The dark night where the howling of beast could be heard.

The silhouettes of two people were standing in a deserted house at the outskirts where there wasn"t any sign of life.

One person was a tall and lean man wearing a luxurious overcoat.

The other one was a silver haired young girl with slender body build.

「……That is the words from the first imperial princess. She ask if we can receive your a.s.sistance in that occasion.」

Toward the tall man who informed so──Fugil, the girl showed a slightly forbidding look.

「I understand the situation. But, there is one thing that I want to ask. Why did you lend a hand to that new kingdom man──, to Dilwy Froias. Listelka-neesama"s instruction shouldn"t include that.」

The girl asked to press further at the man before her.

But, even then Fugil"s fearless smile was still unchanging.

「That is a misunderstanding. I was merely choosing that man as a method in order to instill the threat of Dragon Marauder and the Ruins into the countries. Everything is the groundwork for what is to come.」

「……I get it, stand back.」

After hearing the girl"s sigh, Fugil straightened the collar of his overcoat and bowed.

「Then please be careful, your highness Aeril the second imperial princess. Until that day where the dearest wish of us the empire and all the XferKey’s Supervisor ──the path to reach AvalonGreat Sanctuary is realized.」

The man only left those words behind before leaving without any sound.

Fugil……, that man who was an irregularheretic of a special case even among the imperial family had been their ally consistently since far in the past.

But regardless of that, when the girl was in Fugil"s presence, she would raise her voice against her better judgment.

Her big sister Listelka was giving him her utmost trust, but she was unable to accept that instinctively.

No matter what she felt unpleasant feeling with the way that man was looking at her and other people.

It wasn"t a gaze that was looking down on other.

Even though it wasn"t an apathetic gaze, it was a bizarre gaze that she couldn"t feel even the slightest fixation in it.

It felt like that gaze was appraising human as a guinea pig──no, it felt like those eyes weren"t even considering human as living thing.

That dark eye glint that felt like it was observing some kind of object or even numerical formula was spurring on the girl"s unease.

「As I thought, I have to disclose the truth……. I──」 (TN: Here the girl use "boku" instead of the more feminine "watas.h.i.+" to refer herself)

The girl only whispered that in the end before vanis.h.i.+ng into the dark night.

「Fuaaah……!」

At the new kingdom"s Cross FieldFort City, at the first block"s AcademyRoyal Officer Academy.

Inside the Drag-Ride atelierworkshop located at that vast ground, Lizsharte stretched herself in a big way.

「……Hmm. In the end I fell asleep here again.」

She rubbed her half-asleep eyes while brus.h.i.+ng away the blanket that was put on her body. She s.h.i.+vered slightly after the blanket was removed.

The morning of autumn where the leaves were also starting to change color felt slightly chilly on the skin.

「Just a bit more until it"s finished huh. I thought that it would make it in time for the campus festival but──」

Lisha was going to the atelier for developing new technology of Drag-Ride.

The incident that happened at the cla.s.s promotion examination that was taking place at Wanheim Princ.i.p.ality the other day.

The appearance rate of Abyss was increasing and the Ruins became harder to conquer, and the rise of the warmonger that was called as Dragon Marauder.

While everyone was also becoming stronger to oppose those, Lisha was also putting her zeal into her research.

From that she was so immersed into it that she felt asleep here unintentionally.

On the central work stand, there were disa.s.sembled parts and written blueprints scattered everywhere.

「──Wait, d.a.m.n it!? It"s already this kind of time!?」

After being in a daze for a while, Lisha saw the clock placed inside the room and panicked.

Today should be a holiday, but by this time Lux would be already starting to do his morning ch.o.r.es.

「No good! If I don"t do something about this appearance quickly──!?」

She took off her work gown in a feverish haste with fl.u.s.ter, then she fixed her disarrayed uniform"s blouse and skirt.

Then she washed her face and retied her prided side tail before she patted down her chest in relieve.

Since Lux became Lisha"s knight, he became worried for Lisha who was sleeping overnight at the atelier and he would come once every late at night and early morning in order to check on her.

She felt really happy of him doing that, but she was a bit troubled that he could see her exhausted and slovenly appearance.

If possible she wanted Lux to think of her as cute when he saw her.

「Ah, today is scheduled for the 『operation』 huh.」

Lisha suddenly recalled and she boiled water in the serving room deep inside the atelier.

Lisha was secretly planning that she would treat Lux who came to visit her in between his always busy ch.o.r.es with tea, at least when it was holiday.

『Even though Lisha-sama is also busy, but to go so far to do something like this for me──I"m happy.』

「No well, it"s not that big of deal. Once in a while even I need to show my feminine side.」

Lisha did a rehearsal while imagining Lux"s grateful reaction.

Furthermore this time Lisha was thinking that she would make a request to him.

