Anyone of the fired magic will reap the life of man with deadly force. However, Those same forces only make slight scratches on the aluminare.
Both flames and earthen spears can only leave scratches on each other’s armor, none of them reach critical wound.
And the captain’s aircraft lunged forward.
Aiming for the gap between the magic firing, he closed the distance in one single step.
But the opponent isn’t an aluminare’s pilot for show so he wouldn’t let it continue. With the captain having closed the distance, he readied his sword and dealt with it.
The huge sound of two swords colliding into each other thrilled my tympani.
“Tch…!”
My body trembles in the aftermath of the fight and fever strokes my cheeks.
Looking at the battle of the captain, I remembered the feeling when I fought for the first time in the Aluminare.
Fear due to some serious killing intent with a sense of euphoria when I first piloted an aluminare. It is something you can never feel at the Academy.
“The captain is pressuring him, as it is”
In the battle of two mechas, the captain looks dominant. The annihilation of the infantry unit is caused by the obviously panicking opposing pilot.
And the way the captain fights is steady.
It’s a fighting style that keeps the teachings of the academy where one does not miss the opponent’s gap while defending, followed by a counter.
The tactic consist of surely cutting off the opponent little by little while securing their own safety. It will be very troublesome from the enemy’s perspective.
Anyway, the opponent now has limited means of escape.
There is no way to escape only by knocking down the captain when there is no help from the infantry. It creates impatience in the opponent and turn into an advantageous situation for the captain.
The captain’s mecha dodges the opponent’s sword and shoots a magic spell at close range as it approaches the head.
The released fireball covered the head, causing a small explosion and destroying the head of the enemy’s mecha.
“Yes!”
My voice unintentionally leaks out. He just destroyed one of the cameras, but the fact that it was broken should put pressure on the opponent. It further creates impatience and gaps.
And the enemy swung widely.
While greatly falling backwards, it fires magic towards the ground. A huge cloud of dust was roiled up and visibility temporarily deteriorated.
I followed the two mechas from the forest while covering my mouth with my arms so that the dust does not enter my mouth.
Is the enemy mecha retreating all the time trying to escape? However, it is impossible to escape in a one vs one battle.
With the degree of checking while retreating, It can not escape from the Aluminare. But if he turns his back and run away, he will be hit by a high-powered magical attack on its back.
If so, are there other reasons to retreat?
Is there something down there? But this is a buffer zone. It is categorically the land of the kingdom, and it is impossible to build forts and the like.
So, is it reinforcement? An infantry is meaningless. If there is a possibility of one coming …
“A second mecha!”
If so, my job as a scouts is to find it first and inform the captain.
Activating [Active Wing] and [Aero Thruster], I ran through the forest at once.
The direction in which the enemy is retreating to remains the true north. That’s to say, it is highly possible that the other party is intruding from α block. Surely Benoît-san will be already working as he had noticed the possibility.
I hope to join Benoit-san on the way…
While thinking so, as I went through the forest, I went to the 15 – B forest road.
“I found it!”
By coming out of the forest, my field of view cleared and I found a green mecha running straight from the north to here.
I can not see its feet because of the trees, but from that speed the infantry is probably leaving. I guess he found magic generated in battle and came here.
“How do I inform him?”
The problem is how to inform the captain of this.
It is a suicidal act to approach an Aluminare under battle and the magic of sound collection will be turned off to save even a little bit of fuel.
Then, I have to prepare something the stands out here.
When I looked at every direction as if something was wrong, I was able to hear a call from a nearby bush.
“Eldo-kun”
“Benoit-san?”
It was indeed Benoit-san who showed his face from the bush.
“Why is Eldo-kun here?”
“I was thinking that there is a possibility of reinforcement from the movement of the enemy”
“Oh I see, Good judgement, isn’t it?”
“But, how can I inform the captain of it?”
“If that’s the case, I have a signal bullet, if I launch it, you will see that red lights will light up, but the timing is difficult with the enemy’s smokescreen”
“I see”
Due to the magic the enemy continues firing while moving backwards, there was a possibility that the light could not reach the captain even if the signal bullet was launched from here inside the cloud of dust.
Is the enemy’s smoke screen something in anticipation if this rather than protecting itself from attacks?
