Chapter 14
Angelica's POV
She grew up to serve him.
Since the day they have been engaged, she has done everything to be able to stand by his side.
She took her lessons seriously.
Minded her manners and studied every single nobility in Holfort.
She even got to be the Queen's lady-in-waiting.
And yet Julius never accepted her in his life.
Since the beginning, she can already see the signs. He was distant and cold to her. Never even once sharing what he thinks about their engagement.
She thought she could win him over. So she did. For many years.
And it all amounted to nothing.
It hurts. It really hurts. She loved him and it turns out, the prince she loved never existed.
It was just an image her young mind had created.
Attending the academy was supposed to remedy their relationship and yet the gap merely widened even more.
Then he met Marie.
It may be because of his father or something but he became obsessed with her.
He tarnished her reputation and honor just for that girl.
And he says he just wants to be treated like any other student and yet he's using his status as crown prince for his selfishness.
The academy became a miserable prison for me with him and her.
Then Olivia came.
A curious but welcome sight. The poor girl had brought gifts for me as a bribe, a tradition in the academy.
Learning her involvement with Leon Fou Bartfort and Mika Fou Noah was even more surprising.
Two rising Knights in the kingdom. One is a mere backup heir who acquired fortune and became a Baron of his own land due to his adventurous efforts.
Bartfort had done what no other could and rose up to become a legend for their generation.
The second was a mystery.
Mika Fou Noah, a man with no affiliation except for the guild. No family or distant relatives. Any information regarding his past was unknown and had no paper trail to speak of.
But unlike Leon, he rose from the blood and ashes of his enemy.
The pirate fortress islands were one of the most well guarded islands in Holfort. With a horse of ships and pirates, attacking the island was tantamount to suicide.
But Mika did and succeeded in doing so.
It was a task deemed impossible by his father once and yet this young man did it.
Meeting the two of them was an experience.
Leon Fou Bartfort was a… character of his own. A scummy and playful personality but a kind person deep within as Olivia vouched for.
Too many times, I found myself being the target of his jokes and unintentional flirting.
I pity Olivia for falling for the man. Their future would never be boring.
Meanwhile, Mika is a whole spectrum compared to Leon.
Silent and cold was my first impression of the young man. Seeing him being friendly to Leon, a direct contrast to his personality was surprising.
That's when I truly knew of him.
Mika was a workaholic, which explained why he is always silent in our tea parties. Silence is his prefered atmosphere than a bustling activity except for a progressive work.
The way he speaks is also different.
She could compare it to her dead uncle's. Short and straight to the point, the same way a veteran of wars would speak.
Granted, he did wipe out Holfort piracy but it shouldn't have affected him this much right?
Speaking of Mika, meeting his two dark elves is a blessing to her.
With Olivia, she had a friend to support her. But with Chloe and Olga, she had two people to confide in. Well… Olga that is.
Chloe is more of a sister she never had. Overprotective and full of passion. Her threats to the prince aside, she was welcome company.
Now, if only her plan with Leon and Olivia would go well, her stay in the academy would be worth it.
Meanwhile, Olga-san was like her mother. Her mother died earlier in her life, making Cordelia and Queen Mylene as her mother figure.
Olga became a third of that.
She had herself many times in her company, crying in silence as she comforted her. She did give her advice in her relationship to Julius.
Yet it all led to the same conclusion.
It's doomed to fail.
Not in her fault, Olga said it but she thinks it hers.
What did she miss?
Where did she go wrong?
She cursed her short-tempered self for challenging Marie at the ball. Her short sightedness had not only tarnished her reputation even more but also her family.
And now, one of those friends is in danger because of her.
"Don't be nervous, child. Mika had gone through worse than this." Olga said, trying to calm her nerves.
It's the day of the duel. She and her small group of friends are in a private booth for themselves. Chloe and Olga are also there for support and to watch Mika.
Olga's words failed to calm her at all.
How could she when Mika basically threw away his life for her.
Win or lose, Mika's life in Holfort is over. Unlike other Baron's, Mika had zero connections or history in Holfort. By opposing the prince, he could be trialed by treason or worse be punished for his audacity.
Nobles of Holfort are vicious vultures, as Leon once said, and they would do everything to one up another.
Mika would be another victim to their game.
