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Just a few days ago, the Demia Empire Academy was subjected to a massive attack by a rebel group known as the New Resistance. They managed to disable the academy’s supposedly impenetrable defensive magic and began a campaign of indiscriminate destruction with over a hundred colossal mechs.

At the time, the Lion King’s Birthday Celebration Event parade was underway, and many spectators were caught up in the ruthless terrorist activities.

Dorothy was no exception. She was watching the parade with Glinda and found herself in the midst of the chaos.

Even now, the situation felt like hell.

People who had been laughing and chatting, enjoying the parade just moments before, were suddenly gone. Limbs were scattered everywhere, and the cries of children who had lost their mothers’ hands echoed all around.

Separated from Glinda due to the chaos caused by the bombardment, Dorothy gritted her teeth and held a child younger than herself. She wanted to confront the perpetrators of the indiscriminate slaughter, but it was beyond her current capabilities. All she could do was flee with the child who had lost her mother.

Dorothy summoned mana to create a barrier to protect the child and began running desperately. She joined others who hadn’t yet evacuated while trying to escape the bombardment.

They were in a state of panic amidst the absurd chaos, and Dorothy tried to comfort them while struggling to escape.

But it was clear that there were limits. Dodging the bombardment of over a hundred colossal mechs with just her body was nearly impossible. While Dorothy and academy cadets who could handle mana were fine, it was difficult to move while protecting civilians who couldn’t use mana.

Eventually, they had no choice but to hide in a half-collapsed building and wait for the situation to calm down. If she had fled alone, she might have survived, but Dorothy’s pride as a noble wouldn’t allow it. Even if she survived that way, Dorothy Flamma Heart would have been as good as dead.

“It’s okay. Everything will be fine.”

As the child in her arms trembled at the sound of the bombardment, Dorothy gently stroked their head, just as her second brother used to do for her. Her soothing voice gradually calmed the child’s trembling.

The situation wasn’t good. Hiding in a half-collapsed building was like a candle in the wind against the overwhelming firepower of the colossal mechs. A single magic armor or iron shell hitting this place would mean certain doom.

Dorothy tried to think of a way to break through the situation, but even her brilliant mind couldn’t find a solution. Even if a colossal mech were in front of her, it wouldn’t help.

She was a knight hopeful still in training, not a high-ranking knight who could navigate the battlefield.

How much time passed as she bit her lip, waiting for the situation to improve?

It felt like hours had passed. In her heightened state of tension, Dorothy suddenly realized that the indiscriminate bombardment had stopped.

Sensing that something had changed, she cautiously looked out the window.

And there she saw an academy’s generic colossal mech facing off against dozens of enemy mechs.

The mech moved fluidly, taking down the invaders’ mechs with precision. It minimized unnecessary movements, refusing to allow even a single bombardment, and began toppling the enemy mechs with restrained motions.

Dorothy couldn’t help but admire the unknown pilot, forgetting the current situation. It was as if colossal mech piloting had been elevated to an art form.

But the overwhelming display didn’t last long. At some point, the mech moved in front of the half-collapsed building where they were hiding and deployed a magic barrier at full power. At first, she didn’t understand the intention, but soon it became clear.

Did they know we’re here?

Dorothy’s expression hardened amidst the barrage. There was no other explanation for the mech’s actions.

And her thoughts were correct. The mech, which had previously not allowed a single hit, was now taking concentrated fire.

Seeing the magic barrier extended to cover their building, she was certain.

Dorothy clenched her fists, both impressed and saddened by the pilot’s selfless actions to protect others. No matter how skilled the pilot was, they couldn’t last long under such one-sided assault.

Mana batteries weren’t infinite. No one knew how long the magic barrier would hold.

One thing was certain: if this continued, the knight among knights piloting that mech might die. The moment the mana battery ran out would likely be the end.

Dorothy grew anxious. As the magic barrier began to shake under the concentrated bombardment, her anxiety doubled.

It’s over now. The moment that barrier disappears, the pilot and we will be annihilated by the concentrated fire.

She looked back. People with faces pale from fear were everywhere. In her arms was a child crying in terror.

Finally, the mech’s mana battery reached its limit, and the machine stopped. The barrier that had been blocking the shells disappeared, and all sorts of magic armaments from dozens of mechs came flying in.

This is the end.

Only then did Dorothy resign herself. They say your life flashes before your eyes before death, but that didn’t happen. She just couldn’t believe she was going to die like this.

