“uh… … Uh uh.”
Senya seemed to have just become the culprit of the commotion, so she nodded her head feeling apologetic.
Carmen confirmed that the bitterness had completely gone from her lips, then took the cigar out of the case and put it in her mouth.
“?”
That behavior also did not make sense to Senya. As Senya parted his lips and blinked at him, Eugene, sitting next to him, tilted his head and whispered.
“Leave me alone.”
“why… … Are you doing that?”
“It’s like that, so leave it alone.”
It’s still incomprehensible, but Carmen was confident. She felt no shame whatsoever about her just behavior.
Carmen lit a cigar, puffed on her lighter a few times, then opened the bottle of whiskey she still had in her hand.
cubby.
Of course, Carmen doesn’t drink whiskey. She filled the glass set on the table with whiskey and stood up. It was because there were not enough glasses for the number of people.
A showcase on one side of the room. Luxurious drinking glasses standing together next to several bottles of alcohol that you don’t even drink… … .
“Ehh.”
While Carmen was concentrating on choosing a drinking glass, Ciel let out a cough. Just as Senya couldn’t understand many things in the current situation, there were many things Ciel couldn’t understand in the current situation.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Senya. My name is Ciel Lionheart.”
“I-I’m Desiira Lionheart.”
Dejaira covered the hole in his pants with his hand and bowed his head. Senya got out of embarrassment and changed his expression.
“Okay. It’s okay if you’re not too polite.”
Ciel raised his head and looked ahead.
Eugene, Christina, and Senya sat across from me. The distance between Cristina and Eugene is close. I thought so… … The close distance between Senya and Yujin bothered him.
It is a well-known fact that the wise Senya declared Eugene his successor. In other words, the two are master and disciple.
With such a relationship, it would be natural to be close– is such a direct, close distance ethically right? Is that natural given the sense of distance 300 years ago?
“Uhm… … Senya and… … Saint Christina came with Eugene… … .”
Even in disguise. Ciel kept his eyes on the three seated across from him and continued.
“Is it because of Princess Nachal?”
I guessed that maybe it was. Other than that, what is the reason for those three to come to the office?
3 people… … It’s not just 3 people. One is a legendary archmage who has been famous for 300 years. And the saints and warriors of this era.
“that’s right.”
Eugene nodded without denying it.
indeed. Ciel caressed her chin and thought about her for a moment.
“Did you come to check the situation and gather information? or not… … .”
“I came to kill you.”
“First of all? Don’t you think that’s too reckless?”
“I think you have enough power. And crucially, Iris has a debt.”
At those words, Senya twitched her lips and smiled. Eugene also had a bad relationship with Iris from her previous life, but she was nothing compared to Senya.
Feeling Senya’s murderous intent, Ciel shrugged.
“Princess Nachal.”
Carmen returned with a glass in each hand. She set the glass down in front of Senya and Cristina and poured her a drink with her graceful attitude.
It’s whiskey, but it’s like pouring wine, tilting the bottle from a high place. There was only one reason for following it.
Because it’s cool.
[Christina, exchange with me.]
‘sister?’
“I don’t know, you don’t like alcohol very much, but the whiskey Carmen is drinking right now is very, very rare. It’s a nostalgic drink that I occasionally enjoyed even when I was alive.]
‘Calm down, sister.’
[hurry! hurry!]
Cristina changed her body as instructed. Anise immediately grabbed her goblet and poured the full whiskey into her mouth in one gulp. Carmen froze for a moment at that exciting look.
“One more drink.”
“… … hmm.”
What kind of taste do you drink this tasteless and bitter thing with?
Carmen poured her another drink while feeling that question. However, as soon as the drink was poured, the glass was empty, and Carmen gave up and set the whiskey in front of Christina.
“… … Princess Nachal.”
Carmen sat down and resumed what she was just about to say. She continued her speech as she put the cigar in her mouth and slung it between her fingers.
“It was called that a few years ago, but now Iris is called by a name other than Princess Rakshasa. She is the Pirate Empress.”
Until the Night March, there were dozens of pirate ships under Iris, but now there are more than a hundred pirates gathered under the name of Iris. That’s why the people of Simuin were afraid of Iris, calling her ‘Pirate Empress’.
“Yes, they are pirates.”
Senya sighed.
“If those miscellaneous things had been somewhere other than the Solgarta Sea, they wouldn’t have come here hiding their identities like this. I would have just gone there and cleaned it up as soon as it arrived.”
The name that demons called 300 years ago was ‘Senya of Disaster’.
True to her nickname, Senya caused many disasters in the war against the demons.
Hundreds of pirate ships? Even so, pirates, and only a lot of numbers, how many strong people can be compared to demons? If you can catch it, there are so many ways to do it, whether it’s creating a whirlpool in the sea, raising waves, dropping lightning, or crashing Meteor.
What can’t be the case is that the place where Iris is buried is too far away from the sea. That it is the Solgarta Sea that restricts magic.
It is unknown how much the notoriety of the area will be able to restrain Senya, but Senya intends to kill Iris as ‘carefully’ as possible.
Never, leaving no room for escape. without committing to Absolutely, for sure, he intended to kill Iris.
Eugene and Anis also agreed.
Iris. The various hells I saw intertwined with that black elf. Burning mountains, forests, fields, screaming elves used as decoys, Dark Elf rangers hiding in the dark and attacking relentlessly.
Elves live a very long time. Dark elves live just as long as elves. If she made up her mind and hid—Iris would be able to hide for dozens or hundreds of years.
What Eugene and the others are most wary of is that Iris hides on an uninhabited island somewhere in the South Sea that no one knows about and endures for hundreds of years.
——————
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“Carmen Lionheart. I heard that you fought Iris in Kiel with my heir, Eugene. I was out of luck.”
