It was only a short while after the disrupted compet.i.tion had been resumed that Jozak’s axe was dislodged from his grasp by the second representative from Dai s.h.i.+maron. His condition was the complete opposite from the colorful performance he had displayed before the compet.i.tion had been paused. His opponent managed to prevent him from making any attempt at retrieving his weapon, and he was thus forced to surrender.

“….ah…”

Flynn, whose neck was encircled by the string, could only utter a faint sigh. Her tears, caused by extreme pain, had dried earlier on, and both her arms and knees felt weak. The reason for this was lack of oxygen throughout her whole body. Her fingers were struggling weakly to protest this lack of oxygen.

“Look carefully, that proud warrior is throwing away his pride to save someone like you, this is hilarious. That man is a true warrior, a woman like you would never understand, but he’s a real man who survived from the harsh battlefield!”

To a soldier, surviving from Artellino had a truly special significance.

“However, to save a despicable woman like you, they’re willing to take this humiliation…. Those people with black hair and black eyes really have strange principles, it’s so strange that I can’t even begin to comprehend it. Forget it, if they also manage to lose in the third round, then I’ll feel….eh?”

Flynn’s throat felt much more comfortable all of a sudden, with a huge amount of oxygen flowing in. The string had broken and her throat was instantly released. Flynn took the opportunity to get down on her knees (and thus escape from the string). When she looked up with her tear-filled eyes, she saw Maxine staring at the door, with a scarlet whip encircling his arms and neck.

There was an extremely beautiful woman standing in front of the startled people. She had long wavy hair and clear, (almost) transparent skin, while those emerald green eyes which reminded one of the depths of a lake were sparkling with a sense of justice.

“You big scoundrel, release her at once! Or I’ll use my whip of doom on you! I’ll never forgive anyone who defiles objects of beauty!”

“Who are you?! Also, warn me before you attack next time!”

The woman didn’t seem to have heard the latter part of what he had said; she was walking in elegant steps towards him with whip in one hand. Her head of wavy waist-long hair, which was her pride and joy, was glinting with a golden light. Her weapon, which she was rather proud of, was made of scarlet leather. The whip was light and narrow, long yet durable, and could be easily manipulated in mid-air; it was evidently a rare item made by skilled workmen.

“I’m the beautiful lady warrior who fights in the name of love – Cecilia! What do you think of this name? I’ve already handed the plans for that novel to Anissina, but she’s busy with her experiments all day long and can’t find time to help me write it, I really want to be a hero to all those children too ~ ”

Although she had thought it up herself, her slogan still seemed to lack some pep. She placed both hands at the back of her head after twirling them around, this was her cla.s.sic pose which stimulated others’ senses. As usual, she was wearing a boldly revealing outfit, it was one that revealed her entire back.

Maxine, who had his hands trapped by the whip, said something he never should have said, “Where did this hag come from?! You old over-exposing maniac!”

“….What did you say…?”

Everyone present was frozen by shock.

Please wait! This man’s more interested in little girls! He’s got a psychological problem! You don’t look old in the least, and you aren’t any old hag ~ Before Saismoya could help him with a long explanation, Lady Cheri had defended herself.

“What did you say, I couldn’t hear clearly enough…!”

The whip lashed repeatedly at Maxine at the speed of sound, and since the s.p.a.ce of time between each lash was relatively short, the victim’s cries of agony weren’t too long as well. ‘Waah!’, ‘Yaah!’, ‘Yow!’ and other monosyllabic moans were heard along with the sound of scattering of the remnants of his clothes.

It was all Maxine’s own fault, since he had gone against the rule of ‘Don’t offend or make the Queen cry before the food is cooked properly’ (a popular saying in s.h.i.+n Makoku). No one was willing to stick their nose in when someone was as brave (or as stupid) as to anger the ex-Queen.

“…..Unn, Gaa, Gulp! Uhh!”

The symphony of the whip lashes finally ended, and the man collapsed on the ground, something seemed to be stuck in his throat. The spectators were somehow hoping for even more interesting developments. However, the man flopping limply on the luxurious rug looked a lot like a mop.

It was such a pitiful sight.

“I just came to find out why the beverages haven’t been delivered yet after such a long time, but what do I see? I happened onto a villain abusing a girl; I’ll never let something that despicable happen. Even if beauty is a sin, that’s no reason for someone to strangle you like that.”

She kicked lightly at the p.r.o.ne figure on the ground with the tip of her pointy boots.

