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New Chapter

Two days after the decision to retreat from the buffer zone.

All of us—members of the First Guard Armunale Division’s Second Princess’ Personal Guard—had returned safely to Reitarki.

The townspeople of Reitarki had already heard the news of our victory in the buffer zone, and we were greeted like a parade.

Since the town and the base were split apart, the citizens had come all the way outside the town to welcome us.

Alongside us, a small procession had formed—wounded soldiers returning, supply wagons hauling provisions for the future—making the whole scene feel more like a victory parade than a simple return.

We waved back at the townspeople, smiling brightly.

Even the soldiers, worn out and weary when they came back, had softened expressions—thanks to this welcome.

You know, being thanked—that’s the best kind of medicine there is.

After giving the welcoming citizens a bit of a show—walking lightly around the outer walls, making sure everyone outside could see the soldiers, except the wounded—then we went inside the base.

The wounded soldiers were carried straight off to the infirmary, and the supply squad marched on straight to the warehouse.

I head toward the hangar, following orders to stow the machine away.

The hangar was empty, like all the units had been called out for the operation.

In the hollow, quiet hangar, I guide the machine in, careful of where the Grondia Repesh (the wing of the sword) rests.

My shoulders locked up—cut the generator, stepped down from the machine.

“Fuh… yeah, getting stowed away in the hangar, it’s like coming home, ain’t it?”

Kinda like parking in the garage at home and letting out a long breath, you know?

There’s just… a feelin’ of safety.

When it’s out in the open, the nearby area could be a battlefield any second—always got a knot in your gut, can’t just relax. Can’t let go, not really.

I step down the ladder, drop down the catwalk, and start giving orders to the crew.

There’s Ritz. She’s… starting to look more like herself, I think.

“Start maintenance! Take her apart completely, check everything—drain all the fuel! And don’t forget to report any worn-out weapons!”

“Ritz, you’re really getting the hang of this, huh?”

“Huh? Well, I *am* giving orders like this all the time, ain’t I?”

She scratches her head, a little self-conscious, just like Orell.

Even that gesture’s still exactly like his.

"First things first—let’s get every damn thing done on the body. Orell and Carine are supposed to meet us here, right?"

"Yeah, not sure when exactly, but they’re coming over."

"Then we’d better get all we can done, or who knows what kind of scolding we’ll get."

"Exactly!"

The voice came out of nowhere.

We jumped, startled, eyes snapping to the hangar entrance—two figures standing there. One was a little old man with a dwarfish build. The other—a woman with a two-sided-up haircut and her trademark glasses.

"Captain, long time no see!"

"Looks like you’re still doing your job properly. Good to hear."

"Carine! Orell!"

It was Carine and Orell—people we’d still thought were back in the capital.

They stepped forward without a pause, eyes lifting to the aircraft fixed to the hoist.

No obvious damage, I’d say. Any noticeable cuts on the blades, though?

“Should be within expected limits, right? Flying and attacking—hard to keep the edge steady like that.”

“True enough. Ritz, get on with it—get the blade off already! First battle, after all! Of course we’re taking it all apart for a full check!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Orell’s voice, sharp with determination, made Ritz jump to action without a second thought.

“I’ll pull the data, then. I’m curious how the captain handled the controls.”

“H-hey, wait a minute!”

I reached out and stopped Carine, who was already stepping onto the catwalk.

“Why are you two here!? I thought you were still in the capital!”

“Rode the magic train. Oh, that thing’s a marvel. Traveling by carriage feels downright silly now.”

"Best ride for a spine gone soft, this one’s a marvel."

They’re nodding like they’re savoring the memory of the magic train’s smooth ride.

When I ask for details, it turns out they’d originally planned to come by carriage—but thanks to Her Majesty’s favor, they hitched a ride on the magic train instead.

All thanks to that, the journey that’d take over a week got cut down to just two days.

"Is that right?"

"Physics engine—senseboard—was practically written in its own language, wasn’t it? No way a beginner could fiddle with that."

"Yep. The temporary scribe was in tears."

"Of course. That’s my entire soul poured into the senseboard. Not something a second-rate scribe could mess with and survive."

Still wondering how that’d hold up as a physical processor—senseboard, I mean—I can’t help but tip my hat to Carine for giving it everything for my own machine.

“Leave the rest to us. Captain, go on ahead to Lady Ines.”

“I’ve already delivered the letter we were entrusted with. Should make things clearer from here on.”

“Understood. Then I’ll leave the machine in your hands. Oh—Pespilarge was the finest machine, really.”

