Karmanu Salvation Front - 1
After the reflection meeting wrapped up, our CT Club concluded its first-semester club activities with a modest tea party. “Then I’ll see you next semester.” “I’ll return as soon as possible.” “It’s your first vacation—get some real rest.”
Savian and Mikhail, who had booked an early ferry for tomorrow morning, left first to prepare for departure. Yui was from Guzev, the port city closest to Allob Island, so she planned to leave the day after tomorrow, while the others had a bit more breathing room with afternoon departures tomorrow. The seniors also scattered to make their own preparations.
“We’ll handle the cleanup.” “Then I’m counting on you, Luna.” “Of course. See you in the second semester.”
Once the second-years left, only the first-year mechanics, operators, and Yui remained in the clubroom. Rendel was probably waiting in the lounge. “You all head in too.” “No. We should clean up together.”
Together we cleared out the trash, locked the windows, draped white cloths over the furniture and appliances to keep off the dust, shut off the water, and cut the electricity. Only then did it truly feel like the semester had ended.
“I’ll lock up and return the key.” “Thanks. Oh, by the way—want to go into town tomorrow, just the first-years?” “Sorry, we’re taking the lunch ferry tomorrow.” “Hmm. What about you, Luna?” “Sorry. I still have some preparations to finish.” “Really? Can’t be helped, then.”
Yui, who had stepped up to foster some first-year camaraderie, shrugged and headed for the dorm. She might have been stuck under Muri’s thumb, but once you got to know her she was actually quite lively. She’d joined the CT Club through a special recruitment and often looked intimidated, yet after a few months her real personality was starting to show.
The mechanics still had work to finish, so Neria and Marius headed straight for the maintenance bay. Tough luck having to work even on the last day before break. After locking the door and dropping the key at the club building’s management office, I stepped out to find the summer sun already sinking behind the mountains. The campus, now quiet with vacation, stretched out below as I made my way to the lounge.
The lounge was always sparsely used, but at this hour it was especially deserted. Rendel, who had been watching the sunset from the window, turned at the sound of my footsteps.
“You’re here.” “Yes.”
I set my bag down beside the sofa and sat. Rendel took the seat across from me. He fidgeted with his fingers for a moment, as if hesitating, then spoke.
“Remember that promise we made last time?” “You mean going out together?” “Yeah. If you’re busy with family matters, you don’t have to keep it.”
Even as he said it, his face was full of reluctance. That expression made the words completely unconvincing.
“Don’t worry. I should be able to make time about two weeks before the break ends.” “Really? Oh—should we invite the others too? The Lando members were saying they wanted to go somewhere.”
Of course. With his personality, he’d never have suggested going out alone with me in the first place. If I really were Ruwina, I might have refused, so he’d changed the plan to a group outing. But it was a meaningless gesture. He had his own role to play as the protagonist.
“Most people will be back on campus two weeks before the new semester anyway, so we should be able to coordinate schedules then.” “All right. I’ll check with everyone once the time comes.” “You’ll be at school in August, right?” “Yeah.” “I’ll come back as soon as I can.” “Got it.”
In the end, nothing was firmly decided, but I had confirmed Rendel’s schedule. Just as in the original story, he would be at the academy when the incident occurred. Where would it be best for me to be at that time? Staying at school seemed the safest option…
“You’re staying in Shutor after all, Luna?” “Pardon? Well—”
As we left the lounge, Rendel’s question sparked a sudden idea. A reply that would let me naturally involve myself in the upcoming incident while also confirming whether Rendel would participate.
“I’ll probably be in Demius.” “Demius?”
Rendel’s eyebrows drew together slightly at my answer. It wasn’t a particularly famous place, but with the recent news constantly covering events tied to it, the name had started appearing here and there.
“You mean the Demius on the Karmanu border?” “Yes.”
Demius was a border city between the Karmanu Kingdom and the Alitus Kingdom, grown prosperous through trade between the two nations. However, with the civil war over the throne intensifying since the beginning of the year and destabilizing Karmanu’s political situation, Demius had sealed its borders. The Karmanu civil war was a frequent topic in the news, and naturally Demius’s circumstances appeared in television and newspapers as well.
“Isn’t that area dangerous right now? And your family lives in Shutor, doesn’t it?” “There’s a garrison, so how dangerous could it be? Besides, while my parents’ house is in Shutor, the Adelt family spans both Demius and Karmanu.”
This was the true identity of the Adelt family whose name I was borrowing. Just like medieval Europe, noble families here often held lands across multiple countries. The Adelt family was a real noble house with members in both Karmanu and Alitus, and someone from the branch loyal to Line had provided Ruwina with this false identity. Because the family wasn’t particularly prominent in either the capital or the provinces, ordinary people didn’t know much about them—which made it easy to create the persona of Luna Adelt.
Thinking about my fabricated background, I unconsciously slipped into a more aristocratic tone. Rendel stopped walking and fell into thought for a moment.
