Sara went out with her friends in the evening to buy things.

She was very depressed, in the past, Sara enjoyed buying things.

Whether they were useful to her or not, but now she was not in the mood at all.

Her friends were talking to her and Sara only answered vaguely.

She raised her gaze to answer one of them, at that moment.

"Huh? Romeo."

She saw a silhouette in the crowd on the street, she thought of her brother when she saw that silhouette.

Immediately Sara ran out after that person shouting.

"Romeo!"

"Hold on please!"

Sara shouted as slowly the silhouette walked calmly.

It entered an alley, Sara too.

In the alley she saw no one as it was dark.

She walked into it even knowing it was dangerous.

With strong steps, but with a worried look Sara spoke.

"Romeo, I know it's you."

"I don't know why you ran away."

"If I, mom or dad made you upset, I'm sorry."

"I'm truly sorry."

 

 

She began to cry.

"If you are in trouble, your big sister will help you."

"That's why... trust me please, I want to help you so you can come home."

There was no answer.

But Sara heard a sound at the end of the alley.

She ran at full speed and there she found nothing more than a cat eating a piece of fruit.

Sara, seeing that it was only a cat, is disappointed and walks back to her friends.

Unaware that she was being watched.

◇◇◇

Behind some dumpsters was none other than Romeo watching her.

He was wearing a red sweatshirt, due to the way he walked he had to be recognized, he had a bag of food next to him.

Romeo muttered.

"It's too late for you to appear to be a good big sister now, nee-san."

Romeo was a reincarnate, in his previous life he died a tragic death and so he thought that in this new life everything would get better.

But due to his delusions of people talking behind his back, some of them being true, he ran away from home as he heard his father and sister talking about getting rid of him.

Romeo picked up his bag of food and went to his shelter.

◇◇◇

Underneath the warehouses of Aster's docks, there is a subway city known as the "Ant Hill". Where people who hate great nobles and are even criminals live.

This place is overseen exclusively by military men of Herring Household and Wayne Household to earn extra money.

People from the other noble families and a few select foreigners also come to this place because here you can get certain items that you can't get upstairs.

After what happened to the Cashmiro Family, those items have increased in number.

Romeo walked among those people.

If they knew he was the Acting Chairman's son, Romeo would be scattered in parts or being extorted by Randolf to get him back.

But that is not the case.

After walking several steps, he arrived at a half-destroyed house.

He knocked a certain number of times on the door in a rhythmic way and someone inside knocked back.

Then Romeo said.

"It's me."

The door was opened and he entered.

Inside were a group of men in suits.

One of them smoking said.

"Oh, Romeo-kun, thank you for bringing us food as usual."

"You guys eat like cattle, you should moderate yourselves."

"Hehehe, sorry, but we need to regain our strength. After all, we're training until our teammates arrive."

The man stood up, he was the most refined of all.

His hair was perfectly cut and combed back, his chin perfectly shaved and his foxlike gaze razor sharp as ever.

The man's name was Warrick and he was not from this country.

He came, like his companions, from a distant country called the Ereboreas Republic.

A nation where the climate is very cold, but despite that cold, they managed to become a power.

Several decades ago there was an incident where they changed the ruler, something very similar to Randolf's case.

When Romeo escaped, he arrived at a warehouse, where he found these men.

They were frightened of course, but Warrick reassured them all.

He extended his hand to Romeo and then they chatted, that's how they became friends.

Romeo and they had been living in this place for days, the money came from Warrick which he had obtained through a relative of the Herring Household.

Romeo sat down and took out a sandwich, the other men also took their sandwich and poured themselves wine, with the exception of Romeo who drank water.

Warrick sat down next to Romeo.

"Something wrong with you? You're more irritable than usual today."

"I ran into my sister on the street."

"How do you say!?"

"She saw you?"

Warrick became upset, but Romeo reassured him.

"No. You shouldn't worry either, since, if anything happened to you guys, I'd be hurt too."

