Date A Live Encore - Volume 8 - Chapter 3

Tohka Brave

 A long time ago, there was a kingdom far away. 

 It was a fertile country with excellent technology, and it was a big country that even nearby countries were willing to worship. 

 But despite this prosperity, the residents who live there have recently started looking more and more depressed. 

 There was one reason for this. It was because the king who’d ascended to the throne a few years ago had imposed a regime of tyranny over the people. 

 However, if they tried to rebel against the king, they would lose their heads immediately. 

 The people could only endure quietly and keep waiting. 

 —Waiting for the birth of a new king. 

 Somewhere in the depths of the forest, three travelers were exploring. 

 The winding broad-leaved trees were stacked one after another and even though it was clearly daytime, the whole forest was shrouded in darkness. The humid air stuck around their hands and feet, gradually sapping away the travelers’ strength as they made their way down the dangerous road. 

 “Muu… Kotori, Yoshino, Yoshinon, are you okay? Should we take a break here?” 

 The traveler at the forefront was a girl with hair as dark as night, Tohka, turned around and looked back and asked. 

 Behind her were two young girls: one with red hair tied into a pair of ponytails with black ribbons and the other a very pretty and shy girl with a rabbit puppet worn on her left hand. They are Tohka’s companions—Kotori and Yoshino. Both were shorter than Tohka, and walking down this difficult path was becoming exhausting. Perhaps it was just Tohka’s imagination but it looked like <Yoshinon> worn on Yoshino’s left hand also looked exhausted. 

 “Don’t worry about such silly things. This road isn’t hard at all. Right, Yoshino?” 

 Then Yoshino nodded and answered: 

 “Yes… I’m still okay…” 

 “Let’s hurry it up! According to rumors, isn’t it in this area?” 

 The rabbit puppet <Yoshinon> spoke at once. After looking back at them for a few seconds, Tohka nodded and replied, “Yeah!” 

 That’s right. Tohka and her party weren’t lost nor did they come to the forest just to enjoy the graceful scenery. 

 They came here just to look for something. 

 “But is there really something called a <Sword of Choice>? Honestly, this just sounds like something out of a fairy tale?” 

 <Yoshinon> dexterously moved her arms wisely and then said. So Kotori glanced at her and shrugged. 

 “…Who knows for sure. But if we don’t believe it, there’s not much else we can do.” 

 She turned her gaze back to the front and then murmured: 

 “The person who manages to pull out that legendary sword can become the next king… In fact, the current king also managed to pull out that sword to gain strength. At least, that’s how the last king not related to the previous king managed to claim the throne. Whatever I think, I just feel like something is wrong.” 

 “However, after all, isn’t this still only just a rumor? Maybe it’s a rumor made to confuse everyone to cover up the fact that he is the illegitimate son of the king!” 

 However, while that was certainly a possibility… the fact remained that it would be impossible to defeat the tyrant without such an item as the <Sword of Choice>. 

 Kotori clenched her teeth. 

 “…” 

 Tohka could feel Kotori’s mood and clenched her fists. 

 In the kingdom where Tohka and her party lived, the new king was enthroned a few years ago. However, in just a few years, the tyrant exhausted the country’s resources, and since then, their people had been miserable. 

 Unusual tax increases, rewards for whistleblowers, and even the excessive promulgation of the kinako powder ban law, which prohibited citizens from holding Kinako powder which was the nation’s specialty. 

 Faced with these various evil policies that were suddenly implemented, of course it triggered a wave of national protest. However, the national protests were completely suppressed by the special security forces under the direct control of the Kingdom, the king’s “Knights”. 

 These were terrorist politics that were governing the country with military dominance. This was the disease that eroded the current kingdom. 

 In order to end this dark age, Tohka and her entourage relied on the legends to find the <Sword of Choice>. 

 That being said, what <Yoshinon> said was not unreasonable. The “Sword of Choice” is supposedly located deep in this forest, but it was only a mythical story that the old people in the village talk about. 

 However, it is believed that only the legendary warriors who were able to obtain the sword would be able to defeat the tyrant who overtaxed the citizens to increase armaments. 

 It was then— 

 “…Muu?” 

 Tohka who was making her way down the path while cutting her way through the lush ivy suddenly stopped. 

 The reason was simple. Because she’d found a clearing in front of which there was no vegetation was growing— 

 And there stood a huge sword placed into the base. 

 “O-Oh! This is…!” 

 Tohka’s eyes widened, and Kotori, Yoshino, and <Yoshinon> also made a surprised voice. 

 “What…! It actually exists!” 

 “It’s the <Sword of Choice>… It’s just like the legend foretold…” 

 “Wow! I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have been suspicious!” 

 Tohka and the others shouted out as they rushed towards the base. Their legs were already exhausted, making it hard to move, but they suddenly felt extremely light. 

 There was a large base made of stone in the middle of the forest without any artificial rectification. There was a golden base that stood leisurely in the center of the space. As the forest was interrupted, like a big hole in the forest, the sunlight seemed to fall from the sky and emitted a sacred light. 

 “Good job… Tohka!” 

 “Now we should be able to defeat the king! Thanks to this, you can now legally eat soy flour rather than having to find illegally sold kinako!” 

 “Umu! The time has finally come…” 

 “Still, this shape is…” 

 Just as Tohka and the others suddenly forgot their previous fatigue and cheered, there was a confused expression on Kotori’s face. 

 “A throne…?” 

 “It’s a throne…” 

 “It’s a throne… right?” 

 The three of them tilted their heads in unison. That’s right, at the base of the sword, somehow it was in the shape of a huge chair. In addition, a blue-black cat was curled up on the armrest and let out a quiet breath. It exuded a harmonious atmosphere. 

