Chapter 30

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"Wha!?"

Emma and the others had been summoned to the flagship, but for some reason, they were now in the training room.

In the training room, which seemed to be designed specifically for knights, Marie was fighting in the ring at the center.

Her opponent was Emma and the other three.

Despite being four against one, Marie was demonstrating overwhelming strength.

"What's wrong? You're not going to say this is all you've got, are you, Elite?"

She grabbed Russell's spiky hair and slammed him to the floor of the ring.

Yohm was already unconscious and lying on the floor.

Around them, the knights belonging to the flagship were shouting encouragement.

"Go for it, Marie!"

"Hey, you newbies, try harder!"

"Damn! I should have bet on Marie alone, not on the four of you!"

The surroundings were noisy, but Emma had no time to pay attention.

(We're four against one, and we even have weapons!)

The weapons Emma and the others held were called shock swords.

They were for training and were designed to paralyze the opponent without causing fatal injuries.

Marie was fighting them bare-handed.

After throwing Russell, Marie raised her right hand and curled her fingers, beckoning them to come at her.

—Come on, she was taunting them.

"Damn you!"

The one who took the bait was Char, who wielded two shock swords.

Holding two short swords, each about sixty centimeters long, Char charged at Marie.

Seeing this, Emma was surprised.

(Fast!? And strong)

Living up to her reputation as a genius, Char was pushing Marie into a corner of the ring.

She seemed to be trying to overwhelm Marie with sheer speed.

However, all of Char's attacks were being dodged by Marie.

"Better than the last two, at least."

"Shit!"

"Watch your language."

Marie, who was supposed to be cornered, slipped through Char's onslaught.

She grabbed Char's head and threw her across the ring.

Char, who had landed on the floor, got up and wiped her mouth.

"Such a huge gap in skill..."

Facing Char, who looked disbelieving, Marie feigned disappointment.

"Even the famous genius is only this good?"

"Huh? I'm good at mobile knights. If we fought in those, I would—"

"It wouldn't matter. You wouldn't win against me in a mobile knight either."

Char, who had been told this, frowned, and Marie explained the reason.

"You're too clever and play it safe. On the battlefield, you always take out five units and then just coast. Aim a little higher."

"No matter how hard I try, I won't get any extra pay."

"Break twenty units in a single battle, and you'll get a medal and a cash reward."

"But—"

In the Vanfield family, breaking twenty units in a single battle earns a medal.

This is one of the most difficult medals to obtain, as it targets the mobile knights piloted by knights.

"That's why you're just a clever one. There are plenty of geniuses like you, but few of them amount to much. You're one of them."

Many who are called geniuses and praised end up giving up halfway.

"Then, I'll beat you and—"

Before Char could finish his sentence, Marie was already in front of him, delivering a punch.

Char, who didn't even notice, lost consciousness.

After confirming that the three members of Russell's squad had lost consciousness, Marie sighed.

"This isn't even a warm-up."

She hadn't even broken a sweat.

The remaining Emma raised her shock sword.

"!"

Alone, Emma was thinking about how to fight Marie.

But she couldn't imagine a way to win.

Marie, with her hands on her hips, watched Emma.

(If I do nothing, I'll lose. —Then!)

Emma closed the distance in one step and slashed upward with her shock sword from a diagonal angle.

It was a slash enhanced by the knight's augmented physique.

An ordinary person would have found it difficult to avoid.

However, Marie smiled and took a step back to dodge.

"Too shallow."

"!?"

(Avoided!? And by such a narrow margin!!)

Seeing Marie dodge the shock sword by a hair's breadth, Emma couldn't believe it.

In the moment of surprise, Marie's fist struck Emma's abdomen.

"Kah!!"

Emma was sent flying and rolled on the floor.

(I saw it, but I couldn't do anything.)

The spectators were making comments.

"Is that it?"

"The rookies are only this good?"

"The only one with potential is the one with the two swords."

The spectators were acting as if the match was over, but Emma, despite the pain in her stomach, managed to stand up.

"Far... from over."

Her legs were shaking, and she couldn't stand properly, but Marie, seeing this, looked surprised and then smiled.

