The Third Turning Point - 30

After subduing every last enemy, Neria and the CT Club seniors rushed over and woke me from my brief blackout. I had nearly fallen asleep inside Limpid. Once we finished the cleanup—retrieving the Black Fairy we had left in the forest to mislead the second-year cadets who had spotted Limpid—we returned to the CT Club room. By then, night had already fallen.

“You all did an incredible job today! Go get some proper rest. Luna and Neria, you two head back right away too.”

“Yes, senior.”

Rane smiled tiredly as she sent us off. The moment we stepped outside, we pressed our ears to the door without needing to discuss it.

“I wonder which faction those intruders belonged to. It’s strange how little damage there was, considering they deployed Aindiums on such a large scale.”

“Who knows. They said an investigation team will be dispatched from the mainland soon. The teachers are working with the police to recover the attackers.”

In the original story, the protagonists never learned the full truth behind the incident. The cadets would probably only hear rumors that the infiltrated pilots had all committed suicide. But now, thanks to the headmaster’s and my operation, we had captured an enemy ace pilot who possessed a personal unit. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Interrogating him should yield something. The results would reach the headmaster, and I would learn the identity of the hostile faction. Depending on the situation, I might even give the CT Club a small hint.

“Today was absolute chaos. I was holed up in the maintenance bay, so I didn’t really know what was happening.”

“You’re going to feel it from now on. There’s going to be more than one or two Aindiums that need repairs.”

“Including Luna’s Black Fairy. Hehe.”

I gave Neria’s cheek a light pinch for teasing me, then turned toward the dormitory. Just then, the clubroom door opened.

“You’re still here.”

Rendel stepped out with a knowing shrug. The other seniors followed in a crowd, and we all ended up walking back to the dorm together.

“How was your first real battle?”

“Not bad.”

“It was more than not bad. You took down at least five units. You also handled the aerial reconnaissance mission perfectly.”

Muri, rarely this animated, praised my achievements.

“You’ve got the makings of a fine soldier.”

“Haha, I don’t think it’s that serious. The unit was just exceptionally good.”

“Being able to handle a masterpiece like that means you’ve earned the right. You can be proud.”

Even Kirié, who was usually strict with me, didn’t hold back her praise. Being acknowledged by someone famous made me feel like I might tear up a little.

“But you’re still going to pay for wrecking the replica we worked so hard on. With interest.”

“Ah, understood.”

Kirié’s warning instantly dried my tears.

The conversation among the CT Club members and the hopefuls was warm and friendly. Having overcome the crisis together had created a sense of camaraderie.

“Oh, right. I heard Luna was going to evaluate Rendel’s skills?”

“What? Luna’s a total newbie.”

Kirié jumped in surprise at Rane’s remark. Rendel lightly chopped Kirié on the head, then raised a finger and wiggled it.

“Luna has sharp eyes and good instincts. You said it yourself earlier—she’s qualified to handle a masterpiece.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Leaving Kirié pouting while rubbing her head, Rendel turned to me.

“So, what did you think of my piloting today?”

“It was good. Your cornering during acceleration was much smoother than last time.”

Around this point in the original story, how skilled had Rendel been? As the plot progressed smoothly, Rendel’s abilities had gradually improved, but he hadn’t shown such razor-sharp movements yet. Mastering acceleration cornering had probably started from the next episode onward. He was definitely better than in the original. If this achievement came from losing to Line, then it was truly a blessing in disguise. At first I had only felt anxious watching Rendel’s condition, but now he seemed to be moving along a stable trajectory. That was a relief.

“You think so? Well, I’ve been synced with White Fang for over a year now. White Fang’s a good unit too.”

“Yes, I know.”

“You might not realize it, Luna, but White Fang’s cockpit has a balance stabilizer. That’s why it can handle Rendel’s acceleration ability to some extent.”

When the topic of White Fang came up, Kirié the mechanic suddenly jumped in.

“Ah, so that’s why the seat…”

“Hm?”

“…I think I heard it was really soft.”

“That’s true. They used top-grade materials to absorb impacts.”

While Kirié boasted, Rendel and I exchanged glances. We silently agreed not to tell anyone about what had happened today. With that unspoken pact made, we continued the conversation as if nothing had occurred.

Yet an inexplicable sense of dissonance lingered. Several days passed without me understanding the source of the unease I had felt when Rendel spoke about White Fang.

The guy who kept insisting I was a spy was a little annoying, but since Lewina was royalty from Karmanu and another target of the headmaster’s loyalty, it wasn’t entirely wrong. I had underestimated the series fans. Still, they couldn’t affect me in any meaningful way. At most, they could only make me feel embarrassed and my face burn. And that was the real problem.

After the last episode, the debate over the main wife had essentially ended. The two major factions supporting Rane and Kirié, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠along with the tiny group backing Muri, had surrendered to a far stronger force. The fact that the force in question was pushing for me—Luna—as the main wife was absurd, but lately I had started blocking the word “main wife” entirely on the forum.

A new feature had opened on the forum recently: the ability to block or search specific words and view popular posts with many recommendations. It was far more convenient than having to flip through pages and click on each post individually. During battles, real-time reactions would be fast, but when I had time, using the search function was much more efficient in every way. Being able to kill time by looking at popular posts was another plus. Honestly, classes were so boring.

Thanks to Lewina’s excellent mind, I had already finished the advanced material for most subjects, so during class I would browse the fan site and gather information. Occasionally I would watch old series videos to pass the time. The only downside was that there was no sound.

After a few days like that, the class president suddenly spoke to me.

“Luna really studies incredibly hard.”

“Huh?”

“The teachers were praising you for not getting distracted during class and just staring at the blackboard.”

“R-really?”

I should probably stop watching videos during class. A few days ago the midterms results had been announced, and placing fourth in the year had increased the admiring looks directed at me. Naturally, I became reluctant to do anything that would disappoint my classmates and teachers.

While I was trying to focus on class and rein in my laziness, break time arrived before I knew it.

…I dozed off for a moment. Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I turned toward the window and yawned. Just then, an announcement came over the speakers.

“First-year Class 8 student Luna Adelt, please report to the faculty office immediately.”

“Luna, they want you in the faculty office.”

“Yeah, I heard. Thanks.”

There was almost no reason for the teachers to call for me, so it was probably the headmaster summoning me. As expected, on the way to the faculty office a teacher politely directed me to the headmaster’s office. The overly respectful attitude toward a cadet made me bow in return before heading to the headmaster’s office.

“You’ve arrived.”

When I entered the headmaster’s office, there was another person besides the headmaster. I had seen that young man’s face somewhere before. I didn’t remember him from the animation. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, so he probably wasn’t a cadet. As I searched through Lewina’s memories, my body naturally moved into a curtsy. Grasping the hem of my skirt and bending my knees slightly, I spoke the name that had just come to mind.

“Have you been well, Third Prince Winzer?”

“It’s been a while, Princess Lewina.”

Now I understood why they had called for me so urgently. Winzer Alitus, the third prince of Alitus and an Aindium researcher, had come to visit the academy.