Shall think themselves

　

　accursed they were not here

　

　And hold their manhoods cheap while any speaks

　

　That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day

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.

At the former munitions factory—during that time, when Anis and Neon were on the verge of a slight disagreement, the continuation of the poem he spun over the radio is murmured nearby.

'...I've heard this before.'

'...Henry V, Shakespeare. It's the scene of the speech at the Battle of Agincourt... don't you know?'

---I don't know. Eden's garden—beside the moor strolling along the promenade, Rapi, standing by, shook his head left and right.

Catching a glimpse of his figure, Moore shrugged his shoulders lightly.

'Just heard Johann's military history lecture about the Battle of Agincourt in the Hundred Years' War.'

'Agincourt?'

'...Ah, you might remember it as Azincourt. It's the battle where around 7,000 English troops led by Henry V defeated about 20,000 French feudal army.'

While summarizing the explanation, they strolled—finding him heading to the garden for a change of mood, Rapi accompanied. However, in the delightful sunshine pouring into the garden, he realized that it might not be a suitable topic to talk about.

Nevertheless—upon closer observation, he seems to be enjoying himself. The vertical wrinkles engraved on his forehead have become lighter.

Yes, he seems to be having fun.

He might not be aware of it, but he is undoubtedly enjoying himself. From her perspective—

Can she make him wear such a face? No, it's impossible.

She is not the type to make jokes. This is evident from being called stiff by Anis and Neon. Above all, she is aware of it.

She cannot entertain him in any way.

The only thing she can do is—fight under his command.

Fight against Rapture—that's all she can do. That used to be her natural duty as Nikke, and she could understand and accept it.

However—now—

'...What's wrong?'

'...Huh?'

'...No, it's nothing.'

Suddenly, he let out a perplexed voice. Looking up at the Moore beside him, Rapi's gaze was guided to where his deep brown eyes were directed.

In his line of sight—there was a scene where the slender left hand, wearing gloves, gently held the much larger right hand.

'...I apologize.'

'...No, it's fine. You can leave it like that.'

Faster than she could release her hand instinctively, Moore's bare right hand lightly grasped hers.

Just a little bit of pressure—Nikke's strength could easily break free at any time.

'...It's a privilege to take a walk while escorting such a beautiful woman like you. It's a waste for someone like me though.'

Even the incident of being escorted by Moore during the previous shipboard party is etched in her memory. Surprisingly, she felt bewildered inside as he was used to such actions—she later realized it, but felt perplexed and complicated.

Did he learn it at the officer school? Or was it something cultivated through personal lessons or private training?

Then the other party is—no. She mustn't think about it. Nikke interfering or prying into his private matters is entirely out of place.

But just for now—

"...It feels strange, though. Being on the surface..."

"Ahhh... it truly is."

The enemy of humanity, Rapture—even though they claimed the surface, they were walking side by side on the promenade of a garden flourishing with lush greenery and colorful flowers. Moreover, under the genuine warmth of the sun shining from above.

Yes, as if—

"Hm? Dorothy?"

The name spoken by Moore, who stood beside him. Following the gaze, Rapi also noticed a figure in the direction.

A pilgrim wandering on the surface—Dorothy, who had taken a seat on one of the chairs arranged around the garden table, seemed to have acknowledged their presence.

Rapi felt that Amethyst's eyes were first directed towards Moore. At the same time, she sensed a slight relaxation in her gaze, but she also inferred a shallow vertical wrinkle on her forehead when she continued her gaze on the holding hands.

Unintentionally pulling her left hand from his hand, Rapi naturally stood behind Moore.

"Welcome. How about a drink?"

Rising from her seat, Dorothy bowed with a gesture reminiscent of a deep-windowed young lady, inviting Moore and Rapi. He nodded in response, walking towards the garden table at a steady pace. She followed behind him.

As he approached one of the chairs and lightly pulled it towards him, instead of sitting down, Moore turned his gaze over his shoulder to Rapi.

"...From here, you should have a good view of the flower bed. Sit."

"No, I..."

Continuing to refuse to sit, Rapi was about to respond, but he shrugged his shoulders.

"...I don't have the hobby of letting women stand."

"Since he's saying so, please have a seat without concern."

Dorothy, the hostess who invited them, also recommended sitting.

However, Rapi still seemed to want to decline, and Moore might stubbornly continue to recommend sitting. Or if she doesn't sit, there's also the possibility that he won't take a seat himself.

Here—It seems better to yield. Realizing this, Rapi sighed softly, nodded, and moved to the front of the chair that Moore had pulled.

Feeling the sensation of the chair touching the back of her knees, Rapi synchronized her descent as Moore lightly pushed the chair in.

"Did you like it?"

"Yeah, it's more than enough. My taste buds are getting spoiled."

What Dorothy offered him was coffee. It was specially roasted, ground, and extracted from coffee beans.

Strange, but the taste, aroma, everything matched Moore's preferences.

Thanks to that, he quickly finished the first cup. After pleading for a second cup, Dorothy brewed coffee with black-brown steam and returned it to Moore's cup, placed on the saucer.

Seated next to Moore, who was savoring the second cup, Rapi was offered tea. She picked up the cup and quietly sipped it. It was undeniably delicious. The taste and aroma of the tea she had in the Ark were on a completely different level.

She casually observed the pilgrim seated across from her. Amethyst eyes were directed towards Moore, and it seemed as if the calmness extended to his eyes.

