Little Hero Anon (1)
That day, Anon had invited Keena and Sharon to her mansion for a self-study session.
"Looks like you’re not slacking off."
"If I slack off, I won’t get any equipment!"
When Keena muttered while looking at the test scores, Anon shot back. She had been pushing through her weak subjects in order to get new armor.
Thanks to that, Anon—who used to rank much closer to the bottom—had managed to pull herself up to around the middle of the pack.
The three of them were basically always grouped together, a setup recommended by Ostland. To put it bluntly, it was because they were Alicetia’s favorites. If left alone, there was a chance they might be coerced or manipulated, so they were kept as a unit.
They were expected to be involved in Arland-related diplomacy in the future and were treated as promising rookies. In fact, there didn’t seem to be any other good use for them.
There was an expectation that Arland wouldn't treat Alicetia’s friends carelessly, which helped their situation.
After a series of quizzes, just as Anon was about to earn her new armor, a man came to visit her room. He was a disciple training at Anon’s household.
"Missy, you’ve got an uninvited guests."
"Huh? They haven’t come by in a while, so why now? Did my dad make another enemy or something?"
"No, I haven’t heard anything like that."
"Well, let’s intercept them anyway. Keena, Sharon, go hide in the dojo. You’ll be safe there."
"Will we really be okay?"
Keena asked anxiously, and Anon grinned.
"We’ve been attacked so many times already. I’m used to it. So, how many are there?"
"It’s over a hundred."
The disciple’s face was pale. With that one sentence, the color drained from the other three faces as well.
"That’s a bit too many~"
"A bit?! That’s way too much!"
"... I think Anon will be fine."
Keena was upset, while Sharon responded nonchalantly. For Sharon, this was nothing unusual. It was the kind of event she no longer bothered worrying about. She might actually be the most formidable one of them all.
"Sigh… For safety’s sake, I’ll have to borrow some equipment again... All my effort... I was so close to getting my new armor… Fine, I’m borrowing it!"
Anon tapped her mobile device, and in an instant, armor made by Alicetia equipped itself on her. Normally, it was stored using the device’s built-in storage feature.
However, borrowing equipment meant losing points. Anon’s hard work went up in smoke.
Tears in her eyes, Anon stood before the assailants.
"... Guess I’ll have you behave."
"Because of you guys, all my effort’s gone to waste!"
"She was working hard on studying, even though she’s bad at it, and now you’ve ruined it, you bastards!"
Anon’s outcry stirred anger in the disciples as well. They had interfered with someone who had been working (or at least seemed to be) to overcome her weaknesses. It was unforgivable.
"Everyone but the daughter of the Sheffield family and her two friends, ki—"
Before the man in front could finish speaking, his head flew off. Anon had already switched to combat mode. Her usual cheerful expression was gone, replaced by a cold and ruthless one.
Anon the Coldsmile
That was Anon’s nickname. She used the repelling shield that formed at her feet with great skill, moving in three dimensions. The attackers, bound by gravity, couldn’t keep up with her overwhelming movements, and fell one after another.
It was only then that they realized what kind of opponent they were facing.
They had thought themselves geniuses praised in a small pond of a minor country—no match for the great ocean that was the continent. But Anon was a true genius among geniuses. Her armor made up for her lack of strength entirely.
That armor was a prototype of the next-generation Royal Knight gear, designed by Alicetia herself. The magic armor, infused with numerous magical devices, boasted overwhelming performance despite being a prototype. Supposedly, showing the price tag would make the finance minister fall to his knees in despair.
Because it was a prototype, everything Anon wanted to equip was attached without restraint. However, it was already considered outdated due to the use of a new alloy—Dark Matter Alloy. If Arland found out that even an outdated model had been handed to another country, Alicetia would definitely be scolded. Not that she’d actually reflect on it.
"Mmm, this is wonderful."
Anon raised both hands to the sky and stretched. The battle was already over. All the attackers were dead. Anon was thoroughly satisfied with the armor’s performance.
She swung her sword to shake off most of the blood, wiped off the rest with a cloth, and returned it to its sheath. She didn’t unequip the armor. She’d lose more points if she had to re-summon it again. It was also a hassle to summon and unsummon it when the threat might not be completely gone.
"It’s pretty much over."