It was a plan to go incognito for a preliminary inspection at a city within the territory where she would be going for inspection in her official business as a princess.

If it went well, then perhaps she could hold hand with him once more. She would be happy if she could.

「Yos.h.!.+ With this I"m ready anytime you will come, my knight!」

Saying that Lisha folded her arms and waited with a proud smile.

……But, for some reason it was only today that there wasn"t any sign at all that he was coming.

「Strange huh? That guy"s activity rhythm should be far more exact then me though──」

After tilting her head in puzzlement and waiting further, a sound came from outside the door.

「……? Is there, someone?」

Lisha became curious and opened the atelier"s door, but there was no one outside.

But, a cup of tea that appeared to be boiled in the dining hall was put on a black tray on the ground.

「──Is this, from Lux?」

Lisha talked to herself, but naturally there was no reply.

「Good grief, what a hasty guy. Even though he can at least accompany me for morning tea……」

Her lips pouted slightly, even so he brought the cup into her mouth.

But, the moment she took a sip, something strange occurred.

「……wait, it"s bad-!? What is this!?」

Looking closer, inside the tea there were a lot of tea leaves directly inside, floating up. In short it wasn"t filtered.

「Who! Who is the guy that did this kind of misleading thing!?」

Lisha was convinced that it wasn"t Lux who brought this here.

It felt like she was doubly faulted, including from how she was made to drink this bad tea.

「Can"t be helped. Today I"ll be the one who goes to meet him then.」

Lisha grumbled like that, then she started moving in order to search for Lux.

「──Nii-san"s location, is it?」

Lisha who rushed out of the atelier first visited the shared room of Airi and Noct in the girl dormitory.

「Right. Lux who usually always came didn"t show his face to me. That"s why, it"s, I"m curious, just for a bit……」

Lisha spoke a bit embarra.s.sedly.

Airi and Noct who saw that started whispering with low voice.

「She is infatuated with Nii-san a lot isn"t she? For her to expressly search for Nii-san like this just because he didn"t come like usual」

「Yes. But, compared to when she was immersing herself entirely in developing Drag-Ride, I think this is a far healthier thinking.」

「E, enough with that, just tell me! Where is Lux right now!?」

「Unfortunately, I also don"t know about that.」

Airi seriously answered the question of the red faced Lisha.

「The ch.o.r.es schedule of Nii-san is too complex, it"s at the level that even Tillfur-san who is compiling the requests don"t understand where Nii-san"s location is.」

「I, I see. ……Got it, I"ll try asking someone else.」

After Lisha left, Airi let out a sigh.

Then Noct softly brought her lips closer to Airi"s ear.

「Is it okay Airi? You didn"t tell about that matter to Lisha-sama.」

「It"s fine. It"s not like it"s something related. Usually Nii-san"s figure can be seen from this room"s window, but today I didn"t see him by chance, telling her such thing is──」

Airi spoke brusquely.

Yes. Just like Lisha, even Airi was harboring the same uncomfortable feeling from this morning.

But, it was embarra.s.sing to tell other people that usually she would look around from her room"s window to search for the figure of her big brother doing ch.o.r.es around the girl"s dormitory, so she couldn"t say it.

Especially because at the incident the other day, there was the particular where she fawned on him after so long, which made it felt even more embarra.s.sing.

「Airi is also going through troubles. In various meaning.」

「Ple, please don"t say strange thing right from the morning!」

When Noct who was usually staying cool said such thing smilingly, Airi raised her voice fl.u.s.teredly.

「However, certainly I"m just a bit concerned. About Nii-san.」

The beginning of the usual calm ordinary day.

But, Airi was feeling an atmosphere that was vaguely different from usual.

「I think the possibility is low but……」

Lisha who left the shared room of Airi and Noct was heading directly to Lux"s room this time.

Lux shouldn"t be there if he was doing his morning ch.o.r.es, but she knocked on the door just in case.

Lisha could hear a quiet sleeper"s breathing in place of voice, so Lisha entered inside while feeling puzzled──but,

「Lux, are you there? ──Eh?」

Lux"s figure wasn"t inside. Philuffy was sleeping on his bed instead.

「Munyaa……. Lu, chan.」

Instantly, *piki-* Lisha was petrified on the spot.

She ran her gaze around looking whether Lux was on the bed or not, then she went outside to check the name tag of the room, after that she leaped at Philuffy.

「Oi! What are you doing there airhead girl!? Where did Lux go!?」

「Nn, nn……」

When Lisha shook Philuffy"s body roughly to left and right, the swelling of her chest that was heavily laden with those fruits also shook greatly following the shaking.

Lisha also belonged in the categorization of the have for her small body, but as expected that impressive presence Philuffy had was overpowering.