She had already accepted her fate after this. Even with her family, she had heavily tarnished hers and the prince image so much that there would be repercussions. Her only saving grace is that she had her family to fall on.
But Mika had no one.
Worst scenario is execution to being stripped of everything.
A hand grasped her shoulders. She turned around to see Olga smiling at her gently.
"We would be fine, we already had a fall out plan." She said,
"Was that obvious?" She can't help but ask.
"With the way you're shaking, I'm impressed you haven't flown off from your seat." Chloe answered to her.
She then felt a hand on hers. It was Olivia's.
"Just trust, Mika on this, Angelica-san. He might be cold but he is reliable." She said brightly.
"Olivia's right. Me and Mika already made a plan last night and it will work out fine." Leon chimed in with a thumbs up.
I smiled. It's good to have friends like this.
"Oi, Leon! Did you bet our money?"
"Already done, Chloe! We're gonna be rich after this!"
"Leon!"
She sighed as Olivia once again berated the scummy Baron.
Good luck Olivia.
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Minutes passed by as both parties prepared for the duel.
There is still no sign of Mika.
She already tried getting him alone to talk him out of the duel but he was missing. Chloe and Olga are no help either as they don't know where he is.
Only Bartfort does and he is being his scummy self again. Even with Olivia's help, the man won't budge.
His muttering of a good show is actually worrying.
"Oi! Angelica! Is that knight of yours getting cold feet? Cause I don't see him!" Greg laughed inside of his armor, taunting her.
She didn't give him the satisfaction of any reaction.
"He's gonna regret that." Leon said beside Olivia.
Before I could ask why, an orchestral music began playing. (GUNDAM UNICORN OST)
It was heart pounding and empowering.
Bartford smiled wickedly. "It's here!" He then looked up.
We were confused why but we followed his example.
My eyes widened in shock as the orchestral music hit its crescendo.
Falling from the sky is a pure white Armor.
An armor that eclipses all armors in the history of Holfort in its size alone.
Crash
With a mighty crash, it landed on the arena with an explosion of dust.
They covered their eyes as dust bellowed from its landing site before settling down.
She can't believe her eyes.
"15… no, 20 meters!" She exclaimed in awe. The armor is towering over everyone and even in the arena.
Then she heard Bartfort speaking with pride.
"Angelica, I would like to introduce you to the Mobile Armor: Gundam Unicorn Perfectibility Divine."
She dumbly nodded to his words. Like everyone in the arena, she was stupefied and in awe.
The name fits.
Standing over 20 meters, it towered over the standard 8 meter armors of the Prince's entire group.
In comparison, the standard armor looked like a child to the Unicorn (Its full name is a mouthful for her).
The armor itself is peculiar in design. Unlike the standard armor which is layered in thick armor with its materials, the Unicorn had multi-segmented armor platings.
She doesn't know it had this design but she can see the appeal to it. The extra armor would keep the pilot safe at least.
On its back are two attachments. Shaped like a shield, these two look like its main thrusters with curious tails.
Curious.
Then came its main weapon. A giant halberd/spear which is made of beam. The weapon itself is also as big as the armor itself.
Overall, Mika's armor is now the strongest and most fearsome armor in the history of Holfort.
"Who's talking now! Hahaha!" Leon called out, followed by maniacal laughter. Olivia pulled his ear to stop embarrassing himself.
"So that's what he is working on." Chloe mused. "I want one."
"That boy really knows how to make an entrance." Olga giggled. An amused smile on her lips as she gazed on the dumbfounded arena.
Meanwhile, the Prince's entourage reaction was explosive.
"WHAT THE HELL! THAT'S CHEATING!" Greg screamed out in his armor.
His words roused the entire arena as it was soon filled with shouts and screams of ridicule and cheating on Mika's part.
She can't help but frown.
Then Mika spoke.
"You dare call me out on cheating when I clearly followed the rules of our duel."
"Yes, because we are supposed to duel in armor. Not whatever monstrosity this is." Chris pointed out. "You dishonor yourself and the sanctity of this duel." He huffed.
Surprisingly, Mika chuckled.
"Mika doesn't chuckle or laugh." Chloe said behind me. She was right.
Never once did she hear Mika laugh even with Leon.
"Pathetic."
Those words enraged Julius and his crew.