“I couldn’t kill because I wasn’t enough.”
“I don’t mean to reprimand you. rather… … Does this sound offensive? I mean, I’m rather glad you and Eugene missed Iris. Thanks to that, I can kill that damn bitch with my own hands.”
bright flesh. Carmen nodded, feeling his skin tingle.
“But Senya-sama. Solgarta is very far away. There are no ships that go there, and even if you buy a whole ship, it won’t be easy to find sailors to sail to the Dead Sea.”
“I know the notoriety of Solgarta. That strange sea is hard to reach, let alone magic?”
“That’s why I’m here to ask for help.”
Eugene opened his mouth. Carmen smiled and looked at her Eugene.
“What kind of help are you talking about? Would you like to borrow the fangs and claws of this silver lion? Or the thorns of a white rose? or not… … .”
Carmen glanced at Didira. … … Didyera didn’t yet have a plausible nickname.
“Do you want to borrow the sparkle of the Black Pearl?”
So, I immediately gave it a nickname. What the hell do you mean by borrowing sparkles? Desiira looked at Carmen, not understanding. Of course, Carmen didn’t understand what she was saying.
“uh… … no. Instead of that kind of help, I want to meet Sir Ortus.”
Yujin shook her head with a confused expression.
“I spoke to Sir Ortus during the Night March.”
“I see what you mean. You want to drag the naval fleet and attack Princess Raksha head-on?”
“I’m thinking about that too, but if I lead the fleet, Iris might run away or hide. I don’t know what kind of support Lord Ortus can provide, but I’d like to borrow a boat or a few for now.”
“ship?”
“Merchant ships or trade ships. A guy so big and handsome that Iris wants to rob him.”
There are two ways I can think of right now. One is to invade the Solgarta Sea area. The other is to lure Iris outside.
If choosing the latter, of course Iris would need a merchant ship or trade ship to attack.
“The Empress has become too much underlings. I don’t leave Solgarta waters for a while. Only the pirate ships under his command are sent outside to plunder.”
“Even subordinates seduce them. Maybe we can use a method to infiltrate their ship?”
“There are other ways.”
Ciel opened his mouth.
“As Lady Carmen said, the Empress has become too many subordinates. Compared to the navy of the simuin, it is inferior in number and level, but with the addition of the empress, it is possible to harass the maritime forces of one country. so… … The empress did something very bold recently.”
There are many rumors about Iris, but there are also rumors unknown to the world.
“Originally, the empress did not aim for the government ship of the officials. He avoided battle even with the subjugation fleet. By the way, the attitude of the empress has changed since about a month ago.”
“I heard that 10 warships that were patrolling near Solgarta went missing.”
Carmen also nodded.
“It’s not just that. Even the entire cash carrier transported to Shedor Island was kidnapped by Iris.”
Numerous islands belonging to Simuin’s territorial waters. Taxes collected from the people there are sent by ship.
“It’s not just the cash carrier. Various tributes to the royal family are also being plundered. It’s not just the toll, the ship and crew have all been kidnapped by Iris.”
It wasn’t to that extent when I heard from Orthus in the past. Iris avoided conflict with the navy’s punitive fleet and plundered civilian merchants and trade ships.
“It’s a shame. So the royal family covered up all the facts.”
“But I can’t do that anymore.”
Ciel smirked and shook his glass.
“If you continue to keep your mouth shut, the Dwarf Guild will protest.”
“A dwarf?”
Eugene’s eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the race name.
office worker
Simuin is a country with the largest number of dwarves on the continent. This race of natural artisans are as stubborn in their skills as they are with their dexterity, and, like other alien races, hate living in noisy human cities.
So, the royal family of Simuin presented an entire island as a dominion for the dwarves. In fact, it was a measure to keep the dwarves from being taken away by other countries, and to keep the dwarves from leaving the service, but in the end, it was a mutually satisfying decision.
hammer island.
An island chosen by the Dwarves, a paradise only for Dwarves that has been developed for hundreds of years according to the Dwarves’ taste.
Every month, a large amount of beer, resources such as minerals, and blueprints for equipment requested by the Dwarves are transported to Hammer Island. And the dwarves of Hammer Island perfect the requested equipment and send it on a transport ship.
Usually, transactions with dwarves are done that way, but in the case of really important requests, there are times when the dwarves directly board a ship and come to the main island.
fortnight ago. Dwarven artisans, who would fill the line from the top if they lined up on Hammer Island with their skills, boarded a boat from Hammer Island and departed for Shedor Island.
The riot knights representing the officials. The Knights, led by First Orthus Haiman, all possess high-grade acid. Acid is as difficult to manage as its gimmick and performance, so it needs periodic maintenance.
“There were 10 Dwarven artisans and 10 disciples on board. Although there were only 20 of them, they were dwarves who could say that all the skills of Hammer Island were the essence. And, um, there were various items made by the dwarves as well.”
From Hammer Island to Shedor Island, it takes four days to sail by boat. However, the signal from the transport ship suddenly cut off two days after departure, and the transport ship has not arrived until now.
The value of a Dwarf artisan cannot be converted into money. Dwarves with outstanding skills can literally be said to be the goose that lays golden eggs.
10 such dwarves. 10 apprentices who inherited their skills. The ship was loaded with the products of Hammer Island.
Of course, security was tight. One squad of raging knights, a 4th-ranked captain, dozens of battle mages mixed with high-ranking wizards from the 6th circle, and hundreds of ordinary soldiers.
In fact, the pirate ship was not allowed to come close even if it was a government ship with the official flag.
“The Empress has crossed the line properly.”
said Carmen, opening and closing the lid of the lighter.
“As long as the dwarves are intertwined, the servants can no longer condone the empress’s tyranny. The royal family was sincere enough to make an entire island an autonomous territory for the dwarves.”
