13

The whole squad—me included—froze mid-charge, staring up at the colossal pillar rising into the sky.

The pillar of light intensified, scattering tiny particles around like sparks. I kept my eyes on the beam—yet my gaze flickered to one of the added monitors, where enemy craft moved in some strange, unnatural way.

The machines that’d just launched from the base were all lying flat on the ground.

The moment I saw it, I felt a cold sweat trickle down my spine.

Down! Everyone down! — shock’s coming!!

I jerked my throat open, screaming at the top of my lungs as I slammed the machine down into the ground.

Batis, and the Abnomyle unit led by Elekshia—everyone around me—reacted to my voice and instantly dropped their frames into a crouch.

But the units farther out, and the pilots staring at the pillar of light—they just stood there, frozen, unable to move.

Then, for just a second, a fierce gust roared through—right after, a brutal shockwave tore across the whole area.

The base’s outer wall blew apart from the top down. The machines standing upright were thrown hard, tipping over in the blast. Shards of the broken wall flew in, crushing the machines to pieces.

“Whoa, what the hell was that!?”

Batis shouted, startled by the sudden chaos.

That explosion—those light pillars. If my guess is right—

“They blew up the storage tanks for the concentrated mana liquid—Hyimagia Liquid.”

“What!?”

The shockwave fades. Quiet settles back over the land. The pillars of light are gone—only their afterglow remains, glittering in the morning sun.

“Vehicles still functional—get on your feet now! Hit the base hard and fast!”

I heave myself upright, lunging forward in a crouch.

Batis follows close behind. Glancing at the rear monitor, I see the others—those still intact—are starting to move, one by one.

I dive straight into the enemy’s core, sword gripped tight in both hands, driving it through Abnomüle’s cockpit. The enemy machine shudders, then explodes.

Batis catches up a moment later, and together we tear through the Abnomüle force like a storm.

“Hey—what the hell? Why’d the Empire blow up their own storage tanks?”

The Hyimagia Liquid storage tanks are lifeblood to the base.

Without them, the Armunale won’t move, and the base will fall to the enemy.

So the fight here boils down to one thing—how well we can seize the enemy’s storage tanks.

But that’s only if we’re fighting people who actually want to fight.

“Those guys—they’re abandoning this base and pulling back to the Empire. They blew up the tanks to clear a path for their retreat and stop us from chasing them.”

We’re running on the same Hyimagia Liquid, so if they wreck these tanks, we can’t follow them deeper in, all the way to the buffer zone between us and the Empire.

“So what’s with them?! Why’d they come out here at all? If they’re pulling back, they should’ve gathered at the east gate, right?”

A decoy to lure us out here. A suicide squad, thrown in just to thin out the forces on the east side. Don’t get sloppy—those who’ve made peace with dying? They’re dangerous, I hear.

Never fought one myself, but I’ve heard the stories.

Soldiers who’ve accepted death? They’re scarier than any army.

Five Abnomyle units coming straight at me. All armed with swords and shields, charging dead-on.

No feints. No tricks. Just a straight-up charge.

I step in on the first one, slip into its reach. Drive my sword through its knee—snap the balance—then shove the one behind it hard as I can.

Meanwhile, the remaining three are closing in. I deflect one’s blade, block another with the shield on my left arm, and fire a burst at the last one.

The fire lance punches through the pilot’s seat—leaves a hollow in the chest.

The machine that dodged my blade regains its balance and lunges in with a slash.

I toss my sword aside, grab the one I blocked by the head, and twist its position fast.

A small scream—then it’s cleaved by Abnomyle’s blade. The pilot stutters, freezes mid-motion.

In that instant, I drive my left-hand sword straight through the cockpit.

“Make sure it’s dead. Struggling’s the worst.”

“Like I need to be told!”

Batis swings his greatsword, splitting the three charging machines in two.

But one of the three split machines—just one—had somehow missed the cockpit. Still only half a body, it clung to Batis’s machine’s leg, scrabbling up.

“Me! I’ll stop it!”

“Didn’t sign up to die? Then get on with it!”

