by Takehaya
“Regardless, you should be wary of the offer you’ve received.”
“Be wary? What do you mean by that?”
“DKI is planning on expanding into the military sector.”
“The military?!”
That struck a chord with Ruth. DKI was a large company, but they had no connection to the military industry. It was because of that that they were on good terms with Theia’s mother, Empress Elfaria, who was an advocate of disarmament. That was a serious consideration when it came to choosing Ruth’s fiancé. But if DKI was planning on expanding into the military sector, Elexis’s push for marriage took on a different meaning.
“Is that true?!”
“It is, though it doesn’t surprise me that Pardomshiha’s intelligence division hasn’t gotten hold of that information yet. As you know, the Schweiger family is a frontrunner in the field of science, so we’re often informed of military affairs.”
Clan’s family—the Schweiger family—had a long history of producing exceptional scientists. As a result, they had strong ties with the military. It was only natural. The military had a lot more to gain from a healthy relationship with the Schweigers and their inventions than they did a relationship with the Mastirs, proponents of disarmament. As a result, when the military learned that Clan was headed to Earth to interfere in Theia’s trial, they’d shared confidential information that was mutually beneficial for both them and Clan. That included a tip regarding DKI’s future plans.
“Elexis wants to expand into the military sector to expand his business. But doing something like that when there aren’t many buyers wouldn’t be very lucrative, and so DKI’s plan is to bait the military with an arranged marriage into the Pardomshiha family. You understand the rest, don’t you?”
Clan finished her explanation with a shrug. Ruth’s face went pale.
“If DKI expands into the military sector after our marriage, it could drive a wedge between the Pardomshihas and the Mastirs!”
“And in return, the military has promised to make a big order from DKI. It’s quite a deal.”
With the influence he would have after acquiring the Pardomshiha name, Elexis was planning on working with the military. But as long as he could marry Ruth, he had nothing to lose. If the military didn’t uphold their end of the deal, then he could just keep operating DKI as he had been until they changed their minds. Under the Mastir family’s rule, disarmament would eventually gain more traction, and the military would have no choice but to come to Elexis to try and fight it. Either way, Elexis was due to make a tidy profit. It was a splendid scheme that lived up to his reputation as a shrewd businessman.
“Then I can just decline this arranged marriage and there won’t be any problems, right?”
Ruth was already planning on declining, but if the entire marriage was a trap, then she could do so without feeling badly about it.
“Normally that would be the case, but I’m left wondering why Elexis was in such a hurry to meet you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that Elexis’s sudden visit might be an excuse to bring a military squad to this planet. And if it seems you’re about to decline his proposal, they might come up with some excuse to split you and Theiamillis-san up. And while you’re gone, it’s possible that Theiamillis-san will have an unfortunate accident.”
“You can’t mean—”
In order to respectfully decline the arranged marriage, Ruth had been planning on temporarily returning to Forthorthe. But now Clan was suggesting that Elexis might use that opportunity to attack Theia. He could either kill her and claim that it was the work of barbaric Earthlings, or take her prisoner and use her as leverage against Elfaria.
“Are you saying that’s what he’s here for?!”
“It’s just a possibility.”
Clan had implied that Theia would be killed, but she actually believed that the chances of her being kidnapped were much higher. Since the military had gone out of its way to let Clan know about Elexis, it seemed to be politically motivated, and Theia was likely worth more alive than dead.
“Oh no! Her Highness!”
Ruth decided to hurry back to Theia. She had to eliminate any possible danger that might befall her.
“I’ll thank you properly later, Clan-sama!”
The normally polite and formal Ruth ran out of Clan’s laboratory with very little in the way of a farewell.
“There is no need to worry. It’s just a little gift.”
Clan let out a small sigh as she watched Ruth go.
“Hahh... For some reason, I just keep ending up helping Veltlion... Really, when did I get this nice?”
Clan then ordered her bracelet to open up its comms.
The Truth About Koutarou
Thursday, February 11th
Koutarou had just finished his club activities for the day and was on his way to Clan’s hideout. There was something he wanted to ask her. It concerned Ruth’s marriage. Koutarou felt like he couldn’t help her because he knew so little about modern-day Forthorthe, so he’d decided to go to Clan to learn more.
“Jeez, Clan... Your personality is dark enough as it is. You really should’ve chosen somewhere brighter to live.”
Koutarou complained as he walked up the dark mountain path. Clan’s spaceship was hidden away in the mountains so it wouldn’t stand out. Once the sun started to set, the way to it got a little treacherous.
“Oh yeah, now that I think about it, doesn’t this bracelet have a flashlight installed?”
Koutarou brought the bracelet on his right wrist up to his face. Though he had gotten it from Clan, it was the same as Theia and Ruth’s. It was equipped with all kinds of convenient functions, one of which was a flashlight.
“Hey, Cradle.”
“At your service, my lord.”
When Koutarou spoke into the bracelet, the crystal on it began glowing and produced a hologram of Clan’s spaceship. Just like Theia and Ruth’s bracelets were connected to Blue Knight, Koutarou’s was connected to the Cradle. The original design of the bracelet was something similar to a remote control for spaceships.
