I'd made up my mind about what I was going to do from now on.
I was organizing the special equipment Ixion had brought from my room on the cruise ship.
He had gone to search the girls' rooms for evidence about what Liam had said, for when all this was over.
I'd brought a few rifles and ammunition to that island in case there were hidden magic beasts or ancient human technology that these people didn't need to find.
He was right after all. It wasn't just my paranoia.
Because out there was a huge number of airplanes, and combat ones at that.
But they seem old compared to the ones from when I was alive.
These had a propeller in front. I vaguely remember from war games where such old planes appeared. It was a fight between some guys who wanted to dominate an entire continent under their flag with a leader with a brush-like mustache—exactly like the coconut-head.
My head spins trying to remember. Let's end this here and go to the surface.
I walked with heavy footsteps—not because I was angry, but because of the special boots I was wearing. They weren't normal boots but special ones that came with a unique suit I was also wearing.
The clothes were similar to what hazardous waste maintenance men wear. It had shoulder pads, elbow pads, and knee pads for greater flexibility and damage if someone grabbed me.
The color was mustard green. It looks in very bad taste, but it was to camouflage myself on that island so no one would notice me if they saw me.
I heard voices of people in a room. I brought my ear close to hear what they were saying.
"Is there no way to contact the kingdom?"
"The communication devices were destroyed; there's no way to call for help!"
"The bomb will explode in a few minutes!"
It was at that sentence that I kicked the door down hard to enter.
All present were sailors like the captain, teachers, and students in white uniforms who must be the ones with the highest status.
One of them, with purple hair, saw me and said, "Bradford, what are you doing he—"
I didn't let him finish because I shot him to shut him up.
Everyone was scared and watched as the idiot who hit me before fell.
I calmed them down in a composed manner.
"Shut your mouths, idiots. He's alive. I used a blank round, so only his stomach will be swollen for a while."
I had a blank bullet because I wanted to do that to someone.
Let's continue.
"I want you to gather everyone—both students and cruise ship employees."
◇
The sailors didn't want to listen to me, so I got tough, and after a while of waiting, everyone was finally on the upper deck of the cruise ship.
We were outside to ensure what I said would carry more weight with them.
For some reason, Liam saw me and got happy and was now by my side, ready for whatever I was going to say.
I'm not one for motivational speeches, so I'll say what's most necessary in this situation.
"Listen up, you pieces of trash. Your lives don't mean a damn thing to me. Whether you live or die is not my problem."
Just as I expected, they're furious. Let's annoy them more.
"This is called karma! You allowed that girl to be taken hostage for you. Now, for wanting to save your own skins, you're going to die!"
Their faces were red with anger or shame. Let's level up.
"As the only one who tried to defend her, I can say you're trash—no! You're scum!"
Their looks gave me murderous intuitions. Let's finish my motivational speech.
"I have the right to escape from here and leave you dying here! I can and want to do it, but I no longer have time to escape. So I decided not only to save her but also you. It disgusts me just thinking about it."
I spat on the floor to demonstrate how bad the idea of saving them represented to me.
"I have proof of my magnificence!!"
I took out a part of the bomb from my pocket, and everyone was surprised at that.
I threw it in their direction for them to examine.
"It's real!"
"Not even the smartest here could do it!"
"Did this guy do it alone?"
They kept examining it. Let's move to the other topic.
I took out a letter from my other pocket. Some girls looked in my direction and got scared upon seeing the letter's seal.
"You already know there's a mole among us. I've already found them, so don't worry. You'll come out of here alive, but after returning and when Archduke Bismarck finds out, you'll wish you were dead—both you and your families."
No matter the world or era, betrayal is unforgivable.
"Wait!" a girl shouted to tell me, "You entered a girl's room? You're the worst." The voices of the girls, whether accomplices or not, echoed the same.
I made my best smile to tell them, "So?" Also, "Got a problem with that?" They fell silent in astonishment.
"Whatever deal you made brought us to this situation. You should be grateful that after returning home, you end up as slaves to some charming old man and not on the gallows."
"Right now, I'm a Baron, and you are of higher rank than me, but at the same time, I'm the only one with the rank of knight, unlike you. So, in the absence of any higher military status authority, I proclaim myself the commander of this place!"
