Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 21 - Chapter 5

Second Coming of the Legend

Sunday, November 7th

Regardless of how technologically advanced Blue Knight and the Hazy Moon were, they still needed very mundane care like regular maintenance and supply refreshers. When it had just been Theia and Ruth, their needs weren’t all that great. But once Elfaria and the Forthorthian citizens were on board, their demands increased accordingly. Fortunately they were able to get most everything they needed via the People of the Earth and the transfer gate, which eliminated the need for the Forthorthians to descend to the surface personally. The greatest problems were manpower and timing—it would take a lot of hands on deck to resupply in a hurry. They didn’t have any fully automated devices to facilitate the process like they did in the grand Forthorthian docks back home, which slowed the resupply process down considerably. So in order to help speed things along, Koutarou and the girls were all lending a hand so that they could depart as soon as possible.

“Ruth-san, where should I carry this?”

“The twelfth storeroom in the right leg calf.”

“Okay, twelfth warehouse in the right leg calf. Got it.”

Koutarou wrote the destination down on a plate fixed to the cart. Because they were taking in a considerable deal in the way of cargo, it would generate a lot of hassle down the line if things ended up getting stored in the wrong facilities. As she was overseeing the operation to ensure nothing like that happened, Ruth looked over the cart and plate one final time to make sure everything was in order.

“Wait up!” shouted a hardhat-wearing Sanae as she ran over to Koutarou, pushing a cart of her own.

“Whoa there. That’s dangerous. Slow down a bit, will ya?”

“Okay, okay.”

For safety reasons, people were put in groups of two to work on bringing in all the cargo. Today Sanae happened to be Koutarou’s partner, so the two of them would be heading to the same destination with their loaded-down carts.

“So, where are we going now?”

“This time it’ll be the opposite leg, the right one. The twelfth storeroom.”

“Okay, twelfth storeroom in the right leg... Koutarou, does that mean our right?”

“No, it’s right from Blue Knight’s perspective.”

The Hazy Moon’s resupply was already complete, but stocking Blue Knight automatically took longer because of the shape of its hull. Normally, a ship’s main storeroom was on the lower decks in order to make sure it was accessible from multiple points. Storing the heaviest loads downward also helped balance the ship and maintain its center of gravity. Blue Knight, however, was humanoid in shape and structure. If all of the supplies were loaded into the lower half of the ship, they would be incredibly difficult to access from the upper half. To combat this, multiple warehouses were constructed in both the arms and the legs. It made things more readily accessible in flight, but it also meant that there was more to keep track of in the way of logistics, which slowed down the resupply process.

“Transporting supplies is hard because of the ship’s weird shape.”

“You should have just made it round instead of being so picky.”

“Less talking, more working!”

“Okay, okay...”

“Fine, jeez...”

After being yelled at by an angry Theia—who was acting as the supervisor of the whole operation—Koutarou and Sanae scuttled off with their carts. They approached a set of gates connected to various points like the People of the Earth’s supply point and Blue Knight’s storerooms. Koutarou and Sanae were headed for the gate that led to Blue Knight’s right leg.

“Auuugh! Shizuka-san, where are you?!”

Just as they were about to enter the gate, Yurika came running out of it in tears. She was pushing a cart like Koutarou and Sanae, but for some reason she was alone.

“Yurika, what happened?!”

“Satomi-san, Satomi-san! Please help me! Shizuka-san just disappeared all of a sudden!”

Yurika and Shizuka were assigned as partners for the day, but they’d apparently gotten separated, which was why Yurika was back here—alone and in tears.

“Really? That’s not like Landlord-san... Where were you taking supplies?”

“Koutarou, her cart says storeroom 22 in the torso.”

“Which means... Okay, calm down and listen to me, Yurika.”

“Where did Shizuka-san go?!”

“Like I said, calm down.”

“O-Okay...”

Koutarou lightly flicked Yurika’s forehead, which promptly got her to settle down. This was nearly a daily interaction between the two of them, so her response was practically conditioned.

“Yurika, you’re the one who disappeared.”

“Huhwuh?”

“This is the gate connected to the right leg. The gate for the torso is the one in the middle.”

“It’s not this one?!”

“Nope. You were supposed to be over there.”

“Shizuka-saaan!”

Finally realizing her mistake, Yurika ran speeding off towards the correct gate without so much as a thank you. Blue Knight’s strange shape turned out to be the biggest challenge for Yurika. She’d gotten lost five times today alone.

“Say, Koutarou...”

“I know what you’re gonna say, but there’s no time for that.”

“No, not that... I mean, was the destination on her cart even correct?”

“Please, Sanae. Don’t say such scary things so casually.”

Koutarou and Sanae suppressed their unease as they passed through the gate. The resupply was taking long enough as it was, so they couldn’t afford to delay their own work to worry about Yurika.

The royal class space battleship named Blue Knight was a humanoid structure over a kilometer long—or tall, as it were. The sections of leg below the knee stood 250 meters tall on their own. Koutarou and Sanae were currently headed for the twelfth storeroom in Blue Knight’s right calf, but because the gate was located right under the knee, they still had a good hundred meters or so to get to their destination. On the way there, they crossed paths with several other people, including some of the Forthorthian citizens that had come with Elfaria and some of the People of the Earth that were helping out with the resupply. Everyone was working hard together to get things done. But even then, they all stopped to bow politely to Koutarou as he passed.

“Teehee, everyone’s greeting you, Koutarou.”

Sanae grinned from ear to ear when she noticed. She was beaming like she was the one being praised. She was pleased that Koutarou was getting the recognition he deserved, which in turn helped put into perspective for her how much he’d really done to help other people.

“It’s not like they have to, though.”

“That’s not true! You’ve helped all these people out.”

“Yeah, but so did you guys. It’s not like I’m all that big of a deal.”

“I’d rather you get all the credit, though. It’d feel weird if people started thanking me for stuff.”

“Yeah, well, it feels weird for me too.”

Sanae was pleased as punch, but Koutarou was rather conflicted on the matter. There hadn’t been a single incident that Koutarou had resolved on his own, so all of the gratitude being directed at him felt strange.

“You’re the leader, so just accept it already. Red always gets the credit as team leader.”

“I’m Blue though.”

“Blue is the Blue Knight’s color. If you admit to being the Blue Knight, it’s only obvious that people would thank you, Layous-sama! Ohoho!”

Sanae teased Koutarou by mimicking Elfaria in a very uncanny fashion. His expression instantly twisted into a bitter smile.

“Don’t do that. I won’t forgive you if you grow up to be like Elle.”

“Okaaay.”

Though she could be impish from time to time, Sanae wanted Koutarou to see her as a good girl. She had no intention of ever being like Elfaria, but didn’t mind pretending every now and then for a little fun.

“The truth is, though, that I want you to be a hero... but just our hero.”

“I would honestly prefer that too.”

“Aha, so you’d be okay with us thanking you?”

“I’m grateful to all of you too, after all.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

“It balances out, right?”

“Yeah... Hey, am I working out as your Kabutonga?”

“Yeah. You can take pride in it.”

“Heehee!”

Right about the time their conversation petered out, they made it to storeroom 12. Sanae ran up to the door with a bounce in her step and placed her hand on the panel next to it with a flourish.

“Open sesame!”

