Casting the Bait
Now that Rendel was more or less prepared, it was time to deal with the remaining issues. Enlow—the self-proclaimed rival of Rendel and a second-year pilot cadet. In the original story he played a crucial role during this subjugation. If the hunt followed the original plot, however, we would only obtain a tiny amount of Ellydium. I needed to alter his behavior.
To set the stage, I secretly obtained the instructor’s permission without Rendel’s knowledge and headed for a nearby village. The official reason was procuring supplies and supporting the residents. Operators who had little to do before an operation usually handled the task, but I joined them to craft a convenient alibi. The process was simple: we distributed military-issued supplies to the villagers, bought necessary goods on credit, and settled the debt later with monster corpses from the subjugation.
“Looks heavy. You ladies going to be all right?” A soldier handing out supplies smirked at our all-female group. The non-commissioned officer beside him immediately rebuked him.
“Watch it. These are officer-academy cadets. They outrank me.”
“Ah. My apologies.”
“It’s quite all right. This badge identifies us as Alitus Aindium Academy cadets, so please remember that.”
At the calm but firm reminder from Sabrina—the third-year who served as the subjugation team’s chief operator—the soldier bowed repeatedly. The confident, stylish senior was clearly admired; the younger operators kept sending her envious glances.
While I quietly loaded supply crates into the truck, Sabrina approached and gave my shoulder a light tap.
“You’re Luna from the pilot class, right? Already burning energy?”
“Yes. I have plenty to spare, and since I’m here anyway, I thought I’d explore the village a little.”
My answer must have sounded strange, because she let out a soft laugh.
“Fair enough. When you visit a place like this, you should look around properly. The other specialties never seem to understand that.”
“Exactly.”
The other operators chimed in, and the mood turned cheerful and relaxed.
“Anyway, thanks for the help. The three of us were about to have to haul all this ourselves.”
“I’ll call some pilot friends I know once we return to the temporary base.”
“Really? You’re a lifesaver.”
It felt good to see them happy, yet… Sorry, seniors. The truth is I only came along to manufacture an alibi.
I kept my real intentions hidden behind a pleasant smile and continued carrying the heavy crates.
As soon as we entered the village, soldiers separated our cargo and began a supply broadcast. Before long, residents gathered. After we handed out basic foodstuffs, emergency medicine, and water, we were given an hour of free time.
“It’s a small village, so there isn’t much to see. Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. I’ll just take a quick look around.”
“We regroup in forty minutes. Don’t be late.”
“Understood.”
The moment I parted from the operators I headed straight for the village square. My memories of the original story had grown hazy, but I still remembered the broad strokes and vital details. In the original, after the subjugation ended, the villagers each offered a line of dialogue. The person who revealed crucial information would be somewhere nearby.
“Oh.”
Found him. An elderly man running a tiny stall in the corner of the square, baking small, round, sweet-smelling breads. When I approached, he offered a warm, friendly smile.
“A customer? Would you like to buy some bread?”
“Yes. How much for one bag?”
“Twenty pieces for one gold, but since you’re such a pretty student, I’ll give you twenty-five.”
“T-then please give me two bags.”
“Two whole bags? Thank you kindly.”
The old man, who seemed to have gone without customers for a while, warmed the cooled bread and handed me two full bags with a broad grin. I accepted them and spoke as if the question had just occurred to me.
“By the way, I heard monsters have been appearing around here.”
“You’re telling me. Those truck-sized beasts have been tearing up the crops something awful. This time they’re sending that huge steel giant, right? What was it called again… Einstein?”
“Aindium.”
“That’s it. The students who ride those Aindium things are coming to hunt the beasts.”
“Yes. We’re here to help.”
Only then did the old man notice my uniform. His eyes widened.
“Goodness! You’re an academy cadet. Shall I throw in another bag?”
“That’s all right. You should charge properly. But about those monsters…”
I deliberately paused, watching his face carefully before continuing.
“Isn’t there one that’s more like the size of a train, not a truck?”