「Fua……. Good morning, princess……. Is there, something?」

「That"s my line here! Where is Lux!?」

From Philuffy"s thin sleepwear, the line of well-fleshed voluptuous body could be seen clearly, and coupled with that childish and pure expression, she looked really arousing.

When Lisha thought of what would happen if Lux saw that figure which would make even the heart of the same s.e.x to skip a beat, she became very concerned.

「Lu, chan……? We were together, until we slept yesterday, but……」

「Sle, sleeping together you say-!? Wh, wh-wh-wh-why did you do such thing-!? N, no, more importantly──」

That meant, Lux was definitely in the girl"s dormitory until last night.

She was concerned about the case of Lux and Philuffy sleeping together, but she also felt the same that he was suddenly disappearing from view.

「s.h.i.+t-! I"m going to ask about this later for sure, Lux!」

Lisha"s cheeks were slightly reddening while she moved to the next place to search for Lux.

Even though this was a holiday that rarely came, a lot of her acquaintances were still going through the day at their own pace.

When Lisha headed toward the Drag-Ride practice ground, she accidentally saw the figure of Celis wiping her sweat while changing from the window of the waiting room.

「Fuu, as expected sweat flowing from training is a good thing. It will be even worth doing if Lux also showed up but──」

Because she could hear such monologue from across the wall, Lisha"s hand that almost knocked the door stopped.

Lisha came searching here because sometimes Lux accompanied Celis in her morning training, but

(……She is talking, does that mean someone else is there?)

Celistia Ralgris, the strongest in the Academy, and the captain of SyvallesKnight Order.

She who possessed dignified look and grace befitting someone from the four great n.o.bles was famous as 『man-hater』, but for the first time she recognized Lux who was the only male in the Academy, causing the Academy to be greatly stirred.

In addition the other day, she had just gotten settled as the aide of Lux who was appointed toward Seven Dragon Paladins, the group of Drag-Knights that each represented their respective country.

In that kind of meaning, she was similar with Lisha based on their position, a girl that was close with Lux from relations.h.i.+p of their official position.

(We, well, until the end it seems that Celis only think of Lux as a man who is her junior anyway……)

Lisha whispered in her heart to calm herself, but,

「──But I"m happy. For him to expressly deliver a drink for me」

「Wha-……!?」

Lisha twitched in reaction at Celis"s muttering that sounded deeply impressed.

Even though she completely thought that the tea was only placed for her at her atelier in the morning, and yet……!

(No, more importantly, she said that a drink is delivered to her, that means the one inside the waiting room right now is──)

「Thinking back, everyone who was training with me would go to rest earlier than me, so I never had someone being considerate to me……, n, no. I am the captain, so I"m in the position that has to pay attention to everyone else instead but──」

Hearing Celis"s delighted tone that was different from her usual atmosphere caused Lisha to be fl.u.s.tered.

「Lux is younger than me, and yet he is also being considerate to me who is like that. Next time as my grat.i.tude by all means I──」

「──What are you doing, the two of you!」

Lisha who couldn"t endure anymore opened the door hard in panic.

「Kyah……!?」

「……Eh?」

Inside, Celis who was in her underwear appearance yelled in surprise, while LIsha tilted her head in puzzlement.

Even though she thought Celis was talking with Lux from her tone, and yet inside the room there wasn"t any sign of other person.

Just, on the chair in front of Celis, a small bear plushy was placed to sit.

「Wha, what business od you have Lizsharte!? I, it"s not like I"m doing anything. Tha, that"s, something like consulting a plushy, because I don"t have a talking partner, such thing doesn"t happen in any way here!」

「……Well, doesn"t matter. By the way, did Lux come here?」

When Lisha asked with a look as though she had something terribly disappointing, Celis adjusted her breathing in hurry.

「Ye, yes. It seemed that some time ago he came to take a look here, and he left a letter and a drink behind. Though I didn"t see his figure directly.」

「So it"s the same like with me, huh……」

There was nothing that was obviously strange, but as expected it felt strange.

Considering Lux"s personality, as long as there was nothing really pressing, he should at least show up his face.

「But, certainly it"s strange. Before I found this letter, I felt the presence of someone.」

「What……?」

The moment Lisha showed a dubious face, *rustle* a slight sound could be heard from the thicket.

「-……!? Are you there Lux!?」

Lisha reflexively yelled at the direction from where the sound came, but there was no reply.

「Eei! After coming this far, I"m not going to stop until I see your face!」

「Ple, please wait Lizsharte! I"ll also come with you to search!」

When Lisha started das.h.i.+ng toward the school building, Celis who had changed also followed her.

It was now time for breakfast, while the figures of students in uniform were starting to walk inside the school ground here and there, their search continued.

