The Queen's Counterstrike
Aindium — 5-5 — White Fang's pilot Rendel is the protagonist of the eighth installment in the Aindium series, Wing of Union. Blessed with innate piloting talent, a family environment where he'd played with Ainds since childhood, capable friends, and the guaranteed status of a military academy cadet. When the anime's setting was first revealed, fans had speculated that Rendel might be the most carefree protagonist in the entire series.
The first work's protagonist, swept into the war between the Empire and the Republic, achieved great feats yet lost both comrades and lover, only to have his records nearly erased due to his special forces affiliation. The second work's protagonist, who flew to Galaxia to fight for the independence of the space colonies when war broke out over the orbital elevator "Stairway to Heaven"—the sole gateway to space—endured every hardship imaginable and lost both legs and one eye. Until now, the series had always told the stories of Aindium pilots caught in the throes of war. The one who broke that unspoken rule was Rendel, who appeared in the early episodes as a student enjoying lively school days with his friends.
The fierce backlash from veteran fans at the beginning was, in hindsight, inevitable. Many old fans who couldn't tolerate a mere student intruding into a series that had always dealt with heavy themes abandoned it, but far more younger fans who preferred lighter stories flooded in. Yet Rendel's story was far from smooth sailing. Those who had followed half of his tale could only hope the recent trend toward happy endings would continue.
Come to think of it, I too would have to insert myself into the story Rendel was leading. As an original fan, I would have no regrets even if I died right now, but on the other hand, it was terrifying. The thought of sharing in the trials the protagonist's party would face left me uneasy.
Clang! At that moment, a metallic sound pulled me from my thoughts. It was the clash of swords between White Fang and Ardent. From the very start, White Fang unleashed its signature acceleration ability. The white giant charged straight at the red giant. Having gauged the flow through several exchanges, Rendel didn't simply pass by Ardent's side but pressed close, leveling his sword horizontally. Speed became destructive force as he bore down as if to cleave Ardent in two.
Kaang—! Ardent spun half a turn in place, deftly angling its blade to deflect White Fang's attack. Then came a swift horizontal slash that flowed like water. Rendel accelerated once more, putting distance between himself and Line's strike.
"Whoa." A purely admiring exclamation escaped me. The movements were breathtaking. This tournament featured boys and girls who had only just reached adulthood or were on the cusp of it—not soldiers. And a duel between the two finest Aindium handlers among the four nations was bound to be anything but dull.
Line, who had earned the moniker "Strongest" early on for reasons Ruwina didn't know, possessed exceptional combat sense. With clean, efficient movements, she effortlessly blocked Rendel's unpredictable attacks and occasionally launched counterstrikes of her own.
『Line is proving with her own body that the title of strongest pilot isn't given for free! However, it won't be easy to defeat the genius who appeared like a comet, Cadet Rendel.』
The commentator's words—clearly an Alitus native—made me inexplicably irritated. Though I'd bet money on Rendel, how dare he belittle Ruwina's proud sister? The guards standing behind me couldn't hide their displeasure either.
Then, roughly five minutes into the match, the end of the first round drew near. As expected, Rendel's acceleration wasn't unlimited. His speed visibly dropped, and his movements grew sluggish. Line, who had been purely on the defensive early on, now had room to breathe. At a distance of about two Ainds—less than four meters in human terms—White Fang and Ardent faced each other. Their positions mirrored the start of the match, only reversed, as they prepared for their final clash.
White Fang advanced slowly with its sword raised; Ardent answered in kind. After fighting for so long, their barrier readings must have been near zero, yet both seemed to prefer close combat. Though I recalled Rendel also enjoyed using ranged weapons.
『Aah!』
With the caster's cry, White Fang hurled its sword and drew its gun. Ardent deflected the non-lethal suppression rounds with its left arm and returned fire, but White Fang darted across the arena with its acceleration ability, raining bullets upon Ardent. So he'd been hiding that he could still use acceleration. What was truly astonishing was how few shots missed.
Line's Ardent struggled under the relentless assault before ultimately losing by decision.
『Rendel of Alitus takes the long first round!』
A sigh echoed from behind me. The guards were shaken by Line's defeat—the hope and object of admiration for the Kingdom of Karmanu. Though my own national loyalty was weak enough that I'd bet on Rendel, Line's loss didn't sit well with me, perhaps because of Ruwina's memories. Still, the outcome would likely be Rendel's victory. After all, he was the protagonist of this story.