“The more beautiful a flower is, the more thorns it has! If you really desire it, you can’t just depend on skill, you have to practice your manliness as well. Here, Hewbert.”

She handed her whip to the golden haired youth who had followed her, and he tied Maxine up skillfully. It seemed that he was rather experienced in these matters.

“This…this can’t be….Your Majesty Lady Celi? Why are you here….”

The ex Maou had her index finger pressed against her lips, shus.h.i.+ng him up.

“Please don’t refer to me with such a boring t.i.tle. I’m now a supporter of free love, I’ve given up t.i.tles and power long ago. There is only love, beauty and a n.o.ble heart left in my hands and within myself!”

Coming from the lips of someone else, this might cause a certain amount of disgust, but it sounded completely convincing from her. And anyway, n.o.body, except those sons of hers, would have been able to resist her charm.

“I was invited here by a friend from s.h.i.+maron. They told me that I would be able to admire the b.l.o.o.d.y battle scenes between warriors, but if I sat nearer to the front, I’d probably be able to enjoy it more up close….”

Hewbert was bending down and talking to his mistress with a smile, saying lightly, “My Lady, this is because the World’s Best Fighter Tournament prohibits women from entering the arena.”

“That’s right, and anyway, it’s good enough to be able to watch it from the VIP seats. Although I won’t be able to admire the sweat dripping off the compet.i.tors, I won’t need to sit there pout in the snow and rain, it’s much more comfortable this way. Oh, I remember that you’re Dakaskos who works under Gunter! You’re the soldier who’s capable of almost everything, aren’t you? Like clearing a clogged drain, or repairing the shelter?”

“Ah! Yes! No, oh G.o.d!”

He didn’t dare to say that it was actually the plumber Clansian (she had meant).

Saismoya, who’d never had the opportunity to see Her Majesty before, was kneeling with his head pressed against the floor.

“Uh…Please, who’s this with the kappa hairstyle? Forget it, it doesn’t matter, you don’t need to be so formal. I’m not Cecilia von Spitzberg kyo now, I’m the hunter of love Celi. Just forget all those annoying formalities when we’re in this country!”

Cecillia’s attractive rosy lips were curved in an enticing smile. She was leaning over with the curve of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s faintly visible.

“Yes…yes, of course!”

“Captain, Captain Saismoya! There’s a red waterfall trickling from your nose!”

“No no no no, no! It’s not like that! No!”

“It’s alright! Captain, nosebleeds reflect your true feeling. But what do you think of my outfit? Does this reflect early spring?”

Of course, it was her curvy and beautiful body that was wrapped within her clothes. The warrior of the seas was in an embarra.s.sing and pitiful state after being attacked by the s.e.xy pheromone queen.

A chuckle could be heard from behind her, it sounded like suppressed laughter. It seemed that there wasn’t just her favorite follower Hewbert who was accompanying her on her quest for free love.

A human, who had his eyes narrowed, approached her then pressed his face against her golden hair. Although his looks weren’t anything special, he didn’t make anyone feel uneasy, and he was clearly an elegant man with pleasant manners. His clothes were monochromatic, and he wasn’t sporting any other adornments. However, judging from the superior material and the perfect measurements of his clothing, someone with good judgment would realize their true worth. He had short reddish brown hair with specks of silver in it, proving that he was no soldier. Based on human years, he would be a middle aged man about thirty or forty years old.

Although the two looked very compatible, they were actually lovers with a huge age gap.

“Ah, my beautiful dream lover. Didn’t I just praise you? I said that although this thin silk reflecting early spring is beautiful, you yourself are several times more beautiful than all the newly emerging trees, leaves or blossoms! Or wasn’t what I said satisfactory enough for you, although this is the first time I’ve been bewitched by true love?”

“Oh, don’t! Of course not! Fanfan, my adorable man, everything you say makes me relive the memories I had when I was just a young maiden.” Fanfan?! This middle-aged gentleman with a splendid beard had such a cute nickname?!

“What are you talking about! My beautiful nymph of spring, you’re always a young maiden to me.”

But she was actually mother to three sons.

Saismoya had to swallow his blood from his nosebleed after hearing this torrent of honey-like praises, he was having goose-b.u.mps from hearing all this. There would definitely be no one like him on the seas, humans were really scary!