“Naturally.”

“Of course.”

The two nod with quiet pride. I turn my back to them and head out of the hangar, making for the command center where the princess is likely waiting.

When I arrive, I’m immediately called over at the front desk.

Apparently, Her Highness is waiting. They want me to come in right away.

No reason to refuse, so I follow the guide up to the guest room on the third floor.

“Eld. Here to report on the battlefield status.”

"Come on in."

A voice I know well drifts from inside, and I push the door open.

There she is—Ange, leaping over the table, hurtling straight toward me.

I’m frozen, too surprised to move, when another shadow cuts into my vision.

It catches her midair, spins once on the spot to slow her fall, and sets her down gently. As she lands, a cascade of golden hair floats up—suddenly, I know who it is.

"Miss Ines, no hugging."

"Such a tightwad."

"She’s my wife."

"Ange, you’re safe."

Ange only turns her face toward me, grinning. That smile—feels like I haven’t seen it in forever.

“My knight, well done! I’ve heard the rough report by swift messenger, but I want to hear it straight from you. How far did you push them back? How many fighters are left, worn thin? What’s the damage here? Do we need reinforcements, or can we manage with supplies alone? What’s the Empire likely to do next? Do you think they’ll come from another front? Or will it be a direct assault from Avila Bomb? Will our fortress be ready by then? I’m curious about the mercenaries too. And from what I’ve heard, you’ve taken down two of the Eight Knight-Commanders. We’ll need to factor in intelligence from the capital as well—anyone leaking information we should be wary of?”

“Your Highness, for now, let’s just calm down.”

The princess was buzzing, firing off questions one after another, so I gently steered her toward the desk and told her to settle down. In the meantime, I asked Ange to bring tea and get her ready to talk.

But that princess’s mind—started off with questions about me, then halfway through, I could tell she’d already started imagining what comes next, planning ahead.

“First, I’ll answer what I can from what I know. And while I do, there are a few things I’d like you to do, too.”

So I spent about an hour explaining the battlefield situation in detail.

The fortress construction was going smoothly. The watch on Avilabomb was firm—enough anti-air cannons and ammo were already in place to handle hundreds of shells, even if they all came at once.

The reorganization of the units was nearly complete. No noticeable movement from the enemy side. Still, losing two of the Eight General Knights had clearly shaken their morale. To top it off, more mercenaries were defecting than usual.

Of course, those whose machines were destroyed were out of the fight. But even those still able to move—some of them—were pulling back to the rear lines.

Among them, I heard, were the mercenaries from the Elshard Mercenary Company—Folz and Rayla included.

Honestly, I’m relieved they’re not showing up on the front lines. Folz took a serious hit this time. The worst of it? The death of former Royal Guard Jean Laurent. For now, it’s being kept quiet, due to morale, and only known to reinforcements coming from the north. But we can’t hide it forever. We’ll have to secure control of the fortress perimeter soon, before it’s too late.

And, about the academy textbook revision concerning the hostage incident I messed up this time—please pass that along to Her Highness.

She frowned, deep lines pressing into her brow, lost in thought.

“Hm. I’ll speak to my brother about it. I’d wager it’ll be included in next year’s curriculum.”

Fast response on matters of the battlefield, that one.

“That’s about all I can report from my end.”

“Thank you. I’ve got a much clearer picture now. It’s good news the fortress perimeter’s stable. Honestly, I expected it’d stay on the edge a lot longer.”

She leaned back into the chair, letting out a long breath.

“With this, I can get around to asking my brother for help sooner than I thought.”

She pulled out a single letter. Not handing it to me, of course, but explained the contents in a few quick words.

You know, right, that Fatal’s busy getting things ready for the ceasefire talks with the Empire?

Yeah, I haven’t heard the specifics—but I’ve got a vague idea, you know?

Thing is, we’re talking about teaming up with the borderlands to push pressure on the Empire from both sides. So we’re sending letters, dispatching envoys—just one of the nations is acting strange, though.

"Say it’s gonna be bad, and you’re not gonna get any help, huh?"

Sure, even if we’re on the empire’s edge, not every nation’s gotta see it as a threat. If you can form alliances—escape the fear of invasion—you don’t need to go poking the empire just to rattle its cage.

But things were going downhill faster than I’d thought.

“The country’s under imperial invasion right now. That’s why they sent back a reply saying they can’t spare any room for cooperation.”

“Ah, that one, huh.”

So the empire’s expansionist policy had brought it to the same fate as Fatal—being invaded, right this moment.