“Dwarves are a race with good value for money.”
Senya murmured. At those words, everyone widened their eyes and looked at Senya. Senya tilted his head at that gaze and continued.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Ah, don’t kids these days know much about dwarves?”
“no… … I don’t know.”
“look. As for the dwarves, they’re basically ugly, short-haired people who don’t like to travel around the world. Your face is covered in soot, your body smells of musty sweat, stale alcohol and tobacco, and all sorts of insects live on your beard that you grow randomly without washing it.”
Ugh. Senya grabbed her nose and squinted her eyes as if to imagine the stench.
“But the dwarves’ dexterity is recognized. It was to the extent that the things that Dwarves made roughly were comparable to those that human artisans put all their effort into. There, Dwarves basically have little desire for money. This is because they are reluctant to sell their skills for money. just roughly? Yes, dwarves live roughly. Instead of money, just drink a lot of beer, or if the Dwarf gives you something that will inspire you, you can eat as much as you like. That’s why dwarves are a race with good value for money.”
“uh… … Uh uh.”
“In other words, this country makes good use of dwarves. If you say it’s an autonomous territory, you threw a small island in the far sea, right? It must be a resort with a clear sky and a beautiful sea. Wouldn’t that be a huge loss to this country? The material required for equipment production is prepared by the client, and rather, a huge commission is attached. As I said, dwarves aren’t greedy for money, so you can take a lot of them for a fee in the middle, and instead send them on a ship with a lot of beer as you wish… … .”
Hateful remarks about Dwarves continued on a grand scale. Everyone looked at Senya with their mouths wide open.
It was unavoidable. Senya is human, but she grew up with elves, and since elves and dwarves are polar opposite races, they have not been on good terms since long ago… … .
“Senya, who did you hear that from?”
“huh? who would it be I heard from my brother And I’ve seen dwarves a few times 300 years ago, isn’t that exactly wrong? I still remember. I asked for some daggers to be made, but the mage, Nabe, was yelling at me about what kind of sword I was wielding… … .”
Senya recalled the distant memories and put on a longing expression. Of course, Hamel was by Senya’s side at that time, so Eugene knew the whole story well.
In the end, the dwarf was beaten up by Senya, who didn’t even use magic, and made a set of daggers while enduring sadness, and received three barrels of beer in return… … .
“uh… … hmm. Dwarves these days are not like that.”
I never thought I would hear such strong racial hatred from the mouth of a wise Senya. Ciel said while controlling his bewildered feelings.
“Although most dwarves live on Hammer Island, that doesn’t mean Shedor Island is without dwarves.”
There is a dwarf guild on Shedor Island. They are in charge of the primary inspection of the request to enter Hammer Island. Unlike the Hammer Island dwarves, they are young dwarves who have accepted city life to some extent.
“Since the adults of the tribe were kidnapped en masse, the Dwarf Guild has no choice but to protest. They have already declared a strike against all orders from the royal family. If the royal family does not rescue the artisans, they have threatened to strike and protest the requests of regular customers.”
Iris’s violence had already grown to the point where it was impossible to control.
It was the chief’s fault. This country had let go of the right time to contain Iris.
“In other words, Eugene, if you intend to kill the empress, now is the right time.”
Saying that, Ciel turned to Carmen.
“Even so, Sir Ortus has been asking for help from Carmen-sama for the past few days.”
“help?”
“It’s an obvious story. I’m asking you to join the empress’ subjugation party. Carmen-sama is a foreigner, but she is one of the strongest on the continent.”
“They haven’t answered yet.”
Carmen put a cigar in her mouth and shrugged.
Unlike Eugene, who had acted on his own until now, surprisingly, Carmen had such common sense embedded in her.
Carmen was well aware of how big she was in the Lionheart family. If his opponent is that dark elf, Iris, Carmen would risk her life, so of course she had to consult with her family in order to participate in such a battle.
If I hadn’t met Eugene today. Carmen must have written letters to Klein, the head of the Senate and his younger brother, and Gilreid, the head of the head family. And he must have written a will for what to do and left it to Ciel.
“Because I thought that just because the cause was sufficient, it wasn’t for me to decide alone. but… … You can be said to be the successor to the founder, the great Vermouth-sama. Hero, blood lion, dragon slayer… … .”
“Can’t we just do one?”
“All three of them are referring to you, Eugene Liarhart. If you wish for the death of the Empress, then Lionheart will unconditionally obey your will.”
great vermouth. A hero from 300 years ago. The Lionheart family was started by that great Vermouth.
If Eugene Lionheart is a warrior like the great Vermouth, Lionheart follows Eugene’s will of course.
“Well then, Eugene Ryanhart. I’ll arrange a meeting with Ortus as you wish. From what I understand, Orthus… … I’m not a very clean person without problems, but I’m not someone who would collude with the empress.”
“hmm… … .”
Eugene thought for a moment.
Originally, he planned to contact Iris by disguising himself as a merchant or trade ship. However, Iris openly threatened the royal authority of the servants, so a subjugation force soon set out.
“no. Then I don’t think I need to meet Sir Ortus.”
Eugene judged that.
Why did Iris’s attitude suddenly change?
300 years ago. After the mad king died, Iris always wanted the same thing. That Dark Elf could be said to be the incarnation of oblivion.
father.
Resurrection of the Mad King. Despite not having a drop of blood, Iris sincerely considered the mad king as her father.
The funny thing is, the frenzied demon king himself did the same. The mad king had four children, including Iris, but all of them were foster children of different races, let alone blood.
The mad king loved those children. The children also loved the mad king. Even Eugene at the time couldn’t understand why.
Among the children of madness, Kamash, the head of the giants, and Sain, the vampire lord, died in the war for their father.
Oboron, the head of the beast tribe, and Iris, the princess of the dark elves, also tried to die, but the mad king gave up his own life and let the two escape.