The reason Romeo and these men were collaborating was for a reason.

Rebellion against the Rosenberg Household.

Romeo wanted to remove his sister and father and be the new head of the house himself, he thinks that, if he does so, he will succeed in preventing his ruin.

While these men wish by peaceful means to bring about an alliance between the republic and Aster.

Despite saying that, there are firearms hidden in wooden boxes.

Romeo turned a blind eye to that, as it interfered with his task.

Warrick said to Romeo. "If you wish for help, we will provide it, after all we want honest ties between our homeland and you. There is no better way to accomplish this than with the future head of Aster's foremost noble family."

For Romeo, only his goal mattered.

To obtain the happy and well-deserved life he deserved. All obstacles must be removed.

Someone knocked on the door, everyone present should be here, except for one person.

Opening the door, Romeo said.

"It's about time."

◇◇◇

In the shopping district was a certain young man at work.

He was an attractive boy with almost pinkish red hair and beautiful green eyes.

Jude Gaia Banfield, one of the capture targets and former heir to Banfield Household.

Months ago he tried to make Lucy his woman, failed terribly and lost his emblem.

Without that emblem, Jude was just like a commoner.

After he lost it, his life went downhill, his father kicked him out of the house, but that would be a shame for him too, so he kept him in a hidden house.

After he failed to die bravely during the sacrifice event, he was officially abandoned.

Thanks to Lucy, she asked an acquaintance of hers to give him a job and housing in the same place where she worked.

Jude was a boy with a promising future, which made him a spoiled rich kid.

After losing his status and being abandoned by his family, he had no choice other than to work to earn his bread and butter.

He didn't know how to clean, wash or sweep, but he was given those small jobs.

Lucy begged the manager, who was secretly a knight of her house, to forgive him whatever he broke, she would pay for it.

Thanks to her, the broken dishes which were not few were not deducted from his paycheck. For Jude, that small act of kindness made him see again that his mistake with her was entirely his fault.

"Jude-kun, when you're done here take out the trash, then you can go to sleep. There's food on the stove."

"T-Thanks. I'm almost done waxing the floor."

Awkwardly replied Jude, it was because the manager, a huge, blond-haired, split-chinned man named Lutart, would send him threatening glances from time to time.

It was because Jude hurt Lucy, he knew he deserved those disdainful looks, but he feels sometimes those looks are strange because they go to uncomfortable places.

After tying up the garbage bag, he went out to the back to dispose of it.

As he did so, he turned around to go inside.

"Hello Jude-san. I see you're doing well."

But a voice stopped him.

He turned around, and sitting on a smoking bench was he, Romeo.

"Romeo? What are you doing here?"

Romeo stood up and walked toward Zack.

"Jude-san, I've been waiting for you. I'd like you to come with me somewhere."

"With you?"

"You know your family is looking for you?"

"Please don't evade the question."

"I'm asking because you're like me. Abandoned by your family."

"... That's it."

"Don't try to deny it. Your family threw you out like trash, don't you want to go back to being a noble?"

Jude who was about to leave, looked at Romeo after hearing that.

"You can't do that."

"Of course I can't. At least I don't, that's why, come with me."

"Where to?"

Jude looked at Romeo, who smiled sinisterly.

"To the place where dreams come true."

◇◇◇

Young nobles and military personnel gathered in the subway facility in the warehouse district.

Nobles who were not part of the six great nobles and neither of the high nobility... but were nobles considered lower class.

The soldiers were bloodthirsty young officers who were angry with Aster's weak attitude these days.

Many young men in their teens and around their twenties were gathered as they were all called together by Romeo.

He was walking with Jude.

"What is this place?"

"It's called the anthill. A subway city beneath Aster."

"When did they build this?"

"To tell you the truth, I wouldn't know. It seems like a long time ago and few people know about this place."

Jude watched as the young men stood excitedly in front of the flying battleships and armed units lined up in the subway facility.

