Chapter 45

The new work I posted, "Fairy Bullet," has been completed, so I would be delighted if you could check it out.

The guerrilla fleet that Meleah joined had only about 300 ships.

In a battlefield where a combined nine million ships were moving, this number was very disheartening.

However, it also meant that fleets with such a small number were rarely thrown into the heart of fierce battles.

Even though they were called a guerrilla fleet, the actual role they played on the battlefield was mostly menial tasks.

More than a month had passed since they entered the battlefield, but Meleah had not been involved in any combat.

Most of the missions they received were escorting supply fleets, and it seemed that even the space pirates had fled, so they did not encounter any.

In Meleah's hangar, Larry, dressed in a pilot suit, was drinking a beverage while talking to Molly.

"When I heard it was an external battle, I panicked, but when the war actually started, it was quiet, wasn't it?"

Molly was checking Raccoon of the Third Squad, and while facing the terminal, she responded.

"If we had been included in the regular fleet just to make up the numbers, it might have been dangerous, as Mr. Doug also said. For us, it's good as long as these kids don't break."

Larry floated upside down in the zero-gravity hangar, starting to play around out of boredom.

However, he didn't bring out a game console to play, probably because of something that happened during a previous mission.

Larry's attitude was also gradually changing.

"It would be great if we could return home without any incidents."

His lack of enthusiasm in his words remained unchanged.

Molly sighed deeply and glared at the playful Larry.

"If you keep saying things like that, Emma will scold you again. Have you forgotten that your training menu was doubled before?"

When Larry repeatedly made lackluster comments, Emma had seriously warned him.

At that time, his training menu was doubled, and he vividly remembered the pain of being sore all over for a while.

"Sorry, sorry. ... Seriously, our squad leader is too serious."

Larry had come to acknowledge Emma as the squad leader to the point of calling her by that title.

Molly looked happy and couldn't suppress her smile.

"The current Emma is much stronger. Larry, be careful too."

"Sure, sure."

As they were having this conversation, Emma burst into the hangar with Doug, their expressions serious.

Larry, who was startled, thought they might have overheard the conversation, but the situation was worse than he imagined.

Emma gave Larry an order.

"The Third Squad, prepare for takeoff and wait in the cockpit."

Confused, Larry asked, "But there's no announcement over the intercom?"

Doug approached and grabbed Larry's arm, leading him to Raccoon's cockpit.

"A friendly fleet is approaching."

"Huh? That makes even less sense."

"Just get into the cockpit and wait. Larry, don't play games just because you're bored."

Larry was thrown into the cockpit by Doug.

Sitting in the pilot seat, Larry asked Emma what was happening.

Emma's face appeared on the monitor, but she was talking to Molly.

Feeling a bit guilty, he used the external speaker to speak.

"Captain, what's going on? Waiting in the cockpit isn't normal, right?"

Outside the cockpit, Emma turned to face Larry.

"There's no communication, but a friendly fleet is approaching. To avoid provoking them, we won't go into the first alert status, but the fleet commander has ordered us to be cautious."

"They're on our side, right?"

Why would they need to be cautious with their allies? Emma looked a bit troubled at the question.

"They seem to be the regular army of the Empire."

"…What?"

Larry was even more confused, but Emma headed for the cockpit.

There was nothing more to say.

"I thought we could relax, but things have suddenly become hectic."

◇

Emma entered the cockpit of Atalante and stared at the monitor.

The spherical cockpit walls were monitors, showing the interaction between the commander of their guerrilla fleet and the commander of the approaching Imperial regular army fleet.

The opposing fleet commander appeared to be a noble in the Imperial regular army.

His uniform was flamboyantly modified to his liking, and his hairstyle violated military regulations.

This was allowed because he was a noble.

"Our fleet was told that the Banfield family had a small fleet, but 300 ships is a very small number."

The opposing commander, who had approached without prior communication, spoke rudely.

The fleet commander, though exasperated, responded.

"We were not planning to join forces. What do you need from our fleet?"

The noble seemed annoyed.

This was probably because the fleet commander was a commoner.

Nobles looked down on those who were not nobles.

"Our fleet is about to retake a captured fortress. We need reinforcements, so we came here specifically."

"…If you need reinforcements, you should request them from the general headquarters. Besides, we have not received any orders to join forces with you."

The fleet commander tried to refuse firmly, but the noble became visibly agitated.

"Commoners should watch their mouths! Since I came here myself, it is only right that you join us and help retake the fortress! ...Besides, a private army has no right to talk back to me."

As the opposing fleet prepared to fire, the fleet commander looked bitter.

The opposing fleet had 3,000 ships, ten times their number, and a battle here would likely result in their annihilation.

(We learned that allies might fight each other in a chaotic battlefield, but I never thought I would actually encounter such a situation.)

Emma was tense but ready to launch Atalante at any moment.

As the fleet commander consulted with his deputy, he suddenly widened his eyes.

"…Permission has been granted by the general headquarters. We are ordered to join forces with you and participate in the fortress assault."

The fleet commander looked as if he had bitten into a bitter pill, while the noble was in high spirits.

"The Banfield family is surprisingly flexible. Then, let's head to the fortress assault quickly. You will take the lead."

The communication line was cut off unilaterally, and the fleet commander's face briefly showed anger.

