Chapter 16
Liam the Evil Magistrate
A SHUTTLE FROM THE SURFACE docked at the spaceport above
Planet Augur. Aboard it was a group of the planet's royals—their young
ones, specifically. I'd promised to educate them, and we were finally ready
to receive them.
"I'm delighted to see you again, Lord Liam."
A princess dressed in a blue suit we'd prepared for her bowed
courteously. It was cute how her eyes sparkled with anticipation, but I
knew she was a nutjob who'd worshiped me as a god down on the planet's
surface.
"I hope you'll learn a lot here and put it to use in the future," I told
her. "If you need anything, I've appointed someone to look after you—"
As I greeted the young people, I received a call from Claus.
"What is it?"
"Lord Liam, an Autocracy fleet is approaching Planet Augur."
"The Autocracy?"
The young royals exchanged a glance at this unsettling news, and
my own people couldn't hide their surprise either.
"I'm going back to the Argos. We'll talk more there."
"Yes, sir."
When I'd ended the call, the princess asked, "Um, Lord Liam, is
there a war or something?"
They still hadn't learned much of anything about the world outside
Planet Augur yet, so there was no way for them to understand what was
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going on.
"You don't need to worry about it," I said, turning my back to the
young royals.
I heard the princess's voice once more. "Right! I have faith that
you'll protect us, Lord Liam."
I'd told her not to worry, so I didn't bother correcting her as I rushed
for the Argos.
***
More and more allied ships gathered at the spaceport above Planet
Augur. Watching them from the bridge of the Argos, I received what must
have been a declaration of war from the Autocracy. Its contents made me a
little jealous...
A brilliant strategy, Sir Claus Sera Mont. We shall respond with a
frontal attack. Signed, Crown Prince Isel of the G'doire Autocracy.
"They seem to have a very high opinion of you, Claus," I told him
after reading their message. "Are you more famous than me now?"
I was jealous because Claus stood out more than I did now. He'd
become famous throughout the Empire after the war with the United
Kingdom, and it seemed even the Autocracy had heard of his exploits.
Why is Claus the famous one and not me? It pisses me off that
they're acting as if he's a more valuable target than Calvin! Is the
Autocracy a bunch of idiots, going after Claus?
As for the man himself, Claus seemed to be looking at something far
off in the distance. "You overestimate me," he said. "Their information
must be wrong."
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"Humble, aren't you?"
Talking with Claus always reminded me how important guys with
common sense were to have around. If Tia or Marie were here, they'd
probably make a fuss, saying something like, "We'll tear them limb from
limb for ignoring you, Lord Liam!" I really had been right in making Claus
my head knight.
"Well, the Autocracy attacking is no joke," I said, then ordered,
"For now, request aid from anyone in the vicinity."
Everyone reacted to my command oddly. Claus and the other
soldiers on the bridge had puzzled looks. I raised an eyebrow, and Claus
explained what they must all have been thinking.
"I suggest retreating, Lord Liam."
"What are you talking about?"
"We estimate the approaching Autocracy forces at roughly three
hundred thousand craft. Our own forces number thirty thousand, and the
dispatch fleet of three thousand ships has already saw fit to retreat."
"No wonder I don't see the major general."
He must have really panicked, to have retreated without even
reporting to me.
The enemy's main force was on the way to attack Planet Augur, and
yet I was only here as a magistrate. I wasn't officially participating in the
war; I was only here for support, so if I fled back to the Capital Planet, the
prime minister shouldn't have anything bad to say about me. I figured
Randy and Lady Annabelle would make a fuss about it, though.
"Lord Liam, our goal here is to construct a base to support the
Imperial Army. Now that the Empire has retreated, we can no longer fulfill
that goal. We should retreat immediately and seek guidance from the
Capital Planet."
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Everyone nodded at Claus's exceedingly reasonable argument,
considering Planet Augur totally expendable. These were all brave,
fearless knights and soldiers, but there was a reason they didn't want to
fight in this situation, and that was our location. Planet Augur wasn't a
place they should have to put their lives on the line to protect. If we were
above House Banfield's home planet, then they would have given their
lives to protect it, but this was just a planet we'd leave behind in a few
years anyway. It didn't mean anything to us. Both the locals we'd saved
from that despicable baron and the immigrants from my home territory
were people who would soon no longer have anything to do with me.