 “Never mind that right now. In short, let’s try to see if there’s a way to pull out the sword. Do you mind if I try first?” 

 “Go for it, Kotori.” 

 “Alright…” 

 Tohka and Yoshino replied and Kotori took a step forward. 

 Probably sensing Kotori’s movements, the cat’s ears flicked back and forth, looked at Tohka and hissed “Meow Wow, Meow Wow!” 

 It looked like the cat was trying to communicate with Tohka, but Tokha and the others were not cats and could therefore not understand cat language. After Kotori gently stroked the cat’s head, she made her way to the base. 

 “Sorry for disturbing your nap. Hey…” 

 After she finished speaking, Kotori climbed up onto the base and grasped the hilt of the sword and pulled with all of her might. 

 But— 

 “Hngh… Rgh… Rgh…!” 

 Despite her best efforts, the sword in the base didn’t move at all. 

 “…Hmm, well that didn’t work. What a pity…” 

 Kotori said reluctantly and made her way off of the base. Then Yoshino clenched her fists and raised her face in determination. 

 “Me too! I’ll try it too!” 

 “Come on, Yoshino!” 

 Yoshino was already on the base like Kotori (Due to the inconvenience of using her left hand, Tohka helped her out) and intended to pull out the sword. 

 “Um…” 

 However, despite her best efforts, it couldn’t be drawn out. 

 “Sorry… I couldn’t pull it out.” 

 “Hmm! Don’t worry about that! After all, Yoshino is not like a swordsman!” 

 The apologetic Yoshino said with <Yoshinon> who comforted her, finished speaking and made her off of the base. 

 “Then, let’s have Tohka give it a try.” 

 “Okay!” 

 Hearing Kotori calling on her, Tohka nodded greatly. 

 She then kicked hard off the ground and made her way toward the base with a smooth movement—it was strange. 

 She then sat directly on the base. 

 “…Hey, Tohka? Even if the shape looks like a chair, how do you plan to draw the sword if you sit like that?” 

 Kotori frowned and asked in a confused tone. Tohka’s cheeks shed some sweat. 

 “Muu… that’s right, but somehow it felt like my body moved by itself—” 

 Tohka scratched her cheek and planned to stand up from the base to reach for the sword. 

 However, at that moment, Yoshino, who was watching her, widened her eyes in surprise. 

 “…! T-Tohka! Kotori…!” 

 “Muu?” 

 “W-Wha… Eh?!” 

 When Tohka and Kotori tilted their heads in confusion, they immediately showed the same surprise that Yoshino had. 

 This was understandable. Because the base where Tohka was sitting began to let out a dazzlingly bright light. 

 “Whoa… T-This is…!” 

 Just as Tohka expressed her surprise, the sword that was embedded in the base—the part that looked like a chair, began to come out immediately. 

 The sword came out with the sword tip completely exposed to the air as it glinted under sunlight, and at the same time, it turned around and flew towards the surprised Tohka. 

 “The sword… I pulled it out by myself!” 

 “Tohka, hold the sword and see.” 

 “Okay.” 

 Tohka followed Kotori’s instructions and held the handle of the giant sword floating in front of her eyes. 

 As a result, the sword’s blade radiated a dazzling light and let out a flash of light that shone into the sky. 

 “W-Whoa…!” 

 “Amazing…” 

 After witnessing this extraordinary phenomenon that occurred one after another, Tohka and the others couldn’t help but widen their eyes. 

 There was no doubt that this sword is the “Sword of Choice”. Whoever could pull it out would be able to become the next king. 

 “Very good, Kotori, that means you can do this…” 

 “Yeah, you can defeat the tyrant!” 

 “Hmm, this sword—uh… um? Isn’t it called <Sandalphon>? With <Sandalphon>—” 

 “Huh?” 

 After hearing what Tohka said, Kotori, Yoshino, and <Yoshinon> all tilted their heads. 

 “<Sandalphon>? Is that the name of that sword?” 

 “Is that its name? Did somebody say that?” 

 “…? Yoshino, did you just say something?” 

 “N-No.” 

 “<Yoshinon> also didn’t say anything either!” 

 “Muu? That’s strange, then who said that…” 

 Tohka looked left and right. She did hear someone talking just now. However, apart from Kotori, Yoshino, and <Yoshinon>, but who else was here right now— 

 At that moment, the cat on the armrest jumped and made a noise as it landed at Tohka’s feet. 

 “…!” 

 Tohka listened, her eyes widening in shock. 

 However, this sort of reaction was expected. Because up until now, they had only heard the “Meows” of the cat, but now it was able to speak with a human voice. 

 “T-This is… are you talking?” 

 After Tohka finished speaking, the cat nodded in a very human motion. 

 Kotori and Yoshino noticed this and frowned with a confused expression on their faces. 

 “Huh? Tohka, what are you doing?” 

 “What’s going on with this cat…?” 

 It looked like Kotori and Yoshino couldn’t hear the cat talking like Tohka could. This could have also been the power of <Sandalphon>?” 

 “No, after I pulled the sword out, I could hear the cat talking… Muu? What did you say?” 

 After Tohka explained this to Kotori and Yoshino, the cat then spoke to her again. Tohka squatted down on the spot and listened intently. 

 “Meow meow.” 

 “M-Muu… it seems that this cat is the magician who guarded the sword but was cursed by the court magician who served the king and turned them into a cat—she said: [“The one chosen by the sword, please bring down the tyrant and save this country”]. “…So.” 

 “Wait! Did it really just say all of that just now?” 

 “That’s too much information…” 

 Kotori and Yoshino smiled bitterly. 

