6

The meeting room was already full of the entire squad.

And when they saw Ines-sama walking in with me, they all reacted with the same startled expression.

“Well, sorry to startle you all, but I’ll keep this quick—here’s what’s coming up.”

I explained, under Ines-sama’s instructions, our next move: heading to Jakarta to send reinforcements.

“Eld, captain. What about Ines-sama’s guard? You’re not seriously sending her back alone, are you?”

“Right. I expect someone to come get her from the other side, but we can’t be sure about the remnants. So for now, we’ll have a magic-powered wagon with a cannon guard her—straight back to safety. Three decoys should be enough if she’s just a dummy. Ines-sama, is that alright?”

“Yes.”

“So that’s the plan. Anyone got questions?”

I looked around at everyone, asking.

So the captain’s going ahead, means we’re following behind on the magi-vehicle, right? Any special stuff we should bring along? If there’s something we’ll need over there, better take it with us now.

I nodded along with Ritz’s words. Then I looked toward Ines-sama—she’d probably know the most right here, right now.

“Supplies are plenty in Jakarta. Nothing really urgent. Lighten up as much as you can—easier to move that way.”

“Right. We’ll pack all the gear we can carry. Water and rations. Can’t bring horses, so just the magi-bike. And just one bottle of concentrated mana fluid—Hyimagia Liquid.”

“Got it.”

“How long’ll it take to finish prepping the unit?”

“Done by morning. We’ll just sleep inside the magi-vehicle.”

“Then it’s fine. I’ll go inform Commander Omer about this, so start getting ready.”

‘Understood.’

The crew scrambled out of the room.

Watching them go, I headed toward the command center with the princess by my side.

There, Commander Omer was sitting with his head in his hands, groaning.

“Commander Omer, is something wrong?”

“About the mass-produced model we acquired during the last battle—I had one of the maintenance teams look into its data. And now the report’s come through.”

“Anything wrong with it?”

“Lots of things came up… which is exactly why this is turning out to be a real problem.”

He said that, then handed me the sheet of paper he’d been holding.

I took it, skimmed through the explanation.

The princess asked me to explain the model’s specs, but I put that off—first, I needed to understand what was written here.

First off, the name of that mass-produced model’s supposed to be Abnomyle. The clear difference from Armunale is in the generator and the fuel it uses.

I’d suspected as much during combat—yeah, that unit’s generator’s just a modified version of the ones used in existing magi-vehicles and cranes. And naturally, the fuel it runs on is magia liquid.

According to the prisoner, they call it the Sefia generator, just to distinguish it from the old models.

But because it runs on magia liquid, it seems completely unable to use magic at all—magic shields are out of the question, let alone shock gravines meant for people.

That’s probably why they’ve strapped a big cannon to the left arm.

And they’ve thinned the armor a bit, just to squeeze out a little more fuel efficiency—shorter, too, by a good head or so, compared to the old Armunale models.

Means the mobility’s about on par with an Armunale, all things considered. But when you’re thinking about actual combat power? Seems a bit light.

Still, don’t go underestimating it.

If the Empire’s gone and thrown a whole fleet of Abnomule into the field, that means they’ve got mass production nailed down.

Which means… they might be coming at us in waves, nonstop, from now on.

Seems like the pilot’s been pulling from the pool of Armunale candidates they’ve ditched before. According to prisoners, if you make a name here, you get officially hired as an Armunale pilot. And they’ve hired a decent number of mercenaries too. If you’re not like Du Librep, holding your own Armunale, then for most mercenaries, Abnomule’s just the kind of thing you’d live for in battle. That means free mercenaries might start flowing into the Empire from now on.

To me, low-tier foes are all the same—doesn’t matter how many there are. But watching Azura and Borne’s reactions, I can’t exactly laugh off the sheer weight of numbers.

It’s the sheer numbers that worry me more right now—since firearms aren’t fully developed yet. But if they’d managed to perfect something like harmonica pistols or even better, real projectile weapons? Three against one might not be so safe after all.

“Yeah… this is a real problem.”

“Let me see it too!”

Ines-sama practically lunged to peek over my shoulder, then finally gave up and snatched the paper right out of my hand. Her brow furrowed deeper as she read.

“War might change completely now.”

No more little scrapes and skirmishes. We’re heading straight into big, open battles. One fight could cause casualties like wildfire.

And now… there’s no clear end in sight.

Back when it was, the war was about grabbing more Armunale generators. But now, Cephia generators for Magi Liquid are dirt-cheap compared to Armunale units—so cheap you could crank out magic carts like baking bread.

