9

The report reached the capital sometime in the afternoon.

“Messenger! The Overd Empire’s forces have begun advancing along the main road! The transport unit sent to the border defense force was attacked and wiped out!”

“What? What about Louiselle and the guerrilla units!?”

The king of the Berjio Kingdom, Mondor del Berjio, sprang to his feet, heart hammering at the messenger’s words.

At that moment, a meeting was underway to finalize the treaty’s terms—King Mondor, Crown Prince Lieve, the chancellor, and the foreign minister were all present.

“Combat with the guerrilla units has not been observed. They’re likely moved elsewhere. A report came in yesterday—our campsite had been discovered, and they’d been ordered to relocate.”

“S-so… that’s how it is…”

Mondor, sinking back into his chair, still couldn’t afford to relax.

“What time was this information from?”

The question came sharp and immediate—Ines, the one who’d been leading this meeting all along.

The messenger stiffened under Ines’s piercing gaze, hesitating for a breath before meeting the king’s eyes.

Nodding once, the king gave the signal. Ines’s question was answered.

“About five hours ago.”

“Early morning, a battle on the main road… so the advance would’ve started at sunrise, wouldn’t it? That means they’re coming straight to the town.”

“W-what!?”

Ines seemed a beat behind, like someone without real war experience. Her grasp of the gravity on the other side—of Bellgio—felt… off.

How fast they move, the preparations for attack, securing supplies—there was so much you couldn’t just learn from books.

Still feeling that old unease, Ines leans on her memories to guess the Empire’s next move.

“First town—was it Sinju, right? Even if we take the main road, we can reach Sinju in a day. If we factor in how long it’ll take to take it over, marching from sunrise should be just enough time.”

“S-send the defense force right away! The First Division—no, the Third Defense Division!”

“By the time we organize that, they’ll already be done with it.”

“Damn it… no—get the Third Defense Division ready to move! Destination: Kaiju! And at the same time, send food from the capital—just in case refugees come from Sinju!”

Kaiju’s the next big town after Sinju. If Sinju falls, Kaiju’s the likeliest next target.

Send the defense division there, and while we’re at it, issue orders for food supplies—just in case Sinju’s people start fleeing.

Still, Eld thought, the king wasn’t entirely unskilled—just not used to it yet.

But something was off, Ines felt.

“Check on the guerrilla unit’s movements too. Even if they’ve shifted their base, they wouldn’t neglect road patrols. There’s gotta be something stirring.”

Armunale hadn’t shown up in war history all that long ago—only a century or so back. And even then, it had only been seen in two cases: a few major powers trampling small ones, or rare skirmishes between big powers.

So countries without Armunale still didn’t quite grasp its power or how to use it.

The current king of Mondor was like that. If the guerrillas had Eld’s machine, and could counter Sinju’s invasion force, then it had to be Eld alone.

Up until now, the guerrillas had only managed to slow the enemy’s advance with their own arms—so their sense of crisis toward Armunale, compared to Fatal, was slack, and they often forgot to build it into their strategy.

“That’s right! Your Majesty, the guerrillas must have Ines, the Guard Knight, with them! If the enemy’s Armunale, they’ll be forced to ask for help, no doubt!”

The chancellor’s words made the King of Mondor nod, and he immediately sent a messenger running.

After finishing his orders, the King sat back down, reached for his cup, took a sip of water, then turned back toward Ines and the others.

“Given how things have turned out, we’ll have to prepare our forces. I’m sorry—but can we call it a day on these negotiations?”

"Of course. There's no point negotiating with a country that treats ours with such disregard. So shall we call it a day on these talks until the situation settles? That work for you?"

"Thank you."

"Not at all. We’d no more welcome the desolation of Belgio’s land than you would."

The negotiations were temporarily suspended, and Ines led her party back to the chamber assigned to them.

Ines immediately summoned Orell and the Armunale unit.

"Milady Ines, is there something amiss? We were still in the middle of talks, were we not?"

Orell and the others tilted their heads, surprised by the sudden summons.

"Looks like the Empire’s begun their invasion. I’d wager Eld’s behind it—expect a resolution within a day or two. After that, we’ll push forward with the talks at full speed. So get ready for when our knight arrives—mainly keep the mechs stocked up."

The Hyimagia Liquid was topped off before separation. But after sitting idle for a few days, it’s bound to have taken a hit. If they’ve been fighting, sword and ammo resupply would be necessary too.

Armunale’s equipment isn’t available in Belgio, so we’ll need to prep for that.

“Ah, I see. Understood.”

Orell nods, catching on. Ines watches him, then turns to Catreia.

“Catreia.”

“Hah.”

“Accompany the Third Defense Division as they head out. Meet up with Eld and the others at Kaiju.”

“Any message to pass along?”

“Just… tell them they’ve done well.”

“Understood.”

Ines chooses her words carefully, confident Eld will handle things. Catreia nods.

"Alright then, everyone—this job’s almost at its peak. Let’s push through!"

