04 When the Eagle Lion Takes Flight

Watching Chi being carried away to the medical bay.

The Longinus-class mobile battleship contains within it an entire city's worth of facilities.

Even if it has crashed, the medical bay remains intact—sufficient treatment should be available.

“Mmm? Mm—?”

“What are you doing, Shirley? It’s dangerous.”

The cockpit is this far destroyed.

An explosion could occur at any moment.

“Ah, it’s fine. The damage is clearly marked… the fuselage is almost unharmed.”

“Is that so? And stop saying ‘ah’ like that.”

That phrase had become a habit for Seven—stuck in his ears.

Recalling the conversation, he sinks into a downward mood.

He can’t keep avoiding it forever—no, he can’t.

“What were you doing?”

"No. Nothing significant. There—unfamiliar equipment attached, isn't it?"

"...Is that so?"

"Yes. Look—around the waist! Completely different from standard griffons, isn't it?"

Don't know.

Only someone who sees Raven regularly would notice such details. The back of a griffon seen only occasionally—details aren't memorized.

Indeed, a small unit seemed attached—but still, unclear.

Feels like it was always there. But if Shirley says otherwise, then it must be different.

Can't imagine surpassing Shirley in judging machinery.

"Hmm. Intriguing. Shall I get permission and dismantle it?"

"...Enough."

Currently, the 'Gay Volk' is repairing damaged sections using collected materials.

But the assault frame hasn't been touched yet. Shirley seems idle.

Jin suddenly remembers.

"Hey, wasn't there an experiment a few years back—around four—testing the integration of the Gryphon transport system into the Instructional Unit?"

"Ah? Yeah. There was. We restricted the OS so it could be piloted without cybernetic augmentation."

One of the Third Fleet’s proposed strategies for enhancing combat capacity had briefly included the Gryphon.

Performance-wise, the Gryphon outclassed the Raven.

That’s why such proposals emerged—but the person who suggested it and pushed it through likely didn’t understand the difference.

Between a regular pilot and a pilot enhanced with cybernetic augmentation.

"Back then it was rough. When we added limiters so even regular troops could operate it, overall specs matched the Raven—dead even."

"Actually, the larger size gave an edge in close combat—but in ranged combat, the target just became bigger."

"In addition, the reactor—crucially—wasn't approved for export in high-output models by the Second Fleet, so the Third Fleet’s Raven shares the same type."

"Same firepower meant no real necessity to adopt it—so that was the conclusion."

"Yes. But as compensation, development of a new Raven package began... and the Phalanx Package came into existence..."

"That one was lost in the previous battle against the super-sized variant. Along with the pilots who had accumulated valuable operational experience."

There might still be spare packages available if we return to the Third Fleet, so unit formation remains possible.

But there are no pilots capable of wielding them.

"Um... so, what was the point of this conversation again?"

"No, wait—wasn’t that Gryphon from then equipped with a Mossball treatment, but still intact?"

"Yes. Well... the reactor was removed, but—Captain? You're not suggesting..."

"Could we repair this by salvaging parts from that one?"

More like we’d be taking parts from this one…

They point at the griffin Jin was riding.

Transplant the cockpit, the Vetronix, and the reactor—complete version of the griffin could be reconstructed.

The frame itself is identical, after all. Only the software had a limiter installed.

"No, no, no, no! Even if we fixed it, who’s going to pilot it? You planning to put Chi in the cockpit?"

"...I might not be able to, actually."

"Should we call a medic?"

"Wait— I’m not delusional."

Sharon stared at Jin, as if questioning his sanity. To climb into a cybernetic-only machine with a flesh-and-blood body was a reckless declaration.

Given the series of shocking events, her doubt wasn’t entirely unfounded.

"If you’re really lucid, then how do you plan to ride it? The acceleration, the g-forces—no human body could endure that."

"Willpower and determination."

"Jin… you’re exhausted."

