The Failed Ambush

Rendel’s ambush had failed. The same Rendel who had been slicing through enemies’ limbs and heads like tofu had swung his sword with all his might, without holding back—and it had been stopped cold by a solid shield. Moreover, the enemies, as if they had been prepared in advance, launched a counterattack with almost no confusion, laying down a barrage of fire along Rendel’s escape route and cutting off his movement.

「These guys are strong!」

Even without hearing Rendel’s words, it was immediately obvious that these foes were on a completely different level from the ones who had attacked before. Unable to retreat, Rendel used nearby trees as cover and fought back, but he couldn’t overcome the numerical disadvantage. If this kept up, Rendel would be in danger.

“I’m joining you!”

The moment Rendel failed to overpower them in a single clash, I was already descending. Sniping from high altitude risked hitting White Fang, and the enemies needed to learn about the flying Aindiums as late as possible. If these were the same ones who had raided Allob Island and escaped, they might already have information, but even then, none of them had witnessed Limpid.

Maintaining optical camouflage, I tossed a grenade and then deactivated the flight module. The clustered enemies fell into momentary chaos when the grenade detonated in their midst. One unit took a direct hit and toppled backward, giving Rendel the opening he needed to escape safely.

I landed at a reasonable distance from the battlefield, then emerged from the forest as if I had just arrived, joining up with White Fang.

「Luna. These enemies are stronger than I expected. You sure you’re okay?」

“Yes. I did come in first in live combat training, after all.”

I loaded the rifle I had brought as a secondary weapon and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠joked lightly. My words were casual, but this was my first real battle fighting enemies face-to-face, and my hands trembled slightly. Still, Limpid’s smaller frame gave us an advantage in this densely forested area. Its smaller profile also meant a reduced target area.

The enemies remained still, as though wary of another attack. Thanks to the brief reprieve, we began a short strategy meeting.

「I already contacted Carson. Reinforcements should be on the way.」

“Then let’s buy time by falling back gradually. That shield looks incredibly sturdy, though.”

If Rendel’s signature hit-and-run tactics didn’t work, it would be difficult for just the two of us to handle them. Allob Island had been our home ground, and the fairies’ support had played a decisive role. There, the fairies could fully demonstrate their abilities, but here they could only assist with operating their assigned units. The difference was stark.

「It’s definitely not an ordinary shield. It felt like it was parrying Ellydium.」

“Really? Surely it can’t actually be Ellydium, though.”

Rendel’s words after clashing with them once made me suspicious. Could there really be another force besides us and the Empire that armed themselves with Ellydium? Even if these enemies were connected to the Empire, I had never heard of them producing Ellydium weapons after the walls of Damar had fallen.

We needed to defeat them and examine the shields first. Ah, right—there was one thing I had to confirm before that.

I spoke up after a brief pause.

“Something feels off, though.”

「What is it?」

“If they’re a raiding or pillaging unit, or even just a rogue group, isn’t it strange that they’re carrying shields?”

「Now that you mention it… it is odd. Carrying a shield means giving up speed and extra armament. Plus, it’s suspicious that raiders who need to carry loot back would bother with shields.」

These were probably forces sent by the Rubens faction to frame Line’s side. I had given Rendel something to think about, so the preliminary groundwork was done.

I sent a transmission to both Rendel and Carson at once.

“Seniors, we need to secure at least one enemy Aindium. And before handing it over to the military, there’s something I need to check, so please don’t contact them right away.”

「「Got it.」」

We couldn’t hand over Aindiums bearing the Karmanu crest to the Alitus military without verifying them first. Circumstantially, they were likely Aindiums belonging to the Rubens faction pretending to be Line’s subordinates, but we needed evidence. Still, compared to the ones who had attacked the academy last time, both the pilots and the units here were far superior in skill and armament, so I couldn’t be certain they were the same group.

While Rendel used his acceleration ability to skim between trees and descend the mountain, I hovered just above the ground along the valley floor.

