Aboard the aerial battleship Rhongomyniad.
In the command cabin, Ask sat in the main seat while Leila made tea for him, and Monica stood quietly to one side.
Before him, three Knights of the Round had gathered.
The Black Knights had no intention of getting embroiled in a clash. They fought as they retreated and soon withdrew beyond the Forbidden City's security perimeter.
Gino was not a soldier of the Chinese Federation, either. His priority was still protecting Britannia's royal family.
Once the Black Knights withdrew, he promptly returned to report.
He asked Ask:
"Your Highness, how is Prince Ossidius...?"
"He was merely frightened. He recovered after resting for a while. He's aboard the Avalon now, preparing to return home with my elder brother Schneizel."
"Then should we pursue them? After all, the Black Knights abducted Tianzi."
Ask shook his head and said:
"This is the Chinese Federation's affair. Unless they request aid from Britannia, we have no grounds to intervene."
"That's true, but..."
Suzaku Kururugi chimed in from the side.
Intervening rashly would cause diplomatic problems regardless of the outcome, which would do Britannia's reputation no favors.
However, letting the Black Knights go like this seemed tantamount to letting them slap Britannia in the face.
"Leave the marriage alliance to the foreign ministry."
Seeing his concern, Ask waved a hand and ended the discussion:
"All right, go join my elder brother Schneizel. The Black Knights' objective is still unclear, so I'll leave his protection to you."
"Oh, right. Take Nunnally along, too... head home first."
"You aren't coming back with us, Your Highness?"
Gino asked casually.
They had no say in the royal family's decisions, but he was simply that sort of person: rather easygoing and blunt.
"No, I have other business to attend to. Anya will stay with