Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Volume 8 Page 2

  “Tell me. Based on what it is, I might hold off on killing you.”

  An indirect threat slipped Clan’s still smiling lips, but Koutarou knew that she was joking. Koutarou knew her well enough now that he could tell that much.

  “Okay. For my first request... I want you to keep everything that happened in the past a secret.”

  “By ‘the past,’ which do you mean? Two thousand years ago? Twenty years ago? Ten years ago?”

  “All of it.”

  Koutarou stared into Clan’s eyes with a serious look on his face. This was an earnest request, and he was intent on getting Clan to listen to him.

  “Why is that?” she asked.

  “The reason is... Well, there’s two main reasons.”

  After thinking for a while, Koutarou tried to explain how he felt to Clan.

  “The first reason is that I don’t want to ruin Theia’s dream. You know how much she loves the Blue Knight, right?”

  “Yes, I am well aware.”

  “The Blue Knight is her emotional support. If she knew that we disturbed the legend, it would break her heart. I want to avoid that.”

  Theia drew strength from the legend of the Blue Knight. She tried her best to follow his example in order to become a splendid noble. She wanted to be a strong leader like the Blue Knight so she could help her mother.

  But Koutarou and Clan had altered the legend she so loved, and Koutarou wanted to keep that a secret from Theia. He wanted to keep the legend the way Theia knew it. If she found out the truth, it could devastate her.

  I wonder about that...

  Clan wasn’t so convinced. She turned her eyes to the two swords at Koutarou’s waist. One was the greatest treasure of the Forthorthian royal families, Signaltin. The other was the blade that Theia had personally given Koutarou, the treasured sword Saguratin.

  I think she would actually rejoice.

  Clan gazed at Saguratin, shining gold in the evening sun. To her, just the fact that it was hanging from Koutarou’s waist was proof enough of how Theia really felt. That said, keeping what had happened a secret would lower any associated risks, so Clan wasn’t against Koutarou’s request.

  Unaware of how Clan felt, however, Koutarou continued his explanation.

  “And the other reason is the same as the Blue Knight’s.”

  Koutarou took Signaltin in its sheath from his waist.

  “Both my existence and this sword could make Forthorthe’s political situation unstable. It’s exactly why the legendary Blue Knight vanished and left everything behind. So in our case, keeping it a secret would be better. This is also for your sake.”

  It was said that the Blue Knight had disappeared after the war because he understood that the existence of a national hero like him would inevitably tip the political balance in Forthorthe. For Koutarou who had gotten mixed up in things, just being seen in public with Signaltin could cause similar problems in the present. That’s what Koutarou wanted to avoid.

  “My, are you worried about me?”

  “It’s a strange feeling, really.”

  Koutarou smiled wryly. Clan felt the same way, and the two of them smiled at each other once more.

  “The same thing goes for the events of twenty or ten years in the past, so I want to keep it all a secret.”

  “I understand. I want to keep it a secret too.”

  Clan decided to agree to Koutarou’s request. As a princess of Forthorthe, she too wanted to keep information that could shake the royal families a secret.

  “Thanks, Clan.”

  “I don’t want to put myself in danger either. So, what’s your other request?”

  “Ah, the second request is related to this,” Koutarou said as he knocked on the blue armor he was wearing. “I want you to erase any records of what happened. If you don’t, Theia and the others will find out.”

  “That’s true. I’ll wipe the data right away.”

  Clan stepped over to Koutarou and touched her bracelet to bring up the armor’s systems. She was planning on erasing the contents of the armor’s database, but she paused as she went to press the button to confirm the wipe.

  Should I really just erase it? Maybe I should make a backup, just in case...

  Clan linked her bracelet with the onboard computer in Koutarou’s armor and gradually erased the data as she copied it over to her bracelet.

  “Hey, Veltlion...”

  The whole procedure would take a couple of minutes. Once she was done inputting the related commands into her bracelet, Clan looked up at Koutarou.

