"This is all your fault, Mr. Miles!"
This was a very rare moment—Aisha actually blaming Miles.
"Sorry, sorry. It really is my fault."
Miles owned up and stood there to be scolded.
The reason Princess Nova kept insisting Aisha was a boy was because, during a body swap, Miles had claimed to be another personality split off from Aisha—hoodwinking the princess completely.
Combined with the strange 'XP' the head maid kept feeding her, Nova had firmly set Aisha as a cute boy in her mind. She had even presented that "fact" to the Second Prince, Deion Kaiser, with a straight face when she introduced Aisha.
Miles tried to comfort her.
"It's nothing to worry about. Nova will understand sooner or later. When you're together long enough, you can't keep something like gender under wraps! It's not like you can actually gender‑swap, can you, Aisha?"
"I never wanted to 'keep it under wraps' in the first place!"
After the investiture for the Royal Duel Knight, Old King Kaiser also praised the other families and rewarded those who had performed especially well.
The Austin family received the most. As the family of Heroes, they had saved countless lives from the fires after the bombing at the mansion, and in the end, they stood with the Royal Knight to face the dark Sacred Beasts. Though they hadn't vaulted in title like House Carlos, House Austin made a name for itself in Livorden that day. Out of respect for Heroes who had saved so many, their future would surely be smooth sailing.
As for House Seth, their disposition was the nobles' greatest concern—and their biggest dilemma.
Kaima Seth, who helped down the imperial dreadnought alongside Aisha and stood against Armityle, was unquestionably the second‑greatest contributor in the capital's incident.
Even so, one cannot ignore the other side: the betrayal of the current head, Reigun Seth, the key trigger of this calamity. If he hadn't colluded with the enemy and conspired with House Slint, the capital wouldn't have suffered such devastating losses without warning.
Putting the two sides on a scale, House Seth's merits didn't outweigh their faults. No matter how hard Kaima fought, she couldn't erase the stain that the family head was the culprit behind it all.
"Your Majesty, whatever punishment there is, House Seth is willing to accept it."
She had long steeled herself. With Reigun dead, even as a minor, Kaima had to inherit the headship. What she now bore was not only the family's former glory, but also its stain.
"Punishment, hm… sigh..."
The aged King let out a heavy sigh, memories filling his eyes.
"When I was young, your father and I were close friends. He could be extreme in thought, but in his own way, he considered Livorden's good."
"...Your Majesty." Kaima was not surprised. If the King and Reigun hadn't been on good terms, the King would never have personally granted Reigun the honorary title 'National Lion.'
"Albeit as he aged, Reigun's thinking grew ever more extreme… one misstep, then another. A friend who once fought for the state alongside me was swallowed by the darkness of desire. It pains me."
After another brief silence, the Old King looked straight at Kaima again.
"Like father, like child… yet you, Kaima, showed courage and strength in this crisis that even surpasses your father's prime. More importantly, you have something rarer still: a conviction that will not be swayed by darkness."
Each time he faced the young, the Old King seemed to be staring into the nation's future. "I declare that as for House Seth, nothing will be done—things will remain as they are. I hope you truly shoulder the ducal honor, Kaima."
Worthy of a king: this 'status quo' was the best resolution for Livorden. Though he said "as they are," everyone knew House Seth could not truly remain unchanged—Reigun was dead. Refusing to punish the sins of the dead became a boon for the new head; at almost no cost, the crown bought the loyalty of a great ducal house's next generation. Far‑sighted, indeed.
With the most critical matter settled as smoothly as possible, the session moved on to the annual regional reports.
Aisha had no interest in any of it—Alice would handle the work. From the promotion of House Carlos to Count status due to Aisha's title, to the tangle of expanding their fief—Alice took it all on. With her ability, it would be perfect.
Aisha herself was whisked off by Princess Nova to the Royal Card Vault, ostensibly to "arm the Royal Duel Knight" with cards. Rows of rare cards glittered on the walls, neatly arranged. For Miles, a true cardhead, it stirred a long‑lost thrill.
"Aisha! Can I take over?"
"I knew you couldn't resist, Mr. Miles. Go on, go on… after all, you prefer cards to girls."
Indulged by his lovely host, the Millennium Puzzle flashed, and Miles swapped in, finally able to touch those long‑coveted rare cards with his own hands.
The vault's rares had been gathered by House Kaiser over generations—tradable cards amassed through right and wealth across the Spirit Continent.
There were as many as 20 A‑rank rare Spells alone.
That might sound few, but the conditions for a tradable card to be born are harsh. The royal family, makers of the continent's laws, would never touch rares spawned from Shadow Games.
Without that major source, all that remained were Duelists' Legacies. A century of accumulation—cards left by renowned duelists at death—had built a vault of dazzling splendor and priceless meaning.
Though the Royal Knight title brought no gold, on the Spirit Continent, tradable rares are far more precious than coin. Aisha could sell just a few A‑rank Spells and live in luxury all her life.
