Chapter 5

At Kimirano, the "Next Light Novel Grand Prize 2021" is being held. As mentioned in the preface, you can vote once a day, and there are readers who vote every day (;゜ロ゜). Thank you so much!

I really appreciate your daily support. I will continue to update to respond to your encouragement! From Planet Aelias.

This planet, formerly known as the Berkeley Territory, was a place rich in nature.

The area, untouched by human hands, had not been properly surveyed, and it was unclear whether it was suitable for colonization.

The Remia, classified as a light aircraft carrier, was known for its sturdiness and could operate within the atmosphere.

When the planetary survey team aboard the Remia disembarked, they immediately began their investigation.

Emma's squad was assigned to guard the survey team.

The cockpit of the Mohave was narrow and far from comfortable.

It had probably been used by dozens of pilots before.

The smell of others and unfamiliar odors made it difficult to bear just being inside.

"It smells weird."

As Emma muttered this complaint, communication with another squad's Mohave opened.

The squad leader's Mohave, like Emma's, had a visor decoration on its head.

"Hey, I heard. You're a failed D-rank knight, right?"

A female pilot with her hair pulled back appeared on the monitor.

She had taken off her pilot suit and brought alcohol into the cockpit.

"We are on duty now."

"You're a serious knight. But apparently, you can't even operate a mobile knight properly? Why don't you challenge me?"

The person she was talking to was the squad leader of another squad in the same company—the Fourth Squad.

The two accompanying units also pointed their spears at Emma's Mohave, just like the squad leader's.

"Hey!"

Emma, surprised by their actions, glanced at her subordinates.

But Doug and Larry seemed indifferent.

(—Am I treated as an outsider by my own team?)

Doug and Larry seemed to have more camaraderie with the other squad.

Seeing Emma's worried expression, the Fourth Squad leader sneered.

"Abandoned by your subordinates too? Being a weak knight is pitiful! —Seeing someone like you, who talks about ideals but is weak, makes me frustrated!"

As the female squad leader's Mohave closed the distance, Emma instinctively gripped the control stick and moved quickly.

It was almost a reflexive action.

However, the same was true for the Mohave.

Just like her first battle, the machine was extremely sluggish, and there was a gap between her senses and the machine's response.

"!"

Trying to lower the machine quickly, Emma found the Mohave's response much slower than Nevan's.

(No! I'm going to fall!?)

While being careful not to cause damage to the survey team, she fell, but the mobile knight was so large.

The area shook slightly, and dust flew up, causing a commotion.

Seeing Emma's Mohave fall clumsily, the Fourth Squad burst into laughter.

"Did you trip!?"

"True to form, even your fall has grace."

"Just a little scare, and you end up like this? D-rank knights are really failures."

The Fourth Squad seemed to want to leave the scene before things got complicated.

They left Emma behind and headed somewhere else.

Inside the cockpit, Emma gritted her teeth.

Her subordinates, who were also part of the Third Squad, slowly approached and helped her Mohave up.

The communication line opened with contact, and Larry's exasperated expression appeared on part of the monitor.

"Really, you can't do anything, can you?"

"S-Sorry."

Hearing Emma's apology, Larry made a loud clicking sound with his tongue.

"Knights don't apologize. Knights are more—"

He started to say something but shook his head and moved away.

Doug was matter-of-fact.

"I can't understand how a girl who can't even handle a simple mission like this can be a knight."

"..."

Feeling ashamed, Emma remained silent, and Doug's attitude became cold.

"Trying hard is good, but at least don't hold us back. I don't want any trouble. By the way, don't expect us to help. Both Larry and I are more on the side of the Fourth Squad's princess."

Surprisingly, the female squad leader of the Fourth Squad was treated like a princess.

She was much older than Emma, but that didn't seem to matter.

"Princess?"

"Cute, right? She used to be a straightforward and serious soldier."

Even such a princess had her heart broken.

Though not said directly, Emma understood what Doug meant.

Communication opened with the Remia's operator.

"Lieutenant Emma Rodman. Return to the hangar immediately. Seriously, you're a knight who causes extra trouble."

Complaints about the extra work Emma had caused.

Emma hung her head in the cockpit.

(I failed right away.)

Given her renewed determination, it felt like a significant failure to Emma.

◇

In the Remia's hangar.

Molly, who had been hit by a superior, spoke to Emma as she returned.

"You messed up. We're having a hard time with maintenance today too."

"S-Sorry."

"Ba-ka. It's obviously a lie."

"Eh?"

"This one is simple in structure, so maintenance is easy."

Molly seemed to have said this as a joke to comfort the dejected Emma.

Emma sighed in relief.

"That's good."

"But it won't move for a while. I've disabled the assist function."

"Eh? Why?"

"I'm going to recalibrate it. Adjusting a mobile knight for a knight is difficult, and in Emma's case, it seems to need even more adjustments."

"I see."

If it had been damaged, she would have had to write dozens of reports.

Relieved that it didn't come to that, Emma looked up at her Mohave.

"I'm glad it's not broken. It would have been a shame if I broke it with such a mistake."

Hearing Emma's words, Molly smiled broadly.

"Do you like mobile knights too, Emma? I love them! I became a maintenance technician because I can maintain these guys."

"Really?"

Hearing Molly's unexpected story, Emma was surprised but happy.

Emma asked Molly.

"If so, what kind of machine do you like? I absolutely love Avi—"

Just as they were getting excited about the topic of mobile knights, a loud explosion was heard.