Both nations sit atop massive mountain ranges that stretch across them, rich in resources. So the end of the war? That’s just another way of saying the resources ran dry. Either side wins or loses, both will end up in ruin.

And then—there it was, the silence broken by the commander’s voice, low and grumbling.

War’s a mess, but right now we’ve got bigger problems. If we’d had this intel earlier, we could’ve started churning out the mass-produced models. But until then, we’ve got to figure out how to hold the line. This time, Eld’s here, so we only lost one keep and these villages—still, it’s a burn. If attacks keep coming like this, even the Locka base might not be able to hold it.

I’ll tell my father about boosting our numbers and supplies. If this place falls, the supply mines out back turn into a battlefield. That much we can’t afford.

Thank you.

If we reroute the machines being prepped at the rear base to each front line, they might just hold out. Still… if they keep getting hit in waves like this, sooner or later they’ll break.

We’d better get the mass production plan sorted out soon. Well, I’ll leave that to the higher-ups and the tech crew to sort out.

All I can do is what I can do.

“Shall we call it there for now and get to why we’re here?”

“Ah, sorry. Does that mean Captain Eld’s pulling back to the rear?”

“No, Eld’s being sent to reinforce Jakarta.”

“Then who’ll be guarding Lady Ines? You’re not planning to go along, are you?”

“Not quite that reckless. I’ll be splitting off and returning to the rear. In the meantime, I’ll need three magitek wagons carrying artillery. One will come to pick me up tomorrow morning—leave those here.”

“Understood. The cleanup behind us should be fine with Bonne and the others.”

“Thank you.”

“But I was truly surprised to hear you’d come here all of a sudden. It would’ve been much easier if you’d at least sent word ahead.”

Commander Omer said that, shaking his head with a wry smile.

Well, of course. If the princess shows up out of nowhere, there’s no way they’d have proper arrangements ready.

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t wait.”

“No, no—rooms are already being prepared. Please, have some tea and wait a moment.”

“Thank you.”

So the room’s not ready yet. That means I should probably stay here and keep her company? But I’ve still got tomorrow’s preparations to think about.

“Miss Ines, I must excuse myself now—I need to finish preparing for tomorrow. I’ll send Ange to guard you later.”

“Understood. Sorry to trouble you, Eld.”

“No trouble at all. I understand your situation perfectly.”

For now, I force a smile and nod as if I’m fine with it.

Gotta think of something nice to reward you with when we get back… whatever that’ll be.

That’s more than enough. I’ll be on my way then.

I bowed, then headed off toward the storage bay.

And the next morning.

Then, Eld, I’m counting on you from here on out.

Leave it to me.

And, I’ve been thinking about thanking you for what we talked about last night—

It’s just feelings, that’s all…

A handkerchief with breasts? Something like, stuffing fabric into the chest area, so you get the feeling of pressing it against your chest when wiping your face—huh.

I cut her words short with a chop—before she’d even finished speaking.

The common soldiers were surprised by my actions, but those who knew the true form of Lady Ines—they all had calm expressions.

Don’t go thinking up nonsense—get your back end sorted, will you?

Without supplies coming from behind, even if we succeed in supporting Jakarta, we can’t keep it up. I’ll give the magic carriage a firm warning to make sure the supply lines stay secure, then step back.

“I know. I want this to work just as much as you do. Then, bring it out.”

At the princess’s command, the magic carriage formation began to move slowly forward.

Watching them go, I turned straight for the storage bay. Inside, there it was—my machine, not quite brand-new, but with a fresh head and every bit of oil wiped clean, like it had just been born.

“Everyone, you’ve done well.”

“Eld, captain. I’ve kept the unit in top shape…”

“Yes, I can tell just by looking.”

“Then we’ll leave it in your hands. We’ll rest now.”

“Ugh… feelin’ kinda dizzy…”

“Even Pamira’s wobbling now…”

Orell went inside the magitech carriage with Ritz and Pamira, curling up to sleep during the ride.

The road’s not paved, so even with springs, it’s probably bumpy as all get out—hope that’s okay. Eh, whatever.

I climbed into the machine and fired up the generator. The engine stirred to life with its usual smooth hum, and the status screen on the left lit up.

Fuel’s full, even in the backup tank. Twelve swords, three harmonica pistols. Senseboard link’s solid.

I gave my hands a little shake—movement’s smooth, no glitches.

“Alright, then. We’re going out. Blois, keep up with the slow walk—follow right behind.”

“Got it.”