“I will temporarily blow away that cloud of dust, meanwhile, shoot the signal bullet”
“Yeah, that’s what I intended, I’m counting on you”
“I understand, I will do my best, so I will move a little bit away from here”
If I activate magic at a position that is too close, there is a possibility that the launched signal bullet will be struck by magic. With that in mind, I move to the other side of the road and prepare my magic.
“In order to blow this smoke away all at once…”
If I do not blow it away at once with a powerful large-scale magic, the enemy’s magic will wind up the dirt again. Therefore, there’s one magic to use.
“Okay, Here I go!”
Sending a signal to Benoit-san on the other side once and start casting it.
“[Air Blast], Sextuple installation”
Putting my hands up along with the completion of the casting, the space around me greatly distorts six time.
“Open!!”
Waving down my hands, releasing the spell that was on standby. Sudden gusts blown out of six distortions hit the captain ‘s Aluminare while rolling up the leaves in the surroundings, swiftly blew out the smoke.
At the same time, there is a sound like *Passhu* going out of the direction of Benoit-san and a red light rushes over the sky.
“Eldo-kun, please move quickly! An attack will come!”
“Eh? Y- Yes!”
I was trying to ascertain whether the captain noticed it or not, I respond quickly to the voice of Benoit-san and retreat from my spot.
Immediately afterwards, earthen spears poured down around the place I was.
The trees were mowed down and broken branches hit my body.
“Huh…”
While enduring the pain and despite falling down on the ground from the shock wave that came after the spears fell, I was regretting my foolish act.
From the firing the signal bullet after casting magic. It is not unlikely that the infantry will find the origin of the magic.
An infantry alone does not have means to combat an aluminare, but it does not mean that it can not do anything.
Like just now, it can support it in a fight, it can even break the foothold and cause hindrances. Then, as the captain did, the infantry should be the first to be targeted.
Even though we were able to locate the place, I shouldn’t be allowed to space out.
I kept rolling and finally stopped hitting my back against a tree’s trunk.
“Gah hah”
Because I forcefully crashed my back onto the tree trunk, I could not breathe well.
While coughing, I was trying to recover my breath, Benoit-san rushed up to me.
“Eldo-kun, are you alright?”
“Y- yes, *Koho*”
My consciousness is stable. As for my injuries,the bruises are caused by scratches from branches and rolling on the ground. I may be a bit bruised, but there is no hindrance to my movements.
“I’m sorry, I was careless”
“It’s fine as long as you’re alive. and it looks like you were able to fulfill your role as well”
When I looked up, I saw the captain’s mecha casting magic against the reinforcing mecha between gaps in the trees. In other words, our signal bullet has been useful, huh?
“What a relief”
“We will withdraw. That’s all we can do up to now. Afterwards, we’ll get in the way”
“But it’s still two vs one”
Although I was able to let him know about the existence of reinforcement, no matter how you face you face it, it’s still unfavorable.
If we do not attract reinforcements, the captain will be done for …
“I am not worried about that. Look…”
Saying so, Benoit-san looked up in the direction of Jacata, ahead of the forest road.
“Green light?”
What I was looking up to was a signal bullet glowing green.
“Could it be that?”
“This is our reinforcement, the buffer zone is large, but our patrolling routes are built so that we can cover it.”
Indeed, in order to suppress a large number of opponents in a wide buffer zone, the lateral connection becomes important. For that reason, the patrolling route of aluminare squad is carefully set to be able to immediately respond as soon as problems arise.
I guess the troops heading here perhaps rushed to us as they saw the first fire blazing column and heard the sound of battle.
“If so, with this…”
We have the advantage. When I thought so, the aluminare that fought with the captain suddenly turned his back and ran away.
That should be the height of folly. As expected, the captain’s mecha lowers his back in order to release a powerful magic.
However, he quickly loosened his stance and let the mecha withdraw. Then earthen spears fly by its feet.
“Sniper !?”
“It looks like we are going to withdraw, well, it’s a reasonable decision”
Enemy reinforcement seems to stop at that place and aim here from a long distance. And another machine that fought in the meantime withdraws at full speed.
As the captain sees what it’s going to do, he stopped releasing magic and retreated into the forest while paying attention to one of the reinforcements.
“Benoit, Eldo, we will also retreat, join with reinforcement forces”
“Are not you going to chase them?”