Batis drove his greatsword straight into the thing.

The voice cut out. Dead. That’s what it told me.

“Tch. Tastes bad, this.”

“Yeah. Real bad.”

We’d just finished clearing the enemy around the gate when the Abnomyle unit finally arrived. Looks like Elekshia’s lot. Lucky they’d taken cover on the ground—didn’t take much damage from the first shockwave.

While other units were barely standing, nearly all of them were still running. Good unit. Did Elekshia train them or something?

“Elekshia, take your unit and secure the base. They’re mostly fleeing east—shouldn’t be much resistance.”

“Understood. What about you, Eld captain?”

“I’ll check the storage tanks. Batis, hold the gate here. And let the next unit know we’re here—don’t want some ambush surprise, that’d be a mess.”

My mech’s got Imperial parts mixed in. If someone sees it out of the blue, they might just swing at it without thinking.

I could handle it fine—but I’d rather not stir up trouble.

“Got it.”

“Then let’s move.”

“Abnomüle unit, follow me!”

‘Hah!’

Eld, Elekshia, and the Abnomüle unit burst into the base all at once.

The place was a mess. Most of the buildings were collapsed, and the few still standing looked like they’d fall apart any second.

The storage hangars were especially bad. The big hollows inside had taken the brunt of the shockwave. The ceiling was blown clean off, walls crumpled flat—like someone had folded them neatly into a pile.

“Whether the facility’s still alive or not, that’s the question.”

The princess’s plan had been to seize this base, then build a fortress in the buffer zone. But with the base in this state, the plan might have to change.

So that’s why she pushed the attack so hard, huh?

I kept walking, straight ahead, toward the area where the storage tanks had been.

The buildings grew fewer and fewer, the ground more torn up with every step.

And then—there it was.

“Yeah… no way this’ll work.”

The storage tanks were gone—completely erased.

A crater marked the epicenter. Not a trace remained of the base, not even the faintest shadow of what it once was.

If we’re using this base, we’ll have to rebuild the storage tanks from scratch. That’ll cost us a damn lot of time.

The princess’s plan’s gonna need a serious overhaul. Better let her know soon.

She’s probably already close enough to hear me, anyway.

I flipped the craft around and headed west toward the base’s gate.

◇

Left behind by Eld and his crew, Elekisia’s unit was exploring the base. They’d assumed survival near the epicenter was impossible, so they’d started with the farthest region from the blast zone.

By this point, most buildings still had some form left—nothing more than cracks in the walls, or all the windows blown out. Nothing worse.

“Damn sight worse than I thought,”

The place looked so utterly deserted—like a ruin, even—hard to believe anyone had been here just moments ago. Elekisia muttered under her breath.

“Captain Elekisia.”

One of the Abnomyle approached, hovering low.

“What is it?”

“Found survivors nearby. Likely not captives.”

“Captives still alive!? Got it—lead the way.”

“Huh.”

Elekisia’s breath caught.

She hadn’t expected captives to still be alive here, not after so long under occupation.

Even if they’d lived until yesterday, she’d assumed they’d been killed when retreat was decided—or swept up in that explosion just now.

Following the Abnomyle’s lead, Elekisia reached a small building tucked into the base’s far corner.

A few more Abnomyle stood there, scanning the perimeter.

“Inside this one?”

"Yes, there’s a basement inside the hut—someone was held there. We’re checking now. Five women are alive. Four are conscious, one’s unconscious."

"Got it. Sorry, but you’re to go call the medical team outside. The rest of you keep watch. Since they’re women, I’ll stay with them—better than a man, don’t you think?"

Everyone knew, in a place like this, what kind of treatment a woman prisoner might’ve suffered.

The other pilots understood, too—no rush to rush in. They called for Elekisia, stayed back to secure the area.

Elekisia stepped down from the machine and into the building.

The first floor was wrecked—shattered glass crunched underfoot with every step, from the shockwave.

And ahead, a corridor led down—straight into the basement.

“Captain Elexia, I think there’s a staircase further in—please go ahead and descend. We’ve done a full safety sweep, but be careful.”