It was an incomprehensible thing, but the death of the demon lord’s father gave Iris a mess.
300 years after that. A time without war. A peaceful era in which the Demon Lord does not rampage.
But Iris dreams of a frantic return. Since it is impossible to resurrect the dead demon lord, Iris wishes to become the new mad lord herself.
The territorial battle with Noir Jebella was also due to such ambition. In the end, he was defeated, deprived of everything, and exiled from Helmud. It was this huge sea where he settled after wandering.
Iris must have judged that she had gathered enough strength. You would be hoping for a ‘territory’ where you can stand on your own two feet and dominate, not the sea where the waves are lapping.
And what else do you need? The demon king is also a king after all. To be called a king, you need land and people to rule.
“You’re luring me.”
Iris is openly tempting the officials to send a punitive force. Since it can no longer be covered up, the attendant will send a subjugation party as Iris wishes.
This issue is still the work of the officials. Even if you are called ‘Empress’, you are still a pirate. A country that prides itself on being called ‘the country of knights’ would be embarrassed to ask for help from a foreign country in order to subdue pirates.
“Even if we send a subjugation party, Iris will not run away. Because he will have the confidence to annihilate no matter how many he sends.”
I fought because I had the confidence that I could do it. They might capture the subjugation party and turn them into slaves, or conversely, they might invade the main island of Simuin.
“It’s not that I don’t trust Sir Ortus. However, if the subjugation party is formally formed, there will be a lot of people. I believe it is better to sneak in without revealing it than to enter it through Lord Ortus. Because it has become possible.”
one in a million If it were known that the hero Eugene, the saint Cristina, and the wise Senya had joined the punitive force. Iris might change his attitude and avoid the battle.
“Right.”
Carmen understood that too. The size of the subjugation force is not yet known, but the whole of the riot knights, as well as Simuin’s naval fleet, will participate.
In addition to that, fighters who want to make a name for themselves in the simuin will participate, and mercenaries who smell the money will also participate.
“I want to go too.”
Ciel, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.
“7th in the fighter rankings. Surely you don’t think you lack qualifications, do you?”
“Ciel.”
“Carmen taught me that there are things that can only be felt and realized in actual combat. But honestly, the battles here in the Colosseum were more like a show than a real fight. I wondered if it would be different if I went higher, but I don’t think so.”
I didn’t want to fall behind.
“And my brother… … Didn’t you go to war with Eugene?”
“You idiot, that’s a forest and this time it’s an ocean.”
“What’s the difference?”
Ciel glanced at Eugene with a puzzled look.
“What was Xian fighting with me for? Xian did it, so you will do it too, right?”
“Then why not?”
“not… … .”
I was trying to say no. However, Ciel’s eyes staring straight at him interrupted Eugene’s words.
The snow I saw in the northern snowfield. They weren’t full of tears like they were back then, but they were as determined as they were then.
“Eugene.”
A voice came from beside me.
It was anise. She said, shaking her head slightly at Eugene.
“It’s Ciel’s choice.”
“Grunt… … .”
“How are you? They say that even being a librarian goes through hardships when you’re young.”
Senya laughed and patted Yujin on the back.
“I remember the old days, boy. Did you say Ciel? He is 21 years old.”
“yes.”
“Let’s see, I’ll be 22 in a month? I rode the sea when I was about your age. That’s right, entering Helmud across the sea at just that age and how much he suffered… … .”
It wasn’t a very long past. Senya shuddered as she recalled those terrible days.
“But it is because of those days that the wise Senya-sama exists today. Oh, don’t worry too much. You are a distant descendant of Vermouth, and you are the brother and sister of my heir, Eugene Lionheart, right? I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ll pay close attention to you.”
Although she was almost killed by Vermouth, Senya still believed in Vermut and considered him a friend.
As a result, the descendants of Vermouth—especially the twins from the original family who hadn’t fully grown yet—felt very cute. I just wanted to feed him something and take care of him.
Xian used to run around because Senya felt burdensome and difficult. But Ciel wasn’t like that. She smiled broadly at Senya and nodded her head.
“thank you. Sir Senya.”
“Call me, feel free. How about you calling me sister too?”
“No, that’s fine.”
Of course, Ciel also thought that he couldn’t call Senya an older sister.
“What do you mean by paying attention?”
“What do you mean, my heir? Iris I’m saying that I’ll protect you from being hurt by that dog. Oh, are you jealous? Don’t worry, heir! I will protect you too… … .”
“Well, I don’t know if I can go and use magic or not… … Can I assure you already?”
“Heir! Even the demon king of confinement couldn’t restrain all magic from me. Do you think the Solgarta Sea area can do what even the demon king of confinement could not do? It might be a bit inconvenient, but do you think you can steal magic from this wise Senya-sama?”
Senya snorted and opened her chest wide.
“Take note. This wise Senya is magic, and magic is wise Senya.”
“her… … .”
Eugene couldn’t answer and shook his head.
Ciel Lionheart
First of all, the mansion’s guards and attendants were fired. It was a sudden event, but everyone accepted the notice of dismissal without saying anything as they gave them severance pay that was hefty compared to the period of work.
With the victory in yesterday’s match, Ciel gained points to challenge the top fighters. A secret training for the ranking match that will happen someday. The superficial reason was taken as such.
Of course, Ciel had no intention of preparing for the ranking match. The ranking match itself was impossible. It’s not known to the world yet, but the Dwarf Guild is actively putting pressure on it, so sooner or later the subjugation of the Pirate Empress will be officially announced.
Probably, most of the other high rankers will also participate in the subjugation party.
The first place in the ranking is Ortus, the leader of the Raging Knights. Because he is the best and strongest knight among the servants, Orthus must lead the subjugation party even if he doesn’t like it.