"Unbelievable. How could they get all this stuff and get it in here?"

"That you'll have to ask him."

"Him? Who?"

A sound of a microphone being turned on was heard by all accompanied by overhead lights.

There in the middle of a large stand that had been set up for him was Zack.

"Thank you so much for meeting here."

They were silent as Zack was speaking, but you could see the motivation in his eyes.

"I'm going to say it straight out. I will destroy the current Aster and create a new country. To do that, I'm going to need your power."

The young men were excited to see the weapons Zero had prepared, but they also seemed to be worried.

A young nobleman and at the same time soldier raised his hand.

"I understand that we have the weapons it takes to perform, but you also have to understand that it is too dangerous to fight the high class nobles with the blessings of the sacred tree."

The supreme kingdom went undefeated in their defensive battles only with the protection of the sacred tree. Even the most bloodthirsty young men seemed hesitant to fight against the six great nobles and the higher noble families who could use it.

Then Zack raised his right hand as he smiled.

"Then don't worry, I have this."

The youths thought that the ace up Zack's sleeve was the emblem of the six great nobles. Such a thing, they even thought that the enemy had it too.... A pale green emblem emerged behind Zack.

It was the emblem of the guardian.

As the young men began to murmur, Zack explained the reason for his emblem.

"You don't seem to understand why I have the Guardian's emblem, so I'll explain. There's a new priestess. Zero!"

Zero, who was supposed to be on Diana's side, appeared when he was called.

In front of the young men stood a mysterious woman in white robes. She looked like a priestess and everyone was impressed with her beautiful transparent appearance.

"She is the priestess?"

"Why isn't her face showing?"

"Could she be some secret relative of Vermillion Household?"

While observing the situation, Zack called a person to the front.

"You, the one who just asked me the question, come to the front."

"Y-Yes."

While everyone was watching to see what was going to happen, the man who was called came forward in front of the priestess. Zack said. "Give me your right hand." And the man showed the back of his right hand, where a lower emblem was.

When the priestess silently touched his hand with both hands, the emblem changed, enveloped in a faint light.

"Th-This is it!"

The man was from a noble family, despite being one of a lower rank. He saw at a glance what the emblem given to him looked like.

Zack lifted the corners of his mouth and pushed the man's back to stand in front of everyone.

"Rejoice! ... From today onwards, you too can wear the emblem of the six great nobles!"

When the man raised his right hand, there was an emblem that only the six great nobles could wear.

The man trembled with joy, and the young men who saw it shouted.

"Oh, I want it too, please Zack-san!"

"Priestess-sama, give me an emblem too!"

"We can win, we can take down the corrupt top brass of this nation!"

Jude couldn't believe his eyes. Romeo said to him.

"Amazing isn't it? I was shocked the first time I saw it, as my emblem changed too."

"If you join, you can regain your prestige for the new order."

When the enthusiasm of the young men reached its highest peak, Zack, who was watching them, shushed them loudly.

"Silence!"

As the young people fell silent, Zack spoke slowly about what would happen next.

"I'm going to destroy this old corrupt order. If you cooperate with this, I will give you an emblem. However... you can't kill the people involved with the six great nobles, also don't lay a hand on the survivors of the Vermillion Household.

The young men were a bit confused when they were told not to mess with Diana and Lucy. Having a priestess, there should no longer be a need for Vermillion Household.

However, the man who received the emblem of the six great nobles raised his voice.

"So you're practically saying that Diana-sama and Lucy-sama should be protected, right?"

"Correct."

"I understand, but I heard that Lucy-sama is with the foreign students of the Kingdom, what do you intend to do with her?"

The man who already recognized Zack as a man of high rank was blunter in his behavior than before. And when he asked why they should not touch Lucy, the young men awaited Zack's answer.

What is he going to do about Count Bradford, who has made such havoc of Aster?

They were waiting for what kind of attitude Zack would show towards the person who made them look like fools.