The voices of everyone shouted at my proclamation.
They're dumbasses, but they should understand that listening to me is the only solution for everyone to get out alive, but their stupidity prevents them from seeing something as simple as that.
Their idiot voices echoed in the place.
"Don't fuck with me, damn it!"
"Who would want you to be the boss!?"
"I'm the son of a Margrave; I have more authority than many here!"
"The prince should be in charge."
I was about to calm them down when someone else did.
"Silence, you fools!!"
It was a woman's voice—a very strong tone, but it seemed her voice was a bit deep for a woman.
I heard footsteps approaching from the back.
The students moved aside for someone coming.
Their voices were very clear.
"I didn't know she was on this cruise?"
Footsteps were clearly heard approaching.
"Is she the daughter of Count Roseblaire, no?"
Only the sound of her footsteps coming was heard.
"Were the third-years also on this cruise?"
The last student moved aside, and I could see her clearly.
She was a girl taller than me, but she wore heels with her white uniform, so she probably isn't taller than Alicelotte.
Her hair was cyan-blue with curly ends. The front part reached her shoulders while the back reached her back. Fuchsia eyes with a penetrating gaze that indicated she seemed like a wild predator.
Her lips were painted the same color as her hair; even her eyebrows were of the same tone.
I shouldn't be surprised with such weird colors in a fantasy world.
But undoubtedly, what catches my attention most about her is what's resting on her crossed arms—two large fleshy masses that seemed like something an adolescent girl shouldn't be able to have.
What kind of strange luck do I have to find women with breasts like this?
After coming out of the crowd, she walked to the front until she was a meter away from me.
I decided to step down from the platform where I was to confront her since she seems to be a troublesome woman.
After being half a meter from her, she took out one of her arms that were holding her large breasts to point the fan at me.
Her other hand remained in the crossed position to hold those fleshy masses.
Thanks for the view, but now is not the time for fan service.
Her lips moved, and a strong womanly tone came from her mouth.
"I am the eldest daughter and heiress of House Count Roseblaire! Eleonora von Roseblaire, third-year. Since my father is a mid-rank knight, that makes me a more qualified person to be the commander!"
When she said that, the idiots shouted with joy. Don't fuck with me, idiot!
(You're ruining my plan to make these idiots fight for their lives! Why do stupid, troublesome women pursue me?)
I stretched my hand to grab her shoulder and tell her not to mess around when, out of nowhere, my arm was grabbed by a hand from someone who wasn't there before.
"Please wait."
I was about to scream because a tall, thin man appeared out of nowhere.
I panicked and shouted, "Who are you?"
He opened his mouth, and a very deep, hoarse voice said...
"I'm sorry for startling you like that. My name is Madarao of the Kurogiri clan from the Kanie region—the island you went to, in shorter words."
"Eeehhhh!"
You're kidding!
This guy appeared out of nowhere as if he were a damn ninja from movies!
"I forgot. I am a shinobi."
There it isssssssssss.
The cliché development of a fantasy world. My head will hurt if I try to understand what the hell is going on here.
Better continue with her instead of the guy who gives himself away with his black mesh clothing, red scarf, serious face, black eyes and hair that reaches his shoulders while the front part looks like the upper jaw of a carnivore thanks to his hair combed back.
"I won't do anything to you. I just wanted to yell at you for doing something you shouldn't."
His eyes looked at me firmly, but she calmed him down.
"Madarao, calm down. I'm partly to blame since I didn't give him time to speak."
No, it's not because of that. No one told you to open your big mouth.
The guy let go of me but stayed there. The girl here seems to be his boss.
"I'm sorry about that. He's a subordinate I recently obtained on this trip since I saved him from suicide due to mission failure."
"Hey, don't tell me his life story or yours."
"What I want to know is why you oppose me being in charge. I'm doing it so we survive."
"..."
"Your name, age, and rank," this arrogant girl told me.
Fine.
"I'm Rudel van Bradford, sixteen years old, third son of a country barony."
"I've heard all about you. You seem a bit different from what the rumors say."
"Thanks. But more importantly, could you remove your proclamation as commander?"
"...Why should I? I'm very serious about that. If you want to launch an attack against them, what you're planning seems like idiocy to me."
She's right.