"You've got good spirit. I like that."

As soon as she said that, Marie approached Emma quickly.

"Eh?"

Before Emma could react, she found herself looking at the ceiling.

She lost consciousness without knowing what Marie had done.

◇

Heidi approached Marie, who was looking down at the four unconscious people in the ring.

"Ah, the elites were taken out in seconds. Is it fun to crush the pride of the young ones?"

Heidi seemed to be somewhat critical of Marie's methods.

However, Heidi then looked at Char.

"The only one with potential is this one. The others are just ordinary knights, good or bad. It's the influence of the people you've trained."

The spectators had dispersed, and now everyone was back to their training.

It seemed they had lost interest in the young knights.

However, Marie was still looking at the unconscious Emma.

"—Heidi, leave this one here and send the others back to the flagship."

Heidi was slightly surprised by Marie's order.

"Shouldn't you keep the genius?"

If Marie was going to keep someone on her ship, it would be Char, Heidi thought.

However, Marie was looking at Emma.

"That one is fine."

Heidi sighed and scratched her head while looking at Emma.

"Marie's taste is for the ordinary ones—well, it doesn't matter."

◇

The members of the third squad and Russell's squad returned to Merea, but Emma was not among them.

In the hangar, Russell and the others were talking about Marie.

"That woman was making fun of me."

Since returning, Char had been in a bad mood.

Yohm was exasperated by this.

"The top-ranked AAA is not just for show. We can't even match her. The captain was taken out in an instant."

Yohm looked at Russell, but—

"To be trained by someone as renowned as the Vanfield family's two wings, I never expected it. The regret is over something that's already finished. I want to become stronger for the next time, if there is one."

Seeing Russell with his eyes closed, looking moved, Yohm and Char exchanged glances.

"Have you heard of the Vanfield family's two wings?"

"I don't know. But the captain is a Vanfield family otaku, right? He's familiar with unusual nicknames. —It's a bit off-putting. He'd be perfect if it weren't for this."

It seemed that Russell had more than just loyalty to the Vanfield family.

The third squad members, except for Emma, were listening to Russell's squad's conversation.

Doug sighed.

"I thought we were summoned, but now we're told to leave the girl behind. We didn't need to be called in the first place."

Lally was annoyed by the unnecessary summons.

"It's because they move in squad units. It's one of our bad habits."

While Doug and Lally were complaining about the upper echelons, Molly looked worried.

"Leaving Emma behind, maybe the punishment is heavier than we thought?"

Her concern stemmed from Merea's reluctance to engage in combat.

Was Emma being held responsible for that? Molly was worried about her.

But Lally shrugged.

"Ridiculous. The order came from the colonel. The one to blame is the colonel, not the lieutenant."

"Besides, isn't it because Lally and Doug weren't motivated that Emma got scolded?"

Lally, who had tried to reassure Molly, was taken aback by the accusation.

He felt a bit guilty for not being cooperative with Emma.

"No, that's not it!"

He denied it, but Doug sighed, seeing Lally's eyes darting around.

"If it's our fault, the colonel would be the one reprimanded. It's a separate issue from Emma."

Molly pouted.

"If that's the case, it's impossible for only Emma to be left behind."

Hearing this, Russell interrupted.

—He seemed displeased.

"If the captain is scatterbrained, the subordinates will be the same."

Lally, feeling insulted, glared at the knight.

"I didn't expect an elite to eavesdrop on our conversation."

Lally's rebellious attitude made Molly and Doug look exasperated and worried.

A regular soldier challenging a knight would be no contest.

Especially in the Vanfield family, which belonged to the empire, knights had privileges.

Russell, who had been glared at, returned a cold stare.

"I feel a bit sorry for Rodman. He's been stuck with a bunch of rotten apples like you."

Lally's anger flared at Russell's words.

"What?"

"Before you get rebellious, you should reflect on your own actions."

With that, Russell left the hangar with his squad.

Finally, "I Am the Wicked Lord of an Interstellar Nation! Volume 7" will be released the day after tomorrow!

This time, we've added about 100,000 words, so please enjoy it!!