 In short, however, <Sandalphon> chose Tohka and Tohka managed to obtain the necessary strength to stand against the king. 

 Tohka raised the sword toward the sky and then spoke loudly, saying: 

 “Okay—Let’s go right now, Kotori, Yoshino, <Yoshinon>, and Cat! Let’s go and defeat the king and save the kingdom!” 

 “Yeah!” 

 Everyone made a determined noise that echoed deep in the forest. 

 “…” 

 In the largest bedroom in the huge royal city in the Northwest of the country, a figure suddenly sat up. 

 It was a young girl with long dark hair that seemed to resemble the night, and eyes that resembled crystals. At present, she was only wearing a set of thin pajamas and her porcelain skin was exposed from the chest and under the dress. 

 If a bystander happened to see her posture, they would surely think that she was a princess who had overslept or otherwise a favored consort of the king. 

 However, no one could imagine the actual truth. 

 —This girl was the king who ruled the kingdom. 

 “This feeling… Hmm, it seems that someone pulled out <Sandalphon>.” 

 The king spoke with a disgruntled look on her face, brushing her hair out of her face to reveal a sharp gaze. 

 She then got out of the huge canopy bed, moved to the center of the very wide bedroom, and clapped her hands. 

 “Come here!” 

 It didn’t take long for the image of the room to distort and a woman dressed in a grey robe to appear. 

 She was a woman with short hair and a slender figure… In addition, her cheeks were flushed a deep red and reeked of alcohol. 

 She was a court magician that served the king, Nia. 

 “Yes! Her Royal Highness! Are you doing well? I’m everyone’s favorite magician, Nia!” 

 Nia smirked as she waved at the King. The other hand was not resting on a magician’s staff, but instead a wine bottle. The king frowned in uncertainty. 

 “You’re been drinking alcohol during the day again.” 

 “Hey, hey. There’s no need to be so old fashioned; no one would dare to oppose you! The high-ranking officials of this glorious and rich kingdom are addicted to your wine grove, is this not the most obvious thing in the world?” 

 She finished speaking and Nia giggled once more. The only other person who was allowed to speak with the king in such a casual way, aside from the princess, was only Nia. 

 However, it showed that Nia was such an excellent magician. Normally, those who disrespected the king were sentenced to death. However, the king would not usually do something stupid like sacrificing useful tools due to a spur of emotion. Even if it was the king that managed to seize the kingdom from the previous king, without the help of the magician named Nia, it would be almost impossible to achieve the present day’s rock-solid domination system… Although from her current appearance, no one would have ever guessed how capable she was. 

 “Snap out of it immediately. Also summon the <Knights of the Round>.” 

 “H-Huh? Isn’t that a bit sudden? Also, I’ve been concerned about that before, can we change the name? Even if this is a spoof, it doesn’t sound very impressive… Would it be better to call them the <Tuna Mayonnaise Knights>?” 

 “Sorry. Just keep calling them the <Knights of the Round>?” 

 Nia sighed heartily and shrugged before she continued: 

 “So there are five knights on the round table, which one do you want to call?” 

 “Of course, I want to call all five of them. I need the strongest of the national army’s power summoned to the city and inform them that it’s very urgent.” 

 After the king finished speaking, Nia probably still looked doubtfully and frowned deeply and asked blankly. 

 “…Uh… Let me just ask, what happened?” 

 “It seems that someone managed to pull out <Sandalphon>.” 

 “What…?!” 

 After hearing what the king said, Nia showed a shocked expression and her breath caught in her throat. The wine bottle in her hand slipped from her grasp and landed with a ‘thunk’ on the carpet. 

 “What?” 

 However, after she picked up the wine bottle, Nia quickly made her way to the corner of the room and let the wine bottle fall on the uncarpeted floor again. Hard. 

 This time, the bottle hit the ground with a loud ‘crash’ and the glass fragments and alcohol splashed around. 

 “You, what are you talking about?” 

 “Hey. Why did you deliberately break that bottle?” 

 No… it just caught me by surprise?” 

 Nia replied as she stuck out her tongue. The reaction was so intense but she managed to seem quite calm. 

 “Speaking of which… Ah I never would have expected someone to pull out that sword. I already cast a spell to turn the sword’s guardian into a cat. It stands to reason that there’s no way that it could lead anyone to it…” 

 “Has that spell been broken?” 

 “Such a thing would be impossible! I would be able to sense it if it happened!” 

 The king stared at Nia intently and Nia shook his head violently. 

 “…However, this is indeed an emergency. I understand. I’m calling the <Knights of the Round> right now… just, can you wait a bit for me?” 

 “Why?” 

 “Never mind, I felt my head ache a little just now and I feel a little uncomfortable.” 

 “…” 

 Nia covered her mouth and crouched on the spot. The king stared at her with cold eyes. 

 “—This is dull work.” 

 There was a luxurious view of the royal city from the meeting room. The king sat leisurely on the throne in the meeting room, gazing at the <Knights of the Round> had all gathered there. 

 One was a girl who had a face like a doll dressed in pure white armor. 

 One was a girl with incredibly long hair who was wearing an oriental-style armor. 

 The other two were wearing identical armor and they both looked identical. 

 At first glance, all of them were young girls but their strength was guaranteed. These knights had the same power of a thousand men and were the strongest knights of the kingdom. 

 The king’s eyes narrowed slightly and continued with a straight face: 

 “I’m sure you must have already heard of it. It seems that someone has managed to pull out the holy sword. Soon there will be people who wish to harm me. I’ve ordered the public secretary to serve as the guardian of the city. If an enemy appears they must be executed on the spot.” 

 The king spoke softly and indiscriminately and the identical twins suddenly struck identical dramatic poses. 