Library, the girl dormitory"s surrounding, behind the school building, the storage room, etc, they continuously went around at the places where Lux might be at doing ch.o.r.es, but for some reason Lux wasn"t at any of those places although there were signs of work.

Even so after they continued to keep walking, they came across two people walking around the academy"s ground in the morning just like them.

They were Sharis and Tillfur of Triad, the famous trio of the Academy.

「Oh, good morning princess.」

「Gooood morning Lisha-sama. Today you are really early aren"t you.」

「……You two, what are you doing since the morning?」

They were walking to the same direction perhaps coincidently. Lisha asked them while walking side by side.

「No, we are looking for someone who seem to be Lux-chi but──somehow we cannot find him.」

「What does that mean?」

Celis asked in curiosity, to which Sharis who was at the same grade with her nodded calmly.

「We noticed when we were doing our morning patrol see. Limited to this morning, the quality of Lux-kun"s ch.o.r.es is strangely coa.r.s.e. There together with Tillfur I was chasing him following after his schedule today but──」

「A, and then, where do you think Lux is?」

「He must be cleaning the parlor. If he is following the usual order, then the possibility should be high──」

Tillfur looked at the memo on her hand while answering Lisha"s question.

「……Yosh, then we are going to absolutely find him!」

Like that the four entered the school building. There a single girl was standing in front of the parlor.

「Eh? Philuffy?」

Tillfur"s voice caused the absentminded girl before them to turn her gaze toward them.

「……Morning, everyone.」

Philuffy was holding the doork.n.o.b. It seemed that she was just about to enter the parlor.

「Wai-!? Why are you here huh! Today is holiday right!?」

「I received snacks from the dining hall, so I"m thinking to eat it together with Lu-chan.」

From behind Philuffy who was replying like that with her usual expressionless look, even Airi and Noct arrived there.

「Oh, is Airi-chan also looking for your big brother? Also even Noct too.」

Noct who also belonged to Triad nodded to Sharis"s question.

「Yes. Airi said that she want to see Lux-san"s face no matter what, so I"m helping a little.」

「Please don"t say it strangely! That"s, I only have something that I want to ask Nii-san for a bit!」

「So in the end everyone is looking for Lux-chi? Even though today is holiday.」

An indescribable silence was spreading from Tillfur"s words.

Lisha, Philuffy, Celis, Airi, and then the trio of Triad.

All these girls whose grades were scattered all over a.s.sembled together looking for Lux.

「We, well fine! Right now this is the priority. Are you there!? Lux──……-!?」

Right after Lisha opened the door of the parlor, she spontaneously lost her words from shock.

Light s.h.i.+ned in from the gap of the closed curtain into the dim room.

At the inside that was decorated with extravagant red carpet and high cla.s.s furniture, a lone girl was standing.

「──My? So I"m found out already.」

A black haired girl wearing the Academy"s uniform, with a katana shaped Sword Device hanging on her waist.

The girl was a Drag-Knight who was once called as the Empire"s a.s.sa.s.sin Blade in Arcadia Empire, and currently she recognized Lux as her master and became his servant.

Only recently she came under the jurisdiction of the Academy as a newly admitted student. Kirihime Yoruka, was standing there.

「Wha-!? Why are you here!? Don"t tell me, the one doing the ch.o.r.es today is──」

「Yes. It"s me.」

Yoruka"s face broke out into a bright smile in respond to Lisha"s question and she replied immediately.

Everyone who saw that stiffened in bewilderment.

「What is the meaning of this? Why are you doing such misleading──」

When Celis asked that, Yoruka chuckled and presented a letter before her eyes.

「It"s because that"s my role.」

「This is──, Lux"s!?」

Lisha s.n.a.t.c.hed the letter as though plundering it and she hurriedly read the written letters.

At the same time, Yoruka also talked about the letter"s content.

「Since last night, Aruji-sama headed outside the country for a certain task to do. Although──his departure was earlier by one day than the original schedule.」

「EEEEEH!?」

Tillfur spontaneously raised a shocked voice.

When she looked to Airi at the side in hurry, the girl shook her head left and right.

「I also haven"t heard about it, such thing……」

「I was ordered to do today"s ch.o.r.es in Aruji-sama"s place, and at the end I am to tell about this matter to all of you. And with that, my duty is concluded.」 (TN: A trivia, Yoruka"s talking in the raw often ended with "desuwa", it"s a word that is often used by high cla.s.s elegant lady character, I think)

「Wa, wait a bit. I don"t see Krulcifer"s figure since some time ago, don"t tell me──」

When Lisha looked around inside the room restlessly, Yoruka responded with a carefree smiling face.

「Yes. Just last night, Aruji-sama embarked to Ymir Theocracy with Krulcifer-san. Just the two of them.」

Everyone there other than Yoruka had their mouth gaping open while their body stiffened.

「EEEeeEEEEH!?」