Published at 17th of August 2019 8:24 am

Volume 13, Chapter 4: Ground Battle

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

May 22, Saturday

The three days that Clan had asked the military for was used for various preparations. Those preparations included an emergency repair of the Blue Knight, securing a shelter on the ground, moving the civilians Theia had with her to the Hazy Moon and more.

After repeated gathering of information and discussion, Kiriha decided on everyone's deployment as followed.

First, Theia, Ruth and Koutarou would be placed aboard the Blue Knight. This was to keep Elfaria and Theia from being in the same place and to keep both of them from being attacked at the same time. In the worst case scenario, Theia and Ruth would have to leave Earth. Koutarou had been placed on the Blue Knight for him to be able to respond to trouble in both space and on the ground. If the girls ran into trouble on the ground, he would descend and support them. And if the enemy attacked from space, then he would stay onboard and control the ship. Since doing the opposite would be difficult, he was stationed in the ship.

Clan took the Hazy Moon and the civilians and moved away from the expected battlefield. Since she would use stealth, there was no fear of her getting forcibly involved. Clan's role was to standby, protect the civilians and assist Koutarou and the others in the case of an emergency.

The remaining six girls would protect Elfaria on the ground. Kiriha's subordinates would assist with this. But since Kiriha and her subordinates were from the conservative faction, there weren't that many of them that were skilled at fighting. She also needed to leave people behind to restrain the radical faction. Because of that, Kiriha had only been able to gather a little more than ten subordinates in the short time she had. Adding her subordinates, there were a total of 20. Kiriha expected their enemy to have up to 50 men on their side. Though the girls were exceptionally strong, it was hard to tell if they would be able to protect Elfaria.

The battlefield Kiriha had chosen was a small mountain on the outskirts of Kitsushouharukaze city. This was to keep the battle from affecting the city and to prepare traps beforehand. For that reason, Kiriha wanted to stay out of the city, but if she strayed too far, she would face more troops than she had expected. She had spent most of her time thinking of where the battle should take place in order to keep it close to the city, but far away enough to keep it from suffering any damage.

Ruth's tense voice filled the bridge of the Blue Knight, which was now filled with vacant spots.

“Your highness, Satomi-sama, I've received reports that the deployment on the ground has proceeded as planned.”

“So we somehow made it in time...”

After glancing at Ruth who was sitting in the operator's seat, Theia leaned back on her own seat and let out a small sigh of relief. She didn't know if all the preparations would finish in time. But fortunately, all preparations were now complete, and now all that was left was to wait for the enemy.

“We're fortunate our opponent was Elexis.”

Looking at the monitor displaying the status on the ground, Koutarou made sure the last preparations were completed before sitting down on a nearby seat and turning to look at Theia.

“What do you mean?”

“He's considering what happens after this battle, so he wouldn't attack until quite some time after Clan has left. If the opponents were just knights and soldiers, they might have rushed to attack already.”

Koutarou saw Elexis as a calm and calculating man. That's what his experiences back in the past Forthorthe had taught him. And since Elexis looked very similar to Dextro, a man who had given him a lot of trouble, he naturally became more cautious around him.

“That's our kind of opponent. Theia, don't get too obsessed with the victory in front of you. Against him, it's possible that we might not be able to fight anymore even if we win.”

“...”

Theia's eyes opened wide in surprise upon hearing Koutarou's words. But it wasn't because she didn't understand what he was saying. In fact, it was quite the opposite; it was because his words were so fitting for a knight, for a commander.

“What's wrong, Theia?”

“N-No... it's just... you're so calm... I...”

As far as Theia knew, Koutarou might have some experience fighting, but he shouldn't have any experience with war. This should be his first time experience something like this. Yet, Koutarou was calm, as if he was a veteran who had taken part in many wars before.

Oh crap... But it's not like I can hide it in this kind of situation...

That was when Koutarou realized that his behavior was very unfitting for a high school student. But since he couldn't go back to acting like a student he decided to try and cover it up.

“After fighting so many times, I'll start thinking too you know.”

“...You have a point. Sorry for saying something so strange. Please forget it.”

Fortunately, Theia didn't say anything else. She had too many things to worry about that she didn't have the time to think about Koutarou's behavior.

“Your highness, Satomi-sama, there's movement on the ground.”

And thanks to Ruth's report, Theia completely forgot about Koutarou's behavior as tension returned to her expression. Koutarou did the same.

“What happened?”

“We've lost the signals of two of the unmanned scouts patrolling the outside of the operation area.”

“If it's two it means it wasn't an accident or a wild animal! Theia, they're here!”

“Yes!”

The next moment, the previously quiet bridge turned very noisy. All kinds of information started being displayed on the monitors and an alarm rang out as the artificial intelligence gave them a message.

“Just before the signal to the scouts were lost, they detected a weak space quake! It seems the forces on the ground are receiving support from the fleet in orbit!”

By support, Ruth meant it in the same way that Theia and Ruth used the Blue Knight to summon weapons. Elexis had summoned a weapon to destroy the unmanned scouts.

“So that's how you're doing it, Elexis!”

“What do you mean?”

“Elexis is planning on attacking from the ground and space at the same time!”

“I see. If we leave them be, the ground forces will be wiped out!”

Theia picked up on Elexis's plan after Koutarou.

The Blue Knight had currently reduced its power output and was pretending to be an asteroid orbiting the planet. That would make finding it difficult, but Elexis had chosen to lure it out. By summoning weapons and destroying the two scouts, he was sending them a message that if the Blue Knight doesn't come out, the three ships would support the forces on the ground. While they might have a chance against just the ground forces, with the support of the ships, the girls on the ground wouldn't stand a chance. Which meant that they wouldn't be able to protect Elfaria. It was a situation where Theia and the others had to show themselves.

“Ruth-san, where is the enemy fleet?!”

“It's currently being calculated!”

Ruth busily moved her hands and operated her panel. She was trying to locate the enemy fleet by tracking from where the signal was being sent as weapons were being transferred. When sending weapons back and forth, a message using gravitational waves was required. Using the data from the two unmanned scouts and from the Blue Knight, Ruth was trying to specify the origin. While she didn't know what was being sent, she knew the strength and direction of the communication, and from there she would be able to calculate the source location.

“I've found it, the three ships are all on the far side of the moon!”

Ruth displayed her results as a hologram. As she did, even Koutarou could understand Elexis's intentions.

“I see. From this position, they could fight without holding back!”

Observing what was happening on the far side of the moon was impossible from Earth, which was where the fleet of three ships had set up position. From there, they could fight to their hearts’ content without being discovered by the people on Earth. The only problem were the satellites, but because there were so few satellites capable of observing the far side of the moon, it wouldn't be hard to deal with them using Forthorthe's technological advantage.

“Blue Knight! Release camouflage. Set the generator output to the maximum! Enter a lunar orbit using a short warp!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

Upon hearing Ruth's report, Theia ordered the Blue Knight to move. It was obvious that this was a trap, but they had no choice but to walk into it.

“Theia, bring out my armor! I'll control the Blue Knight's hull!”

Koutarou's armor was originally one of the devices used to control the ship. By wearing the armor and moving, the ship would replicate those motions. While the Blue Knight was a warship, it had the shape of a person, which it made it possible to change the direction of the weapons and boosters. This was a characteristic unique to the Blue Knight.

“Wait, Koutarou! You should head for the surface!”

However, Theia shook her head at Koutarou's offer. In a three vs one fight, it would be hard to win without making use of the Blue Knight's unique characteristic, but despite knowing that, Theia wanted Koutarou to head towards Earth to help the people on the ground.

