In February, "Maze of the Isolated Island Academy" will be released on the 5th.
This is not a work that I submitted to Shosetsuka ni Narou, but I would be happy if you could purchase it.
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The faces of the Calvinist nobles were grim.
An angry noble, his face red with rage, slammed his fist on the table, drawing the attention of those around him.
"My son and dozens of my clan's associates. Dozens have disappeared!"
"Only we have suffered losses!? Damn it! If I had known Liam had such a trusted aideâ"
"Klaus, was it? You're unknown, but you're quite capable. To be able to thoroughly crush the opposing faction in a battle of comrades, what kind of cold-blooded man are you?"
The war with the Allied Kingdom ended abruptly.
A war that was expected to last for decades ended in victory within a year.
Cleo's reputation is rising due to the swift victory.
Even though it was a hard-fought victory with considerable losses.
Most of those losses were not from Cleo's faction but from the Calvinists, who were sent to hinder them.
They were not the main force of the faction.
Even if they were reduced in number, it wouldn't have been a significant loss, but the situation changes when it becomes a substantial defeat.
A noble sitting near Calvin had a bitter expression.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, Cleo's faction has almost completed the transition to new weapons under the pretext of the war. Several weapon factories ignored our orders."
"That's true. It seems my name carries little weight."
Calvin had given permission for the expeditionary force to be equipped with the latest weapons from the empire as a priority.
However, Calvin and his faction had instructed the weapon factories to provide minimal assistance.
The weapon factories associated with Liam ignored this.
While other weapon factories followed Calvin's instructions, the third, sixth, and ninth, as well as the seventh, which was close to Liam, provided full support.
The nobles looked angry.
Then, they began to explain why the weapon factories betrayed them.
"They had a grudge against the empire for favoring the Berkeley family."
"It's the price we paid for favoring the first and second weapon factories too much."
"Even though we didn't favor them."
For a long time, the weapon factories had been harboring resentment over their involvement with the Berkeley family.
The first and second weapon factories, which cooperated with the Berkeley family, were supposed to receive technology from other weapon factories for free.
Calvin sighed.
"Even if we say it's not related to us, the weapon factories might have thought that having Liam at the top would bring greater returns?"
In other words, Calvin and his faction had been squeezing them and not providing enough incentives.
This was inevitable.
It was because they had favored other weapon factories.
If they continued to squeeze Liam and his faction, they would end up as enemies.
"Cleo's faction has equipped themselves with the latest weapons. We want to do the same, butâ"
When Calvin looked at the nobles, their expressions were grim.
It seems to be a difficult situation.
"It's possible to do so for a part, but we have been exhausted by this war. Even if we can recover some compensation from the Allied Kingdom, the Chancellor won't allocate the budget."
The Chancellor will cut the military budget, citing the war expenses.
Strengthening his faction using the empire's budget is not an option.
The other nobles talked about Liam.
"That boy has strengthened his faction using the empire's budget."
"No, he was quite active. He must have spent a lot of his own money."
"Is he exhausted too?"
However, Liam is getting a significant return.
Calvin thought.
(âWe failed. Did Liam not misjudge the critical moment?)
The reason Liam stayed behind was to provide rear support.
Thanks to him, the expeditionary force had no logistical issues.
They were able to fight in perfect condition.
Even if it meant bearing the slight disgrace of not going to the battlefield, Liam's decision to stay in the capital was worth it.
(Our faction has become unstable in terms of military power.)
The Calvinists who participated in the expeditionary force suffered considerable losses.
For a while, the transition to new weapons will not proceed as planned.
The Chancellor will dismiss it as unnecessary spending, citing the end of the war.
(The tide seems to be in their favor. But we can't let it be.)
"âWe allowed Liam to win alone. But this is a problem."
The nobles nodded.
"Let's thoroughly crush Liam and ruin his reputation."
"Even though he is capable as a rear supporter, the fact that he fled from the battlefield is undeniable."
"Perhaps we shouldâwarn him a bit more."
Even if they wanted to do something to Liam's associates, Liam, who defeated the Sword Saint, is guarding them.
Liam's subordinates are also excellent.
He remained in the capital and provided rear support to the expeditionary force without relying on hostile factions like us.
