Anoseka Volume 2 Chapter 7

This is MTL. So, I cannot guarantee that the translation 100% contextually accurate or appropriate.

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Chapter 7 "Friends"

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Part 1

The floating island near the royal capital serves as a port for airships.

At the port, where many airships come and go, Marie is seen heading towards the Offley family.

The Offley family's airship, docked in the harbor, is a bit of a showpiece, or should it be called "air of vulgar prosperity"? The gold-colored decoration made the eyes sting.

It's an airship that can't even be described as having good taste.

It is attracting the eyes of the people around her and she feels that she stands out in a bad way.

In the midst of all that —— a large number of students had gathered to see Marie off.

"Marie-chan, a-ano, you know, this is interesting, so read it."

Ellie was holding out a book to Marie.

"Y-Yes."

It is a very typical gift for someone like her who loves books.

"Thank you, Ellie. —— Reading is fine, but be careful, because you soon find yourself staying up late and oversleeping."

When Marie received the book, the lazy girl with unkempt hair, [Cynthia], scratched her head and looked dissatisfied.

While acting like she was going to complain.

"——Be well"

"Cynthia too. If you live a self-indulgent life just because I'm not here, the people in the dormitory will get mad at you again, so be careful."

"I'll think about it."

Cynthia is embarrassed, or rather, seems to be sad that Marie is leaving the school due to a political marriage.

There is another girl who seems to be dissatisfied.

It's [Betty] with paint on her uniform.

She turned her sharp gaze on Marie.

"Marie could live on her own, I don't understand why you wouldn't run away from marriage."

Or should it be called "artist-like"? Betty, who doesn't care what others think of her, can't seem to understand Marie's acceptance of her political marriage.

Marie is smiling as if she is troubled.

"I'm a weaker girl than you think, Betty. Apart from that, don't get too absorbed in your work and collapse. I'm worried about you the most."

Seeing Marie saying goodbye to the three of them, the boys from the poor group who had come to see her off were in tears.

"I never expected to say goodbye to the goddess like this."

"Who should we rely on from now on?"

"This is terrible!"

The crying boys were very unsightly.

Pushing through them and appearing in front of Marie are the three girls who had previously bullied Marie.

The leader girl was——Was it [Brita], right?

"Marie!"

"You guys——why are you coming?"

Marie frowns, then turns to look at the Offley family's airship.

Watching Marie across the ramp are Stephanie's cronies.

When they find out that Brita and her friends have come to see her off, they make a blatantly disgusted face.

Not long ago, Brita and the others were bullying Marie because she was threatened by Stephanie. they also know that the Offley family is connected to the sky pirates.

It would be too rash to appear in front of Stephanie and the others——.

Brita stands in front of Marie and lets her gaze wander.

"I'm sorry——I'm really sorry."

What are they apologizing for? The people around probably wouldn't understand, but Marie and I could understand.

Although Brita and her friends knew about the Offley family's wrongdoing, they were unable to say anything out of fear of retaliation.

They probably think that if they were not afraid to report the facts to the kingdom, Marie wouldn't have been forced into marriage.

——It seems like Brita and the others are here to apologize to Marie out of guilt.

Marie sensed Brita and the others' feelings and smiled.

"Don't worry about it. I don't hold a grudge."

Marie bids farewell to Brita and the others, but she hears a loud voice coming from the Offley family's airship.

It's Stephanie.

"How long are you going to keep playing? Hurry up and get on!"

With that said, she disappears into the ship with Kara, one of her entourage——Kara.

Marie held a travel bag in her hand that contained a small amount of luggage.

While everyone around me was crying, I was the only one talking to Marie as usual.

"It's rough. Even though you're going to be sisters, albeit in-law sisters, you think you can get along with her?"

When I say this jokingly, Marie answers with an exasperated look on her face.

"You really can't read the air."

"It's not like we're saying goodbye for the rest of our lives."

"Well, that's true. I don't know how many years it will take, but let's meet again."

After saying that, Marie turned her back to me.

I smile and call out to Marie.

"Aa, see you later."

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Part 2

Stephanie strode down the corridor as she entered the ship.

She has a stern expression, perhaps irritated.

Kara tries to calm Stephanie down.

"What's the matter, ojou-sama? You were in a good mood a while ago, weren't you?"

Not long ago, Stephanie looked at Marie and laughed, saying, "It serves you right."

However, when she saw Marie surrounded by her friends, her mood gradually worsened.

Stephanie bites her thumb nail.

"She's just a daughter of a poor viscount, why——what's the difference——"

Apparently, she is in her own world and won't answer.

Kara resists the urge to sigh.

(Stop being so grumpy all of a sudden. Anyway, what's the cause? Is it because Brita and the others came? You said you could cover it up no matter how much they testified——)

She can't figure out what caused Stephanie to be in a bad mood.

The most troublesome thing is that she doesn't know.

Kara is often by Stephanie's side.

Therefore, she needed to know what Stephanie was dissatisfied with.

——It's about making sure she doesn't get herself into a nasty temper tantrum.

As she was thinking about it, Stephanie stopped and looked back at Kara.

Her grumpy demeanor completely changed and she was smiling again.

"Anyway, did you see the people around her? They were all a bunch of poor people."

"Heh? Ah, yes!"

Confused by the sudden change, Kara nodded in reply.

"It's a shame she only has friends like that. I would be horrified if I were her in that crowd"

"R-Right."

Kara replied with a smile, but in her heart she was dissatisfied with Stephanie.

(She's really emotionally unstable. In the first place, you don't have any friends.)