“What do you mean?! Then you two will―”

“Listen! It will take some time even for the Blue Knight to reach the far side of the moon! And I don't want our people on the ground annihilated before that! So you head for the surface!”

By bending space-time to move, which was also called warping, it was possible to reach the far side of the moon in an instant. But since they would just end up getting shot down if they dropped out of warp in the middle of the three ships, they would need to do so a distance away to avoid being focused down right away. Which meant that after the warp, they would need to use normal means to move to the far side of the moon, which would take time. And if the people on the ground were annihilated during that time, there would be no point. That's why Theia wanted Koutarou to head to the surface to buy some time.

“...I understand. Be careful, Theia.”

Koutarou endured his feelings of worry and decided to listen to her instructions.

“I know. I won't try to push for a win. I'll just run around while jamming their communications.”

Theia had said she would only be running around, but in truth that would be difficult to pull off. Koutarou knew it was dangerous as well. However, they both knew it was necessary, so they didn't discuss the matter any further.

“Ruth-san, I'll leave Theia to― wait, I don't need to tell you that.”

“No, I'll carve your words into my heart.”

As Ruth said that, the floor of the bridge opened, and a blue armor standing upright rose from below. After putting it on, Koutarou would head for the surface.

“...Koutarou before you go, say something to us.”

“Something? Like what?”

Koutarou replied to Theia while sliding into the armor that had just opened for him. The armor closed automatically and started making adjustments. The armor's motors started up, and changed the position of the armor's joints to take the load off of Koutarou. It was the usual startup process.

“Anything that will raise our morale.”

“You make it sound so easy, but that's the hardest part.”

“Just say something.”

Theia knew that this might be the last time they ever see each other, that's why she at least wanted to hear Koutarou's words one last time. She didn't care if the words themselves were pointless, as she only cared for the feelings they carried.

“Theia, once this is over, I'll play games with you for as long as you like.”

“...Now that you've said it, I won't let you go back on your word.”

Theia got to hear exactly what she wanted. The many feelings put into those words brought tears to her eyes. However, Theia held them back and smiled in return.

“Yeah. And Ruth-san.”

“Yes.”

“Think of something you want. Once this battle is over, I'll listen to any request you have.”

“Any?”

“Yes.”

“...I understand. I have a very special request, so I'll pick that one.”

Tears formed in Ruth's eyes, but she couldn't show weakness before a battle, so she wiped them away and braced herself.

“...That's unfair. Why do I get games, while Ruth gets anything? You're too kind to just Ruth. I demand you correct this disparity.”

“Of course. Who do you think you are?”

Koutarou smiled wryly as he headed for the bridge's exit. He would use a small lifeboat to head down to Earth. And was outside of the bridge.

“I'm your princess! Treat me with more care!”

“Then you already know.”

“I don't.”

“Stupid.”

After exiting the bridge, Koutarou turned around to face Theia and Ruth one last time.

“...Theia, you have the right to request anything from me whenever you please.”

“Tha...”

Theia was shaken up by Koutarou's words, and her expression greatly distorted. Because she was too surprised, she completely forgot what she was about to say. But Theia only remained motionless for an instant. Noticing that the sliding doors leading out of the bridge were about to close, Theia desperately called out to Koutarou.

“Then you better come back to me!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

With those words as his last, the door closed and hid Koutarou.

“Isn't that great, your highness?”

After the door closed, Ruth smiled at Theia. However, Theia herself dropped her slender shoulders.

“...I should have said something more encouraging...”

Theia had seen Koutarou off by saying something selfish. Theia regretted her actions.

“Fufu... you can just say them when you meet again.”

“That's true... If we meet, I'll do just that.”

Theia showed a small smile and narrowed her eyes.

Since she was about to jump into a trap of her own volition, chances are that she wouldn't get that opportunity.

But thanks to that, Theia found a reason for why she had to win no matter what.

She would struggle and fight to meet with Koutarou once more and say something more princess-like.

A strong determination filled Theia's small chest.

Part 2

As Koutarou was starting his re-entry into the atmosphere, the battle on the ground was about to commence. And that information was sent to Elfaria, who was with Harumi.

“Harumi, the battle is about to start. Sadly, this is as much as I can help.”

Clan, who had given Harumi the news, positioned her ship, the Cradle, in the sky and observed the battlefield. But regardless of how well the Cradle was able to conceal its appearance, chances were high that once the battle started, any enemy too close would be able detect it. She would cut off her communications and take a more elevated position.

“Thank you very much, Clan-san. I'll see you later.”

“I'll be praying for your victory.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

After Harumi thanked Clan for a second time, she cut the call. After operating her bracelet and terminating the call on her end as well, Harumi turned back to Elfaria.

“Your majesty Elfaria, it seems the battle is about to start.”

“I see...”

Elfaria looked out the window. Harumi and Elfaria were inside of a small cottage in the mountains. Because the cottage was in the middle of a thick forest, all that could be seen through the window was a dim forest. But Harumi knew that Elfaria wasn't looking at the trees; she was looking towards Kiriha and the others, far away, on the other side of all these trees. She was worried for those helping her.

“To think I would make people completely unrelated to me fight in my stead...”

Elfaria deeply regretted the situation she was currently in. Because she had spoken for the disarmament of the army, she had forced unrelated people to fight. Moreover, that included several young girls. Though it couldn't be helped, Elfaria couldn't find it in her to accept it.

“Your majesty, please don't say something so lonely. We might not know about Forthorthe, but we know of Theiamillis-san. She is a very wonderful girl and a precious friend. And your majesty is Theiamillis-san's mother. That's all the reason we need to stake our lives.”

“Harumi... but...”

“Even then, your majesty won't admit that we are Theiamillis-san's friends?”

Well aware that she was talking to the empress of a country, Harumi spoke her mind without flinching.

If I knew the current day Forthorthe well, I might not have been able to say this...

What Harumi knew of was the past Forthorthe that had been used as a setting for the play. She had memorized every detail of that setting, but she had no knowledge of the current Forthorthe. Because of that, she thought of Elfaria as Theia's mother, rather than an empress, allowing her to talk about how she really felt. At the same time, she knew that what she was saying was really bold, and couldn't help but find it funny.

“Harumi, you...”

Despite the serious discussion, Harumi had a gentle and happy smile. Seeing Harumi like that, Elfaria's impression of Harumi changed.

The conviction in her words... Her dignified behavior and elegant gestures... She is far too well made for a common girl... This girl really is...

Harumi was a timid girl, but in a crisis, something inside of her would surface. Elfaria felt like that something was just too noble and beautiful. It was as if Harumi had been possessed by a princess.

“I'm sorry. That was rude of me... I'm sorry.”

Misinterpreting Elfaria’s stumbling for words as denial, Harumi apologized and lowered her head. She regretted getting too carried away.

“That's not true, Harumi. I was just moved thinking about what great friends Theia has made.”

Elfaria smiled at Harumi. There were no lies in Elfaria's words. She really felt like Theia had been blessed with wonderful friends. However, because they were so great, she started worrying for a different reason. They were complex feelings for a mother who wanted her daughter to be happy.

“Really? Hearing you say that makes me happy.”

“That's why I hope everyone will stay safe...”

“It will be okay. I'm sure everyone will return safely.”

“...You're so strong, Harumi.”

“I'm a girl after all... Weren't you the same in the past, your majesty?”

“That's true. I'll believe in those strong feelings of the past and wait.”

“Yes.”

But that was as long as the two could smile.

An explosion could be heard in the distance. The battle had finally begun.

