Hunting Preparations
It had been a truly long time since I last visited the staff room. Broadcast announcements calling me there happened often, but they were almost always because the headmaster was urgently looking for me. Aside from those occasions, there was no reason for a model student like Luna—with the headmaster himself as her backer—to be summoned.
“Excuse me.”
Rendel stepped into the staff room and shouted in a clear voice as he saluted. Every eye in the room turned toward us at once.
“Cadet Rendel, is it? What brings you here?”
When the elderly teacher returned the salute and asked, Rendel gave a slight bow and held out the paper he had been clutching in one hand.
“I wish to volunteer for the border monster subjugation mission.”
“Hmm. I figured you would. But who is this first-year cadet with you?”
The teacher’s gaze shifted to me. I stepped forward and saluted sharply.
“First-year Luna Adelst, sir.”
“Oh? Oho. So you’re that Cadet Luna.”
The teacher picked up the glasses he had set on his desk and studied my face. He gave a slow nod and muttered, “She really does resemble her.”
Ah. This teacher must share a similar background with the headmaster. When the princess—my grandmother—fled the empire, Jade hadn’t been the only one who followed her. He had been the strongest and received the most attention because he fought alongside the protagonist Black Wolf, but ordinary soldiers and other power-armor troopers had come with her as well. Judging by his age, he was clearly from the empire too.
I left Rendel frowning in confusion at the teacher’s murmur and smiled brightly as I stated my purpose.
“Yes. I am that Luna Adelst. I’ve also come to apply for the border monster subjugation.”
“You? It will be dangerous, you know.”
“Aren’t the other students in danger as well?”
“Ahem. First-years still need more study and training. We only plan to accept applicants with high grades.”
“My overall midterm ranking is fourth. I took first in practical skills.”
I kept my smile perfectly in place while continuing to push back. From the reaction, it was obvious the headmaster had issued orders to keep me away from dangerous work. But if I let only Rendel go, we would end up with nothing but a pitiful scrap of Ellydium—barely enough to forge a single sword, just like in the original story. With how far the plot had already diverged, we might not even get that much. I had to step forward myself. So please, Teacher, just grant permission already.
As though my silent smile had worn him down, the elderly teacher let out a sigh and handed documents to both Rendel and me.
“Fill these out and submit them by Wednesday. We depart Thursday night and return the following Tuesday, so clear your schedules.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
Rendel, acting the part of the senior, accepted the two sets of paperwork, and we left the staff room.
“……”
Rendel stared at the documents in silence for a moment, then nodded and held one out to me.
“It’s the same as last year. Just fill in the basic academic information.”
The documents he gave me consisted of two pages. One was the application form for student number and other details, exactly as he had described. The other was a pledge. The content was rather questionable—asking whether I would still volunteer even though my life could not be guaranteed.
“A pledge?”
“Yeah. You always have to fill one out for any external activity that isn’t regular training.”
Rendel pressed the paper against the wall and signed his name as if it were nothing. Wait, even so, signing a literal life-waiver on the spot…
I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again before picking up the pen and writing my name. When I had watched the animation, I assumed there was no special support because an incident occurred. But it turned out this was simply how things always worked. The only person I could really trust now was Rendel. Once we reached the subjugation zone, I would either have to stick right beside the protagonist or stay far away from him.
**
After that, I trained with Rendel against the CT Club members to raise my skills even a little.
“One more time!”
「Luna. You’ve been getting more and more like Senior Rendel lately.」
「You know what they say—couples start to resemble each other.」
“Christine!”
「Oh, right. Let’s open a channel without Luna.」
“Christine?”
I endured the teasing from my mischievous classmates and devoted every after-school hour entirely to training.
「Your coordination has improved a lot. But are you really okay going with just the two of you?」
「Yeah. You, Muri, and all the first-years are busy anyway.」
Unlike Rendel, who always held the top academic spot, Carson and Muri had apparently lacked time to study properly because of the various events that occurred during the first semester. Carson, who was aiming for consecutive merit scholarships, and Muri, who came from a strict military family, seemed to have decided to focus more on their grades. The first-years were even busier.
「Luna, are your studies okay?」
“They’re fine, Senior Rane.”
As expected, the only one who worried about me was Senior Rane. Lewina’s brilliant mind, combined with my own knowledge of the Aindium series and practical skills, made studying easier than expected. I also planned to study in my spare time during the subjugation mission.
After Wednesday’s training ended, we said our goodbyes to the club members in advance.
“Come back safely.”
“Yes, Senior.”
I shared light hugs with Rane, Muri, and Kirie, then shook hands with Carson. With my first-year friends I settled for quick high-fives before leaving the club building with Rendel.
Tomorrow—Thursday—would be packed with expedition preparations and departure. It was fortunate we could skip afternoon classes.
“Did you pack everything I told you to bring?”
“Some items were out of stock at the school. Shall we go into the city together tomorrow?”
“Sounds good. Want to grab lunch outside while we’re at it?”
“Yes.”
After setting a shopping date with Rendel, I returned to the dormitory. The dorm supervisor standing near the supervisor’s office by the entrance called out to me.
“Cadet Luna. A moment.”
“Yes?”
When I drew closer, she leaned in and whispered.
“The headmaster is looking for you.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. Don’t worry about curfew. Go on.”
“Understood.”
She must have learned I had volunteered for the subjugation. Wondering what excuse I should give, I headed toward the building that housed the headmaster’s office.