 “Kuku—fascinating! I never would have imagined that there would be anyone who would rebel against our kingdom! They will soon become rust upon my blade!” 

 “Confrontation. Yuzuru will not permit any sort of invasion. If they manage to avoid my whirlwind, it will be problematic.” 

 They finished speaking with arrogant smiles with each other and flashing another confident pose. 

 Nia, who was sitting next to the king, chuckled and smiled. 

 “Oh! It looks like Kaguyan and Yuzurun are really fired up now. I feel sorry for anyone who has to fight against this sort of passion! After all, Her Royal Highness attained the ideal life full of eating and sleeping. If there’s a coup or something like that, don’t let them cause trouble, uh… eh?” 

 Nia was partway through the sentence when she started to frown. 

 The king immediately discovered the reason as to why. Because the girl in pure white armor on the left of the two sisters—Although her expression was the same as usual, it still looked inexplicably bored. 

 “What’s the matter, Oririn? Are you not getting enough sleep? It seems like you don’t have any energy at all.” 

 “…To be completely honest, I feel no motivation for this position.” 

 After Nia asked, Origami sighed weakly. 

 “Ahaha, Oririn, are you dissatisfied with your assigned role? But it’ll be a big problem if you don’t work hard! Ah, wouldn’t it be that? Because if you become so strong that you can’t find the joy in fighting?” 

 “No. Just leave that sort of thing to Kaguya and Yuzuru.” 

 She replied lazily and Kaguya and Yuzuru shook their shoulders in shock. 

 “So it turns out… this is the melancholy of being strong… such a line exists.” 

 “Confession. In fact, Yuzuru has been getting tired of fighting enemies who aren’t a challenge at all too.” 

 “Ah, that’s too strong!” 

 The conversation began to deviate from the subject at hand. 

 However, Origami didn’t care very much and sighed once more. 

 “If this country had a prince with a neutral appearance and a gentle heart, I could work hard and be more energetic. Especially if his name was Prince Shido.” 

 “Hey! So it’s for that sort of vulgar reason! It should be said that such a thing would be a taboo against the Prince, Oririn!” 

 “The premise is that the prince’s political marriage with a foreign princess is approaching day by day but he has fallen in love with the beautiful knight.” 

 “Ah! Ah…” 

 After listening to what Origami said, Nia showed an expression that said, “This is feasible…” and raised her arms up in surrender. 

 “…” 

 But at that moment, they seemed to notice the king’s gaze and she frantically shook her head. 

 “No! No! No! If such a prince exists, I would want that for myself… No! You have to work hard!” 

 “…” 

 Origami glanced away sadly. Nia sighed helplessly. 

 At that moment, Nia frowned again. 

 “…Say, why hasn’t Mukku-chin said anything yet?” 

 “Mun…” 

 The long-haired knight who’d been silent up until now, Mukuro glanced disdainfully at Nia and then at the king. 

 “Muku doesn’t really like the king at all.” 

 “So it’s because of that reason!” 

 Upon hearing that sort of unexpected confession, Nia responded exaggeratedly and leaned back. 

 “No, the king is the king and you are a knight. In order to get paid, you have to do your job well… It should be said that if you dare say this sort of thing in front of him, this person is notorious for cutting off people’s heads if they look at her wrong without batting an eye.” 

 “With that in mind, how can you explain why your head is still on your neck?” 

 After the king cast a cold look at Nia, she felt sweat flow down her cheeks and she let out a weak wry smile. 

 “Hating the king. You really love to joke. How is it, Mukku-chin, in order to be in harmony with the young people, isn’t his Royal Highness so charming?” 

 “Hate is hate.” 

 “Seriously?!” 

 Faced with Mukuro’s unchanging opinion, Nia flailed her hands frantically. 

 “W-What? Really?! The situation is urgent, what is with these attitudes?! This is related to my life of eating and sleeping, you need to be a little more serious! I should mention that I was dumbfounded and ended up vomiting, which shows how serious the situation is! You’re using energy unnecessarily! Nattsun, help me out here!” 

 Nia shouted. “Huh?” 

 “By the way, where did Nattsun go? Has anyone seen her by any chance?” 

 She glanced around the room. 

 It was exactly as Nia said: although all of the members of the <Knights of the Round> were called, it seemed there was no sign of Natsumi present. 

 So Origami (who’s been removing her armor) spoke up and replied: 

 “Natsumi was taken into the bedroom of Princess Miku last night and they have not come out yet.” 

 “What is Her Royal Highness doing!” 

 As Nia made an alarmed voice, the other knights nodded in understanding. 

 “Ah…” 

 “Understanding. Oh.” 

 “Natsumi won’t be able to escape. Tis truly an unfortunate fellow.” 

 Everyone was not surprised and inexplicably sighed. 

 “Hey! What is this reaction!” 

 “Although she was a princess, a woman is still a woman and she was anxious to fall in love. Moreover, according to common sense, the princess will go out with the knight.” 

 “This sort of prejudice is too deep! Let’s just assume that even though it’s good, this kind of thing can never be said in front of the king.” 

 “All of us have been invited by the princess.” 

 “You shouldn’t mention that!” 

 “—That doesn’t matter.” 

 “Eh?” 

 Nia’s eyes widened but the king ignored her and continued by saying: 

 “I just married the woman to make the government as rock-solid as possible. Whoever she wants to love, I don’t care… I should also mention that being able to keep her distracted is a help to me.” 

 As the king finished, the knights felt sweat trail down their cheeks. 

 Although their expressions clearly said “…uh, she’s your wife, you have to take responsibility for her.” None of them dared to say it aloud. 

