Anoseka Volume 3 Chapter 4

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

TLN: For next, Anoseka's update will be slow. Because I will prioritize translating Mobuseka. Thank you for your understanding.

.

Chapter 4 "The Black Knight of the Principality of Fanose"

.

Part 1

Having boarded the escort aircraft at the Royal Castle, Bandel looked at the slight unnaturalness in front of him.

"I've never heard of any kind of magic that could make you invisible. Is it some kind of lost item? But most of all, I hate old age."

He regrets that if he had been in his prime, he would have shot down the enemies who are invisible by now.

He is also angry with the armor that was used in the royal castle.

"All you do is polish up the looks of it and don't do any maintenance on it!"

The original output does not come out, and there is a great sense of discomfort when moving.

It may have been kept as a spare unit, but it is obvious that it has not been maintained properly.

Even in such conditions, the armor that Bandel rode was faster than the allied machine that was following from behind.

Bandel tossed his rifle, which was out of ammunition, and increased its speed as he lightened the machine as much as possible.

"The vermin that sneaked into the princess's bedroom will be slashed by me!"

The armor, responding to Bandel's will, gained even more speed.

To chase something running in front of him, and to swing down the blade.

But then Bandel slowed down.

"Armor!?"

Black gray armor fell from the sky and retrieved something in mid-air.

His own intuition tells him of danger, and Bandel is more wary of his armor than his fleeing enemies.

"It's big. Is it more than one size larger than my armor?"

Be wary of enemy machine that is large compared to his own dedicated machine.

The larger the armor, the slower it will move and the slower it will be.

Armor that is not of moderate size is, with exceptions, weak and not usually a foe to be wary of.

Still, Bandel's intuition was alerting him.

"The chest hatch is open——They're out!"

Ashamed of his own failure, he accelerates his machine and closes in on the black armor.

But by the time he realized it, it was too late.

Those few seconds, or tens of seconds, were a fraction of the time that should not have been given to the enemy.

"I hope I don't have to deal with the old Black Knight."

The enemy machine that has gained the pilot accelerates.

The enemy machine looks like it is carrying a box on its back, from which it has taken out a weapon.

With a battle-axe that he could hold in one hand, he slashed at Bandel.

Bandel parried the blow with his greatsword, his brow furrowed.

(What kind of performance this armor has! Is it on par with my armor? No, if it's only about performance, the enemy is better.)

While fighting, he calmly analyzed the enemy's strength.

"Sink here, old man!"

Listening to the voice of his younger opponent, Bandel derives an answer from his accumulated experience.

"——You're young."

Facing the enemy machine, which showed an overwhelming difference in machine performance, Bandel kicked off and took distance from it.

"Wha!?"

Hearing the panicked enemy pilot's voice, he was convinced that his hunch was right.

"You seem to have trained well, but you clearly lack experience in real combat. But a man like you will be troublesome if I let you live —— I will kill you here."

Bandel swung his great sword at the black armor.

.

Part 2

A large sword swung by an enemy machine hit the side of Arroganz's chest.

Sparks fly from the violent collision of metal against metal, and the impact is felt all the way to the cockpit.

"Oi oi, how come this old man can scrape this?"

The armor of Arroganz was made of a special material so that it could not be pierced by the armor of this world.

The material is light and sturdy and can withstand a direct hit from a rifle.

Such a sturdy Arroganz was damaged by the ordinary armor that the old black knight was riding in.

"I thought I could have won if he was in regular armor."

I forcefully tried to distance myself, but the machine began to vibrate.

"What happened? Wire on the left arm? ——!?"

While I'm thinking about it, a large sword scratches the chest hatch.

Although not penetrated, it still does not feel good to be attacked repeatedly.

Looking at Arroganz's left arm, I saw a wire tangled.

At the end of the wire was the armor that the Black Knight rode.

"Don't think I'm going to let you off the hook so easily."

"You're absurd."

And so he caught Arroganz with a wire to keep us from escaping.

Enemy machine dexterously swings a large sword and scratches the armor of Arroganz.

Once or twice was fine, but when he repeatedly scratched the same spot, I felt uneasy.

"This guy!"

I tried to force Arroganz's power to swing around, but the old black knight was skilled in handling armor.

He flies through the air to avoid being swung around, sometimes using the momentum of the swing to launch an attack.

"With all these differences in performance, how can he resist so much!?"

Although it is armor deployed in the royal castle, it is no match for Arroganz when compared only in terms of performance.

It is as absurd as a race between a sports car and a mini-car.

He makes up for it with his skills, the old black knight is an extraordinary monster.

"Inexperienced —— You're a fool for having that kind of armor and not being able to bring out the best performance from it."

"This guy!"

I parried a blow from the great sword with my battle axe, but once I did, I was not able to parry the next attack in time.

"The skills of the pilots are too different."

I hate to admit it, but it was so overwhelming that I had to admit it.

As good as or better than the machine's performance, I was outclassed in piloting skills by the old black knight.

"Your language has a kingdom accent."

When the old black knight realizes that I am a person from the kingdom, the old black knight's vigor increases.

The slashes were fast and sharp.