On the other hand, Dakaskos, who had been mistaken for a plumber, suddenly remembered von Christ kyo’s dramatic and suffocating diary. A few million copies of that book had been sold, proving that women and girls everywhere were very susceptible to sentences like that. He might as well try talking like that the next time he made his wife angry, just in case it worked. Anyway, he might as well memorize the words ‘Your head is spring to me forever’……it was evident that something terrible would happen (to him) if he ever said that.

“Oh, what’s the matter with you two? Your mouths are wide open. Oh right, I’ve to introduce Fanfan to you. This is Stefan Fanberlain. He’s got a large business in s.h.i.+maron.”

So this is why he’s called Fanfan? Then there’s no help for it since it really is his name.

The middle-aged gentleman kissed his elder lover’s forehead gently, and the soldiers instantly felt goose-b.u.mps rising on their arms.

“My business isn’t that large, is it? My lover, you’re praising me too much. Compared to your beauty, my humble business isn’t worth even as much as one of your toes. Just like the gra.s.s on the plains, how could they be compared to the sparkling stars in the sky?”

Although this comparison was plainly inappropriate, Lady Cheri was chuckling happily at his words. It seems that this ex queen was in a good mood!

“Oh, right, who’s this adorable lady? Where is she from? Your hair is so pretty, what flower is your hair oil made from?”

“…that…that…”

She couldn’t utter a word. The perceptive Hewbert immediately got some water for Flynn from the next room. After moisturizing her throat, she could finally find her voice.

“Please forgive me for sitting so improperly on the floor….I’m Flynn Gilbert from Caloria….then….you are…”

“Me? I’m Cecilia, the hunter for free love! But please call me Celi. I can’t believe that he could exert such pain on someone as pretty as you. This type of man is the worst possible! Why did this happen, Flynn? Was it hatred stemming from love? Or was it because another man had fallen for you? Ah ~ beauty really is a sin! Making all those men your prisoners of love!”

“Ulp….Lady Celi, Lady Flynn and Maxine aren’t lovers, but their relations.h.i.+p is much more complicated than that between lovers.”

“What? Dakaskos, you’re saying that their relations.h.i.+p is much more complex and entangled than a muddy swamp?! Ah ~ in that case, then maybe both of them have their own families…G.o.d! Just imagining all this is making me so excited. I say Flynn, tell me about everything! I could be your advisor for love, if you don’t mind…oh!”

Maxine, who had been ensnared by the ex queen’s whip, was moaning on the ground.

“Oh no, what have I done?! I forgot all about the gentleman I overpowered!”

“What gentleman!”

Flynn had uttered a low cry filled with sorrow; anger was causing her to s.h.i.+ver uncontrollably.

“This man is a filthy beast!”

“Really? Beast…this noun sounds rather exciting….but gloomy-looking men aren’t my type…however, he looks so cute when he’s being whipped! Haha, how will he react if I kick him?”

“Waah!”

“Hahaha! You beast, you beast! That’s right, I just want to kick you!”

Dakaskos was starting to s.h.i.+ver. There were three people in s.h.i.+n Makoku who should never be angered, they were s.h.i.+nou Heika, Lady Celi and Miss Anissina.

“But lady…Lady Celi, we should inform the Colonel about this as soon as possible. He might still have his hands tied because of us. He might even purposely lose the third round for our sake. The next round should be….the colonel he….”

“Who do you mean by the colonel? Oh right, by the way, Flynn, did you see my handsome son? Wasn’t that so cute? During the time when that child was stumbling while learning to walk, and while he couldn’t sleep without his teddy bear, I was the first one who gave him a sword to play with! Although his father had greatly protested because of his age, one night he stabbed his own beloved grey teddy bear with that short sword….oh no! We should inform everyone below there that you’ve been released. Alright! This should do the trick.”

Cecilia ran lightly to the window and untied the colorful silk scarf around her shoulders, then waved elegantly towards the resting area of the Calorian team.

“I say Dakaskos, this is a rare opportunity, please pour me a gla.s.s of grape wine. I’ve been waiting so long for the beverages….but how did the two of you become beverage vendors? Don’t tell me it’s because you were unsatisfied with the army supplies? I rather pity the two of you, you had to move such a heavy cooler.”

“By the way, where’s the box?!”

Flynn, Saismoya and Dakaskos raised their heads simultaneously and gazed at the counterfeit box covered by the green cloth. It had been placed beside the wall all along.

“Mother?!”

The third son was startled upon seeing the woman who looked exactly like himself. Murata and I, thinking that his waist was hurting him, had automatically reached out to support him.