Part 3

A blinding light appeared in the corner of the monitor Clan was staring at. The image moved, positioning the light in the center of the screen and zooming in. What was being displayed was an explosion and dust being kicked up into the air. It was a sign that an attack using some kind of weapon had been performed.

“...It's finally started...”

Clan was sitting in the bridge of the Hazy Moon and hastily operated a panel, giving orders to the Cradle currently positioned above the battlefield. While she couldn't help any more than that, she wanted information of what would happen in the worst case scenario. Clan activated all of the Cradle's sensors and attempted to confirm the situation. Data sent from the Cradle was processed and appeared as images on the monitor, one after the other.

“Your majesty...”

“Your highness, be safe...”

For each time an image appeared, the whispering voices in the bridge increased. Clan wasn't the only one in the Hazy Moon's bridge. A portion of the civilians that had saved Theia were in the bridge as well. They feared for the safety of Elfaria and Theia and pleaded with Clan to be present on the bridge on the condition that they didn't get in her way. Clan approved of their plea, and as a result, a dozen or so men and women were worriedly looking at the monitor.

Honestly, I'm envious, Theiamillis-san...

The past Clan most likely would have chased them off the bridge. But now, not only did she let them stay, but she also felt envious of Theia. If Clan was in the same position as Theia, would the citizens worry like this? Clan didn't have the confidence to say yes, and that proved that she was lacking as a princess. The situation made Clan remember how foolish she had been.

“There's no need to worry, everyone. Theiamillis-san and the others are strong. And in the worst case scenario, the Hazy Moon will come to the rescue. So you can continue watching at peace.”

Clan was now a lot different than she had been in the past. That's why whether the citizens would worry for her or not would gradually change.

“Princess Clariossa... We are grateful for your consideration.”

“T-That's only obvious. You are all citizens of Forthorthe, and I am its princess.”

A glimpse of that change could already be seen. The people bowing to Clan proved it. But since Clan was unused to dealing with others, she was unable to notice even that.

Part 4

The explosion in question had happened in a place a short distance away from where the scouts had been destroyed. The enemy was getting closer to where Elfaria and Harumi were hiding. It had been caused by a trap that had been placed beforehand.

“...As expected, it seems they can't detect these traps. But it seems they're aware that Elfaria-dono is hiding in this region... I can't make light of my foes.”

Kiriha was using explosives as traps.

Due to Forthorthe's sensors, simple bombs would be detected. And after some consideration, Kiriha decided to use talismans with explosion magic cast on them as a trigger for the main explosive, dynamite. It was a completely non-metallic bomb. As the enemy approached, the explosion magic would go off, which in turn set off the dynamite. It was a highly efficient and powerful bomb that couldn't be detected by Forthorthe's sensors.

On top of that, the bombs served as indicators of where the enemy was located. Thanks to these bombs, Kiriha was able to tell that the enemy was getting closer. So Kiriha and the others hurried in the direction of the explosion and set up a defensive formation.

“I can't make anyone out yet...”

Shizuka was staring into the forest, squinting with her eyes. Shizuka had the best eyesight out of anyone here, but with it being night, Shizuka couldn't spot any approaching enemies.

“That's right, won't you be able to see them now, Sanae-chan?”

“No, they're still too far off to see clearly, but I can feel a cloud of hostility.”

Sanae could see the auras of the enemies on the other side of the forest. Though because the forest itself had a thick aura to it, Sanae couldn't clearly see through it. But she could feel hostility coming from many people, moving together as a group.

“How does it look?”

“There's one big cloud in the front. And to its right, there's a small cloud. There might be more, but I can't tell from this distance.”

“Which means that at a minimum there's a main force and a detachment... Sanae, continue looking and let me know if there's a change.”

“Okay.”

Based on all the information she had gotten, Kiriha made adjustments to her plan. Knowing that the enemy had split up into at least two groups, Kiriha couldn't just leave it be.

“Yurika.”

“What is it?”

“Take three of my subordinates with you and stop the detachment of forces moving to our right. I don't want to let them do as they please.”

“Me?!”

Yurika's eyes shot wide open. She had just assumed that she would be following someone's orders, so being given soldiers and told to go fight separate from the rest was completely unexpected.

“Yes. There's no one else with as varied a power as you. You're the only one I can ask.”

If it was just about offensive power, or overall fighting capabilities, then Theia and Shizuka respectively were in a league of their own.

But the only one that could adapt to any situation was a magician like Yurika. It was an excellent ability for operating on her own.”

“I-I don't have any confidence...”

“Kiriha-san, this is too much for Yurika. Should I go instead?”

“”She's right! Maki-chan is much better at attacking than me!”

Darkness Rainbow specialized in the misuse of magic. In other words, this sort of surprise attack was their forte. That was why Maki had offered to take Yurika's place.

“No, I'll need you to confuse the enemy's main force. Yurika will have to go.”

“No waaay~~”

However, Kiriha was set on using Yurika. Since Maki specialized in mind manipulation, she was vital for dealing with the larger force. And because of her specialization, she was less adaptable than Yurika. In Kiriha's mind, only Yurika could do this.

“You can do it, Yurika.”

“Sanae-chan, please don't make it sound so easy.”

“You only need to drive them away, so go give it your all.”

“Regardless of what we think, they are coming with the intent to kill us!”

“Then will you just wait here without doing anything? Once Koutarou gets here, he'll be really angry.”

“...Uhh~~, I-I'll do my best...”

Since Yurika was a coward, she was hesitant at first, but once she realized a future more scary than death, she took three underground soldiers with her and vanished into the forest.

“Without Koutarou, Yurika is useless, isn't she?”

“Will Yurika-chan be okay?”

“Maybe I really should have gone instead...”

“We can't afford to say that. The enemies coming our way won't be easy either. Shizuka, Sanae, get up front. Maki come with me.”

There were five girls from room 106 here. Each of them were given three subordinates from the underground to back them up. As a result, five squadrons had been made. As the commander, Kiriha would make use of them to produce the most favorable results. Currently, Yurika squad was sent out to suppress the enemy's detachment force. Shizuka, skilled in close combat, and Sanae, capable of strengthening and mid-range attacks, were sent to the front to attack the enemy's main force. Maki and Kiriha would take up position in the rear and were in charge of long-range attacks and distractions using magic.

I just hope Theia-dono's absence won't affect us too much...

Kiriha had plenty of matters she was concerned with. However, she wasn't in a situation where she could whine. They had to win no matter what. If they didn't, the future they desired would never come.

Part 5

A young man wearing a white suit was standing in the middle of the forest at night. That alone was already a bizarre sight, but what made it even more bizarre were the men wearing black combat uniforms surrounding him.

“Elexis-sama, the vanguard has come in contact with the enemy. The battle has begun.”

“Despite that, it's been awfully quiet since the first explosion.”

“Neither side must want to be found by the people of this planet.”

“I guess I'm the only one who wants to stand out then.”

Listening to the report from his subordinate, Elexis smiled wryly as he looked at his own clothes. His pure white suit stood out even in the dark of the night. He was easy to spot even from a fair distance away.

“The weapons our enemies are using are even more covert than ours.”

“They're not weapons from princess Theiamillis... which means there can't be that many of them. Somewhere around 20 to 30 I would wager.”

Being a fair distance away from the city, the laser and beam weapons that Elexis's forces were using wouldn't produce enough sound to attract any attention from unwanted bystanders. Despite that, if his enemies were using even more covert weapons, then that was practically the same as announcing that they had no chance in terms of sheer power. Because of that, it was likely that the enemy force was smaller than Elexis's forces.