“It’s dark, so—”
“Veltlion.”
Just as Koutarou was about to order the bracelet to shine a light, the hologram of the spaceship was replaced with one of Clan’s face. She looked serious.
“Man, all I wanted was a light, but I got your sly mug instead.”
“Real bullets, Veltlion! I promise you real bullets next time!”
“There’s no need to get so worked up. It was just a little greeting.”
“A most unpleasant one!”
“Clan, your cute face is wasted like that.”
“I... I want to kill you... I haven’t had the urge to destroy someone like this in a long while...”
The hologram of Clan showed her with her fist clenched in front of her face. Her entire body was visibly shaking with rage.
“More importantly, did you want something?”
“Again with the dismissive comments... Urgh! But yes, of course! I called because there’s something I have to tell you!”
“I’m on my way to your place right now, so can’t we just talk there?”
“I called because I have to tell you now!”
“Then hurry up and spit it out.”
“This is all your fault, you know?! Honestly...”
Clan took a moment to compose herself and then looked at Koutarou with earnest eyes. It was an expression she only made when things were serious.
“Sorry, Clan. So what happened?”
“...That part about you is so unfair...”
Clan proceeded to tell Koutarou about Ruth’s visit.
“Her Highness’s marker is just up ahead!”
Using the information displayed on her bracelet, Ruth was heading towards a nature park. It was a forested area beloved by the people of Kisshouharukaze City.
Theia had taken over for Ruth, who was supposed to be preparing for dinner, a
nd was showing Elexis around on Earth. Upon examining Theia’s location history, she’d been guiding him to sightseeing spots around the city. They were at the park now, but it seemed like an odd destination at this hour with the sun going down. Ruth tried to reach Theia over the comms, but couldn’t seem to get through to her. Even weirder still, it seemed that after entering the park, Theia’s GPS marker had stopped updating. It could have just been a simple system error, but Ruth was preparing for the worst case scenario.
“Your Highness, please be safe!”
It was possible that Elexis was up to something as Clan had suggested, but it was also possible the military had acted on their own if they’d caught wind that Ruth was going to decline the marriage.
Even if I declined, there was a chance I wouldn’t leave Earth! If this really is all just a plot, then there’s no way they hadn’t taken that into consideration! They must have been prepared to strike regardless of where I was! I was careless!
The most efficient way to capture Theia would be to strike when Ruth was away. If there weren’t any witnesses from Forthorthe, they could do whatever they wanted. Though there was a chance of Ruth leaving Earth if she declined the marriage, it wasn’t a sure bet. And since they couldn’t base their plan on an uncertainty, surely they had something else up their sleeve.
That’s why El-sama suddenly came to Earth! It was to make sure they had an opportunity!
If her future husband suddenly arrived on Earth, surely that would throw Ruth for a loop. Even if it wasn’t much, it would distract her somewhat from her primary responsibility of guarding the princess. That was part of why Elexis had come to Earth. His plan had more than one failsafe.
Thinking back, the fact that I was the only one sent to guard Her Highness might have been part of this plan too! I should have spent more time preparing for a possibility like this!
Ruth wanted to believe all of this was needless worry and that she was getting worked up over nothing, but she couldn’t shake the ominous feeling creeping over her. There was no way it was just a system error. All she really had to go off of was what Clan had said—the same girl who had been her bitter enemy just days ago—but she still believed she was telling the truth. Based on the trust Koutarou seemed to put in Clan, she couldn’t imagine that Clan would be lying.
If it hadn’t been for Clan-sama, I might have discovered this all too late... Though it’s mortifying, Clan-sama seems much closer to Satomi-sama than I am...
Koutarou and Clan had a secret that they hadn’t revealed to Theia and Ruth. If Koutarou trusted Clan, that made her more trustworthy in Ruth’s eyes, but even so, she couldn’t help being jealous of what they shared.
Just after Ruth arrived at the park...
“Oh my, if it isn’t Ruth-sama. Good evening to you.”
Elexis appeared before her. He bowed gracefully with a confident smile.
“El-sama?!”
Ruth, on the other hand, wore an intense expression. When she instinctively took a stance, Elexis began to look worried.
“Is something the matter, Ruth-sama?”
“Where is Her Highness?!”
“If it’s Her Highness you’re looking for, we parted ways over there.”
Elexis indicated the area behind him. There was a paved road that continued deeper into the park, but the falling darkness and tree cover made it impossible to see what was ahead. There was no sign of Theia, and an unspeakable uneasiness overcame Ruth.
“I was just planning on returning to the ship. I know... Why don’t you come with me? There are so many things I would like to show you there.”
In contrast to Ruth, Elexis was still smiling brightly. He politely invited Ruth back to his spaceship like a perfect gentleman, but Ruth couldn’t get away fast enough.
“No thank you. I have an urgent matter to discuss with Her Highness, so I will be taking my leave here.”
Ruth turned down Elexis’s invitation, tried to calm the anxiety brewing inside her, and headed for the path Elexis had indicated. She was still hoping this was all just her imagination.