We exited the hangar and headed toward the base’s entrance. There, Azura and the others were waiting.

"Captain Eld, leave this to me!"

We’ll make sure we guard it to the very end!

Please, we’ll go save Jakarta.

We were seeing off by the Armunale team and the base soldiers, heading toward Jakarta.

Evening of the second day since leaving Locka Base. Thanks to the forced march, we’d already reached the range of Block Beta.

That’s it—done!

I drive my sword into the pilot seat of the Abnomyle. The enemy machine topples toward my own, leaning against it, but I twist the blade free and sweep the enemy aside, knocking it sideways.

"Can't be. They actually made it all the way here?"

This place is definitely within the β-block range, but even with a magic carriage, it’d take half a day to reach Jakarta.

And it wasn’t just one—three Abnomyle had been tearing through this village.

Those three machines were definitely synced—knew each other’s moves, like they’d trained together.

Meaning they weren’t just fleeing survivors.

“Are these units moving in small squads?”

I was still stunned by the difference from the force that’d attacked Locka Base, scanning the village through the camera.

Flames were up, but only one house was burning, and not packed tight—so it wouldn’t spread.

No one dead, probably because they’d surrendered straight away.

“Where’s the village chief?”

“I am.”

From the group of villagers huddled together, a man stepped forward.

“I’m Eld, First Armunale Battalion. Is today the first time this village’s been attacked?”

"Yes, suddenly three Imperial Armunale units showed up out of nowhere. Said we’d all be killed if we didn’t surrender. We couldn’t do anything… just… just stand there."

The villagers seem to think that thing is an Armunale, but to them it’s just a giant robot—close enough, really. No point in correcting them every time.

"On surrender—no, I’m not blaming you. We know full well civilians can’t do anything against those things (Abnomule)."

I say that, and the villagers all let out a collective breath, shoulders dropping like they’d been holding their breath for days.

In some places, surrender itself gets you punished. But I’m not going to tell a village what to do when even regular soldiers can’t lift a finger.

"My unit’ll catch up soon. I’ve got them holding position here, so if you could spare a vacant house—any empty one—just one, I’d really appreciate it."

If this is the first time the Armunale’s shown up here, then this is probably the limit for enemy patrols. So we should set up a temporary base here—get the whole squad to hold position. Things’ll likely get rough from here on out.

And if the Armunale unit’s around, the villagers might feel a bit safer.

"Understood. There are a few empty houses—feel free to use any of them."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

I asked the village chief which house was free, then waited for the others to arrive.

After a while, the engine hum of the magi-wagons rumbled in, and the team showed up. They stared at the fallen Armunale, faces tight.

They’re uneasy—knowing they’ve been pushed this far. I feel the same, but with the sun going down, pushing further today won’t do much good.

Magic and robots are all around us, but night vision? Still untouched, really. So once the sun goes down, fighting’s just gotta stop.

No streetlights, nothing. The road’s pitch-black, and through the monitor, you can’t even tell which way you’re headed.

I tell the others we’ve met up with, about the house we borrowed from the village chief.

“This place is ours for the night. We’ll rest here and hit Jakarta tomorrow.”

“Sweet! Been ages since I slept indoors!”

“What’s that you’re saying? We’re supposed to be doing maintenance on the frames. Been walking nonstop, and joints need checking.”

“Seriously? Another all-nighter…”

“Nah, I napped during the day. I’m good! Ritz-chan’s got this!”

“Pamela’s still going strong, huh…”

The maintenance crew’s been running backwards since leaving Lock Base—sleeping by day, working through the night. Their hands, working in the dim light, are steady as ever.

When Orell and the others stepped down from the magic carriage with their tools, Ange came down behind them, carrying a pot.

“I’ll get dinner ready.”

“Let me help.”

Catherine stepped down after Ange, offering to help, and the two began preparing the meal.

“Then I’ll scout around a bit. Can’t be sure there aren’t enemy units nearby.”

“Please do.”

If there’s an enemy unit here, that means others could be close by too.

Benoit took off on the small magic motorcycle he’d mounted onto the scout mag-vehicle, keeping watch around the area. Handy as hell when you don’t have a horse. It’s only minibike-sized and doesn’t go far, but for checking the surroundings? That’ll do just fine.

As for me—well, I’m catching a nap.

Spent the whole day riding the thing. Honestly, I’m beat… gonna eat something quick and hit the sack. Tomorrow’s gonna be proper fighting, with backup from Jakarta.

I’ll hand things over to the rest, then slip inside the house first.