“However, there are several powerful people amongst them. We have already taken some damage.”

“Mmm, that's more like it...”

Hearing that there were several powerful people in the enemy force, Elexis showed a joyful smile.

“Is there a boy using a knight's sword amongst those powerful enemies?”

“I have received no such reports.”

“I see...”

Not getting the answer he'd hoped for, Elexis's shoulders dropped. He looked like a child that had been stood up by a friend. Because that appearance was so different from his normal energetic and spirited behavior, the soldiers around him were a little confused.

“What should we do?”

“I'll leave it to you. Since we have the numerical advantage, we'll probably be fine if we just hold back and corner them using 'that'.”

Elexis gave instructions as if he was bored. Since his 'friend' hadn't appeared, he would proceed according to plan. It would be a boring result, and Elexis wouldn't even need to give his troops any more instructions.

“Understood.”

“But if the boy with the knight sword appears, don't just carelessly attack, report to me instead. I'll face him.”

“Is he that dangerous?”

“That boy is like a living joke.”

“I'll take it to heart... Let's go! Don't let the vanguard have all the fun!”

With the commander at the front, the men in black combat uniforms advanced, leaving Elexis and a few soldiers that were his bodyguards.

“...Hurry up, Koutarou-kun. I'm getting tired of waiting.”

Elexis looked up into the sky. The stars were twinkling brightly, but the star he was looking for was nowhere to be found. The blue shooting star he wished for was still far away.

Part 6

Yurika's surprise attack had been a success.

Since she was a magician, it was easy for her to sneak up on the Forthorthe soldiers without being noticed. Her attack was splendid as well, as she knocked three soldiers unconscious with her first attack.

“Kya! Kya! Kya!”

The problems came after that.

The enemy spread out after being attacked, meaning the only ones she had managed to defeat were those first three soldiers. However, those three still had seven more companions, and after Yurika's attack, they began their counter attack and beams rained down on Yurika.

“Save― Save me, Satomi-san!! Nooooo~~!!”

The weapons the coup d'état army was using were far more powerful than the weapons on Earth. And due to their high numbers, they unleashed an offensive that went against common sense. Under such an intense counter attack, Yurika hurriedly retreated.

Fortunately, thanks to the three underground people providing covering fire, Yurika was able to dive into a trench before all of her defensive spells were broken through.

“I-I thought I would die...”

Still lying down in the trench, Yurika let out a sigh of relief. Out of the five layers of defensive spells she had cast beforehand, only one remained. If the trench had been a little further she might have been killed.

“Yurika-sama, the enemy is falling back.”

“R-Really?!”

Hearing the good news from one of the underground people, Yurika stuck her face up from the trench. And like she had been told, she saw the enemy falling back, taking the three unconscious soldiers with them.

“I hope they just leave like this...”

“The chance of that would be quite low.”

“I thought so...”

Tears formed in Yurika's eyes as she grabbed her cane. She was desperately suppressing her urge to run away in fear.

Yurika had heard that there would be 50 soldiers at most, so there was no way they would retreat after losing only three.

“And it looks like their teamwork is excellent...”

On top of that, the enemies didn't push forward; instead, after driving Yurika away they fell back with their unconscious companions. That proved how cautious they were and how much they trusted each other. It wouldn't be hard to imagine that their next attack would be far more dangerous.

“...Yurika fight, Yurika fight! Yurika fight!!”

Yurika encouraged herself and cast spells in preparation for the next attack. She was unbearably scared, and if she could she would have run away. But if she escaped, her precious friends would be hurt, or maybe even die. The thought that she might wake up all alone in room 106 tomorrow scared her most of all. She would rather stand her ground and fight here than let that happen.

“Yurika-sama, the enemy is coming!”

“This time we'll use everything we've got! After that we'll fall back to the next trench!”

Mustering up her courage, Yurika gave directions to her three subordinates. One year ago, Yurika had strongly wished she was the only occupant of room 106, but now she desperately worked to avoid it.

“This is Yurika!! Kiriha-san, can you hear me?! The surprise attack was a success and three people have been defeated!! From here we'll be fighting for real!!”

After shouting into her microphone, Yurika pointed the tip of her cane towards the approaching enemy soldiers and started her incantation.

“Poison Cloud, Effective Area Maximize!”

Yurika cast a spell that created a large poisonous cloud. Though the poison wasn't fatal, it was very effective for weakening several people. Yurika wasn't a big fan of this spell because she felt it wasn't very magical-girl-like, but she absolutely needed it for this battle. She had to stop the soldiers here no matter what, by using any means necessary.

Part 7

As Yurika's battle on the right flank began, Kiriha and the others in the center spotted the enemy. Since Kiriha and the others were hiding in trenches like Yurika was, the enemy soldiers didn't advance right away, but began concentrating their forces behind trees and rocks.

“Kiriha, they're about to start shooting.”

With the soldiers closing in, though still a fair distance away, the effect from the forest's aura lessened and Sanae was able to sense the enemy's intention to attack.

“...So it begins, huh. Maki, detonate the first through fifth.”

“Roger that. Transmitting to the first through fifth detonator cords.”

Maki repeated what she had been told and concentrated on her cane. This caused several of the bombs connected to the cane to detonate.

The muffled sound Maki could hear let her know that five bombs had exploded at the same time. The explosives that were detonated this time weren't very lethal. Kiriha figured that since her opponents were pros, they would find any other bombs placed to harm them even without a means to detect them. That's why Kiriha used these explosives to destroy the trees and rocks the soldiers were using as cover. With that, the chances of the explosives being found were low and the amount of explosives needed wouldn't stand out.

Having suddenly lost their cover, the soldiers stood in place with a blank look of surprise. And the lighting that had been placed beforehand lit their appearance up. With the enemy being exposed, lit up and blinded by the light, Kiriha didn't miss her chance to attack.

“Begin the attack! Fire!”

“Sanae-chan God Arrow!”

“Multiple Mind Blast – Target Option Sidewinder!”

“Spiritual energy armament safety released, target acquired Ho-!”

“Commencing fire Ho-!”

Under Kiriha's command, all of those in charge of ranged attacks opened fire as one.

Sanae was using a bow and arrow created from her own spiritual energy, Maki used magic to attack, and the haniwas and underground people used spiritual energy weapons. All of the attacks used spiritual energy. Since Forthorthe's scientific advancements were protecting the enemy soldiers, simple physical attacks wouldn't have much of an effect. At the same time, they couldn't block attacks using spiritual energy. That's why this choice was inevitable.

As a result, all of the weapons were nonlethal. Attacks using spiritual energy had almost no effect on the body. So having attacks that would instead attack the soul directly and remove their opponents freedom was something both the girls of room 106 and Kiriha's subordinates from the conservative faction were grateful for.

Knowing that their opponents wouldn't die when shot, everyone could open fire without any hesitation. With almost no mental strain attached, the preemptive strike worked as planned.

“Uwaa?!”

“Aghh!!”

The coup d'état soldiers collapsed one after another. Including Kiriha, about a dozen people were attacking from a distance. And from this attack, seven of the coup d'état soldiers collapsed to the ground. Kiriha estimated there to be 14 soldiers in the front. Which meant that this one attack had cut the enemy force in half.

“Don't cower, fire back! Destroy the lights!”

Seeing their companions collapse, the coup d'état soldiers took action. As expected from professionals, they quickly lowered their posture to make themselves harder to hit and returned fire. Their first target were the searchlights blinding them.