Following her overly dramatic display, the door slid open without a sound. It was operated by the panel next to it, and activated by a combination of voice recognition and a scan that mapped the capillaries in one’s hand. Sanae loved using it and repeated the same performance every time she came.

“You love doing that, don’t you?”

“Yours truly, Sanae-chan, believes in boldly opening the way to your own future!”

“Talk about exaggerating. It’s just a door.”

“Eeheehee.”

Storeroom 12 was several meters both wide and across. It was big enough for both Koutarou and Sanae to enter with their carts without it feeling too cramped. Once inside, they parked their carts and worked together to unload the containers stacked on top of them.

“What’s in these boxes, Koutarou?”

“Well, mostly food. This one right here says ‘potatoes’ on the side.”

“Isn’t it a bad idea to keep food in a faraway place like this?”

“If we get into a fight, there’s no way of knowing which parts of the ship will be damaged, so it’s best to split things up and keep a little of it everywhere.”

“Huh... I guess a lot of thought went into this.”

Each of their carts was carrying two containers the size of large cardboard moving boxes, which were specifically designed to help prevent the spoilage of their contents. They were heavy considering everything they were loaded with, but gravity aboard Blue Knight was specifically being controlled to make the job of unloading the carts easier.

“Welp, that should do it.”

“All right, let’s go back!”

It only took a few minutes for Koutarou and Sanae to get the containers to their designated places in the storeroom, where they fit snugly to a T. Once that was done, they wheeled their carts back out into the hallway—where they were greeted by the unexpected blaring of a siren.

“Kyaaah!”

“What?!”

A revolving red light was flashing up and down the corridor, adding to the suspense. Both Koutarou and Sanae froze in place, surprised by the suddenness of it all. It only took a moment, however, for them to regain their composure. They turned to each other with resolution and determination in their eyes.

“Let’s go, Sanae!”

“Yeah!”

Leaving their carts behind, Koutarou and Sanae took off running. They couldn’t tell what had happened from just the alarm, but they knew that—whatever it was—it was serious. Their first priority right now was to get to Theia and Elfaria to protect them.

Shortly after the fleet departed on their mission to capture Empress Elfaria, Lord Vandarion received a message from the Melcemhein band of knights. It contained information on Blue Knight’s battle capabilities—which were reportedly higher than they were on paper. The origin of this information was undisclosed, but as it came through the Melcemhein band of knights, Vandarion knew they weren’t just pulling his leg. But even so, he wasn’t worried. Blue Knight was only one ship. An entire fleet would never lose against a single ship no matter how powerful it was, though Vandarion did warn them to put some countermeasures in place to keep the potential damage to the minimum.

Moreover, that wasn’t all the information the message contained. It claimed that there was an underground organization on Earth that was helping to resupply Blue Knight. The message described them, their combat capabilities, and their whereabouts—it even included a map and blueprints of their base. It was practically a missive on how to attack and destroy them.

“With information this detailed, I suppose it’s only natural that the source would want to keep their identity hidden.”

“Certainly. If we sent a spy into the ranks of Elfaria’s faction, even they would be in danger if they revealed information like this.”

At first, Lord Vandarion and Director General Granado didn’t trust the information they’d received. Because it came from the Melcemhein knights, however, they couldn’t just ignore it. It was also so specific and detailed—particularly in regards to the underground organization on Earth—that it seemed legitimate. It was hard to believe anyone would go to such lengths to falsify intelligence, so it seemed much more likely that the Melcemhein family or someone close to them had a spy among Elfaria’s supporters. And so Vandarion and Granado came to trust and believe the information they’d been sent.

“However... if we attack Her Majesty Elfaria using this information, it would be like telling the sender we’re willing to cooperate with them.”

“Considering the detailed nature of the intelligence and the timing of its delivery... I can think of one other potential sender—that DKI boy.”

Vandarion’s chief suspect was the young CEO of DKI, Elexis. Although he wasn’t a spy per se, it wasn’t hard to believe he had access to privileged information and then some. He’d also have a discernable motive for sending it to Vandarion.

“Now that you mention it, he hasn’t made any public appearances lately... Is it possible that he’s been on Earth ever since he went after Princess Theia?”

“If that’s true, then this would all make sense. He remained on Earth for some reason, and has only just returned to Forthorthe now that things are going down here. As a result, he has more accurate information than we do in regards to what’s going on on Earth. Perhaps that’s how he knows we’ll lose if go straight for Blue Knight—he’s experienced it firsthand.”

“That can’t be... How could a whole fleet be taken out by a single ship, even if it’s a royal class battleship?”

Director General Granado could hardly believe it. Elexis had attacked Theia’s Blue Knight and lost, but Vandarion and Granado had sent a much larger fleet to handle the job. If even they lost, just how powerful was Blue Knight really? As the director general of military affairs and the head of Forthorthe’s science and technology agency, Granado understood all too well how frightening that prospect really was.

“Perhaps it’s because of that underground organization the message mentioned.”

Lord Vandarion didn’t fear Blue Knight the way Granado did. He suspected that its alleged power wasn’t its own—and in that sense, he was very close to the truth. Blue Knight, even in high-spec mode with Koutarou at the helm, would also have the secreted away Hazy Moon to back it up.

“Whatever the reason, that boy will use this to suggest that we’re better off teaming up with him. In other words, it’s a sales pitch.”

“Yet at the same time, he’s sizing us up.”

“That’s right. If we use this information to secure victory, it would prove we at least have a modicum of intellect and capability in his eyes.”

“While if we ignore him and lose because of it, it would prove we were unworthy of an alliance in the first place.”

“Honestly, what a shrewd boy.”

“What should we do?”

“For starters, we’ll confirm the validity of his information. Are the maps of the base accurate? Are there any space-time distortions in that area? So on and so forth. Those answers will be the deciding factor.”

“I’ll look into it right away.”

Vandarion and Granado still didn’t know for certain whether or not Elexis was the one who sent them the information. Vandarion was fairly convinced, but they still needed to confirm it. As far as he was concerned, the veracity of the intelligence would indirectly give them their answer. Yet the moment they confirmed the information and put it to use, they’d be accepting Elexis’s implied offer. That was what Vandarion meant when he said Elexis was a shrewd boy.

“Heh... Still, we have gotten old.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“While we were contemplating what to do, the younger generation was making its move. Just like we did in the past.”

“But in the end, Vandarion-sama, you will be the one to stand at the top of it all.”

“That’s my intention. I won’t be letting that boy do as he pleases just yet.”

Vandarion wasn’t surprised that a rival player like Elexis would emerge from the woodwork at a crucial moment like this—it was exactly what he and Granado had done in the past. Nevertheless, he was confident that he would ultimately be the one to seize control of the nation when all was said and done. And so he decided to engage Elfaria and her followers in a surface battle—just like Elexis’s information hinted they should. Doing that would prove two things: how accurate the information was, and what Elexis was really worth. Vandarion would be using this opportunity to size him up too.

The circumstances being what they were, the coup d’etat army decided on a rather orthodox approach to their surface attack. Because the accuracy of their intelligence was still in question, they couldn’t make any bold moves. The fleet commander wanted to limit the gambles they were taking; the surface attack was a big enough risk as it was.

