Dragoon

The clock turns back and restarts as Cattleya thrusts her demon sword towards Mies’ throat.

“Now I’ll have you talk.”

“Gn…”

In contrast to Cattleya’s level-headed conduct, even if you called her military personnel, Mies was raised as a high-society lady whose fighting prowess fell short of the standard soldier. Her shaking body was only able to stare back at Cattleya.

But at that moment, from where Lilim fought came an explosive sound alongside an earthen tremor. As the red dragon looked in that direction, it reported whatever it saw to Cattleya. The individual it reported on was the problem. Cattleya didn’t hesitate to send her dragon a complaint.

“Why are the Three Lord brats in a place like this!?”

From Mies’ point of view, Cattleya who suddenly started talking was exceedingly scary. But at the same time, she felt Cattleya’s attention veer astray. Mies… if she had to name a specialty, it would be her ability to escape from desperate situations. A character who originally appeared in the game, all of Mies’ parameters were low, but she possessed a characteristic skill.

“Now!!!”

Mies used an apparatus she carried on her person. A ‘smoke screen’. A cylindrical something rolled across the ground, and from it, smoke rushed out with good momentum to steal Cattleya and the red dragon’s sight. But that alone wouldn’t be a problem. For a dragon and dragoon, something of this level wasn’t enough to get away… if it were only smoke, that is.

“Wha!? Wait, it stinks!? What’s with this smoke!!!?”

Cattleya held her mantle against her nose and mouth. Because of the smell, her dragon was unable to give chase to Mies, their foe. Within all of that, Mies splendidly managed to make her way through the putrid smoke to freedom. Her special ability… ‘Successful Flight’ was an ability to flee from any situation with a high probability.

The situation was on her side. Because there was no way Mies could take precedence over Lilim in this circumstance. Now that she knew Lilim’s opponents were the eldest sons of the three lords, Cattleya had no choice but to prioritize them. As her original plan was to apprehend or murder Lilim, she couldn’t let herself get stuck up over Mies forever.

“You’ve forced me to use my trumpcard… when this smell is a nightmare to wash off! This is why I hate Courtois! Stupid lizard knight!!!”

Mies complained as she ran. And Cattleya headed straight for where Lilim was.

“Seriously, what’s this smell!? Even so… time after time after time, why does that guy have to cause so many problems!?”

She was also complaining as she rode her red dragon to rescue Rudel’s party.

◇

Arriving at the battlesight, Cattleya and her dragon went right into their attack. From what she could see from the sky, Rudel had a party of five, and two had already dropped out. If she wasted any more time, someone would end up dead.

“I’ll have you calm down, senpai!”

The two colliding dragons struggled as they fell to the ground. The two dragoons that leapt from their backs landed, took up stances with their weapons of choice and immediately went into battle.

“Cattleya!!! What business does a bullshitting bitch have with me!!?”

Confirming Cattleya, Lilim violently nailed in her emotions. From Cattleya, who knew the usual Lilim, this was a shocker, but Cattleya had constructed the cause.

“It’s an order. Please come in quietly…”

Cattleya’s demon sword rung against Lilim’s knife. As their blades locked and their faces drew close, Lilim spit on Cattleya’s face.

“Acting all polite at this point!? I know all about your personality! What business does the woman who’ll open her legs to any and everyone have with me!!? Laying your hands on my… my fiancé, you trying to brag!!?”

Lilim didn’t know what she was saying at this point. Within her chaotic head, Cattleya was a housewrecker trying to steal her fiancé Rudel away. To Lilim, the current Rudel had overlapped with her past Fiance, making him a target of affection. Rudel who pledged his future to her betrayed at the sight of her black eyes and was playing around with another woman.

That was how Lilim recognized it. But Cattleya…

“What are you talking about!? When you’re usually acting so unconcerned… and I’m a vir___!!!”

“Bullshit! Always flirting around with all the male knights… putting on a show!”

