Who Is the Partner?
Thankfully, the battle seemed to have ended without incident. Karen, who had been waiting endlessly for the unit members to return, watched as the Holy Knights, splattered with bug blood, came back one by one.
The Holy Knights bore several wounds on their frames, but nothing serious. With Asuna's help, the female pilots could perform some adjustments, and the scratches would heal without much trouble.
She was watching them return squad by squad when it happened. As 2nd Squad finally appeared, “…?” Karen tilted her head upon spotting a Holy Knight with hair color reminiscent of Seres's.
What should she call it? Seres's Holy Knight stood out from the rest of 2nd Squad in a particularly bizarre state. It looked like it had fought a solo battle for hours—covered in more minor scratches than the others, with chunks of bug flesh stuck all over it.
For example, just look at Kyoko's or Ran's Holy Knights from the same squad. Unlike Seres's, their frames were relatively clean. At this point, it was questionable if they'd even fought in the same place.
Watching the scene, Karen soon came to a conclusion. “...Looks like she went off and fought on her own again.”
Maybe because she'd coupled with Netoru several times now, Karen could roughly imagine why Seres's Holy Knight was in that state alone. Even with a temporary partner swap, her self-centered piloting style hadn't changed.
How do I fix that bad habit of hers? What woman would enjoy coupling with such a reckless guy? She'd gotten somewhat used to it herself, but...
“Haa. Netoru, that guy... Can't he ease up a bit?” Clutching her forehead, Karen sighed.
If her guess was right, the atmosphere inside the cockpit was probably the worst. Thinking of Seres's personality, it was obvious. No matter how she looked at it, those two didn't match at all.
Karen had managed to compromise patiently up to a point, but what about Seres? The milder someone seemed normally, the scarier they got when they snapped.
Even if Netoru could force a coupling with his weird ability, it meant nothing without proper synergy. Plus, Seres had a subtle aversion to men that she didn't show outright.
...Does that mean swapping those two is a bust?
She was mulling it over when Ran's Holy Knight, safely landed in the hangar, opened its cockpit. The twin sisters began climbing out.
─...Whoa, we got back faster than I thought?
─Rin, gonna wash up right away?
─Yeah, that's the plan. You, Sis?
They were as relaxed as if they'd just returned from a picnic. That must mean the battle had gone smoothly for them. While Karen watched, not a drop of sweat on their faces, Ran noticed her gaze while descending and tilted her head in surprise.
“Huh? Karen, were you waiting here for us the whole time?”
“No, not really. I was just helping out Asuna a bit.”
“I see...?” Ran nodded, then suddenly burrowed into Karen's arms with a tight hug.
“Wh-what? Out of nowhere...?”
“...Uu. Karen, sorry. You've been through a lot, haven't you?”
Flustered by Ran's sudden move, Karen still found herself stroking the tiny girl's head without thinking—probably because of her small frame.
“...Hmm.”
That's when Karen noticed Rin's gaze from behind Ran was somehow off. It was a strange mix of admiration and pity.
Wondering what that was about, she blinked at Rin, who shook her head with a sigh.
“...Karen, you've really been through hell, huh.”
“What do you mean?”
“That blackie—does he always fight like a total maniac? You just get dragged around every time?”
Maniac? Had Netoru caused some incident? As Karen's eyes wandered uncertainly, she spotted Seres's Holy Knight opening its cockpit.
Karen watched worriedly. Judging by the twins' attitudes, something had definitely happened...
But contrary to her concerns...
“...?”
The two emerging from the cockpit were surprisingly calm. They were bickering so amiably it made her wonder what was going on.
─...Let go. I can walk on my own.
─In that state? Just lean on me. Don't flop down like before.
─Th-that was a mistake! My legs just gave out suddenly... Kyaa?
─See? No strength in your lower body.
─Hey, don't just grab wherever! Where are you touching all of a sudden?!
Netoru was supporting Seres as they walked out. Thankfully, no injuries, but her condition seemed poor enough that she had no choice but to lean on him.
Karen stared blankly at the pair.
...Are they actually getting along? But why?