“Copy.”

Fairy Unit 3, which I had stealthily positioned near the enemies, sent the signal. I had grown quite used to piloting by now, and with the remaining two fairies providing support, I could handle Limpid just fine. This kind of deployment was also possible.

I brought Limpid to a halt at a waterfall midway up the mountain.

“Senior, let’s make our stand around here.”

「Isn’t this spot too exposed?」

“It’s fine. The same goes for the enemies.”

I loaded the sniper rifle instead of the assault rifle. It was difficult to take down another Aindium with standard rifle fire from a single unit. Unless one had Rendel’s level of accuracy and speed, it was impossible with my current skill. Especially since they had shields.

So I would wait for the moment the enemies emerged into the valley and snipe at least one of them. If Rendel and I then attacked together, we could handle the rest.

Rendel seemed to have read my intent even before I explained the plan. He positioned White Fang beneath the high waterfall, using it as cover—a spot from which he could strike the enemies from behind if they moved without caution.

I deliberately took position some distance away in the exposed valley and lowered the sniper rifle close to the ground. If I held it out in the open, they might try to flank or dodge.

「Luna. Wouldn’t it be better to change positions?」

“It’s already too late. And your ambush from behind will be more effective anyway.”

「Understood. Get out of there right after you shoot.」

“Yes. Don’t worry. Hoo…”

I slowed my breathing to calm my nerves and confirmed the enemies’ approach. Trees swayed and birds took flight. Judging by the rising dust, contact would occur in about twenty seconds.

“Everyone, focus on their weapons. I’m going to shoot the lead one right in the head.”

Relying on the fairies’ reliable support, I lowered Limpid’s stance slightly. The distance from the waterfall at the edge of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the forest to this spot was well over two hundred meters, but when scaled to human size, it felt like only a few dozen meters. A pilot accustomed to rifle fire could turn Limpid into a sieve in an instant with aimed shots. But Limpid Fairy possessed several weapons. The key was how well I could utilize them.

After roughly wiping my sweat-dampened hands on my suit, I gripped the controls again.

At last, five Aindiums crossed the forest and appeared above the waterfall with heavy footsteps. Spotting me, they raised their guns and dropped down below the falls.

“Now!”

I immediately pulled the arm-control lever upward and squeezed the trigger before the aiming reticle even appeared on the main screen.

Tang—!

Experience from training, the fairies’ corrections, and a bit of luck aligned. The head of one Aindium that had paused upon landing was blown clean off.

Without checking the result, I stomped the reverse pedal, stowed the rifle, and activated optical camouflage.

Drdrdrdr—

“Ugh.”

Enemy fire continued while the camouflage field formed. Limpid Fairy was delicate yet sturdy, but it wasn’t invincible. Multiple hit alerts flashed, and I heard the sound of outer armor cracking. I maneuvered left and right to evade as much as possible, then pressed the flight button the instant the camouflage stabilized.

The enemies, startled by my disappearance, began spraying bullets in all directions. None of them fired upward, of course—they hadn’t considered the possibility that an Aindium could take to the sky.

Meanwhile, White Fang, which had been under the waterfall, began to move.

Ching!

With a double-edged sword rather than a single-edged one, and with mana circulating internally instead of being released externally, Rendel’s strike cleanly bisected one Aindium’s upper body at an angle. Before the others could react, he thrust into the next unit’s back, severing all the connections to its cockpit. When he pushed with his sword, the cockpit popped out and fell to the ground. Rendel kicked it over so the hatch faced downward, then charged the next enemy.

That secured at least one pilot.

I sniped at the remaining enemies from an appropriate altitude.

Tang! Tang! Tang!

…Hmm. Hitting moving targets with a sniper rifle was still difficult. At least I managed to draw one’s attention by hitting near its feet.

