The random characters in the dating sim world are a bit bad.

"Yes, yes."

The royal messenger, seeing Barks's nervous demeanor, sighed inwardly before explaining the situation.

"Baron Bartofalt, although there are voices in the court pursuing Lord Lyon, thanks to the Duke's family, the matter is over."

"Um, what about the handling of this matter from above? What about my son and our Bartofalt family?"

Barcos asked somewhat nervously, already prepared for the worst.

"Baron Barcos, congratulations. Your son Lyon has received a reward from the royal palace! He has been officially recognized as an independent knight by the kingdom, and his title has been granted ahead of schedule. Speaking of which, Baron Lyon's rank is sixth rank, which is higher than yours as his father."

The royal envoy wore a smile, clearly pleased that his son held a higher rank than him.

"Wait, wait a minute! You mean Lyon not only didn't get punished by the kingdom, but was actually promoted?"

Barcos was so incredulous that his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and he had no choice but to put it under the table.

Seeing Barcos's appearance, the royal envoy's smile widened, and his envy was undisguised.

“That’s right. Baron Lyon is a true knight who dares to offer advice to His Highness! If there were more knights like Baron Lyon, His Majesty would have an easier time. Moreover, the Princess really likes Baron Lyon’s saying, ‘I would rather have a hesitant king than a king who cannot keep his promises.’”

"Thank you...thank you."

Barcos thanked him, wiping away tears from the corners of his eyes.

Afterwards, Barcos spoke with the royal messengers for a while before seeing them off.

Seeing this, Lyon followed and calmly handed a small money pouch to the royal messenger.

"Your Excellency, you must be tired from your journey. Please don't hesitate to offer this small amount for tea."

The royal envoy's smile grew even brighter as he touched the purse of money in his hand, the weight of which was unclear.

“Baron Lyon, just call me Mr. Claire.”

"Yes, Mr. Claire. Have a safe journey."

After boarding the airship, Claire waved to Leon and returned to her room. She was slightly surprised when she took out the hundred gold coins from her purse.

"Baron Lyon seems like a worthwhile investment, but I wonder if he's currently on the Duke's side or a free agent."

Claire watched Leon as the airship departed, a thoughtful expression on her face.

After Julius was deposed as crown prince, the voice of the duke's faction, which represented the royalists, became increasingly faint within the palace, while the faction of the second prince, who wanted to take the throne, and the marquises and others expanded rapidly.

As for him, the envoy, he belonged to the king's faction!

Every world and every country has many factions, and the Kingdom of Horfald is no exception.

Lyon currently belongs to the faction of border lords, among whom the Earl of Brad's family holds the most power and influence. However, they are staunch supporters of the King's Party, so the border faction is currently fragmented and leaderless.

On the airship.

Olivia, who didn't understand how to advance in rank, was asking Angelica for advice.

"Angie, why does it seem like Leon and Uncle Barcos don't really care about advancing in rank?"

“Livia, the border lords gain no benefit whatsoever from the promotion in rank…”

Angelica explained patiently, holding Olivia's hand.

"The rank you hold in the court reflects the trust the royal family places in you. To be promoted after reaching the seventh rank, you need long-term loyalty and dedication to the kingdom. It would probably take a hundred years to rise from the lower seventh rank to the upper sixth rank."

"Is that so? It's really impressive that Lyon has reached the sixth rank at such a young age."

Olivia spoke with longing, her eyes filled with blessings.

"Yes, and Lyon's investiture ceremony will be held before the new semester starts. Livia, are you going to attend too? I think Lyon will be very happy to see you."

Angelica extended the invitation, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Olivia was at a loss when faced with Angelica's invitation, feeling both expectant and afraid.

"But, I've never participated before, and I don't have any suitable clothes..."

"It's okay, we can just wear our uniforms together then."

Angelica smiled as she looked at Olivia's nervous and awkward appearance, then hugged her and pressed herself against her.

Judging from his practiced manner, he has probably been doing this frequently during this period.

P.S.: The princess will be making her appearance in a few more chapters.

Volume 2 School Life: Chapter 35 How do you prove you're dwarves?

On the territory.

Lyon silently dealt with the ammunition and weapons in front of him.

One high-energy rifle, five automatic rifles, two light machine guns, two rocket launchers, and a quantity of ammunition of the corresponding type, as well as a quantity of bombs.

"Lucasion, everything's fine now. Are all the supplies for the warship ready?"

"Master, Bartona is ready to set sail at any time. The ordinary mechs have also been modified as required."

"Alright. Let's get ready for a new adventure. First, let's pick up Daniel and Raymond, then head to the chaotic area and conquer that labyrinth."

After taking the high-energy rifle into his hands, Lyon spoke with great enthusiasm.

Adventure is his favorite thing!

"Master, with our current strength, there's absolutely no need for us to take any risks. Besides, what's the point of bringing those two along?"

“Lucaccio, while I admit you’re very capable, you still have limitations. Some things require the help of others, and those two guys keep saying they could do it too, right? Let’s go see what they’re really like this time.”

"Master, do you mean you no longer need me?"

Lucasión's voice carried a hint of frustration and disappointment, like that of a girl.

"No, Lucaccion, you are the most important thing to me. If I hadn't met you, I'm afraid I would be dead by now."

Lyon spoke with a serious expression, recalling his thoughts at the time.

If Leon hadn't met Lucaccion, he probably would have become a pirate after shooting Zola.

"Understood, Master. Then, let's set sail!"

Luciano was pleased to hear Lyon's words.

As night fell, after a day's work, Lyon finally brought Daniel and Raymond to the warship.

At this moment, Leon is explaining to the two of them the precautions to take regarding the maze, as well as the possible encounters that may follow.