In Calvin's mind, Liam became a formidable enemy at that moment.
No, he became an enemy that the nobles could not ignore.
Not just a nuisance who is a bit lucky and conceited, but a true enemy.
(I realized it too late. âLinus, was it like this for you too?)
Calvin said.
"Let's summon two Sword Saints immediately. The capital is about to become chaotic."
If they can't defeat him on the battlefield, they have to defeat him in the capital.
Calvin and his faction decided to use every means at their disposal.
(To be able to turn this situation around, it really seems like the heavens are on his side. But we can't let it end here.)
â
That planet was the headquarters of the Aaren swordsmanship.
The name of Aaren swordsmanship was so great that it was given an entire planet.
The students included not only the royal family but also powerful nobles.
Aaren or Kudanâsuch was the reputation of the swordsmanship.
At the headquarters of Aaren swordsmanship, the head of the family was about to depart for the capital.
"Master."
The students were preparing the car, and he was about to get in.
"Um."
The one speaking was the head's son, a Sword Saint.
"The Crown Prince is quite a problem. To call you for protection because he's afraid of Liamâ"
He spoke like a noble, more powerful than some of them.
In fact, they were nobles.
They were the empire's swordsmanship instructors and held a corresponding status.
"Never heard of Ippan-ryu. It's truly lamentable to fear such people. I'll consider this an opportunity to retrain the Crown Prince."
They were treated with respect by the nobles, and they had become somewhatâarrogant.
They actually had that much strength.
"He's just boasting about defeating a self-taught swordsman. He's not an enemy of our Aaren swordsmanship."
The son said, and the head nodded.
"You're right. Ippan-ryu will be just another fleeting schoolâ"
Suddenly, the head stepped back from the car he was about to get into.
The surrounding students also did the same, but the weaker ones were cut and bleeding.
The son drew his sword.
"Who are you!?"
When they realized, the car had been split in half.
In front of the head stood a youngâwoman, wielding a sword in each hand.
She wore a hat and a kimono-like outfit.
Her figure clearly showed she was a woman.
She was quite lightly dressed.
"âHow did you get here?"
The son was anxious.
It was understandable.
There were many reckless young people in the world, and every year someone tried to storm the headquarters of Aaren swordsmanship.
Therefore, the checks were very strict.
The woman touched her hat, and at that moment, the master-class swordsmen pounced.
The head warned the woman, who was about to die.
"You came to enemy territory and let your guard down. If you're going to storm in, you should be preparedâwhat!?"
The head saw the master-class swordsmen being blown away, all of them with one of their limbs cut off.
None of them were killed.
And the woman in front of him didn't seem to have moved.
The son stepped in front of the head.
"An assassin!? No, then whyâ"
Why didn't they kill them?
More importantly, the head was anxious.
(Whatâwhat did she just do!?)
He couldn't see the woman's sword.
Was it some kind of magic? Or a new weapon!?
The woman, who had thrown off her hat, revealed her face to the anxious head.
Her slightly wavy orange hair was long and tied back.
When it was blown by the wind, it spread out like a lion's mane once.
Her large chest, which couldn't be hidden even by her clothes, clearly showed she was a woman.
There was a strange allure in her roughness, but she looked youngâperhaps just an adult.
(Who is she? What school is she from!?)
The head was drenched in cold sweat.
He immediately drew his sword, and the woman in front of him introduced herself.
"I'll introduce myself. If I don't, you might say you don't know who defeated you. My name is Shishigami Fukaâmy school is Ippan-ryu."
Hearing this, the head instinctively jumped back.
But the son rushed forward.
"Fool, step back!"
"This level of swordsman, Father doesn't even need toâ"
The head's eyes widened at the scene in front of him.
(Whatâwhat did she do?)
His most talented son had both hands cut off.
A moment later, blood spurted out, and he screamed.
"My hands! My hands!"
"Out of the way, you're in the way."
Fuka, who kicked her son away, approached the head without even touching the hilt of her sword.
She spread her arms wide.
"I wanted to meet you, Sword Saint. I was planning to bring your head as a gift to my fellow disciples and start a fight."
The head, who had invaded the headquarters of Aaren swordsmanship and cut down the strong ones one after another, instinctively understood.
(IâI can't do it.)
