4

I’d stowed the機体 away in the hangar and rented a room, then drifted off to sleep. Warmth on my lips woke me up.

I blinked open my eyes—Ange’s face was right there, filling my vision.

Huh. So that lingering feeling on my lips… was her kiss, then.

Which means Ange’s here, so the deputy commander must’ve sent a proper welcome party. That means the others should’ve arrived too. Maybe they’re already working on the機体.

Ange smiled, cheeks tinged pink when our eyes met.

“Good morning, Eld.”

“What time is it?”

“Eleven at night. I could cook something, if you want. What do you say?”

Eleven… I definitely fell asleep around six. So I guess I actually got a decent sleep.

But getting up again now? Honestly, got nothing to do. Maintenance’s already handed off to the team, and guarding’s the base soldiers’ job to begin with.

Food—nah, I ate emergency rations before bed, so nothing’s gone missing. Might as well just stay asleep till morning. Feels like I’m still not fully shaken off the fatigue, somehow…

Yeah, full manual control really does wear you out. Even with the custom pilot seat making it easier than before, you’re still gotta keep an eye on every instrument, doing tiny adjustments over and over. Lately, with all the new armaments, the instruments just keep piling up—my eyes are killing me, especially… ah, thinking about it, my eyelids are already…

“Still going to sleep already?”

“Yeah, I am.”

Ignoring how my eyelids are already drooping shut on their own, I reach for the blanket that’s slipped off and yank it back up.

“Eep!?!”

“Huh?”

Some weird sound—probably Ange tripped again.

I don’t even bother, just pull the blanket back up. Yeah, this softness, this warmth—can’t get enough of it.

“Eh… Eld-kun?”

“Good night.”

“Eh… whaaaat!?!”

Something’s squirming in my arms, but I just sink back into sleep, wrapped in that faintly sweet scent and the warmth of a single layer of skin.

Next morning, I open my eyes and there’s Ange’s face right in front of me… wait, this is the same as yesterday.

Only difference? Yesterday, Ange was standing properly by the bed. Now she’s lying right in it.

If I were my past self, I’d’ve scrambled off the bed like some over-the-top light novel hero. Back then, I was all in on the robot club—never thought about girls, never even *wanted* to. So yeah, I was a virgin, plain and simple.

But right now, I’m different! Ange’s my girl—could get married any time now. I’m doing all the right things.

I gave her shoulder a little shake, still smiling at the quiet little pride of not being a virgin anymore.

“Mmm…”

“Ange, wake up. It’s morning.”

“Mmm… good morning, Eld…”

“Good morning. Why’re you sleeping with me, though?”

No real problem, not really. But she’s been traveling nonstop—should’ve been exhausted. We’ve got our own room set aside. No reason to cram into a single bed like this.

“It’s your fault, Eld.”

She puffed her cheeks out, grumbling.

“You were half-asleep and wrapped your arms around me instead of the blanket. Now I’m stuck sleeping in my maid outfit.”

“Ah, right. Sorry about that.”

Ange slipped out of bed, patting and stretching her crumpled maid outfit. But even that didn’t quite smooth out the wrinkles—she gave up and headed back into the room to change.

“Alright, I’ll swing by the storage bay.”

“Got it. Should I make breakfast?”

Jakarta Base still had its mess hall running—any soldier could grab a meal anytime. No need to fuss over cooking, but if you asked, you could borrow a corner of the kitchen and make your own.

“How’s the rations holding up?”

“Still got some left. Maybe two days’ worth?”

“Then use that. Even if we get resupplied, mixing old with new’s a headache to track.”

“True. I’ll grab the kitchen and cook something. I’ll make enough for everyone—come on in when you’re ready.”

“Copy that.”

Leaving Ange behind, I headed toward the storage bay.

The place buzzed with energy, even this early in the morning—more like it hadn’t slept at all.

“Orell!?”

“Hey, Eld Captain!”

I called out to Orell, who was in the middle of rearming the Artificious with a crane. He waved me over, handing the controls to another mechanic, who looked a bit tense but seemed to be managing.

Was that mechanic one of the hangar’s regulars? He’s gripping the controls like he’s afraid they’ll bite.

“Finally showed up. I sent Ange to fetch you.”

“Been sleeping together.”

“Ugh… this is still a battlefield, so keep it in check.”

I wasn’t exactly doing anything, but—

“Got it. Anyway, how’s the machine holding up?”

Not as bad as last time. Joint maintenance and replacing the warped armor are done. Right now, we’re refilling the weapons.

“Still plenty of them, though.”

Twelve swords, three guns. Even just refilling the ammo’s a big job. But we’ll need to push harder than that, won’t we?

