Chapter 24

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"Second Lieutenant, this is the final test we will conduct on Nia."

"---Yes."

In the test area on the asteroid Nia.

Under the watchful eye of the newly renovated Merea, the final test for Atalante was taking place.

Atalante, weaving through the floating rocks in space, boasted a level of completion far beyond the initial tests.

It nimbly avoided the rocks and flew gracefully.

Then, holding a rifle loaded with paint rounds, Atalante aimed at the targets attached to the rocks.

Pulling the trigger, the paint rounds hit almost dead center.

Seeing the results, Percy had a complicated expression.

While he seemed pleased that Atalante was nearing completion, he couldn't accept that the seventh power had been used.

"Next, we will deploy mobile knights."

"---Yes."

Deploying from Merea were practice machines, Mohave.

Nine of them launched and surrounded Atalante.

They attacked with paint rounds, but Atalante didn't even get hit.

A communication from a teammate could be heard.

"Can you even hit this thing?!"

"The performance difference is too much. Is this even a test?"

"Ah, a kill confirmation just came in."

Atalante fired paint rounds into the lackadaisical pilots' machines one after another.

Thus, the test concluded.

When Atalante returned to Merea, the hangar was cleaner than before.

Arriving at Atalante's dedicated hangar, Molly operated the arms to secure it.

"Good job, Emma!"

"---Good job."

Exiting the cockpit, Emma turned to look up at Atalante in the zero-gravity environment.

Her expression was tired, with dark circles under her eyes.

Molly approached.

"You know, the latest facilities are great. The controls are easy and user-friendly."

"Yeah."

To the indifferent Emma, Molly spoke with a slightly exasperated but smiling face.

"Still thinking about it?"

"---Yeah."

Someone she knew had died.

This was the cause of Emma's distress.

Molly's smile faded.

"There's no point in dwelling on it. I've lost several acquaintances, but it doesn't do any good to hold onto it."

"I know, but if I had been better, if I had been able to pilot this machine better..."

She kept regretting it.

To such an Emma, an unexpected person approached from a distance.

"That's too arrogant of a thought."

Emma turned her gaze to the person who appeared and saluted.

"Knight Commander."

At Emma's words, Molly also remembered who it was and saluted.

Knight Commander Klaus, dressed in a knight's uniform, flew through the zero-gravity hangar, grabbed a handrail, and stood in front of the two.

Emma was about to say something, but Klaus spoke first.

"The mobile knights to be assigned to the light carrier Merea have been decided."

To the matter-of-fact announcement from Klaus, Emma asked curiously.

"Did the Knight Commander come all the way here to tell me this? Wouldn't a message have been enough?"

Molly also clapped her hands next to Emma.

"That's true!"

It was a bit rude in front of the Knight Commander, but Klaus didn't reprimand Molly.

Klaus smiled.

"There was a reason for coming all the way here. Lieutenant Rodman, I wanted to talk to you."

"Me?"

◇

In Merea's lounge.

Now, only Emma and Klaus were using it, and both were preparing drinks.

Klaus had come to Merea to talk to Emma.

"I'm sorry about the Major."

"Yes."

"She was a bit lax in discipline, but she was an excellent subordinate. She led the mobile knight squad and fought well."

The Major, who had led a squad of three and a company, was a reliable subordinate to Klaus as well.

Emma shed a tear.

"It's my fault the Major died. She died protecting me."

As Emma cried, Klaus patted her back and spoke.

"It's my responsibility that she died. Besides, we are knights and soldiers. We can die on the battlefield. I can't tell you to accept it as a matter of course, but you must accept it."

"---I will avenge the Major. I will defeat Sirena of the Daria Mercenary Group."

To Emma's declaration, Klaus said—

"Are you letting personal feelings interfere with your mission?"

"But!"

Klaus didn't seem to intend to deny Emma's desire for revenge.

"You can do as you please, but if you let personal feelings interfere, you will eventually cause trouble for those around you. What will you do when a comrade dies because of your personal grudge?"

"---I won't cause any trouble."

"I hope so, but if your reckless actions cause trouble for your comrades, what will you do? In the military, you will inevitably see comrades die. Do you intend to seek revenge every time?"

"!"

As Emma couldn't say anything, Klaus stood up from the bench.

"What you do is your decision. As a superior, I hope you will focus on your mission rather than being consumed by revenge."

As Emma remained silent, Klaus spoke gently.

"---Become stronger. You have the talent and strength to do so."

"But I'm nothing—"

When Emma tried to deny it, Klaus folded his arms.

"You're underestimating yourself. The military wouldn't entrust a high-end experimental machine to a knight with no talent."

"But I'm weak—"

"Then become stronger. And advance in rank."

"Eh?"

While becoming stronger made sense, Emma couldn't understand how advancing in rank was related to avenging the Major.

To such an Emma, Klaus explained.

"If a superior is incompetent, comrades die. An excellent commander saves more comrades. If you want to protect your comrades and friends, become stronger and advance in rank."

Convinced by Klaus's explanation, Emma nodded slightly.

"---Yes."

Seeing this, Klaus moved on to the next topic.

"I will inform you of the result of the discussion at the upper levels. It was concluded that the experimental machine Atalante, which is being targeted by someone, requires appropriate escort."