"How dare you call the Prince pathetic, you lowly Knight." Jilk called out. Being his adopted brother and right hand, such insult to his majesty is unforgivable.
"Like you can talk, Noah! Bringing a lost item to a duel is an insult to all of us and to everyone here." Brad added.
Angelica frowned even further. Lost items are relics of a bygone era. These relics come in many shapes and forms but its most common trait is being unreliable.
Due to this, Lost items are seen as inferior. Using a lost item to a duel is an insult to your opponent.
But looking at Mika's armor, that statement is no longer true.
An arms race for lost items would surely break out after this.
"How pathetic, I came here to fight in a duel not a schoolyard squabble."
"You say I dishonor you all for bringing a lost item for this duel, I should be the one saying that to you all."
"I expected to fight warriors, not children playing to be adults."
"Oh snap!" Well said Leon.
"How dare you!" The Arclight heir's voice was laced with unbridled rage as he drew his sword from his armor. Such an insult to his hardships cannot be allowed.
His friends soon followed.
"Come. All of you. If you want to have a chance to win, all of you face me. Maybe this farce wouldn't be so disappointing for me."
"Is that what you want, Noah?!" Julius asked, preparing himself for the ensuing battle.
Mika didn't answer.
The next course of action is obvious.
It's time for the duel to begin.
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"Horah!" Greg screamed as once again tried to find a way to bring down the behemoth armor.
It failed. For the 34th time.
It's been 5 minutes since the duel started. The entire arena was a buzz when Julius and his friends swarmed around Mika, their armor's agility proving to be powerful against the giant armor as they ran around it.
Meanwhile, Mika remained still, allowing them to attack him.
The crowd's cheers soon died down as the Prince's group failed to damage Mika's armor. Again and again, they attacked without success. They even resorted to attacking through the gaps in its armor, sticking a bomb to it by Jilk, but it didn't work.
Brad's drones didn't do anything at all. Greg's spear is useless to its armor.
Chris' sword is the same as Greg.
Jilk weapons can only scratch its paint. Julius is just the same as Greg.
The Unicorn Gundam was too tough.
Watching them for 5 minutes is becoming sad.
Suddenly, the cockpit of the armor opened.
"Oh shit! Mika is pissed." Leon cursed. That earned him an earful to Olivia.
"What is he doing?" I can't help but ask. Why is he getting out of his armor? He is winning.
"He's proving a statement."
I looked at Olga in surprise.
"That boy really expected to fight a serious fight, but instead got this." She elaborated with a chuckle. "He would surprise you at how serious he is sometimes about this kind of matter. And it looks like he is about to teach them a lesson in life." She pointed out as Mika's figure emerged from the cockpit.
"What kind of lesson?" I asked curiously.
"Why else but a lesson that life is not fair, so you have to bend it to your will. Your fate is only decided by you and no one else." She would sure remember that.
With a loud crash, Mika fell down to the ground.
I can't help but blink in surprise.
"Is he wearing a smaller version of his armor?"
"Yup." That was sarcasm Leon.
Mika is surely wearing a smaller version of his armor. About 8 feet tall, it's intimidating to see it being small.
"Disappointing."
Suddenly, Mika broke down into green particles.
How?!
"Argh!" Greg suddenly screamed.
Mika is now with him, his halberd lopping his armor in half. Greg's armor fell down in two pieces.
"That's one."
"Noah!" Chris charged at him, sword drawn into a thrust to pierce Mika.
My heart leapt in worry for Mika, who remained still. Fortunately, Mika sidestepped, letting Chris' sword pierce the arena floor. Spinning around, Mika slashed Chris' leg armor off.
"Uwaaagh!" Missing a leg, Chris' armor fell down on its knee.
When he looked up, he saw Mika in front of him. One of his arms had been transformed into a type of gun and it was pointing at him.
"That's two."
In a flash, Chris' Armor lost its head. The referee announced his disqualification afterwards.
"You bastard! How dare you do that to Chris!" Brad screamed. He unleashed his drones on Mika with wild abandon.
"Trap him in, Brad!" Jilk ordered him, his sniper rifle ready to fire.
"On it!"
Non-plussed by their attacks, Mika surprised us once again when his attachments on his back disconnected and flew on their own.