Zack frowned and declared.

"I'll crush them all together! That guy is my prey. You don't have to touch him."

"I will purge this country of the corruption of the great nobles and restore the pride of this country after finishing off that monster!"

Hearing those words, the young men decided to obey Zack.

Jude bowed his head, as he did not know what to do.

The person next to Zack just stared at him.

◇◇◇

"Wow, it was a success."

After the meeting ended, everyone left after swearing by the emblem that they would keep silent.

Zack and the priestess headed to a specific place.

The room where Romeo slept was small with only a bed and small luggage.

Lying on the floor were pieces of body training equipment.

He was training his body to defeat Rudel.

"There are many people in this country who are dissatisfied. It's not just the nobles and soldiers. If you gather adventurers and mercenaries, you'll have a good army."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"More importantly, will we have the numbers we planned?"

As Zack confirmed the armament, Zero affirmed.

"Of course. I have a factory inland as a transport ship. It doesn't take years to prepare hundreds of airships on this world."

All the weapons handled by Zack and his men were prepared by Zero.

While Romeo's group handled another method.

How did they meet?

Zero found him right away while scavenging for food.

He then sent him to Zack and they chatted.

From what he heard, Zack found out that Romeo was a reincarnate, but he didn't give it a thought since Romeo himself was unaware that there were other reincarnates like him.

"Can you prepare something like that damn trash? Like the ones on your partner's side, right?"

"Ixion also has a factory, but I have greater production capacity. Besides, the airships and armored units I prepared are better than what we have today. They will lose against Battler, but they won't lose against most enemies in terms of performance."

"I see, then all that's left is manpower."

"Yes."

Once the conversation between Zack and Zero was interrupted, a few minutes passed.

After a while of silence, Romeo asked about Diana.

"... How is Diana?"

At that question, Zack smiled.

"You can take off your veil, Diana."

"...!"

"You had to say it."

The woman next to him took off her veil and Diana showed her face to Romeo.

Romeo couldn't believe it, he even saw her hand and no doubt it was the emblem of the priestess.

"This you didn't tell me, how did it happen?"

"It's a long story, all you need to know is that I will help you take control of your house since it's for the good of this country."

"I understand, but still─"

"Romeo-kun, we need your help with these boxes."

Warrick called out to Romeo, who turned around and left.

Diana and Zack were left alone, Zero sent glances at Zack as a sign of something, then he left.

Diana was intrigued to see him go.

Zack stood up and walked over to her.

"Are you sure about this?"

Diana without delay replied. "Yes. Like I told you, after seeing that. There's no turning back."

"If I want to save my sister, I must."

"Well said, I will save your sister."

"But before that..."

"What's wrong?"

Suddenly Zack moved closer to her and their lips met.

That wasn't her first kiss, but it was his first.

Zack embraced her as if they were lovers.

He withdrew his lips and said to her.

"I'm sorry, but I can't take this anymore."

"Diana, I love you. I want you to be mine, I don't care if I have to fight Lugh, I want you all to myself."

"That guy is a nice guy, but as a man he leaves a lot to be desired. For that reason, after recovering my memories, the first thing I thought of is the fact that I wouldn't regret it again."

Diana through Zero that Zack was a reincarnate, she was surprised.

But she was more surprised by the fact that Zack doesn't know about the game, that's why she kept that information of his as a secret.

In case Zack thinks they are meant for each other by being reincarnated.

She tried to use all her strength to get out of his arms.

But unlike Lugh's, these arms were strong and toned.

She wanted a strong man, as she could not escape from his arms she said.

"Just once, just once so you don't screw up anymore."

"Sounds good to me. Once for now, when I get this country back, I'll make you totally mine."

"Dream on."

She said that, their lips met.

Despite saying it would only be once, Diana went beyond that with him, unaware that Zero was spying on them.

"Humans are really fascinating, they give in so quickly to their desires that they don't realize what they're doing."