Both sides took distance, this time making for a battle of magic. While Lilim fired an endless stream Cattleya channeled magic into her sword, sending shockwaves to contend in a mid-range exchange.

“I’m just being courteous! I have no interest in the men who approach me after just looking at my face and body!”

“Still bragging!? Just like that, you act ‘courteous’ with all the popular men, that’s why the other female knights hate you! Haven’t you noticed how they avoid you in training?”

“… Don’t screw with me! The other women all hate you for putting on airs! When you’ve left the break room, it becomes the world smack-talk competition, I tell you.”

The dragoons spewed abuse as they fought. The high level of their battle only made the contents of their conversation seem exceedingly wasted.

“I-in the first place, what do you even like about that brat…”

“Like you… like you could understand my feelings! Unlike you, I couldn’t care less about pedigree or money! I just… want to get married!!!”

On Lilim’s scream from the heart, how is that any better? The question crossed Cattleya’s mind.

“I just wanted a happy household… and because of these eyes, it would never come to me. As if you could ever understand how I feel!!!”

“I don’t understand, and I don’t even want to! Marrying someone you don’t even like…”

As Cattleya mumbled out the last words, Lilim,

“What are you dreaming about? Think there’s some prince on a white horse out there for you… pff.”

At Cattleya’s surprisingly innocent side, Lilim burst into laughter. Lilim’s laugh that said more than any words could brought Cattleya to her limit.

“You’re… you’re dead meat!!!”

“I’ve been trying to kill you for a while now, dumbass!!!”

◇

“… Hey, Rudel. I don’t think I want to jump into that fray anymore…”

Approaching the two in battle, Rudel and Eunius’ feet suddenly stopped as the conversation entered their ears. Rudel had stopped to judge his timing, but Eunius was clearly drawing back from those two.

“Is there a problem, Eunius?”

“I mean dude, you want to save that woman?”

As Eunius pointed at the two, he looked into Rudel’s face with a serious expression. At the end of Eunius’ finger, the intense cursing exchange of the dragoons contained some indecent phrases men would hesitate to say.

“Of course! I’ll definitely save her.”

“Hah… fine, got it. I said I’d help out… I’ll resolve myself. Hah…”

Eunius redid his grip on his claymore as eh began running off in Cattleya’s direction. Rudel regripped his sword as he headed for Lilim, but… he did feel a little anxious.

(Please hold out just a little more.)

His own sword had fundamentally reached its limit in its exchange with Lilim. From the feel of it in his hand, the slight difference from usual was one he could only tell after using it for so long. But even so, Rudel knew. This sword was at its limit…

◇

The moment Lilim and Cattleya’s war of abuse was to enter close range once more. On Cattleya’s side Eunius, and on Lilim’s Rudel. They jumped in between them to bring a stop to their battle.

“…! What do you think you’re doing!?”

Cattleya cried out as soon as she saw them, while Eunius gave a bitter smile and explained. As he had heard that previous conversation, Eunius’ face was needlessly stiff.

“Well just hold on a bit, Mrs. Dragoon. My pal said he was going off to save his fiancée, and he wouldn’t listen to what anyone would have to say… so could you give him a moment? If you say no, then I’ll have to keep you company a while.”

Eunius pleaded in a tone as if he was hitting on her. But from Cattleya’s point of view, the people she saved were getting in her way. It wasn’t something to rejoice over.

“Are you sane? Even if you’re the eldest son of a Three Lord house, there are things you can and can’t do.”

And you’re one to talk? Eunius thought as he put power in his sword to indicate his will not to let her go any further.

Cattleya took a leap back from him to make some distance.

“Even if you manage to save her… senpai, no, that dragoon will be…”

She was certainly in for some serious punishment. So Cattleya wanted to say before closing her eyes once and taking another look at Eunis and Lilim, conversing with Rudel behind him. Unlike before, Cattleya couldn’t feel any hatred welling up towards him. She undid her stance to watch over the two of them.