"I won't allow a madman like you to make others die for an attempt at a crazy plan."
What I plan is stupid and with no possibility of victory.
"By becoming commander, I'll try to dialogue with them to guarantee an escape route for us."
I'm scared, of course. What I'm going to do is suicide.
"The Palace won't stay silent about this."
I'm just one man—no, a simple country adolescent. I'm looking for a fight against three dozen warships, combat planes from my past life, and according to Liam, who told me when he was standing by my side and still is in that same position, an elite group of mercenaries who have terrorized the world since the second world war, and their captains are supposedly monsters.
It's obvious that without the Brynhild or Battler, I wouldn't come out of this alive. I want to flee. I should, but I won't. Because... I want to rescue that girl and tell her not to do stupid things to her face!
"As you can see, for those reasons, I must be the commander. I hope you understand."
I didn't hear almost everything she said, but one thing is for sure: if I decided to pick a fight, it's because I'm sure I'll win.
I lifted my face and looked at the girl to tell her what I felt.
"Shut your damn mouth."
The ninja and she were astonished, but I don't care because...
"I'm not asking for your permission, cotton candy."
...I'm determined to act.
"Cotton candy!?" she said, amazed.
"What's weird about it? I said I'd be the commander, so I will be. I'm not asking for your permission. What I want is for all of you to follow a simple order from me."
With this, I win.
"Die for me."
"I'm going to fight those guys whether you like it or not, so they'll retaliate by attacking this ship, and you'll be cannon fodder."
There was an awkward silence before explosive voices of insults sounded toward me.
"Don't fuck with me, you damn bastard!!"
"This damn guy will get us killed; we have no choice but to fight!"
"Bring weapons and prepare the magic shields!"
The students, servants, and sailors turned around to get ready to fight.
The third-year girl watched them as they shouted because they wanted to live, then turned to me with eyes that said they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Did you do this on purpose...?"
With a bit of embarrassment, I looked away to respond.
"I-it can't be helped. I'm not good at motivational speeches. If I had tried to do it the right way, these idiots might have used me as a sacrifice. Desperation makes idiots more idiotic, so I opted to show them a selfless and selfish act to make them worry about surviving."
"I'm sure there must have been a better way to achieve the same result," she said. Her ninja accompanied her sentence with another response for me.
"As a warrior, a talk before a mission is vital since we don't know if we'll live or die, but that was undoubtedly the worst I could have heard."
I turned my head to look at them and, with a smile, said, "Part of me also wanted to tell them that. The despair on their faces was my revenge for beating me up before."
"You don't behave like a knight; you know that?" the curly-haired senpai said to me.
Liam came running from behind, and before he arrived, I responded to these two with another of my charming smiles.
"That's because I'm not a knight like the others. I'm the trash among the trash. I am... yes, I'm a trash knight."
I said that with a confidence that would make anyone feel like hitting me.
Just when Liam arrived...
"Bradford!"
...he gave bad news.
"Look at the sky!!"
I lifted my head, and a knot formed in my throat.
"Hey, hey, hey, come on, please. Tell me it's a damn bad joke..."
◇◇◇
Just after Alisa was captured, she was taken to a ship different from the one Askewell came on.
The reason was unknown to her since the ship she was on was very different inside.
There were men of untrustworthy and vulgar appearance doing different activities on the deck.
They drank alcohol, ate huge mountains of meat, slept half-naked, among other horrible activities.
Askewell covered his nose so the smell wouldn't enter inside. Thanks to his clothes and medals, Alisa could recognize what kind of man he was since it's not rare for there to be nobles who abuse lower-ranking nobles. For that kind of people, commoners were insects they didn't want to touch. He was the kind of noble found in Altfode. That's why she defended Rudel because a tragic development would have occurred if she hadn't.
Alisa and Askewell's group had arrived at a room that wasn't dirty and was very clean. It was the only room that looked comfortable.
Only Alisa sat while Askewell stood with some soldiers from his fleet.
The ones in black armor, however, were outside. Alisa was silent since she didn't know what they wanted.
After several minutes of waiting, the old man arrived, and after chatting in a low voice with Askewell, the latter became furious and shouted.
"What do you mean!? That miserable guy is sleeping right now!? He was awake before we arrived!!"