“It’s a small nation up in the northwest of the Berjio Empire. Being small, it doesn’t have an Armunale, and it hasn’t got the Abnomule technology either. So they’re desperately fighting with infantry alone.”

“That’s….”

The words “It’s only a matter of time before they’re overrun” stuck in my throat.

“I understand the knight’s thinking. But that country’s rather special—has all sorts of odd weapons. Seems they’re holding out with those for now.”

“So you’re saying… we’re supposed to help with that?”

Yeah—something like that. They want us to negotiate with the Empire about their sabotage and getting them to cooperate. They can’t just ignore it if a royal from a big nation shows up in person, can they? Though, honestly, the best solution would be to just cut the problem off at the root.

Right. So when’s the departure supposed to be?

It’s the king’s order, and if the princess has no objections, I’ve got no reason to refuse. Just means I’ll start getting things ready.

If the buffer zone’s stable, I’d rather wait until after the fortress is finished. Belgio should hold out for another three months or so, and I don’t want my knights moving too far from here—just in case something unexpected comes up.

If the buffer zone’s in chaos, it’ll take longer to finish—and since we’ve got no room for delay with Berjio, we’ll have to move even if it’s risky. But if the fortress is coming along faster than expected, maybe she decided it’s safer to wait till it’s done.

That’s probably how strong Berjio’s so-called special armaments are.

“Got it. So… maybe half a month from now, then?”

“Yeah, that’ll give you time to get everything sorted out, right?”

“Mm, that’d be a huge help.”

With the new model, too—half a month should be enough for the squad to grasp the systems well enough to keep the machines running.

Still, gotta get the armaments resupplied while I’m at it. Almost all of it’s custom-made. If we’re ordering the weapons custom, too, there’s bound to be delays.

Considering that, half a month might be tighter than it seems.

That’s about it, I suppose. Once we’ve nailed down the details, I’ll let you know right away. Until then, you’re on standby duty here at the base. Though, you’ll be doubling as my guard, too, so don’t get comfy.

“Guard duty? You mean we’re going somewhere?”

I sneak a glance toward the princess’s back, but the attendants beside her just tilt their heads, blank-faced, not catching a word.

“Right now, Laytark is buzzing with victory celebrations. Haven’t you seen our knights out there?”

“Yes, people were swarming outside the town.”

So much so that we had to circle the whole thing. More parade than festival, really.

“Even inside the town?”

“Yes. Stalls are set up everywhere—wildly lively. The new magic rail’s opened, too, so folks’ pockets are feeling a lot lighter.”

“Ah. I see.”

Merchants and town shops’ll be raking it in, so naturally there’ll be stalls everywhere. Probably got some victory celebration sale going on, too.

Like a baseball team’s championship sale, huh.

“I was thinking I’d like to take a look around, since we’re here.”

“So that’s why you want a guard…?”

The princess’s eyes sparkle like she’s got a secret. I sigh inwardly.

Honestly, guarding isn’t my strong suit. Gotta plan the setup, watch the angles, all that hassle. And her? She’ll ignore the route we set, no question—probably change it on a whim the moment she sees something shiny.

Best to strengthen the detail team then. Keep close. Stick like glue.

“How about the day after tomorrow? Need to sort out positions, and honestly, the squad’s worn thin.”

I’m feeling it too—Benoit and Cathrea’ve been running all over the battlefield just to pass messages. Now they’re saying we’ve got guard duty starting right after? That’s pushing it.

“Got it. This mood’ll probably stick around for a while, so no need to rush. Just let me know when your side’s ready.”

“Really appreciate that.”

At least we’re not being told to move right this second.

“Anyway, that’s all for now. You’ve done enough—go on, get out of here.”

“Understood. Then I’ll be on my way.”

“You too, Ange. You can step back today. The people who should’ve been supporting you have come back, so you should go back to them.”

“Thank you.”

Ange and I bow together, then reach for the door to leave. A voice stops us.

“Ah—my knight. I forgot to say one thing.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Welcome back. I’m so glad you’re safe.”

I’m your lady’s knight, after all. It’s only natural I’d return to her side. Well then, excuse me.

I salute her—this time, we finally head back to the room.

Next time…

Ines and the others stroll through town, just as planned.

Eld and Ange may be dragged along by Ines, but they end up having fun anyway.

And amid the frantic rush of daily life, word arrives—the fortress is complete.

That’s when Eld’s new mission begins.

Book Info

Yesterday, Volume Two of Armunale was released.

To mark the occasion, I’ve submitted a special release SS to the Armunale SS. If you’d like, do check it out too.