The coup d'état army were using rifles that shot out beams. Their accuracy was spot on and their power was high. The lights were destroyed in an instant. With that, the surroundings turned dark again, making it harder for Kiriha and the others to aim.

“Now it's my turn!”

In the moment that the lights were destroyed, Shizuka jumped into the midst of the enemy. While the soldiers were blinded by the light, she had snuck up on them and waited for her time to strike. She swung her arms and legs around, sweeping her enemies away like a small tornado.

“Uwaa?!”

“Ugh!!”

And with that attack, several more soldiers fell.

“What's going on?!”

“An enemy snuck up on us!!”

“Whoops!”

Shizuka looked like she was about to continue her attack, but she stopped and jumped into a nearby bush to escape. She didn't have much time to attack her enemies before they struck back. Once the lights had been destroyed, the soldiers would be practically blind until their eyes adjusted to the darkness. And Shizuka would need to retreat once they could see again.

The soldiers that had adjusted to the darkness the fastest fired beams into the bush Shizuka had jumped into.

“Oh how scary!”

However, since Shizuka had already escaped past the bush, the beams simply ended up scorching the bush and the ground.

“Now, Kiriha-san!”

Shizuka shouted into the microphone placed on her cheek. In the next moment, a dazzling light appeared behind Shizuka. It was a flash that Maki had created using magic. Almost all of the coup d'état army's vanguard were caught up in the flash. As a result, just as they had gotten adjusted to the darkness they were blinded again, rendering their night vision goggles useless.

Shizuka hadn't jumped into the midst of the enemy just to defeat them. She would gather all eyes on her so that the second flash would be as effective as possible. The flash lit up the soldiers for Kiriha and the others, allowing them to fire upon them once more.

“...Kiriha. Are you always thinking about vicious things like this?”

Firing arrows from her bow, Sanae asked Kiriha who was next to her. Several enemies easily fell prey to Kiriha's plan. Though they were using special powers like magic and spiritual energy, Sanae was amazed.

“No, only when I have too.”

Firing her spiritual energy rifle, Kiriha answered nonchalantly. In total, 15 soldiers had fallen. This was as good a preemptive strike would do.

“Right. Good... oh and Kiriha.”

“Hmm?”

“Could you teach me some mischievous tricks I could pull on Koutarou later?”

“Very well.”

“Alright!”

“I'm back!”

That was when Shizuka returned. She was slightly out of breath, but had no serious injuries. The only injuries she had were scratches from her attack and retreat. Other than those, she was practically unharmed.

“It looks like everything went according to plan, Kiriha-san. A total of 15 people were knocked out.”

“It was a great success. This is thanks to Yurika doing her best over there. We should give her our thanks later.”

If it wasn't for Yurika's efforts, this result might not have been achieved. If the enemy's detachment had hit their flank as planned, then they wouldn't be in any position to attack.

Having gotten a better result than she hoped for, Shizuka smiled. Maki and Sanae did the same, and they let out a sigh of relief that everyone was okay. However, only Kiriha had a serious expression.

“A message from that Yurika.”

Kiriha touched her earphone. As she did, everyone could hear Yurika's voice in their own earphones. Her voice was desperate, and she was practically screaming.

“T-This is bad!! Just like when Theia-chan brings out her weapons, a bunch of robots came out!! Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

The last was an actual scream. And with that scream as her last, communication with Yurika was cut off.

“Yurika-chan?!”

“Yurika, hey Yurika!”

Shizuka and Sanae called out to Yurika in panic. However, they didn't get any reply.

“...The main show starts here. DKI will show how serious they are.”

Kiriha continued calling out to Yurika through her microphone, while looking in the direction of the enemy with a sharp glance. A strange spectacle was developing in front of her. Machines in the shape of people appeared from a black hole in the air. Their height and physique were the same as an adult male. Since they could use weapons and protection that people could, they didn't require any special equipment, making it very easy to field them.

They were Dragon Knight Industry's human-shaped, all-purpose robots, Motor Knights.

They were mechanical knights sent from the ships in space.

Part 8

As Kiriha and the others were facing off against a new threat, danger loomed for Harumi and Elfaria in their mountain cottage. Moments after the battle had started, unmanned scouts had been sent to look for Elfaria and Theia.

What is this strange feeling...

Thanks to her senses strengthened by her awakening, Harumi could sense the unmanned scout. However, she wasn't aware of that and only felt a vague sense of anxiety.

“Is something the matter, Harumi?”

“Your majesty... All of a sudden, I started feeling restless... I feel like, it'll be dangerous at this rate... even though there's no way I could know that...”

Harumi tilted her head a couple of times as she explained to Elfaria. She was confused as to why she suddenly started feeling so anxious for no apparent reason. She had only recently awakened as a magician, so she didn't know that her magical powers could affect her.

Is she just imagining it? Or is it the Silver Princess's powers?

Since Elfaria had her suspicions about Harumi, she began thinking in that way. In order to confirm her suspicions, she came up with a proposal for Harumi.

“Harumi, you can use magic, can't you?”

“Yes. I only just became able to though...”

“How about you use a spell to search the surroundings then? If you were just imagining it, then the anxiety would settle, but if danger really is approaching it would help us as well.”

“I see, it's just as you say. I'll give it a try.”

Harumi agreed with Elfaria's proposal and decided to use her magic.

What should I use...?

Harumi had a wide repertoire of magic she could use. She had to pick an apt spell to scan the area for enemies. While Yurika or Maki would make up their minds right away, a beginner like Harumi had a tough time picking a spell.

“What's the matter?”

Seeing that Harumi had stopped moving, Elfaria called out to her. Harumi blushed and honestly spoke out her reason.

“I... uhm... was just thinking what spell I should use...”

“That's a good point... Since the enemy is from Forthorthe, it might be a good idea to look for metal. The tools that soldiers use usually have metal in them.”

Weapons, armor, communication devices, cars, planes and even spaceships. Pretty much all modern technology makes use of metal in one way or another. As civilizations developed, so did their use of metal, and the two sides formed a solid bond. That's why scanning the area for metal should reveal any enemies.

“Metal... I'll give it a try!”

Harumi knew of a spell to detect metal. More precisely, it was a spell to look for rocks, but it was effective for refined metal as well. Harumi clasped her hands in front of her chest and closed her eyes to focus. She then called for Signaltin's power and chanted a spell in ancient Forthorthe.

“...Gather, spirits of earth. Kneel before me and display the power behind your name. Shout, lineage of earth!”

Harumi flawlessly spoke her incantation as if it was a song. Since it was a complex language, not even Elfaria, who was also an archaeologist, could pronounce it this well. Harumi spoke as if she had been taught the language since birth.

The ancient language... used in rituals in the past Forthorthe... Would she be able to have such perfect pronunciation just from having memories of it...?

Elfaria had heard that Harumi had the Silver Princess's memories from Clan. However, Elfaria didn't think that that was all there was to it. She couldn't shake the suspicion that there was something else hidden within Harumi.

“...Alright.”

As Elfaria was thinking about that, Harumi completed her spell. In her mind, she could feel the presence of all kinds of metal around her. The framework of the cottage, the nails holding down the floorboards, the cables running inside of the walls. The TV with its various use of metal was like cotton candy.

“What... is this I wonder?...Something is... flying...?”

As Harumi's sense expanded past the cottage, she sensed something strange. A clump of metal the size of a volleyball was moving around a hundred-something meters away. Being in a mountain, moving metal stood out like a sore thumb.

“It's not just one... Two... no, three?”

“Did you find something?”

“Yes. I don't know what it is, but there are three lumps of metal about this size flying around.”