 “Of course, it’s not just Miku, but also the public secretary or anyone else. I don’t care whether you are disrespectful or unable to muster motivation or hate me. I don’t care about knowing what you think of me. I only have one order and that is to obey all of my orders. That’s all.” 

 The king finished speaking calmly. Nia’s eyes widened and clapped her hands immediately after a while and her spirit was reignited. 

 “Hehe, oops! The king is so reasonable! You said yes! There are very few kings who know how to be flexible. Anyway, work hard!” 

 Nia deliberately raised her voice. As a result, the knights let out a sigh and they each responded. 

 “We are all knights. Whoever opposes the kingdom shall be killed on the spot!” 

 “Agree. This is a knight’s duty.” 

 “Hey! Really!” 

 The Yamai sisters whispered amongst themselves after striking another impressive pose. As a result, Origami, who was sitting next to them stood up in her remaining armor with a troubled face, and Mukuro shrugged helplessly. 

 “Relax. Even though I am not very motivated, I will fulfill my duty. If I lose my title of knight, I am afraid that when Prince Shido appears, it would be impossible for him to love me.” 

 “Mun… Even if obeying the king’s orders makes me dissatisfied, I have no choice in order to get paid. After all, no one can withstand our powers.” 

 “O-Oh…!” 

 After hearing the knights’ reliable (?) response, Nia was relieved. 

 “Really, you are really disgusting. That’s a relief—Your Royal Highness. Even the swordsmen who managed to pull out <Sandalphon> are bound to have to face the <Knights of the Round> even before they reach you, they wouldn’t have a chance at victory!” 

 Nia said triumphantly and laughed. 

 After looking down at the knights without so much as a change in expression, she issued the order softly again: 

 “Go, my knights. The <Sword of Choice> is approaching. Presumably, it will enter the capital city within the next few days. I will allow you to fight in the capital; be sure to kill them swiftly.” 

 “Understood. We’ll set out.” 

 “…” 

 “Hmm…” 

 After the knights responded to the king, they all left the meeting room. 

 “Hoo…” 

 The king watched their retreating backs and slowly raised her hand after sighing softly. 

 Then in the next moment, a dark light appeared in the void, and materialized into a single-edged sword. 

 This was the chosen magic blade <Nahemah> that the king managed to pull out a few years ago. 

 The king then pointed the tip of the sword out at the window, her eyes sharp, and spoke. 

 “—Those chosen by the sword, come here and show me who is the real king.” 

 “Oh… so this is the capital city!” 

 They managed to make their way out of the forest and onto the street and then boarded a horse-drawn carriage and headed northwest for the next three days. 

 Tohka and her entourage finally arrived at the capital city. 

 It was similar to a metropolis which was very different from the village where Tohka and the others lived. There were broad roads that seemed to criss-cross and numerous shops lined up along the road. 

 However, while there was clearly a rush of people as they went about their days, everyone’s expressions were a bit gloomy and the whole city felt lifeless. 

 “Hmm… it’s obviously very lively, but the atmosphere on the street is very uncomfortable. Everyone seems to be afraid of something.” 

 “That isn’t a surprise. Because this is a royal city, the security by the knights is also extremely strict.” 

 At that moment, they noticed several knights wearing iron armor walking side by side. The residents on the road quickly got out of the way and gathered at the side of the road. 

 Everyone is here. It’s the patrol knight of the capital city. It will be troublesome to be targeted now, let’s move.” 

 “That makes sense…” 

 After Kotori finished speaking, Yoshino nodded in agreement. 

 Incidentally, Tohka and her party were all wearing cloaks with hoods and were disguised as travelers. This would make it easier to avoid being recognized by patrol knights and also make it possible to hide <Sandalphon>. 

 “The first thing we need to do is find a place to sleep and then we can come up with a battle plan. This is the enemy’s stronghold. The knights guarding the city are estimated to have at least three thousand people. And it may also include the <Knights of the Round>.” 

 “The <Knights of the Round>?” 

 “Yeah. It’s a five-member knight regiment directly run by the king. There’s Origami the Flash, Mukuro the Seal, Natsumi the Phantom, and Kaguya and Yuzuru of the whirlwind. Even if you have <Sandalphon>, you will still be defeated by them if you are reckless. We have to find a way to avoid drawing attention to ourselves as much as possible— 

 It was then— 

 Kotori suddenly stopped talking. 

 The reason was immediately understood. Because of the wailing in the direction of the patrol knight. 

 They looked around and saw a petite woman wearing glasses and kneeling on the ground surrounded by three patrol knights. 

 “P-Please, let me go! Without this gift, it’ll be impossible for me to be able to take care of my family affairs…!” 

 The woman pleaded. But the three patrol knights (composed of tall, medium, and petite girls) were deaf to her pleas.” 

 “Ah! No!” 

 “Possessing Kinako powder is a felony!” 

 “You’re about to spend the next thirty years in our maximum security prison!” 

 “H-How…! What does it matter if you just cast a blind eye to this whole affair!” 

 The woman burst into tears and sobbed on the ground. Seeing this, Kotori wrinkled her face unpleasantly. 

 “Huh… it’s really deceiving. But just endure it for now, Tohka. If you cause a commotion now, everything we’ve worked for will be lost.” 

 “—Take this!” 

 However, Tohka rushed out before Kotori could finish what she was saying. While casting off her traveling cloak, she waved the original <Sandalphon> on her back and beat the patrol knight with the sword’s hilt. 

 “Agh…” 

 The knight made a muffled sound and slumped to the ground at the same time. After Tohka passed the woman a leather sac with soybean powder, she nodded her head in appreciation and signaled for her to leave. 