Jin’s tone dips under the unexpectedly serious glance he receives.

“Is it really impossible?”

“Captain’s anti-G capabilities are indeed high—but compared to a cyborg, they’re negligible.”

The blunt assessment makes it clear to Jin that willpower alone cannot overcome this limitation. He falls silent.

Shirley knows the机体 best.

And Shirley is the one who objectively understands Jin’s capabilities in measurable terms.

Only because of that trust does Jin accept that his idea was, after all, impractical.

“Actually, the reactor specifications are standardized. It might be better to install this on the Captain’s Raven.”

“Going that route… then.”

How to overcome the G-forces that a human body cannot withstand.

The moment Jin resigns himself to the impossibility of reactivating the Gryphon without a solution.

The solution emerges within Jin.

……there is.

“What? What is it?”

Shirley halts her movements, already mid-way into dismantling, at Jin’s words.

“A method to enhance anti-G capability. There is.”

“…Are you serious? Are we doing cybernetic augmentation right now?”

“Even if it comes to that, I won’t let you touch her. Not while she’s still got her arm on a drill.”

“That’s not a joke from training school, is it?”

Her eyes were serious.

She hadn’t been smiling back then.

He remembers those eyes. Just… terrifying.

“No. There’s a doctor I reported and had arrested eight years ago.”

“How did you even get involved in something like that…?”

Jin pauses. That had been a trainee’s story. He hadn’t told Shirley about it.

“…Various reasons.”

Still, bringing up May’s name here, without her consent, felt uneasy. And it would take too long to explain.

Knowing Shirley’s expression, he cut off the conversation with that one sentence.

“The thing that got him arrested is still an unapproved nanomachine.”

“Unapproved? I already have a bad feeling about this. Jin, is it safe for me to hear this?”

“It’s far safer than the kind of thing you sometimes mention—ones that vanish if you hear them.”

Probably half of it was just exaggerated theatrics, a familiar tactic to scare her.

But the other half was genuine classified information—bad for the heart.

“The nanomachine significantly enhanced human resistance to G-force. With it….”

“Jin, Jin. I already know how this ends, so I don’t need to hear it.”

“Don’t say the punchline.”

“What about the side effects?”

A device this useful wouldn’t be unapproved if it didn’t carry massive drawbacks.

Especially one that could boost the defense force’s combat capability.

"Long-term consumption drastically shortens lifespan. The cause is unknown."

"Not entirely impossible, is it!"

Sharon screamed.

Perhaps. If Jin hadn't reported it that day, and May hadn't stopped taking the nanomachines.

The perfected version of the nanomachines might have been completed.

But that did not happen.

No regrets about that.

Seeing Kou and May chatting cheerfully was enough for Jin to hold his chest high—his choice that day had been correct.

Still, the thought lingered: if the perfected version existed.

Then even regular soldiers might stand against the cyborg squad.

"Short-term use should be fine... probably."

"Absolutely, that's just Jin's guess—no verification data."

"Fair enough."

Calculated from May's record of over a year's consumption.

"A powerful unit exists."

The battle with the Second Fleet is unavoidable.

If a decision is not reached in the next engagement, Jin's group will be defeated.

The reason the Second Fleet has made such a conspicuous move.

Perhaps the fulfillment of their grand ambition is now in its final seconds.

Given the nature of the Laitera Project, success would render all pressing issues null and void the moment it is achieved.

Thus, even the higher ranks of the Defense Force believe the remaining time is minimal.

"I will reclaim Mio this time. To do so, I need more—more power."

If necessary, even the people of Thelminas would be used.

"Please. Repair the Griffin."

There is a way to acquire nanomachines.

The former trainee colleague now working as a city police officer will look troubled, but—

precautions must be taken to avoid the situation escalating into the illicit transfer of seized evidence.

"You say that, and I can't possibly refuse, can I..."

Mio's name is spoken.

Sharon breaks.