Even if Harumi had said that they were about the size of volleyballs, Elfaria wouldn't understand, so Harumi spread her hands out to show the size.

“...Those are most likely scouts. They must be searching for me and Theia.”

“Oh no! At this rate, they'll find us!”

Even as they were talking, the three scouts were approaching Harumi and Elfaria's cottage. At this rate, they'd soon find the cottage and scan the inside.

“Let's escape right away!”

“That's impossible. The scouts use sound, heat, optics and radar to find their targets. If we exit this building, we'll be found right away.”

The only reason they hadn't been found yet was because the cottage was preventing the scouts from seeing and hearing them. But if they went outside, there would be nothing concealing them. Just like Harumi had quickly detected the scouts, Harumi and Elfaria would soon be spotted in this area void of much else.

“It's safer to stay hidden like this.”

“But, if those things come inside...”

If Elfaria fell into enemy hands, the efforts of the girls, who were in the middle of a battle even now, would go to waste. Harumi racked her brain to find a way to protect Elfaria.

If we leave this cottage we'll be found right away... That said, if we stay here, they'll eventually show up... If we destroy the scouts, the enemy will show up to investigate... Then we'll have to wait it out inside the cottage, but... would that work against alien technology?

The scouts would eventually show up. And before they did, Harumi would need to think of a way to protect Elfaria. To Harumi who had lived a completely normal life up until now, that was an incredibly difficult problem to solve.

Part 9

The scout found the cottage as it was surveying its assigned area.

The scout determined that the cottage was a high priority target for investigation and called over the other scouts. Since it was obvious that people might be hiding in buildings, the scouts were programmed to prioritize their search around buildings. Once the three scouts had gathered, their roles were split up and one would stay outside to survey the entire building while the other two would head inside.

The two scouts used lasers to cut open the wooden wall and entered without a sound. Inside, they found signs of people having been there recently; they had found a boiler which was still hot. Since this was an alien culture, it took some time for the scouts to determine what it was, but it was clear evidence that people were inside. Based on the current circumstances, the chances of it being their target was high. The scouts increased their priority of this investigation and decided on doing a more detailed investigation.

“Ahahaha.”

That was when a woman's laughter could be heard from a different room. Since the scouts had been given the order to find two women, one of them entered the hallway in response to the voice.

Having passed through the door and entered the hallway, the scouts heard a sound from two rooms over. They were the sounds of several men and women talking.

Hearing a woman's laughter and voice, the artificial intelligence's interest deepened further and moved towards the door in question. Once at the door, the scouts confirmed that there were people on the other side through the use of its heat sensors. But it couldn't get any more details than that, so one of them extended a cable from its body and squeezed it through the opening in the door.

The cable contained a camera and microphone, and by sticking it through the gaps, it could be used to scan the other side.

“That looks so great, I want to visit a place like that...”

Inside the room were two black haired women. One was a girl in her teens and the other was a woman in her forties. Only the girl and woman were in the room. They were sitting on a sofa and looking at an ancient video device, a TV. Voices talking came from the video device and the girl and woman were energetically looking at it. The two had cups in their hands with steam rising from them.

The scout that had observed them put all of the information it had gathered together and came up with a logical explanation.

First, it connected the heat from the boiler to the contents of the cup. They were drinking something that required hot water. Next was the laughter from before. It belonged to the girl and woman who were excitedly watching the TV. The talking voices came from the video device.

Having logically explained everything, the scout lost interest in the two women. They were local residents, relaxing and watching their video device. That was the artificial intelligence's conclusion. There was a possibility of them using disguises, but according to their analysis of their faces, they were completely different people.

The scouts didn't have the time to bother with some local residents. After retracting its cable, the scout began searching other rooms. However, there were no signs of other people in the cottage, and the scouts determined that their targets were not here. Upon reaching that conclusion, the two scouts returned to the door to the room where the girl and woman were. They were going to leave through the same hole they had entered, and continue working on their assignment.

However, all of a sudden an alarm rang from the two scouts. They had been operating covertly until now, but after that alarm they gave up all efforts on stealth.

Hearing that alarm, the two inside of the room stood up in surprise. Startled by the sudden sound, the two stared at the door.

The next moment, the scout broke through the door and entered. Surprised by the two balls of metal, their expressions grew stiff.

But in the next moment, the scouts passed through the room and crashed through the glass window and escaped out of the cottage. After joining up with the scout on the outside, they sped off into the distance.

“Just what is...”

The girl with black hair looked out the window. There she saw the starry sky, and a particularly large blue meteor.

“A meteor...?”

The meteor was obviously artificial. The blue light it was emitting was not caused by friction with the atmosphere, but was energy protecting it. With a long tail, the meteor headed for forest, and the scouts followed after it.

“Satomi-kun has descended...”

The black haired girl, Harumi, realized what the meteor was almost right away, and why the scouts had left. They had noticed Koutarou descending from the Blue Knight, and prioritized Koutarou over surveying this area. It also meant that Harumi and Elfaria had successfully managed to deceive the scouts.

“W-We're saved... When they came into the room, I thought it was over...”

Harumi was released from all the tension that had built up in her body and sat down on the spot. However, her heart was still beating rapidly, and more time would be needed for her to calm down.

“Your plan worked, Harumi.”

The other black haired woman approached Harumi.

“Your majesty...”

As Harumi looked up at that woman, her outline temporarily disappeared and she turned into a different woman. The new woman had an expensive looking dress and a crown on her head. She was empress Elfaria, one of the two the scouts were looking for.

“I was surprised when you said I had to hide because the scouts were coming, but your plan was a complete success.”

“I'm glad it went okay.”

Seeing Elfaria's calm smile, Harumi was finally able to smile herself. And remembering what she had done, she felt relieved that she had survived the crisis.

Upon realizing that the scouts were approaching, Harumi's first thought was to hide somewhere in the cottage. However she soon gave up on that idea. The scouts were using Forthorthe's advanced science. She didn't think she could completely fool all of their sensors. For instance, if their temperature were tracked, they wouldn't be able to hide. In order to make the cottage look empty, they wouldn't just need to hide, but also hide all traces that they had been here. Doing that would have been difficult, even with the help of magic. So Harumi came up with the bold plan of not hiding at all.

Harumi was hoping that doing that would trick the scouts to believing that they were completely unrelated.

Using that plan, they wouldn't need to hide their traces. It would be a lot easier to change their appearance than try to erase all traces of themselves. But on the other hand, it also had the risk that if the scouts took their time to collect data, they might find out that it was actually Elfaria. It might even be possible to identify her just by analyzing their temperature data. In short, Harumi's plan was a big gamble.

Fortunately, the scouts didn't gather data that detailed. That was because they were pressed for time and because they didn't want to be found by local residents. And the fact that they detected Koutarou approaching was a big factor as well. Thanks to that, the scouts easily gave up on Harumi and Elfaria and left the cottage.

Thanks to Harumi's gamble, Elfaria was safe. Like Elfaria said, Harumi's plan was a big success.

“But, I still can't believe it went this well...”

“Everything is like that. No matter how hard it might look, when you give it a try, it might be surprisingly easy.”

However, Harumi still didn't feel like she had come out on top. Since she had lived like a normal girl up until now, she couldn't imagine herself being as successful as the characters that appeared in movies or plays.

“Thank you, Harumi. You were a big help.”

“Ah, n-no, not at all!”

All Harumi could feel right now was relief that everything had ended safely, and embarrassment from being thanked by her friend's mother.