There was no reason to put these soldiers' lives at risk to protect such a
place—and that was what I read in all their faces.
Logically, I agreed with that stance. I'd always planned to abandon
this planet if the war came here. What was wrong with running anyway?
There was no reason for me to protect this planet. The locals were idiots
who worshiped me like a god, and my former subjects were a bunch of
weirdos as always. I wouldn't feel anything abandoning them.
However...however...! I just couldn't accept one thing, which was
that I'd have to turn my back to the Autocracy and flee. Why should I—
Liam Sera Banfield—allow the Autocracy to take anything from me?
"The Capital Planet, eh? You're exactly right. Let's get out of here."
When I announced our retreat, everyone looked relieved. Then I
furrowed my brow, letting them all know I was displeased. Your boss is
pissed, guys. As a buzz went through them, I told them exactly what I was
feeling.
"Hold on. Since when do you guys work for the Capital Planet, huh?
You obey me."
When I lowered my voice menacingly, the bridge grew tense.
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Realizing I was actually against retreating, a soldier spoke up.
"This isn't your planet, Lord Liam! There's no reason to risk your
life to protect it!"
"Of course there is!" I roared back.
The people of Planet Augur were brainless idiots who worshiped me
as a god. The people who'd immigrated here from my territory were
morons who wanted to hold a festival to compete with the locals. But
while the people here might all be problem children, but I'd put effort into
developing this planet. Why should my enemies get to do whatever they
wanted to it?
In my past life, I'd let people take and take from me. That was why
I'd decided in this life, I was going to be the taker. Yet here were people
coming to take from me again. Well, I wouldn't let them. I'd make them
regret going against me!
"Listen up. I rule this planet as its magistrate. I've put time and
resources into developing it to get things where they are now. Why should
I just hand it over to Autocracy?"
"B-but..." They still didn't seem convinced.
I gave them an out. "If you want to run, then run. Abandon this
planet's defenseless people, go back home, and make the excuse to
yourself that there was nothing else you could do. I'm going to fight,
though."
The soldiers all hung their heads. Some gritted their teeth and
clenched their fists. Duty, righteousness, justice—they were all words that
I hated, but they were important to these people. When I hit them where it
hurt, they stopped arguing with me.
Seeing the soldiers all go quiet, Claus double-checked, "Are you
serious about this, Lord Liam?"
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"Of course I am. We've gone up against superior numbers plenty of
times in the past. We're just doing the same thing now, right?"
Yes, it was the same thing, except for one difference: the
Autocracy's army was so powerful that even the Empire feared it.
Claus closed his eyes. "The Autocracy are not the same as the
previous foes we've fought. They've managed to best the Empire's elite
forces."
"Are you going to run then?"
The Autocracy had to be pretty powerful if they'd repelled Calvin's
main force, so even Claus was getting cold feet about facing against such
an opponent. Or so I thought.
"I cannot flee and abandon my lord. I am still a knight, after all."
Seeing how undaunted Claus was, all the others seemed to calm
down as well.
"Well, aren't I lucky to have a head knight I can rely on?"
"You jest. Surely you have more reliable knights. In any case, if
we're going to fight, we'll need to prepare ourselves. We won't be able to
protect Planet Augur from the Autocracy without a strategy."
"The enemy has three hundred thousand ships? What's the Imperial
Army doing?"
One soldier displayed holographic data and maps in the air around
us, extrapolating the current state of affairs from what they saw. "The
Imperial Army's in a state of confusion, since the main force announced
their retreat."
"Not many of them will pass by Planet Augur on their present
course."
"We could probably gather sixty thousand or so of the close ones,
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but those ships won't be much help."
The only ships in range to help us were outdated models, part of the
forces Calvin had scraped together. There weren't many of them either.
The positioning of the forces near Planet Augur seemed almost
intentionally malicious to me. The only person who would deploy the
ships that way was Calvin himself, but he couldn't afford defeat at this
stage. If he let the Autocracy get all the way to Planet Augur, his
reputation was sure to take a hit, and Prince Cleo would pull even further
ahead in the succession conflict.