"Got it!"

After the team filed out, Ines lowered her gaze to her own hands.

There, written in fine detail, was the treaty they’d been negotiating just moments before.

They’d left off mid-negotiation, finalizing the other side’s last demands for today, with the real back-and-forth still ahead.

"Right. Now it’s my turn, huh."

With the empire’s invasion ramping up, and Eld already moving—battle would leap forward like a struck bell.

Anticipating that, Ines steeled herself, ready to dig in deep.

◇

Two days after the battle with the empire. I finally catch sight of the capital, and let out a long breath.

"Made it, at last..."

"Long way, wasn’t it?"

Ange sits in the pilot's seat, and Cadrea rides alongside on horseback, meeting us from the capital at the machine’s feet.

After the battle, we headed toward Shinju with the survivors of our nearly destroyed unit, bearing news of repelling the empire’s invasion.

A messenger was sent straight to the capital, but the defense force must already have set out—now they’re likely guiding refugees from Kaiju and reorganizing the border defense units.

“Fuel’s pretty tight, huh. Guess that terrible fuel efficiency’s just a fact of life.”

I mutter, checking the machine’s status on the monitor.

The internal fuel tank still has about seventy percent left, but the two large tanks mounted on the back are completely empty.

I slump my shoulders, sighing—another round of paperwork for refueling, and I’m already counting the cost. Still, I check the rest of the gear.

The sword’s left wing is completely gone. Only two feathers remain on the right.

Hujā’s out of ammo. Perfilizzi’s used up one magazine.

We brought extra fuel and ammunition in the cart, but even so, the drain’s heavy. Mostly on my nerves.

“Alright, alright, I’ll help you out, won’t I?”

Ange runs a hand through my hair, smiling wryly, as we draw closer to the capital.

Then a group of soldiers—probably from Belgio—ride up on horseback.

“Are you the Guard Knight of the Fatal Envoy!?”

“Yes. First Guard Armunale Battalion, Second Princess’s Personal Guard Captain Eld.”

"Thank you! If you keep riding through town like that, the roads’ll collapse. Come this way, please."

"Oh, right."

Zooming in, I saw the roads around town were paved with wooden planks.

The Fatal ones use stone cobbles, but since there’s no heavy Armunale gear here, wood’s plenty good enough. And honestly, the grain looks so smooth—this whole town’s a mess of beauty.

"Maybe I’d like to sightsee here, if I had time."

"Who knows. The meeting’s still going, right? And with the division already here, we’re probably just a bit behind schedule?"

"Considering we’re fixing this thing up too, we might squeeze in a little time to wander around. Been fighting nonstop—I’m beat."

I’d been given a solid tent, sure, but sleeping out in the open still leaves you drained. And the enemy this time? Tough. The fighting itself wore me down pretty bad.

“Once we get there, I’ll ask the princess to swing by.”

“Feels like a proper date, huh?”

“Would be nice, if we could.”

We kept up the chatter as the soldiers led us around the town’s outskirts.

Eventually, we reached an open area. Looks like a storage zone for resources.

Tracks ran everywhere, lined with mine carts piled high with ore.

And there, in that corner, was a familiar vehicle.

“Oh, that’s—”

“Wait, that’s Karine and the others!”

It was the magitek wagon we’d hauled supplies and repairs on.

I popped open the cockpit hatch, and Ange climbed up onto the shoulder, waving at the crew waiting there.

“Back so soon? Lady Ines’s been stretching her neck out for you.”

“Sorry we took so long. Had a tricky foe, but we took care of it—no issues.”

“Nice work. Now, how’s the unit holding up?”

“Fuel and weapons took a beating, but there’s almost no damage. Just… check the joints. We’ve been running over some pretty rough terrain with a lot of ups and downs.”

“Got it. Ritz, Caline, Pamela—get to it right away!”

I crouched the machine and shut down the generator. Pamela was already climbing on, starting to work the armor panels open.

Watching her, I stepped down to the ground with Ange.

“Good work, Captain. Lady Ines is waiting—go on ahead. I’ll keep Catrea here.”

“Right. Oh—Caline, could you please update the magic patterns in the physical simulator—uh, the senseboard—later?”

“Change the magic?”

"Yeah, we’ve upped the armaments and cut back on attack magic usage quite a bit, so I’m thinking we should scale that down a bit and shift some power toward defense and mobility control."

"Ah, got it. Make a list of the spells you want. We’ll talk about it later tonight."

"Alright. Then I’ll leave it in your hands."

Following the soldiers who continued to guide us, we made our way into the town.

Most buildings were wooden—there was something about the layout that reminded me of an old Japanese village. Though, come to think of it, back in my time concrete houses were more common, so it’s more like I’m just visiting Kyoto for a quick trip.

No way I’m getting homesick now.

The soft thud of wooden planks underfoot echoed as we reached the royal palace.

First impression: a Japanese ryokan. Yep, no question.

Thinking that, we walked down the hall and finally arrived at the room where the princess was waiting.