“Don’t force yourself to stand up, Wolf! You’re acting like a first-year student on his first school visit, getting so excited about seeing your mother……the mother you mean…..is that Lady Celi?!”

I looked back out of reflex, and saw a beaming Lady Cecilia von Spitzberg standing at the very spot where Flynn had been captured before. Her onion-green gown looked very enticing, she really was the s.e.xy queen for whom spring had arrived earlier than for others around her. Murata was frowning while looking at her, mumbling, “Oh ~ so that’s her!”

“Why would mother be in Dai s.h.i.+maron…”

“I say Wolf, there’s only one possible answer for that, although I know that you won’t agree with it.”

The answer was probably that the newest lover for this supporter of free love was a businessman in s.h.i.+maron.

“Your mom’s probably seeing a man younger than you are. Anyway, Lady Celi being so happy probably means that Flynn Gilbert is safe now. No matter how cheerful von Spitzberg kyo is, she probably can’t bear to stand beside a dead hostage waving her scarf.”

“Don’t say anything bad about my mother!”

“But I didn’t!”

However, this could be counted as good news. Although I still felt apologetic towards Jozak who had been forced to lose on purpose, we still had a last glimmer of hope. The results at this current stage were one victory and one loss, so we were even with our compet.i.tors. As long as we managed to get a tie in the third round, we would be able to extend the compet.i.tion. I wasn’t sure whether the contest rules had stated a maximum number of rounds allowed in the compet.i.tion, but at least we could extend the time before we lost.

I was preparing to persuade Jozak, feeling so apologetic that I was near to kneeling, but to my surprise he agreed without hesitation. He stood in front of my apologetic self while brus.h.i.+ng off the snow on his sword blade.

“It’s not necessary to apologize, I’m your soldier, I’ll obey whatever orders you have for me.”

He, who had successfully acted the part of the loser, was sitting on the bench and sighing, but it was evident that he really wasn’t all that disappointed. He was bent over with his forehead against his knees.

The one who was feeling agitated right now was actually his opponent Adalbert, who felt that his opponent had purposely lost his grip on his weapon and to lose, so he was protesting with all his might to the judges, he didn’t look in the least like someone who had just won. However, the judges would never change their decision about the results, especially since the people of s.h.i.+maron were cheering and waving their yellow flags with all their might. He couldn’t request a rematch, because it would just be asking for trouble if he angered the audience.

Now Caloria had their last hope. It was all thanks to Lady Celi for rescuing Flynn, now we should take advantage of this opportunity.

As long as the compet.i.tor for this third round gave a good performance, we would have a chance at being the champions.

“Everyone, let’s look forward to the performance of our third representative! If that fellow could at least manage to tie in the battle, the results for this compet.i.tion can be reset all over again….”

Everyone present was silent and looked extra gloomy, with six pairs of eyes fixed on me.

Wait a minute, I’m the third representative, right?

“Waah…! Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! What do I do? Murata?! What can I do? Wolf?!”

The last compet.i.tor left was indeed a very weak one.

“So our only alternative is to give up the compet.i.tion.”

“No, we can’t do that! We’ve just one last step before achieving our aim! And the problem with Flynn has already been settled, so this is our opportunity! It’d be such a pity to back out at the last moment, I won’t do that…!”

“Then you’ll have to go out there, Heika.”

Jozak, who still had a trace of regret in his expression, was muttering.

“Anyway if you’re ever in any danger, Heika, His Excellency and I won’t ignore that fact. Even if we lose our qualifications for breaking the rules, we’ll run out there to protect you if necessary. So don’t worry about that! Since they don’t have any hostages left with them, we’ll be able to start a killing spree without need to worry about anyone else. I’d slash and chop away at them within the shortest time possible, killing all of them!”

“Are..are you angry?”

“No.”

Even Wolfram, who was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, was nodding in agreement to this, it seems that he too agreed with Jozak’s opinion of ‘killing them all’.

“Even if you order me not to kill anyone, it won’t be of any use. To us, Caloria isn’t as important as winning this compet.i.tion or you, Heika. If Heika wishes to go out, His Excellency and I won’t stop you from doing so!”

The audience comprised about five million people. They were looking forward to a full-scale bloodbath involving real weapons, and it was very probable that I wouldn’t be able to retreat safely after entering the arena.

But…

I bit my lip and gripped the metallic baseball bat my friend had chosen for me.

But there was just one last step to go.