Although they’re shooting from a long distance, as long it is not a specialized mecha, the accuracy rate should be low. Besides, if reinforcements are coming from behind, shouldn’t we attack them here in one breath?
“It’s forbidden to chase too far. There is also the possibility that there is another mecha at their withdrawal destination. If that’s the case, next time we’ll be the one being ganged upon. We shouldn’t take that risk”
“It was a slip”
“Don’t worry about it, as a new recruit, anyone would think so, gradually get used to this battlefield, that’s why we’re here”
“Thank you”
Until the reinforcement unit arrives, we could only watch the empire’s aluminare escape.
“Bring me the spare cable!”
“Here! I will remove the armor! Pay attention to the surrounding!”
“Hydraulic pressure check, no abnormality. no cylinder pump problem!”
Many of the maintenance members behind me check the damage situation of the captain’s mecha and quickly repairing it.
“Ittsu…”[usually said while taking pictures and posing (selfies + peace sign)]
“What are you talking about this much for? it became much more in tatter since the Academy”
After joining with the reinforcement unit, we joined the standby squad and I received wound treatment from Karine-san.
In the most severe spot, it’s where I struck a branch had caused internal bleeding, but the others are really scratches, and it is enough to blot them with sterilization.
“Even so, you were rash, you suddenly interrupted the first fight between aluminares”
“I’m not that great as to interrupt a fight between aluminares, I just blew away the cloud of smoke”
“Even so, I’m telling you that it’s quite amazing, in fact you were targeted by the enemy’s mecha and you got rushed by the earthen spears, didn’t you?”
“Ah ha ha. Well, yes…”
But three years ago, I was playing tag with an aluminare… because I was suffered attacks of ice spears at that time.
In comparison to that, honestly, the earthen spear is much. Well, I became full of scratches, but…
“Here, with this it’s over!”
Karine-san flicked on my bandaged wound. Even though I am stinging with the disinfectant, the struck wound from above protested.
“Ow!? ,What The hell are you doing!?”
“A celebration that you survived, You feelling pain is proof that you are alive”
“Please do it to people in a serious condition, it’s just a scratch,”
“Well, it does not hurt that much, so I will check the data on mecha”
“Ah, yes. Thank you”
When Karine-san stood up, she went to the maintenance members who are repairing the captain’s mecha.
I cleaned up the spread out emergency box and headed down to Aurel-san to ask whether there is anything I can do to help him.
However, when I tried to call out on the contrary I heard a call from behind.
“Yo Eldo, you look as sleepy as ever!”
Turning my head over my shoulder, there was Baptiste with a slight height and hair growth in a year.
“Baptiste! It’s been a long time! That’s because they’ve always been that way from the start”
I bump my fist to the fist that Baptiste took out.
“So, the reinforcement squad was your place, huh?”
“Oh, during our tour, our scouting person found traces of the battle and we quickly ran over here. However, I heard that you stopped the enemy’s aluminare by hitting it with magic?”
“What’s that?”
I certainly casted magic against the aluminare, but it was towards the captain’s mecha and the reason was to blow away the cloud of dust, so it’s not like I’m someone that would something like that. That my magic could ever stop an aluminare, there no way it would be possible.
“What? Am I wrong? The squad is all over this rumor, you know? That this year’s newcomers are a collection of dangerous people”
“No no. You know I can’t do something amazing like that. just to let the signal bullet show, I blew away the cloud of dust. Or rather, what’s that “dangerous newcomers” about?”
Certainly our grade may have been better than the newcomers up to now, but I do not remember doing such an amazing thing that it becomes a rumor? Even this time’s battle, I ended up carelessly making a blunder.
“You don’t know? It looks like we’re unexpectedly rumored about; the man who’s more suited to scouting than scouts, Leon. The man who eats, Baptiste. The man who threw away his arm, Eldo”
“It’s the first time I hear of it… But I vaguely get it.”
For Leon, I guess it is due to his own insights and good reasoning. He’s specialty is to predict the position of the enemy just from little traces. If it was him, he would entice the enemy into a trap with almost no difficulty.
And Baptiste… Yeah, I guess he devours women. He became a regular pilot, and I got extremely popular… No way.
“Baptiste, Have you already made moves on a Support Maid?”
“It’s a principle that I can’t refuse if asked…”
“Do not get stabbed by a member of the squad…”
I do not want to hear that a classmate died because of out of control jealousy.