Rank 2 is a mercenary, not a knight. Ibig Slad, the leader of the Slad Mercenaries. He is a tycoon often called the mercenary king. There is no way that a mercenary who seeks out war on his own will not participate in such a large number of cases.
Other top fighters. As Ciel understood, there was not a single person out of the six who stood above her that would not participate in her punitive force. Except for the 4th place in the rankings who must have already been killed or kidnapped by Iris.
“after.”
Ciel wiped the sweat running down his forehead.
Even when I was in Lionheart and the Black Lion Castle, I never skipped training. However, I can say for sure that the curriculum of the newly formed ascetic practice after coming to the simuin was harsh enough to be incomparable to the previous ascetic practices.
Even Carmen, who coordinated this curriculum, expressed disapproval, and Desira, who started together, couldn’t stand it for four days and fell out.
But Ciel hadn’t skipped harsh training every day for nearly a year. The dance hall of the mansion. As it was not a very harsh environment, the intensity was increased step by step while squeezing the body and mind as much as possible.
‘Possibility… … .’
As much as I pushed my body and mind, many thoughts wandered in my head.
Possibility of subjugating the pirate empress. I thought it was very high.
If it was a subjugation party composed purely of the power of the officials—- honestly, I thought there would be no chance of winning, but when Carmen, Eugene, Christina, and wise Senya were added to it, the weight of the subjugation team changed.
‘—-Me?’
Ciel let go of the sword he was holding. I saw rough palms. He slowly rubbed his body with his hand, which was dripping with sweat. He didn’t want to think of himself as small or insignificant.
But now I couldn’t help but feel that way.
Ciel Lionheart.
A descendant of the prestigious Lionheart family. A disciple of the silver lion Carmen Lionheart, and the youngest black lion. Likewise, Twelve Girls, the youngest employee.
The name ‘the youngest’ implies the possibility of being ‘young and immature’. Ciel did not deny that fact. She was still only 21, and she hadn’t had enough experience to be immature.
‘Can I help?’
That thought disturbed Ciel’s head from dawn. She didn’t want to ponder the answer. She didn’t want to look away if she could.
But I couldn’t. No matter how much I turned away, I kept thinking about it.
‘Can I go with you?’
It was Ciel who said that he would go with him first. I have no intention of changing my answer now.
Anyone can do just follow along. danger? All you have to do is hide well to avoid danger.
But Ciel’s wish was not like that. Ciel wants to go with Eugene. Like her brother Xian, she wanted to go to war with Eugene and overcome danger.
I also got a letter from my brother.
The letter was full of stories of heroism in the great forest, but rather than her brother’s performance—- how great Eugene was. how strong Eugene is. There were many such stories.
Ciel was jealous of his older brother. As a result, his brother fought the war with Eugene, won, and grew up as a soldier through him. He simultaneously demonstrated his own achievements to Eugene and was recognized.
since when
No, from scratch.
The relationship between Eugene and the twins was like that.
The three of them were siblings of the same age, but they had never been on the same level. It was natural for Xian and Ciel to look after Eugene, and it was natural for Yujin to evaluate and acknowledge the achievements she had made through her hard work.
-You’ve grown a lot.
Ciel never thought that word offensive. She was rather nice to hear. It was because each time I received such recognition and praise, it seemed that the distant gap narrowed little by little.
It’s a story from my childhood. The greed of children and the greed of adults differ in size and direction. The current Ciel was no longer young.
That, in the snowfield that was so full of snow. When he cried out in anger and sorrow, Ciel realized that he was no longer the child who looked at Eugene’s back and laughed at Eugene’s approval and praise.
“To the sword.”
A voice was heard from above. Ciel wiped the sweat from his palms and raised his head.
last month of the year. If it was Kiel, it would have snowed or a cold wind would have blown, but here in Simuin, the sun was hot and intense even in December.
dazzling sky. The sun was stinging, so I caught Eugene’s figure in my frowning eyes. Eugene stood halfway outside her window, looking down at Ciel.
“I feel so well that my thoughts are loaded.”
“What are you saying all of a sudden?”
“Are you pretending not to know, or not? If you really don’t know, you’ll be a little disappointed.”
playful words. Ciel pouted his lips and kicked the sword stuck in the ground with his foot.
“I was thinking about something else for a while.”
Ciel grumbled as he snatched the sword out of the air. Eugene grinned and pushed her body out of her window a little longer.
“Can I come out like that?”
“What’s not going to happen?”
“You wanted to hide your identity and do something. The attendants and guards have all been fired, but the paparazzi are watching my mansion?”
“don’t worry.”
Even so, Senya had installed various magics in the mansion since morning. Even if Arot’s mage lord comes, it will be impossible to observe the internal situation from outside the mansion’s walls.
“Magic cha-am is convenient.”
“why. Do you have any regrets about doing what you should learn?”
“Now what? It’s a shame because I dug a sword constantly, and it wouldn’t have been this much if I touched magic that I didn’t even know how to sell.”
Ciel sneered and lifted his shirt. Her white skin and clearly sculpted abs were exposed to Eugene. Eugene was momentarily taken aback and turned her head away.
I wipe the sweat from my face with the raised hem… … . It wasn’t a particularly strange behavior, but of course, Ciel’s wiping his sweat ‘like this’ was quite intentional.
Ciel felt strangely happy when he saw Eugene turned his head away in embarrassment.
“What are you doing when you get older?”
“What’s up? You didn’t say much when you were little.”
“When did I do that, man? If you sweat and open your stomach, you will catch a cold.”
“What’s wrong with a cold in this hot weather… … .”
“Originally, summer colds are terrible.”
Eugene grumbled and threw a dry towel at Ciel. Ciel cupped the exposed hem with his lips and raised both hands to take the towel.