I switched to the assault rifle and began gliding while spraying bullets. Rendel was now facing off against the shielded enemies. Only two of the Aindiums bearing the Karmanu crest carried shields. We had taken down the rest, but these two were clearly the most skilled—they weren’t being pushed back even against Rendel.

Unlike before, Rendel could now strike the shields with his new technique, but thanks to their excellent shieldwork, most attacks were deflected. The units themselves also seemed exceptionally durable; they didn’t cut easily under his blade.

Perhaps finding it difficult to face two at once, Rendel fell back. After confirming White Fang’s retreat, I primed and threw a grenade. But the enemies were no longer there.

One Aindium was charging toward us at high speed. The moment it drew close, it raised its shield in what felt like slow motion. My own foot on the pedal and hand on the lever also seemed to move far too slowly.

Facing the shield falling toward me, I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.

「Luna!」

Kaang!

With a harsh metallic clash, something white flashed past. I didn’t know how White Fang had gotten here from the other ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠side, but thanks to Rendel, I was alive.

I raised my still-trembling hands and moved Limpid. I fired at the enemy pursuing Rendel to drive it back, then pinned down the Aindium that had been knocked aside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by White Fang so it couldn’t rise.

Only after Carson’s unit arrived shortly afterward and we captured the final Aindium did the trembling stop.

Did Rendel fight like this every time? For someone like me, who had only ever sniped from afar without facing enemies directly, it was far too heart-pounding.

Calming my pounding chest, I exited Limpid to inspect the captured enemy Aindiums that the unit members had gathered. Thanks to my prior conversation with Carson, he had taken the other soldiers deeper into the mountains to prepare for any further attacks, leaving only Rendel and me at the scene.

“Luna. You okay? You look pale.”

“Huh? Y-yes…”

“Don’t push yourself. You said there was something to investigate, right? Want to check together?”

“Yes. Please.”

The first thing to confirm was the Aindiums bearing the crest. Fortunately, we had secured both, but whether we could actually obtain evidence remained to be seen.

The overturned Aindiums were much lower than when standing, but climbing onto the cockpit still required scaling several meters. I reached for the handholds with practiced motions, but my arms had no strength. I missed the grip and landed hard on my rear in an undignified manner. Seeing this, Rendel climbed back down from above. He knelt on one knee and offered his back.

“Get on.”

“I-I’m fine.”

“We don’t have time to waste, do we?”

“…No.”

Left with no choice, I climbed onto Rendel’s back. Even carrying me, he scaled the Aindium with remarkable speed.

Standing before the cockpit, Rendel examined the hatch mechanism and spoke with a troubled expression.

“How do we open this? It looks like it’s locked from inside.”

“There’s always a way.”

The two fairies riding on my shoulders descended and slipped inside the Aindium. A few seconds later, a soft click sounded as the lock disengaged.

“Impressive. Think our Unit 5 could do it too?”

“Probably.”

“Oh. I’ll have to try that later. I’m going in. You should step back, just in case.”

“Okay.”

If the pilot trapped inside had a pistol, it could be dangerous. Rendel had his acceleration ability and personal weapons, so he should be fine. Knife in hand, Rendel carefully opened the cockpit hatch and shone a flashlight inside. He raised a hand to signal me not to approach, then climbed in. A moment later, he poked his head back out.

“He’s already dead.”

Inside the cockpit was the body of a pilot who had committed suicide by poison. Scattered throughout were documents related to Line—photographs of Line, appointment papers bearing the crest, and so on.

Rendel recognized Line’s photograph and frowned.

“This is… Line’s photo, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s probably a setup.”

I hurriedly searched for clues that could prove the connection between the Rubens faction and this Aindium. The interior was plastered with materials clearly meant to implicate Line’s forces. If we handed these over to the Alitus military as they were, Line’s side would face absurd accusations.

We needed solid evidence. Noticing that I was searching for something, Fairies 2 and 3 spoke up.

“Really? Hmm. Then…”

I asked the fairies to look for specific information. And then, we found the decisive evidence.