“Huh.”

No telling if there aren’t enemy soldiers hiding near the prisoners.

Elexia moved forward, gripping a knife instead of her usual sword—easier to handle in close quarters.

The stairs weren’t long—ended after just one floor down.

There, a detention cell. Rows of iron-barred rooms lined the corridor, and inside one, the shapes of women.

Four of them huddled in a corner, shoulders pressed together, trembling. Barely more than rags on their bodies, their skin marked with wounds that looked raw and painful.

And in the center of the room, a girl, unconscious.

“Hey.”

“Ah!”

One of the women flinched at Elexia’s voice, gasping like she’d been startled awake.

But when I realize Elexia’s a woman, I can feel the tension ease just a little from her shoulders.

Elexia moves toward the iron gate, checking if the door’s locked. The gate swings open smoothly, without resistance.

“Knight Elexia of the Fatal Kingdom. Are you the only prisoner?”

“Y-yes. The others… they’re already…”

“Ah… I’ll get you out soon. No men’ll come near, so don’t worry.”

“Understood.”

The four of them exhale, visibly relaxed. Elexia watches them, then steps inside the gate, checking on the unconscious girl.

There are bruises and cuts, yes—but nothing serious.

“Do you know why she’s passed out?”

“No… not really. Lately, they’ve been dragging her out of the cell, and every time she comes back, she’s unconscious.”

“Ah…”

She gritted her teeth, imagining how badly they must’ve hurt her.

Part of her wanted to dash out right then, catch up with the fleeing imperial soldiers, and cut them down—but that could wait. The women who’d been captured came first.

As one of the few female soldiers left, she couldn’t just look away.

“Can you walk?”

“Yes, we’re fine.”

They glanced at each other, then the eldest stepped forward and nodded.

“Then follow me. No need to stay here all day.”

She said it, heaving the unconscious girl onto her back, and stepped out of the basement.

The women followed, and soon they were outside the cabin. Then they froze, staring at the ruined remains of the base.

“W-what happened to this place…?”

The older woman asked, and Elekcia paused, unsure how to answer. She decided to say nothing at all.

“The enemy blew up the base when they fled. This place is about the only one that’s still standing.”

“Anyone else still alive?”

“We’re searching now. Probably not many, though.”

It’d be hopeless.

“Is that so…?”

Before Elekcia could speak, the woman seemed to sense what she’d been about to say, and lowered her gaze softly.

“Where’re you from? Around these parts?”

“Yes. Me and this one here grew up in the same village. The other two were from a different one. That kid—she was brought here alone later. We don’t know where she’s from.”

“Got it. The base should be fully secured any moment now. After that, we’ll need to scout the surrounding area. It’ll be tough, but we’d really appreciate your help.”

“If there’s anything I can do…”

Just as they stepped out of the hut, they waited a while while the abnomylee kept watch. Then medics came rushing in.

“Then we’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Understood. We’ve got it.”

Elexia returned to the Armunale and resumed the base's exploration.

◇

"Then, please report the current situation."

By the time the sun dipped low and its redness deepened, the princess—predictably—let out a screech upon hearing the news of the empire's retreat.

I tossed her straight into the makeshift command tent, then reported what we’d found during the search. Jade and the rest of the squad were out in full force, checking the base’s equipment. They were scrambling through every nook and cranny, desperate to find anything usable, anything that might yield intel on the empire. I was only relaying a fraction of what they’d uncovered.

The storage tanks—gone, nothing left. The command facility’s mostly wrecked, too, crushed flat by the shockwave from the tank explosion. Even if they’d survived, the system itself had clearly been sabotaged. The only survivors we found were five women snatched from a nearby village. One’s still out cold—identity unknown—but the other four? Their names are confirmed. Abnomyle’s already on the way to investigate their village.

What about the last one? Is she safe?

The unknown captive could be a spy, of course.

But from what Elexia’s told us, that’s not likely.

She was brought in about a month ago. From what the others said, she’s been through hell since—every time she’d lose consciousness, they’d just toss her back into the cell. Looks about sixteen, hair the color of storm clouds.

