When Lutiya took that arm which refused to throw away the sword, he didn’t know if it was from fear or something else.

“The location of all of you in the Blue Dragon Class still isn’t know.  Run.”

We had been captured by Principle Gunter of the Anti-Rave faction, and our role was to be rescued by the Rave Imperial Army.  Our role was to stay in the basement of the main school building’s cafeteria, what had been a food storeroom, and tremble.  Then, once all the nasty students and teachers who called us “sewer rats,” along with all those others we hated all went on and died on their own, we would be the ones to survive, we’d have our happy-ever after.  The fact that the survivors would all be people connected with the home-land faction would surely make for a good stepping stone for what came next.

Those who had made fools of them would finally receive their just deserts.  It was so amusing, Lutiya’s heart couldn’t stand it.

His heart shouldn’t have hurt in the slightest.

“The Rave Imperial Army intends to eliminate us.  They won’t listen to anything we say…!”

—Until the leader of the Gold Dragon Class came to help.

“Everyone’s fighting, but they won’t last long… no, they’re probably…”

—He lowered his face at those words, yet Lutiya still saw his expression when he wiped away his tears.

“Run, quickly.  Escape, live, and clear our false charges.  Yes, Gunter-sensei might have been doing forbidden research, but tell them we weren’t plotting anything like a rebellion.”
“Wait!”

He caught his arm just as he was about to leave.

“You can ride a dragon.  Take me with you and fly.”
“You…?  But, I can’t leave everyone else behind.”
“I’m of the Rave Imperial Family.  If they find out I’ve been freed, we might be able to stop the Rave Imperial Army.”

Perhaps Lutiya could have overlooked him, but he had the thought, This guy has to die here.

“—Alright, Lutiya.  I’ll bet on you.”

A guy who will believe in me like this and even take my hand—
Before my companions and I get frightened by the simple fact that people who never once called us “sewerrats” exist, he had to disappear.
Before Lutiya could indulge in the stupid fantasy that he might entrust his back to him, that together they would take up weapons and charge thought the midst of adults dancing to their foolish discord, that they might even fly away past the vast, vast sea, he needed to come to his senses and return to reality.

This was all so that he would never think, Maybe we could have become friends.

He gripped his dagger tight, and from atop of a dragon, brought it down so as to cut off that ridiculous dream.

After all, he’d never have been able to thrust a dagger into the face of a friend.

“As if I could trust the like of you, elite-sama.”

The blood from that one eye that no longer reflected Lutiya fell like tears.

■

Flames spread with a roar.  The bright surroundings didn’t allow for any tricks of the eye.

“It took me two years to get here.”

The tone was gentle, but the tip of Noin’s spear dripped the blood of a comrade.

“As expected, you sewer rats are good at sneaking around and scurrying away.”
“…You… became a dragon knight of the Noitral Dragon Knight Order?”

He restrained the vice-class leader before he could take a sword stance.  With his free hand behind his back, he signaled for him to escape.

Noin might have been on his own, but this opponent was a genius who had been outstandingly strong since they were students.  If they were to try to bring him down, several people would surely be sacrificed, and that was without considering the dragon flying above.  Then, there was also the possibility that reinforcements would come.  Escaping while taking the wounded with them came first.

“Yeah, after what happened, I made it to the shore on the home-land side where Captain Elynsia picked me up.  I was surprised.  When I woke up, I learned that La Baia Military Academy had risen up in revolt and that you guys alone were ‘messengers of peace’ who had opposed the revolution until the end and survived.”
Noin unexpectedly went along with the conversation.
“Captain Elynsia continued to cover and care for me even after learning I was a survivor of La Baia.  I went through all sorts of difficulty until I got used to only having one eye.”

If Noin wanted to voice his resentments, Lutiya would gladly listen.  This was a great way to stall for time.

“But then, that captain died too… All because of people like you, people who don’t fight at all and just fan division for your amusement from a safe place.”

Behind Noin, a comrade carrying a wounded person on his back inched away bit by bit.

“Yeah?  And what exactly do you intend to do by attacking civilians, Dragon Knight-sama of the Noitral Dragon Knight Order?  Also, I’m of the Rave imperial family.”
“Civilians?  Don’t make me laugh.”

Without making any motion of preparation, Noin kicked off the ground.  Then, before Lutiya’s comrades who were trying to escape could react, they were pierced.  Those who leapt in to help were also cut down in a flash.

“Aren’t you all gutter rats?  Enough with your pretending to be human.”
“You…”

“Everyone, just run!  I’ll deal with him!”

Noin’s abilities had been outrageous since they were students.  If anyone could fight him, it would be Lutiya himself.

Noin caught Lutiya’s blade with the shaft of his spear and knocked it away.  Then before Lutiya could regain his balance, Noin slashed the back of a comrade who had started to flee.

Lutiya swallowed and shouted at him.

“Hey!  Your opponent is me!”
“As if I’d let even a single little critter get away.”
“Tch, you’re violating orders!  The home country is supposed to be protecting us!”

He took a strike at Noin’s blind spot, but he blocked it without even the slightest bit of hesitation. This time, however, Lutiya wasn’t knocked away this time.  He stood before Noin.  Whenever there was an opening, Noin would cut at a comrade, so Lutiya stood in his way and they traded blows.

“Was the attack on the port you guys too!?  This is going to become a question of responsibility for the Noitral Dragon Knight Order!”

Noin barked out a laugh.

“What’s so funny!?”
“There was no mistake anywhere. This was an order by His Majesty the Dragon Emperor.”

A moment of fluster showed an opening and Lutiya had a knee driven into his stomach.  The back of his head was then grabbed just like that and slammed into the ground.

“Lutiya!”
“His Majesty the Dragon-Emperor has deigned to order, ‘let not even a single critter leave the island.  Burn them along with the island.’”

That order left those who had stopped moving out of concern for Lutiya along with Lutiya himself speechless.

“No one is to cross to the home country alive.  His Majesty the Dragon-Emperor is wise.  He understands that sewer rats like you shouldn’t be left alive.”

Lutiya, with an elbow on the ground, turned just his head so he could look at Noin.

“…That… means… killing everyone?”
“Don’t worry.  You alone have been ordered to be properly executed, Lutiya. You will be an example.”

Noin spoke with a gentle expression.

“First, you will be executed as the very origin of all this confusion.  Everyone will throw stones at you.  Afterwards, they will all be killed, both those who threw stones at you and those who didn’t.  Those who threw stones will be charged for the crime of defying the Rave Empire.  Those who didn’t will be charged for abandoning a member of the imperial family.  Those were my orders.”
“—That’s absurd, insane!  Are you seriously going to obey an order like that!?  There are lots of people who have nothing to do with this rebellion.  They were just dragged into—!”
“Don’t you dare say that!”

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