The old man raised his hands to stop him from shouting and tried to calm him down.
"Commodore-dono, I understand you're upset, but it can't be helped."
"The captain is someone who, if he's busy with something or relaxing, won't do anything until he's satisfied. We just have to wait until he wakes up, which will surely be within a few minutes... maybe an hour since he ate a banquet before arriving, but I guarantee he was excited about this."
Askewell's face was red, and several veins formed on his face before he burst out and then calmed down.
"Fine!! I'll wait for that dirty bastard to wake up to start the plan. Remember this well: His Majesty the Young King wants this plan to go perfectly since it will be part of our country's future. Do you understand well, Bacchus?"
Alisa listened calmly to their conversation, and different things came to mind.
(Captain?)
(This man isn't the captain of the Black Ouroboros?)
(He fits the description of someone intimidating and strong, as the rumors say...)
(What are they planning...)
Alisa stopped her thoughts but resumed them after a brief pause.
(And more importantly, what will you do to get out of this situation, Rudel?)
◇◇◇
Minutes passed increasingly until Askewell stood up while shouting.
(I can't take it anymore! The hour for the end of those damn Altfodian kids has arrived, and that bastard is still sleeping!! Someone go wake him up, but nowwwww!!)
The soldiers in the room got nervous while Askewell shouted at them to move.
"What the hell are you waiting for? Someone go wake up that dirty bastard!!"
One of the soldiers who had higher rank than the others stood in front of the Commodore and said.
"I'm very sorry, Count, but... but...!"
"But what!? Did a mouse eat your tongue or what?"
The man, panicked and scared, spoke the following from the depths of his being.
"I'm very sorry, Count, but neither I nor the men want to go see that monster!!"
Alisa was left with a strange feeling about the word "monster." More soldiers kept talking.
"Once, I watched him throw a servant overboard just for bringing his soup too hot."
"I heard a maid's screams one night when we were at the palace. The next morning, I found out she had quit."
"That's nothing! I saw with my own eyes how a soldier, for interrupting him while drinking, had his genitals torn off and was forced to swallow them!"
Askewell's men panicked at the order to go wake up that mysterious person.
Alisa didn't understand what they feared, but from their faces, she knew it was very bad.
Askewell, annoyed, did something no one imagined.
"Ahhh, fine!! Let's see if with this that miserable guy wakes up once and for all!!"
He took out a small remote control with a single button and looked at Alisa while smiling.
"Anyway, this was going to happen."
Alisa didn't know about the bomb Askewell's subordinates had secretly placed when they took her.
Upon pressing the button, Askewell acted strange.
"Huh? What's going on?? I don't understand!! There should have been a big explosion!! Is this piece of junk not working??"
He pressed the button more times, and nothing was heard. Then, annoyed, he threw the remote on the floor, breaking it into pieces.
"Fine!! Anyway, I don't trust those thaumaturges. I'll use Plan B, which His Majesty originally authorized me to use."
Askewell turned around to leave while shouting.
"Order everyone who knows the hypnotic melody of the demonic flute to play it before releasing them!"
Alisa was stunned by what he said.
(Demonic flute!?)
(Hypnotic melody?!)
(Don't tell me. These guys are using forbidden ancient magic!)
(Do they know those things are very dangerous? That's why their sale and use are banned worldwide. What are they really planning?)
A few minutes later, a strange sound, as if a rusty tuba were being played by a hippopotamus, sounded.
Alisa's eardrums hurt from that horrible noise. After that sound ended, she observed through a nearby window as a horde of flying magic beasts came out of the ships, heading toward the cruise ship.
Alisa could only do one thing...
"Rudel! Airi! Nooo!!"
...Scream for her friends.
◇
I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing.
"Tell me it's a damn joke, please."
A huge number of flying monsters that seemed to darken the sky were coming straight toward the ship.
This is bad. I never imagined something like this would happen.
Immediately, I shouted a name.
"Ixionnnnn!!"
From inside the cruise ship, Ixion and some drones I had brought to the island and kept hidden in the luggage storage came.
I gave a quick order to this guy.
"Protect the prince. Use all resources except human lives to do it."
"Understood. And what will you do?"
I showed him a mischievous smile while pointing at the huge horde of monsters coming.