As for the plan of attack, it was relatively simple. The coup forces knew that Blue Knight was currently in the middle of receiving supplies from the base in question. Because of that, the ship would be completely immobile, making it the perfect time to strike. But because the coup forces had no relations with Earth, it wasn’t like they could enter its atmosphere legally. To get around that, the fleet dispatched a special forces team to infiltrate the underground organization’s base. From there, they would use the organization’s gate to board Blue Knight and capture Elfaria.

At first glance, it looked like a difficult mission—but looks can be deceiving. Being heavily automated, Blue Knight had very little in the way of crew. As long as the coup forces could deceive the IFF, they wouldn’t have to worry about being attacked by Blue Knight’s defense mechanisms. And seeing as how Blue Knight was a former allied ship, that part wouldn’t be hard. The key to the mission—what the success of the operation would really depend on—would be whether they could successfully reach the gate. Getting there, however, wouldn’t be as simple as they thought.

“Two of the spiritual energy sensors on the base’s outer perimeter have detected suspicious individuals approaching, ho! The fourth sensor on the southeast side and the third sensor on the north side have also gone off, ho!”

“We can’t see anything on the optical cameras there, ho! But when the footage is enhanced, we can see some men wearing clothing that changes colors like a chameleon, ho! And they’re getting closer, ho!”

It was the People of the Earth’s technology that first detected the approaching enemy. As Forthorthians in general were completely ignorant of spiritual energy technology, they walked right into various sensors and traps without knowing better. That was what had tripped the siren Koutarou and Sanae heard in the lower decks of Blue Knight.

“That’s the active camouflage Forthorthian special forces use,” explained Clan. “They stand out so badly because the quality is so poor.”

Ruth had used a drone to stealthily survey the areas Karama and Korama had identified, while Clan processed and enhanced the incoming footage to give Koutarou and the others a clear image of the intruders in question. Little did they know they’d already been detected.

Clan had decried the quality of their camouflage, but that was largely because she was comparing it to what she might use herself. What the enemy was using was actually rather high quality for being mass produced. Had they been on any other mission, they wouldn’t have been spotted until they were much closer to their target. Their early detection wasn’t their fault or the fault of their gear so much as it was bad luck that they were up against Clan and the People of the Earth.

“So there’s 45 of them in total, huh? They’re not joking around.”

Koutarou could see two groups of men in matching fatigues in the hologram projected from his bracelet. He and Sanae were making a run for the gate leading to Earth while Clan and the others filled them in.

“Hey, Koutarou. Why are their numbers different?”

Sanae, who was looking at the same hologram, cocked her head to the side in puzzlement. There were two groups approaching, but the group coming from the south had thirty men while the group coming from the north only had fifteen. They would be completely unbalanced if they were moving for a pincer attack.

“The group with fewer men to the north is probably going to run distraction,” answered Kiriha. “Get a more detailed analysis of the footage. The north side should have longer range weapons.”

“Kiriha-sama is correct! Only the men on the north side are outfitted for long range combat!”

“That must be their plan, then. The smaller group will engage us from a distance, and while our attention is turned to the north, the larger group will rush in from the south. Based on their positions, it’s almost certain their end goal is the gates in the warehouse. They’re after Elfaria-dono aboard Blue Knight!”

Kiriha’s keen eye and insight quickly deciphered the intentions of intruders. The warehouse on base sat on the southeastern side of the facility. It was a simple, perfectly sensible plan to send their main force to the real objective via the shortest possible route.

“Ruth and I will take care of the north side! They’re a hundred years too early to go up against us in a long range battle!” declared Theia.

“Please leave this to us, Master!” shouted Ruth.

“Koutarou, you take Shizuka with you and head southeast!” Theia ordered.

“Okay! Landlord-san, let’s meet by the gate!” Koutarou shouted.

“Roger that! I’m almost there!” Shizuka shouted back.

As long as she knew her opponent’s plan, Theia could handle things. As commander, she effectively put her soldiers to their best use, swiftly moving to counteract the enemy’s strategy.

“Maki, you come with us just in case! We might need your backup!” Theia called.

“Okay, I’ll head over to you,” Maki replied.

“That means you’re with us, Yurika,” called Koutarou.

“I-I would! But I don’t know how to get back!” Yurika called back.

“Wait a minute, Yurika! Where are you right now?!”

“I’m with Elfaria-san! I got some tea and snacks from her!”

“So you never found Shizuka...”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! It wasn’t for lack of trying!”

As it turned out, Yurika was unexpectedly off course. Her original destination was storeroom 22 in Blue Knight’s torso, but she’d never made it there. Instead she’d accidentally made her way to the living quarters and met up with Elfaria, who tried to help her find her way.

“No! Good job, Yurika! You just stay there!”

“Yeah! Protect Elle no matter what, okay?”

“O-Okay! I’ll do my best!”

Though unexpected, the Yurika situation ended up working out perfectly. Since she could use all kinds of magic as a magical girl, she was incredibly versatile in situations like this and made an ideal candidate for protecting Elfaria.

“Harumi, you go with Koutarou! Make sure he has what he needs with Signaltin!”

“Yes, of course!”

“Kiriha, move as you see fit based on the situation!”

“Got it. Karama, start off assisting Theia-dono. Karama, you come with me—we’re going to Koutarou.”

“Gotcha! I’m off, ho!”

“I’ll protect you, Ane-san, ho!”

“Clan, you stay here as backup! Unless something serious happens, don’t come out!”

Theia was putting her forces to excellent use, but the trickiest player to put into action was Clan. The Schweiger family had close ties with the military, and things would get complicated if there were suddenly open hostilities between them. Moreover, Clan’s Hazy Moon was officially back in Forthorthe, so she couldn’t risk letting anyone spot it here.

“You don’t need to worry; I know the position I’m in quite well! But Yurika, if things get really bad, don’t hesitate to bring Elfaria over here!”

“Thank you very much!”

Theia, Ruth, Maki, and Karama were in charge of intercepting the troops to the north which would be leading the diversion. Meanwhile, Koutarou, Sanae, Harumi, Shizuka, Kiriha, and Korama would take care of the enemy’s main force coming from the southeast. Yurika would stay with Elfaria to protect her if it came to that. Clan was on standby overhead in the Cradle, doing what she could to support Koutarou and the girls behind the scenes. For teams that were decided so hastily, they were well balanced in terms of offense and defense, and should be well equipped to deal with the intruders. Theia’s natural instincts when it came to battle were second to none.

By the time Maki and Karama grouped up with them, Theia and Ruth were already preparing to attack. As impatient as she was, Theia was determined to attack first. And since she wouldn’t dare let her lord fight on her own, Ruth followed suit.

“Ridiculous! You think fifteen fools could defeat me?!” Theia shouted as her missile launcher opened all of its ports at once.

Theia’s Combat Dress was currently outfitted with golden decorations. She had the Guardian Yellow accessories equipped, which sacrificed mobility for superior defense and massive firepower. Guardian Yellow could fire missiles and large cannons all while being protected by a sturdy barrier and anti-air guns, making it perfect for the current situation.

“Ruth-chan, I’m sending over the spiritual energy sensor data, ho!”

“I’ve got it. Your Highness, all fifteen of the enemy units have been targeted.”

Karama, who had come with Theia, had an accurate read of the area—including the location of all fifteen of the special forces units. Ruth processed the data from Karama and forwarded it to the firing control system for Theia’s Combat Dress. In other words, both Karama and Ruth would be responsible for guiding Theia’s missiles.

