.” 

Greg was on the edge. 

“I can’t tell whether you’re amazing or useless.” 

The soldiers were on guard against us since we brought along airships that  belonged to sky pirates. It couldn’t be helped since they were cautious about sky pirates. 

A semi-baron then appeared amongst the ruckus. 

Wein──Cara’s father, “Conrad Fou Wein.” 

He felt like a middle-aged man with a tired face and a belly that stood out a bit, but he was surprised to see us. 

“Lower your weapons at once!” 

When the soldiers lowered their weapons, I lowered my hands as well. Conrad greeted Brad, not me. It seemed that he knew about Brad being the  son of a margrave family. 

“Brad, right? It’s been a while.” 

“Huh? Um, yeah.” 

However, Brad, perhaps not remembering Conrad, acted a bit odd. 

Seeming to realize that, Conrad laughed in self-deprecation. 

“We met when a party was held at the Earl’s mansion, but it seems you’ve  grown quite a bit.” 

Brad spoke in relief since the situation had calmed down. 

“Leaving that aside, why are we surrounded? Your daughter made a  request for help, so we came here in a hurry.” 

Conrad was perplexed. 

“Help? Did my daughter ask you for help, Brad?” 

Everyone around turned their gazes towards Cara, and she began making  excuses in a panic. Luxon had kept an eye on her, and she turned out to be a really terrible person. 

“T, that’s not it. The girl I consulted blew it out of proportion. T, that──” 

Everyone’s sight turned towards Livia this time. 

“Huh? U, um, I was requested to──” 

Looking a bit out of it, Livia’s speaking quickly became incoherent. She had recently been lacking in spirit. 

Even when I tried to talk to her, she avoided me. I wondered if something really had happened. 

Conrad was about to press her, so I stepped in. 

“Your daughter consulted Livia and had her introduce herself to me so that  she could make a rescue request. That’s why we came in a hurry.” 

He looked at me with a gaze that said “Who is this guy?”, but Brad then introduced me. 

“This is Leon Fou Baltfault. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about him,  right?” 

When hearing that, Conrad turned towards me and made an apology. 

“So you’re the Baron? It seems I’ve been rude. H, however, our territory  isn’t really in trouble. Was there indeed a rescue request?” 

Brad squinted his eyes and looked at Cara. 

“What’s the meaning of this?” 

Cara, not being able to talk her way out of it, tried to glare at Livia, but I  stepped in and obstructed her. 

Thereupon, Cara made a face that seemed like she was about to cry. 

Conrad defended her daughter. 

“My apologies. My daughter seems confused. I’ll invite you at our  household for a short while, so──” 

When he said that, I laughed scornfully. 

This was the world of that otome game. To a woman, particularly a  schoolgirl in the academy, it was a kind world. This dilly-dallying was bothering me. 

“Your daughter summoned us here. We were promised a remuneration if we helped. Semi-baron, you understand, right? This is no time to fool around.” 

I pressed them by taking an overbearing and threatening attitude. 

In society, statuses were meant to be taken advantage of. So, I decided to wield my title as a baron, which I didn’t even want. 

“We have two future barons here. I myself am already a baron. We had set out on an airship, and even captured two airships from sky pirates. If there  was a mistake, why weren’t we told?” 

“H, however, I wasn’t that aware of the situation at──” 

“In that case, you should have asked your daughter. It’s fine if you want to  protect your pretty little daughter. However, if you’re going to do that, then allow me to get my remuneration, my way.” 

Luxon helped out by making the airship move. 

When the semi-baron saw Partner’s massive unit moving, he grabbed Cara’s shoulders, perhaps misunderstanding the situation. 

He tried to quickly get information out of her. 

“Cara, what in the world happened? Did you really make a rescue request?” 

From there, Cara explained the situation while crying. 

◇ 

I didn’t enter the residence of the semi-baron, but instead returned to Partner and did some stretches. 

Cara told us everything. 

She brought us here in order to trick us. 

When I told her that I heard the sky pirates’ side of the story, she gave in and spoke non-stop. 

What did the sky pirates say? They pretended not to know. 

Did I lie? Not quite. She just misunderstood what I had said. When I told her that I heard what the sky pirates had said, Cara voluntarily spoke to us about the scheme. 

She said that the earl daughter tricked us into thinking we were going to attack sky pirates! 

Olivia and I were the only two people in the room. 

“*sigh*, I’m tired. We’ll look over the situation tomorrow, so I guess we have some free time for now. Fortunately, there are still some days left in this school holiday.” 

I felt that a lot had happened in one day. 

This was a pretty big let-down, since this wasn’t actually part of the game. 

I shouldn’t have gotten excited. 

In life, peaceful and quiet days are most supreme. 

Livia, who would normally be worried and say “Is that okay?”, hung her  head and said nothing. 

“Are you alright?” 

When I turned towards her, Livia slowly raised her head. 

“──How do I say this?” 

“Huh?” 

“Leon, you’re pretty amazing. You solve things by yourself, and you can  do anything by yourself.” 

“H, hey.” 

When I reached my arm out towards Livia, who had a different aura from  usual, she shook it off. 

Livia took a step back, taking a distance from me. 

“Why are you so kind to me?” 

“W, well, that──” 

The first reason that came to mind was that “she was the protagonist”, an  excuse I made for myself. I was at a loss for words. 

“It’s strange, don’t you think? I’m just a commoner with little worth. Leon, do you have reason for why you’re supporting me? I really don’t see why. 

How come you’re helping me, even though I can’t meet your expectations?” 

When I was silent and didn’t answer, Livia made a gloomy smile. 

“Are you after my body?” 

I immediately replied. 

“T, that’s not it. That’s not why I──” 

Upon which, Livia cried while smiling. 

It was painful to look at her smile. It made my heart ache. 

“That would the case, wouldn’t it? I’m not cute, Anjie’s the beautiful  one──she’s a pampered girl, after all. I have nothing going for me──nothing, and yet you have a reason for why you treat me kindly.” 

Did I make a mistake somewhere? 

I had no words towards Livia, who sat down and burst into tears. 

I really was pathetic. 

“In that case──what is it that you want of me? Why are you this kind to me? It’s strange, don’t you think? I mean──I’m not helpful to you two.” Did Cara and the others say something to her? “No, whether or not you’re helpful is irrelevant. That doesn’t──” 

When I was about to say “That doesn’t matter,” the words “This is the world of an otome game. Prestigious boys make for capture targets,” popped up in my head. 

Livia’s words oddly struck themselves into my heart, it hurt. Even if I made an excuse, it would only be superficial. It seemed that an unpleasant part of myself came to light. My association of the game’s characters wasn’t limited to just the five  capture targets──I also viewed Livia as the protagonist. I saw her as a character who appeared in the story. I planned to solve my troubles by having Livia become a saint in the finale──so just what set me apart from Cara, who was also using Livia? More thoughts found themselves in my head. 

──Have I looked at Livia for who she really was? Haven’t I only been looking at her as someone important for the future due to her being the protagonist? 

Livia cried while yelling. “I──I wanted to be friends with you two! Yet, aren’t I no different from a  pet? Don’t make light of me. I’m a human. I am not a pet!” Livia was crying while sitting. I couldn’t do anything. I left the room in order to escape.