Just one more step to achieve my aim.

The climax in the sixteen years of my life could happen today, and anyway…

“s.h.i.+buya, I told you before, you should get used to being protected.”

Murata was about to push up his gla.s.ses with his index finger, but then realized that he wasn’t wearing them.

“Is that the conclusion you made after listening to my advice?”

“I’ve a whole list here of sentences with ‘I told you so’ that you’ve made! You told me before that there’s a special relations.h.i.+p between us, and you also said that you had the ability to aid a powerful king. And before that I….because something unknown sparked off my own powers, I felt that depending on a power I’m unable to control is something very dangerous. But now I know, if I use that to win the compet.i.tion…we could use our powers together….” (Yuuri)

“No!” (Murata)

Murata was shaking his head vehemently and cutting me off.

“That’d be too dangerous, even if the snow can lessen your nausea, this is human land after all, and moreover the shrine is just next door! No one can predict what could happen next! I can’t let you put yourself in danger like this….since you’re determined to partic.i.p.ate, I won’t stop you. That’s what you want me to say, isn’t it? You’re actually wis.h.i.+ng that I’d say ‘I knew you’d do this’ in place of someone else.”

“Mm, then do what you’ve mentioned.”

I rolled my neck around a few times to release the tension in my muscles. I had to practice swinging this new bat a few times before actually using it. I couldn’t quite understand why Murata was so worried, as my condition had improved a lot since. It seems that the G.o.ds in other kingdoms didn’t have that big an effect on me.

My friend was scratching his wet hair, which had darkened in color due to moisture; I never thought he would look so worried.

“Argh, I don’t want to say anymore. I never thought that things would turn out this way…s.h.i.+buya, please, just don’t get hurt. I’ll teach you a secret move! Listen carefully, if you’re in any danger you should attack the weak spot of your opponent. Do you know where that is?”

I’d unconsciously pressed against that spot in question. Of course I knew the weak spot of every male in the world, but to ask me to kick my opponent down there…..this reminded me of the time a stray ball had hit me there, so I pressed my hips tighter together. To think that a ball could get past all those protective gear, just thinking about it made me break out in a cold sweat.

“Promise me, don’t pity the opponent no matter what. If you sense anything wrong, protect yourself at all costs.”

“Murata, do you need to go into such details? You seem to be very clear about who our opponents would send out or the powers they would have. Don’t tell me they, like us, placed their weakest link at the very last….”

The whole arena was resounding with the cheers and feet-stamping of the audience. It seems that the third representative of Dai s.h.i.+maron had prepared himself. The vibrations resulting from their stamping resembled that of an earthquake, it felt a bit like the first time the powers from that box had been released.

Tension, uneasiness and a longing for justice were making my stomach hurt.

“According to what you said…”

Cecilia von Spitzberg, Flynn Gilbert, Captain Saismoya and Dakaskos were holding a conference. Hewbert was tossing the trussed up Maxine outside, while Stefan Fanberlain was waiting just outside the door. He was a businessman from s.h.i.+maron after all, so they couldn’t let him overhear their plan to get the box back.

“So ‘The Ends of the Wind’ is in this shrine of Dai s.h.i.+maron?”

Everything was news to Lady Celi, who had left her own country for quite some time. Flynn, Dakaskos and Saismoya had given her detailed reports about everything that had happened since then, except for what had happened with Weller kyo. It was because informing her about the death of her son wasn’t their duty, and since the third son His Excellency Wolfram was just downstairs, it would be far better for a member of the family to tell her.

Also, they didn’t tell her about s.h.i.+maron mistaking his arm as the key to the box and thus causing the destruction of Caloria. The cute ex Maou who didn’t resemble her actual age in the least was wrinkling her beautiful eyebrows slightly while saying, “Then, His Majesty….to Flynn he’s the colonel, isn’t he? He entered the World’s Best Fighter Tournament to get the box back, didn’t he? But His Highness asked you to subst.i.tute the real box with this counterfeit before the compet.i.tion ended…why? Don’t tell me he thinks they couldn’t win…..”

Cecilia had c.o.c.ked her head to one side in bafflement, with her index finger pressed lightly against her slightly parted lips, then she exclaimed in an elegant ladylike voice, “No, wait a minute. You said His Highness?! Why is the double black Daikenja mentioned in your conversation? Logically no one could have seen him before? This reminds me, even his location…I say Dakaskos, are the hair and eyes of His Highness both black? Is he as beautiful as he appeared in his portrait?”