“Maki, can you enhance my senses?!”

“You can count on me! That’s my specialty! Here! Keen Sense! Lightning Reflexes!”

Next, Maki—who had only just gotten to the scene—cast two spells in rapid succession. The first was to sharpen Theia’s senses and the second was to improve reflexes and motor functions. Both were perfect for a situation like this where swift and accurate attacks would make all the difference, and since they were indigo magic, they were right in Maki’s wheelhouse. With her help, Theia was now as keen as a wild animal and as dexterous as a fine artist.

“Heh, I’ll show these sorry dogs what it means to challenge me to a fight!”

Theia laughed fearlessly as she readied a massive cannon in both hands. It was almost twice as long as she was tall. From a distance, it looked like she was holding a giant spear.

“Blue Knight, release firearms control on the anti-ship hybrid cannon! I want manual bombardment!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

Theia disengaged the AI’s control of her cannon because she was intent on attacking herself. She could see her targets just fine now that her eyesight was sharper than a hawk’s. And with her deft movements, her aim didn’t waver in the slightest. Enhanced by magic, she was now far more accurate than the computer would be.

“Anchor!”

Two loud cracking sounds could be heard as stakes emerged from both of her feet and impaled themselves in the ground, effectively fixing her in place. The cannon she was holding was far beyond what a normal human could hope to steady and support. After a shell was fired via a gunpowder blast, it was then further accelerated by the cannon’s electromagnetic barrel. The shells shot out with such speed and force that it was impossible to see with the naked eye. As a result, it was impossible to completely kill the recoil even with Guardian Yellow’s weight and technology on Theia’s side. That was why she needed the additional help of a primitive technique like staking herself to the ground.

“Blue Knight, raise the flag!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

Theia was now fully prepared to fire. But before that, a flag with a golden flower on it unfurled overhead. It wasn’t a physical flag, but one drawn with lasers. The sight of it was incredible, and the flower emblazoned on it was both exquisite and beautiful.

“Can you hear me, men?! We will now begin our attack!”

The flag flying over Theia’s head was meant to let everyone—friend and foe alike—know that the princess herself had taken to the battlefield. Forthorthe’s proud royals were above the likes of sneak attacks. They fought and defeated their enemies fair and square, and Theia was no different. The large, several-meter flag fluttering over her head was a bold declaration that she was here to fight and win.

The highly trained special forces approaching from the north couldn’t help but notice the large, brilliant flag. And when they saw it, they fell into a panic.

“Receiving an IFF signal! Confirming the combat flag... It’s a golden flower! It’s Princess Theiamillis!”

“The princess herself has taken the front line?!”

“Never mind that! That flag means that we’ve already been detect―”

Before any one of them could get to the bottom of what was happening, they were all assaulted with a booming sound so loud that it shook the entire forest.

“Wah!”

The next thing they knew, the barrier protecting the group of them collapsed. The shell Theia had fired straight at them pierced right through it and smashed the generation device to pieces. But it didn’t stop there. It still had enough force behind it that it kept going and smashed through several mobile weapons following behind the special forces. The boom they’d heard was merely a ghostly aftersound of the destruction—a shockwave from the shell that moved far too fast to be seen.

“Captain, an incoming message from headquarters! A high energy reaction detected from Blue Kn―”

“Get dooown! They’re bombarding us!”

Next, they were assaulted by several pillars of light. It was a surface bombardment from Blue Knight in orbit, which only targeted the mobile weapons protecting the special forces.

“Emergency alert! Thirty anti-personnel missiles are approaching! Take evasive action immediately!”

For the grand finale of Theia’s attack, she showered the special forces with missiles. Their strategy support AI warned them to get out of the way, but they had just thrown themselves on the ground to avoid the orbital bombardment. It was physically impossible to get out of the way in time.

“Impossible! Anti-personnel missiles with no lock-on?!”

The missiles were accurately being guided towards the group—and their captain could hardly believe what he was seeing. There had been no signs of a radar lock-on, and the missiles were far too spread out to be using any kind of heat or optic tracking. It was conceivable that they were being guided by Blue Knight in orbit, but that would impose a lag in communications that wasn’t conducive to use with anti-personnel missiles. Yet despite all odds, these missiles were flying straight for the special forces troops. They scored direct hits on two soldiers that were still prone after diving for cover.

“Waaaaah! W-Wait... What is this?!”

“It looks like... paint?”

“They’re mock missiles! The kind used for training!”

This was the most confounding development yet—the missiles weren’t carrying the usual payload, but rather special paint used for practice. The soldiers who’d been hit were unharmed, just covered in red and yellow dye.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but we’re safe!”

“Luck’s on our side!”

The soldiers were simply happy that they were all right, but their captain and vice captain weren’t sharing in the celebration.

“So this is what Princess Theiamillis is like...”

“Captain, did Princess Theiamillis really mix up her missiles?”

“Bullets would be one thing, but there’s no way she’d mix up missiles.”

“Then what’s going on?”

“Can’t you tell? That was a warning.”

“A warning?”

“Her Highness could have just killed us three times.”

What if she’d fired something more dangerous than a simple armor-piercing round from her cannon? What if Blue Knight’s surface bombardment had targeted more than just the mobile weapons? What if the missiles hadn’t been practice rounds?

In any one of those scenarios, the soldiers would all be dead by now. To assume that their lives had been spared three times by sheer coincidence and good fortune would be foolish. This was a message Princess Theiamillis.

“She could’ve eliminated us if she’d wanted, and she won’t show any mercy next time. She’s telling us that if we want to live, we either need to leave or surrender—the choice is ours.”

All of the soldiers turned to their captain in awe. His words sent a ripple of shock through their ranks, and the vice captain turned to him with questions on everyone’s behalf.

“Now I’m really confused... Why would Her Highness do that? Wouldn’t it be safer just to kill us?”

“Her reasons are probably the same as Empress Alaia’s were. She’s a princess of the house of Mastir and we’re Forthorthian citizens, after all.”

“Captain... did Her Majesty Elfaria really commit those crimes the news says she did?”

The vice captain and several of the other soldiers couldn’t fight the doubt springing up in their hearts. Empress Elfaria had allegedly embezzled public funds and killed to cover it all up. By all accounts, she was a terrible person. Yet here, Princess Theiamillis, was righteously showing kindness and mercy in combat on her mother’s behalf. It didn’t add up. No one felt that more keenly than the soldiers whose lives had just been spared.

“I don’t know either... No, I can’t tell anymore. But there is one thing I know for certain.”

“And that is?”

“That girl... She’s a true princess of Forthorthe.”

The soldiers all looked forward through an opening in the trees. They could see the smoking barrel of the cannon that had just fired at them. Standing boldly behind it was a petite girl with long, blonde hair. With the barrel of the cannon aimed skyward, it looked like she was holding up the radiant flag flapping overhead.

She was Theiamillis Gre Mastir Sagurada von Forthorthe, Forthorthe’s golden princess.

The explosive sounds of Theia’s incredible bombardment could be heard all the way at the southeast of the base. As if they’d been waiting for it as their signal, the special forces approaching from the south took action the moment they heard it. They darted out from their cover in the forest and made a break for the warehouse. Their goal was to reach the gate inside, and Elfaria who should be on the other side of it.

“Hurry it up! We need to apprehend the empress before they shut down the gate!”