"Guh"

"What have you done to the princess? Say it, you wicked scum of the kingdom!!"

I couldn't do anything in front of the old black knight, who was showing such determination that I was almost taken aback.

It was a one-sided attack.

A shaking cockpit.

The monitor had static noise from the impact and the image was poor. Apparently, the camera had also been hit.

Alarms sounding to warn of anomalies in various parts of the aircraft inform me that the aircraft is in danger if it continues in this state.

"The pilot's skill cannot be overturned. In that case, let's overcome it with the machine's performance!"

I re-gripped the controls and stepped on the foot pedal.

Arroganz's engine roared.

"What a useless thing to do!"

His mouth says it's useless, but I've been noticing.

What does the old black knight dislike?

That is to be pushed out by machine performance.

Despite what my mouth was saying earlier, I was not the only one who was getting impatient.

The old black knight must have been getting impatient in the face of Arroganz, which could not be defeated no matter how many times he slashed it.

The reason he went out of his way to talk to me was probably to psychologically intimidate me.

"I have a principle of fighting in areas where I can win. I'll beat you on machine performance"

"This inexperienced guy!"

"Aa, I'm an inexperienced person. So I'll do my best in what I'm good at. You're an expert, so be nice to beginners, old man!"

Arroganz's vernier spews fire, and the old black knight is swung around with more speed than his skill can cover.

"How dare youuu!!"

"Don't die, old man."

The armor that the old black knight rode in was swung around, but it seemed that his joints had deteriorated from too much recklessness against Arroganz.

The impact of the swing tore off his joints, causing him to fall and slam to the ground.

"You're not dead, are you?"

When checked, the armor was still moving.

As I was relieved, the armors guarding the royal castle were closing in on Arroganz.

"There's only one enemy! Surround him and strike!"

When I finally saw the swarm of enemy machines that had caught up, I had my battle axe stowed away in Arroganz.

After spreading my arms, I tell the people around me.

"The power has been reduced, but it still hurts when you get hit, so be prepared."

The hatch of the backpack container was opened and missiles were fired from it one after another.

It attacks the armor of enemies in the surrounding area.

"They're chasing us!?"

Fleeing enemy aircraft are tracked by the missiles, caught up one by one and hit directly —— they are swallowed by the explosion and fall as they are.

The enemy machines are still intact and the pilots appear to be safe.

Since the power is reduced from the original, it does not have the power to blow up enemy aircraft.

There was also armor that still flew even if it was hit directly.

"You're a weird guy!"

"I'm treated like a monster. Well, it's more convenient that way."

It's more convenient for us if it remains unidentified as an unidentified unit with no known affiliation.

If the Principality of Fanose finds out that the Magic Flute has been stolen by such people, they will have no choice but to be quiet for a while.

"Now——let's get the hell out of here!"

"D-Don't let him get away, chase him!"

"There's no way you can catch up, i~diot!"

I raised the battered Arroganz and went straight for it, shaking off the principality's armor.

.

Part 3

Bandel's armor, which had fallen into the forest, had lost a limb, but the pilot was unharmed.

Kicking off the chest hatch, Bandel stepped outside and looked up at the sky to see the knights of the principality being toyed around.

He clenches his hand at the sight of it.

Of course he was angry at the knights, but what he could not forgive above all was his own incompetence.

"The enemy's moves are the ones he learned to maneuver from somewhere. Is he a knight of the kingdom?"

The armor itself was unlike anything that had ever existed before, but the way it was moved had its own habits.

It's a movement reminiscent of the knights of the kingdom.

Also —— the fact that he had lost to someone from the kingdom was frustrating.

Blood flows from Bandel's clenched fist.

He stared at the fleeing enemy aircraft with bloodshot eyes.

"——Next time, I won't lose. I will shoot you down, kid."

.

Part 4

Next day.

Hertrauda —— Rauda's room was packed with people.

Those specializing in investigations used magic and tools to search for traces of the intruders.

But they can't find anything, and are scratching their heads.

"Who infiltrated?"

"Is it the Kingdom?"

"It's pathetic that both knights and maids don't notice the infiltration of the enemy."

At Rauda's side, watching the scene, was Count [Geratt].

Dressed in luxurious clothes, the man was one of the most powerful nobles in the principality.

However, the man's gaze on Rauda was cold.

He stroked his beard, which he was very proud of, gently pinching it with his fingers, and repeatedly said and did things that stung Rauda.

"It was a blunder, Your Highness Hertrauda. Of all things, to have the Magic Flute stolen from you?"

"——I won't make excuses."

Seeing Rauda biting her lip, Geratt seemed slightly happy that his cruelty had been stimulated.

"Of course. The magic flute is the treasure and trump card of the principality. It is because of your aptitude for the magic flute that your highnesses were able to become the successors. But what if the magic flute is taken away from you? Your Highnesses would lose all meaning of your existence, wouldn't they?"

Even though he was a vassal, he had a rather bossy attitude.

He has no respect for the royal family.

Unable to watch the accusing Geratt, Hertrude, who was watching over the scene, interjects to cover for her.

"Do you think Rauda could resist someone whom the knights could not even handle? Geratt, you must let Rauda rest right now."