Part 10

Like Kiriha had expected, once the humanoid robotic soldiers appeared, the coup d'état army gained the upper hand in the battle. The robotic weapons called Motor Knights didn’t just have more agility and power than humans, they were also a lot tougher. Because of that, the coup d'état army used these robots to replace their fallen allies and attacked Kiriha and the others. In total, 15 robots had appeared, the same amount as the number of people Kiriha and the others had defeated. However, their strength was beyond the soldiers that had fallen. Because of their strength, the robots were using the largest handheld weapons the coup d'état army had. Despite that, their movements were agile, and they could take a few hits. What was even more problematic was that the robots didn't have souls, meaning spiritual energy weapons could only deal about as much damage as a normal weapon. Usually these kinds of opponents were defeated using numbers, but that would be difficult for Kiriha and the others. To them, these were very troublesome opponents.

Of course, these robots had their own weaknesses. They stood out too much to be used in urban areas, and their decision making wasn't as trustworthy as humans were. But if it was just a simple firefight, this wasn't a problem. Using communication to coordinate perfectly, the robots pressed on towards Kiriha and the others, step by step.

“W-What's up with these things?!”

Shizuka who was fighting in the frontlines let out a shout.

She had problems dealing with them in close combat. If it was just one at a time, Shizuka could easily defeat them, but once there were two or more of them, the situation changed entirely.

“T-This is just cheating!! What am I supposed to do?!”

Forming a high-speed network to exchange information, it was possible for the robots to coordinate their attacks perfectly. Their coordination surpassed what humans were capable, and worked even in close combat, where coordination like that would be close to impossible. In other words, it was even possible for several robots to work together and unleash a combination punch.

As Shizuka was fighting against one robot, a second one would sometimes attack. A combination of supposedly three punches suddenly turned into four. There were also cases where punches that she threw should have hit, but were blocked instead.

With this, even a master like Shizuka couldn't do anything. It was like she was going up against a god of war. She was only still standing because Sanae had raised her physical abilities, but all she could do was block the enemy's attacks. What's more, her opponent wouldn't get tired or miss. It was obvious that she couldn't keep this up for long.

“You can do it, Shizuka! Show your guts!”

Sanae cheered at Shizuka while providing covering fire. She wasn't using a bow and arrow anymore, but instead was using poltergeist attacks like she did so in the past. Since the robots didn't have souls, attacks using pure spiritual energy had little effect. Sanae had no choice but to use poltergeist and send nearby objects flying towards the robots.

But as expected, Sanae was having problems too. There weren't that many objects lying around that would be useful for attacking. There were plenty of rocks, but the robots wouldn't so much as flinch if they were hit by that. Large rocks would do some damage, but the robots would swiftly dodge them. And because they were robots, Sanae couldn't use her abilities to read where they would go next. So even for Sanae, robots were tough opponents.

“Thunder Lance – Modifier – High Concentrate – Armor Piercing!”

Amongst them, only Maki was able to damage the opponent. Since she was a magician, she could adapt her way of fighting depending on the opponent. Maki concentrated her power to forcibly break through the robots’ defenses and shoot electricity through the internal workings of the robots.

But knowing that Maki was a threat, the coup d'état army wouldn't simply leave her be. The human soldiers that had arrived at the battlefield as backup prioritized targeting Maki. Because of that, Maki had to deal with the onslaught of bullets and shells coming her way, and was unable to attack the way she pleased. Knowing that only Maki could deal with the robots, it wasn't that hard to limit her actions.

“...As expected, not having Theia-dono and Ruth hurts.”

Kiriha bit her lips as she used her haniwas to protect Maki.

If Theia and Ruth had been here, they'd be able to launch a more powerful offensive. They could summon weapons from the Blue Knight, or bombard the battlefield with lasers directly from space, which would allow them to defeat a large amount of the robots. But right now, Theia and the Blue Knight were headed towards the far side of the moon in order to deal with the three ships over there. Since those ships were sending the robots in, that was something that had to be done.

And Theia's absence didn't just impact their offensive capabilities. Theia's strong willpower, her leadership that would bring them victory was absent as well. Kiriha had some talent as a commander too, but she was aware that she wasn't as good as Theia. Kiriha formed plans, while Theia stood at the front and executed them. That was how things had always played out until now. Theia was their shining beacon. With her now gone, they didn't know who to turn to.

“Everyone, hurry! Get to Kiriha-san and the others, quickly!”

That was when Yurika and her three subordinates jumped out of a bush to the right. Yurika sent the three out ahead of her while she would remain to buy them some time to escape.

Yurika’s squad had been dealing with the coup d'état army's detachment up until now. As a result of just the four of them standing against the enemy forces, they were all wounded.

The three subordinates were already in a state where they couldn't continue fighting any longer, and one of them had taken an injury so severe it wouldn't be strange for her to die. The two who were relatively unharmed compared to the third one carried her towards Kiriha and the others.

And the one protecting them was Yurika, who had taken the least amount of damage. However, Yurika had a lot of bruises and scorch marks on her, so she was far from alright. But as long as she had something to protect, she would never fall back. She desperately bought time for the three subordinates who had been protecting her until now.

“Nijino Yurika, that's enough, hurry and get over here!”

Thanks to Yurika's efforts, the three subordinates managed to safely reach Kiriha and the others. The three of them collapsed into a trench, and seeing that, Kiriha called Yurika over.

“O-Okay!”

“Yurika-chan, hurry up Ho-!”

“We don't have much time Ho-!”

“Thank you, Karama-chan, Korama-chan!”

Yurika retreated while being protected by the haniwas. Before long, Yurika was able to reach Kiriha and the others. With a ragged breath, Yurika then posed a question to Kiriha.

“Kiriha-san, how is it going here?! Is everyone okay?!”

“It's hard to say that they're okay. It might be better to fall back before we take any more damage.”

Kiriha and the others had prepared many defensive positions around the cottage where Harumi and Elfaria were hiding. One of them had now almost been overrun by the enemy. That's why they only had the option to fall back to another defensive position.

“Wait, Kiriha-san, if we retreat from here, the detachment to our right will be completely freed up! Sakuraba-san will be in danger!”

Maki objected to falling back. Since they had made several defensive positions, they could make use of more traps if they fell back to another one. However, it would also give their enemies a chance to regroup. And since they would also move closer to Harumi and Elfaria, it was dangerous to just fall back.

“I know! That's why we'll contact those two and have them―”

That was when a laser fired from one of the enemy robots pierced through Kiriha's shoulder. As Kiriha was occupied with the battle in its entirety, she revealed an opening, and the attack from the robot happened to overlap with that opening.

“Ugh.”

Kiriha's face distorted from the pain and she fell to one knee. Since her wound had been cauterized by the laser there was no blood, but she had lost her ability to move her right arm and she dropped her rifle.

“We're running, everyone! Yurika, use that villainous magic of yours or something!”

The moment Kiriha had been injured, Sanae instantly decided on a retreat. Sanae had felt that everyone's morale dropped when their leader, Kiriha, had been hurt. Though they might still be in danger if they fall back, they wouldn't be killed right away like they might if they stayed here. That was what Sanae's intuition told her, and in a rare display of leadership, she led the retreat.

“Kiriha, can you stand?!”

“I'm okay... Only my arm is hurt.”

Sanae put her palm over Kiriha's wound and poured spiritual energy into her. Once Shizuka got back, the two of them worked together to help Kiriha up. Immediately after that, a uniquely colored fog covered the battlefield. The fog was the poison and acid clouds that Yurika had created. The enemies were wrapped in the fog, took damage and had their view of the battlefield robbed from them. With that, the enemy soldier's attack was interrupted, but the robots were equipped with heat sensors and continued attacking.

