The shells streaked across the sky like falling stars, hurtling toward the granite Tower standing on the harbor shore.
And—
It wasn't one shell, but more than a hundred.
It was a "meteor shower" filled with the reek of gunpowder.
"Not bad! Those shots are pretty accurate! Umit really went all out. He didn't just bring in five Great Pirates with bounties over a hundred million, but a whole bunch of elite gunners, too... Fran, I'll leave these to you. Remember, don't get carried away. If you scare my prey off, the consequences... We can try something new!"
Aleus stood on the Tower's terrace with a steaming cup of coffee milk in hand. Watching the meteor shower of falling shells, he smiled more and more brightly.
"...Not a chance!"
The red-faced maid stammered out a retort.
Ignoring Aleus's handsome face, Fran lifted the hem of her skirt and watched the shells closing in at high speed. She stamped one foot against the ground and shot skyward like an arrow, meeting the incoming shells head-on. Her black, round-toed shoe touched a round, equally black cannonball.
Then—
The shell flew back the way it had come.
It shot toward the fleet at sea even faster than before.
The maid deftly used the momentum of each shell to keep herself suspended in midair, dancing gracefully. With her palm, her fingers, the fluttering hem of her skirt, or a kick in midair, she turned the incoming shells into toys she could twist and shape at will, knocking them all back with a variety of techniques.
When the last shell had flown back, the maid finally drifted gracefully down onto the Tower.
"Beautiful! And your bloomers are cute, too! I like them."
Aleus said with a smile.
Then—
The maid's face, which had finally cooled down, flushed red all over again, rivaling her scarlet hair.
"Your Highness, would you please die?"
The gritting maid clutched her skirt tightly and made this treasonous remark.
"Haha! Fran, I'm not lying. They really are cute!"
Aleus burst out laughing. Before the mortified maid could actually do anything, he pressed the empty cup in his hand into hers. "Another coffee milk, please. Same temperature as before." He gave the maid a perfect excuse to make her escape for the moment.
Sure enough—
The girl didn't flare up again. Cup in hand, she turned and hurried away as if fleeing.
"As I thought... They really are cute!"
Aleus watched the slender figure disappear at the stairwell, then slowly looked away and turned his attention back to the fleet at sea. The smile on his face gradually faded. He gazed at the enormous fleet, a glimmer of anticipation flashing in his emerald eyes. "Mr. Trick Sword, it's about time you came ashore."
His right hand had unknowingly come to rest on his chest again.
The Hogyoku was longing for fresh, fascinating souls, too!
At sea.
The flagship's deck was very quiet.
Everyone had seen what just happened. That dense barrage of cannon fire hadn't merely failed to do any damage—it had all been sent flying back by one of the enemy's maids. If there hadn't been plenty of pirates in the fleet with bounties in the tens of millions to hold the line, they might have lost several ships to their own cannonballs.
Everyone's eyes turned toward the man who stood just 179 centimeters tall.
That was right.
Five years ago, Trick Sword Venkura had already had a bounty of 105 million Berry, yet he stood less than 180 centimeters tall. In this world, that was a downright tiny stature. There were several hot-looking female pirates on the deck, all over 190 centimeters tall, and the tallest stood 270 centimeters.
Of course, no one would show any inappropriate reaction to Trick Sword's height.
Five years ago, Trick Sword had already had a bounty of 105 million Berry. If Umit hadn't ordered him to keep a low profile over the past five years, his bounty could easily have doubled. It was his overwhelming strength that let him command this motley band of vicious men.
"Prepare to land."
Venkura issued the order coldly.
"The cannon fire was useless. Then cut down the heads of everyone who resists."
"Clang!"
A long sword, bright as Shusui, suddenly appeared in Venkura's hand. No one on the deck had seen where the slender Flower Sword had come from. They hadn't seen a scabbard or anything of the sort on Venkura.
Even the man who had been idly toying with a colored ball earlier now regarded the slender Flower Sword in Venkura's hand with solemn attention.
Just that unseen draw was enough to prove that Trick Sword had earned his name.
After Venkura had shown his skill, the crowd, which had been in an uproar over the unexpected powerful fighter on the island, quickly fell silent again. One warship after another drew alongside the shore, and fully armed soldiers set foot on the island. The dark mass of troops surged like a tide toward the lone Tower standing amid the ruins.
On the rooftop terrace of a building behind the harbor,
Colonel Susa leaned against the terrace railing, watching the harbor through binoculars without blinking.
When the many warships had aimed at the Tower where His Highness Aleus was staying and unleashed a barrage, every hair on his body had stood on end. He had been terrified of seeing the Tower collapse. If anything happened to His Highness Aleus on Whale Tail Island, he himself would be in trouble—but wouldn't his family back in the capital, Arabica, suffer as well?
He had immediately regretted agreeing to His Highness Aleus's reckless plan. What kind of sense did it make not to fight back when the enemy fleet attacked, but instead to send their own fleet far away? War wasn't a game.
But before he could stew in regret for long, he saw the maid beside His Highness Aleus display her formidable might, blocking every attack on her own. The heart that had been lodged in his throat, on the verge of leaping out, slowly settled back into place.
That was more like it!
How could the Crown Prince not have an expert bodyguard by his side?
He just hadn't expected that the little maid, who looked so delicate and weak, would be this powerful. He really had misjudged her!
Still, he didn't mind being wrong about that.
In fact, he hoped to be wrong like this a few more times. The more powerful fighters His Highness Aleus brought with him, the better their chances of winning. What Colonel Susa could never have imagined, though, was that His Highness Aleus—who looked like he could live off his good looks alone—was the strongest of all the reinforcements.
He would soon realize just how wrong he was.
Before you continue