“What do you want to show off your abs?”
White abs glistening with sweat. Eugene still half averted his gaze and smirked.
“I’m sorry, but my abs are sharper and more defined than yours?”
“What do you mean, do you know who is trying to show off to you? It’s just because it’s hot.”
It’s a lie. It’s funny how Eugene keeps avoiding her gaze, so she just wants to keep watching her reaction.
I was familiar with Ciel’s mischievous pranks since I was young. No matter how old I am, playing around with my body… … .
“Where did you learn to do bad things?”
Eugene grumbled and reached out a finger at Ciel.
Fire! The wind that rose from her fingertips enveloped Ciel’s body. The sweat that had flowed was carried away by the wind, and the clothes Ciel was wearing returned to their original position.
After confirming that, Eugene looked at Ciel again.
“You can’t marry someone else if you do that.”
“what?”
“Suddenly, it’s time for you to think about getting married, right? I hear Xian will go up to Luhar again soon.”
“under? In the end, I will marry the young princess of Luhar, is this?”
Ciel sighed in embarrassment.
Princess Ayla Luhar, daughter of the Beast King Aman Luhar. She also met Ciel once before leaving Luhar. Fortunately, Princess Ayla did not resemble her ancestor, the brave Moron, or her father, the Beast King, and was pretty and cute.
She was a pretty, cute, 11-year-old girl.
“I am not getting married right away. For now, they said that they only signed an engagement without a ceremony. I heard that Princess Ayla will get married when she turns 17?”
“My step-sister who is 10 years younger than me… … .”
“But you say you have a good personality?”
“I was nice too when I was 11.”
“I don’t think it was that much… … .”
Eugene grinned as he recalled the Ciel he had seen when he was young.
“Whatever. Isn’t it better than the princess of the simuin?”
Princess Scalia of Simuin. She was originally among her fiancées, but her engagement was canceled because her cian bit into her crab foam and cried ‘no’.
“Better than that half-maniac.”
Ciel hated Scalia as well.
The scene where mercenaries were randomly sliced up in the snowy field. The nightmare of the dream queen, insomnia to avoid him, insomnia and stress due to nervousness… … . That doesn’t mean that what Princess Scalia did was not a massacre.
Besides, is there really no sign of massacre in Princess Scalia? Ciel couldn’t be sure of that fact.
While moving together in the snowy field, the appearance of Scalia treating the prey she caught for a meal did not feel ‘normal’.
“… … Engagement… … .”
Aside from the fact that the other was an 11-year-old princess, the fact that her older brother, whom she had been with since childhood, was getting engaged made Ciel feel strange.
“… … Uhm.”
Ciel wrapped the towel Eugene gave him around his neck and smiled.
“Come to think of it, I also had something similar to marriage talk.”
“What?”
“Ah, I didn’t officially enter the family. Like I said, it’s like a wedding. Just a light suggestion… … .”
I wanted to see how Eugene reacted. Ciel smiled at Eugene, who was leaning out of her window, and continued her words.
“Oh, you know someone. Although not friendly.”
“who?”
“Sir Dior Hyman, son of Sir Ortus. He is 23 years old, and his rank as a fighter is low, but… … That’s because Sir Dior doesn’t compete. He is a man with a reputation for his skills.”
Respond to something Ciel put on an expression that said nothing was wrong, but all his nerves were fixed on Eugene.
“Sir Ortus has made several suggestions. To have a meal with his son Sir Dior. Hmmm, isn’t that the obvious reason?”
“her… … .”
“In fact, not only Sir Dior, but I received several proposals while I was in the office. hmm… … I’ve never accepted it, but how much they annoy people by asking me to meet their proud son.”
Are you at that age? … .
Eugene looked down at Ciel, feeling somehow complicated. Ciel couldn’t tell what kind of emotion was contained in that expression.
‘Did I say anything wrong?’
Uhm. Ciel cleared his throat and shook his head.
“what… … I have no thoughts of getting married yet. that… … .”
How are you?
I tried to ask, but no voice came out. It’s not even a question that gets out of the flow of the conversation. It’s just a simple question to ask.
‘I hate to hear it.’
And it was scary. The image she had seen last night kept coming back to her mind.
Saint Christina, who was sitting too close to her—- wise Senya-sama. What does that mean, and is it still possible? I didn’t know, I didn’t want to know, and I was afraid to find out.
Ciel hesitated for a moment, then quickly cleared his expression and raised his head.
“If you have free time, come down here.”
You don’t even need to ask. I’ve been quick to notice since the old days, so it’s just… … You’ll find out naturally when you look at it.
Ciel thought that and smiled as if nothing was wrong.
“Wouldn’t you be tired too from being in your room?”
“It’s just that I was bored.”
“If that’s the case, Senya-sama, why don’t you go out with Saint Cristina?”
“The girls are going shopping, what am I doing after I follow them?”
“Whatever you do, just lift your luggage.”
Ciel gently removed his sleeveless shirt, which was clinging to the sweat, and smiled at Eugene.
“aha… … Did you avoid it because you were afraid you would be swung around?”
“It’s not?”
“No. I mean, that story yesterday. Look very good.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Eugene’s shoulders trembled with a serious expression, which was rare.
“You want me to dress up as a woman? Does that make sense?”
This is the story we shared yesterday.
Eugene, Senya, and Cristina decided not to officially join the punitive squad, but to join the punitive squad through Carmen and Ciel. In order to participate in the punitive force, a strict inquiry would be required, but Carmen could ignore such a process.
Free knights, mercenaries, servants. Either way, Eugene and the others will be able to board the subjugation ship with Carmen and Ciel.
If there is a minor problem—- the fact that Eugene is the only male in the group.
“It would be good if you made sure to hide your identity. Who would have thought that the proud Eugene Lionheart, the hero, would disguise himself as a woman and participate in the punitive force?”