"…All ships, we will join forces with the allies to participate in the fortress assault."

The communication line with the fleet commander was also cut off, and Emma sighed in relief.

However, the tense situation continued.

"I don't want to believe that is the Imperial regular army."

(Being assigned to the lead means the fortress assault will be tough.)

◇

When Emma left the cockpit, the first to approach was Aine's Varona team.

Aine seemed to have a good idea of the situation from the earlier conversation.

"You've been assigned to lead the fortress assault. I want to confirm if the captain has a plan."

Leading the assault was an honorable position, but it also meant high casualties.

The nobles disliked taking casualties and intended to use the Banfield family's guerrilla fleet as a shield.

Emma responded to Aine.

"We have equipment for the fortress assault, so we will retrofit all the units."

Aine's voice became harsh upon hearing Emma's plan.

"That won't be enough. Does the captain have experience in fortress assaults?"

"Once, for a ground base."

"No experience in space fortress assaults, then. I don't think we can handle the lead with our current lack of everything."

The guerrilla fleet would take the lead, but the squadron with the knight Emma would likely be assigned to the most challenging area.

Aine, aware of this, was checking Emma's plan.

"Second Lieutenant Kimura, please hurry with the retrofit for Varona."

"Captain, I can't fight under your command. We will operate independently."

Aine left with his subordinates.

Next, Rick appeared.

"…Senior. Well, my unit isn't in good condition, so I was thinking of passing on the fortress assault. Is that okay?"

Rick, forcing a smile, made Emma sigh deeply.

"If you don't sortie, you are not allowed to enter the cockpit."

"…I'd rather not do that."

If the fortress assault went wrong, Meleah would not be safe, and there was a risk of being shot down.

If he couldn't wait in the cockpit, Rick would have to leave his fate in others' hands.

"Ha… I guess I have to sortie this time."

Rick left to prepare for the sortie, and Emma approached Lee.

"Molly, load as many weapons as possible onto Atalante."

"That's fine, but what about Raccoon and Doug's Raccoon?"

"Load them with missiles or anything. We'll treat them as expendable, but I also want a large shield. And please tell the other squads to do the same."

"Is that okay? It will make them slower and increase the risk of being shot down mid-mission."

Despite Lee's concern, Emma responded confidently.

"It's okay—I'll definitely bring everyone to the fortress."

(We have no choice but to do this. Whether I can do it or not—no, I will do it. I am a self-righteous knight.)

Emma, feeling a bit weak inside, rallied herself with grand words.

There was no turning back, and she reminded herself of this.

Molly, seeing Emma like this, seemed a bit less anxious.

"Emma, you seem more reliable than before. Yes, I understand. I'll have the Meleah maintenance crew load as many weapons as possible."

"Thank you, Molly."

◇

In the vast bridge of the flagship Vahl, Christiana was reviewing information to grasp the entire battlefield, from large to small.

However—

"…It's not going as planned. No matter how well we position the units, the on-site commanders disrupt the plans."

—No matter how meticulously Christiana and her team positioned the fleets, the on-site commanders acted on their own, rendering the plans useless.

Especially, the fleets dispatched from the Imperial army did not follow their instructions.

Claudia, returning from a break, approached Christiana.

"Christiana, you should take a break. You haven't rested for three days. It's too much of a strain."

Claudia was worried about Christiana's overwork.

Christiana responded, "It's been three days… no, I'll rest in two days. I need to create a favorable situation before I can rest."

Ignoring Claudia's advice, Christiana reviewed the fleet positions.

However, a voice came from behind.

"Christiana, you should take a break."

Turning to the voice, Christiana saw Klaus looking down from a higher position.

"I can still do it."

"The battle will continue. Pushing yourself too hard now is a problem. Besides, your subordinates are also overworking because of you."

When Christiana looked at her subordinates, Claudia's face was a bit pale.

She had taken a break but cut it short.

Christiana sighed and stepped out of the light column.

"If I don't notice my subordinates' conditions, it's better to take a break. I'll follow the acting general's orders."

Christiana's decision to take a break made Claudia feel relieved.

At that moment, Christiana spoke to Claudia.

"Claudia, the knight you were concerned about is assigned to the guerrilla fleet."

"Captain Rodman?"

"Caught by a collection of patrol fleets and forced to participate in the fortress assault."

While it was the Imperial regular army, the fleet was a problematic one led by a noble.

Patrol fleets were convenient for assigning problematic nobles.

Many patrol fleets had noble commanders, and they were kept at a distance from the regular fleets.

The reason was that most noble children were useless and only caused trouble when assigned.

It was a sad fact, but noble children were a headache for the Imperial army.

Claudia looked bitter.

"I'll order them to return immediately."

"It's too late. If we take the guerrilla fleet away now, they might turn on us. It's better to let them do the fortress assault."

"But with the guerrilla fleet's strength, they might be annihilated."

"Don't worry. I've sent them a small but excellent reinforcement. And—"

Christiana looked at Claudia and smiled faintly.

"—I believe she can do it. I trust my grown-up student."

With that, Christiana left the bridge.

That otome game is a harsh world for us, Volume 4, now on sale!

The new work, "Fairy Bullet—The Mechanized Maiden and the Pseudo-Beast Soldier—," Volume 1, is scheduled for release on [October 19]!

We published consecutive volumes in September and October, but there are still more to come…