"Their drones!" I exclaimed in surprise. I thought they were shields.
"Yep, those are Armed Armor Defense Extensions." Bartfort explained.
With his drones surrounding Mika, Brad fired.
"It's over for you Noah!"
His drones fired.
"They are shields alright but their main feature is an I-field that is capable of blocking any energy based attacks like beam weaponry." Bartfort continued on.
Much to our surprise, Brad's attacks dispersed before it could touch Mika. That must be the I-field.
Jilk fired his rifle to which Mika dodged by jumping back a few feet.
"So you can't block live munitions! Brad, keep it up!" Jilk exclaimed
"We got you now, Noah!" Brad once again started his assault on Mika with his drones.
"How weak."
Mika's drones suddenly separated from him.
Fast!
In a blink of an eye, his drones subsequently destroyed all of Brad's drones.
After that, Brad's armor lost its head courtesy of Mika's smaller but superior drones.
"Brad!" Jilk exclaimed in surprise.
That was his mistake.
Once again, Mika vanished in green motes of light before appearing on top of Jilk.
"You're pathetic!"
With a mighty bellow, he smashed his halberd on top of Jilk's armor. It crashed on its head, almost cleaving it in half.
"Aaaaaaah!" Jilk fell out of the sky with a scream before crashing down.
He didn't move after that.
"And there is one."
Julius is the last one left.
"Why do you do this, Mika? Do you even know what they are doing? Why are you obstructing my love for Marie!?" Julius suddenly asked.
For the first time, I finally heard his voice filled with passion, conviction and want.
And it wasn't for me.
"Is Angelica really that worth it to fight me? The crown prince!"
Mika paused.
" I don't care about Angelica."
I blinked in surprise at his words. What?
Even the entire arena paused at his words. Julius is even more surprised.
"Then why are you fighting for her!?" Julius demanded.
"Unlike you, Angelica is a strong independent woman. She doesn't need me."
Is that how he sees me?
"The only reason I'm fighting today is the same reason I fight everyday."
"To break my limits and see how far I can go on. That's what only mattered to me. Helping Angelica is just a bonus as she is a friend."
I can hear Olga chuckling behind me.
"How tactless of him, that boy really doesn't know how to care for a woman."
She was right. It hurt that Mika really didn't care for me but I now know why.
He sees me as a strong person. Someone who didn't need help.
It's pleasing to know that I'm not a helpless damsel for him.
If only he wasn't so rude about it.
"That's it! That's why you are opposing me?! I don't understand you at all!"
"Of course you won't understand. After all, you're just a child."
Mika then started walking towards Julius at a slow pace. His drones drifted along him, weapons ready.
"This insult again! I'm not a child and stop calling me one!" Julius roared, his patience finally running out.
"What else would call someone throwing a tantrum when things don't go along for them? A child."
"Noah!!!" Julius roared in anger as he charged towards Mika.
I closed my eyes. It's already over.
Two loud sounds, Mika's drones fired, and a loud crash followed.
The duel is done.
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"Do you ever love me? Even slightly?"
I'm in the Prince's room where he is recuperating his wounds.
He got injured when his armor fell down.
Right now, I no longer care what his answer is. I just want closure.
One last nail to the coffin.
Julius didn't even have the decency to look at me when I arrived here and asked him my question.
He just looked straight towards the ceiling, lost in his thoughts.
"I don't."
I would be lying if it didn't hurt to hear it but I didn't cry. I already cried it out last night.
"Why?"
A simple question and a simple answer. That's what I need.
Julius sighed. " From the very beginning, I hated being a prince. The responsibility, the rules and their power." He said.
"I never liked you Angelica."
Her heart died a little to his words but she let him continue on.
" For me, you're a reminder of what I would become. I hated it and in turn hated you for it."
"I see." So that's what it was.
Olga, Chloe and Mika were right.
Julius is a child. A selfish child that won't grow up due to his inflexible mindset.
He is the prince, yes, he can hate it but it's no excuse to neglect it and its duties.
I almost laughed sardonically in front of him.
I fell for a man that didn't exist in the first place.
"Marie, that girl. Do you love her?" She asked softly.
Julius finally looked at me in surprise. What's to be surprised at? I already knew I lost.
I won the duel but I didn't feel like the winner.
"Yes, I love her."