The captain in charge of the southern forces hurried his men along. Time was of the essence in this operation. While it took several hours to set up a transfer gate that was safe for humans to pass through, it only took as little as a few seconds to shut one down. The special forces were lucky that they were dealing with a larger gate meant to transport cargo—that would at least take a few minutes to close. If they could just make it through in that time, they could infiltrate the system and forcibly keep the gate open long enough to take over Blue Knight. But that meant they were working against the clock, which had started ticking the moment the battle to the north erupted.

“They’re coming! Hurry up, Koutarou!”

Thanks to her spirit sight, Sanae had a good handle on the enemy’s position. There were thirty units in total, and they were all rapidly closing in with increasing hostility. If Koutarou and the others delayed in the slightest, the enemy would reach the warehouse first. To avoid that, Sanae hurried them along. Kiriha quickly realized the urgency of the situation and ordered Koutarou and Shizuka to go on ahead.

“Koutarou, you and Shizuka take the lead!”

“You can count on us! GoL, your targets are everyone in front of us.”

“IFF set—targets are the thirty human units and the mobile weapons at twelve o’clock. Enemy forces show signs of engaging in military action. GoL will now begin its attack.”

“I see you’re as quick to respond as ever...”

“I am honored by your praise, my lord.”

“Uncle, could you prioritize using your mana for defense?”

“You don’t want any offensive power?”

“I’ll only need your help with that if the enemy is tough. If I go all out, I’ll end up killing these guys.”

“That’s true.”

Following Kiriha’s instructions, Koutarou and Shizuka charged the enemy. It was far too casual and reckless of an approach, but they didn’t have anything to worry about with GoL protecting Koutarou and Alunaya protecting Shizuka.

“Sanae, you suppress the enemy from behind Koutarou and Shizuka!”

“I’ll do my best to be as annoying as possible!”

Sanae was also protected by her spirit sight—she could easily read her enemies’ auras and see where they were attacking. The biggest threat to her was getting caught in stray fire, so Kiriha decided to play it safe and keep her behind the front line fighters.

“Harumi, you stay back here with me!”

“Right! Satomi-kun, shall we do it like we always do?”

“Please!”

“Korama, you protect Harumi!”

“Got it, ho! Will you be fine on your own, Ane-san?”

“That’s why I’m staying back, just in case.”

“Ane-san sure is responsible, ho!”

The rear line of their formation consisted of Harumi, Korama, and Kiriha. Harumi would be using her magic to support the others from a safe distance. Korama would be protecting her while she cast spells. And lastly, Kiriha would be using a spiritual energy beam rifle to offer supporting fire while commanding the others from further back where she could get a better view of the battlefield. The rear line was all about strategy and defense.

“To think they’d come at us with just five people...”

“They’re either really brave or really stupid.”

“I imagine they’re just desperate. They can’t fall back because they have to protect Her Majesty Elfaria.”

“So they’re loyal subjects, huh?”

“Indeed, so stay on your toes. Diehards make troublesome opponents in any situation.”

Kiriha’s tactics were solid, but the Imperial Army special forces were battle-hardened soldiers. They weren’t about to make the amateur mistake of underestimating their opponents. Courageous, reckless, loyal... Those were all dangerous attributes. Mercenaries fighting for money were a lot more conservative and predictable.

Little did the special forces know that the opponents charging them now were more ridiculous than they could possibly imagine. Courageous, reckless, and loyal was only the tip of the iceberg. And the one who embodied all of that best was the knight in blue armor leading the charge.

“Hey, some guy in antique armor is coming this way.”

“That armor is the master controller for Blue Knight, though it also seems to function as a space suit in extreme environments.”

“So it looks classic, but it’s state of the art on the inside, huh? No matter. Send the mobile weapons forward!”

Thanks to the data the special forces had on Blue Knight, they identified the armor Koutarou was wearing right away. They’d been well informed of its performance. It was a royal piece of cutting-edge technology, though it was somewhat weaker than it rightfully should have been because of the emphasis placed on its design and aesthetics. All and all, it was comparable to the power suits the military used—which meant that Koutarou was hardly a threat in the special forces’ eyes. They should easily be able to take him out with their mobile weapons.

“I thought I taught your predecessors not to judge a book by their cover...”

Koutarou unsheathed Signaltin and Saguratin hanging at his waist, holding one sword in each hand.

“Warning. Enemy mobile weapons approaching. Multiple lock-ons detected. Estimating the scale of the attack from the energy reaction... Chance of defeat is 64 percent. Activating active barrier.”

“I’ll leave defending and the soldiers to you. I’ll deal with the big guys.”

“Strategy algorithms recommend an immediate withdrawal.”

“We’ve been partners for a while now. I think you know me a little better than that.”

“The mainframe will pray for your fortune and glory in place of the nation of Forthorthe.”

“Well said! That’s more like it!”

On Koutarou’s orders, GoL adjusted the aim of its laser cannon on Koutarou’s right shoulder. It had been rattling off suppressing fire to keep the enemy from advancing, but that ceased as the AI closely monitored the mobile weapons. Koutarou was close enough to them now that suppressive fire was no longer necessary. From here on out, GoL’s job was simply to protect Koutarou.

“That said... using mobile weapons against an enemy of unknown strength was the right call. Though I can’t say I like taking the brute force approach.”

With a sword still in each hand, Koutarou charged forward towards the approaching mobile weapons. There were three of them in total. Each was just over three meters tall and looked like something between a tank and a plane. Normally they hovered above the surface and functioned as infantry support, but they could also fly through the air like planes in short bursts when necessary. Since they were automated and didn’t carry pilots, they were lightning quick and extremely mobile—in other words, they were a nightmare for infantry.

“This guy must be an idiot... Just one of our mobile weapons could wipe out an entire platoon of infantrymen, and he thinks he can take three? Does he have a death wish?”

“He must not know any better. My, what a terrible adversary ignorance makes.”

There was no way for a citizen of this backwater planet to know how powerful and deadly Forthorthian weapons they’d never seen before were. So instead of trying to stop Koutarou, the special forces units simply watched as he charged in without hesitation. This fight would be over soon... or so they thought.

“All right, let’s do this... I’m counting on you two!”

“Go, go, go! Let’s blow them away with my Love Love Sanae-chan sword!”

“Satomi-kun, I’ll maximize Signaltin’s power when you strike!”

Saguratin began shining gold as Sanae infused it with her spiritual energy, and Signaltin began glowing silver as it responded to Harumi’s will. The light from both swords was equally bright. Since Koutarou and the girls were going up against machines here, they weren’t concerned about holding back. They’d go all out from the start.

“Veltlion, the upper part protruding from the frame is where the distortion field generator is located on this type of unit.”

“That thing, huh?!”

Clan, who was observing from above, fed Koutarou key information on the mobile weapons’ weak spot. Koutarou quickly located it and raised his arms upwards in a cross-like motion.

“Take a good look! We’re the opponents you’ll have to get through, and this is our strength!”

Despite the large amount of energy gathering in the swords, the three mobile weapons continued their forward advance. They were operating under the assumption that they were merely fighting an opponent with primitive, close-range weapons. A few of the special forces got a bad feeling when they saw the swords glow, but by the time they put it together, it was already too late.