“Did you hear about the usual gear?”

“Perfiliis, was it? Again with that odd contraption… Karine’s got a headache over it, she said.”

“Ahaha…”

I can picture Karine, head in hands, staring at the physical simulator (senseboard).

She barely made it through attaching the Artifigouge last time. Now she’s got to add the Perfilis’s targeting system, fuel connections, magical detonation settings—everything. Another parade of bugs, no doubt.

“Where’s Caline?”

“Pouting and asleep. There—inside that little storage shed over there.”

Orell pointed with his chin toward a makeshift shed tucked into a corner of the hangar. Just a few cots lined up, nothing fancy—meant for mechanics to nap between shifts.

Honestly, a place most women avoid, but she was so mad it didn’t even matter.

“Got it. Oh—Ange’s cooking in the mess hall, so let’s all head over once we’re done.”

“Ah, right! Just starved, I was. Hey! You lot—take a breather after this section!”

Orell was already striding off to give orders to Ritz and the others. I slipped inside the shed behind him.

The air was thick with sweat and dust—perfectly, unmistakably a storage room.

A row of makeshift beds held several people still asleep—among them, I found Karine’s form.

I leaned closer, watching her face. Her brows were furrowed, as if muttering in her sleep.

Even when asleep, frowning like that—she’ll be a wrinkled old thing one day.

I reached out and gently smoothed the crease between her brows. Her eyes snapped open—right into mine.

“What’re you doing?”

“Uh… well…”

Karine fixed me with a sharp, piercing stare, and I couldn’t hold her gaze—eyes darting left, then right.

“Just what is this hand, then?”

“Ah, well… this is…”

Too late to pull back. Cold sweat broke out across my back.

This—this isn’t the kind of chill I’ve felt even on the battlefield!

“Oh—uh, I just… saw some dust on her forehead. Just wiping it off.”

“Right. Dust. You had to press on her forehead to get dust off, huh…”

Karine’s voice was turning colder… she definitely knew. The look on her face—she’d figured it out, plain as day…

Behind Karine, I saw a yaksha. Ah, so they send them all the way here to another world… my apologies, you’ve had a long journey.

“Anything to say, then?”

“I’m so sorry!”

That was the only move I had. Rank or position? Doesn’t matter.

I dropped to my knees right there, pressed my forehead hard into the filthy ground.

That was the only thing I was allowed to do in this moment.

Later, when we got back to the capital, I managed to get her to forgive me—by promising to treat her to five rounds at a host bar… but how much does five rounds at a host bar even cost? Can I afford it with this war’s bounty?

“Anyway… what was it you wanted?”

Ah, right. It’s about the physics processor—senseboard—and Ange’s making breakfast, so she’s inviting us over.

Ah, yeah, that thing’s totally ridiculous. We barely managed to link two senseboards together as it is, and now they want to tack on extra data? Connecting it to an independent armament, no less.

The Perfilizzi I used yesterday had a small senseboard built in, just like the other harmonica pistres—could operate on its own.

But letting any machine use that kind of power? That’s got me worried.

If someone stole it… well, the damage would be massive. On paper, it can lock onto the royal family in the castle from a hill a few kilometers away.

So I’m linking the physical simulator—sense board—to my machine, and feeding concentrated magical fluid, Hyimagia Liquid, from the spare tank too. That way, only my machine can use it.

He nodded, as if saying the reason would make sense once I explained it.

I mean, even just glancing at it, you can tell it’s some kind of damn weapon—understandable why you’d want safety locks. But still, it’s impossible. Not that it couldn’t be done if we had time. But we’re at war. And who knows when that bomb might come flying in? No room for bugs in the machine.

"Ah, so that’s the real issue, is it?"

I’d had a hunch about it, but sure enough, if she’s got the time, Carine’s skill’s solid enough to hook the Perfilizzi to my machine.

But the problem’s the timing. We managed to push them back once, but who knows when they’ll start attacking Jakarta again. Now that they know about the Avilabomb, we can’t even step outside the base without thinking twice.

They’ve probably gotten the word back too, so the princess’ll send orders soon—just not when. Not that it matters.

Can’t have the machine sitting idle when everything’s still up in the air.

“Got it. Let’s wait till the Perfilizzi connection’s wrapped up. For now, can you just fit it inside the Artifigoj? I’ll squeeze it into two sword slots—just make it work?”

“Easy enough.”

“Thanks. And hey—before that, we should grab some supplies.”

“Yeah, me too. I’m starving.”

We stepped out of the warehouse and headed toward the mess hall, where everyone was already waiting.