Rendel would go on to win this tournament in spectacular fashion, be summoned everywhere as the academy's representative, and handle various incidents. Some matters were too serious to entrust to a mere cadet, yet due to the academy's unique location and the protagonist's abilities, most of them inevitably fell to Rendel. Whether in the anime or manga adaptation, that guy was always rolling from one crisis to the next. Since I'd only just arrived after he'd resolved a few minor incidents and the main antagonistic force had appeared, I didn't know the true identity of the enemy either. Ruwina was indeed scheduled to enroll in Alitus's military academy in a foreign country, so I would probably end up fighting that unknown foe as well. Was there any way to prepare using the information from the Aindium series I'd watched so far?
While I was lost in such thoughts, my expression must have hardened, because one of the guards spoke up.
"My lady. Lady Line will be fine."
"Huh? Ah, yes. I'm sure she will."
My absentminded reply made the female guard in charge of security look oddly at me, so I quickly added, "It's only the first round, after all. She's probably just trying to gauge her opponent. There's no way my sister would lose, right?"
The guard finally nodded, satisfied. The people of Karmanu seemed to truly adore Line. Thinking about it, it made sense. A strong, beautiful young woman who had only just come of age, holding a high position—she would be popular with everyone, regardless of gender.
What about Ruwina, then? I slowly recalled Ruwina's memories and gave a bitter smile. Loved by everyone since birth, yet knowing almost nothing of the world. Her sister, who cherished her most, had always been a subject of comparison, and the unnecessarily high position had been too heavy a burden for a young girl. The sisters were famous and both beloved by the people, but in different ways. Line, the superhuman destined to lead the kingdom, and Ruwina, the lovely princess in a gilded cage. Ruwina, who had unconsciously shrunk before a sister to whom she could never feel inferior, might have been dreaming of freedom all along.
Perhaps the reason Ruwina came to Alitus's military academy abroad was—
『Thank you for your patience. The second match will begin shortly! Will Rendel maintain his momentum, or will Line launch her counterattack? Please stay tuned.』
As White Fang and Ardent took the field once more, I focused all my attention back on the screen. I set aside my headache-inducing worries for later. For now, it was time to watch the fight.
The second match didn't differ much from the first. Line gradually crumbled under Rendel's acceleration ability, which lasted far longer than expected, and finding a way to counter it seemed impossible. After ten minutes, another decision victory for Rendel was declared, and the spectators erupted in excitement, chanting his name. In contrast, our side—those cheering for Line—remained silent.
At this rate, that "Strongest" nickname is going to become a joke.
The remaining matches were scheduled after lunch. I rose from my seat and headed outside.
"Let's go. I'll have lunch with my sister."
"Understood."
At a reservation-only restaurant outside the arena, I shared an early lunch with Line. No one brought up the match. They were probably being mindful of Line's feelings. I decided to do something Ruwina probably wouldn't have done.
"Sister, how was the match?"
Line, who had been cutting her steak with a knife, stared straight at me. The aide standing behind her making an X with his arms was almost comical.
"Well, perhaps because it was the finals, the opponent was stronger than I expected. Rendel, was it?"
"It's amazing, isn't it? How he suddenly moves that fast!"
As I swung my arm dramatically, Line shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips.
"Not at the dinner table."
"Sorry. But it really is fascinating. Moving that quickly while also shifting sideways—doesn't it make you dizzy? It seems like it would put a lot of strain on the body, like how you lean when a car or train takes a curve."
"His opponent's Aind is a well-crafted machine. They must have used high-quality balance stabilizers."
"Is that so? I'm not very familiar with Aindium. Even at speeds far exceeding standard specs, the stabilizers work that well?"
"Hmm…"
At my words, Line tilted her head, lost in thought. I'd given her the hint; whether she found the answer depended on her own intuition. The fatal flaw of the protagonist Rendel's ability—instant acceleration—which enemies who knew him would later exploit in the mid-to-late game: changing direction during acceleration was extremely difficult. As I'd said, at speeds beyond what the balance stabilizers could compensate for, attempting to turn would cause the body to tilt severely. It wouldn't eject you from the cockpit, but it made continuing the attack immediately difficult. Control became as hard as driving on black ice. At this point in the story, Rendel hadn't overcome it yet, so he would only show linear movements. Having faced White Fang twice, Line must have vaguely realized this.
Now, if Line won just enough to restore her honor and Rendel ultimately claimed victory in the end, my ideal scenario would be complete. After collecting some money here, I planned to enroll in the academy a few months later and observe the protagonist's group from a distance. I still lacked the courage to step into the center of the story.
An hour later, the afternoon matches began—
『Match over! It's incredible! Line has taken three consecutive rounds with attacks that seemed to predict all of Rendel's rapid movements! The winner of the First Quad-Nation Alliance Friendship Tournament's Aindium Duel is Line from Karmanu!』
"Huh?"
My four thousand gold—and the protagonist's victory—had both vanished into thin air.