“Were you unable to abandon your comrades as they were being killed?  Or did you think running away from Lutiya would be cowardly?  Ridiculous.”

Noin raised his voice at those words that trampled on the battle of that time.

“I admit my response was poor, but minimizing allied casualties is also—”
“Suppose civilians you’ve sworn to protect are behind you.  Can you still say that?”

Held down by the Dragon Emperor’s utterly cold gaze, no one could move.

“‘I couldn’t do something as cowardly as run away.  I wanted to fight fair and square.  That’s why, even though we had a way to win, we lost.’  Will you present the people you should be protecting with those words while saying, ‘please, by all means, kill them’?”

Silence fell.  The Dragon Emperor was not talking about a mere match, but of actual war.  Furthermore, Noin and his classmates were studying in order to go out into real war.  Countering his words with, “It was only a match,” would have been beyond foolish, laughable even.

But, I fought Lutiya, and I… was overwhelmed by him.

During that battle, I don’t believe my sense of justice and what I had been taught were wrong.

Noin clenched his fist tightly and raised his face.

“…I… understand what you are saying, but… if anything is permitted for victory, then that defies the principle of being a human being.”

The Dragon Emperor blinked in mild surprise.  Then, he began to laugh.

“You… really are excellent.  That’s a score on me, Rave.”

The Dragon Emperor’s gaze shifted toward his shoulder.

Noin had head that the Dragon Emperor can see the Dragon God.  The thought that a god might be present where nothing could be seen filled him with a different kind of tension.

“All right, all right, I will teach you properly. –I did threaten you a lot, but yes, you’re right.  Anything being permitted for victory goes against reason.  The Dragon God Rave cannot go against reason.  For the same reason, neither can I.”

Maybe we should be feeling relieved.  Everyone around Noin seemed to visibly relax.  However, something else was bothering him.

“…That’s to say, the Dragon God cannot intervene against those… who act unjustly…?”  He then paled after voicing those words.  His question was tantamount to blasphemy against their god.  “E-excuse me…!  Rave-sama must also be present right now.”

“Hm?  That’s fine, don’t worry about it.  You’re perceptive.  If I say you’re onto something, you’re onto something.  That said, I’m strong.”
“You’re strong… I understand that, but—”

Are we going to be trampled by someone who doesn’t at all care about decency?

The Dragon Emperor placed his index finger to his lips.  Then, he turned his palm outward and extended it.  There was a faint movement of air.  Silver magic swirled.

A sword that seemed to concretize the very light of the sun appeared.

“Heavenly Sword,” someone murmured.

It was the sword that corrected reason, god’s sword.  Its radiance made those who saw it want to kneel and cling to it, make them believe they would be saved if judged by it.  Yet that divine majesty vanished as though it had only been an illusion.  Someone cried out in regret.

The Dragon Emperor once more put his finger to his lips.

Everyone fell silent at that.  What they saw must remain a secret.  That was the meaning.  Certainly, that was not something suitable to show to students of a vassal nation.

“I don’t want you picking up losing as a habit.”

Distracted by the Heavenly Sword, Noin’s reaction was a bit slow.  Flustered, his tongue stumbled.

“Wh-what do you mean ‘losing as a habit’?”
“I don’t want you to think that loss was inevitable.  I want you to analyze the causes and improve, but if you stop there, I would be troubled.”

Would the Dragon Emperor truly be troubled if we acquired a habit of losing?

The Dragon Emperor, however, looked straight at Noin and around at everyone else.

“You, all of you, will become officers of the Rave Empire.  And no matter who may stand between us, the one who will ultimately lead you is me, the Dragon Emperor.”

Before Noin could even think, a tremor of elation coursed through him.  It was as though a future long shrouded in heavy clouds had suddenly cleared and opened wide before him.

“Jill-sensei’s command is the real thing.  Rutiya, too, is trusted by the people.  No one wants either of those two to lose, they want them to win.  What’s more, those two don’t want that first victory to end as a coincidence.  That conviction will bring the Blue Dragon Class together with a tight bond.  However, you all believe in your class leader’s ability as well.  And your class leader believes in all of you.  As such, you can be pawns for your class leader, ready to sacrifice yourself for him, and your class leader will bear that weight and soar.  Carrying that sort of resolve will let you win.”

Someone swallowed audibly.  Surely, it was the sound of forcing down the defeat and humiliation that had been stuck in their throats.

—We… can win.

No one had openly said anything amidst the recent unrest, but the way others regarded Noin and his classmates had clearly shifted.  Simply stated, they were disappointed.  Now, there were some who’d openly state, “They’re useless, only good at studying.  No, even their grades were thanks to Gunter’s favoritism.  Do they have any actual skill at all?”

Even so, there was no deception with how they stood tall with their backs straight.  They wouldn’t throw childish tantrums but prove themselves with their actual ability.  After all, anyone could say anything with words.

“Compared to Jill-sensei’s command, I may be lacking.  I also haven’t had the time to earn your trust like Lutiya.  However, I do have the resolve to stand above you.”

—Still, our drop was like falling down a flight of stairs.  There was no way we wouldn’t get hurt. Jill-sensei did help us, but she in the end is the Blue Dragon Class’ teacher.  There aren’t any adults to support us.

“I will bear the sacrifice, the mockery, and the resentment.  I will accept it all.  Never will I let you lose.”

Quietly, the Dragon Emperor stood up.

“The only question remaining is whether you have the resolve to win.”

If some other adult had said that, they might have resisted.  This arrogant manner of speak, however, suited the beautiful Dragon Emperor.  For imagining this Dragon Emperor losing was impossible.

“—This time…”
With a trembling voice, Noin straightened his back.
“This time, we will win.”

Before he knew it, the entire Gold Dragon Class had risen to their feet.

“Good,” The Dragon Emperor spoke with a smile of satisfaction.  “Shall I go over the plan?  Is that alright?”

“Yes,” everyone answered in union as though it were natural.

“Then first, we’ll be doing some sewing together.”

“Understood?”  Everyone’s heads tilted in the same direction.

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