After finishing breakfast—lunch for some of us—we went over our plans for the day.

We’d come here as reinforcements, by the princess’s order. At first, we were supposed to push back the enemy here, then march toward the coast and flank the enemy forces holding the second defensive line from behind.

But now that new weapon’s been thrown into the mix, all that’s gone to hell. Even if we’ve got some breathing room, if we take another hit like that, the enemy’s advance will leave Jakarta in another tight spot.

So we can’t afford to rush in blindly. If only we knew whether the Avila bombs were coming or not. But the captured soldiers don’t know either.

“First, the maintenance crew’ll handle the机体’s upkeep. And please stow the Perfilizzi too.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Got it.”

“As for the two scouts—”

I’d just been helping the maintenance crew, so I tell the same to Monsieur Blois and Catheria.

“Check the villages between Jakarta and the buffer zone. Most of the Abnomyle have pulled back, but there might still be some lingering on this side.”

Like at Locka Base—those stragglers cause trouble, and the secondary damage’s a nightmare. They’re still probably wild from the Abnomyle’s power now, so we’d better get a fix on how many there are. Once Jakarta settles, we’ll need to send out a purge squad.

“Understood.”

“Roger that.”

“And Ange—she’s the one holding everyone up. Don’t worry about the base side. Stick to maintenance, and keep an eye on everyone’s health.”

The team’s been pushing hard—exhaustion’s piling up. Someone’s bound to hit their limit soon, here and there. Pamila’s tiny, so she’s been forcing her body with magic. Magic ain’t magic for nothing—there’s always a price. A cost somewhere.

“Got it.”

“I’m heading to the command room after this to check the situation. After that… you want to help keep watch?”

“Take it easy once in a while. You’re the one who’s worn out the most.”

“Yeah. Facing death head-on? That’s the worst kind of drain.”

Orell and Ritz, and the rest of the crew—every last one of them telling me to rest.

Being looked after like this? Feels good. Really good.

Then I’ll just let myself be a little lazy with words here.

"Alright, I’m gonna rest till the princess gives the word."

After checking everyone’s schedules and making sure they were all set, they all went back to their posts.

I headed straight from the mess hall to the strategy room, just like planned. On the way, Batis stopped me.

"Hey, Eld! How’re you feeling?"

"Hearing your loud voice just knocked me down two notches."

"Hey, man, that’s cold."

"Something up? That kind of energy’s annoying during war."

"Good thing you asked!"

Batis struck a sharp pose and shoved his collar right under my nose.

There, pinned to his chest, was the badge of a squad leader.

Which meant—

"Wait, Batis… you’re a squad leader now?"

"Yep. Got the promotion after this last fight. Took some wild moves from you, but worth it."

Oh right— I left all the Armunale to you, didn’t I? Honestly, I kicked it around like a pebble on the roadside, forgot it was even a thing… but yeah, when a whole bunch of them swarm you, they’re a real pain in the neck.

“So you’re the squad leader now… what about the current one?”

“Going to make a new squad. You know, after this last fight, we got our hands on a new generator.”

“Ah, that one.”

The two Armunale I took out. One got hauled off by the Abnomule during its retreat, but the other… well, it rolled down the hill and got left behind. Couldn’t be recovered, I guess.

Even though it was a mess, it was still fixable— so they used it to form a new unit.

“Now I’m finally on your level.”

“Yeah. Try not to get yourself killed next time— we’ll earn that medal.”

“Eld’s got one Lion Medal now, right? Took down two in this fight—means we’re looking at a Double-Headed Lion Medal. Youngest recipient ever, huh?”

“Maybe the youngest to get it, but whether we’ll actually get the Double-Headed Lion Medal… honestly, I already took out four before I even got here…”

Four machines down at Locka Fortress. Add that to these six, and we’re already past double-headed. And if we keep moving south, it might just keep growing. How many heads are we gonna end up with, anyway…

“Eld’s far away…”

“Still, take your time, keep pushing. Oh—where’s Leon, anyway? Haven’t seen him around.”

Leon was supposed to be deployed toward Jakarta. But since I got here, I haven’t seen a single sign of him.

Maybe he’s in the command room. Maybe…

“…He’s…”

Batis’s smile vanished. A shadow fell across his face.

My heartbeat kicked up. No way—he’s really out of it!?

“His squad’s getting their mechs tuned up at Fortran right now… completely out of this fight… completely out of it…”

“That… sucks…”

Not what I’d feared—but still a hard truth to swallow.

“Next time, I’ll treat you proper.”

“Yeah.”

Leon, of all people, showing up at the worst possible moment—we could only shake our heads and grin.