The Savior of Karmanu - The Unexpected Volunteer

Line Edelstia let out a soft sigh. Before her, four men and women in pilot suits knelt with their heads bowed low.

“Your Majesty. Please reconsider. We can do this.”

As the man who seemed to be their leader shouted, the rest of his squad echoed his cry.

“We will succeed!”

“Enough. That discussion is over. We will continue as before—crushing them one by one.”

Line hated weighing the lives of her subordinates. It was precisely because of this that the war situation had grown increasingly unfavorable. Yet if she were not this kind of person, no one would have followed her now that the opposing faction held the advantage.

“The Third Coastal Fortress is difficult to break through with our current forces. I could handle it myself, but the moment Ardent disappears from the front lines even briefly, the enemy’s main forces will come rushing in.”

The Third Coastal Fortress, which guarded Karmanu’s southern coastline, was currently a vital stronghold for the rebel forces led by Rubens. They had confirmed that unidentified Aindiums were continuously being reinforced through that location, and they had also detected signs of the enemy transporting them by ship after seizing control of the southern seas.

The problem was that the Third Coastal Fortress was an impregnable citadel built with cutting-edge technology. Approaching it from land was nearly impossible, its walls were densely packed with armaments effective even against Aindiums, and advancing from the sea was no easier.

“This is exactly when I envy Alitus’s underwater Aindium units.”

Only the Empire, the Republic, and Alitus had the scale necessary to organize separate Aindium units classified by pilot aptitude. Alitus, with two sides surrounded by ocean, possessed an underwater Aindium special forces unit that dwarfed anything the sea-poor Empire or the landlocked Republic could field.

If only I could borrow even a portion of them, I could turn the tide of this war in a single stroke.

Even as unidentified Aindiums of unknown allegiance roamed freely, the regent who stubbornly maintained neutrality and the army that refused to move only deepened Line’s worries as she listened to her subordinates’ complaints.

“There are signs that Alitus is preparing to take action.”

At her adjutant’s report upon returning from external duties, Line raised a single eyebrow.

“Didn’t I already speak with the Alitus royal family?”

If Alitus troops ever set foot on Karmanu soil, the conflict would cease to be a simple succession war. The Alitus royal family was highly likely to side with their distant relative Line, but that very support could easily become poison instead. In any era, a monarch who invited foreign armies rarely retained the support of the people or their vassals. As someone who had only just come ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of age and sought to claim the throne through her own merits, Line could not allow Alitus forces to enter Karmanu.

“That is… the situation has taken a rather peculiar turn.”

“Peculiar?”

“Yes. You know those new Aindiums belonging to the traitors? There are rumors they have been crossing the border and plundering villages near Demius City.”

“Those bastards have finally gone too far…”

Line slammed her hand on the desk as she rose, her expression turning fierce. They said even a beauty looked beautiful when angry, but Line radiated an overwhelming charisma that dominated the entire room.

“This won’t do. I will head to the Alitus border region immediately.”

“Your Majesty. If you leave the front lines, the battlefield will become precarious. Besides, the report is not yet finished.”

“Hmm.”

The adjutant chose his words carefully, believing that Ardent’s use of fire abilities was no coincidence.

“What I meant by peculiar was Alitus’s reaction. When we asked if the unit that attacked them belonged to us, they said no—and then requested one permission.”

“What permission? To capture and hand them over?”

“No. They asked… for permission to pursue the enemy all the way into Karmanu territory.”

Line slammed the desk again. Her adjutant flinched but somehow managed to finish speaking.

“…That is the request they sent. However, they claim it is not a military Aindium unit.”

“If it’s not the military, then who is piloting Aindiums to hunt them down? Are they hiring mercenaries?”

“They are students.”

“What?”

“Students from the Alitus Aindium Officer Academy—cadets, to be precise. Since they have not yet been commissioned, they are not officially part of the military. They have even expressed their desire to participate as volunteers.”

“……”

Line pressed a hand to her forehead and sank heavily onto the sofa.

Borrowing the strength of another country’s cadets?

At first it sounded absurd, but the more she considered it, the more she tilted her head at how strangely clever the idea was. In a situation where every extra hand counted, they were students—not affiliated with any foreign military—and volunteers at that. If those students died or were injured, the situation could spiral out of control, but at this point they had no choice but to roll the dice once or twice.

“This is not a decision to be made lightly. Connect me with the Alitus side.”

“Understood. Who shall I connect you to?”

“Sir Oldsilver first.”