First was Saguratin. Koutarou swung it valiantly, and the arc it cut through the air became a blade of spiritual energy that flew forward and spread wide. It assaulted all three mobile weapons, whose barriers weren’t designed to protect against spiritual energy. The spiritual blade thusly passed right through the barriers and destroyed the generation devices behind them.

Next was Signaltin. Koutarou darted between the middle and right mobile weapons, swinging his silvery sword to both sides. Without their barriers, the mobile weapons were defenseless against the magical surge of power Harumi released from Signaltin. It cut through the metal machines like a hot knife through butter.

Lastly, the grand finale was the gauntlet built into the left arm of Koutarou’s power armor. He focused Sanae’s spiritual energy from Saguratin into the gauntlet to generate a powerful electric charge before unleashing it at the last remaining mobile weapon. The bolt flew into the large hole where its barrier generation device had once been and unleashed its energy, bursting the mobile weapon from the inside.

All three attacks happened in the blink of an eye. They were so fast that not a single member of the special forces had any idea what had happened. To them, it simply looked like Koutarou had destroyed three mobile weapons with a single swing of his sword.

“I guess that’s about what I should have expected from anything other than Elexis’s machines...”

After confirming that the mobile weapons were destroyed, Koutarou turned once again to the approaching special forces. He didn’t have a single scratch on him, and his highly polished armor shone radiantly in the light of the fires from the destroyed mobile weapons.

Of course, the other mobile weapons weren’t simply waiting for Koutarou to attack them too. Once they entered range, they opened fire with their heavy machine guns—their anti-infantry weapon of choice. Koutarou instantly took off when he heard the sound and, unable to keep up with him, only a small number of bullets actually reached him. They were no match for his barrier, however, and were easily deflected.

In order to take down Koutarou, they’d need to resort to heavy anti-mobile weapon armaments. But before they could even begin to process that, the next three mobile weapons were already destroyed.

“Who the hell is that guy?!”

“What’s going on?!”

“What even happened to the mobile weapons?!”

The special forces were astonished and aghast. Koutarou had taken out three mobile weapons—the equivalent of three infantry platoons—in an instant. And the special forces weren’t stupid. They knew they only had thirty men with them, or three-quarters of a single platoon. Despite the headcount, they were clearly outnumbered in terms of strength.

“C-Calm down, men!” the captain called. “No matter how strong he is, he’s only human! All it will take is a single bullet!”

“The captain is right! Calm down and remember your training!”

“It’s not like we’ve only trained to fight against weaker opponents!”

The captain did what he could to stifle his own panic and rally his troops. With the help and additional encouragement of the vice captain and squad leader, the alarm in the ranks steadily began to die down. Their misfortune, however, had only just begun.

“Well, you might be right about the single bullet thing if it were just Satomi-kun on his own.”

“What?!”

The captain was caught off guard by an unexpected voice, and the unexpected fist that followed. It came flying at him from the side with no warning. It appeared to be a girl’s fist, but in contrast to its seemingly delicate appearance, it smashed into the captain’s face with a frightening amount of momentum. Then, just for the moment it made contact, the weight of the fist increased dramatically, making the captain feel like he’d been hit with a sledgehammer rather than punched.

“Gah!”

“C-Captain?!”

Taken by surprise, the captain never stood a chance. He instantaneously lost consciousness and was sent flying, crashing to the ground some meters away. The impressive blow astounded everyone who saw it, including the girl who’d thrown the attack.

“Uncle, that was too hard! Did you just kill that guy?!”

“Don’t worry. I held back, so he’s still alive. Just... probably with a few broken bones.”

Of course, the girl who’d punched the captain was none other than Shizuka. While Koutarou was occupying the special forces’ attention, she’d snuck up on them and launched a surprise attack. Under normal circumstances, a girl ambushing a special forces unit with nothing but her bare fists would be suicide. But for better or worse, these circumstances were anything but normal. Thanks to the power of the Fire Dragon Emperor Alunaya inside of her, Shizuka had combat capabilities that were on par with or even exceeded that of a mobile weapon. Ordinary weapons couldn’t hurt her, and ordinary soldiers couldn’t block her attacks. The captain really hadn’t stood a chance.

“The captain is down! Counterattack!”

“Open fire!”

“Damn little girl!”

Shizuka’s surprise attack didn’t shake the troops the way Koutarou’s display had. Many Forthorthian weapons were small or even undetectable by the naked eye, leaving the special forces to assume that Shizuka had something like that at her disposal. They’d trained for situations like this, and fell back on that training as they readied their weapons and counterattacked just like they’d practiced many times. A loud series of bangs rang out.

“Whoa, Uncle! I’m really counting on you for defense, okay?”

“Worry not. I swear I will protect you.”

Shizuka was being fired at by a dozen or so troops, and the roar of all the gunfire made it sound like she was inside a thundercloud. Though she was protected by Alunaya, she still didn’t like being shot at. Draconic power or not, she was just an ordinary girl in the end. Fortunately, she had friends nearby she could depend on for help.

“Ane-san! I’m in position, ho!”

“Covering fire is incoming, Shizuka. We’re here for you, so fight as you please.”

“Thank you, Kiriha-san!”

After the short message of support from over the comms, beams came raining down from above. Most of them hit soldiers behind Shizuka, taking them out and reducing the fire she was taking. It was a combo attack courtesy of Kiriha and Korama.

Kiriha actually fired the beams, and Korama got in place to cleverly deflect them towards the group of soldiers with his spiritual energy field. Using this tactic, Kiriha could fire from a safe position while Korama, who had his spiritual energy field up the entire time, wouldn’t have to worry about counterattacks. But that wasn’t all. Raining fire down from overhead meant that they could ignore the difficulties of firing across terrain, and they could aim strategically to avoid friendly fire by bypassing any allies that were on the field between them and their intended targets. It also had a surprise effect. From the perspective of the special forces, it was like they were being attacked by an unseen enemy.

“We have to do something cool too, Harumi!”

“Yes, let’s do our best!”

Sanae and Harumi then entered the fray as well. Now that the mobile weapons had been eliminated, they could move with relative safety and freedom on the battlefield. And between Sanae’s random attacks and Harumi’s powerful magic, the remaining special forces troops began dropping like flies.

The last soldier standing was the vice captain. With trembling hands, he pointed the barrel of his weapon at Koutarou.

“S-Such power... Just who are you kids?”

He couldn’t help but ask. One boy and four girls had easily dispatched thirty special forces agents and the six mobile weapons protecting them. The vice captain couldn’t believe it, despite the fact that he’d seen it with his own two eyes. It was like watching a magic trick—he was struck dumb with disbelief.

“We’re...”

Koutarou hesitated to reply for a moment. There were plenty of answers he could give... but one in particular struck a chord with him in the moment.

“We’re a motley alliance formed to serve and protect Princess Theiamillis, the Satomi band of knights.”

“The Satomi... band of knights?”

“Yes, although I don’t know if you could say we’re really official yet.”

That was the last thing the vice captain heard before Koutarou knocked him out. Later, he and the rest of his squad would return to their fleet and report on the details of what happened. That would include the appearance of a mysterious band, the Satomi band of knights, and would mark the first time their name was recorded in the annals of Forthorthe’s history.

And as of this moment, their record was flawless. They’d come out victorious in a battle where the odds had seemed to be overwhelmingly against them—all with zero casualties on either side. It was a definitive, impressive start to what would become the legend of Theiamillis’s knights.