“I see. So it’s family business.”
Perhaps because it was noble affairs the average person wouldn’t know, Rendel didn’t press further. He only added one more line.
“If there’s anything I can help with, contact me right away.”
Rendel tore a page from his notebook with his home phone number written on it and handed it to me, then waved and walked off. His steps seemed just a little quicker than usual.
More than half of summer vacation had already passed. Today, as usual, I endured the ultraviolet rays that felt like they would scorch my skin, finished my morning run, and returned. I had started running to build up my lacking stamina, and now I could cover a considerable distance with steady breathing. The sweat pouring down like rain because of the heat was unavoidable, though.
“Welcome back, my lady.” “Yes. I’ll just have something light for breakfast.” “I’ve prepared what you usually eat.”
It had already been three weeks since I began staying at the luxurious residence in Shutor, the capital of Alitus. Contrary to what I had told Rendel, I hadn’t gone anywhere near Demius. The reason was, of course, Ruwina’s identity.
Line Edelstia, first in line to the throne and a central figure in the Karmanu civil war. Opposing her was Rubens Edelstia, leading the rebel forces. A cousin to the Line-Ruwina sisters, he was the son of a concubine rather than the former queen, and he was desperate to seize the throne. The concubine’s family was one of Karmanu’s great noble houses, and they had gathered many like-minded nobles to stage a rebellion aimed at swallowing the kingdom whole.
Thanks to that, Line had nearly been driven out before she could even hold her coronation, but her exceptional Aindium piloting skills and the people’s support had turned the tide in her favor. One of the factors that had worked against the rebels was that they couldn’t capture Ruwina, the second in line and Line’s greatest weakness, to use as a hostage.
Conversely, if I were taken hostage, the fight would become far more difficult for Line. Ruwina was beloved by the people, and if she fell into Rubens’s hands, he would gain the legitimacy and popular support he lacked. He could use her as a puppet to pit the sisters against each other, or threaten her life to force Line’s surrender and then exile them both. In short, Rubens would be desperately searching for Ruwina.
That was why going to Demius, where his influence reached, was dangerous—just as Rendel had warned. In fact, it was far more dangerous than he realized. It was fortunate that the Adelt family were confirmed supporters of Line. I had heard they were also keeping my true identity hidden, but the unease remained.
I felt a twinge of guilt for lying to the protagonist, but fortunately the message board had gone quiet after the break, as if the animation had nothing more to show. While washing the sweat from my body in the bath, I scrolled through the board looking for any useful information.
“Oh. You’re already back.” “Yes. Did you sleep well?”
On my way out of the bath I ran into the master of the house—Jade, headmaster of the Alitus Aindium Military Academy. This was the residence he kept in the capital. The headmaster, who had lost his wife some time ago, had two sons, both of whom now lived elsewhere, so he used the place like a villa.
“Are you busy?” “I must protect you, my lady. Heh heh.”
Normally he called Ruwina “Princess,” but with so many eyes around he addressed me as “my lady.” I would have preferred he just use my name, but he had firmly refused, so I had given up.
After breakfast I spoke with the headmaster for a while and was able to confirm that the moment I had been waiting for was approaching.
“By the way, the situation in your homeland is looking rather grim.”
The headmaster lowered his voice. By “homeland” he meant Karmanu. I lowered mine as well.
“I heard my sister had gained the upper hand.” “That was several weeks ago. Rumors say the enemy suddenly received a large shipment of weapons from somewhere.”
From the very beginning of the Karmanu civil war, both sides had agreed that regular armies would not be deployed. Introducing tanks, armored vehicles, or infantry would inevitably cause civilian casualties, and there was the risk that the neighboring Empire or Republic might use the chaos as an excuse to invade. There was even the possibility that Alitus or Mazurk, as allied nations, might send troops under the banner of peacekeeping forces. Therefore the Karmanu military had decided to strictly guard the borders.
In the end, the outcome would be decided by Aindium battles. Line’s Ardente had swept across the battlefield, turning several unfavorable fights into victories and seizing the initiative. That news had only come recently—yet now it seemed the original story was proceeding as expected.
“At some point the number of Aindium on their side reversed. The gap keeps widening even now.” “Then my sister is at a disadvantage.” “Indeed.”
Once facilities were properly established, it was possible to mass-produce Aindium. But pilots were an extremely valuable human resource, so the sudden increase in their numbers was suspicious on multiple levels. The force that had attacked Allob Island was probably involved. In the past I might have left it at speculation, but now that I knew the full story of the Allob raid, I could be certain. Aindium piloted by corpses were moving through Karmanu’s interior. The fact unsettled me deeply—perhaps because of Ruwina’s influence.
Clenching my fists, I met the headmaster’s gaze.
“Headmaster, there’s something I need to tell you.” “Yes, please speak.”
From here on, I would need the headmaster’s help. To participate in the battle to save Karmanu—not as Ruwina Edelstia, but as Luna Adelt.