"Well, either Calvin plans on taking this opportunity to kill me, or
this is someone else's plot..." I fell into thought.
"Lord Liam, I recommend we bolster our forces with whatever allies
are available," said Claus. He was apparently of the opinion that we should
join forces with the outdated ships.
"I'll leave it to you. Do as you will."
***
Sixty thousand of Calvin's ships had retreated to the vicinity of
Planet Augur. They were a force of outdated vessels that weren't likely to
come in handy for much of anything, but the one thing they didn't lack
was pluck.
"Do you really intend to fight against the Autocracy with us?"
I was presently communicating with the lieutenant general who had
temporarily been put in command of the fleet.
"We really do," I replied. "I'm impressed you haven't fled the area,
though."
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Though they appeared no different from the forces that had been
dispatched with me to Planet Augur, these guys had stayed behind and
intended to fight.
"If we ran away at this point, we'd be deserters, wouldn't we? We'd
just die in the end anyway," the lieutenant general explained, somewhat
jokingly.
I sort of felt for the guy, since his "better" option was fighting
against the Autocracy's main force with me.
"Have you heard anything from the Empire's main force?"
The lieutenant general's expression clouded, so I didn't anticipate
good news. "We can't contact them. I've heard some people have received
orders, but I'm sure the whole force is ready to flee."
"You can't contact them? I haven't heard about anything happening
to Calvin."
"We were just gathered to bolster their numbers; we don't have
anything to do with his faction," the lieutenant general revealed. "That's
why we were deployed in such an obnoxiously out-of-the-way place. We've
hardly received any orders at all."
"You were dealt a bad hand. You'll have to play better next time."
"If I survive this, I'll endeavor to." Then the lieutenant general
stopped joking around and got serious. "So...what's the plan?"
Claus began explaining the situation. "Normally, you would assume
the enemy has the advantage in this situation, but they're taking a big risk
heading so deep into Imperial territory."
As he spoke, he displayed a map showing just how far the enemy
was pushing. On one hand, they were gaining a lot of ground, but on the
other, they were isolating themselves in enemy territory.
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"You plan to surround them?" the lieutenant general asked. "It
would be a relief to have the assistance of the other border nobles. May I
ask your opinion on that matter, Count Banfield?"
To understand what a noble might think, it was best to ask a noble.
I gave the lieutenant general my honest opinion. "You think they'd
be stupid enough to come help us fight when they're at a disadvantage?
Those guys will only show up when they know the battle's already won."
"So we'll have to face them with only our current forces."
"Well, their advantage in numbers will shrink a bit if you fight with
us."
"I'd prefer to go up against the Autocracy with three times their
forces at least...but it'll be a relief to have your fleet fighting with us,
Count Banfield."
Seeing how determined this guy was to fight just made the soldiers
of the dispatch fleet seem even more pathetic. His commitment alone made
the lieutenant general come across as a dependable ally.
"You know, I kind of like you. Before you get dealt another bad
hand, why don't you come work for me?" I suggested. "I'll make things
easier for you."
The lieutenant general gaped at me for a second, then burst into
laughter at the idea that I was discussing what might come after the battle.
"Very well. If I survive, I'll kiss your shoes or whatever else you'd
have me do."
Frankly, the idea of a worn-out-looking middle-aged dude like him
kissing my shoes wasn't very appealing. "Yeah, I'll pass. Don't forget the
offer, though."
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***
Before the battle, I decided to make a speech to my troops. They
were most likely all thinking this was a stupid fight against terrible odds
for a planet they weren't even obligated to protect. If they wanted a speech
from me to raise their morale, I couldn't really decline.
I arrived in the studio that would shoot the speech to find myself
surrounded by soldiers, all of them around the rank of general. The entire
army would be viewing the broadcast.
As I stood before my men, who awaited my words, I recalled my
previous life. I'd thought since then that important people's speeches
weren't worth listening to at all. I wasn't going to try to make the listeners
laugh with a joke either. There was a good chance I'd screw that up, and
they'd have to pretend to laugh.
