Chapter 56

As Einhorn aimed for the Feve family's territory, warships gathered and hailed them.

"What are you doing!"

Then, Luxion responded in the voice of a Feve family retainer.

In a drunken voice, he pretended to be insane.

"Shut up! We're causing a ruckus on the orders of the Feve family's Pierre-sama. If you don't want to get hurt, clear the way!"

When Einhorn fired its cannons, the warships deployed magical shields.

The cannonballs shattered the shields, but Luxion seemed dissatisfied.

"The Republic is known for its strong defensive capabilities. After all, they are constantly supplied with magic power from the Sacred Tree, so it's only natural."

The airship was powered by magic stones, which limited its cargo space and weight.

However, the Republic's airships had no such limitations.

Their output was higher than those of other countries because they could always operate at full power, thanks to the energy supplied by the Sacred Tree.

Additionally, their effectiveness increased when they were near their base.

"...But, I am not your enemy."

Einhorn charged at the remaining warships.

The enemy was a 600-meter-class vessel, three times the size of Einhorn.

However, Einhorn's distinctive horns pierced through the shield and sliced the enemy airship to pieces.

As the airship slowly fell, Luxion intercepted the communication.

"It's the Feve family's airship! They're causing a ruckus while drunk! Send reinforcements immediately. That ship is not normal!"

The falling warship.

The crew seemed to have evacuated safely, but the engine parts were exposed.

A white, glowing gemstone was discovered.

"Oh, is this the gemstone Master mentioned? I'll collect it."

Robots collected the gemstone and loaded it onto Einhorn.

Luxion continued to head for the Sacred Tree's island, engaging the military along the way.

◇

The dueling arena.

When I approached the fallen Arrogance's cockpit, I decided to open the hatch.

I had defeated Arrogance, but of course, there was a trick involved.

Luxion had not betrayed me.

Do you really think I could defeat Arrogance?

Softness overcoming hardness?

I'm not a master, so it's impossible.

Sorry, I'm just an ordinary person.

The reason I was confident in my victory... was that Luxion had not betrayed me.

When the chest part opened, I punched Pierre in the face.

"Hey, Pierre. You finally showed your face. I'm so happy."

Pierre, with his mouth covered, was teary-eyed.

I grabbed his hair and dragged him out, throwing him to the ground and getting out of Arrogance.

I hit my fist into my palm.

"I'm going to beat you up, but don't give up easily. I want to get some revenge."

Smirking, Pierre shouted.

His front teeth were broken.

"You! You hit me!"

I stepped forward and punched him in the face.

He's so weak!

I immediately kneed him in the stomach, and as Pierre bent over, I brought my hands down on him.

Pierre, lying on the ground, was crying.

"Wait, wait."

"Come on, don't get weak all of a sudden. The fun is just beginning."

I grabbed his hair and slammed his face into the ground several times.

"How does it feel to be hit? You probably don't experience this often, but you'll get to taste it a lot from now on. Lucky you, Pierre."

Pierre's face was a mess of tears and snot.

"Stop, please stop."

"No way."

Smiling, I laid Pierre on his back and got into a mount position.

I continued to punch him, alternating my arms.

I'm holding back, of course.

Because I want to hit him a lot.

"Truly, you are one of the Republic's six great nobles! It's amazing that you won't admit defeat even after being beaten up like this!"

Pierre was about to shout something.

He was probably going to admit defeat, but I immediately punched him in the mouth.

"What a spirit! I have to try harder too!"

He really is amazing.

I don't feel any guilt at all while hitting him.

I even get the illusion that "Am I doing something really good?"

Even though what I'm doing is extremely evil!

But, I feel so good while being violent.

I'm a great piece of trash.

There's no background or reason for this; I'm just a pure piece of trash.

I enjoy seeing people suffer, I laugh at deceiving people, and I get my hands dirty with evil deeds.

I've learned that even a piece of trash like me has its uses.

I don't feel any guilt at all for beating him up!

"Stop. I've had enough."

"What? What did you say?"

Pretending not to hear, I continued to hit him.

Pierre's face was a mess, but in this world of magic, he would probably be healed quickly.

However, I was getting tired of hitting him.

I stood up.

Pierre glared at me with his swollen face.

"I won't forgive you. I'll never forgive you..."

Hearing this, I smiled and said...

"Got it. Then, die."

I kicked him in the face.

Pierre, who didn't expect it to continue, was holding his face and crying.

"It's over. It's over!"

"What are you talking about? The referee hasn't declared the end yet. It's definitely going to continue, trash."

This time, I decided to kick Pierre for fun.

But, it's a terribly boring game.

"Do you do this every day for fun? I can't understand it at all. But, I'll keep doing it until you die. You love bullying the weak, right? Lucky you, you'll get to experience it from the other side."

I kicked Pierre in the stomach, and he struggled.

The back of my right hand started to glow, and I smiled.

"Huh? Are you going to use it? If you use the power of the Sacred Tree—do you know what will happen to you?"

The condition I set was not to use the power of the Sacred Tree during the duel.

Remembering the penalty for breaking it, Pierre looked like he was about to cry.

"That's right! You don't want to, do you? So, you should—keep getting hit by me."