The Remia's hangar hatch was open, and a large plume of smoke could be seen rising from it.

"What!?"

Molly, who had been protected by Emma, was confused about what had happened.

Reacting quickly, Emma immediately got into her Mohave.

"I'll get my machine out right away. Molly, evacuate quickly."

"E-Evacuate?"

Confused, Molly asked what was happening, and Emma briefly explained.

"—The enemy."

◇

Warrant Officer Larry Kramer was sweating in the cockpit of his Mohave.

"Even space pirates use the Type 4 base!"

He fired a beam from the gun on his Mohave, but the enemy moved too quickly to hit.

The enemy's mobile knight, known as the Zok, was a space pirate version of the Mohave, modified for space use and based on the current mainstream Type 4.

Therefore, it had higher performance than the Type 2 Larry was riding.

Worse still.

"The odds are against us, specialized for ground combat!"

The enemy pilot's voice could be heard.

The enemy Zoks were modified for ground combat.

Knowing the terrain well, Larry and Doug were being pushed back.

Doug's Mohave, armed with a machine gun, managed to destroy a fallen enemy machine, but the situation was two against three, with the enemy having the numerical advantage.

"Rally, it's bad. The princess's squad has been wiped out."

"Is that so! And now we're about to be wiped out too!"

To Larry, the princess was an older woman.

He couldn't understand why Doug held her in such high regard, and it annoyed him that he was worried about her even in this situation.

The enemy Zoks, using hover movement, were aiming at the survey team behind Larry with bazookas.

"Trouble!"

As Larry raised his shield to protect the survey team, a machine appeared and passed by at an incredible speed.

"Captain's machine!?"

By the time Larry realized it, the machine was already heading towards the enemy with the bazooka.

The enemy panicked and pulled the trigger as the machine charged with its thrusters.

(It's going to hit!)

Larry expected the Mohave to be blown away by the bazooka, but the shell passed by Emma's Mohave at close range.

The two machines then collided, shattered, and flew apart.

(Missed? No, dodged?)

Impossible. Could such a thing really happen?

As Larry was confused, Doug rushed to Emma's Mohave.

"Is it the girl!?"

Neither of them had expected their unreliable squad leader to ram the enemy.

"Stupid, what are you doing!?"

Larry and Doug moved forward to help Emma.

The space pirates, realizing they were outnumbered, abandoned their comrades and retreated.

From their movements, Doug sensed that the enemy was troublesome.

"Good judgment. The enemy might be a tough bunch."

"They just ran because they were at a disadvantage. They even abandoned their comrades, so they're heartless."

"That's why they're tough."

As Larry and Doug approached Emma's Mohave, the impact had scattered parts of the two machines in all directions.

"Hey, are you okay!?"

When Larry called out desperately, Emma responded.

"I-I'm fine."

"Thank goodness—! But what were you thinking! You could have died!"

Relieved that Emma was safe, Larry scolded her for her actions, not wanting to be seen as concerned.

Emma was also reflecting.

"I'm sorry. I broke this one."

"Don't worry about an old Mohave."

Larry sighed in exasperation, and Doug relayed the commander's orders.

"We're retreating to space. Larry, you retrieve the girl and return to the Remia."

Larry looked at the survey team, who were already boarding the Remia.

"Are we retreating?"

"No, it seems we're in for more trouble than expected."

"Huh?"

◇

In the Remia's infirmary.

"You idiot! Do you know how much I've cared for this one!?"

"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Emma, with bandages on her head and arms, had her cheeks pinched by Molly.

The doctor had told her to rest, but Emma was fine to move.

Molly, knowing this, was punishing Emma.

"Do you know how much effort I put into making this one move properly! How difficult it was to adjust it for a knight!"

Having the Mohave she adjusted for Emma destroyed, Molly was furious.

"I'm sorry."

When Emma apologized, Molly sighed deeply.

"Well, it's good you're alive. I didn't expect you to successfully ram the enemy with the assist function disabled."

"Hehehe."

Even in the heat of the moment, Emma hadn't expected to succeed.

Molly changed the subject.

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"The Fourth Squad was wiped out."

"Wh-What?"

The Fourth Squad, who had mocked her, had been wiped out by the space pirates.

Emma found it hard to believe.

They had been alive just a few hours ago.

But now they were gone.

"The First Squad also lost two members. We're the only squad left in the Third Squad. The other companies that were not deployed are safe, though."

Most of the First Company, which had been deployed for escort, had been destroyed, and the only squad left that could function was Emma's Third Squad.

"R-Really?"

They weren't close, but the thought of familiar faces dying made Emma's chest tighten.

Molly gave the next report.

"Also, the higher-ups are in a panic for some reason."

"What happened?"

"Reinforcements are coming. But it's strange. They're sending a special unit."

"A special unit? Shouldn't they send a regular unit?"

Why would a special unit be sent to such a remote area?

The two of them looked at each other in confusion, but no answer came to mind.

Wakagi-chan ( ゜∀゜)ノ "Hehe, I'll spread my roots here and promote 'Mob Seka' too. Promoting it without me would be like having no miso in an oden. I'll promote it energetically!"

Wakagi-chan (´∀｀*) "Finally, 'The World of Otome Games is Tough on Mobs Vol. 9' will be released on November 30th. I will! This I will be active, so please buy and read it. Oh, it's tough being popular."

Emma (；・∀・) "…Who are you?"