People who enjoyed public speaking probably liked those forced
laughs. During a speech, they got to savor their authority. I wouldn't have
to worry at all about what to say or how to get it across. The people in this
room all worked for me, so they'd all react however I wanted them to.
I began my speech. "It seems the Autocracy is coming here to pick a
fight with Claus, not me. Can you believe those guys?"
I looked over at Claus, but he just listened to my speech
expressionlessly. Now, there's a guy who doesn't pretend to laugh. That
was fine, of course, since it was probably a good trait for a head knight to
possess.
Well, from the beginning I hadn't planned on making a speech for
the ages. You could even say I was incapable of doing so. After all, all I
wanted out of this situation was to feel good about myself. The Autocracy
had picked a fight with me, and I was pissed about that, so I wanted to take
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out my anger on them. I didn't envy anyone who had to listen to this
"speech" of mine.
"So we'll give them everything we've got."
The generals all saluted me, and I realized they were trying to wrap
my speech up quickly. Don't rush me! Now I was pissed at them, so I
decided to continue. I'll say whatever I want just to draw this out!
"Our enemy is the Autocracy! They've invaded the Empire for no
reason, so it's up to us to give them the punishment they deserve!
Everyone, look at Planet Augur."
On cue, a handy little 3D image of Augur was projected right in
front of me. I put my hand under it, as if I grasped the fate of an entire
world.
"I've looked after this planet. It doesn't matter whether I'm only a
temporary magistrate. Right now, this is my domain, and protecting that
domain makes me a noble. This planet is ours to defend!"
A blatant lie. Any Imperial noble would turn tail and run if things
became truly dangerous.
"You work for me. You're my swords and my shields!" I said,
comparing the soldiers to armaments that I would use without restraint.
"With you, I'll grab victory! If I don't, the enemy will ravage this planet."
These listeners probably saw me as a wonderful lord who wouldn't
abandon this planet even if I was only its temporary ruler, but that wasn't
my true motivation. Because I'd put time and money into Augur, I simply
wasn't about to let someone take it from me.
I didn't care about the people of Augur—I really didn't! I mean it!
Seriously... But ravaging a planet I ruled over was unpardonable!
Anyway, it was impossible for me to lose. Not only did I have the Guide's
protection, I was also a swordsman of the Way of the Flash. I had a duty to
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show the entire universe that that sword style was the most powerful in
existence. It was out of the question to lose.
"Teach the Autocracy the name of House Banfield! Use their loss to
carve into them just who it is that protects this place!"
The assembled soldiers all saluted once more in unison. The knights
performed their customary salute as well, wrapping up my meandering
speech perfectly. I'd said some meaningless stuff in the middle, but having
a good clincher at the end really made me feel like I'd pulled off a good
speech overall.
Given all my empty rambling, however, my subordinates' eyes
glimmered with relief now that I was finished. Aren't you guys a little too
happy that I'm done...? I knew I'd gone on for a bit, but they could at least
try to stay professional. I decided not to condemn them, though, since they
at least seemed motivated to fight against the Autocracy.
In any case, that was probably enough for today. I thrust an arm out
and ordered everyone into action.
"All forces sortie! Crush the Autocracy's main force!"
At those words, the fleet took off.
***
The Autocracy's main force was puzzled to find that the fleet they'd
been expecting to encounter on the way to Planet Augur was no longer
there. On the bridge of his fortress-class flagship, Isel considered the
matter with arms crossed.
"They pulled back the meager forces they had stationed here?" Isel
hadn't been expecting to get this far completely unscathed.
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His men felt the same way. "There weren't any traps on the way
here either," one said. "You don't suppose they didn't have a strategy from
the start, do you?"
Everyone around that soldier shook their head as if saying that he
didn't get it.
"This is the enemy's strategy."
"The enemy is Sir Claus, you know. Some people say the United
Kingdom essentially lost to him alone."
"This quiet...it's the calm before the storm."
The warriors all found the strange tranquility unsettling, as did Isel.
"The calm before the storm, eh?" he said. "I don't hate it."
Every element of a strategy created by someone like Claus was
surely meaningful. Everyone felt that way. However...
"We've spotted the Imperial fleet! Wh-what the...?!"
"Stay calm!" Isel shouted to the panicked operator.