  “Could you stop it with the ‘Veltlion’ thing? Trying to keep it a secret will be pointless if you keep calling me that even after we go to the trouble of erasing the data.”

  “That’s true. Can I call you Koutarou then?”

  “Yeah, I don’t mind.”

  Koutarou nodded and leaned back against the handrail around the rooftop as he looked at Clan.

  “Koutarou, there’s something I want you to tell me.”

  “Sure. You listened to my requests, so I’ll answer anything.”

  “Then tell me...” As Clan spoke, she slightly tilted her head and smiled. “Did you love her? Alaia-san, I mean.”

  It was the gentlest smile Koutarou had ever seen from Clan. In that moment, he felt like he could tell her anything.

  “I’m not sure... It’s true that I wanted to help her more than anyone.”

  Following his feelings, Koutarou gave Clan an honest answer. He didn’t want to hide anything from her.

  “You could have just stayed then.”

  “The one who Her Majesty Alaia loved wasn’t me, but the Blue Knight.”

  Koutarou smiled wryly as he put his weight on the handrail. He still believed that he had gotten in the way of the real Blue Knight. And since Koutarou had just played the part of the Blue Knight, he believed that he wasn’t really the one Alaia loved. She had fallen for the Blue Knight.

  “I’m not so sure about that.”

  Clan saw it differently. Though she hadn’t yet told Koutarou because she didn’t have any real evidence to prove it, Clan believed that Koutarou was actually the Blue Knight himself. There were too many things that didn’t add up otherwise, and she certainly didn’t believe that the legendary Princess Alaia could be fooled by a superficial act. In the end, Clan thought Alaia’s feelings for Koutarou were genuinely for him.

  “Even if it’s as you say... If she truly was in love with me... both of us still had obligations. It would have turned out the same way.”

  Koutarou leaned back over the handrail and stared up at the sky. Scenes of his days in Forthorthe two thousand years in the past, including their final farewell, flashed through his mind. They were memories he would never forget.

  “To think you’d throw away your status and honor for a simple high school life...”

  “There’s still plenty of things I have to do here.”

  Clan sounded incredulous, but she had a smile on her face.

  “Besides, I swore an oath.”

  “Then I suppose, as a knight, you had no choice but to return.”

  Clan leaned over the handrail and looked up into the sky as well.

  “That’s what the Blue Knight would do, right?”

  “Yes... You’re absolutely right...”

  Clan smiled now out of amazement.

  Despite practically being the embodiment of the Blue Knight, he’s still not conscious of it. I can’t believe this man...

  Shortly after that, Clan began to laugh.

  “Pffft! Ahahahaha!”

  “What are you laughing for all of a sudden?”

  “Nothing really. It’s just too funny... Ahahahaha!”

  “...Clan?”

  “Ahahaha! Oh, it’s too much! Ahahaha!”

  Koutarou often made fun of Clan for being sly and vengeful. Looking at her bright smile now, however, Koutarou felt nothing of the sort about her.

  By the time Clan finished laughing, the data from Kouta
rou’s armor had been wiped clean. After confirming it had been copied over to her bracelet, Clan nodded.

  “It’s all done.”

  “Thank you, Clan.”

  With that, Koutarou’s business was concluded and he could return to his normal life. The life he lived before he traveled back in time with Clan.

  I managed to make it back...

  Koutarou finally felt like he had returned home.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Clan lowered her right arm to her side and looked up at Koutarou.

  “By the way, Koutarou, rather than another request, I have a suggestion.”

  Clan withdrew her smile and stared intently at Koutarou.

  “What is it?”

  “Won’t you serve me?”

  “Wh-What?!”

  Koutarou’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Just a short while ago, they had been enemies. As such, he could barely believe the words that had come out of Clan’s mouth.

  “Y-You... Are you serious?!”

  “I am.”

  Clan looked dead serious, but Koutarou still couldn’t believe it. Nevertheless, Clan nodded. She was definitely serious.