For an instant the old man’s face froze. Deep eyes that had seen many years filled with unmistakable fear.
“…Where did you hear that story?”
“Just a rumor I picked up in passing.”
More precisely, I heard it from you when you appeared as a character in an anime from another dimension.
“Sigh… It was a very long time ago.”
The old man’s recollection was rather long, but I obtained every useful detail: the precise location where the target monster was likely to appear, characteristics of the creature that the original story had never fully revealed, and—most importantly—my alibi. Now it was time to hook someone with this information.
After returning to the temporary base and finishing the supply distribution, the sun had already slipped below the horizon. Once Unit 1 finished a late dinner while watching the early-summer sunset, Rendel excused himself for a run, claiming he couldn’t neglect training. Perfect. This was my chance to leak the information.
But would Enlow even believe a member of the same CT Club as Rendel? The thought suddenly made me anxious. Ah, whatever. I’d just push ahead.
Unit 3 had also finished eating and was beginning to stir, so I watched for an opening. That was when I spotted Grik. Was he in Unit 3 as well? I kept an eye on him, waiting for a chance to approach Enlow, but Grik refused to leave Enlow’s side. They looked like a mediocre rival and his dim-witted subordinate. No, that wasn’t right—Grik was the top first-year student. He was hardly dim-witted.
I actually thought rather highly of Grik. He had stood in as class representative in my place, and he studied hard. I occasionally heard unflattering rumors about him from other classes, but nothing that warranted real concern. Besides, with all the strange rumors that circulated about me, I was in no position to judge.
Still, they seemed quite close. Since Grik and I were somewhat acquainted, I decided to contact him first. After a long while, Grik finally separated from Enlow and I followed.
When we reached a quiet spot between the temporary barracks, I called out to him.
“Grik.”
“Oh, Luna?”
“Got a moment to talk?”
“O-of course.”
I approached with a gentle smile so he wouldn’t feel wary and raised my tightly clenched fist.
“Let’s work hard starting tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
We exchanged a few ordinary remarks before I prepared to steer the conversation toward the main topic… when—
I closed the annoying chat that kept interfering and delivered my message to Grik.
“When I stopped by the village earlier, I heard a strange rumor.”
“A strange rumor?”
“Yeah. Apparently there’s a monster even bigger than our target Rhinodon living in the forest…”
The next morning I ran along the misty lakeshore with Rendel. We were warming up in advance to handle the full-scale monster extermination that would begin today.
“Haa… haa…”
“Already tired?”
“Already? Hoo… I’ve already run more than five kilometers.”
Rendel showed no sign of fatigue, but my stamina couldn’t keep up. Even though he slowed down for me, I gradually fell behind. Eventually he headed back to the temporary base first, saying he would fetch a towel and water. As if on cue, Enlow and Grik walked out of the entrance.
Grik spotted me and waved.
“Perfect timing, Luna. This is Senior Enlow.”
“He-… haa… hello.”
“Jogging from the crack of dawn? Must be rough.”
“It is…”
“I bet that Rendel bastard dragged you out here. I understand.”
Enlow was less abrasive than I had expected. In the original he had been curt not only with Rendel but with the rest of the CT Club as well.
“I heard from Grik. You picked up a strange rumor in the village yesterday.”
“Ah, that.”
Good. The bait had been taken. I explained the location of the forest and the rumor in greater detail than I had given Grik. Enlow was the type who itched to achieve merit; he would surely try to hunt the creature alone or with his followers.
“If that rumor is true, it would be a huge catch.”
“Yes, it would.”
Enlow glanced at my face, then cleared his throat and looked slightly away.
“Ahem. So… Luna, was it? First-year CT Club.”
“Yes. Luna Edelstia.”
“I’m not entirely convinced what you said is real. It could be a trap Rendel set to deceive me… So if you help me out, I’ll believe you.”
It was clearly a case of inflated ego, but I saw no need to point it out. Rendel doesn’t even care about you… Still, since I had to make Enlow move anyway, I might as well earn some points.