“You wouldn’t think of that unless you went crazy!”
“okay! You wouldn’t even think of the Pirate Lady. is not it? If you disguise yourself as a woman and hide secretly, reveal your true identity in front of the Pirate Empress and pull out the holy sword—”
Ciel burst into laughter as he imagined the scene.
“If I were the pirate empress, I would be so shocked and dumbfounded that I wouldn’t even be able to run away.”
“… … .”
Yujin didn’t say anything and closed her lips.
I don’t want to admit it, but after listening to it, I also thought that Ciel’s words were plausible… … . But no matter what, wearing women’s clothing? isn’t that too much?
“There is a story like this in the mythology of the north. A myth in which a violent god had his weapon, the hammer, stolen by a giant, and in order to retrieve his hammer, he disguised himself as a woman and infiltrated as the giant’s bride.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Even that brave and violent believer dresses as a woman for a purpose. What is there that you, a human being, can’t wear as a woman? Think about it, Eugene. Dressing as a woman is the most manly thing that only a man can do.”
“Don’t bullshit. No matter how much I think about it, I don’t even need to dress up as a woman. Just disguise yourself as a mercenary, or if things don’t work out, you’ll stow away.”
“If you want to join the subjugation party as a mercenary, you need a ranking, right? No matter how much Carmen-sama is, it’s hard to touch that side. That’s why Senya-sama and Saint Christina also chose to board the boat as Carmen-sama’s attendants with me.”
“If you need a ranking, I’ll even register you as a fighter right now. Just wait four days, I’ll put my name on at least the top 100.”
Eugene gritted his teeth and said.
“And you, Ciel. You keep making fun of me, do you really want to see me dressed up as a woman?”
“Yeah, I want to see you.”
“Are you crazy?”
“why? I think it will suit you well. I can’t help it with your size and muscle, but your face hmm… … You’re pretty, aren’t you?”
“Stop talking bullshit and take out the non-hwan sword.”
Yujin didn’t want to hear about dressing up as a woman anymore. He unbuttoned his sleeve, rolled it up, and flicked his finger at Ciel.
“Like yesterday’s match. As I was practicing, the quality of my sword increased a lot. I’ll spat you out after a long time.”
Ciel Lionheart
The weapon that Ciel chose from the treasury was the Javelin, a magical sword.
Although Zabel is a sword, it can also be used like a whip, and it is light, fast and sharp. It is as difficult to handle as its complex features, but if you can handle it perfectly, you can use various techniques to launch irregular attacks.
Even in Eugene’s opinion, Zabel’s characteristics matched well with Ciel’s. From a young age, Ciel showed interest in light and fast quick swords, and enjoyed stabbing at her weaknesses.
“They didn’t use it in the Colosseum?”
“Originally, the real special move is the law to save.”
I’ve never taken a javelin out of a match. It wasn’t that he looked down on his opponent, but objectively he hadn’t met anyone who was good enough to use a javelin. If I had to use Jabel, I thought it would be a match against a top ranker of 5th place or higher.
“I have fought with you many times since I was young.”
Ciel muttered that and pulled Zabel out of the scabbard.
“Come to think of it, I never hurt you.”
“Me too.”
“You did that on purpose. You subdued me without hurting me.”
It may not be as much as Xian, who had always lived with his family, but the number of times Ciel sparred with Eugene was too many to count. On the way to Night March, he often sparred with Eugene in the snowfield.
ever won? Of course not. never hurt The sparring with Eugene always had the same result. Whatever strategy Ciel chose was horribly destroyed before long, and when he came to his senses, the blade always stopped in front of Ciel’s neck.
At that time, there was only one thing Ciel could say.
-I lost.
After admitting defeat to himself, Eugene would smile at Ciel as he retracted the blade.
‘this time.’
I wanted to see a different expression. I wanted to see a surprised face, not a smile like praising a child. I wanted to make Eugene serious even just a little bit.
‘Come to think of it, am I the older sister?’
In terms of birthday, Ciel was born several months before Eugene.
Of course, Ciel did not sincerely think of herself as an older sister than Eugene. It was just that he hated being treated like a child by Eugene, so he felt such a backlash.
okay.
Being treated as a child is disgusting. Even during the same snoring days, Eugene acted like an adult and treated Ciel like a child. She didn’t care much about it when she was little—but she hated being treated like that once she was no longer a child.
‘shake.’
Eugene felt the emotional agitation at the point of Ciel’s sword. Are you nervous because it’s been a while? No, it’s not the agitation caused by that.
‘It’s greedy.’
There are so many things I want to show you… … No, do you want to be acknowledged? Eugene could understand that. It’s already a long time ago, but when Eugene was also Hamel, there was a time when he had captured the agitation caused by such emotions in his sword.
For Eugene, the object of those feelings was vermouth.
I want to be recognized by him. I want to surprise him. For several years after becoming a colleague of Vermouth, such feelings tormented Eugene.
When I think about it now, the feelings at that time were the feelings that Eugene and Hamel needed. Because he was obsessed with that feeling, Hamel was able to become stronger.
that was possible.
It was because Vermouth was strong enough to want to jump over it somehow. Vermouth frustrated Hamel several times, but at the same time he was the object of envy and envy from Hamel.
Eugene laughed involuntarily.
Is it because they are twins? Xian also had feelings for Eugene, and Ciel felt the same way. No—- Rather, is the soggy feeling and the greed to be recognized more than Xian or Hamel?
“after… … .”
The shaking at the tip of the sword has disappeared. The point of her sword trembled because of her desire to be recognized.
‘There’s nothing I can do about being treated like a child like this.’
Even greed is good. Ciel’s breathing calmed down.
Would you like to take a step back?
It was an instant thought.
‘no.’