 Despite the confusion, the woman saluted Tohka and ran away. Seeing this, Tohka raised <Sandalphon> again. The knights then stumbled to their feet and drew their swords and glared at Tohka. 

 “That hurt… who did that?!” 

 “I hope you’ve mentally prepared yourself!” 

 “In other words, we’re dealing with an unpleasant situation!” 

 “Muu… I don’t need to share anything with an evil party!” 

 “What are you talking about!” 

 “What’s with your attitude!” 

 “Don’t try to rely on your cuteness, that’s so arrogant!” 

 The knight heard Tohka’s words and was furious. At that moment, Kotori, who was behind Tohka and Yoshino along with the cat, moved forward. 

 “Really, Tohka, what do you think you’re doing…!” 

 “But… Fortunately, that woman was saved…” 

 “Meow Wow!” 

 Kotori heard what Yoshino and the cat said and sighed. 

 “…Since it’s already happened, it’ll be difficult to cover all of this up. Quick, before the commotion can spread further, we need to knock these guys out and hide them somewhere.” 

 “Umu!” 

 Tohka smiled slightly as she raised <Sandalphon> in her hands again. 

 But at that moment. 

 “—Found them.” 

 Four girls appeared behind the defeated patrol knights. 

 “Muu…?” 

 When Tohka saw the figure suddenly appear and looked at them in confusion. The girls pushed aside the downed patrol knight and approached Tohka and her party. 

 “Hehe… a gleaming sword. This seems to be the right person.” 

 “Acknowledgement. This must be the <enemy> the king mentioned.” 

 “Mun… she doesn’t look very strong.” 

 “The patrol knights can retreat. Now—it’s a job for the <Knights of the Round>.” 

 The female knights in beautiful armor pulled out their swords and confronted Tohka and the others. The three patrol knights wanted to say something in protest but as soon as they noticed their appearance, they fled with unhappy looks on their faces. 

 “The <Knights of the Round>…? That’s—” 

 Tohka frowned, her breath stuck in her throat and began trembling much like Kotori. 

 “…No. It looks like there are four knights…!” 

 “Oh, so you’ve heard of us before.” 

 “That makes this much easier to deal with. Those who wield <Sandalphon>, although we have no ill-will or hatred toward you, you must die.” 

 But before they could make a move to attack, the sword flashed a bright light instantly and Tohka’s vision was blinded. 

 —A few hours after the Knights were dispatched. 

 “I finally found you, king! For the sake of the country, the people, and the right to be able to enjoy kinako flour as much as I want, I will use this <Sandalphon> to cut you down!” 

 “There’s no way out now. How dare you be so ruthless so far!” 

 “R-Recognize…” 

 “You’re out of power!” 

 “Meow Wow!” 

 The swordsman holding the holy sword <Sandalphon> managed to break into the deepest part of the royal city with her party and a cat in tow. 

 And, more than that. Behind them. 

 “Oh, realize it, king! The days of your evil deeds have come to an end! This hurricane will clear the way to heaven!” 

 “Agreed. This hurricane stream will stop you from doing anything bad ever again.” 

 “Origami flash, appear.” 

 “The seal is set, Muku has finally found her own battlefield.” 

 Just behind her were the <Knights of the Round> who’d originally been tasked with killing <Sandalphon>’s wielder. 

 “—Wait a minute!” 

 The cry of the Magician, Nia, echoed throughout the meeting room. Because her voice was so loud, the king who was seated next to her, covered her ears in irritation. 

 However, Nia didn’t seem to notice the king’s reaction and shouted even louder. 

 “What the hell are you doing? Step away from them and apologize. Why would you join their side?! Did you not promise that you would protect the king before?!” 

 Nia wailed and the knights glanced at each other for a moment and then looked back at Nia and answered: 

 “They said that they were willing to work together with us rather than treating us as tools after fighting…” 

 “Acknowledgement. In RPGs, strong members will join the hero’s team toward the end of the game.” 

 “It feels right to put the flag here.” 

 “Muku already said that I hated the king.” 

 “Is this country actually going to defend these guys?” 

 Nia flailed her body about and shouted at the top of her voice. At that moment, her eyes widened as she noticed something new. 

 She narrowed her eyes, she spotted one of the knights—behind the girl who wore a rabbit puppet on her left hand, there was a shadow of a petite girl. Her clothes were messy, her hair looked like a bird’s nest, and there were kiss marks all over her body. 

 That’s right. She was the lone member of the <Knights of the Round> who hadn’t shown up to see the king when summoned—Natsumi the Phantom. She shuddered from time to time and murmured: “It’s terrible… The princess is absolutely terrible…” It seemed that she also defected to the enemy camp… but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to hate Natsumi alone. It was more accurate to say that she did it to be protected from someone she believed was an enemy rather than out of a desire to betray the king. 

However, it was still a problem for Nia. She looked into the enemy’s face while showing a humble, queasy expression. 

 “H-H-Hey… Oh, yeah, you guys, I am the court magician, Nia. If there is anything you guys need…” 

 “Obstacle. Get out of the way.” 

 “Agh!” 

 Nia had obviously been trying to appease the enemy. The king smacked her and slowly stood up from her throne. 

 She then stepped forward calmly while raising her hand outward to summon the magic sword <Nahemah>. 

 “…!” 

 The woman holding <Sandalphon>, her party, and the <Knights of the Round> all wore vigilant expressions, lowered their bodies, and raised their weapons. 

 However, the King did not seem especially concerned despite being confronted by so many enemies and raised <Nahemah> over her head. 

 “Knights, I am not disappointed in any of you. This is because I expected you to not cooperate in the first place.” 

 “Rebels, I am not angry with you. Because no matter how many people you gather, there’s no one who can beat me…!” 