"Y-yes, sir! An Imperial fleet in formation is visible! I estimate their
numbers at sixty thousand!"
A fleet of sixty thousand ships was lying in wait for the Autocracy,
but their formation made the men on the bridge doubt their eyes. The
enemy couldn't possibly believe those sixty thousand outdated ships could
stand up to the Autocracy's three hundred thousand, could they?
"Is this part of their strategy, or just a warm-up match?" Isel mused.
"Who cares? Cut through them!"
At his command, three hundred thousand Autocracy ships charged
toward the enemy.
***
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The lieutenant general sweated profusely as the Autocracy's fleet
barreled toward them.
"Isn't three hundred thousand ships overkill? Wouldn't a hundred
thousand be enough?"
The enemy wasn't yet close enough to see with the naked eye, but
they were close enough to engage, and they numbered three hundred
thousand. The lieutenant general's fleet, on the other hand, had been
scraped together from sixty thousand outdated ships.
"Guess we got unlucky, thinking the enemy probably wouldn't
attack Augur. I can't believe we got caught up in some nobles' faction
squabble."
The lieutenant general figured that his fleet had only been a
sacrificial pawn in Calvin's ploy to kill Liam. He felt keenly that it
wouldn't hurt Calvin one bit to lose them, since they weren't part of his
faction.
"Still, I can't believe they're going after Sir Claus so seriously, not
Prince Calvin. What are they really thinking?"
Claus was famous even in the Imperial Army as Liam's right-hand
man, and for the brilliant victory he'd won over the United Kingdom.
Those in the Imperial Army all knew his name and considered him
someone they could learn from.
The lieutenant general wondered how long his sixty thousand ships
would hold out. Beside him, his adjutant shuddered.
"Even if they're charging us with this many ships, we still won't get
any reinforcements from the main army, will we?"
The lieutenant general shrugged. "We can't even get in touch with
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them, with all the interference in our comms... It sort of feels like that's
intentional, though, doesn't it?"
"Think it's the faction squabble?"
The soldiers were of course aware that Calvin and Liam were on
opposite sides of a conflict, and that they'd been dragged into that conflict
themselves.
"Entering firing range!" an operator cried.
The lieutenant general followed the enemy's movements and made a
decision calmly.
"Wait until we're in more effective range. If we don't conserve our
energy, we won't have any juice to power our defensive fields."
He wasn't going into the fight expecting they would win, but he
didn't intend to lose either.
"Enemy fleet attacking!"
It would take a little time before the projectiles reached them, so the
lieutenant general explained their strategy once more. "All ships, fall back
while focusing on defense! Send the unmanned vessels forward!"
They had emptied a number of their ships and would send them
forward with their defensive fields deployed to act as shields. With the
empty ships' full power devoted to defense, they should be able to
withstand the enemy's fierce attacks. At least...they hoped so.
As the Autocracy's attacks reached them, the lieutenant general's
ship lurched. He gripped his armrest and glared at the enemy fleet on his
monitors.
"They're this powerful, even with us focusing on defense?!"
The adjutant checked the damage to their fleet. "That attack took out
thirty of our unmanned ships!"
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"If we were fighting normally, we'd just have lost a few hundred
ships."
Even with all their energy devoted to defense, some of the older
model ships simply couldn't withstand the attacks. Still, fighting in this
way would buy them some time.
"All we can do is trust our allies now."
The adjutant grimaced. "Will they really come? They're nobles, you
know. You don't think they're just using us as a decoy so they can
escape?"
"Don't say any more, would you? If I doubt them, I won't be able to
fight."
"I suppose you're right..."
The Imperial fleet backed off, maintaining its focus on defense. The
enemy fleet must have been getting impatient, however, because they
started to change tactics.
"The enemy fleet is closing in," the adjutant noted. "They plan to
take us out at point-blank range."
The adjutant broke out into a cold sweat. He knew they didn't stand
a chance if that happened. The lieutenant general felt the same way, but
he'd already seen this coming.
Just then, an operator shouted joyfully, "Allied ships are coming out
of warp!"
The bridge crew members who'd doubted their allies would really
come raised cries of joy when they saw the markings on the arriving ships.