  “Don’t be stupid! If I do that, Theia won’t be able to complete her trial!”

  Koutarou had no intention of serving Clan, but it wasn’t because she had been his enemy. It was simply because if he did, Theia would fail her trial. He simply couldn’t do that to her.

  “Please calm down. I don’t mind if you wait until after Theiamillis-san’s trial is complete.”

  “Huh?!”

  Clan’s follow-up didn’t make any sense to Koutarou either. Clan had originally come to Earth just to get in the way of Theia’s trial. That’s why she’d fought against Koutarou in the first place. Despite that, she now seemed to be suggesting that she wanted Theia to succeed. Koutarou just didn’t get it.

  “If you serve at my side, I won’t mind giving up my right to the throne. That will even put Theiamillis-san one step closer to becoming empress herself.”

  “J-Just wait a minute, Clan! Do you understand what you’re saying?!”

  Now Clan was even talking about relinquishing her claim to the throne. Koutarou’s confusion reached its peak.

  “You’re the one who doesn’t understand, Koutarou.” With a soft sigh, Clan gently dragged her finger across the sword in Koutarou’s hand. “It’s almost as if you can’t appreciate the value of this sword.”

  “This sword’s value?”

  Koutarou lifted the sheathed sword up in front of him—the holy sword Signaltin, the sword given to him by Alaia.

  “The greatest treasure of the royal families, a relic of history, the sword of kingship: Signaltin. Just how meaningful do you think a person who can wield this might be to the royal families?”

  With those words, Koutarou finally sorted out what Clan was getting at. By making Koutarou her vassal, she was planning on returning Signaltin to the royal families of Forthorthe.

  “Of course, it holds meaning for me too,” Clan said as she put her hand to her chest.

  “In other words... you want a royal heirloom like this to stay in the hands of the royal families. You also want to study me and this sword, don’t you?”

  “That’s about right. My claim to the throne is a small price to pay for that.” Clan smiled with her hand still on her chest. “Do you understand?”

  “Yeah.”

  On top of obviously wanting to reclaim the royal families’ ancient heirloom, Clan, as a scientist, wanted to study it. That’s why Clan had requested that he become her vassal. That way, she’d have access to the sword. That much made sense to Koutarou.

  “In your position, I think it’s only natural for you to want to keep this sword close.”

  “Since you seem to understand now, I hope you can give me a serious reply.”

  Of course, those aren’t the only reasons...

  While that was a big part of why Clan wanted Koutarou to be her vassal, she also had an ulterior motive.

  There are countless royals who have become empress, but there has only ever been one to make the Blue Knight her vassal. Even then, he was only her vassal for a few months. If I can make Koutarou my vassal, I will be the true, sole ruler of the Blue Knight! I’d gladly give the throne up to Theiamillis-san for that!

  Clan wanted the ultimate title of being the Blue Knight’s master. Making the Blue Knight their vassal would be a dream come true for any of the royal families, and it was something that not even the Silver Princess had truly been able to do. And since she was the only one that knew his secret, Clan had a chance to do it right now for herself.

  “I’ll hear your answer another time. Please think long and hard about it until then.”

  “...Yeah.”

  However, despite feeling in control of the situation, Clan was somewhat oblivious to her own motives. She didn’t mind that employing the services of the Blue Knight—whose existence couldn’t be made public—was only for her own self-satisfaction, but she hadn’t yet realized the true meaning behind those feelings.

  “Are girls really everything to you, Mackenzie-kun?”

  “Girls aren’t my only reason for living, no.”

  “But Satomi-san said they were.”

  “He’s just having fun making me look stupid!”

  Koutarou eventually stopped staring out the window, but the rest of the class was still swept up in the exuberant atmosphere. Thanks to that, the homeroom meeting had barely made any progress.

  That Clan... She sure gave me some troublesome homework...