Well, I’m fine as it is. I throw away one arm of the mecha and forcibly improved its specs.
I see, we may be member that are easily talked about to certain extent.
“In other words, because of that rumor, this time’s story that’s handed out is extremely exaggerated”
“Looks like it is, I will explain it all to everyone”
“Please, I don’t want to be thought of as someone who aluminares in flesh and blood”
“Of course”
When I bitterly smiled, Baptiste suddenly turns serious.
It is strange, I tilted my head.
“What’s wrong?”
“Eldo, this time was your first battle right? Despite that, you’re pretty calm. Honestly, I thought you’d trembling more”
I understand the meaning of Baptiste words and I agree.
Certainly, I appear to be calm on the surface. but–
“My inner heart is trembling quite a bit, although I hide it, I can’t stop my trembling hands yet.”
I killed a person for the first time. I did not have time to remember desperately during battle, but suddenly I remembered it while receiving wound treatment.
After that, despite desperately trying, I could not stop my trembling hands.
Even though I raised my right hand and made a firm fist, that fist trembled with a shiver.
“Hearing such a thing… Has Baptiste already experienced an actual war? How was it when you first killed a person?”
“It’s the same as Eldo, trembling wouldn’t stop, and if I close my eyes the figure of the man I killed comes to mind, one member of my squad has been killed and I kept vomiting in the bushes at night.”
“How did you get over it?”
“I wouldn’t I got over it, I just came to clear decision… It might be said that I’m used to it. When we were at the Academy we took a look at the hospital’s terminal treatment room, right?”
“Ah”
That sight can never be forgotten.
“Because I do not plan to end up like that, I will protect myself by killing the enemy. When I thought so, the second time I was unexpectedly easy to kill. That’s why I say I got used to it.”
“I see”
“Each one of them are people, but I somehow managed to do it. well, I will have to go soon, If I chat too much, I’ll get scolded again.”
“Thank you. It got a little easier”
I give thanks to Baptiste who was waving hands across his back.
Is it because I was able to tell him what I was hiding, or is it because I know that a friend managed to overcome it?
The trembling of my hands imperceptibly stopped.
Anyone of the fired magic will reap the life of man with deadly force. However, Those same forces only make slight scratches on the aluminare.
Both flames and earthen spears can only leave scratches on each other’s armor, none of them reach critical wound.
And the captain’s aircraft lunged forward.
Aiming for the gap between the magic firing, he closed the distance in one single step.
But the opponent isn’t an aluminare’s pilot for show so he wouldn’t let it continue. With the captain having closed the distance, he readied his sword and dealt with it.
The huge sound of two swords colliding into each other thrilled my tympani.
“Tch…!”
My body trembles in the aftermath of the fight and fever strokes my cheeks.
Looking at the battle of the captain, I remembered the feeling when I fought for the first time in the Aluminare.
Fear due to some serious killing intent with a sense of euphoria when I first piloted an aluminare. It is something you can never feel at the Academy.
“The captain is pressuring him, as it is”
In the battle of two mechas, the captain looks dominant. The annihilation of the infantry unit is caused by the obviously panicking opposing pilot.
And the way the captain fights is steady.
It’s a fighting style that keeps the teachings of the academy where one does not miss the opponent’s gap while defending, followed by a counter.
The tactic consist of surely cutting off the opponent little by little while securing their own safety. It will be very troublesome from the enemy’s perspective.
Anyway, the opponent now has limited means of escape.
There is no way to escape only by knocking down the captain when there is no help from the infantry. It creates impatience in the opponent and turn into an advantageous situation for the captain.
The captain’s mecha dodges the opponent’s sword and shoots a magic spell at close range as it approaches the head.
The released fireball covered the head, causing a small explosion and destroying the head of the enemy’s mecha.
“Yes!”
My voice unintentionally leaks out. He just destroyed one of the cameras, but the fact that it was broken should put pressure on the opponent. It further creates impatience and gaps.
And the enemy swung widely.
While greatly falling backwards, it fires magic towards the ground. A huge cloud of dust was roiled up and visibility temporarily deteriorated.
I followed the two mechas from the forest while covering my mouth with my arms so that the dust does not enter my mouth.
Is the enemy mecha retreating all the time trying to escape? However, it is impossible to escape in a one vs one battle.