The vessels that appeared one by one on the battlefield around them were
decorated with House Banfield's crest.
When Liam appeared on his monitor, the lieutenant general half-
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rose from his seat in shock. "C-Count Banfield?"
"Good work screwing up the enemy's formation. Leave the rest to
us," Liam said, then cut the call.
The bridge crew was speechless.
The adjutant was the first to recover. "Why was the count
communicating from a mobile knight's cockpit? H-he doesn't intend to go
out and fight personally, does he?"
The lieutenant general couldn't answer his adjutant's question.
***
In the Argos's dedicated hangar for the Avid, a crew of both
mechanics and mages worked to get Liam's mobile knight ready to deploy.
The mages were using spatial magic to store the Avid's weaponry, and the
whole hangar was abuzz with activity as everyone prepped the craft. An
operator calmly making a report was audible, as were the raised voices of
the mechanics getting the Avid ready.
"Storage space has reached capacity."
"It can just carry the rest!"
"Are the guard craft ready to deploy?!"
As Amagi climbed into the Avid's open cockpit with me, the skirt of
her classic maid uniform billowed; I saw all the way up to her thighs,
which were usually covered. I narrowed my eyes, not wanting everyone
nearby to see her skin.
"Pretty bold of you, with all these people around," I told her. "I
prefer a more modest lady, you know."
I cautioned her jokingly, but Amagi's expression was stern. I
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thought she was upset about my nagging, but that seemingly wasn't the
case.
"Please refrain from leading this attack," she said.
I realized she didn't want me to go out and fight the Autocracy
myself. She must have been worried about me, since the Autocracy had a
reputation for serious militarism. Even I thought their martial strength was
unusual. But if I wanted to win, I was going to fight.
"If I fight, we'll lose fewer forces. I have my trump card the Griffin
too. You don't need to worry about me."
The Griffin was a ridiculous custom craft I'd had made, based on
the concept of a ship that functioned as a mobile knight. I'd used it in my
battle against the Berkeley Family but hadn't touched it since then. It was
a powerful weapon, yet that wasn't enough to change Amagi's mind.
"Please do not compare the Autocracy to that group that called
themselves Pirate Nobles. The enemy are elites, with a number and quality
of ships that surpass our own forces."
Our averages were lower now after absorbing those sixty thousand
allied ships, although House Banfield's ships in themselves would have
been perfectly sufficient in quality to compete against the Autocracy. The
foremost problem, though, lay in our numbers—it was just too rough that
we had to go up against three hundred thousand ships.
"That's why I'm going out in the Avid, right? It's about time to get
going."
Amagi left the cockpit, understanding that I'd dug my heels in. The
hatch closed, and as she floated outside in the hangar, she curtsied to me.
"Please come back safe."
She must have opened a comm link with the Avid.
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"You know I will. Now...launching Avid."
***
On the bridge of the Argos, Claus sat in the supreme commander's
seat. Liam had foisted command on him, saying he was going out to fight
himself.
"Prepare to engage the Autocracy fleet," Claus commanded,
enduring the unpleasant heaviness in his stomach.
Claus's strategy was simple: their allies would act as bait, leading
the enemy to disrupt its own formation. Then House Banfield's fleet would
charge them. That was all there was to it; he hadn't had time to prepare
anything more complex.
"Prepare to launch all mobile knights! Make sure the Royal Guard
know not to leave Lord Liam's side."
Claus gave his orders calmly, but on the inside, he was so nervous
he felt as though his heart might burst.
Charging against a force that's ten times our size at this scale?!
They're going to burn right through our allies!
He could just picture the enemy's three hundred thousand ships
surrounding their thirty thousand and beating the stuffing out of them.
They had another sixty thousand allies, but they were unlikely to help with
anything but distracting the foe.
I can't come up with anything other than attacking with our ships,
deploying all our mobile knights, and then attacking with our ships
again...
Thinking about it wasn't the same as pulling it off. Then again, there
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probably wasn't any need to worry about that. House Banfield's army was
skilled enough to carry out any orders Claus gave it, and charging
headlong was their favorite move.
But Lord Liam shouldn't be out there fighting himself, should he?!
He's the one person who should be as far away from the battle as possible!
