I love time travel the most!

"Although you're supposed to be aloof because of the need to have a distinct character, how about I sincerely congratulate you now?"

"Varied……!"

The proud girl stared wide-eyed at Kobayashi in front of her. After a few seconds, her cheeks flushed and her gaze wandered. Her mouth moved for a long time before she finally managed to squeeze out a sentence in a very soft voice.

"—Congratulations."

God knows how much strength the girl used to utter that shameful congratulatory remark; Sigmund in her arms was almost suffocated, which was already quite a humiliating thing for her.

His lowered eyes kept glancing at the person next to him, trying to figure out if his words had satisfied them.

however--

Xiaolin pouted and said, "Forget it, just stay arrogant, otherwise you'll lose your only cute point."

"You...!"

Charlotte clenched her fists angrily, resisting the urge to punch him.

No, he still threw a punch.

Her punches were incredibly fast, and because she was sitting, her hand landed on Kobayashi's lower abdomen. If she hadn't been so gentle, Kobayashi would have thought Charlotte was angry and embarrassed.

Looking down, I saw a small box tied with a gold ribbon.

“…What is this?”

"Are you an idiot? Of course it's a congratulatory gift! Well... let's just say... even though it was forced by circumstances, objectively speaking, you saved me, so it's not impossible..."

It's really difficult for her to come up with such a complicated reason to express her gratitude.

"Thank you, Charlotte."

Kobayashi readily accepted it.

The proud girl smiled unconsciously when she saw him accept the gift, but then realized her lapse in composure and immediately turned her head away with a haughty snort.

Kobayashi untied the ribbon and found a silver pendant quietly placed inside.

"Spell?"

"It's a defensive seal!"

Unidentified runes were engraved on the round pendant.

Xiaolin couldn't understand it, but was deeply shocked.

He sensed some of the characteristics of elves within it! He was certain it was extremely valuable!

Sigmund also urged, "Just accept it, Kobayashi. It's a gift that Charles thought about for a long time before choosing it."

"Shut up, Sigmund! Or you'll be eating only breadcrumbs starting tomorrow!"

Charlotte blushed instantly, her hands gripping Sigmund tightly, unable to look at Kobayashi.

"I can use magic, so this kind of thing is completely useless to me"... Kobayashi would never say something so low in emotional intelligence.

Charlotte understood, and she sighed softly, "This talisman is just icing on the cake for you; it won't be of much use at all."

"Oh my, you even know idioms? I'm a little surprised?"

Kobayashi looked at the proud girl with surprise, then smiled slightly and said, "This is your heartfelt wish, how could I possibly refuse it?"

"……snort."

Charlotte snorted again and said, "Don't get me wrong, you're not the only one! That guy... Rai Zhen also has a rune with the same effect. After all, you're all just simple barbarians."

The girl's arrogance escalated once again, and she even used others as a cover.

"Ah, so they all exist..." Kobayashi sighed deeply, looking quite disappointed.

"Wh...what? That expression."

"It's nothing. I was just a fool who thought I was special."

"No, that's not it! Your talisman is far more precious than Lei Zhen's; it's my grandmother's heirloom...!"

The proud girl hurriedly tried to explain, but when she saw Kobayashi's teasing expression, she realized she had been tricked and immediately became furious.

"Sigurd, activate the beam cannon!"

"Roger that!"

"Wait, don't be impulsive! Quickly take back your magic!"

Only after Kobayashi repeatedly apologized and comforted her did the proud and agitated girl calm down.

But then hesitantly asked a strange question.

“I said, what Felix said before, what if the royal family really pursues this? You will have no place in this country. In that case, it doesn’t matter.”

"It's ok."

Kobayashi's answer remained unchanged, even exuding confidence in his calm demeanor: "I'm not afraid of going against the royal family, or even if I were to become enemies with the entire world."

We can always just run away.

Sorry, being able to travel between worlds doesn't mean you can do whatever you want.

"I see... I see."

Charlotte murmured softly, unsure of the other's intention. The other woman had her head slightly lowered, a strange smile playing on her lips, making Charlotte feel that she had misunderstood something again.

------

The student cafeteria in the central area of ​​the atrium.

Still in the corner, the group sat at the same table, and no one dared to approach them; in fact, their fear of them was even greater than before.

Kobayashi looked around and couldn't help but tease Akabane Raishin, "So, how does it feel to be a hero?"

"Awful."

Akabane Raishin let out a deep sigh.

Already attracting attention, he garnered even more attention after defeating Felix.

Akabane Raima countered, "But is this really a good idea, to give me all the credit?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Kobayashi waved his hand dismissively, "You became a hero and attracted attention for me, and I even got the qualification to participate in the night party, so what's there to complain about? Besides, you know very well why I can't attract attention, right, Akabane-kun?"

"……makes sense."

Akabane Raishin nodded.

Staring at the glove on his right hand, he couldn't help but reach out and rub it.

It has a great texture and feels soft and smooth.

Akabane Raishin suffered a lot for it.

"Wait, wait!" Seeing the two so relaxed, Charlotte slammed her hand on the table and scolded them, "What do you two take the Night Party for! It's a ruthless competition for survival. Only those who can eliminate all obstacles can gain everything!"

This is her consistent argument.

Even after being reprimanded by Felix for this, she never changed.

"So, I think you should know that once we meet on the battlefield of the Night Party—"

"We're enemies, aren't we?"

“That’s right! Sigmund and I will do everything in our power to defeat you!”

The girl with the login code "[Tyrant King]" issues her battle declaration at this moment.

"But I will go easy on you."

"Varied……!"

The girl's tough demeanor dissipated at that moment, but she couldn't help but feel angry again the next second.

because--

"You too, Akabane-kun."

"...You..."

Charlotte was at a loss for words to express her feelings at that moment.

"Ha... I really admire the dinosaur girl for daring to make such outrageous statements." Akabane Raishin sighed deeply and said, "Even if you say that, I still think Kobayashi is a very troublesome potential enemy, and I have absolutely no idea how to defeat you."

"……really."

Even Charlotte had to admit it.

Ryuu is just too overpowered!

"But! Even so, I don't intend to simply admit defeat, after all, I have reasons why I have to win!" Akabane Raishin also revealed a high fighting spirit.

"The reason for winning..."

Charlotte repeated in a low voice, "She also has reasons why she can't back down."

In the Devourer incident, the main reason Felix targeted her was because the [Dragon Roar] was very similar to the [Demon Eater], and also because she had collected a large number of magic circuits.

She is looking for her separated family.

To be precise, they were her family's former automatons, and those magic circuits were the hearts of her family members that she found through a scholarship.

Charlotte's family, the Earl of Beaulaus, was once a proud family of automata magicians in Great Britain, and many automata lived in the house like family members.

But one day, her beloved canine automaton accidentally injured a distinguished guest. Because of this incident, the Count of Bilough was stripped of his title, and his family fell into decline. With the reclaimed territory, most of the automatons were dismantled.

Even during her time at the boarding school, her parents and younger sister disappeared, and she was eventually expelled from the school.

Charlotte believes that she caused this situation, so she came to the Royal Academy of Mechanical Arts to attend the Night Party in hopes of ascending to the Demon King's throne.

Because she knew that simply buying the magic circuit from her family wouldn't be enough.

No matter what, I must become the Demon King to gain recognition, reclaim the Earl's title, and live with my family again.

The girl slowly said, "Actually, I have a dream."

"I dream that one day, valleys will rise up and mountains will fall; rough and winding roads will become smooth, and holy light will be revealed and shine upon the world."

"……what is that?"

"A speech by a Black man."