Just as Dorothy accepted her death, a golden burst of mana split the sky.

***

Dorothy opened her eyes.

What saved her at the moment of death was none other than Gilbert, whom she had always found so disagreeable.

Suddenly appearing, Gilbert sliced through the bombardment with a single sword strike and spoke to the person in the immobilized mech. Using a communication spell, he instructed them to take charge and evacuate the people.

Surprisingly, the person in the mech was Briana, whom Dorothy deeply admired. Following Briana’s guidance, they managed to escape safely.

Later, the detailed situation was revealed through a magical recording released by the imperial family. Gilbert, who had stayed behind, took down 23 colossal mechs without retreating an inch, showcasing an incredible feat.

It was no small achievement for a mere academy freshman, but he did it as if it were the most natural thing. Moreover, he didn’t spare himself in protecting cadets and spectators who couldn’t evacuate, successfully preventing what could have been a massive casualty event.

After watching the entire recording, Dorothy couldn’t help but reflect on her past attitude. The Gilbert she had so looked down upon had not only saved her life but also embodied the very image of a knight she had always admired.

Perhaps she had been denying the changes in Gilbert, trapped in her narrow-minded perspective. People don’t change easily, but this version of Gilbert was clearly not the one she had known.

Dorothy acknowledged this and prepared to meet Gilbert early in the morning. She wanted to thank him for saving her and apologize for her past biased views.

However, her past actions weighed heavily on her, making it difficult to approach him. She kept blaming her hair for the delay.

“Hey, Anna. How’s my hair now…?”

“Miss, I’m sorry to interrupt, but if we keep this up, we might miss the chance to see the young master.”

Unable to stand it any longer, Anna pointed out a crucial fact.

The reason Dorothy wanted to see Gilbert now, days after the incident, was precisely because of this.

After his heroic actions during the attack, Gilbert had become a celebrity at the academy. His deeds were witnessed by many, and due to various political reasons, the imperial family used his fame for propaganda, skyrocketing his popularity.

Naturally, Gilbert was frequently summoned from all over, and with the academy still in disarray, he was busy fulfilling Seraphina’s request to help stabilize the situation.

Dorothy, well aware of this, had intentionally arranged to meet him early in the morning through Anna. Fortunately, he hadn’t refused, so she got up early to prepare. But her conscience kept pricking her, and even after finishing her preparations, she couldn’t bring herself to go see Gilbert.

“I… I should go, right?”

“Miss, is it really that hard to see the young master?”

“Sigh… Anna, you know what I’ve done. Ever since I found out about his wild behavior, I’ve never been friendly to him.”

She remembered being close to Gilbert when they were very young. Back then, Gilbert took good care of his youngest sister, Dorothy, and the three siblings, including Glinda, got along well.

But once Gilbert started down the path of recklessness, the once-solid bond between the siblings cracked, eventually leading to the current state.

“That’s why you wanted to apologize, right?”

“But… isn’t it too obvious? Honestly, before this incident, I only ever doubted his intentions. I never really believed he could change.”

Dorothy hung her head and spoke gloomily.

Common sense would say it’s strange to believe someone could change overnight, but Dorothy, strict even with herself, felt a sense of self-loathing for not believing in Gilbert—no, her eldest brother—who had truly turned over a new leaf.

After all the times she had wished for him to straighten up, she couldn’t bring herself to trust him when he actually did. It was a shameful realization.

“Even though I kept saying my eldest brother needed to change his ways, when I saw him actually change, I couldn’t believe it. How can I face him like this?”

“Miss, you’re not going to see the young master for just one reason, are you? You told me you wanted to apologize for the past. Was that just an excuse to ease your conscience?”

“No. No, it wasn’t. Sigh. Alright, Anna. It’s time to stop whining.”

Dorothy slapped her cheeks and stood up. Anna’s nagging about being more dignified followed her, but she ignored it and left the room.

The meeting place wasn’t Gilbert’s room but the physical training ground. Gilbert had accepted Dorothy’s request to meet early in the morning but asked her to come to the training ground instead.

Hearing this, Dorothy was surprised once again. The Gilbert she knew had never engaged in any form of training. Despite his naturally perfect physique, she had often thought it was a waste of talent.

But now, he was asking her to come to the training ground early in the morning. It was hard not to be surprised.

Arriving at the training ground with Anna, Dorothy took a deep breath and entered. At the far end, she saw her eldest brother, Gilbert.