 The king finished speaking and at the same time raised the sword <Nahemah> higher. 

 “What…!” 

 In an instant, <Nahemah> let out a burst of darkness that swept across the enemies in front of her while also destroying the walls before disappearing into the sky. 

 There was a loud bang and an explosion. The air around the area was soon riddled with rubble and thick smoke. 

 “U-Um…” 

 “Muu…” 

 Soon after, the smoke dissipated, and the rebels and the traitors could be seen slumped against the nearby walls. 

 Their weapons were broken and their delicately decorated armor was heavily damaged. 

 That’s right. The sword had only been swung once. For the king, this was only a mere glimpse into her skill but it caused the enemy to falter. 

 “This is the chosen magic sword; this is the power of the king who rules this country.” 

 “Whoa… ha…hahaha!” 

 Only when Nia, who’d tried to betray the king before, realized the power of <Nahemah>, soon laughed loudly. 

 “Did you see it, rebels?! This is the power of the king! H-Hey, Your Royal Highness, how are you going to deal with these guys? Ow!” 

 Before she could finish the sentence, Nia made a strange sound. It turned out that the king shook her head at Nia again. 

 “—Look carefully. This isn’t over yet.” 

 “Huh…?” 

 Nia, a hand pressed against her swollen cheek, looked up. 

 At that moment, the wall with a gaping hole happened to draw in a gust of wind, blowing away the smoke still in the room. 

 She could make the figure of a girl standing in front of the king. 

 Her appearance was very similar to that of the king, and she still held the holy sword <Sandalphon>. 

 “Hoo…! Hoo…!” 

 Tohka’s face was drenched in sweat as she gasped for air. 

 This was because when the king waved her magic sword, there was a violent shockwave that struck all around them. With a single strike, Kotori, Yoshino, and Origami who’d formed an alliance with them were all knocked out. 

 Tohka was protected thanks to the magical power of <Sandalphon> but she could barely support herself and the arm that blocked the attack was numb. Her body was drenched with sweat from the tension. 

 “Hmm… It seems that you are the chosen wielder of <Sandalphon>—Tohka.” 

 The king held the magic sword and spoke calmly. 

 Tohka, hearing the king’s words, twitched her eyebrows. 

 “You… How do you know my name?” 

 “Who knows?” 

 Tohka swallowed her saliva to moisten her suddenly dry throat from the tension as she spoke. The king suddenly changed her expression abruptly. 

 “Okay, Tohka, the chosen wielder of <Sandalphon>, let’s decide now—whether you or me is worthy of taking the throne of this country.” 

 As soon as she said that, the king bent her knees. 

 Instantly, there was a loud noise as she took a step forward. Then, the king’s figure that had been previously visible in the distance managed to close the gap in an instant. 

 “…!” 

 She immediately realized that the king had closed the gap between them in an instant, her magic sword had already been swung down. 

 However, she didn’t think but instead let her body take the lead as Tohka’s reflexes and instinct sensed the danger of death and subconsciously raised <Sandalphon> to block it. 

 —Clang! <Sandalphon> managed to block <Nahemah>’s attack enough to redirect it to the nearby wall. 

 “Muu—!” 

 While Tohka could feel her body ache in protest, she still swung <Sandalphon> again. 

 The next moment, another attack came from the magic sword. If she didn’t react quickly enough, her body might have been split in half. 

 Attack after attack, Tohka used her keen sense and reflexes to deflect the king’s attacks. 

 Having lost track of the number of attacks she’d dealt with so far, the king let out a sigh of admiration. 

 “You are the first person who’s managed to stay standing through so many attacks. I applaud you—but you still lack the qualifications. The king is the one who controls everything, and your sword is not nearly ruthless enough!” 

 “What are you talking about…?!” 

 Tohka’s glare was fierce to the point that she’d already forgotten about the pain in her body as she shouted loudly: 

 “Dominating does not qualify you to be a king! What kind of king can’t even make his people happy?!” 

 “I thought you were going to say something better than that! All you’ve said so far were just sweet words and smoke! When you drew your sword, your life was forfeit! There’s no way to achieve peace without crushing your enemies! That’s right—just like me of the past!” 

 “Huh…!” 

 There was a heavy blow. Tohka used <Sandalphon> to block the oncoming and jumped back to lessen the blow. 

 The king stared straight at Tohka and pointed her magic sword at her. 

 “Power will inevitably lead to war. Whether you want it or not, there will be war everywhere. What will you do in that case? If you are strong, you can only crush your enemies! That’s the job of the king! That’s the power of the king!” 

 “You’re wrong! Even if you have that power, you don’t always have to rely on it! You should be able to coexist with others!” 

 “…!” 

 After hearing what Tohka said, the king frowned for the first time. 

 “Since you say so—surpass me! Prove it to me! Prove to me that your ideals are strong enough that you’re willing to put your life on the line!” 

 The king stomped the ground. 

 At that moment, the throne in the deepest part of the room cracked. After being split, the debris wrapped around the magic sword in the king’s grip to form a larger sword. 

 “Huh…!” 

 “—<Paverschlev>!” 

 The king raised her giant sword, the long blade immediately destroyed the ceiling and more rubble scattered around the room. 

 The darkness concentrated around the sword letting off an unparalleled pressure. Tohka immediately understood that with a single blow, she and her allies in the room would immediately be wiped out. 

 “Muu—…” 

 Despite knowing that it would be in vain, Tohka still tried to raise <Sandalphon>, but even still probably due to her accumulated injuries in the battle so far, Tokha’s movements were slower than usual. 

 The black blade was about to be swung down on Tohka. 

 However—in the next moment: 

 “Call on me!” 