With the degree of checking while retreating, It can not escape from the Aluminare. But if he turns his back and run away, he will be hit by a high-powered magical attack on its back.
If so, are there other reasons to retreat?
Is there something down there? But this is a buffer zone. It is categorically the land of the kingdom, and it is impossible to build forts and the like.
So, is it reinforcement? An infantry is meaningless. If there is a possibility of one coming …
“A second mecha!”
If so, my job as a scouts is to find it first and inform the captain.
Activating [Active Wing] and [Aero Thruster], I ran through the forest at once.
The direction in which the enemy is retreating to remains the true north. That’s to say, it is highly possible that the other party is intruding from α block. Surely Benoît-san will be already working as he had noticed the possibility.
I hope to join Benoit-san on the way…
While thinking so, as I went through the forest, I went to the 15 – B forest road.
“I found it!”
By coming out of the forest, my field of view cleared and I found a green mecha running straight from the north to here.
I can not see its feet because of the trees, but from that speed the infantry is probably leaving. I guess he found magic generated in battle and came here.
“How do I inform him?”
The problem is how to inform the captain of this.
It is a suicidal act to approach an Aluminare under battle and the magic of sound collection will be turned off to save even a little bit of fuel.
Then, I have to prepare something the stands out here.
When I looked at every direction as if something was wrong, I was able to hear a call from a nearby bush.
“Eldo-kun”
“Benoit-san?”
It was indeed Benoit-san who showed his face from the bush.
“Why is Eldo-kun here?”
“I was thinking that there is a possibility of reinforcement from the movement of the enemy”
“Oh I see, Good judgement, isn’t it?”
“But, how can I inform the captain of it?”
“If that’s the case, I have a signal bullet, if I launch it, you will see that red lights will light up, but the timing is difficult with the enemy’s smokescreen”
“I see”
Due to the magic the enemy continues firing while moving backwards, there was a possibility that the light could not reach the captain even if the signal bullet was launched from here inside the cloud of dust.
Is the enemy’s smoke screen something in anticipation if this rather than protecting itself from attacks?
“I will temporarily blow away that cloud of dust, meanwhile, shoot the signal bullet”
“Yeah, that’s what I intended, I’m counting on you”
“I understand, I will do my best, so I will move a little bit away from here”
If I activate magic at a position that is too close, there is a possibility that the launched signal bullet will be struck by magic. With that in mind, I move to the other side of the road and prepare my magic.
“In order to blow this smoke away all at once…”
If I do not blow it away at once with a powerful large-scale magic, the enemy’s magic will wind up the dirt again. Therefore, there’s one magic to use.
“Okay, Here I go!”
Sending a signal to Benoit-san on the other side once and start casting it.
“[Air Blast], Sextuple installation”
Putting my hands up along with the completion of the casting, the space around me greatly distorts six time.
“Open!!”
Waving down my hands, releasing the spell that was on standby. Sudden gusts blown out of six distortions hit the captain ‘s Aluminare while rolling up the leaves in the surroundings, swiftly blew out the smoke.
At the same time, there is a sound like *Passhu* going out of the direction of Benoit-san and a red light rushes over the sky.
“Eldo-kun, please move quickly! An attack will come!”
“Eh? Y- Yes!”
I was trying to ascertain whether the captain noticed it or not, I respond quickly to the voice of Benoit-san and retreat from my spot.
Immediately afterwards, earthen spears poured down around the place I was.
The trees were mowed down and broken branches hit my body.
“Huh…”
While enduring the pain and despite falling down on the ground from the shock wave that came after the spears fell, I was regretting my foolish act.
From the firing the signal bullet after casting magic. It is not unlikely that the infantry will find the origin of the magic.
An infantry alone does not have means to combat an aluminare, but it does not mean that it can not do anything.
Like just now, it can support it in a fight, it can even break the foothold and cause hindrances. Then, as the captain did, the infantry should be the first to be targeted.
Even though we were able to locate the place, I shouldn’t be allowed to space out.
I kept rolling and finally stopped hitting my back against a tree’s trunk.
“Gah hah”
Because I forcefully crashed my back onto the tree trunk, I could not breathe well.
While coughing, I was trying to recover my breath, Benoit-san rushed up to me.
“Eldo-kun, are you alright?”