In total, 45 men had attacked the People of the Earth’s base. A squad of fifteen was in charge of running a diversion in the north while the real infiltration team made their move in the southeast. By the time all was said and done, Koutarou and company had captured all 45 of them.

After a small skirmish, the entire diversion squad accepted their defeat and surrendered. The team to the southeast had resisted down to the last man, but they were all ultimately incapacitated. Presently, all 45 captives were being held aboard Blue Knight, but it would only be a temporary arrangement. As they weren’t technically criminals, Koutarou and the others would eventually free them.

“I’m glad everything turned out okay.”

While the fighting had been taking place, Yurika was guarding Elfaria on the bridge. Once she heard from Koutarou and the others that things were resolved without issue, a relieved smile crossed her face. She was always prepared to fight when she had to, but it wasn’t something she enjoyed doing—and she certainly didn’t enjoy seeing her friends forced into it. She was happy to hear that both friend and foe alike were safe.

“Easy for you to say when all you had to do was watch.”

“But, but, but, Sanae-chan... If I’d gotten my chance to shine, that would’ve meant you and the others failed.”

“Hey, then it’s a great thing that you didn’t do anything, right, Yurika?”

“That’s right. Nothing happening is always best.”

In the end, all Yurika had done was have tea with Elfaria, but no one was unhappy about that. Quite the opposite, really; they all felt the same way deep down.

“So, Theia, what do we do now?”

“If we laze around here any longer, the enemy will just attack again. Let’s abandon the resupply and depart as soon as possible.”

But alas, there was no time to relax and indulge in relief. While they had safely repelled the Forthorthian special forces, the fleet they hailed from was still nearby. If Theia and the others dawdled any longer with the resupply, they would simply be sitting ducks for another attack. In order to avoid that, Theia decided to cut the resupply short and get a move on.

“Abandon the resupply? Do we have enough on board as it is?”

Theia’s reasoning was sound, but departing without adequate supplies would also be dangerous. That prospect concerned Koutarou.

“Whether we do or not, if we continue the resupply, the enemy will reappear—that much is certain. As such, we cannot continue the operation.”

“Pardomshiha, what percentage of the supplies have been loaded so far?”

“Just under 80 percent of the intended goal.”

“Then if we include the Hazy Moon’s supplies in the total, we’ll be more than fine.”

Fortunately, Blue Knight was already over three-quarters of the way through the resupply. With that much done, plus Clan’s generosity in agreeing to share supplies from the Hazy Moon, they would be set. With that knowledge, Koutarou was no longer worried.

“All right, then let’s get out of here as soon as we can.”

And so the group steadily worked towards departing. Theia’s plan had her mother and Koutarou’s support, but there was something in particular she needed to do before they left. Or rather, there was one more passenger she needed to pick up.

“Yurika, could you bring Nana here?”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

Accepting Theia’s request, Yurika leaped through the gate on Blue Knight’s bridge. She was going to get Nana, who would be accompanying them on their trip to Forthorthe. Nana was currently undergoing maintenance on her artificial limbs in the People of the Earth’s base. As she’d just been through a serious battle and was about to undertake a long journey, they wanted to be as thorough as possible with the maintenance. But now that their departure had been bumped up, Nana would have to cut her service short and the rest of it would have to be performed aboard Blue Knight on the way.

The plan to depart as soon as possible had other consequences as well, one of which Harumi quickly picked up on.

“Even if we leave right now... isn’t the enemy fleet somewhere nearby? Will we really be able to slip past them?”

Harumi was worried that they wouldn’t be able to avoid another fight. The fleet that had come for them was only a small fraction of the Imperial Army’s total forces. But if they engaged here, they could be fighting all the way back to Forthorthe. It would be a considerable drain on their supplies, not to mention dangerous. The ideal scenario would be avoiding any combat at all, but that would be a challenge thanks to a fundamental problem with warp navigation.

The journey from Forthorthe from Earth would require repeated warps. Warp technology used the power of gravity to literally warp space in order to bring a target’s current location and its destination closer together, then punching through the warped space to create a shortcut between the two. As such, other gravitational fields could influence the warp, and the warp itself had a considerable effect on its surroundings. At short distances said effects were negligible, but that wasn’t the case on longer warps. So in short, if they wanted to warp away without attracting much attention, they would need to move away from Earth before engaging the warp. But it was hard to imagine the fleet would just let them do that—it was far more likely they’d use the opportunity to close in and attack.

“Their fleet only consists of six ships. If Layous-sama is the one controlling Blue Knight, we can still win against them,” assured Elfaria.

With the intelligence they’d gathered from their captives, Koutarou and the others now knew the size of the enemy force they were facing. With the combined powers of Blue Knight and the Hazy Moon, there was no doubt that they would come out victorious even if they were outnumbered. Royal-class battleships were meant to serve as flagships for much larger fleets, and as such were outfitted with the latest technology and equipped with impressive firepower. They had an overwhelming advantage against normal ships, and Koutarou and the other had not one, but two of them on their side.

“Wait, Elle. That would be bad for Clan. If things go south, she won’t even be able to go home.”

Clan wasn’t “officially” on Earth right now, and the Schweiger family had a notorious rivalry the Mastir family. Moreover, they were deeply connected to the military. So if Clan openly took a stance and sided with Theia and Elfaria, not only would it make her a traitor, it could jeopardize her entire family’s safety. Koutarou didn’t want to put Clan in a dangerous position like that, and while the Schweigers might be known rivals of the Mastirs, they were still a royal family. Koutarou personally wanted to avoid dragging them into any undue trouble.

“Now isn’t the time for that. From here on out, we’ll be fighting against the Imperial Army... no, against the coup d’etat forces. So you have bigger things to worry about than me.”

In spite of Koutarou’s concerns, Clan firmly shook her head. Her eyes and expression were far sterner than usual. As a Forthorthian royal, this wasn’t a matter she could simply shy away from. Granted, her pride played a small part in that stubbornness as well.

“But even if we win the war, I’ll feel horrible if you end up all alone.”

“I’m not alone anymore. I have you, plus Theiamillis-san and the others, no?”

“That’s true, but...”

“Or did you already forget that promise?”

“That promise? Yeah... we did make one, didn’t we? Hmm...”

Koutarou paused for a moment and reflected on the promise he’d once made Clan in the past. He’d told her that if she ever found herself without a place to call home, she could come live in room 106. And the situation was no different now—they were still trying to protect the citizens of Forthorthe from a coup. That’s why Clan had no hesitation whatsoever going into this. And faced with her clear, resolute eyes, Koutarou couldn’t find any words to argue. That’s where Kiriha came in, and she quickly threw the speechless Koutarou a bone.

“Clan-dono, try not to bully Koutarou so much,” she said with a special smile she only used around the two of them. “Koutarou doesn’t want you to be separated from your family. Not unless it absolutely comes to that.”

“Kii...”

At that, Clan relented a little out of deference. She knew Kiriha and Koutarou’s family situations all too well.

“Besides, who said we actually have to fight? That hasn’t been decided yet.”

“Really, Kiriha?! Is there something we can do?!”

“We’ll make full use of Clan not officially being here.”

There, Kiriha returned to her usual sly grin and began explaining her great escape plan.