This was no time for Liam to fool around on the battlefield, but as
he was determined to deploy, there was nothing Claus could do to stop
him.
Haaah... I should have rewritten my will. I have to be prepared to
sacrifice the Argos to let Lord Liam get away, if it comes to that.
If they were going to lose, he had to at least make sure Liam got
away safely. As Claus was steeling himself, an operator shouted a status
update.
"Enemy fleet is attacking!"
Claus closed his eyes, and a few seconds later announced, "All
ships, commence attack."
The Autocracy had been taken by surprise, so they were only able to
offer a scattershot attack. House Banfield's fleet, on the other hand, dealt
decisive blows as they charged through the breaks in the Autocracy fleet's
formation.
As the two fleets passed within one another's eyeshot, Claus felt as
though his stomach was in a vice grip.
We really made it through the enemy fleet?!
He hadn't been expecting them to succeed, but the skill of House
Banfield's pilots surpassed his expectations.
Claus hurried to confirm the situation. "What's the status of the
mobile knights?"
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"All units have launched!" an operator answered.
The mobile knights that had launched so efficiently belonged to
Claus's own squad.
A voice that maintained a trace of youth echoed from the bridge
comm.
"Aha! Which one should I eat first? It's impossible to choose...
They all look so delicious!"
It was Chengsi Sera Tohrei. She'd discarded her human body to
become a cyborg, but had since then undergone reconstruction treatment,
reverting to human. Of course, the treatment was purely physical and
couldn't fix her frightening personality, so she was just as excited as ever
to be on the battlefield. Right now, however, Claus was glad to have her
on their side.
"I can't believe I get to fight against the Autocracy in my first battle
back in the field! House Banfield really is the best!"
Chengsi's mobile knight, Ericius, pounced on the Autocracy's fleet.
***
The Autocracy's troops were astounded by the enemy fleet's sudden
appearance, including Isel himself.
"They used short-distance warp and attacked right after appearing?!
I didn't think anyone could pull off a maneuver like that!"
Isel was surprised, but he also smiling in amusement. He watched
the enemy fleet sail past them with the grin of a ferocious beast on his
face. The two fleets were just passing by each other, but if the enemy ships
had mistimed their move they would have collided with his fleet and self-
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destructed. Isel was impressed at the enemy's skill in avoiding that.
He spread his arms wide. The other warriors on the bridge couldn't
contain their excitement either. "So this is House Banfield!"
"The way they fight is just our style! So Sir Claus is a warrior as
well!"
"I get the sense House Banfield is the same as us!"
Isel and the other warriors were thrilled to finally encounter an
opponent that fought in the same manner the Autocracy did.
A moment later, they got word of ships in their fleet falling one by
one. Isel narrowed his eyes, then widened them when he realized what had
happened.
"Deploy our warriors. Sir Claus has given us a perfect farewell gift.
If we don't go out and meet them, they'll think the Autocracy has no
manners!"
Isel had realized House Banfield's mobile knights were taking out
his ships. To the Autocracy, it would be rude not to meet them in the field.
"Send out the Twelve Devas too," Isel commanded. "It would be
disrespectful to meet them with less than our full strength."
Isel's heart raced at the thought of a fight with a fierce opponent.
Will someone out there satisfy me now...?
***
It had been a while since I'd been out in the Avid, but the control
sticks really felt right in my hands. The Graf Nemain wasn't bad either,
but my old friend the Avid was definitely the best.
"It's been too long since I took you for a spin, hasn't it?" I said, and
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there was a metallic groan as if in answer. Since I'd obtained the Machine
Heart and integrated it into the mobile knight, the Avid had had a will of
its own. It could respond to my voice and my feelings as well.
"Show me what you can do."
I moved the control sticks and pressed down on the foot pedals. In
response, the Avid sped toward the enemy, whose ships began firing to
intercept it. Lasers streaked at me, but the huge shields on the Avid's
shoulders shifted forward to block them. Each time a beam struck my
defense field, there was a bright flash of light, but the attacks couldn't get
through and dispersed before they struck the Avid.