“Y- yes, *Koho*”
My consciousness is stable. As for my injuries,the bruises are caused by scratches from branches and rolling on the ground. I may be a bit bruised, but there is no hindrance to my movements.
“I’m sorry, I was careless”
“It’s fine as long as you’re alive. and it looks like you were able to fulfill your role as well”
When I looked up, I saw the captain’s mecha casting magic against the reinforcing mecha between gaps in the trees. In other words, our signal bullet has been useful, huh?
“What a relief”
“We will withdraw. That’s all we can do up to now. Afterwards, we’ll get in the way”
“But it’s still two vs one”
Although I was able to let him know about the existence of reinforcement, no matter how you face you face it, it’s still unfavorable.
If we do not attract reinforcements, the captain will be done for …
“I am not worried about that. Look…”
Saying so, Benoit-san looked up in the direction of Jacata, ahead of the forest road.
“Green light?”
What I was looking up to was a signal bullet glowing green.
“Could it be that?”
“This is our reinforcement, the buffer zone is large, but our patrolling routes are built so that we can cover it.”
Indeed, in order to suppress a large number of opponents in a wide buffer zone, the lateral connection becomes important. For that reason, the patrolling route of aluminare squad is carefully set to be able to immediately respond as soon as problems arise.
I guess the troops heading here perhaps rushed to us as they saw the first fire blazing column and heard the sound of battle.
“If so, with this…”
We have the advantage. When I thought so, the aluminare that fought with the captain suddenly turned his back and ran away.
That should be the height of folly. As expected, the captain’s mecha lowers his back in order to release a powerful magic.
However, he quickly loosened his stance and let the mecha withdraw. Then earthen spears fly by its feet.
“Sniper !?”
“It looks like we are going to withdraw, well, it’s a reasonable decision”
Enemy reinforcement seems to stop at that place and aim here from a long distance. And another machine that fought in the meantime withdraws at full speed.
As the captain sees what it’s going to do, he stopped releasing magic and retreated into the forest while paying attention to one of the reinforcements.
“Benoit, Eldo, we will also retreat, join with reinforcement forces”
“Are not you going to chase them?”
Although they’re shooting from a long distance, as long it is not a specialized mecha, the accuracy rate should be low. Besides, if reinforcements are coming from behind, shouldn’t we attack them here in one breath?
“It’s forbidden to chase too far. There is also the possibility that there is another mecha at their withdrawal destination. If that’s the case, next time we’ll be the one being ganged upon. We shouldn’t take that risk”
“It was a slip”
“Don’t worry about it, as a new recruit, anyone would think so, gradually get used to this battlefield, that’s why we’re here”
“Thank you”
Until the reinforcement unit arrives, we could only watch the empire’s aluminare escape.
“Bring me the spare cable!”
“Here! I will remove the armor! Pay attention to the surrounding!”
“Hydraulic pressure check, no abnormality. no cylinder pump problem!”
Many of the maintenance members behind me check the damage situation of the captain’s mecha and quickly repairing it.
“Ittsu…”[usually said while taking pictures and posing (selfies + peace sign)]
“What are you talking about this much for? it became much more in tatter since the Academy”
After joining with the reinforcement unit, we joined the standby squad and I received wound treatment from Karine-san.
In the most severe spot, it’s where I struck a branch had caused internal bleeding, but the others are really scratches, and it is enough to blot them with sterilization.
“Even so, you were rash, you suddenly interrupted the first fight between aluminares”
“I’m not that great as to interrupt a fight between aluminares, I just blew away the cloud of smoke”
“Even so, I’m telling you that it’s quite amazing, in fact you were targeted by the enemy’s mecha and you got rushed by the earthen spears, didn’t you?”
“Ah ha ha. Well, yes…”
But three years ago, I was playing tag with an aluminare… because I was suffered attacks of ice spears at that time.
In comparison to that, honestly, the earthen spear is much. Well, I became full of scratches, but…
“Here, with this it’s over!”
Karine-san flicked on my bandaged wound. Even though I am stinging with the disinfectant, the struck wound from above protested.
“Ow!? ,What The hell are you doing!?”
“A celebration that you survived, You feelling pain is proof that you are alive”
“Please do it to people in a serious condition, it’s just a scratch,”
“Well, it does not hurt that much, so I will check the data on mecha”
“Ah, yes. Thank you”
When Karine-san stood up, she went to the maintenance members who are repairing the captain’s mecha.