To a lower ranked soldier, being gripped at the shoulders and shaken by a beautiful woman was something that caused extreme confusion.

“No, no, no, no, his hair is of a strange golden shade, and his eyes are a strange blue.”

“What…? How could that be? How could you say something that destroys the fantasy of so many young girls?”

“But, but, but His Highness really looks like that.”

“Um…anyway my Lady you’ll be able to meet with Mr. Kelujin after the compet.i.tion…..now the main thing is to get the box back, we need your wisdom and strength for that….” (Flynn)

The calmest one in this situation was Flynn. But that was also because she had no inkling about the scary consequences if the Maou and Daikenja got together (and combined their powers).

“But Flynn, I’m not that familiar with the layout of this shrine, so I might not be able to locate the box for you, and anyway you can’t force a woman to use her delicate arms to battle with the soldiers, right?”

An image rose simultaneously in the minds of the three people listening: that was (the image of) Maxine who had been beaten to the ground by the fury of the whip, he had come to such a pitiful ending. Just when everyone was still drifting within that terrible memory, Lady Celi suggested something completely unexpected.

“If n.o.body objects, we could ask Fanfan. I think he’d definitely help.”

Everyone responded with an “Aah..?!” which sounded like the roaring sea.

The two Mazoku were wondering if Lady Celi had been driven crazy by love, while Flynn looked helplessly at everyone in turn without any idea what to say next. Cecilia approached the window and led her young lover over.

“I say Fanfan, can you please help us? I believe you’ll help me, won’t you?”

“Changing the box… ‘The Ends of the Wind’ with a counterfeit is it? That’s such a bold plan.”

Now everything’s ended, there was no hope left, the bold plan had been unveiled right in front of a citizen of s.h.i.+maron, it seems that there wasn’t any need for any further plans. If he alerted the guards now, everyone would be evicted from the shrine. All three prepared themselves for the worst. It seemed that there would be no alternative but to abandon this task and escape while they could. Saismoya made this decision for everyone else since he was the oldest amongst the three…..

“Alright.”

“Retreat! Lady Flynn, Dakaskos, we’ll retreat….what did you say…?”

The elegant and gentle man shrugged lightly and revealed a smile that implied ‘There’s no help for it’.

“Since my irreplaceable beloved made this request, I can’t deny her this.”

Ah?

“Please don’t weep with those beautiful eyes of yours, your wish is my command.” What?!

“My beautiful Cecilia, please don’t cry. Fulfilling your every wish is my pleasure.”

What the…?!

All three of them were almost bowing over with shock upon hearing this. They were completely inexperienced in matters of love, and hence were stunned into silence upon learning his unexpected development. Saismoya was scratching his right hand and muttering, ‘But Lord Fanfan, you’re a businessman from s.h.i.+maron, aren’t you? Doesn’t helping us do something harmful to s.h.i.+maron make you a traitor to your own country?”

Stefan Fanberlain gave a warm smile and said something any person in the army would never dream of saying.

“If this country possessed the most powerful weapon in existence, and hence were able to take control over the whole world….. then our existence would become utterly meaningless. Listen, I’m a born businessman. Swords, s.h.i.+elds, bows, arrows, steel, iron, they’re all items I sell, and if possible, I’d hope to deal in business with multiple countries, and not just one single country. Alright, let’s move, everyone! I might be able to help with locating the place we’re headed to and overpowering some of the guards, but if it comes to battling with weapons, I’ll have to hand it to you all.”

This type of man, from a certain perspective, was the most dangerous one of all. But they would have to believe in his spirit of business and cooperate with him for now. If the plan worked, maybe everyone might believe in free love as well!

“We can get Hewbert to go with us, he should come back any time now…. But Flynn, you can’t go.”

Cecilia beckoned towards Flynn Gilbert, who had been preparing to leave with the group of men.

“Rest here for a while, I can see that you’re exhausted, moreover you haven’t recovered from your injury, so you should just stay and watch the compet.i.tion with me! It’s great to be accompanied by a female friend.”

After seeing off the men who were headed to the inner sanctum of the shrine, Cecilia and Flynn locked the doors of the VIP room. The ex queen sat on the long couch near the window and sipped elegantly at her wine. Since Flynn had less experience like this, she looked rather ill at ease.

“Are you worried about Fanfan?”

“No, my Lady. It’s not that…. It’s…. I don’t suspect your lover….”