Perhaps thinking that he had been hit a nerve, Geratt looks dissatisfied.

He is also rebellious against Hertrude's orders.

"We cannot do that. We must gather information quickly about the scoundrel. There is only one important witness, Her Highness Hertrauda. We'll rest when we're done investigating."

"This is an order."

"This is a matter of great importance for the Principality. Even though it is Her Highness, but please cooperate with us."

Although Geratt disobeyed the order of the princesses, no one around him was willing to criticize him for it.

They just watch from a distance and don't want to get involved.

"Geratt!"

As Hertrude became furious, a huge man came to the scene.

It's Bandel.

"T-This is the Black Knight-dono! Are you feeling better now?"

When Bandel appeared on the scene, Geratt's attitude completely changed.

Bandel glared at Geratt, who looked frightened.

"This is nothing to worry about. More than that, Her Highness Hertrauda looks tired. Let her rest, there's no problem, right?"

"Eh? —— Y-Yes! Absolutely."

When intimidated by Bandel, Geratt reluctantly backed down.

None of those around them objected.

Rauda thought as she watched the situation.

(Bandel is the only ally in this castle.)

They were surrounded by people who were not enemies, but were not their allies either.

Rauda recalls the words of the intruders.

(A convenient puppet —— and the truth, huh? I was told to visit the old man in charge of the library, but is there anything?)

As much as she was annoyed to be dancing around the words of the intruders, she couldn't help but be curious at the moment.

.

Part 5

Rauda, now released and alone, decided to visit the old man who was the keeper of the library, just as the intruders had told her to do.

Although she has used the library many times, she does not recall ever having a proper conversation with the old man in charge of the library.

Still, Rauda asks the old man.

"Do you know anything about the truth about this country?"

When asked, the old man's eyes widened in surprise.

"W-What are you talking about? This old man has no idea."

Seeing his obviously deceiving attitude, Rauda asks forcefully.

"I want to know! I'll keep this matter confidential, so if you know, please tell me. What is the truth?"

The old man's gaze wandered and he was in a cold sweat.

However, as if he had made up his mind, he came with a few books that had been hidden in the back of the room.

He placed it in front of Rauda.

"This is a book that was ordered to be disposed of a long time ago. Perhaps this is the one the Princess requested."

It was a very old book.

"Is this a history book? How could something like this——"

Rauda skimmed through it, but when she checked the contents, she was shocked.

"——What does this mean?"

What was written there was a history of the kingdom and the principality.

However, it was different from the history that Rauda knew.

The old man answers while looking down.

"I don't know if you can call it the truth, but that is a fact that has been deliberately concealed."

She had been taught that it was the kingdom's bad one-sidedly, but when she looked into the history, she found that the principality was the cause of the problem.

The old man tells Rauda, who is shocked and speechless, how he was ordered to dispose of it.

"After the deaths of the previous Majesty and the Queen, orders were given to destroy these books. But they are of such historical value that I could not bear to dispose of them."

Even in defiance of orders, the old man did not dispose of the history book.

Rauda was shaking.

"I-Is it the truth? Is this really the truth!?"

(How did the intruders know this fact? How did they find out that the library keeper was hiding it!?)

The old man nodded in response to Rauda's question.

"It is true that the Kingdom invaded twenty years ago. But before that, the Principality rampaged through the Kingdom's territory and did the same thing."

Rauda is confused, as this is different from what she has heard up until now.

She felt as if her footing had collapsed under her when she learned that what she had believed was a sham, with the inconvenient parts deliberately erased.

"Why? Why did you hide it? Why —— you didn't tell us?"

Rauda's voice trembled as she learned the truth.

"——I'm deeply sorry."

The old man knelt down and bowed his head, tears streaming down his face.

"Soon after you two were born, His Majesty, who was pro-peace, was assassinated by the lords of the pro-war faction."

"Assa, ssinated?"

What was told from there was an open secret in the principality.

At that time, the royal family was thinking of making peace with the kingdom.

Considering the historical background and the difference in national power between the two countries, it would be futile to fight with the Kingdom of Horfalt forever.

In response, the pro-war faction was furious and assassinated the sovereign and queen.

The two surviving princesses were now carried by the pro-war faction.

Rauda collapses to her knees and tears spill down her face.

"It's unacceptable! Then we really are just decoration."

Despite being called "Her Highness," she could guess why she was not treated well in the castle.

To those around them —— they are nothing more than tools to wield the Magic Flute.

Nothing more, nothing less, they were only cherished and not recognized as a master.

"W-Wait. What about Bandel? What about onee-sama's bodyguard Bandel? The only people who come close to us are the pro-war faction who betrayed otou-sama and okaa-sama, right!?"

Rauda confused because Bandel belonged to the pro-war faction.

The hero who saved the Principality of Fanose was a strong supporter of war against the Kingdom of Horfalt.

In other words——.

The old man painfully states the facts.

"I don't think Bandel-dono was —— involved in the assassination. But he has always been a leading figure in the pro-war faction. I can't imagine he didn't know that."

Rauda continued to shed tears over the betrayal of Bandel, whom she trusted.