"Princess Ines, it's Eld. Just came to say we've arrived."

"Come in."

"Excuse me."

I open the door and step inside.

Just as expected—no, not expected, really—there she is, flying straight at me.

I catch her quick, hand her off to Ange beside me without a hitch.

"Nice one, Eld."

"Get used to it already."

Sighing with mock exasperation, I turn back to the princess, firmly holding her in place.

Not exactly royal protocol, but what can you do when the princess herself won’t act the part?

"So, the front-line imperial troops are cleared out. Should be safe for a while."

"Hmph. Being read so easily? That’s annoying. Still, I’ve heard the gist from the courier sent by Belgio. Well done."

"How far along are the talks?"

"Not quite finished yet. The Empire’s flashy invasion threw things off a bit."

"Exactly as Ange predicted. So we’ll just wait here for now?"

"Yes. We’ll wait here. There’s maintenance to be done on the units, and Ais is handling the escort duties just fine. So Eld and Ange can have a full day off tomorrow. Make sure you rest properly. Get all that fatigue out of your bones."

"Perfect timing. We were just thinking we could use a break."

"Thank you, Lady Ines. We’re going on a full day date tomorrow!"

"Try not to wear yourselves out. Now, if you don’t mind… could you let go of me now?"

Ines swayed side to side from Ange’s enthusiastic grip, tapping her arm to signal she wanted to be put down.

Ange let go with a quick "Oops!" and Ines landed with a crisp, practiced thud. She’d done it a hundred times before.

“Right now, I’ve got rooms ready for both of you—go rest up properly. From here on out, it’s my job.”

Ines-sama glanced past the door. There, somehow, a man had appeared.

“Back to the meeting, I suppose?”

“Yes, Your Majesty has requested a restart.”

“Could we wait a bit longer?”

“Then right away, if you wish. Lady Luinell has returned from the Second Defense Division. She’s eager to greet you in person.”

Oh, so Luinell-sama’s back too. Well, if the fighting’s over, there’s no point staying in that mess anymore.

Which means… the captured Abnomyle should’ve arrived by now.

Anyway, Luinell-sama’s back—so my movements must’ve been reported to the King already.

“Luinell… right?”

"First Princess, isn't it? Quite the lively one—reminds me of the princess herself."

I lean quietly toward the princess, murmuring low in her ear.

"Ah, yes. I'm looking forward to it."

"Then I shall lead the way."

"Ange, let's go."

"Yes."

'Wait—what?! He was here all along?!'

When the princess calls out to Ange, suddenly Ange steps out from the door leading to the side chamber.

I’d completely forgotten about him. Then again, the princess did have a guard with her, didn’t she?

"Master, that reaction’s a little lonely..."

"Sorry, sorry. But he’s doing his job well enough, isn’t he?"

"Still on duty. Don’t worry—no scratches will get through."

"Yeah, I’m counting on you."

The princess walks down the hall with Ange beside her.

We watch them go, then head toward the room we were given.

It’s right next to the princess’s chamber—on the opposite side from the unit’s briefing room, it seems.

The moment we step inside, a panoramic view hits us straight in the eyes. The green trees, the distant mountain range stretching on and on—can’t help but sigh.

“Wow, beautiful!”

“Yeah, nothing like seeing it from the road.”

I’ve seen this view before when we came to the capital, but it’s different now. Even though it’s the same scenery, somehow it feels… off. Like the color of the leaves is just a little too bright.

“This is our room, huh? Oh wow, there’s even a bath!”

Ange gasps, having just spotted the bath while exploring the room.

Total hotel vibes.

“This is a crystal-powered heater. Didn’t know they had stuff like this.”

“Guess it’s a VIP room. Makes sense they’d have the latest gadgets.”

“Single button? Mind-blowing. Think it’s safe to hop in now?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Then I’m in!”

Ange pressed the button set into the bathroom wall, and hot water began pouring into the tub.

She turned back with a playful grin, testing the temperature with her hand.

“Want to join me, Eld?”

That little smirk—so coy, so dangerous—I nearly blurted out yes before catching myself.

Right. I’d already been pushing it hard the day before yesterday and yesterday. If I got in there, I’d be drained clean by the end.

“Nah, I’ll pass. Gotta take it easy once in a while.”

“Then I will.”

Ignoring Ange’s eager eyes fixed on the rising water, I turned and staggered back into the room, collapsing onto the bed.

The soft mattress pulled me down, darkness already tugging at the edges of my thoughts.

Next time...

While negotiations for the treaty with Ines and Bergio were underway, Eld and his companions were enjoying a rare break, lounging through the streets of Bergio’s capital like they’d never seen a city before. They were strolling along a promenade when they came across a young girl. She clung to them, pleading for help.

Did you notice? The Eight General Knight, Kusui, who fought Eld—well, he hasn’t announced himself yet, so Eld still just sees him as some slightly tougher imperial soldier he knocked down. The saddest pervert of all the Eight General Knights.