2

After the meeting, that night I went straight to my father and asked for permission.

“So you’re saying you want to leave the village?”

“Yeah. I’m going to join the academy and become an Armunale rider straight after. I’ll be a soldier, so I doubt I’ll be coming back anytime soon.”

“Your mother’ll miss you, but if it’s Eld’s own decision, I won’t stand in the way.”

“Yeah, I don’t really have any objections either.”

Surprisingly easy to get approval. Still, even with a recommendation, it’s not guaranteed. My grades at the academy will decide whether I make the cut or not. If I don’t, I’ll come back to the village and take over my father’s hunting. Though… maybe I’ll pick up a license while I’m in town.

“Then I’m going. To chase my own dream.”

“Good luck.”

“Be careful.”

That night, I ate a meal a little more fancy than usual, and slipped into bed.

Lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling.

What surprised me a bit was that neither my father nor anyone else mentioned Ange at all.

Back in this village, I’d always thought my father and Ange’s parents assumed we’d end up together—like it was the most natural thing in the world.

So I figured someone’d ask me what I was doing about her, or if we were still… well, you know.

Maybe I was overthinking it? If so, that’s a little embarrassing.

Still, I don’t want to part like we’re in a fight. Worst case, I might never see her again.

I thought about running into her at the mayor’s house today, but ended up missing her. Where the heck is she, anyway?

Next day. Since I had to get a bunch of stuff ready, I managed to get my special no-outside rule lifted two days early and made my way to the captain’s place.

“Got permission from my parents.”

“Good. Then we’ll head out together when we’re done.”

“How long do you think it’ll take?”

“Depends on how long it takes to check that machine today. Orell.”

“Yeah, they’ve been at it since morning. Should be back soon.”

Those guys—must be the knights I saw poking around my machine back when they came to the mayor’s house. Watching them work, all crisp and efficient, made me nearly giddy.

“Excuse me.”

“Speak of the devil.”

A man in his early twenties stepped in. Smudges on his clothes, probably from fiddling with the Armunale.

Red hair, gold eyes. Unlike the captain and first mate, his frame was slender—gave off a bit of a flimsy, almost insubstantial air.

“Ritz, how’d it go?”

“Honestly, getting this thing to move’s gonna be a real pain. There’s some compatibility with spare parts, sure—but too many pieces are just gone. No left arm to speak of, joints all rattling loose. Some of the hydraulic pumps burst right at the emergency fixes, and the transmission cables? Half of ’em’re frayed. Finding all the breaks is gonna be a real headache. The mobility processor—the senseboard—is currently being checked over by Karine, but it’s an old model, so she’s running into some trouble just reading and rewriting the data.”

Ritz scratched his head, still reporting. That gesture—there was something about it, almost like Lieutenant’s. If he was giving updates on the machine’s condition, he was probably a mechanic, too. Maybe the Lieutenant’s apprentice.

“Just split off a bit of the concentrated mana fluid—Hyimagia Liquid—and we’ll be fine. But repairs’ll take about a week. I’d rather pull out the old one and stick in a new one, honestly.”

“Already that long? You’re lucky you beat those thieves.”

“Pretty tight, but I’d say it was more about forcing them to retreat than actually winning. They were still in fighting shape—if they’d wanted to fight, they could’ve.”

Even with the generator and pilot seat exposed, his skill meant he could’ve kept fighting. He didn’t. Just avoided the risk. In a real battlefield, that wouldn’t fly.

" Him?"

" This one’s the pilot of that machine. Eld, this is Ritz—my apprentice."

" Huh, so you’re the one. Heard about you. Fixed that thing all on your own, did you? No wonder your old man’d be proud. I’m Ritz. Nice to meet ya."

" Eld. Pleasure."

" Polite little lad. I’ll point you to a good shop in town later."

He grins, ruffling my hair with a firm hand.

Wonder what kind of trade he’s in...

" Don’t be daft—back to maintenance already! I’ll join you later."

" Righto."

After Ritz leaves the room, the副長 lets out a long sigh.

" How the devil does he stay so spry?"

" He should’ve graduated from the mechanic academy, right?"

The second-in-command lets out a long, exasperated sigh. The captain’s smiling too. Guess the academy really does teach manners, huh.

Funny thing is, the way Ritz scratches his hair—it’s exactly like the second-in-command’s habit.

“Anyway, as you just heard. We’ll probably be leaving in about a week. Get your things ready by then. And if you’ve got the time, I’d appreciate your help here too. If you can fix it yourself, you won’t be in the way.”

Truth is, Ange helped a lot—way more than I did. But right now, she’s avoiding me like the plague. Can’t bring myself to ask her for help, not even for this.

“Understood. I’ll get started on preparations right away. Excuse me.”

“Mm.”

I head straight back home to start packing.

A week? Flew by in a blink.

In that time, I managed to get a bit acquainted with each team member, one by one.

The 31st Armunale Unit had five members total. Captain Bodwan, Deputy Captain and Chief Mechanic Orell, Mechanic Ritz. And then there were the two new ones I’d just met—eighteen-year-old newcomer Bnois, and twenty-two-year-old Carine.