Ah, so we’ll just keep him isolated until he wakes up—keep an eye on him, I suppose.

Yes, that's right.

Better keep him under watch as long as we can’t be sure he’s safe—no use taking chances.

We’ve already got the tent set up—just got a few soldiers taking turns standing guard at the entrance.

The medic said he’d wake by tomorrow morning at the latest, so his identity should be clear soon enough.

Rather than that—

What about the storage tanks? The base’s functions are pretty much gone. Pushing forward any further is out of the question, naturally.

Yeah, I suppose that means the other commander was pretty sharp, don’t you think?

Well, I’ve heard the retreat was a masterclass, if you can believe it.

The unit holding the East Gate got smashed to bits by waves of enemy machines.

The decoy unit—Armunale hidden among them. That’s what threw our lot into chaos, and let most of the imperial troops slip away during the gap.

We pushed as far as the buffer zone, but decided going further was too risky and pulled back.

“This mess makes building a fortress in the buffer zone impossible.”

“I’ve got a plan for that. I’ve prepared a few things for the worst-case scenario.”

“What kind of plan?”

“I set up backup supplies and a new transport system on the delta front. Didn’t send the former Guard Knight just to guard, you know.”

I thought it was only for defense. Didn’t expect she’d go that far. But what’s this new transport system, anyway?

A system built specifically for large-scale transport. You lay tracks over a set stretch, then build a magitech cart that moves along them.

That’s—!?

It’s basically a train!

Sure, for moving massive loads, a train system is ridiculously effective. Honestly, in my old world, invading enemy territory would’ve been unthinkable without something like this.

Here, though, the existence of Armunale and the low output of regular generators meant railways never really took off. Still, the idea was around.

Now that the Abnomulere generator solved that problem, it’s finally seeing the light of day.

This’ll be a pain to set up, though.

Wait—no, that’s not the point.

“How’s the progress coming along?”

The construction from the capital to the second defense line is finished—now we’re in the testing phase. At the same time, the rails from the second to the first defense line are already being made. Should be done in a month, no problem.

You’ve got all that ready, huh? Wait—no, that’s not the point. Isn’t that more of a military branch thing?

It should be under the king’s direct control, or some special unit. Not something the military command should be handling.

We’re not exactly the kind of place where a military commander princess would be showing up.

“War time, you know. And surprisingly, we get along well, us siblings.”

“Is that so.”

“Anyway, I’m handing over the rebuilding of this base to Jade’s squad. My knights and the special unit will head to the first defense line on the delta front. Though, it’ll still take a month, so we’ll have time to rest a bit. The sea’s not far, so we could even take a little sightseeing break.”

"That’s really kind of you. We haven’t had a honeymoon yet, after all."

Maybe we’ll even get a little family time out of this.

"Also, take this."

She handed me a single sheet of paper.

I took it, glanced at the contents.

・New Model Development Permit

"Wait—"

This was the development permit for Armunale. Not just a retrofit or new equipment permit—no, the highest-level, freestanding development permit!

When I first built my original machine, I’d been given a new equipment permit just for becoming a Guard Knight. But this? This was beyond that! Meaning I could build my very own Armunale—just for me! And the budget restrictions were laughably loose!

"Y-You’re sure this is okay?!"

"Of course. My knight’s going to face worse enemies down the road. Can’t have you riding some half-baked machine forever, now can we?"

“Huh…?”

Something awful just hit my ears.

What kind of nightmare crew is this?

“Of course. My knight took down one of the Empire’s Eight Generals—Kanzas—and was the main reason the Empire’s forces were kicked out of the kingdom. If Kanzas hadn’t fallen, they wouldn’t have pulled out so fast, would they? But that means your threat was clear to the Empire. They’re fighting other nations too, so not all eight Generals will come—but you’ll have to be ready for two or three at once, don’t you think?”

They’re actually teaming up at that level!? So I’m supposed to build a machine strong enough to fight that!?

…Yeah, I guess that explains why they greenlit the new model. Damn it.

All that bubbly excitement just blew away.