“Oh, don’t say that.”
However, as Ruth walked past Elexis, he grabbed her arm.
“I would love for you to come with me.”
Elexis forcibly pulled Ruth back.
“Kyah!”
Because of her light weight, he easily swung her back around to the other side of him. He wasn’t especially rough, but Ruth courageously denounced his actions.
“What is the meaning of this, El-sama?!”
“Why, it’s all for the future—”
Elexis was interrupted by a loud boom from somewhere nearby. He stopped speaking to look over his shoulder. It sounded like it had come from deeper into the park. From Ruth’s current position, she couldn’t see the explosion itself, but she saw a momentary flash in the sky and crows rapidly fleeing the area.
“Your Highness!”
Ruth’s intuition told her that the explosion was a sign Theia was in danger. For Elexis, the explosion told him it was time to take off his mask.
“Goodness me. And I gave them strict orders not to use their weapons, too... Princess Theiamillis really is something.”
Though he was dumbfounded at his subordinates’ carelessness, he was equally impressed at the fight Theia was putting up. The five bodyguards that Elexis had brought with him were actually a special forces unit from the military. They had all kinds of rigorous training, but even they were reduced to using extreme weaponry to capture Theia. Elexis had to commend her for that.
But after the explosion, Elexis knew the jig was up. There would be no point in trying to fool Ruth anymore. So instead of playing a part, he would simply be himself.
“To think she’s capable of making a special forces unit resort to heavy weaponry... If she’s that strong, why is she advocating disarmament?”
“El-sama, so you really are...!”
“Oh, so you were aware of our plans? Splendid. Despite your age, I should have expected no less from the daughter of the Pardomshiha family.”
Elexis had a composed expression on his face as he smiled at Ruth. It was an awfully casual smile, as if saying this was just another workday for him.
“Let go of me, you coward! Are you really so hungry for power that you’d go this far?!”
Ruth’s face was flushed with rage as she tried to shake off Elexis’s hand.
“What a foolish question. You can’t do anything without power. I imagine you understand that quite well right about now.”
Unfortunately, Ruth’s small frame worked against her now. She was no match for Elexis’s strength. Struggle as she might, Elexis wasn’t letting go.
“You’d even go so far as to pretend to be a charitable man... all just for this?!”
Even if she could do nothing against him physically, Ruth lashed out at Elexis.
“That hurts. I’ll have you know there was nothing insincere about those donations. Business is best when society is at its best, after all. And that’s all I really want. An ideal society. I just don’t think I can get it with the way Elfaria is running things. Nothing personal.”
It wasn’t like Elexis harbored any malice for Ruth or Theia. He’d simply ended up siding with the military because he didn’t agree with the current politics of Forthorthe. That was all there was to it.
“So what?! You’re going to demand that Elfaria-sama abdicate by holding Her Highness hostage?! This is no joking matter!”
“I agree. However, the royal families are the ones holding all the political power hostage, so this is the only way we can achieve anything. It’s only fair that we have a royal hostage to level the playing field.”
“Have you forgotten all the sacrifices the Mastir family has made to support Forthorthe?!”
“I haven’t, but times have changed. When parts get old and rusty, you replace them. Upgrade them, even. Isn’t that just common sense?”
“Nonsense! Blue Knight, the Anti-Personnel Stunner!”
>
Realizing that she could do nothing struggling against Elexis on her own, Ruth shouted an order into her bracelet. She was going to use Blue Knight to incapacitate Elexis.
“I’m afraid that won’t work, Ruth-sama.”
“The network connection has been lost. Instruction cannot be executed.”
“What?!”
Despite Ruth’s orders, the bracelet didn’t respond with the usual affirmative. Instead, a jarring warning sound and reported that it was unable to carry out the given orders.
“How?!”
This unexpected development made Ruth’s expression stiffen.
“It was a mistake to let us aboard your Blue Knight.”
“So that’s what you were up to!”
“Without weapons, both you and Princess Theia are just normal girls. You never stood a chance to begin with.”
Elexis regrettably shook his head. He personally held no ill will towards the girls, and he seriously pitied Ruth as things stood.
“Your only real option was to marry me and end this in a draw, but truth be told, even that may have counted as a loss for you...”
When Elexis had first arrived aboard Blue Knight, his five subordinates had set up devices on the ship that allowed them to freely jam communications, eavesdrop on Theia and Ruth’s private rooms, and much more. After learning of Ruth’s true feelings from the bug in Theia’s room, Elexis had decided his plan B would be capturing Theia in this empty park. When he discovered Ruth was en route, however, he’d left Theia to his subordinates and come to slow her down. It seemed Theia and Ruth’s fate was sealed when they failed to notice the devices planted on Blue Knight.
“Blue Knight, Blue Knight!”
Ruth tried her bracelet over and over again. She used all kinds of methods to try to contact the ship, including electronic, gravitational, and hyperspace communications, but she received the same error message every time. Blue Knight was out of reach no matter how many times Ruth called out to it.
“Please just give it up. Communications have been completely jammed. Nothing you do will help, and your voice won’t reach anyone here. So please just give in and come with me.”