He was chosen as a Sword Saint for political reasons, but he was still the head of a major school.
He sensed the opponent's strength and understood that he couldn't win.
But he smiled.
"I am very lucky. Here, I can defeat you by any means."
"Huh?"
In front of the puzzled Fuka, the head shouted.
"Do it!"
Armed soldiers rushed out.
There were also flying war vehicles.
Surrounded by soldiers with firearms, Fuka shrugged.
Did the head think she would fight a serious duel with someone like her? Even if Ippan-ryu is strong, if they lose, the news will spread quickly in this universe. Your school will end.
Fuka's eyes became extremely cold.
She must have been disappointed, thinking, "Is this a Sword Saint?"
But the head was smiling.
"Winning is everything! Swordsmanship is ultimately about winning. Planning to win is not a bad thing!"
However, Fuka just played with her hair.
She seemed uninterested.
"Enough. I just want the achievement of defeating you. Andâto make you pay for insulting my master. You will be a living disgrace, and I will use you to advertise the strength of Ippan-ryu."
As he said this, the head shouted, "Kill her quickly!"
The moment he shouted, the soldiers and vehicles around him were cut and blown away.
The head couldn't move.
After all, Fuka, who was about thirty meters away a moment ago, was now in front of him, drawing her sword and stabbing it into his stomach.
"I'll teach you the fear of Ippan-ryu slowly. Andâgive me your title as a Sword Saint. It looks cool."
How much effort did it take for him to become a Sword Saint?
To be asked to hand it over because it "looks cool," he felt his entire life was defiled.
The head, who was furious at Fuka, opened his mouth to say something, but a scream of pain came out first.
"Ah!"
"I was going to crush you like a bug, but I can't forgive you for insulting my master."
Looking into Fuka's eyes, the head trembled.
(How can this girl be stronger than me? What is Ippan-ryu? Why did it appear now? Why?)
A school that had been hidden for so long had started to move.
The head thought this.
"K-Kill her!"
When the head shouted, even more weapons appeared.
"Kill her! Even if you involve me! Otherwise, Aaren swordsmanship willâ"
âend as a school.
Surrounded by hundreds of weapons, Fuka smiled and readied her two swords.
"âI'll tear through them."
That day, the headquarters of Aaren swordsmanship suffered damage as if it had been hit by a storm.
Fortunately, no one died.
Everyone thought it was fortunate, but the people involved all lamented that it was the worst possible misfortune.
â
A different planet.
There, a woman swordsman who had cut a mobile knight in half was sitting on its head, looking down at the head of the Kudan school and his senior disciples, who were looking up at her.
The head was naked, and "Ippan-ryu arrives" was written on his back with a laser gun by the woman swordsman, Satsuki Rinho.
"Yep, it worked. Handling a gun once in a while isn't bad. It was a good change of pace."
The senior disciples were trembling in fear.
It was understandable.
Satsuki Rinho, a woman swordsman with a long sword, had invaded the planet, the headquarters of the Kudan school, and tortured and defeated the head.
Thinking they could hide it, they sent out a mobile knight to kill herâbut she cut the mobile knight as well.
Her dark blue, silky hair.
Her cherry blossom-colored eyes.
She smiled innocently, using "I" as her pronoun.
She looked slender and delicate but had a womanly figure.
She was young, an adult but still childlike.
Against such an opponent, they were powerless.
Swinging her legs, Rinho seemed to lose interest in the unconscious head.
"âSo, what was Ippan-ryu again?"
As the senior disciples couldn't move, Rinho cut off one of their arms.
"Ah!"
The senior disciples, who could only see her sitting, were terrified.
"I won't kill you. Butâdying would be better. No, I'll make you die as swordsmen. It's your fault for being a small school and getting cocky. I won't forgive you for insulting Ippan-ryuâno, my master and I."
The senior disciples, crying and fleeing without any dignity, were chased by Rinho.
"Ha ha ha! A chase? Hey, are you serious? It would be funny if you were!"
Chasing them, she cut their ankles and made them fall one by one.
Then, she said to the Kudan school's disciples who were watching.
"Remember this. The strongest swordsmanship in the world is Ippan-ryu. And the strongest is my master, Sword God Yasushi. If you get cocky and insult play swordsmanshipâ"