Due to the upbringing of the Offley family, Stephanie has no one she can call a friend at the school.

The noble girls either reject the Offley family, shun them, or try to slip in to take advantage of them.

Not a single girl, including those in her entourage, tried to be friends with Stephanie.

Kara is confused and asks Stephanie what bothers her.

"Ano, ojou-sama?"

"What?"

"Is it okay to let Bartfalt? I don't guarantee that he won't interfere with us like he did before. Shouldn't something be done?"

Kara says that since she forcefully took Leon's girlfriend, she should be reasonably prepared, and Stephanie laughs with her stomach in her hands.

"Stu~pid! Do you think I'm unprepared? The army of the Offley family and the sky pirates are protecting the territory."

"I see. I feel relieved."

To the relieved Kara, Stephanie adds more.

"By the way, I need to get rid of Baltfalt, who got in my way. Should I have the sky pirates I gathered attack his parents' house next time?"

She was happily trying to get the sky pirates to attack Baltfalt territory.

Kara is horrified to see Stephanie like this.

(Are you going to go that far!?)

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Part 3

When I returned to school, I was surrounded by boys from the same group.

I sit on a chair with my legs crossed in front of the boys, who have angry expressions on their faces.

"Calling out to the storage shed, that's pretty disturbing."

It was my friend Daniel who was asking the question to me on behalf of the group.

He grabs my chest and lifts me up.

"Leon, I am disappointed in you! ——Marie-san is forced to marry someone, and you just laugh like a goofball!"

Apparently, they can't stand my attitude.

"——Would you be satisfied if I cried? Do you think I'm going to complain about a marriage that was agreed upon by both families in the first place?"

"But that doesn't mean you can't behave like that at the port! Don't you feel sorry for Marie?"

Everyone said "That's right!'' and started shouting insults at me.

At that moment, Luxion's voice reached only me.

[Master, please take action. If we act now, we can launch an attack at the best time.]

"——It's time."

Daniel raised his eyebrows at the words I muttered.

There's no doubt that he's angry at me for muttering nonsense in this situation.

"Ah? What's about the time——Wai?"

I grabbed Daniel's arm and threw him to the floor, stood up and said to everyone gathered.

"Sorry, but I have something to do so please excuse me."

Raymond was standing in my way as I tried to leave.

"Where are you going at a time like this?"

"Because it's a time like this. If I don't get ready soon, I won't be able to go pick up Marie."

"Haah?"

Everyone is confused, so I'll tell them what I'm going to do.

From now on, it won't matter if the information leaks.

"I'm going to strike a blow to the Offley family. They're connected to the sky pirates behind the scenes. And while I'm at it, I'll give them a good punishment —— just don't get in my way."

When I said that and tried to leave, Daniel crawled on the floor and grabbed my ankle.

"What's wrong, Daniel?"

"I'll help too."

"——Why?"

As I tilted my head to the side, not understanding what it meant, Raymond also raised his voice.

"T-Then I'll give you a hand too! If I talk to my parents' house, they'll give me three——no, four armors!"

As I was stunned by the two's offer, the silent boys spoke one by one.

"My family can prepare an airship! ——It's only loaded with a few cannons for transportation, though."

"In that case, my family will provide you with weapons and ammunition! ——It's a little old, but you'll put up with it, right?"

"Then I'll go to my parents' house and prepare a manpower! Retired grandpa's knights, but that's not a problem, right?"

I shake my head at the offer of cooperation, which is more worrying than reassuring.

"You guys go that far for marriage hunting?"

Daniel stood up and stood in front of me.

"I won't say it isn't either! I won't say it, but I can't keep quiet when I hear that they are connected with sky pirates. The sky pirates are enemies of us, the lord nobility! ——And Marie-san is a girl who treats us normally. I want to help her."

In Daniel's words, I can sense what could be called the darkness of the school.

We boys from poor groups are often not treated as the same nobles by girls.

Under such circumstances, he must have been happy that Marie treated him kindly.

I can sense that he has some calculations, but it also seems that he really wants to help Marie.

I scratch my head and look away from everyone.

I was either happy or embarrassed, so I couldn't look at them directly.

"——If you're late, I'll leave you behind."

Immediately after, the boys shouted, "Let's do it!".

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Part 4

[Adding them to the force will not change the outcome. Rather, it will likely result in unnecessary losses by joining the battle.]

As I walk down the hallway, Luxion, who has become semi-transparent, tells me that what they just said is useless.

He's really noisy.

"The feudal nobles are being tormented by sky pirates. So, when they heard that some nobles were working with the enemy, they couldn't keep quiet."

The existence of sky pirates is really troublesome.

Sometimes they will attack and a battle will ensue.

If a merchant ship coming to your territory is targeted, the cargo will not be able to reach you.

There are many other disadvantages as well.

If we could crush them, we would. That is the true feeling of us feudal nobles.

And yet, it would be upsetting to learn that the Offley family had betrayed us.

[It's a waste of military power. I have a hard time understanding it.]

"If humans could live more rationally, would we be in this situation in the first place?"

[That's a great answer from you, Master. But —— I do not recognize new humans as humans. I would not like it if you talk about them in the same category as the old humans. Could you restate that new humans are not rational? Then I will agree with you.]

"No."

[You're so stubborn.]

"You too."

In the meantime, I spot the three people I'm looking for.

——Brita and the others.

"Can I have a moment?"

I smiled and called out to them, and Brita and her friends gave me a look of hate.

Like Daniel and the others, they probably didn't like my attitude at the port.

"What?"

"There's something I want you to do."