NTL-001
1. "Karen. You wouldn't just leave kids who aren't even adults to die here, right?"
Netoru's voice was flat as he said it. Even in this urgent situation, there was a hint of leisure somewhere in his tone. Karen found it strange, but it also reminded her of a similar experience from the past. Or more precisely, similar words she'd heard.
"…Netoru. What're you planning?"
"I'll clear a path so the kids can get out."
Clear a path. That simply meant drawing the bugs' attention so the children could escape.
"So we're the bait?"
"Yeah."
"……"
Was it because they were both adults? Their looks and personalities were totally different, but…
—Karen. Leave this to the adults. I don't plan on letting kids who aren't even grown die in a place like this.
Why did their words have to be so similar? It was an unforgettable memory. That's why she couldn't refuse. As her thoughts reached that point, Karen was relieved Netoru couldn't see her face. She probably had a weird expression on. One even she couldn't quite understand…
Karen gave a wry smile and grumbled.
"…I'm not an adult yet either, you know?"
"Your birthday's in a few days anyway. So just count yourself as one starting now."
"What? That's so shameless."
"So what's it gonna be? Yes or no?"
Of course it was…
2. "…You're going to be the bait?"
Rien Prust, observing the bugs' movements from inside , let out an involuntary groan. The situation wasn't good. It would take time for the other squads to arrive. Netoru's proposal was sudden to Rien, who had been desperately searching for an escape route and running calculations.
"W-wait a second… That's dangerous! Being bait right now! Do you even know how many bugs are swarming around…?"
"…Ugh."
He was still as rude as ever. It was like he was scolding the commander for her incompetence. But Rien couldn't say a word. She was the commander who had sent them there, and she was the one who had belatedly spotted the bugs. Of course, it was all because the observation tower had collapsed, but still, it was Rien's fault they were in this death trap.
"……"
Did he have the leisure to joke even now? Rien clutched her forehead but kept casting detection spells inside , confirming the bugs' positions nonstop. And soon, she reached a conclusion. Unless someone played bait like Netoru said, breaking through that encirclement was impossible. In fact, Rien had known this for a while. She just hadn't been able to say it. Maybe deep down, she'd been hoping someone would volunteer.
Feeling guilty about her own cowardice, Rien took a deep breath and asked indirectly. She couldn't show any more weakness as commander.
"…Can you pull it off?"
"……"
Shouldn't he say confidently, "Yeah, we got this," in a spot like this? At this point, his unflappable smugness just left her in awe.
"Is Karen okay with it?"
"But won't it be a forced coupling…?"
Karen's voice came steady over the voice channel. For some reason, that stung Rien's heart. In just a few days, Karen's birthday would pass, making her an official adult. For Holy Knight pilots, birthdays weren't just about getting older. They were proof of surviving another stretch on the battlefield.
"Understood. I'll contact you the moment Squad 5 confirms safe. Hold out until then. Is there anything else I can do to help?"
"…Tactical Magic Bullets?"
Rien flinched at Netoru's words. Tactical Magic Bullets—sealed warheads packed with grand magic for mass bug extermination. One could wipe out dozens, hundreds of bugs in a single blast, but their complex production meant central command rarely supplied them. Especially not to 39th Sector units. The 393rd had only one, which Rien had barely managed to procure this year. It was a precious reserve weapon, held back for emergencies due to its value.
Asking about it meant…
"…Should I prepare the Tactical Magic Bullet?"
"Pardon?"
Not asking to use it, but to save it? Before she could even process the confusion, Netoru cut the comms.
3. Netoru gave his squad a brief rundown of the situation. Their reactions were predictably intense. They clamored to escape together, but once he coldly laid out the reality, they all reluctantly nodded. It wasn't a bad response—proof they'd grown at least a little close. Netoru didn't mind it.
"…Netoru. That Tactical Magic Bullet thing—we really don't need it?"
He was gradually ramping up the Holy Knight's output—like preheating an engine—to minimize the burden on Karen's body.
"…Huh? You wanna use it?"
What was this girl saying so fearlessly? Did she really plan to charge in and die with the bugs after volunteering as bait?
"Karen, just to check—do you actually know what a Tactical Magic Bullet is?"
"…Kinda. It's super strong, right?"
"……"
Super strong. Simple and spot-on. Netoru chuckled.
"How strong, exactly?"
"Well… hundreds of times the power of a Spider's shells? Something like that, I heard."
"……'Something like that.'"
Did Karen have a surprisingly dim side? The thought crossed his mind, but he figured anyone hearing secondhand without seeing it would think the same. This world had no developed media. With the internet, she'd have seen explosion videos somewhere, but oral descriptions had clear limits. How would you even explain nukes to someone from the late 19th or early 20th century? Not that Tactical Magic Bullets were nuke-level—but people here fought giant mechs with just swords. Imagining the scale was tough.
"…Wait, why the silence? Did I get something wrong?"
"Nah, not really… Look, even if we wanted to, we couldn't use it now. We'd get caught in the blast with the bugs. The firepower's just that insane."
"That bad?"
"Yeah. Way beyond what you think."
If Rien fired one rashly, they'd likely get wiped out alongside the bugs. If the bugs sat still at ground zero, maybe—but they were about to play tag with them. No need for that gamble. And above all, one thing nagged at him. That massive underground space revealed when the ground collapsed… it bothered him enough to save the Tactical Magic Bullet as a trump card for whatever might come.
Doesn't feel right.
Years of experience screamed danger. Wiping blood from beside his eye with the back of his hand, Netoru prayed the worst wouldn't happen.
4. The sound of shells pounding the surface rang out clearly.
────.
Awakened by the noise, something massive stirred deep underground. Chunks of earth crumbled, ruining the ground it had so carefully shaped—but the monster didn't care about that.
—Kieeeek!
—Kiiiiieeeek!
Information flooded its mind. Like it or not, they were kin, always linked via the . The surface situation reached the monster too. It seemed this sector's was under attack. So what? The monster wasn't part of this sector's . It just watched silently. Besides, anyone could see the kin had the advantage—one enemy, fully surrounded.
……Yeah, surely.
────?
Surprisingly, the identified enemy individual collapsed the front lines alone, dodging concentrated fire and artillery to force close-quarters chaos. It was like courting death. The monster, intrigued by the reckless solo fight, accessed the 's database. And soon found fascinating data.