"... That was terrifying."
"The cookies were good."
Keena still hadn’t gotten used to such incidents and looked pale. Even so, she had no intention of ending her friendship with Anon—though scary things were still scary.
Sharon had been leisurely enjoying her tea. Truly a formidable character. Even Anon thought so.
"Missy, big trouble—the royal castle’s under attack!"
The disciple who had gone to report to the castle came rushing back in, beaten up and breathless, speaking in a casual tone but with deadly serious eyes.
"Ahh, looks like the king messed up. The Sheffield family will have to step in now. I’ll mobilize the enforcement unit. I’m heading there first."
The Enforcement Unit—that was Ostland’s shadow. In Arland terms, it was equivalent to the Special Service. The shadow’s ultimate force operated by the Sheffield family, known as the Shield of Ostland.
“Most of the members had been deployed to the border.”
Ostland was currently gathering troops at the border to send reinforcements to Arland. The enforcement unit functioned as a combat force with intelligence-gathering capabilities, and most of them had been dispatched there.
“Send the rest to the royal castle. I’ll use the secret passage and head to secure the king’s safety. You two, hide in the secret room.”
“... All right.”
“I’ll save some for you, Anon.”
Anon returned to her cold, sneering self and dashed off toward the royal castle. With this armor, she could run faster than a horse.
Ostland King’s Perspective
“Still not finished assembling the troops...?”
The King of Ostland asked his chancellor, his face showing bitterness.
“My deepest apologies. Morale is high, but since this is our first mobilization, the various nobles are struggling with the process.”
It had already been two months since the war began, and Ostland had not even completed its mobilization.
The reason was simple. Since ascending to the throne, the King of Ostland had never fought a war against a foreign power. In fact, in all of Ostland’s history, wars with foreign nations were nearly nonexistent. For all the nobles and knights, this was their first experience with war.
The King of Ostland was a wise and peaceful ruler, and there had not even been any rebellions serious enough to require deploying the army. They had grown entirely complacent in peacetime.
At first, they had only planned to send troops. However, since this would be Ostland’s first war, the king himself decided to lead the army to further raise morale.
Alicetia, after all, was a benefactor praised as a saintess even in this country. Since the alliance was formed, she had been treated with great favor, and the people were already pro-Arland. They were cooperative in defending their ally nation. The military felt the same.
The King of Ostland had reached his limit. If Arland were to fall here, the alliance would collapse. And due to their geographical position, the other allied nations couldn’t send reinforcements in time—or even at all. It was up to Ostland to send help.
“The Country of Tranquility has already sent airships, but whether they’ll arrive in time...”
The Country of Tranquility had immediately declared it was their duty to protect allied nations and had sent elite forces aboard airships. But it remained uncertain whether they would make it in time for this battle. The other nations were likely moving according to the alliance terms to first reclaim their former territories. That too would apply pressure on the Empire, so it wasn’t the wrong move. However, the core of the alliance—Arland—was on the verge of collapse.
“That’s enough! Bring my armor. I’ll lead the assembled troops to Arland’s aid. The late-arriving units can come after! Bring my horse!”
The King of Ostland drew the sword he rarely unsheathed. Confirming there was no rust on it, he returned it to its scabbard.
“Your horse, sir? Not the carriage?”
“Who goes to the battlefield in a carriage?! Prepare the horse. I will take the vanguard.”
Ostland’s army was weak. If they clashed with the Empire’s forces, there was no telling when their morale might break. In that case, he had no choice but to lead the charge himself and inspire the troops. The King of Ostland was prepared for the possibility of dying in battle.
The Emperor, meanwhile, was reportedly riding in an opulent, luxurious carriage.
(I shall now repay the favor of regaining the lush forest atop my head.)
Energy surged through the King of Ostland’s body. The normally mild-mannered king now radiated a commanding presence, and his retainers, feeling the difference that set their king apart, found their loyalty renewed. While they themselves wavered, their king had resolved to fight on the frontlines.
Due to most of the troops being sent to the border, the royal castle of Ostland was poorly guarded. They had over-deployed in their first mobilization.
Then, an explosion echoed through the castle.
“W-What is the meaning of this?!”
“Enemies have infiltrated the castle!”
Chaos erupted in Ostland.
What do you think about this chapter?