In a single second I plunged through hundreds, even thousands of
beam attacks and held up a rocket launcher as I neared an enemy ship. I
pulled the trigger on a control stick, and the launcher fired a stake-like
projectile. The metal stake buried itself in the enemy ship and turned red
before exploding. This was an anti-ship weapon, and the other mobile
knights were equipped with it as well. The targeted ship was destroyed,
bursting from the inside out.
I looked around and saw allied Nemains destroying other enemy
ships one after another.
"That's the first step done with."
We'd charged in, confused the enemy fleet, and deployed our
mobile knights. Claus's plan had destroyed more enemy ships than I'd
expected.
I sped up the Avid, aiming at a second ship. This one seemed to be
commanding other vessels nearby. It was protected by shield ships that
specialized in defense.
"Those shield ships are in the way."
I sped up even more and fired the launcher as if I was trying to
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empty it. I closed in on the first shield ship, and the next, shooting each
before moving on. By the time I'd destroyed four of the shield ships, I'd
run out of ammo. I tossed away the launcher and grabbed the hilt of the
Avid's custom laser blade. Normally, these weapons were just hilts from
which a laser blade emerged, but the Avid's had a guard on it as well.
The blade that materialized from the hilt was larger than the Graf
Nemain's. It was big enough to call a great sword, and the blade was
longer than the Avid was tall. I swung it down on an enemy ship and
chopped right through it, like a hot knife slicing through butter. I was
impressed by the Avid's ability to cut down an enemy ship in one swing.
"Are you even more powerful now? I bet Nias will flip her lid if I let
her run an analysis on you."
It did seem stronger than when I'd last piloted it. As I was
considering my next target, this "bonus round" came to an end. The enemy
fleet had recovered from their confusion and sent out some humanoid
weapons of their own. These mobile knights were of a different design
than the Empire's.
"Already recovered, eh? Don't think you can beat the Avid,
though."
The Avid's eyes glinted as it hoisted its laser blade over its shoulder.
The enemy craft underestimated me, holding up their rifles as if to mock
me for being outside a sword's range.
"You think it won't reach? Well, sorry...but it will!"
I slashed downward diagonally, and the blade of light extended
several kilometers, bisecting three enemy crafts. It even reached a cruiser
in front of the Avid, which exploded after being halved. Laser blades
didn't normally extend that far, but this was the Avid. Its crazy
performance was what made it such a special craft.
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"Let's teach the Autocracy my name and yours, Avid. We'll carve it
into them as a wound that will never heal."
Each time I swung the laser blade, its energy arced after it like a fan
unfolding. Enemy mobile knights were getting caught in the blade's path
as I directed it at ships. All the explosions sent debris flying through space,
and it sparked every time it struck the Avid's defense field.
The eyes of the Autocracy's fleet were glued to the Avid as I used it
to slice through their ships, and it wasn't just their ship crews taking notice
of me. The pilots of their mobile knights saw me as an enemy to be
reckoned with, and none were looking down on me like the ones earlier.
"I'm Liam Sera Banfield. I'll face you. Come at me."
The Avid beckoned the enemy and craft raced at me one after
another. Autocracy pilots were different from those of the Imperial Army.
They were trained well, but they were all far too direct.
They swarmed me like insects, so I cut them down with the Avid's
laser blade. Once I'd gone through a few dozen of them, someone finally
managed to get behind me. I could have turned around and dealt with the
craft, but I decided to delegate that.
"You're late."
"Apologies. We got held up."
The Nemains piloted by my Royal Guard had finally appeared. Each
was customized somehow, but they were all painted the same color.
Ethel positioned herself to protect the Avid from behind. "I've got
your back!"
"Just focus on protecting yourselves. Now then..." I pointed my
laser blade at the enemy craft continuing to gather in front of me. "Ladies
and gentlemen of the Autocracy, allow me to make you regret trying to lay
a hand on my planet."
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You were the ones who started this fight. You could have just played
nice and chased Calvin around instead.
Behind the Avid materialized several containers bearing magic
circles for spatial magic. The muzzles of laser weapons and firearms poked
out of these containers.
"Don't think of the Avid as a normal mobile knight."
The gun muzzles all spewed flames at once, blowing away the
enemies around me. I was going to make it so the people of the Autocracy
shivered whenever they heard my name.
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