“W-well, I understand. I’ll think about it right away.”

“For now, that’s about it. Supplies for fixing the base will take time to arrive. For the moment, we’re stuck with tent life.”

“No, you’re welcome to head back to Kreuzru, if you like. There’s nothing much for you to do here, is there?”

“My knight, no—Eld. Being without anything to do… that’s actually quite a happy state, isn’t it?”

“Eh… yeah, I guess so.”

I stared at the princess’s smile and felt something too heavy to name—some kind of quiet, bittersweet dread—and decided not to press further.

“Then I’ll go tell the rest of the unit. I’ve already got a tent ready for you, Your Highness. Just wait here a moment. Someone’ll come for you soon—probably Ange, I’d wager.”

“Got it. Thanks, then.”

“Yes, excuse me.”

After leaving the tent, I headed straight for Orell and the others—Ange and the rest, who’d come here with the princess to discuss the new model’s design.

I told them I’d present a development plan, then dropped them into despair, before returning to the tent they’d assigned me.

By the time I’d finished explaining my original modification ideas, the sun had long since sunk below the horizon, and the air was pitch black. No streetlamps here—once the day ends, it’s truly dark. The stars shine bright, and since the moon’s out tonight, it’s not too bad, but still.

Inside the tent, Ange and I climbed into bed and I let out a long, slow breath.

“Eld-kun, you’re worn out. Feels like we’ve wrapped up for now, doesn’t it?”

“Looks like it. No fighting in the near future, seems like. At least a month’s leeway, so the princess told me to go out to sea, she said.”

“Sea, huh. I’ve never seen it.”

"Yeah, me too."

At least, in this world.

"Would’ve been nice if there’d been a town nearby—could’ve wandered the stalls and such."

"Can’t help it. It’s war, after all."

In this state, the fishing villages along the coast are probably wiped out. If soldiers just showed up out of nowhere, who knows what’d happen.

Soldiers who failed to protect—they tend to earn a lot of grudges.

Better keep clear of the villagers around here.

"Besides, just relaxing by the shore feels different, don’t you think?"

"Yeah. Might as well take the whole squad along."

"Right, let’s grill some meat."

"Sounds good."

We kept chatting like that, and my eyelids grew heavy—before I knew it, I was deep in sleep.

◇

I open my eyes. The ceiling’s different—some unfamiliar fabric.

The girl slowly sits up, glancing around.

No one’s around.

I close my eyes, just once, and sense it—someone’s at the tent’s entrance. But there’s no tension. No alertness. Just lazy, careless. Fine, I think. No problem. Quietly, I slide off the bed.

In the dark, no light at all, I walk without hesitation. I lift the edge of the tent, opposite the entrance, just a little.

Then I slide through, like slipping out of a skin.

It’s not the kind of movement you’d expect from someone who’s been beaten by imperial soldiers just yesterday. Not the way an ordinary person would move.

No sound. I move through the shadows of scattered tents, unseen, unnoticed.

My target? One place only. The tent where Fatal’s Guard Knight, Eld, is sleeping.

“Found you.”

A whisper so quiet it vanishes before it’s even formed.

No guard soldier in sight. In fact, the lack of nearby tents makes it easy—too easy.

I close my eyes again, searching for traces.

One person inside the tent. Nothing else. No other presence at all.

Chance.

I decide that, and take a step forward.

Then—suddenly—I feel a killing intent from behind.

I leap forward, twisting my body, rolling away, and look back.

There stands a single girl.

About my height—or maybe a bit taller. A golden-haired girl in a maid’s uniform.

“Support Maid.”

“Correct. And who might you be, dear? A captured girl, I assume?”

“You noticed?”

“Mm, no. But I knew someone was approaching right away. The way assassins walk—silent as shadows. They step on the grass without a sound, and somehow that makes a strange stillness in the air, like the wind itself can’t stir it. Once you get used to it, you can tell.”

As she speaks, the golden-haired girl—Ange—steps closer to the captive.

“So, my question’s still unanswered. Who the hell are you?”

The reply came as a throw—slender as a finger’s nail.