"Lyon, while there are more air pirates in the chaotic region, it's not as serious as you say, is it?"

Daniel, who was quite familiar with the border region, said he didn't really believe Lyon's claim that it was easy to encounter air pirates.

“Daniel, that’s how it normally is. But recently there have been more air pirates in the chaotic areas, so we need to be extra careful. Luckily, we have some mechs that we stole from air pirates before, so while we still have time, I’ll teach you how to use them. It’s free!”

Lyon looked at Daniel and Raymond with a smile, his face full of kindness.

The two who were familiar with Leon realized that something was wrong, but they had no choice but to agree to the opportunity to pilot a mecha.

"Alright then. It's a good opportunity to learn about the academy's mecha courses in advance."

The two of them pretended to be reserved and followed Lyon's pace.

In the third year, the academy will offer a mecha course to teach students the basic skills and methods of piloting mechas. The mechas used are almost identical to those used by air pirates, due to secrecy and cost.

The many boys in the academy naturally had high expectations for mecha, especially border nobles like Daniel and Raymond.

Lyon's smile grew even brighter as he looked at the two who had agreed, making him appear like a devil.

The mechs used by air pirates are not expensive; a brand-new mech can be obtained for about one million Tia. However, the subsequent maintenance, upkeep, replacement of parts after battle, and ammunition are the real expenses.

Even if a mech doesn't engage in combat, the annual maintenance cost is close to 500,000 Tia.

For an ordinary viscount, maintaining a mecha is an absolute struggle; only wealthy viscounts and higher can afford it.

…………

a few days later.

"Within the department! Within the department!"

"Die, you damned sky pirates!"

Daniel and Raymond stood on the deck, dressed in red-dyed mechs, holding huge rifles and firing at the air pirates in the sky.

Leon, dressed in the same mechs as the two, wielded a battle blade and charged back and forth among the air pirates' mechs, enjoying himself immensely.

On the airship, the air pirate leader looked at Leon charging back and forth, and the mechs being shot down in the sky, and a bitter expression appeared on his face. He then looked at his deputy beside him.

"Let's raise the white flag."

"Yes, boss!"

After receiving the order, the deputy quickly placed the white pieces that had been prepared beforehand, a look of relief on his face.

"Daniel, Raymond! Prepare to receive the mechs and prisoners."

"Lucassion, raise the cannons and aim them at them!"

Seeing that the air pirate leader had chosen to surrender, Leon stopped attacking, flew to the front of the airship, and issued the order.

"Move all your people onto the deck of the warship, and get all the mechs lined up. Also, prepare all your information."

A cold voice came from behind, and the air pirate leader nodded wearily.

"Chief, what about our goods? They belong to the Earl's family..."

"At this point, forget about the count's family. We're lucky to be alive. You saw those cannons on that warship, right? We're just transport ships, not warships."

The air pirate leader emphasized this, and his deputy nodded and released all the cargo from the airship. It was a group of strong-armed demi-humans, who were generally only about 1.5 meters tall.

On the deck, Daniel and Raymond skillfully bound the air pirates one by one, while Leon carried the remaining three air pirate mechs back to the stern of the warship.

"Raymond, what's with those demi-humans? They look different from the usual elves."

Leon held a machine gun, followed by soldiers like Terminators wielding Gatling guns.

"Lyon, they call themselves dwarves, and have absolutely no relation to those haughty elves. Their leader is the one in red, named Augustus. This group of sky pirates claims they work for the Earl of Overley?"

After Raymond explained the situation to Leon, a hint of worry appeared on his brow. This was the first time in all their years of fighting sky pirates that they had encountered a sky pirate employed by a kingdom's nobles, and a count no less!

“Earl Overley? That nouveau riche? Tsk tsk. Just handle it the old way, and then figure out how to deal with those dwarves. I'll leave the ones in the sea to you two as well.”

After Lyon finished speaking, the sky pirate leader and the others were about to speak, but Daniel and Raymond fired their bullets without hesitation, blood flowing everywhere, which terrified the dwarves standing nearby.

After the air pirates on the deck were dealt with, Daniel and Raymond boarded a small airship and flew towards the sea with the bombs.

Boom!

A short while later, an explosion was heard from below, which made the dwarves on the deck even more terrified.

"You, Augustus, what proof do you have that you're dwarves?"

P.S.: The development of a power cannot be separated from talent. As for the transformation of the two best friends, I won't go into it (not because I'm lazy).

Volume Two: School Life: Chapter Thirty-Six - Daniel's Great Dream

Dwarves, a group of people who are skilled at building, no matter what kind of novel they are in.

When Leon heard that they were 'dwarves', his first thought was to confirm whether they were as he had imagined. Then he thought about the difference between 'dwarves' and humans, and finally, he wondered if he could recruit them to his side.

After all, he planned to build a factory later, and if these dwarves were real and obedient, that would be ideal. He could make a lot of money that way.

Augustus stepped forward to address Lyon's question, bowed slightly, and began to introduce himself.

"Captain, we are extremely familiar with building mechs and warships."

Lyon fell silent after Augustus stopped speaking.

In this world, building mechs and warships requires the use of magic. If Augustus and his team can skillfully build warships, it will save Lucaccion a lot of trouble and accelerate the construction of new second-level warships that combine technology and magic, as well as the improvement of the first-level warships that are still in the realm of fantasy.

"Lord Augustus, if possible, I would like to request that you assemble the mecha on site."

Lyon paused for a moment before speaking.

Augustus agreed to Lyon's request, knowing that his survival, and that of his people, depended on their future actions.

"Yes, Captain."

"Just call me Leon."