"They're not ready yet. I'll go buy them time while they prepare. Don't let him mount a mobile knight and give him my katana just in case."
Liam heard that and tried to refute what I said.
"Wait, Bradford! I'm also going to fight. My life, as well as yours, is at stake here!"
Upon hearing that nonsense, I grabbed him by his shirt and brought him up to my face.
"You're an idiot, but don't be one now! Your survival is a priority for me. If you die and I return, they'll kill me. You'll fight safely since no one can stay idle."
His foolish child's face was stunned by what I told him. I don't understand why—must be idiot things?
I turned to the cotton candy-haired girl to tell her the same.
"As the daughter of a knight, I'm sure you know you're also in danger."
Without changing her expression, she responded.
"Madarao, I entrust you with this top-priority mission. Protect His Highness even if it costs you your life."
That would sound very strong, but in this situation, it's the most appropriate. The ninja didn't smile but, in a serious manner, knelt in a position that seemed submissive and responded to his mistress.
"This Madarao swears in the name of the late shogun, of my destroyed clan, and above all, on the weapon of my family that is inherited by the next clan head, this Kairi, that I will protect His Highness even if I lose my limbs or even if you perish, my lady."
The curly-haired senpai smiled at his honesty.
Now that I think about it, her name was Eleonora, right? Another ridiculous situation from my past life came to mind, and in it, it was about a boss who came from abroad.
She was strong-willed, anti-bribery, and had an indomitable personality. She said her name represented her personality, and it seems she wasn't wrong.
I also gave her a smile to express my gratitude.
"It seems you're quite a lioness as your name indicates. If we get out alive, I'll invite you to one of my meetings."
She heard that and, for some reason, was surprised. I don't understand what happened, but it doesn't matter.
"Ixion, give him my katana and teach him how to use it. Also, protect the ship. I'm going now!"
After saying that, I made a gesture with my hands and ran to an edge of the cruise ship where there was a large gap showing there had been a lifeboat there.
I heard Liam and the senpai shouting at the top of their lungs.
"Bradford! Have you lost your mind!?"
"After saying all that, that boy plans to commit suicide!?"
I'm a few meters from the edge. Quickly, I directed my right hand to a button on the side of the heart, and my equipment started making the sound of an engine starting. And I jumped.
◇◇◇
Liam watched Rudel as he headed to his death...
"Don't do itttttt."
...or so he thought.
A few seconds after jumping, he saw Rudel literally flying toward the sky.
Liam couldn't believe something like that was possible, not even in his imagination.
There were flying ships, mechanical knights that also flew, and wind magic. But something as literal as a human being flying was undoubtedly madness.
Anyone would think that if they didn't know Rudel.
Liam kept watching as Rudel flew, and from his boots came a light but visible trail of prana.
He was heading toward the horde of magic beasts, and then…
Boom!!
Zap!!
Sounds of shotgun shots and small grenades echoed loudly in the sky.
Once again, Liam felt his heart shrink due to the unique craziness that man did.
More sounds of shots and explosions were generated in the sky.
Ixion approached Liam and handed him a black katana.
He proceeded to quickly explain the functioning of said weapon.
Liam's head still had in mind the amazing feat happening above him even now.
More sounds of shots and explosions occurred.
Suddenly, he heard voices from behind. They were the sailors and students ready to fight. There were some who had mobile knights.
After nodding to Ixion's question about whether he understood its functioning, Liam took out a letter from his pocket.
(I wanted to tell him about this, but it's no longer necessary.)
Liam crumpled the letter and threw it on the floor while stretching.
After finishing his stretches, he watched as Rudel returned after leaving the monsters confused and disorganized.
Before Rudel returned, Liam thought.
(Please, my angel, give me the strength I need for the fight I'll undertake.)
Then he pressed a button on the katana, and it unsheathed its blade.
Madarao was amazed at the beauty of its edge and, without meaning to, shouted with starry eyes, "I-is that a Muramasa tachi by master swordsmith Kaneshige, right!??"
Ixion watched him and immediately destroyed his innocent illusion. "A human could never reproduce that beauty. I'm the one who made it. Adorable, if you want, and maybe I can make you one."