Laughing, I kicked him again, but...

It's really boring.

I'm pretending to scare him, but I'm getting bored.

It's so painful to see, and my conscience is hurting a little.

Pierre, who can do this without any qualms, is really a piece of trash.

◇

Julius, looking down at the dueling arena, said one word.

"...This is terrible."

Zirk agreed.

"Yes, it's terrible. But, it seems the others don't think so."

When Julius looked around, the students who had been running around were now watching Pierre.

"Serves him right."

"A noble without the power of the Sacred Tree is just a regular person."

"Less than that. Using armor and losing to a regular person is just not normal."

It was clear how much Pierre was hated by the students.

Julius felt a bit conflicted.

"Baltofalt, are you satisfied with this?"

To Julius, it seemed like the duel could have been resolved more elegantly.

Lion would have won more easily, he thought.

Looking in another direction, Pierre's cronies were confronting the referee.

"Pierre will die!"

"Stop it quickly!"

The referee said to them.

"If we stop it, Pierre will lose. Is that okay?"

The referee wanted to intervene but couldn't since it was a duel.

If Pierre admitted defeat, the referee could intervene, but Lion prevented that.

He quickly silenced Pierre and continued to torment him.

Hearing this, the cronies were at a loss.

If they admitted defeat on their own, they didn't know what Pierre would do to them later.

Then,

"I declare Leon Fou Baltofalt the winner of this duel."

A handsome man with golden hair and blue eyes spoke to the referee.

Narcissus was surprised.

"The head of the Droy family? Why is he here?"

The referee immediately announced the winner.

"Winner, Leon Fou Baltofalt! Both of you, step away immediately!"

Dissatisfied voices could be heard from the crowd.

"He should have been allowed to do more."

"But look at Pierre's face. It's hilarious."

"If he doesn't come to school anymore, that would be great."

Hearing the students' comments, Julius closed his eyes.

(He got what he deserved. But, what's the point of doing this? Baltofalt, is this what you wanted to do?)

◇

The winner was declared, and I had won as planned.

"...You should have stopped it earlier. Now, I feel like I'm bullying the weak. I didn't expect him to be this weak. My conscience is hurting a bit."

Pierre, battered and bruised, looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

Doctors and nurses rushed to treat Pierre, and with their numbers, his face was quickly healed.

He could speak again, but most of his teeth were gone.

"I'll kill you. I'll kill you no matter what it takes."

What a spirit. But it's meaningless.

"You are truly a remarkable person. To do this and still hold a grudge is amazing. This means I can act without any reservations."

Pierre glared at me with a fierce expression.

Then, a handsome man in a luxurious outfit arrived.

He looked like a prince from a storybook.

"Excuse me. You are Count Baltofalt, right?"

I nodded, and he introduced himself.

"I am Fernand Touara Droy, the head of the Droy family and one of the representatives of the six great noble families."

"This is a big catch. So, what do you want?"

Fernand looked at Pierre.

Pierre's face was pale, and he turned away.

He didn't seem to want to fight with someone of higher status.

His cowardice was impressive.

"I can't formally apologize for his actions, but as a representative of the Republic, I want to apologize. Additionally, I would like to discuss the seedlings of the Sacred Tree."

Pierre looked regretful, and his right hand was glowing.

Fernand's right hand also glowed.

"Pierre! I can't overlook this anymore. Do you want to start a conflict with the Droy family?"

But Pierre wouldn't stop.

"Bullshit! I lost because my power from the Sacred Tree was sealed. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have lost!"

I smirked at Pierre.

"If you had the power of the Sacred Tree, you wouldn't lose, huh? Interesting."

"Stop being so cocky. I'll take care of you right away!"

"Pierre!"

Fernand tried to stop Pierre, who was about to use the power of the Sacred Tree.

The situation was chaotic, and Fernand's subordinates arrived.

"Fernand-sama! It's bad! The Feve family's airship is destroying everything and heading for the Sacred Tree temple! The military can't stop it, and it might attack the Sacred Tree!"

Fernand glared at Pierre.

"What do you mean?"

Pierre was panicking.

"I don't know. I don't know anything!"

But Fernand's subordinate said,

"...The airship is called Einhorn. It belongs to the Feve family. Pierre-sama, it's the airship you managed."

Pierre paled.

"No, that's a lie!"

"It's true. The military has already suffered significant damage."

Fernand and everyone else looked incredulous.

"Einhorn? But that's an airship manufactured by the Kingdom. Did you modify it?"

Pierre shook his head.

"No, I didn't! I didn't modify it! I don't know anything. How could a Kingdom airship cause damage to the military? That's impossible!"

It is impossible.

Indeed, it would be impossible for them.

In a world that has developed through magic, those who can better control magic are the winners.

The Sacred Tree is like a plant that bridges the gap between humans and the convenient control of magic.

It's a very convenient plant.

However, since Luxion doesn't harbor any hostility, I don't think it was created by the new humans... but that's not important.

For now, it's enough that they understand that their invincible myth is nothing but a castle in the sand.

Additionally, there's one more thing I want to confirm.

"Well, it's time to keep our promise, Pierre."

...It's not over yet, Pierre.