2. While Holy Knight pilots fought on the front lines, commanders supported them from the rear.
The Aegis was the magitech facility inside the unit base for that purpose during combat. It handled observation, long-range magic projection, data processing from collections, and linking it to each Holy Knight.
Without a commander's Aegis support, pilots couldn't even confirm bug positions or terrain structures. In modern battles, without that powerful mapping from an Aegis, Holy Knight pilots were as good as blind.
Thus, the Aegis was a core facility, usually accessible only to commanders.
“...Mm.”
Dim and quiet. The only light sources were the floating screens in the air. Rien's eyes reflected only their contents.
Asuna might have nagged if she saw this, but for Rien, it was perfectly comfortable. An ideal environment to clear distractions and focus solely on one thing—almost claustrophobically so.
Hunched in her chair in the enclosed Aegis, reviewing today's battle logs, Rien furrowed her brow.
She was looking at 2nd Squad's real-time combat records. Just dots marking enemies and allies on terrain, but their movements revealed the battle's outline.
The logs were shocking.
[Seres & Netoru]
The dot marked with their names suddenly surged forward alone. Straight toward the cluster of red enemy dots, without hesitation.
Insane. Reckless. Even though this was just stored data, in real-time, she'd wondered if she'd misobserved.
What pilot would charge hundreds of meters solo like that? Netoru, maybe—but the Seres she knew wouldn't fight that way.
Yet the results were impressive. Piercing the front line alone like a sharp spear, shattering the bugs' formation—it almost seemed unreal.
Maybe because she hadn't seen it live. Rewinding the log multiple times, she still couldn't easily judge how one dot wove through the red swarm alone.
But one vague thought emerged.
...Netoru, was that man's skill at this level?
His ability exceeded her expectations—shockingly so. To handle Seres like that.
How did an 'Agency' graduate have such skill? Agency pilots weren't weak, but they had limits.
The nobles, still haunted by the Revolution Engine nightmare, needed mass-produced pilots to fill numbers on the front—not threats to their authority.
That's why they hoarded forbidden arts among themselves. In this chaos, power was authority.
Netoru was abnormal in that regard.
“...”
Did the other nobles know about him? Rien often thought about it—a pilot who could properly handle Seres from Saint Mishar.
But upper command wouldn't assign a skilled knight here. She'd basically given up.
Yet they sent him to the 393rd? Why? For whose benefit? If they knew, they'd be bragging endlessly...
Whatever. It widened strategic options. Now, the key was their compatibility.
She already worried about Seres's aversion to men. She needed to check Seres's thoughts.
Commanders had to be obeyed, but Rien wanted her direct opinion. The only consideration from the rear.
With that, Rien lit up the dim Aegis. How long did she wait?
“Commander.”
Seres arrived as summoned. Rien turned her chair to greet her, then tilted her head at something odd.
Seres's steps were awkward. Her expression soured with each one—clear mana nerve strain.
Watching, Karen asked worriedly, “...Seres. Are you okay?”
“Yes. I'm fine. A little rest and it'll be alright.”
Seres smiled warmly—the gentle one Rien knew. But faint shadows of pain lingered.
As Rien hesitated, Seres, eyeing her, spoke first. “...It's about the swapping, right?”
“Yes... That's right. What do you think of Netoru as a coupling partner?”
“Well...”
The expected question. But Seres trailed off. She couldn't decide, no matter how much she pondered.
Even after coupling, her lower abdomen throbbed. Her delicate mana nerves screamed, making walking hard.
Now she understood why Karen suffered so much from overheat.
This pain was rare now. Common once, but unfamiliar and frightening after years without.
Seres didn't want to go back to those days.
Handing him off permanently might be impossible.
But then Karen's image flashed—diligent girl suffering from her selfishness, still tormented by overheat today.
Facing him directly, she'd realized: Netoru was more dangerous than thought for a girl not yet 19.
Better to switch back now. It was right from the start.
If even a knightess like her was like this, how far had Karen pushed herself?
Avoiding out of fear risked Karen. Coupling partners needed matching capacities.
Knight-level skill needed a knight. Besides, the answer was already set, like it or not.
Seres knew what Rien wanted. And Netoru wouldn't let her go easily.
Finally decided, Seres slowly opened her mouth.