Bnois was a boyish-looking lad with silver hair, assigned as scout and physical laborer to support the Armunale. He’d originally wanted to be a pilot, but apparently had zero talent and got dropped from pilot candidate training. Still, he’d been studying hard, desperate to stay involved with the Armunale, when Captain Bodwan picked him up.

Carine was in charge of the mobility calculation device—Senseboard—and the only woman among the crew. Pink hair in a two-side-up style, red glasses, a mole at the corner of her mouth—strong, memorable impression, all her own.

Never talked much with her, but from what Ritz said, she’s got quite a fiery temper.

Now, after patching up the broken Armunale together with the other four, and finally finishing the startup test, we’re finally setting off today.

And here I am, thinking how in just a week someone else fixed the machine I’d been tinkering with for seven years. Pro-level, huh. Amazing.

Now, this is the last goodbye before departure.

"Miss you already."

"Sorry."

Hugging my mom tight—just us, holding on. Even though I’m a reincarnated soul, leaving the parents who raised me for fifteen years… feels a little lonely.

"It’s fine, Eld-chan. You chose this yourself. Besides, I’d sort of guessed it was coming."

"Yeah. I kinda sensed it. You were always one to go beyond the village, weren’t you? Always had that sharp mind of yours. Never thought you’d stay cooped up in a place like this."

"Is that so."

"Be careful out there."

"Yeah."

The other villagers gathered, cheering me on as I set off. But Ange wasn’t among them.

Guess I never saw her again after that.

"Time to leave, then."

Ritz came to tell me it was time.

"Alright, I’m off."

"Wait!"

I turned on my heel, heading toward Armunale—when a voice cut through the wall of villagers. No mistaking it. Ange’s voice.

I turned around. The crowd parted. And there she was.

"Ange."

"Eld-kun."

She stepped slowly toward me. Ritz, sensing the mood, just shrugged and stepped back, letting things unfold.

“Eld-kun, I’m sorry. I couldn’t come see you until today.”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I just went and decided things like that on my own.”

“No, I kind of knew this day would come. Eld-kun, we’re alone together, and you’ve been staring at Armunale the whole time.”

“I… I’m sorry, that’s true.”

Well, it’s true enough. But I didn’t think Ange cared about me that much.

“It’s fine. I’ll forgive you. Mom always said forgiveness is a woman’s strength.”

“S-so is that right?”

I never thought that old hag would say something like that… I figured she’d be the kind to chase someone to the very bottom of hell and tear them apart.

“Hey, ever since I heard you were leaving the village, I’ve been thinking about my own future. I even thought about just forcing my way along with you, you know?”

“That’s….”

Ange following me by her own will—maybe that’s possible. Plenty of work in town, and with her looks, she’d be a hit at any front desk or customer service job.

She can cook, clean—could probably work as a maid for some noble family, too.

I can’t stop her.

When I make a face like I’m worried, Ange grins at me—soft, sly, like she’s just pulled off some little trick.

“Don’t worry. I know it’d be a burden for you. I really do want to stay by your side, but I don’t want to be your chains. Right now… even if I tried my hardest, I couldn’t stay with you. So today, I decided to talk it over with Father and Mother, and send you off with a smile.”

Hearing that, I exhale—relief washing over me.

“Anyway… I’ve been thinking, before you leave, I’ll make this—”

And there, pulling it from her pocket, was a necklace-shaped amulet. A charm, you might call it.

A thin chain threaded through a silver disc the size of a dog tag. On the disc, etched into the metal, were the outlines of an iron gear and a bird’s feather. But the silver was slightly warped, and the lines of the carving were uneven—too uneven to have been done by a skilled hand.

Could this… be something she made herself?

“Noticed it? I made it myself—with help from Uncle Ondo.”

Uncle Ondo, of course, being the village’s only blacksmith.

Closer inspection shows a small burn on Ange’s fingertip. Barely visible—just a touch from a hot pot. No mark will stay.

But the fact that she’d burned herself just to make this amulet… That hits me right in the chest.

“What’s this mark?”

“Gears—always fiddling with machines, Eld-kun. The wings, I imagined them like an angel’s. Just… keep Eld-kun safe, that’s all.”

Ange’s cheeks are so red I can see it clear as day. Glancing around, the villagers are all smirking, barely hiding it.

Yeah, well. Saying “just keep him safe”… but Ange’s name means angel, so it’s not exactly a secret. Still, the charm’s in not saying it outright, I guess.

“Right. Thanks. I’ll take good care of it.”

Taking the amulet from Ange, I slip it around my neck.

The chain scrapes, a soft shing-shing sound.

“Come back now and then. If you don’t, I’ll go looking for you myself.”

“I’ll try my best.”

He mumbled something vague, the kind only Japanese could pull off. Guess I won’t be going back while I’m stuck at the academy, huh. No way anyone’d buy the story of a rookie coming home just to see an old friend. Best I could manage is around my third year.

“Then go on and do your best.”

“Yeah. I’m off.”

I took Ange’s cheer like a handful of warm stones in my palm, and set off from the village.