"Good, good. Take care of her. Feed her lots of food and treat her gently. Mika told me she's suffering from multiple deficiencies due to her family." I explained to him. Seeing his horrified look was worth it.
"What!?" He exclaimed, almost getting before his injuries reminded him of its presence.
"The Lafan's are a debt ridden family so it's not hard to see why Marie is so small for her age. Take care of her, Julius."
If I'm going to leave them be, I might as well see them well off.
"Goodbye, Julius. This might be the last time we would see each other." She sighed. This incident is a scandal itself and a fitting punishment is already waiting for her at her father's hand.
I then left him on his devices. Julius is now on his own.
I'm now free of him.
"Angelica!" I turned around in surprise at his call.
"Thank you." He said to me with a small smile.
I nodded to him before leaving. That was a small victory for me.
Now, she just has to take her punishment. She hopes her father's in a good mood or else.
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"You're marrying Mika Noah as punishment in your impudence against the crown."
I spat out my tea in surprise.
Me and Him!!!!!!!
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Meanwhile on the Whitebase ship on route to Mika's island fortress.
Chloe suddenly shot up from the bed, surprising Mika, after a segs brutal session.
"I sense a disturbance." She sneered. She doesn't know why but she had a bad feeling that something was about to happen in the future.
Mika just rolled his eyes and pulled her down under the sheets.
Nothing calms down a dark elf like sex.
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Chapter end
This is it boys.
Mika's MA and final MS.
From now on, the Gundam unicorn PD is now his main MS and the MA version would be his answer to anything bigger than it.
I had a blast in looking through some custom Gunpla builds for Leon's idea for Mika's Gundam.
That's when I discovered The Unicorn Gundam PD. I don't even know it existed.
And dayum it rocks.
Mika's MS and MA had the same specs as their original counterparts but with extra add-ons.
First is the New model Twin GN Drives attached to the it's Armed Armor DE. Its placements were deliberate so it could power the I-field generators indefinitely.
Both units could use I-field and GN field if you're curious but not at the same time.
Twin GN drives must be in sync to function normally and using both I-field and GN field could theoretically unstabilize both drives.
With twin drives on, both units can Quantize. As for now, Mika is still testing the limits of this function so you won't see some world hopping shenanigans yet.
Both units now had Chobam armor platings per Leon's design. They used Luxion to create Chobam platings for both.
As for armaments, it's still the same as the original. What you just read is what Leon could manage on Mika's credits.
Credits = 0
Remember, Mika still have a secret project which wasted a lot of credits.
Also here's Mika's current perks. Remember, he wiped out the pirates in Holfort for credits, ace points and materials.
Diligent max lvl - increase learning speed. Mechanic max lvl - self made mechanic Fearsome max lvl - intimidation to enemy units Command lvl 5 - he needs this for his secret project Overpower max lvl - chance overpower stronger enemy. Vigor max lvl - Battle continuation or stamina increase Concentration max lvl - Snipers best friend.
Also to those wondering why the Unicorn MA was too big against Mobuseka armor, it's because officially Leon's Arroganz stood over 12 meters tall which is 3 meters taller than the standard 8-9 meters tall Armor of the Holfort's.
The Official size of the Unicorn Perfectibility Divine is 21 meters.
Holfort armor can only reach the Unicorn's skirt armor in height based on a height comparison app.
Also reviewing the manga and the anime, Holfort Armors are damn inferior against the RX78 Gundam.
What kind of Mecha knocks out its pilot by one hit?
Granted, Leon hit Brad with a shovel but it was done on the armor's head! Not it's cockpit.
One Year War UC originally had Amuro and Char always aiming for the cockpit and these two took it like champs.
Amuro took a kick and a stab from Char and Ral at his cockpit.
Second, when Leon hit the Prince with "Impact", that armor should have exploded in a fiery explosion. Instead, the damn thing falls apart like Legos.
I'm an Aerospace engineering student and that's a very huge faulty design.
That shit ain't gonna fly.
For a kingdom whose entire military power focuses on Armors, the Holfort's are shit in Armor design.
Next chapters would be interesting.
There would be a marriage. Reveals. And a war (Mika's favorite mode of farming credits.)
And also last but not the least.
There will be lemons.
This one's for the guy who requested it.