“Oh! It’s alright, just call me Cecilia.”

She placed her fair and delicate hand lightly on Flynn’s tightly clenched fists which she had placed on her knees.

“Flynn, believe me, there won’t be any problem with him, he’s a born businessman, I can guarantee that what he just said weren’t any lies. Stefan has always adhered to his own principles when dealing in matters. He’d choose to stay true to his own family when faced with the decision of choosing between his family and his country. But I’m different.”

Her gaze had s.h.i.+fted to the exterior of the gla.s.s window, what Cecilia was saying now wasn’t directed to anyone in particular, but rather was what had been hidden in her heart for a long time.

“….I’ll never ever do anything that might harm my country again…..never….”

The falling snow was gradually increasing the region of white outside. The compet.i.tors and judges in the arena could no longer be seen clearly. However, the beauty from the Mazoku tribe had resumed her light tone and tossed her golden hair back, “By the way, Flynn, do you have a lover? How many times have you been married?”

….but marriage isn’t something that happens when you want it to.

“…I’ve been married once before, but my husband left before me.”

“Oh G.o.d! Then you should find yourself a new lover! What about my Hewbert? Although he doesn’t speak much, he’s very alert, and he’s also extremely capable! Oh, or maybe you already have someone else you like? Tell me, what’s that person like? Older than you? Actually someone younger is also very cute, I’d like to greatly stress this point to you!”

“No, I’m already……married to Caloria.”

The name she had denied once before echoed in her ears, but Flynn managed to give a self deprecating smile. This had all been for the sake of her beloved land, for her husband and that world she loved so much.

“Really? You’re so n.o.ble, you’re able to resist temptation. A woman living for her country is the most beautiful.”

Cecilia von Spitzberg kyo raised her wine gla.s.s to the height of her chest, then stopped.

“By the way, Flynn, I too was the leader of a country before this!”

“Huh….”

After learning of the high rank of the person before her, Flynn jumped up from her chair.

“Ah ~ it doesn’t matter. Didn’t I tell you, I’m now just a hunter for free love. I now understand perfectly what kind of a person I am. But at that time I hadn’t understood myself well enough. I think I’m not suited for politics, nor did I want to rule or govern over a country, so I left everything to my brother. But my brother Stoffel is different from me, he has large plans for ruling, but…..”

A drop of red liquid spilled from her tilted wine gla.s.s onto her lap.

“But now I regret what I did….you must remember what I said.”

Cecilia gripped Flynn’s hands firmly in hers. The two had been born in different lands, were of different races, and had completely different experiences in life, even their age differed greatly, yet through the touch of their skin, they could find points of similarity in each other’s blood. They were two women who had governed over their respective countries for a period within the long history of their world.

“No matter whether it was because of our bloodlines, the will of the people or predictions, fate made us accept these positions of power. It doesn’t matter what reason you became king….or regent of the people, there’s always a logic behind it. It’ll be wrong of you to forget this and give up your power to others to take over for you. Flynn, remember this, the reason for accepting this power lies deep within yourself, you must find it on your own, then protect your country at the risk of your own life.”

“…I know.”

“You should never do what I did…ah ~ but for a change of topic, it won’t be too bad to be a regent of many loves, would it?”

That moment of soul-searching revelation was drawn to a close by her tone that sounded so much like that of a teenage girl. Cecilia pressed both hands against the gla.s.s window and with her forehead pressed against it, gazed downwards.

“There are so many men down there, there must be someone suitable for you! Why don’t you try finding a reserve lover for yourself before the compet.i.tion resumes?”

“No, Lady Cecilia, I can’t!”

“It’s alright! Although I seem like a busybody, please still accept my good intentions….. darn, this is no fun! I can’t even make out their features clearly from this height….oh right!”

Cecilia opened the luggage belonging to her companions and took out a palm-sized cylinder. Unfolding it to it’s full length revealed it as a delicately made silver telescope.

“I forgot I had this. This is the maryuku generated telescope which my friend Anissina made for me! See, since it has a maryuku element added to it, you can enjoy the view of any place all you like, plus it’s got the night view feature, so you can see even your subject’s eyelashes in any dark environment! This comes in handy for observing men secretly, but it should be useful for watching the World’s Best Tournament as well.”

“Observing…men?”

“Wait, let me see…why is Heika wearing that strange mask? This ruins his cute face….”

Flynn wasn’t feeling angry even though the mask her husband had left behind was being described as ‘strange’.