Line stood and draped her coat over her shoulders. As she walked toward the communications room to speak with the principal of the Alitus Aindium Officer Academy, she thought briefly of her younger sister, Ruwina. Every time she received letters saying she had done well on exams, made close friends, and was enjoying school life with kind upperclassmen, it gave her strength. Even if she had safely inherited the throne, would she still have sent Ruwina to school?

In Line’s opinion, the only positive side effect of this succession war was that it had allowed Ruwina to experience a normal student life.

Ruwina. Among your peers, there are friends willing to step forward and personally hunt down those threatening our nation’s safety.

To soothe her slightly bitter lips, Line popped a piece of candy into her mouth and headed for the communications room.

“They gave permission more readily than expected.”

The principal sounded surprised after ending the call with Line. On the surface, Line appeared to be a strict adherent to rules and principles, but that was not entirely true. She was flexible enough to walk the line between legality and illegality when it served a greater cause. That was probably why she had chosen to send Ruwina to another country.

“Right now we need every extra hand we can get. Besides, wouldn’t it be better for Alitus to clean up a mess that started within ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Alitus?”

“You are correct. That aside…”

The principal narrowed his eyes and met my gaze.

“Princess. Are you planning to participate in the Karmanu civil war by bringing an Aindium with you?”

“Yes.”

The elderly gentleman’s face twisted at my immediate answer. The way his muscles twitched beneath his thin shirt was slightly intimidating.

“Princess. I have told you repeatedly that you must not involve yourself in dangerous matters. Moreover, allowing a masterpiece-class Aindium to cross into another country is something I cannot easily approve.”

“But Limpy belongs to me.”

My knowledge of this incident ended here. Without knowing which enemies would appear or what strategies would be used—and especially without knowing how it would conclude—I needed to bring the highest-spec Aindium possible.

“Of course Limpy is Your Highness’s Aindium. However, the royal family—especially Prince Windsor—will not simply sit by and watch.”

“Is that so?”

So Windsor was the problem after all. There was no helping it.

“I’ll be back after stepping out for a bit.”

“Where are you going in the middle of our conversation?”

“To see Brother Windsor.”

The expression the principal made at my answer was quite a sight.

“I will permit it.”

“Your Highness?”

In the Aindium research laboratory not far from the principal’s residence, Prince Windsor’s face twisted the moment he saw me. However, when I calmly explained the situation without once calling him “brother,” he unexpectedly nodded without resistance.

“Didn’t I tell you last time? That masterpiece belongs to the princess. Neither the royal family nor the institute will interfere with personal property in any way.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me.”

It seemed handing over Limpy’s data so willingly had paid off. Given the nature of a masterpiece, producing a mass-production model from it would take a long time, but acquiring the core technology must have satisfied him. The most important flight module could only be used by someone possessing dark magic power, so his interest had probably cooled as well.

“On another note, I have also obtained information regarding the Aindiums threatening Demius City. If you are willing to eliminate them, we would almost be the ones asking for the favor.”

“You won’t be mobilizing any military Aindium units?”

“Activity near the border must be handled with caution, and since we are focusing our defenses on protecting the densely populated areas around the city, we lack the capacity to intercept enemies who strike suddenly.”

Just as usual—chronic manpower shortage. The story’s author really dropped the ball here. For a country as large as Alitus to have so few free-roaming guerrilla units… This was clearly intended to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠let the student group led by Rendel shine, but thanks to that, it made things easier for me to move.

“Then, in accordance with the royal family’s will, I shall faithfully carry out the mission.”

When I lifted the hem of my skirt and bowed, Prince Windsor nodded silently. The way he acted as if he were my superior irritated me a little. As I left the reception room, I turned back and gave him a wink.

“Thank you, Brother Windsor.”

“Princess!”

Chuckling, I dashed out of the laboratory. The principal’s sigh chasing after me was probably just my imagination.

Now it was time to call Rendel. With his strong sense of justice, simply telling him about the reality of the plundered villages near Demius would make him rush over without hesitation.

…Or so I thought.

“Luna! Are you safe?”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

I was slightly surprised to see Rendel already at the temporary encampment near Demius. What? Recruitment hadn’t even started yet. In the original story, the incident began when Rendel volunteered after seeing the recruitment notice for a guerrilla unit to defend the border.

“I heard something strange was happening near Demius and came right away. I was worried you might be in danger.”

He even brought White Fang and got here incredibly fast. I was a little overwhelmed by the protagonist’s sheer drive, but good was good. Limpy should be arriving soon too, so it was time to begin.

“Senior. There’s something I need to tell you.”

This summer, let’s dance with those unidentified enemies in Karmanu.