Prince Kumcheok found the students of the Altoria Kingdom laughable.
His opponents were only around ten students from an insignificant weak nation, not even adults yet.
On the other hand, his side had fifty elite soldiers counted among the finest even in the Romer Empire.
It was obvious they would not even be a match.
Thanks to that confidence, Prince Kumcheok calmed his excitement for a moment and made a composed offer.
"If you quietly hand over Princess Sia even now, I will let this matter pass."
Prince Kumcheok wanted to praise his own generosity.
If he achieved his objective, he would simply forgive the rest. What a generous treatment that was.
However, it seemed those foolish students did not understand their position.
"Do not be ridiculous!"
"We will never hand Princess Sia over to someone like you!"
"We will protect her even if it costs us our lives!"
Pathetic fools. To think they would kick away the kindness he had granted them.
Either way, it did not matter.
In the end, Princess Sia would fall into Prince Kumcheok's hands.
As a bonus, he would make all the other wenches into slaves too.
So, smacking his lips inwardly, he was about to give orders to his soldiers, but-
"Everyone, wait a moment. There is no need for us to shed blood, is there?"
The one named Trine stepped forward.
"The result is obvious anyway, so let us try negotiating with words."
At that, Prince Kumcheok smiled pleasantly and said,
"Hahaha! You are clever after all!"
Without fear, Trine began walking boldly toward Prince Kumcheok.
The soldiers threatened Trine with their spears,
But Prince Kumcheok raised a hand and said,
"Leave him. Do not be frightened of a mere unarmed student."
At those words, the soldiers lowered their spears.
Then Trine pushed through the gaps between the soldiers, tapping each of their shoulders once as if provoking them.
In the end, Trine came right up to the camel Prince Kumcheok was riding and said,
"Your Highness. Would you consider hiring me into the Romer Empire?"
"Do you mean to betray Altoria?"
"If Princess Sia is going to marry you anyway, I have no reason to remain."
At those words, the students all frowned at once.
Rather than anger at being betrayed, they seemed to suspect what scheme he was plotting this time.
However, Prince Kumcheok failed to read that atmosphere and laughed loudly once more.
"Good! If you swear loyalty to me, I may even lend you Princess Sia's body."
"Thank you."
"However, that is only after those foolish things quietly hand Princess Sia over."
"Before that, I have a gift to offer Your Highness."
Trine took a grimoire from inside his clothes.
It was the book he had used yesterday to break Princess Sia's curse, so it was surely the Book of Walpurgis or whatever it was called.
Thinking that, Prince Kumcheok let his guard down and snorted.
"That book is a gift? It has little value now."
"Not necessarily. It can do tricks like this."
Trine opened the book.
Then, suddenly, several soldiers raised their spears,
And stabbed the other soldiers around them.
Prince Kumcheok shouted in shock.
"W-What is happening?!"
"For reference, I can also do something like this."
Suddenly, a loud rooster's cry rang from the book.
As an unknown fear exploded and spread, the camel grew agitated, threw Prince Kumcheok off, and fled.
Prince Kumcheok lay on the ground and shouted with a terrified expression.
"K-Kill that bastard at once!"
However, not one of the many soldiers rushed over.
Because most of them were caught in hypnosis and hallucinations.
In the end, they seemed busy wildly swinging their spears at one another.
"You bastard, what are you doing?!"
"You stabbed me first!"
"Stop! We are on the same side!"
Taking advantage of that opening, Trine shouted with all his might,
"Everyone, fire at once!"
At that shout, the knight department students reacted immediately.
"Just shoot first!"
"Prioritize covering Trine!"
"If that bastard was going to do this, he could have at least given us a hint first!"
Bullets and magic flashed in the darkness and poured down.
The soldiers, still unable to tell friend from foe, collapsed one after another without even knowing what had hit them.
At the precise timing when the soldiers were beginning to notice, Instructor Eloy drew her sword and shouted,
"Close-combat fighters, charge with me!"