As Dorothy approached, she couldn’t hide her astonishment. His physical training seemed almost like a form of ascetic torture.

While mana core techniques were popular among modern knights, Dorothy knew that physical training was equally, if not more, important.

She had dreamed of becoming a knight since childhood and had undergone systematic training. Her teacher, a vassal who had fought alongside her father, the Iron-Blooded Frontier Count, always emphasized that mana should be built upon a well-trained body. This belief was deeply ingrained in Dorothy.

But even she had never seen such extreme physical training. Not even the knights of the Lion Heart Count family trained like this.

“Eldest brother.”

“Hm. Dorothy.”

Gilbert, drenched in sweat, wiped his face and looked at Dorothy, who stood stiffly.

Yesterday, Anna had suddenly visited to convey Dorothy’s wish to meet. Knowing that Dorothy had always been dissatisfied with him, Gilbert was curious and immediately set up the meeting.

However, with his schedule tight after the academy attack, the only time he had was during his morning training, so he called her then.

“You wanted to see me. Is there something you need?”

Seeing Dorothy hesitate, Gilbert sighed deeply. He wanted to speak more gently, but the system didn’t allow it. Just as he received assistance in combat, his speech was influenced by character settings.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a complete restriction, so he didn’t have to perfectly match the character’s demeanor, but there were still limitations. His current stiff tone was entirely due to this.

“Alright, I’ll be honest. I didn’t believe you had changed. I thought you had some ulterior motive.”

Dorothy, who had been hesitating in front of Gilbert, finally gathered her courage and bowed her head in apology. She straightforwardly admitted her mistakes without any excuses.

“But I was wrong. You were trying to change, and I failed to see it. It’s my fault.”

“Hm…”

Gilbert looked at his younger sister, who was bowing deeply, and fell into thought. She had suddenly wanted to meet, and it turned out she wanted to apologize for her past behavior.

Her actions had always been justified, but it seemed she carried some emotional burden.

In Tactical Combat, her upright nature had made her popular, and it seemed that even in reality, her personality remained unchanged.

“And thank you for saving me. If it weren’t for you, I might have died there.”

Even if she had pretended not to care, no one would have blamed her, but Dorothy bowed deeply and expressed her gratitude. It was very much like her.

“To be honest, I didn’t know you were there. I just did what I had to do, and you happened to be there.”

“Still, you saved me. Thank you.”

Even if she had pretended not to care, no one would have blamed her, but Dorothy’s bow remained unwavering. Seeing this, Gilbert couldn’t help but smile.

Her stubbornness reminded him of the Iron-Blooded Frontier Count.

“Huh?”

“It’s fine. As an older brother, saving my younger sister is natural. There’s no need to thank me. It was just something I had to do.”

Gilbert gently patted Dorothy’s head. Strictly speaking, it was because Gilbert had entered this world that Dorothy had been put in danger. Originally, only Glinda was supposed to attend the Lion King’s Birthday Celebration Event.

But because Gilbert had shown a changed demeanor, Dorothy had come to the academy to understand why, and as a result, she had been caught in the danger. If anything, Gilbert, with his strange settings, was the one who should be apologizing.

Meanwhile, Dorothy, having her head patted, realized that Gilbert’s hands were larger than she had thought. Compared to other young ladies her age, Dorothy was petite, making his hands seem even bigger.

Moreover, Gilbert’s touch, though rough, carried warmth. It was similar yet different from her second brother, Glinda’s. Somehow, she felt a glimpse of the Gilbert from before he became reckless.

“So, is that all you wanted to say?”

Realizing that Dorothy had straightened up and was looking at him, Gilbert withdrew his hand. He had unconsciously patted her head, but he worried she might take offense. Fortunately, she didn’t seem bothered, but he couldn’t keep doing it.

“For now…”

“Then go back and rest. Even if you’re physically fine, the chaos you experienced for the first time must have taken a toll. Such exhaustion doesn’t fade easily. Anna, take care of Dorothy.”

“Understood, young master.”

Anna, who had been standing quietly behind them, led the dazed Dorothy out of the training ground. Even outside, Dorothy remained in a similar state, so Anna cautiously called out to her.

“Miss? Are you okay?”

“Ah, uh, yeah.”

It took a few calls before Dorothy snapped out of it. Seeing Anna’s worried expression, she smiled as usual, pretending nothing was wrong. Walking back to her quarters with Anna, Dorothy glanced back at the training ground door, which was gradually getting farther away.

Somehow, she felt like she had realized something new.

 

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