"...Regarding the Unchained incident... I ended up deceiving you. I apologize once again."

"...We've already settled that matter. I won't say I have no thoughts about it, but I don't intend to bring it up again."

"Thank you..."

A sigh of relief escaped from Dorothy. Then she—pressed a silver ashtray with a metallic luster towards his hand.

"...Ah, thank you."

Did she prepare it in advance? While Rapi furrowed her brows suspiciously, Moore lightly shook a soft pack he took from the chest pocket of his jacket. After pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with an oil lighter, purple smoke mixed with the aroma of coffee wafted through the air. Did the flavors of coffee and tobacco mix on his palate? His usually sharp eyes seemed to soften slightly, and his gaze was directed towards the faint, thin trail of purple smoke rising.

"...I've heard you receive lectures from Johan every day... How is it?"

"...I'm not exactly a good student, but fortunately, it seems I was able to avoid the stigma of being a poor performer. I'm relieved about that."

Dorothy chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand in response to his casual remark.

"Well, he's generally a senior who says unreasonable things... but there are many lectures that are informative. Someday, he might order me to submit a report..."

"If that happens, Johan might enthusiastically point out mistakes and provide detailed comments. He might even return a report with corrections after carefully adding annotations to it."

"...Ah. I can see that coming."

Rapi could only watch as the two conversed calmly.

Casually, Moore took the cigarette he had in his mouth with his fingers, removed it from his lips, and brought it closer to the edge of the ashtray. Using his fingertips, he flicked the cigarette against the ashtray's edge, removing the accumulated ash, and then placed it back between his lips.

"...So, you might be invited by Johan soon."

"...I don't have an inclination for that—just kidding. Invited, you say?"

(Tl Notes: Two hot men mingling in that kind. For some women, that is a supreme view, alright.)

"You'll be pursued and searched by the Nihilister. Probably within the next few days."

"...Oh?"

His eyes, which had been relaxed until then, sharpened instantly. Turning into the face of a commanding officer, Moore responded to Dorothy's faint smile.

"If the nanomachines damaged in Unchained haven't been fully repaired yet, and various combat abilities relying on nanomachines, including self-repair functions, have significantly decreased---"

"...Another Heretic intervened halfway through, so we'll have to start over. And also... there was an interesting story about the Queen and the Lilith' body..."

----

.

.

.

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.

It got a bit—no, quite heated.

"...Too intense..."

"...Sorry about that."

"...Rough."

"...That's an exaggeration."

"...Pervert."

"...Hold on a second."

The circuits felt like they were about to burn out from pleasure and happiness. It wasn't just because it had been a while; that reason alone couldn't explain it. It felt like she had raised quite an indecent voice.

It wasn't only his skill; his stamina was also inhumanly high. That must be it. There's no doubt.

On the bed covered with wrinkled sheets, their scattered clothes lay among them as they lay side by side, the man and woman sharing the bed with strong arms as pillows. While crafting thoughts about the sensations they had experienced in the torrent of pleasure, and despite spewing words of dissatisfaction, she directed her eyes, filled with stars, towards the person in front of her.

The rugged face, marked by many deep vertical wrinkles, was momentarily slightly relaxed.

Cute.

How many would agree with what slipped through her mind? Unfortunately, even if she looked across the world, it would likely remain a very small number.

A young man thoroughly trained as a soldier, showcasing a body with reduced body fat to the extreme, exposing a physique pushed to its limits without reservation. Memories of her entwined body being pushed and thrust multiple times by him vividly resurfaced.

The flashing memories caused her cheeks to flush, but undoubtedly, it was an exquisite time. From the moment they connected, the sensation of melting into one with him, potentially merging into a single existence, provided her with an indescribable pleasure and happiness.

"What's wrong? You look like you want something..."

"...Hey, can't you be a bit more delicate?"

"Don't expect someone like me, a werewolf, to be delicate."

The bad wolf snorted arrogantly, seeming somewhat triumphant.

In response, she either pouted or raised her upper body.

The sheet that had concealed her white skin slipped down, revealing her entire body. She straddled the waist of the bad wolf with a sinister grin. If an ordinary person were to be straddled by her body, they would likely feel an unimaginable sense of oppression, but fortunately, he was no ordinary human.

Placing one hand on his thick and robust chest, her slender fingers from the other hand traced along the deeply carved abdominal muscles. Whether he felt an indescribable itchiness, wrinkles formed on his forehead.

"...Then, it's my turn now. I won't stop even if you beg."

"...That sounds scary."

Contrary to her words, she looked relaxed. She was determined to twist that seemingly comfortable expression now.

"Prepare yourself. I'll make sure you can't stand on your legs."

"...Be gentle..."

Soon, the large hands placed on her hips were gripped by her slender hands, sewn onto the sheets. It was a hot and passionate affair, reminding each other of who held the initiative. The acts of mutual love—

----

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.

.

"…tch…!"

"Are you okay?"

"I seem to have developed a headache without realizing it. I apologize for interrupting our conversation..."

A sharp pain surged within the skull.

Enduring it, Moore let the purple smoke from the cigarette curl and lifted the picked-up cup.

"It might be worth hearing the intriguing story. Perhaps we can gather information about the Queen."

What will you do? Facing Dorothy's gaze as she asked this, he crushed the nearly finished cigarette into the ashtray.

"…I'll consider it."

"Understood. I'll inform Johan then."