  Koutarou let out a small sigh as he looked at the bracelet on his right wrist. Clan had given it to him. Koutarou had left Signaltin in her care. Since it was the most valued treasure of all Forthorthe, he couldn’t just leave it lying around. However, leaving it to Theia would be problematic since she didn’t know about it. That made leaving it with Clan the most convenient option, and she’d readily agreed to it since she wanted to study it anyway.

  In return, Clan had given him the bracelet. Clan would be spending most of her time studying the sword, but in the event of an emergency, he could use the bracelet to call for it. It was actually an uncommonly considerate gesture for Clan.

  At least she’s easier to understand than Ruth-san. Clan being so calculating makes her easy to read.

  This wasn’t the first time Koutarou had been asked to become someone’s vassal. Theia had demanded it from the start, and lately Ruth wanted him to serve Theia as well, regardless of how her trial went. They were all under quite different circumstances, but this made for the third time Koutarou had been asked to become a vassal by someone from Forthorthe.

  I’m fine sticking with Theia until she completes her trial. The problems come after that. Do I remain on Earth, or do I serve Theia or Clan...?

  And as Koutarou was about to enter into deep thought again...

  “Koutarou.”

  Sanae’s face appeared in front of him.

  “Whoa!”

  Surprised, Koutarou reeled back and stopped his train of thought.

  “Wh-What?”

  “You’ve been strange lately. You have this deep wrinkle on your forehead whenever you’re not doing anything.”

  Sanae used her hands to try and wrinkle her brow the same way in order to show him.

  “What’s wrong? Are you turning into a hardboiled high schooler?”

  “No, that’s not it.”

  Koutarou finally realized that he’d made Sanae worry.

  Sanae’s particularly sensitive to this kind of thing...

  Sanae was always by Koutarou’s side, and she could somewhat read his emotions through his aura. Koutarou thinking about something so hard was making her worry, and that wasn’t something he wanted.

  It’s not like I have to make up my mind right now, so I’ll just focus on having fun skiing with everyone for now.

  Koutarou was stuck, but there was no pressure to make a decision immediately. He couldn’t le
t Theia complete her trial until Kiriha’s problem was solved anyway. And since he’d just gotten back to Earth, it would be a shame not to enjoy his normal life for a while. Having decided on that for the time being, Koutarou changed gears and smiled at Sanae.

  “I was just thinking that going skiing is probably expensive.”

  “What... Is that all? I feel like I wasted my time worrying.”

  Sanae quickly returned to her usual smile and clung to Koutarou’s back the way she always did.

  “You could always borrow money from Kiriha.”

  “I’m scared of what a loan from Kiriha-san would really cost me.”

  “You’ll be fine. Kiriha loves you after all.”

  “You think so?”

  “Not as much as me though.”

  “Hey, Sanae, I can’t see anything with you like that.”

  “I’m looking for you, so you’ll be fine!”

  And so things returned to normal between Sanae and Koutarou. It was such a small part of his everyday life, but it was a small part of it that he truly enjoyed.

  “Kou, I’ve been going through hell because of you!”

  “You’ve been going through hell because of your own behavior, Mackenzie.”

  “Satomi-kun, tell me the truth!”

  “It is the truth, Landlord-san. Mackenzie is just awful.”

  “Don’t just make up random crap! This is all your doing!”

  And with that, Koutarou jumped back into his normal life.

  As February rolled in, winter was at its worst. The club building, positioned in the shadow of the school building, was particularly cold. It affected all the clubs, but the knitting society’s club room was all the way in the corner of the building. It was so cold there that when Koutarou entered the room after school, he could see his own breath.

  “Brrr, it’s freezing!”

  Koutarou walked straight over to the kerosene heater. It was an old model that had been used in the club room for generations, but it was their last line of defense against the dwindling temperature. After pressing the ignition button a couple of times, there was a visible flame inside. But since even the metallic heater was cold and needed to be warmed up, it had no immediate effect. It would take a few minutes before Koutarou could feel anything from it.