Flynn grabbed the telescope and looked at the darkened resting area for Dai s.h.i.+maron.

“I was so shocked just now when I saw Wolfram, then the second representative for the other side turned out to be Adalbert, this is so surprising. I never imagined that I would get to see other Mazoku in my travels around the world…ah!” (Cecilia)

“What is it?”

The lady beside her seemed suddenly frozen. She seemed tongue-tied and her speech became unclear, she was trembling so much that no one could have made out what she was saying.

“How could this happen….s.h.i.+nou Heika, you….”

How many trials do you have to make this child go through?

My optimism had vanished due to the shock of the moment.

The glint of a sword could be seen from the darkness of the far-off Dai s.h.i.+maron resting area, then the outline of a tall man could be seen getting to his feet. Under the illumination of the torches, the brown hair typical of the people of s.h.i.+maron could be seen, and also half of his face. Although I couldn’t be sure because of the distance, his eyes should be the light brown typical of most the people in this land.

But…we were so astounded by the scene in front if us that we almost forgot to breathe.

“…Conrad..?”

Conrad Weller kyo’s left foot stepped onto the snowy ground.

“Darn!”

My knees were shaking so hard, it felt as if my feet were slowly sinking into the muddy ground. I uttered a meaningless cry and stamped onto the unstable ground. Maybe because I was finding difficulty breathing, I tossed the mask to one side and rushed forward, then realized that I wasn’t stuck in the muddy ground, but was instead stuck in the thick snow. Murata was calling out my name from behind, and Wolfram, who was unable to move about much, was rising from his seat on the bench, commanding Jozak to take action. I didn’t know that my vision could be like a video camera that had a full (360 degree) view, I could see everything behind me so clearly.

Darn, I had been so worried!

I was running while clenching my right fist, thinking that I should first give him a punch before anything else. I was nearly there, he was right in front of me. I swung my right hand with all my might and took one final step forward.

“Waah..!”

Although Weller kyo hadn’t budged an inch, my vision suddenly became a blur of grey, it was then that I realized that I had slipped on the dirty snowy ground. I had fallen down, how could I fall down at a moment like this?!

“It’s been quite a while, Heika….are you alright?”

Conrad, who was smiling a familiar smile, took off the glove from his hand that wasn’t wielding his sword, but it wasn’t the one he usually used. I gripped his offered hand without hesitation and got to my feet unsteadily. His palm was warm although his knees and chest were all soaked through.

“…so you’re still alive.”

“Yes, I’m still alive.”

Jozak, who had run through icy cold water to approach us, had stopped at a distance away. I could see him gripping his axe tightly in his hand and was puzzled. Why was he holding his weapon?

This is Weller kyo! You know him too, don’t you? This is Conrad.

His eyebrow still had that old injury, and that silvery shade typical of him surrounding him; that always calm, kindly smile he would give everyone. I hadn’t called out his name, but my eye had fallen on my hand which he was holding. That was the hand which had held mine in the past, the familiar fingers, and his left hand which he had clumsily worn the baseball glove.

“…you still have your left hand?!”

“It’s still here! But it’s really a pity…this arm isn’t the one that’s held you in the past. However both my legs are intact, do you want to make sure?”

“Why? How can this be? Then this means that Maxine got hold of someone else’s arm? Or was that a fake?”

I see, that was just an arm that looked like his. But this wasn’t possible, that really had been his arm!

“Heika!”

I’d never heard Jozak speak with such urgency before.

“Please back away from him!”

“Why? Jozak, Conrad’s still alive! You should be more honest and express how you feel inside…”

“Listen Heika, please back away from him. He’s the third one.”

“The third one, what….”

“Look at the clothes he’s wearing. Please leave, he’s the third compet.i.tor!”

Weller kyo’s clothes were of a color very incompatible with him. That was a yellow and white striped uniform that wasn’t suitable for camouflage in the wilderness, and I had hated that striking color before arriving here.

That was the uniform of the s.h.i.+maron soldiers.

“How could you wear this?!”

Blood was rising to the top of my head, causing my temples to throb quickly, throbbing so fast I was getting a headache.

“How could you wear these clothes?! Why is this happening…why’re you in s.h.i.+maron…”

Weller kyo, who I had grabbed by the collar, was answering nonchalantly, “This has been my land all along.”

My fingers felt as if they had been frozen by ice.

The close Mazoku ally who had the bloodline of a human king flicked the snow off my cheek with his left hand.