Upon hearing of their unexpected and overwhelming defeat on Earth’s surface, the higher-ups of the fleet fell into a panic. Not only had their diversion and ambush been completely seen through... They were defeated by what appeared to be a team of fewer than ten children, and they hadn’t even taken out a single one of them in the process. It was nearly inconceivable, leaving the higher-ups rightly bewildered at the news.

“Calm down!”

“But admiral...”

“It doesn’t matter how strong their soldiers are—it won’t make Blue Knight any stronger! All we have to do is make sure they don’t escape!”

At the fleet admiral’s scolding, the crew’s bewilderment began to die down. He had a point, after all. It wouldn’t matter how strong their individual enemies were once they were aboard their ship. According to intelligence the fleet had gotten back home, Theia’s Blue Knight was purportedly more powerful than its recorded specs, but in the end, it was still just a machine. It could only be but so powerful.

“I apologize for losing my cool... Now, admiral, what shall we do?”

“For starters, we will continue observing Blue Knight.”

The admiral’s commanding voice reverberated through the bridge of the carrier. His determined tone made his iron will perfectly clear to all his subordinates. It gave them some hope and helped bolster morale after the crushing surface defeat.

“So we’re not doing anything? Won’t that just give Blue Knight a chance to launch the first strike?”

The carrier’s captain, however, was worried that Blue Knight might attack while they casually continued to observe the situation. The carrier was the slowest ship in the fleet, making it a prime target. The captain had accordingly succumbed to a type of occupational paranoia that kept him hypervigilant of any prospect of enemy attacks at all times.

“We don’t really want to fight in Earth’s orbit... and I’m sure they don’t either.”

Neither side wanted to engage in the midst of a planet they had no diplomatic relations with. A military fleet simply entering orbit without permission could already be interpreted as an act of war. But taking it one step further and actually engaging in combat while in orbit would unquestionably make them the aggressors here, thusly calling into question the legitimacy of their mission in the eyes of the public. That wasn’t a risk they could take, but Elfaria’s side was in the same pickle.

The only way things could safely go down between them would be a short, decisive battle on the far side of the moon where it was unlikely anyone on Earth could observe them—but pulling that off would require an unspoken agreement between both parties. In short, the carrier captain had nothing to be worried about.

“We have the advantage of time on our side.”

“Indeed. We can stay here indefinitely, but they’ll have to make a move sooner or later.”

“They’ll likely try to avoid combat and escape via warp. That being the case, they’ll need to leave Earth’s orbit, or perhaps just head for the far side of the moon. All we need to do is make sure they can’t.”

In order to warp away, Blue Knight would need to get away from Earth. Their closest, most discrete option was simply to maneuver Blue Knight behind the moon. In order to prevent it from getting there, the fleet admiral was holding his six ships in an orbit slightly further out from Earth than Blue Knight. This way, as soon as Blue Knight made a move, they could close in and obstruct its path.

“Admiral, Blue Knight is on the move!”

“After them! This was sooner than I expected, however... So they’re planning on departing before we can get into a more advantageous position, are they? Smart and swift. It seems like they have a competent commander or strategist on their side.”

“Blue Knight has deployed a stealth field.”

“That won’t be enough. They know they’re being chased... which means they’ll duck behind Earth temporarily! All right, full power to engines! Don’t lose them!”

Like most ships, Blue Knight had some stealth functions for emergencies. They weren’t nearly as advanced as the Hazy Moon’s, however, and could be traced with the proper analysis. The coup d’etat army already had advanced data on Blue Knight, making that a relatively easy feat.

The biggest threat was that if they lost Blue Knight’s trail even momentarily, it would be incredibly difficult to pick back up again in the vastness of space. Knowing that, the admiral assumed that Blue Knight’s plan would be to try and use Earth as cover to throw them off—and his instincts seemed to be spot on. The trail the ship left behind it led right around to the other side of the planet.

“Send the destroyers forward! They don’t have to attack; just don’t lose them!”

Just like with cars, the bigger a ship was, the slower it was to accelerate. As a royal-class battleship, however, Blue Knight was designed to be transporting Forthorthian royalty. That made it an obvious target on the battlefield, and it was therefore built with cutting-edge technology to perform as highly as possible. Still, its sheer size worked against it, and a standard destroyer could easily outperform it in terms of acceleration.

“Blue Knight is now entering the shadow of the Earth.”

“And the destroyers?”

“They made it in time. They’re continuing observation as ordered.”

As Blue Knight entered Earth’s shadow, the carrier that the admiral was aboard lost visual. The two destroyers he’d sent ahead, however, had no problem keeping up.

“Good. Now send the destroyers to overtake Blue Knight. Get in front of them and don’t let them leave the planet. And I repeat: do not let them attack

“Understood. I’ll have―”

Very suddenly, the operator working with the fleet admiral went pale.

“A-A-Admiral! We’ve detected a space-time distortion on the far side of the moon! The pattern indicates it’s Blue Knight!”

The operator was practically screaming. He could scarcely believe the words coming out of his own mouth.

“Impossible! Then who have we been following?!”

The hologram of the Blue Knight they’d been following was still displayed on their monitors. It wasn’t like it had suddenly disappeared. So by all accounts, there were now two Blue Knights.

“Incoming message from the destroyers: After close examination, what we believed to be Blue Knight was actually an information pod!”

“We’ve been had! Blue Knight’s stealth capabilities exceed what we were told!”

At last, it dawned on the admiral that they’d been tricked. The fleet had misidentified the information pod as Blue Knight, and consequently turned their back on their actual target. They were now helpless to stop the real Blue Knight as it casually warped away, leaving behind its 45 captives in a lifeboat.

Kiriha’s escape plan ultimately hinged on the fact that the coup d’etat army didn’t know they had access to Clan’s Hazy Moon—and they readily used that to their advantage. First, they used Clan’s observation equipment to gather data on Blue Knight while in stealth mode. Then they created a decoy that would leave behind an identical trail. Making the information pod physically look like Blue Knight would be difficult, but simply imitating a stealthed trail was easy.

Then, while the real Blue Knight was completely concealed in the Hazy Moon’s advanced stealth field, it launched the decoy. The coup d’etat army fell for it and sailed right by Blue Knight and the Hazy Moon in its pursuit, completely oblivious to their existence.

Things were quite simple after that. Once the fleet was far enough away, Blue Knight engaged its warp drive and headed for Forthorthe. Clan, meanwhile, stayed put for now. Even with the Hazy Moon’s advanced stealth functions, not even she could disguise a long-distance warp reaction. As such, she would strategically hang back until the fleet left Earth and she could warp freely without detection.

“I have to admit... I’m really glad Kii is on our side...”

Clan, who was left behind in orbit around Earth, muttered to herself as she stared at the monitor on the Hazy Moon’s bridge. It was currently showing the coup d’etat fleet ships warping out one after another.

“To think she had an entire trained fleet dancing in the palm of her hand...”

Kiriha, after all, had been the one to engineer their great escape. She’d cleverly made use of the resources they had available to them in order to avoid a fight and allow Blue Knight to flee Earth safely. And she’d done it all while allowing Clan to remain hidden. It was a strategy so brilliant it was practically art.

“No wonder I couldn’t win against Theiamillis-san... Jeez...”

Clan recalled challenging Theia in the past and smiled wryly. She’d had no idea who Kiriha was back then, or what it would mean to go up against her and her allies. Thinking back on it, she had no idea what had driven her to do something so outrageous.