Rising Rays of the New Century: Tale of the Japanese Empire

The Queen's Desire

"We should demand an immediate apology and compensation from the Earthlings!"

"But we already took responsibility for the Queen's security! Didn't we make that clear!?"

"We don't need to uphold any righteous obligations to those savage creatures!"

Above all, the officials were outraged that the Queen's life had been threatened. The perpetrators were, of course, Earth extremist radicals, and there were voices calling for accountability on the Earth's side. However, this inspection had been carried out under the promise that the Union would take responsibility for the Queen's security. As a result, the focus of the debate shifted towards investigating the fundamental cause of the Queen's life being in danger.

"But why didn't Her Majesty's Defense Chip activate at that time?"

"Was it not properly inspected in advance!? You are Her Majesty's 'living shield,' and if anything were to happen to her, your sins would be beyond redemption!"

At the table, the officials' gaze fell on Törner gy Höröuv, the commander of the Queen's Guard Division, clad in elaborate uniform. He lowered his gaze and reported the results of the examination from the technical team.

"Her Majesty's Defense Chip had passed the pre-operation checks without any issues. For example... even if that 'female oarsman' had attacked Her Majesty, she should not have been able to lay a finger on her."

Naturally, strict pre-operation checks had been conducted for the device known as the Defense Chip, which could deploy a portable electromagnetic barrier for the Queen's protection.

"But the reality is that the Earthling assailant did get close to Her Majesty!"

"Enough with the excuses! Well, the barrier activated just in the nick of time, so we came out of it unscathed..."

Moments before the blade approached the Queen, the barrier had activated at the exact moment the female oarsman made her move. In the end, the officials believed that the Defense Chip had activated with a slight delay. However, the report from the technical team contradicted this belief.

"About that... actually, Her Majesty's Defense Chip did not activate even once on that day. That barrier... it wasn't created by the Defense Chip."

"What!?"

Lothrie, the President of the Queen's Court, blanched.

"So... are you saying the Earthlings have also developed barriers...?"

"That can't be! We're certain in our previous battle that the Earthlings did not possess the barrier technology."

In the battle on Mars, the Space Drifters Union and the IFSF had their first encounter. Driven by an overwhelming gap in technology, the Space Drifters Union swiftly seized control of Mars. During that battle, the Space Drifters Union had been collecting information about Earth's military capabilities, and it was widely known that Earth did not possess barrier technology.

"Our technical team is currently analyzing the moment when that Earth woman seemed to create a barrier. The results have revealed an unbelievable fact."

Törner presented the analysis results. The slide he displayed contained the findings of the analysis team.

"That barrier-like thing was completely different from the electromagnetic barriers we use, and it did not react to any energy detection devices. It seems to have no physical substance... it appears to be something entirely different from the energy we are familiar with!"

The officials, upon seeing the analysis results, had their expressions change simultaneously.

"So, the Earth has something... hidden up its sleeve," muttered Lothrie.