Such consideration can be a terrible humiliation for the other person. Eugene knew that all too well.
Now that I think about it, Vermouth was really an asshole. What he said out of consideration was all humiliation to Hamel.
with a little more effort.
I could do much better.
When it wasn’t long after becoming a colleague.
I heard that from Vermouth.
Other than that, he must have comforted Hamel, who was overcome with a sense of defeat, but Hamel didn’t think that was considerate.
cheeky bastard. If you’re good, why are you saying things like that?
someday.
certainly.
‘Well, in the end, it was a word that helped me.’
That horse was pissed off, so he swung his sword even more madly. In fact, it was because Hamel’s personality was so damn good and her ego was so strong.
Instead of stepping back, Eugene took a step forward.
Ciel smiled brightly as he approached. At the same time as her smile, her sword became a whip. The densely divided blade drew a curved trajectory and flew towards Eugene’s neck.
The slash was so deep that it could not be considered sparring. However, Eugene rather liked seeing Ciel swing his sword like that. There was no hesitation in the attack, and there was no childlike stroke.
The trajectory of the dodge blade changed. The slash pierced Eugene’s neck again.
Caang! Blade collided with blade. It had been bare-handed until just now, but before I knew it, Eugene was holding a sword.
It was cleared once, but the offensive did not stop. The blade swung at Eugene like a storm. Eugene moved his sword little by little and let out a slash.
Ciel watched Eugene’s movements with wide-open eyes. He tried to cut it a little bit from the outside… … It wasn’t long before I realized that that was impossible.
‘The level is different.’
I knew that obvious fact right from the start.
But is it that much of a difference? Ciel was also very confident in his number fights, but since he was sword to sword with Eugene, he couldn’t even try foresight or prediction. That absurd fellow looked ignorant, but he was swinging his sword calculating everything.
If I continue to press, will there be any gaps? Thinking so, he accelerated the offensive, but it did not work. Even though Ciel accelerated to the limit, Eugene’s sword was still sophisticated. Without being swayed by this side’s speed, he broke the flow of attack by digging into the necessary and decisive moment.
Caen, Caen, Caen. The sound of metal colliding with metal echoed in Ciel’s ears.
The flow of attacks is interrupted. The rushing rhythm is taken away. When I realized that, the battle had already been reversed.
Just a moment ago, Jabel’s powerful slash had been putting pressure on Eugene, but now Jabel couldn’t extend the distance any longer.
I had no choice but to take a small step back. There was no choice between stubbornly moving forward or standing still.
Ciel felt a huge wall from Eugene. He wanted to somehow climb up and face him—but that huge wall didn’t allow Ciel to approach or climb up.
‘no.’
I hate being followed. I hate looking up. I hate seeing it from afar. A thought I had every night when I couldn’t sleep.
Ciel chewed his lower lip.
This is nothing more than sparring.
But Ciel didn’t think so. Defeat is natural. She didn’t think that she would be able to defeat Eugene or inflict even a small wound on her, just because she had been trained for one year at the service.
but.
Even if it was a natural defeat, I didn’t want to lose like the old days. So, is it the same as when you were younger?
Even at this moment, the steps continue to be pushed back. The tall, rugged wall kept coming closer and looking down at Ciel.
Pudeuk.
Ciel chewed his lower lip. Reasonably, he stopped wielding the sword in search of odds that existed. from the moment you drive. No, from the moment the sword was drawn, defeat was certain.
If you don’t want to accept defeat calmly, taking it for granted.
All you have to do is kick it.
Cheer up! The elongated Zabel was entangled in Eugene’s sword. At that moment, Ciel threw away her sword hilt and jumped at Eugene with her bare body.
‘what?’
That action embarrassed Yujin for a moment. It was because he never thought that Ciel would throw away his sword and attack with her bare hands.
Ciel’s main weapon is a sword. That doesn’t mean you can’t handle other weapons. Lionheart, since he was born in his family, he had to know how to handle most weapons from a young age.
but. Weapons aren’t what Ciel handles ‘well’ next to swords.
fists and legs. It was the influence of Carmen Lionheart, Ciel’s teacher. Ciel’s fighting skills were learned directly from Carmen, and Ciel’s fists and legs were sharp enough to be compared to swords.
A clenched fist flew into Yujin’s face. He was taken aback for a moment, but the moment his fist was caught in his sight, Eugene also let go of his sword. Ciel is not the only one who is confident in fighting. Eugene was as familiar with fighting as weapons from his previous life.
Hiss! Ciel’s left fist brushed past Eugene’s ear. At the same time, Ciel’s right hand aimed at Eugene’s chin and broke it. Eugene’s left arm and Ciel’s right arm collided. Then, Ciel rather strongly pushed her right arm, making her left arm entangled with Eugene’s.
f*ck! Ciel swung her left fist again, but even that was caught in Eugene’s right hand. Holding each other’s hands, Ciel pushed his body forward with strength in his legs.
If they both make up their minds and fight for strength, it is impossible for Ciel to defeat Eugene. If you forcefully push it, Ciel will get hurt.
There’s no way Eugene didn’t know that. So, instead of fighting for strength, Eugene backed away as Ciel pressed on.
A few steps away. Ciel’s waist twisted sideways. Her swinging kick hit Eugene’s thigh hard. It was an attack powerful enough to cut off his thick old tree, but Eugene’s body did not stagger in the slightest.
Wow! Rather, Eugene’s counterattack blew away Ciel’s body.
‘Did I kick too hard?’
In an instant, I felt that way. The kick kicked straight into Ciel’s stomach. Ciel, who flew backwards, was unable to properly perform her fall and landed on the floor of her gymnasium.
“Cheer… … !”
Ciel hugged his stomach and groaned. Eugene put on an apologetic expression as she approached Ciel.
“now stop… … .”