*
The moment I entered the headmaster’s office, Jade rose abruptly from the sofa, his beard quivering.
“Princess. Did you not declare you would refrain from involving yourself in dangerous matters any longer?”
“Did I?”
I vaguely remembered saying something like that, yet I didn’t recall giving any firm promise to follow through.
“You most certainly did. And yet you have volunteered for such a perilous task again.”
“Is it truly that dangerous? Besides, aren’t they accepting applications from the cadets?”
The headmaster closed his mouth, seemingly at a loss. After several seconds, a cautious excuse finally slipped out.
“The location our academy is visiting is not an especially hazardous place.”
“Then there should be no danger for me either.”
“I cannot permit even the slightest degree of risk.”
“It’s all right. My sister won’t doubt your loyalty over something like this.”
At my words, the headmaster’s massive frame flinched. The old soldier who had served the princess carried a deep trauma and was excessively protective of his master’s safety. In moments like this, a little forcefulness was necessary.
“As a student of this military academy, and as royalty of Karmanu and—”
I deliberately paused and looked straight into the headmaster’s eyes.
“As my grandmother’s granddaughter, I desire the strength to traverse the battlefield. Just like my sister.”
The princess had crossed war zones at a tender age. And my older sister Line was currently commanding the war in person.
The headmaster’s deep brown eyes slowly closed. A long sigh escaped him. When the giant old man sank back onto the sofa, his presence somehow seemed smaller—though he still radiated far more pressure than any ordinary person.
“…Understood. However, please do not push yourself too far.”
“Of course.”
Why else would I have chosen a sniper rifle as my primary weapon? Safety was my top priority.
“Then will you be taking the masterpiece?”
“Yes.”
The Black Fairy would not be enough to support Rendel against the monsters we would face. I had no choice but to rely on the Limpid Fairy’s overwhelming output and varied functions to compensate for the pilot’s lack of experience.
“Understood. I will prepare it for you.”
“Thank you.”
Since the discussion with the headmaster had gone well, all that remained was to buy the necessary supplies. I felt like I was forgetting something, though…
**
Thursday morning classes ended, and I headed into the city with Rendel.
“Hamburgers?”
“Yes.”
Whenever I went into town, I preferred quick options like sandwiches or hamburgers. Rendel had quickly picked up on that habit and escorted me straight to a hamburger shop.
It was a famous franchise I had seen many times before. The company supported animation production and engaged in indirect advertising. Thanks to that, every visit left me unsure whether I was on Earth or Galaxia.
“Hmm?”
While scanning the menu, I noticed that purchasing a children’s set came with a franchise collaboration gift: a wind-up toy Aindium the size of a finger that could walk on its own. For someone who collected Aindium series merchandise, it was the perfect freebie. The rather expensive burger suddenly felt like a bargain.
“Luna. Have you decided?”
“Yes! I’ll take this one!”
Rendel glanced at the menu I pointed to, turned his head slightly, and gave a small smile.
“Luna. That’s the set that comes with the toy, right?”
“Uhh… yes…”
It’s noisy, you idiots. I covered my burning face with both hands, trying to cool down, while Rendel placed the order at the counter.
“Two of this set, please.”
“Order received. Here is your number ticket.”
“Will we get two free gifts?”
“Yes. We’ll provide them at checkout.”
Rendel. So you wanted the moving Aindium toy too?
I smiled to myself and ate the Galaxia hamburger, made with far more luxurious ingredients than anything on Earth.
“Here, take this.”
Rendel held out one of the Aindium toys we had received as gifts.
“What about you, Senior? Didn’t you buy one because you wanted it too?”
“No, I just…”
Rendel trailed off and turned his head slightly. I looked down at the two toys in my hands. One Aind-class, one Nimust-class. They coincidentally matched our own units.
“Then let’s each take one.”
I handed the Nimust-class toy to Rendel. The mass-produced version had a bulky body and didn’t look particularly cool.
“Okay.”
Rendel seemed pleased with the Nimust-class. He carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief and slipped it into his inner pocket. The contrast with how I had simply stuffed mine into a pouch was obvious. As expected, Rendel truly loved Aindiums. If I hadn’t suggested splitting them, he would have been disappointed.
*
With all preparations complete, departure time—nine o’clock in the evening—arrived. Nearly twenty cadets and three teachers had gathered at the port. The number exceeded the original story. Competition might end up fiercer than expected.
“Quite a few participants this year. I expect everyone to follow commands properly.”
“Yes, sir!”
“As long as you don’t venture too deep, it won’t be dangerous. Everyone, board!”
“Board!”
With energetic replies, the cadets broke formation and ran toward their Aindiums.
I climbed into the Limpid Fairy disguised as the Black Fairy and moved to the transport ship’s hangar.
“Luna. You came too.”
“Huh? It’s been a while, Grik.”
Grik—the top student of the year who had failed to enter the CT Club—approached me. He seemed like the type who would focus on studying rather than subjugation missions, so this was unexpected.
“Are the other CT Club members here?”
“Senior Rendel came as well. You saw him during the interview, right?”
“Uh, yeah. I did.”
At the mention of Rendel’s name, Grik’s face twisted into a deep frown as he scanned the hangar.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
“Sure.”
I waved at Grik as he hurried off like something urgent had come up, then left the hangar.
Now it was time to give Rendel a quiet hint about what he needed to do during this subjugation mission.