I cleaned up the spread out emergency box and headed down to Aurel-san to ask whether there is anything I can do to help him.
However, when I tried to call out on the contrary I heard a call from behind.
“Yo Eldo, you look as sleepy as ever!”
Turning my head over my shoulder, there was Baptiste with a slight height and hair growth in a year.
“Baptiste! It’s been a long time! That’s because they’ve always been that way from the start”
I bump my fist to the fist that Baptiste took out.
“So, the reinforcement squad was your place, huh?”
“Oh, during our tour, our scouting person found traces of the battle and we quickly ran over here. However, I heard that you stopped the enemy’s aluminare by hitting it with magic?”
“What’s that?”
I certainly casted magic against the aluminare, but it was towards the captain’s mecha and the reason was to blow away the cloud of dust, so it’s not like I’m someone that would something like that. That my magic could ever stop an aluminare, there no way it would be possible.
“What? Am I wrong? The squad is all over this rumor, you know? That this year’s newcomers are a collection of dangerous people”
“No no. You know I can’t do something amazing like that. just to let the signal bullet show, I blew away the cloud of dust. Or rather, what’s that “dangerous newcomers” about?”
Certainly our grade may have been better than the newcomers up to now, but I do not remember doing such an amazing thing that it becomes a rumor? Even this time’s battle, I ended up carelessly making a blunder.
“You don’t know? It looks like we’re unexpectedly rumored about; the man who’s more suited to scouting than scouts, Leon. The man who eats, Baptiste. The man who threw away his arm, Eldo”
“It’s the first time I hear of it… But I vaguely get it.”
For Leon, I guess it is due to his own insights and good reasoning. He’s specialty is to predict the position of the enemy just from little traces. If it was him, he would entice the enemy into a trap with almost no difficulty.
And Baptiste… Yeah, I guess he devours women. He became a regular pilot, and I got extremely popular… No way.
“Baptiste, Have you already made moves on a Support Maid?”
“It’s a principle that I can’t refuse if asked…”
“Do not get stabbed by a member of the squad…”
I do not want to hear that a classmate died because of out of control jealousy.
Well, I’m fine as it is. I throw away one arm of the mecha and forcibly improved its specs.
I see, we may be member that are easily talked about to certain extent.
“In other words, because of that rumor, this time’s story that’s handed out is extremely exaggerated”
“Looks like it is, I will explain it all to everyone”
“Please, I don’t want to be thought of as someone who aluminares in flesh and blood”
“Of course”
When I bitterly smiled, Baptiste suddenly turns serious.
It is strange, I tilted my head.
“What’s wrong?”
“Eldo, this time was your first battle right? Despite that, you’re pretty calm. Honestly, I thought you’d trembling more”
I understand the meaning of Baptiste words and I agree.
Certainly, I appear to be calm on the surface. but–
“My inner heart is trembling quite a bit, although I hide it, I can’t stop my trembling hands yet.”
I killed a person for the first time. I did not have time to remember desperately during battle, but suddenly I remembered it while receiving wound treatment.
After that, despite desperately trying, I could not stop my trembling hands.
Even though I raised my right hand and made a firm fist, that fist trembled with a shiver.
“Hearing such a thing… Has Baptiste already experienced an actual war? How was it when you first killed a person?”
“It’s the same as Eldo, trembling wouldn’t stop, and if I close my eyes the figure of the man I killed comes to mind, one member of my squad has been killed and I kept vomiting in the bushes at night.”
“How did you get over it?”
“I wouldn’t I got over it, I just came to clear decision… It might be said that I’m used to it. When we were at the Academy we took a look at the hospital’s terminal treatment room, right?”
“Ah”
That sight can never be forgotten.
“Because I do not plan to end up like that, I will protect myself by killing the enemy. When I thought so, the second time I was unexpectedly easy to kill. That’s why I say I got used to it.”
“I see”
“Each one of them are people, but I somehow managed to do it. well, I will have to go soon, If I chat too much, I’ll get scolded again.”
“Thank you. It got a little easier”
I give thanks to Baptiste who was waving hands across his back.
Is it because I was able to tell him what I was hiding, or is it because I know that a friend managed to overcome it?
The trembling of my hands imperceptibly stopped.
