The young man was shirtless, revealing his pale, tender skin, but now that flawless body was covered in bruises. Clearly, this Martian uncle hadn't gone easy on the pretty Earth boy. Maybe he was jealous that the kid would grow up to be more handsome than him, or maybe he was just a twisted pervert.
Meanwhile, in a car approaching Yanglu City, the princess popped out from the sunroof, waving her arms furiously.
"Eddelrittuo, slow down."
"Yes, ma'am."
The people inside Yanglu City finally spotted the princess. They didn't dare waste time and reported to the count immediately.
"Count, there's someone outside the city who looks like the princess approaching us."
Hearing that, Slaine's face changed instantly. 'Isn't she walking right into the lion's den?!' The count also took it seriously at once. "I'll go personally. Don't attack until her identity is confirmed."
"Understood."
But would there really be no attack? The Martians had been waiting for this war. If the princess was fine, they'd lose their excuse. The war wouldn't be about revenge anymore—it would just be naked plunder, without any justification.
The princess had to be real. The count immediately decided to greet her himself.
"I've committed a crime. I was captured by Earthlings. It was Her Highness who saved me," Femia said the moment she saw the count, bowing her head to plead guilty.
"I'll deal with your crime later. For now, focus on protecting the princess," the count said, shooting her a sharp glare.
"Count, I have critical intel that I must report to you in private," Femia said urgently.
"Femia!" The count was annoyed. 'I haven't even had a word with the princess yet, and you, a knight, have no sense of timing!'
But the princess spoke up. "Kuruto, Femia's intel concerns the safety of all Martians. I know about it too, but I'm not a military officer. You should hear her out first. I'll go rest. Also, summon Slaine."
It was that Earth boy again. But the count didn't dare disobey the princess. "At once, Your Highness."
Femia's intel was important, so the count took her to the observation room. It was quiet there. "What intel could possibly be more important than the princess's safety?"
"Count, the despicable Earthlings can now use the Aldnoah Drive."
As soon as she said that, the count laughed mockingly. "Femia, stop making excuses for your failure. Earthlings using Martian tech? That's the funniest joke I've ever heard. You might as well say Martian dust turns into drinking water. Ridiculous."
"The princess can vouch for this. Earthlings got the Aldnoah engine from a Martian mech that landed on Earth fifteen years ago. They successfully started a spaceship named Deucalion. The princess and I both saw it with our own eyes. It's absolutely true."
If the princess could testify… and she never lied… The count frowned, though he still didn't believe it. "Maybe you and the princess both saw wrong. Maybe it was just one of Earth's clunky aircraft, not true Martian technology."
'Heh, typical Martian arrogance,' Liu A'dou thought. 'Kurutoe, huh? You're really disappointing. I told you the truth, and you still won't believe it. Martians are hopeless.'
Suddenly, Femia's voice changed—it became a man's voice. The count froze. Then something worse happened—Femia pulled out a handgun and pressed it right to the count's forehead. He could already feel the cold metal against his skin.
"Who are you?" Even with a gun to his head, the count stayed relatively calm.
"I'm Captain Liu A'dou of the United Earth Government Support Forces. Nice to meet you, Martian," Liu A'dou said playfully.
"Is the princess fake too?" At that point, the count didn't even care about his own safety. He just wanted to know if the princess was real.
"Of course the princess is real. If she were fake, how would we have fooled you?" Liu A'dou chuckled. "Since you don't believe me, take me to the engine room of Yanglu City. I'll show you the truth. Earth is dangerous. You Martians shouldn't have come."
"Forget it." The count was a proud Martian noble. He wouldn't be bullied by a lowly Earthling. "Go ahead and shoot."
"Hah, you've got guts." Liu A'dou walked to the wall and pressed the intercom button. Then, mimicking the count's voice, he said, "Everyone gather in the conference room. I have an important order to announce."
Hearing Liu A'dou perfectly mimic his voice, the count was horrified. "What are you trying to do?"
"Nothing much. Count, have you heard of gu worms? You put a bunch of insects together and let them tear each other apart. The one that survives is the strongest. So, if you don't cooperate, I'll give an order for your Martian soldiers to kill each other. The last one standing will be honored as a great knight. How's that for a selection game? I'm sure your loyal Martians would follow the count's command to fight over such a rare and noble title."
That's how feudal systems worked. If the ruler demanded death, the subject had no choice but to die.
"You!" The count's face twisted. If that happened, the name of the Kurutoe family would be ruined. As loyal imperialists, if such a scandal broke out, even the emperor wouldn't trust them again. That was worse than death.
"Fine. I'll take you." Once they got there, he'd just shut down the engine. Let's see what this Earthling could really do. Foolish creature, Earthlings trying to control Martian tech? Keep dreaming.
The Femia impersonation Liu A'dou wore only gave a cold sneer. They passed Slaine in the corridor, brushing shoulders.
The boy had changed into a clean set of clothes and was being led to the princess. Right now, she could only trust this young Earthling.
Slaine thought the count was acting weird—he hadn't even yelled at him. It was like the guy had suddenly turned into a masochist. And Femia seemed off too. What was it? Oh, she was standing way too close to the count. Slaine didn't know what was going on, so he said nothing.
The engine room was massive, at least five times bigger than the one on the Deucalion. Standing inside felt like being in Professor X's Cerebro room—except it was square.
"This is it," the count said. At the same time, he triggered a command in his mind. Yanglu City powered down. The engine stopped.
Liu A'dou gave the count a long look, then let out a low chuckle. "Childish."
Then he grabbed the count's wrist. With his bare hand, he sliced across the count's fingertip. A gust of force split the skin open, and blood flowed out. The count frowned. He had no idea what Liu A'dou was trying to do.
Martian tech had ranks. Royalty could start or stop any Aldnoah engine. A count could control Yanglu City and all its affiliated mechs. A knight could only operate individual mechs. The Deucalion's engine was knight-class. But to control Yanglu City, they needed the count's blood.
Liu A'dou moved casually, pouring the blood into the Martian gene simulator box right in front of the count. Then, completely relaxed, he stuck the box to the orb beneath the console. Every move was smooth and deliberate. Finally, he clapped his hands, looked at the count with pity, and said, "Time to witness a miracle."
"In the name of an Earthling, I command you—start, Yanglu City!"
Woooo—
Under the count's stunned, terrified gaze, Yanglu City powered back on.
That one moment aged the count ten years. His soul felt like it lost four out of seven parts. He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. Earthlings had mastered Martian tech. That pain was worse than death. It was the cruelest punishment in the world.
Thud!
The count staggered and collapsed to the ground. He couldn't get up again.