Despite that, Better not, unless desperate: rumors of a Royal Knight scalping the royals' rares would be a nightmare to handle.
"Nova, can I really take these as I please?"
Lost in a dream of cards, Miles still asked to be safe.
"Don't worry—I'll take responsibility for you!" The princess even thumped her chest confidently—though it wasn't much better than Aisha's.
"Then, let's sort the staples first."
Not all 20 A‑rank Spells were universal. Cards like [Butterfly Dagger – Elma] or [Cold Wave] were powerful for good reasons—anyhow, if they didn't fit Aisha's build, forcing them in could be worse than a D‑rank.
[Pot of Greed] was a must‑take, but there was no [Painful Choice] in the vault; perhaps the one in the princess's Deck was unique—or other royals had it slotted.
"Even here, hyper‑staple rares are hot commodities."
At least one Pot remained in the vault rather than everyone running three—commendable restraint.
One more A‑rank caught his eye: the Spell [Metamorphosis]. Last term, the Magic Club had borrowed this very card to pioneer a new imprinting technique and produce three 'Masked' transformation Spells for HEROes. The original was still here.
After weighing it, Miles decided Aisha's Deck could use it—and perhaps make plays no one would expect.
"Alright, you're coming too."
Stuffing more A‑rank Spells into the list—the joy of collecting and growing stronger was something only a cardhead truly understood. Each A‑rank slotted meant a D‑rank Spell cut.
For future victories, Miles bid his old friends goodbye.
Compared to the A‑ranks, B‑rank Spells and Traps were plentiful—classics like Magic Cylinder and Mirror Force were present in ones and twos. If he liked, he could go full back‑row and make opponents 'smile.'
The tradable monsters, though, were less inspiring. Most were relics from long ago—like [Hyozanryu], a 7‑Star Normal with only 2100 Attack. Miles couldn't see the point of running it.
His verdict: even [Kuriboh] would be better.
"Forget the monsters—grab more Spells. With the right support, even yoyo can rule the skies."
With that thought, he went on a 'savage plunder' of the vault—and returned laden with loot.
…
Two days later, with the annual reports wrapped and the year's end upon them, their time in the capital drew to a close. Alice had booked the return tickets in advance. On departure day, the weather was perfect; the breeze on their faces felt wonderful.
Boarding the Magitek Train home, Aisha leaned out the window, gazing at the shrinking capital.
Her heart was worlds apart from when she'd arrived—no one could have imagined such tangled fates would intersect there. Now that all was over, the living took up their own destinies and set out again.
"Sister, do you think, when I wake in my own room tomorrow, I'll feel like everything that happened was just a long dream?"
"What is it, our young Royal Knight—reluctant to leave the capital? Hehe. Is it your fiancée, the Third Princess, or the capital's fried dumpling balls you can't part with?"
"What fiancée, Third Princess?! Don't tease me! And don't keep calling me 'Royal Knight,' it's embarrassing."
"What's wrong with it? 'Royal Knight' sounds cool." Alice grinned. "I've already asked someone to make a sign. We'll put it outside the manor when we get back—'Residence of Aisha Carlos, Royal Duel Knight. Five silver for a photo!'"
"Bad sister! Bad sister!"
Aisha lunged into Alice's arms, little pink fists flailing.
"You mustn't call me 'bad sister,'" Alice's expression shifted slightly. "That would make me sad~"
Elsewhere, on a carriage beyond the walls—another way to travel—Viel and Alester both looked up at the sky.
"Perfect weather for a journey, don't you think, Alé?"
"Is that your excuse for delaying so many days, Viel? If not for hauling all your lab equipment, we'd have left long ago."
The cramped carriage was crammed with what looked like an entire workshop—piles of glass bottles of unknown purpose.
"These are travel essentials. I can't leave them behind anywhere!"
"So where are you going? After breaking out, we shouldn't linger in Livorden."
"Mm. I'll lie low in the Axet Republic and reopen shop. What about you?"
"I'll head back to Fusion Academy first. I've lived there so long… I want to attend graduation."
At that, a sly look crept over Viel's little‑loli face. She shot him a sidelong glance.
"Graduation is just your excuse. You want to see that underclassman you fancy. Such a devoted, good man, Alester~"
"Do you really have room to talk, Viel?"
Unruffled, Alester jerked his chin toward a corner of the carriage. "Why are you still bringing that body? It's nothing but an empty shell now. What's the point?"
Stuffed in the corner was the body with the stark scar at the eye—Luca's original body. With her soul burned away by divine fire, the girl's eyes were hollow, devoid of human response.
"We were together for half a year as experimental material. I'm a little attached. Think of it as companionship for a long journey."
Viel stretched her petite body, gazing up at the blue sky.
"Besides, a soulless shell is far easier company than people with souls~"
...
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