At that, the students, including Butler Elford and Lizbette, rushed out.
Amid the thickly scattering sand,
The battlefield turned into chaos in an instant.
"Arrogant- Aaagh!"
"Damn it! Who is an ally and who is an enemy?!"
"T-These bastards are insanely strong!"
Even if the enemy was an elite army, most of them had fallen into brainwashing and confusion.
On the other hand, this side may have been students, but they were Altoria's finest.
Each student began taking down two or three soldiers in an instant.
"...This should be enough."
Trine closed the grimoire and put it inside his clothes.
At that, Prince Kumcheok belatedly rose and shouted,
"You insolent bastard!"
As Trine approached Prince Kumcheok even more closely, he said,
"This is the first time I have seen an idiot who believes an enemy strategist at face value."
"Do you think you will be safe after doing this?!"
"The one who will not be safe is you!"
Trine threw a punch straight into Prince Kumcheok's face.
Prince Kumcheok could not react and was struck pathetically, collapsing to the ground.
At that, Trine instead looked flustered and murmured,
"What? He is incredibly weak."
With that much muscle, Trine had assumed he would know how to fight to some extent...
Trine's question was answered before long.
Prince Kumcheok's body slowly began swelling,
And soon, he had become severely obese.
"Ugh... D-Daddy... save me..."
At that change, Trine frowned and asked,
"Did you cast illusion magic or something?"
"Eek! Do not come near me!"
Trine let out a short sigh in disbelief.
He had carried out this plan with the intention of fighting Prince Kumcheok in single combat.
He had expected a tough fight, but if his opponent was this weak, then it was a different story.
Trine climbed on top of Prince Kumcheok, pressed a dagger to his neck, and shouted with all his might.
"The fight is over! If everyone does not stop fighting immediately, I will kill Prince Kumcheok!"
At those words, the noisy battlefield fell silent in an instant.
As the soldiers belatedly grasped the situation and wavered, Instructor Eloy followed up and shouted,
"Everyone, drop your weapons and raise your hands! Students, bind all the soldiers!"
The students moved swiftly according to Instructor Eloy's orders.
Meanwhile, Prince Kumcheok, despite trembling, forced himself to smile and said to Trine,
"L-Let us negotiate, yes?"
"...Please speak."
"Y-Yes! If you side with me even now, I will promise you wealth and glory!"
"I am not interested."
"T-Then do you want Princess Sia? I will specially lend her to you twice a week. No, three times!"
Trine was so dumbfounded that he did not even feel like getting angry.
To think he had initially believed this filthy bastard was a splendid prince.
Perhaps he needed to improve his eye for people.
Just then, Prince Sirean approached and said,
"Just kill him."
Trine glanced sideways at Prince Sirean and replied,
"What are you talking about? Are you planning to start a war with the Romer Empire?"
"Father would probably invade first if he found out anyway."
"I understand that your family love is strong, but you are royalty in name and reality."
"Royalty or whatever else aside, could you forgive a perverted bastard who targeted your little sister?"
"You-"
While the two argued for a while,
Prince Kumcheok quietly took a small orb from his pocket.
Then, with a triumphant smile, he shouted,
"Wings of Romer! Protect this body!"
At that moment, Trine and Sirean were repelled from around Prince Kumcheok.
Then a gigantic beast suddenly appeared.
The body of a lion, with the head and wings of an eagle.
It was probably a monster called a griffin.
Prince Kumcheok scrambled onto the griffin and shouted,
"Withdraw with Princess Sia alone!"
The griffin took flight.
Then, in the blink of an eye, it snatched Princess Sia with its front talons and began fleeing into the sky.
Prince Sirean fired wildly at the griffin, but the distance had already widened too much.
"That bastard has really pushed his luck!"
However, it had already escaped beyond firing range.
Trine looked around and shouted,
"Does anyone have a way to chase that thing?!"
At those words, Cat blew hard on the flute hanging around his neck.