“Then how about this! Fire Wall!”

Maki created a wall of flame between them and the poison cloud. With the heat from the flames, the robots heat sensors couldn't pick up any more people and their attack stopped as well, giving everyone a chance to escape.

“Now, everyone, hurry and go!”

Maki signaled her allies, and once they had moved out she retreated as well. But that was when the unthinkable happened.

In the center of Maki and her escaping allies, a big explosion suddenly occurred.

“Kyaaaaaaaa!!”

The girls screamed out. The shockwave created by the blast sent them flying, and many of them were slammed into the ground and lost consciousness. The only one still conscious was Maki who had been bringing up the rear.

“...W-What just...”

Maki endured the pain and tried to get up, but the shockwave dulled her body and she was unable to move as she pleased. The only thing she could move was her head. She turned her head around and looked in the direction of the enemy behind her.

There she saw several robots; they had ignored the poison and acid clouds and the fire wall, and forcibly chased after them.

I see... They were all disposable... We were too naïve...

If their opponents had been human, Maki and the others probably could have escaped using that method, since pushing through poison and fire was nothing short of suicidal.

However, their opponents this time had robots as well. Robots didn't hesitate to put themselves at harm’s risk. And the commander didn't care for losing some robots. The only thing they were thinking about was eliminating Maki and the others. The robots ignored everything and pushed forward. Maki and the others hadn't predicted this strategy that humans could never pull off.

Will we die here...?

Maki couldn't move any more. As she realized her death was imminent, strength left her body. Despite being face to face with death, Maki didn't feel any fear. She knew what was scary wasn't death, but solitude. Since she was with her friends, she wasn't scared.

Satomi-kun... I'm sorry...

Her only regret was Koutarou. She felt deep regret about leaving Koutarou alone. But there was nothing she could do with her body unable to move.

I wanted to see you, one more time, before I died...

With that thought as her last, Maki's consciousness began drifting away. Her built up tension was all released and she was overcome with a large amount of mental fatigue. And because of the pain, she was unable to stay conscious.

A blue, light... Is that... Satomi-kun...?

Just as she was about to lose consciousness, Maki spotted a blue light. And in the center of that blue light was a boy wearing a blue armor. Seeing that, Maki felt content and lost consciousness. It didn't matter to her whether it was an illusion or the real deal.

Part 11

Most of the anger the boy called Satomi Koutarou had was usually directed at his own powerlessness. Because he was simple and his expressions were immediate, he would often look like he was angry, but it was actually rare for him to openly display anger.

However, at this time, Koutarou was very clearly angry. And it wasn't some half-assed anger either. His anger this time was about as fierce as when Alaia and Charl had been kidnapped.

“...Why can't you just leave us be... We just want to be close to one another...”

Koutarou was grasping Signaltin's handle in his hand. The metal of his gauntlet scratched against the handle creating a screeching noise, as if the screams in Koutarou's mind were leaking out.

After descending on the lifeboat, Koutarou used the coordinates he had gotten from Clan to head towards the battlefield. There, Koutarou saw his 20 companions lying on the ground, unable to move. Most of them were seriously injured and would die if left untreated. And amongst those 20 were the girls that were extra special to him. Kiriha, Sanae, Yurika, Maki, Shizuka. Each of them were struggling with their own solitude and sought after the warmth from others. They were his friends that supported each other. Koutarou couldn't lose them no matter what. If they weren't all smiling together, he would feel troubled. And now they all lay collapsed with life threatening injuries. That was something Koutarou could never forgive.

“...I'm glad you’re machines.”

Koutarou readied his sword. In front of him were 15 robots. It didn't matter how strong they were, as he would beat them down no matter what. He had to save his companions as quickly as possible.

“Because I don't think I could hold back right now.”

Koutarou was angry.

If the flaming anger in his eyes could be removed, the robots would surely have melted in an instant. That was just how intense his anger was.

A large amount of people were watching the battle progress on the monitor in the bridge of the Hazy Moon. They were the people who had helped Theia and Elfaria escape, so they were well aware of the meaning of this battle. That's why, when the girls collapsed, sobbing could be heard on the bridge. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before their beloved empress would fall into the hands of the coup d'état army.

“Who is that knight...?”

“I'm not sure... but he sure does look eccentric...”

However, when a lone knight appeared on the monitor, the people's appearance began to change.

The knight was wielding a knight's sword and wearing a knight's armor. It was a very classic knight that you'd only see on TV and in movies in this day and age. What stood out the most however, was the knight's youth and the color of his armor.

The knight was quite clearly an adolescent, still young enough to be called a child. He was just about princess Theiamillis's age.

And the armor he was wearing had a vivid blue color. It was a color rarely used by knights. Since it was a color a great knight of the past had used, it was rarely ever used by others out of respect and due to not wanting to be compared.

“It's blue, so it has to be the Blue Knight! That's obvious!”

A young boy who was watching the monitor alongside the adults spoke what was on everyone's minds. If the armor was blue, it had to be the Blue Knight.

“The empress and princess are in trouble so he came to save them!”

“Child. Even if you call him the Blue Knight, he can't be 'that' Blue Knight. He's only wearing blue armor so he can stand out. He'll only end up losing.”

To the people of Forthorthe, the Blue Knight was a man of great meaning. The Blue Knight was a legendary hero from 2,000 years ago who was respected even now. But a legend was just a legend. There was no way the Blue Knight standing before them was the real one, the person on the monitor was just wearing a blue armor. He should just be a normal knight. Moreover, if he was a normal knight, he should have avoided using that blue color, so it seemed clear that this person was quite a show off. That wasn't the opinion of just the person who had spoken to the young boy, but rather the opinion of all the adults on the bridge.

“No way! That's the Blue Knight!”

However, the young boy believed that if the empress and princess were in trouble, the Blue Knight would appear. And after he defeated the bad guys, everything would have a happy ending. He was a legendary hero that the boy admired after all.

“He'll definitely win! There's no way the Blue Knight would lose to some robots that haven't even made any oaths!”

And just as the boy declared so with all his might, the knight in question unsheathed his sword and began moving. However, his speed was far too fast. To the people who were observing through the monitor, it was as if he had disappeared. In the next moment, he reappeared in a different place. He stood in place having swung his sword.

At the same time, three robots exploded in succession. They were the robots that should have been in the way of the knight.

“What?! Did that knight do that?!”

“There's no one else there, it has to be!”

“Those are the latest model robotic soldiers right?! And he destroyed three so easily?!”

The people on the bridge were taken back in surprise. They had been watching the fight all this time, so they knew just how strong those robots were. Yet, the knight wearing blue armor had destroyed three of them in one fell swoop. It was an unbelievable spectacle.

“See! I told you! He'll win! He's the Blue Knight!”

The boy was rejoiceful that he had been correct and turned back to look at the monitor. Rather than talking with the adults, it was more important for him to cheer on the Blue Knight.

“You can do it, Blue Knight! Beat those bad guys!”

As if the boy’s cheers reached him, the knight moved swung his sword once more, and another robot was destroyed. The sword’s sharpness was terrific as it severed the robot and its weapon in half.

“Could it be...”

At first, everyone had rejected the boy's words. But for each time a robot was destroyed, they began thinking that the boy had been correct. The knight's fight was so vivid that everyone thought of that legendary knight.

The Blue Knight, Reios Fatra Bertorion. The legendary hero and his trademark blue armor.

“Fly! Fly, Blue Knight!”

However, at this point, there was only who truly believed so from the bottom of his heart.

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