Madarao was amazed once again at the floating spherical figure of Ixion, contrary to his mistress, who didn't seem to care since she thought it was just a weird thing from an even weirder guy.
When Rudel arrived, he demanded Ixion replenish his ammunition.
The students and sailors were ready to fight.
The monsters seemed to have reorganized and were heading back toward the cruise ship.
Liam got into combat position.
Madarao took out a black blade called a kunai and got into attack position.
Eleonora stretched her fan, and a green magic circle appeared, generating a small tornado.
The students and sailors shouted, ready to fight.
After replenishing the ammunition, Rudel grabbed other shotguns that the drones, which were also armed with machine guns, brought.
Then…
"Alright, good luck to everyone."
He flew off.
After a few shots at the monsters coming, Liam and the others joined the attack.
Eleonora used her fan to generate a small tornado that grabbed a few monsters and turned them into mincemeat while with her other hand, she generated a bow and arrow of wind and shot them at other monsters. She repeated that pattern until a monster approached her, and she dodged it by jumping to the side.
The monster was destroyed thanks to a sailor using a shotgun who was near her.
The students also fought.
The girls used usual magic spells like "Fireball," "Wind Gust," "Water Explosion!" while the boys shot with the weapons they had at hand. Others used swords, spears, or axes to cut or pierce the monsters.
The sailors and servants fought in the same way.
There wasn't a single place on the deck that wasn't in combat.
Meanwhile, Liam…
"Haaaaaaaaahhhh!!!"
…was honoring his title as a hand-to-hand combatant.
He ran from here to there, cutting monsters as if they were butter, thanks to the chainsaw-like edge it had.
A monster in the shape of a sheep with horse legs approached him from above while galloping flying.
Then something happened that was never seen in the game, and that was…
"Ninja Art: Water's Edge!"
…a ninja technique.
Madarao ran toward the monster, and his kunai filled with water from a magic circle that formed at the tip, and he cut the monster's hard wool.
Liam turned around and thanked him, then went ahead and kept cutting monsters.
Madarao stayed at a bodyguard distance and cut everything that wasn't cut by Liam.
Ixion watched them while his drones used their machine guns against the large monsters to prevent them from approaching.
"Fascinating. The weapon uses aether to spin the blade, but he didn't press any other button, and the weapon is filling with aether as if there were no limit."
Ixion's red eye stared intently at Liam while a large orca with deer antlers headed to eat him.
A drone warned him, and Ixion only turned for a few moments to fire a laser beam from his eye and eliminated the monster, then went back to watching Liam.
"Without a doubt, that boy is a rarity. I'd like to dissect him and know how aether works in the body and even more the huge amount he emanates."
Suddenly, he turned his eye to the sky to see Rudel replenishing ammunition from some drones that flew toward him.
"That equipment was still a prototype and is giving excellent results. I created it based on his nonsense about wanting to make something similar to floating ships but on a minuscule scale. The suit sucks aether from the air through small openings in the shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads, and it flows directly to the center where it distributes it to the boots."
A drone delivered a visor and some kind of communicator for the ear to Rudel.
"Show me more interesting things, Master."
◇
I was fighting in the sky for the second time.
I took a slight break thanks to the drones guarding the surroundings.
I could hear from a great distance the sound of gunshots and magic.
"Looks like they're having fun down there."
Despite my sarcastic phrase, I was really about to wet myself right now.
There were no more monsters around me. There was only one enemy besides the enemy fleet.
I could hear the sound of their engines in the distance.
They were the real threat here.
I was scared that the new humanity had found past weapon technology.
Luckily, they're very old planes. But that doesn't remove the fact of how dangerous they are.
Ixion notified me there were fifty of them, divided into groups of five that contained ten units.
They do a lap every fifteen minutes around the cruise ship.
A group is approaching since it's time for them to arrive.
I can feel my heart leaping out. I want to go home. I want to sleep in my bed and be attended to by my servant-slave.
But I can't. I must save these idiots, save the kidnapped princess, and put my ass in the coconut-head's face.
Finally, they were in my range of vision, and fortune smiled on me since the clouds were increasing, making their density very difficult to see.
"Now then…"
I flew toward their direction to start the most idiotic suicidal attack until the Brynhild arrived.
"…Let's go kick their asses."