"Eh, um—"

Emma, who didn't understand what Klaus was getting at, didn't catch on.

Klaus smiled.

"Merea will be equipped with new mass-production machines."

Emma stood up hurriedly.

"That means—!"

"We are expecting the development of the experimental machine and Merea's performance. Keep up the good work."

Merea, the border security force, now renamed the Atalante Development Team, would be equipped with the new model from the Seventh Weapons Factory.

◇

On the day of the new machine's acceptance.

In the hangar of the newly renovated Merea, pilots, mechanics, and ship crew had gathered.

They were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new mass-production machines.

This was also true for the members of the third squad.

"Once Doug and Larry calm down—"

Molly, who was exasperated, looked at the two who were fidgeting.

Doug and Larry were pacing around the hangar.

"Molly, you might not understand, but receiving a new machine is a first for me. It's hard to stay calm when you're told to."

Even Doug, who had been in the military for a long time, was receiving a new machine for the first time.

Molly looked at Larry.

"Larry was also complaining a lot, right?"

"That's a different story!"

"It's not."

Faced with the restless men, Molly sighed.

Then, she stood up when she noticed Emma, who had rushed into the hangar through the open hatch.

Emma was waving both hands with a smile.

"Emma!"

"Everyone! The new machines have arrived! They were brought in quickly!"

The atmosphere in the hangar brightened.

While it had been decided that new machines would be assigned, the final adjustments were being made to determine which units would receive which machines.

Even among the new models, the Seventh Weapons Factory had several types.

Some of them were standard mass-production machines.

Larry, unusually, made a fist and struck a pose.

"Great job, Captain! So, what are the machines!?"

As everyone eagerly awaited the machines, they were brought in one after another.

Seeing them, the crew gradually lost their enthusiasm.

Ignoring this, Emma and Molly were excited.

"We've received the new Raccoon! It's the latest mass-production model!"

"Good job, Emma! Getting the latest model is impressive!"

"Thank you! I didn't do anything, though."

As Molly hugged and praised Emma, a dwarf technician and his subordinates entered the ship with the machines.

"Hey, we're the technical advisors from the Seventh. We'll be a burden for a while."

Seeing them, Percy, who was with the Third Weapons Factory staff around Atalante, made a displeased face.

"Why are the Seventh's staff coming on board?"

"The Raccoon is the latest model. Besides technical guidance, accumulating data in the field is important. We'll be on the same ship, so please take care of us."

The dwarf grinned, and Percy turned away.

Larry and Doug were talking with their shoulders slumped.

"I thought it would end like this. Even though it's a new model, there were better ones, right?"

"It's not just about performance. I wanted a more—intimidating machine. A rugged and masculine mobile knight, not the round Raccoon."

The Raccoon's appearance seemed to be unpopular not only with the knights.

Its round silhouette emphasized cuteness over ruggedness.

"If they brought this, I'd rather have the Teumessa. If they equipped it with an assist function, that would be better."

"Do you prefer slender machines? I wanted a more angular, manly machine."

While they were happy to receive the new machines, they were not satisfied with the appearance.

The performance was good, but they couldn't quite accept it.

◇

"Even though we received the Raccoon, everyone has a mixed reaction."

In the lounge in the Seventh's dock.

Emma was talking with Klaus.

"My people didn't like it either. It's not a bad machine, but Chensi pouted, so I gave her my Teumessa."

"You gave it to her?! I heard the Teumessa is in high demand and rarely assigned even if you request it."

"The Raccoon with the assist function is easier for me to handle."

Klaus also seemed to have received negative feedback, and both of them were slumped.

Emma talked about Klaus's machine.

"Will the Knight Commander customize the Raccoon?"

"In my case, it's just installing optional parts, so it's not really customization. Only ace-level knights and pilots can receive dedicated custom machines."

"But it's still different from the others, which is good. I envy custom machines."

"I think Atalante is your dedicated machine. Well, it's about time."

Standing up from the bench, Klaus saluted Emma.

"When we return to the home planet, this fleet will be disbanded. We don't know when we'll meet again, but I hope we meet again alive."

Emma also saluted.

"---Yes."

Understanding the weight of the words "I hope we meet again alive," Emma had grown.

Both of them were in the position of knights, where death could come at any time.

It wasn't unusual for one or both of them to die, and the chances of meeting again were low. This could be the last time they saw each other.

"I'll pray for Atalante's completion."

"In that case, I'll pray for the Knight Commander's advancement."

"Huh?"

Tilting his head, Klaus listened as Emma relayed the Major's wish.

"The Major said the Knight Commander could go even higher."

Klaus, learning of the expectations from his former subordinate, looked slightly embarrassed.

At the same time, his expression showed a hint of sadness for the lost subordinate.

"That's an overestimation. I just do what I can. But I'll take the sentiment to heart."

With that, the two parted ways.

Sakamoto.゜(*゜´∀｀゜)゜ノ "The world of otome games is harsh for side characters! Volumes 1-10 of the original novel and Volumes 1-8 of the manga are now on sale! The manga has been reprinted, so I'm sure the Sakamoto effect contributed at least 1%."

Bryan (´・ω・｀) "I don't think so. Volumes 2-4 of 'I Am the Corrupt Lord of an Interstellar Nation!' have been reprinted. Thank you very much for everyone's support."