“I’ll help in any way I can. If that giant really appears, a single unit might not be enough to handle it.”
“Exactly. Especially since Rendel can’t be trusted. You know that too.”
Enlow subtly bad-mouthed Rendel while seeking agreement, but I simply answered with a bright smile and let it slide.
“So how exactly can I help?”
“I hear you’re a sniper. That means you’ll be in the rear, right?”
“Yes.”
The Limpid Fairy could fly and snipe from the air, so it didn’t matter, but since I had to pretend to use the Black Fairy right now, my position would indeed be in the rear or somewhere elevated.
“I’ll tell you the route we’ll use to drive the monsters. Make sure Rendel can’t kill too many by guiding them elsewhere.”
“Uh, that’s…”
“If it would be too obvious, just make up a suitable excuse. There’s a third-year who pilots a Vivald-class, right? Direct the monsters so that senior gets them all.”
“Uh, yes.”
What was this? Were these guys actually trying to help me? In their own way they were trying to prevent Rendel from shining, but I also needed to conserve Rendel’s strength and expend the Vivald-class’s ammunition, so our interests aligned perfectly. Things were going so smoothly it was almost unsettling.
“Also, station yourself in the forest where that monster is supposed to appear.”
“Pardon? Why that?”
“You’ll need to help us if things go south.”
“Hmm. I think I could provide support from the rear as well.”
“Maybe, but a few shots from far away won’t do much. Wouldn’t it be better to be close?”
It sounded like he was asking me to offer myself as collateral. While it was true that being near the forest would help me manipulate Enlow, I didn’t necessarily have to be inside it myself.
“Luna. Let’s do as Senior says.”
“But if I suddenly say I’m going into the forest it will stand out too much. Especially since Chief Operator Sabrina might find it suspicious…”
“It’s fine. I’ll talk to her.”
“Are you close with Senior Sabrina?”
“Of course. Grik and I are both in the student council with her.”
Enlow puffed out his chest and patted Grik’s back. Right, that was true. Enlow was a pilot affiliated with the student council, which had an awkward relationship with the CT Club. So Sabrina was in the student council too. Somehow the situation was growing stranger by the minute.
After breakfast came the operation briefing. Sabrina checked each member and pre-assigned positions. Since I was a sniper who barely needed to move, she even gave me several possible spots.
“Luna, these are your three positions. Choose whichever looks best.”
A watchtower near the temporary base that made resupply easy. A tree inside the forest that offered concealment and a clear line of fire across the entire plain. The rear of the standby team that could immediately support the main force.
I had planned to pick the second option, but Rendel—the commander of Unit 1—began to ponder seriously.
“Hmm. The watchtower is too far from the operation area for Luna to be effective, the forest feels off, and the rear seems dangerous…”
“I’ll take the forest.”
“Will you be all right?”
“Yes. If we stock plenty of ammunition and I can see the whole plain, I can support any direction.”
In the distance I saw Enlow give a small nod. Good. I had secured justification, so please oppose it. I really didn’t want to be alone in the forest. There was no telling when a monster might jump out.
“If Luna says so, then the forest it is. Support us from there.”
“Ah, yes.”
My expression nearly collapsed for a second. Enlow and Grik wore satisfied smiles. No helping it. Since it had come to this, I would make thorough use of you, Enlow.
The first day’s hunt proceeded smoothly. Although most of the plain was within view, I never needed to fire my sniper rifle. When the herding team drove the Rhinodons over, I observed and called out coordinates; the senior in the Vivald-class would then fire. It was a day spent faithfully playing the role of spotter.
Rendel, who had brought only close-combat weapons, had to be satisfied with finishing blows and picking off stragglers that broke from the herd. The other pilots couldn’t even manage that much. I kept watching in case he might use his mace, but he simply carried it on his back and never touched it. When the giant monster that was our true target finally appeared, I would simply have to wait and see.