 A small shadow jumped from Tohka’s feet toward the king. It was the black cat that had been tasked with protecting the holy sword. 

 “Huh…!” 

 “…!” 

 At that moment, the king’s eyes widened. 

 For a moment, the king’s attention was diverted from Tohka to the black cat. 

 Of everyone present, only Tohka could understand the meaning behind the cat’s meows. 

 “Call… the throne?” 

 “Meow!” 

 Tohka repeated what the cat said and then stomped the ground on reflex. 

 At that moment, the whole area let out a “bang” and began to vibrate violently, and a huge throne appeared next to Tohka. 

 That’s right—it was the base of the holy sword that had been in the forest. 

 The throne appeared at Tohka’s side and just like the king’s throne, it shattered and wrapped around Tohka’s sword <Sandalphon> and turned into a giant sword. 

 “<Halvanhelev>…!” 

 Tohka called out that name that appeared in her mind as she swung her sword down. 

 Then, the sword let out a flash of light and produced a powerful light which swallowed up the exalted <Halvanhelev> and the king. 

 “…!” 

 The king who’d been struck by the holy sword from the front and was blindsided to her core as she fell against the collapsed wall. 

 There was the lonely king lying on the ground in a pool of blood. She looked miserable but beautiful—it was a little sad. 

 “Hoo…! Hoo…!” 

 With the last of her energy spent, Tohka slumped to the ground immediately and the cat who bore the same wounds dragged its body toward her. 

 “Oh… it was all thanks to you…” 

 Tohka gently scratched the cat’s chin and heard the sound of rubble falling in front of her. 

 She followed the sound and found that the king sighed as she looked at Tohka. 

 “…Hah. It seems that my skills have declined from before.” 

 Then she whispered and said: 

 “…Tohka, you who was chosen by the Holy Sword, you… are destined to be the king. But you said—”even if you have more power compared to ordinary people, you can still live together with ordinary people”… right?” 

 The king asked, stuttering. 

 This question shouldn’t be answered carelessly but nonetheless, Tohka nodded without so much a second thought. 

 “Okay then.” 

 “Huh… 

 “Muu… Really? Then let me say, the era of the new king’s reigns—” 

 The king, who was a girl who looked a lot like Tohka, smiled gently for the very first time and then stopped talking. 

 “King…” 

 Tohka’s heart was filled with an inexplicable emotion and suddenly lowered her gaze. Before, she felt hate for the king when they met face to face. But now she couldn’t think of her as simply a wicked person. 

 That being said, it couldn’t keep going on like this forever. The reason was very simple. Because the King’s right-hand-people had gathered around Tohka one by one. 

 “Tohka…! You finally succeeded in defeating the king!” 

 “Tohka—you are so incredible…!” 

 “Muu… but it wasn’t just my strength alone. It was also thanks to the cat’s help. 

 Tohka explained as she hugged the cat. 

 “Hehe… thanks to you as well. Thank you.” 

 Then she smiled and kissed the cat. 

 In the next moment, the cat’s body shone with a blinding light and “Bang!” With a funny sound, it transformed into a magician dressed in a robe. 

 It was a young man with neutral facial features and a very gentle look. He smiled in embarrassment and said: 

 “I want to thank you too—Tohka.” 

 “Oh…!” 

 Faced with this sudden situation, Tohka’s eyes widened in surprise. However, she remembered that the cat was originally a magician who guarded the holy sword and was cursed to look like a cat. Probably because the king had been overthrown or because Tohka kissed him that he was able to lift the curse. 

 “Fortunately, <Sandalphon> chose you. My name is Shido, please continue taking care of me.” 

 After he finished speaking, the teenager smiled a little awkwardly. Tohka remembered that she had just kissed him and her cheeks flushed. Shido probably also guessed her mood from her expression and his cheeks flushed slightly as well. 

 “Still, there’s one last thing to take care of.” 

 He finished speaking and snapped his fingers. 

 Then, the rubble that originally fell on the ground disappeared in an instant, exposing the figure of Nia the magician, who’d been hiding behind the rubble and was about to make her escape. 

 “Hey! Stop it, please don’t kill me! I was threatened by Her Royal Highness so I had no choice… If you let me go, I will definitely work for you!” 

 “Wow, it’s hard to see how she could have any sort of talent…” 

 “Criticism. Who was it that relied on the king’s authority to be able to enjoy endless drinks in the castle?” 

 “Rgh!” 

 Faced with Kaguya and Yuzuru’s accusations, Nia could only tremble in fear. 

 Shido narrowed his eyes and stared at Nia with contempt but ultimately could only sigh after a moment. 

 “Fine. However, from now on, you have to serve Tohka and use your abilities toward the right path.” 

 “! Y-Yes!” 

 Nia immediately knelt down and bowed her head toward them. Shido and Tohka blinked in surprise. 

 “This time we’ve conquered an excellent magician.” 

 “Actually. I have you, Shido.” 

 Tohka laughed gently as she clenched her fist hard. 

 “However, the future will be difficult. Because I have to prove my ideals to the king!” 

 “Well, that goes without saying. But I think as long as everyone works together, surely—um, whoa!” 

 He was partway through the sentence, Shido suddenly let out a startled yelp. 

 The reason was simple. Because the <Knight of the Round> Origami, suddenly dressed as a princess, hugged Shido and tried to run away. 

 “I finally found my prince. I never would have guessed it would be like Beauty and the Beast.” 

 “What? Where did this come from?!” 

 “H-Hey, Origami! Where do you think you’re going to take Shido?” 

 Faced with this sudden change, Tohka couldn’t help but shout. 

 It seemed that the future of the new kingdom would be a difficult journey.