Ange caught it between her fingers. A faint frown tugged at her brow.

“This smell… hidden in a girl’s secret place. Gotta remind the guards later to check those spots proper.”

She tossed the iron stylus aside and lunged forward in one motion.

The assassin girl moved too.

In the blink of an eye, they closed in—fists clashing, reading each other’s next step, building defense and counter in a breath.

Dodge a leg sweep, turn it back—wrap her arm around the opponent’s, aiming for a joint lock—but the girl slipped through like smoke.

Try a throw? She twisted midair like a street performer, landed clean as a whistle.

And Ange murmurs something low at her lips.

“Flame Accelerate.”

In an instant, Ange’s movements doubled—then tripled, like wildfire catching.

The assassin girl couldn’t keep up. By the time she realized it, her back was flat on the ground. A knife pressed against her throat.

“Hmm. Not bad. You’re clearly not like the others who’ve come before. Imperial assassin squad, maybe? But I made a promise—back then—to protect Eld. So no scratch, not one, on Eld. Not on him.”

“I won’t say a word.”

“Fine by me.”

Ange pulls the knife from the girl’s neck and rolls off her, landing lightly.

The girl stares, wide-eyed, then slowly pushes herself up.

“What’re you playing at?”

I’d’ve cut down any assassin from around here— but you seem to know a fair bit of secrets, so I’ll let you live. Come at me anytime. I’ll crush you— absolutely, completely.

Ange smiled as she said it. If Eld were here, she might’ve called it an angel’s grin. But the assassin girl, eyes wide, was overwhelmed by the sheer force radiating from Ange— like standing too close to a forge.

And then it sank in.

I can’t beat her.

And something inside the girl stirred.

“I’m Eis, of the Overd Empire’s Special Assassination Unit.”

“Guess you’re more than I thought.”

Eis shook her head at that.

“My mission failed. I’m no longer just Eis. I’m yours.”

“Huh?”

Ange tilted her head, wondering if she’d misheard. She’d sweat cold minutes later— not from danger, but from something else entirely.

◇

The next morning, I woke up shoved all the way to the edge of the bed.

My bed’s supposed to be double-sized, built from the start for two people—Ange and me. So what on earth happened during the night? Ange’s usually a pretty good sleeper, right?

Still scratching my head, I sat up—and there were two other bulges in the sheets besides me.

One was Ange. Her face was twisted, like she’d been wrestling with some dream.

And the other bulge had a girl with navy-blue hair curled up behind her, hugging Ange from behind.

“Uh… what in the world?”

She was the one we’d captured, right?

“Hey, Ange, wake up.”

I shook her gently, and she blinked awake, rubbing her eyes with a sleepy “Good morning” and flashing me that sweet, morning-after smile. Yeah, definitely an angel first thing in the morning.

But right now wasn’t the time to be soothed by that smile.

“Hey, there’s some strange girl here—what’s going on?”

“Huh?”

I point behind me at Ange, and she turns—then freezes.

Frozen, Ange starts trembling, little shivers running up her arms. Then she raises one arm high, and there’s a knife—somehow pulled from nowhere—clenched in her hand.

“Wait, Ange, stop!?”

I grab her wrist instinctively, halting the swing. And just then, the girl stirs awake.

“Good morning. My lady, my lord.”

“Huh? My lord?”

“Yes, I am now my lady’s possession. So my lady’s lord is the one I must serve.”

“Sorry, I don’t get it at all.”

“No matter. Just understanding that my lady and I are in love is enough.”

“Wait—what? That makes even less sense!”

“That’s why I said I hate it, okay!? Why’s it suddenly lovey-dovey all of a sudden!? I don’t cheat—ever! And for starters, we’re the same sex, aren’t we!?”

“Exactly because we’re the same sex, it’s not cheating. We’re just… a little too close.”

“Help me, Eld!”

“Yeah, okay, let’s start from the beginning and sort this out.”

I still have no idea what’s going on at all!

Feeling like today’s gonna be another exhausting day, I climbed out of bed.

The new model can wait a bit.