Before long, a pterosaur flew over from far away.
Cat climbed onto the pterosaur, gripped the reins, and grinned.
"Good thing I called it nearby in advance, right?"
Trine and Prince Sirean climbed onto the pterosaur without hesitation.
"There is only one?!"
"Hurry and chase it!"
"Neither of you has a single word of thanks?"
Cat grumbled as he drove the pterosaur and began chasing the griffin.
***
Princess Sia was so frightened that she could not even scream.
She was hanging precariously from the griffin's talons,
And had no choice but to watch as the ground gradually grew farther away.
'I should not have let my guard down, just as Trine said.'
Of course, Princess Sia had done nothing wrong.
It had happened far too quickly.
Even so, she could not shake off the guilt that she had become a burden again.
From atop the griffin, Prince Kumcheok's shout could be heard.
"Princess Sia! I will make absolutely sure to torment you thoroughly!"
Then he began spouting all kinds of vulgar things about torture and breaking her.
Princess Sia ignored his voice and took a deep breath.
'Get a hold of yourself. For the sake of those who worked so hard for me, I have to escape.'
Just then, Prince Kumcheok shouted in a somewhat panicked voice.
"Why are those lowly things so persistent?!"
At those words, Sia twisted her head and looked back.
She could see a pterosaur chasing after them.
Princess Sia smiled without realizing it and murmured,
"Truly, he is persistent."
Even though he did not like her, he was always visible whenever danger came.
"And yet I am not allowed to like him? As if that could be possible."
She could not continue depending on him.
The griffin's speed increased noticeably.
At that, the distance from the pterosaur began widening again.
Prince Kumcheok laughed on his own and shouted,
"As expected, there is no way a mere pterosaur can catch up to a griffin!"
...Princess Sia calmly took out the gun from inside her clothes.
Even if she did nothing, Trine would once again save her on his own.
But she could no longer simply depend on him.
If she wanted him to look back at her even a little,
She had to change too.
Without hesitation, Sia fired at the griffin's wing.
"What, what is this all of a sudden?!"
With one wing frozen, the griffin began staggering.
Soon, after losing its balance and flailing, it dropped Princess Sia.
As she fell, Princess Sia concentrated every nerve.
"Can I use Lady Lilian's flight magic too?!"
She had never used it, but she surely had learned the chant before.
Even while falling, Princess Sia concentrated with all her might.
"To this sorrowful beast that crawls upon the earth, lend wings to walk in freedom!"
At that, her falling speed began to slow.
Using a spell for the first time was close to a miracle.
To think she had even succeeded in such an urgent situation.
Her talent was one thing, but her will had surely played a part as well.
However, it was not complete enough to stop her fall.
She concentrated with all her might, but cruelly, the ground only approached faster and faster.
With only this much deceleration, she surely would not escape unharmed.
"No, please, just a little more!"
Right before Sia hit the ground,
The pterosaur barely skimmed beneath her.
Trine nimbly caught her in both arms.
With tears in her eyes, Princess Sia said,
"Trine, thank you..."
However, the reactions of the other three on the pterosaur were endlessly cold.
"What were you thinking, doing something that dangerous? Do you want to die?"
"No thanks for your brother?"
"I was the one who actually saved the princess, though."
Princess Sia laughed out loud without realizing it.
It was probably the first time in her life that she had laughed so cheerfully.
The cat landed the pterosaur near where the griffin had crashed.
The four of them got down together and went to find Prince Kumcheok.
The griffin was already dead, and Prince Kumcheok was lying on the ground, whining.
"It hurts... Mommy, save me..."
Prince Sirean clicked his tongue.
"You still are not dead?"
Prince Kumcheok flailed and rose.
Then, with his face covered in tears, he glared fiercely at Prince Sirean and shouted,
"I will never forgive you bastards!"
Then he took out an orb and threw it hard against the ground.
"Guardian of Romer! Annihilate the enemy!"