✦ ✦ ✦
Merging was a continuous series of minor adjustments. Since making adjustments was pretty much Ruth’s core job, she wasn’t as exhausted as Clan. That said, Ruth still had the same look of relief.
“You too, Pardomshiha...” Clan managed.
“You honor me...” Ruth replied. “Master, the merge has been completed.”
“Good work, you two,” Koutarou answered.
“Now it’s my and Koutarou-sama’s turn,” Elfaria announced.
“All right, let’s wrap this last bit up!” Koutarou exclaimed. He headed toward the back of the bridge with Elfaria, approaching the helmsman’s seat. But not to sit down. Koutarou walked past the seat, aiming for the floor where several concentric circles had been engraved. “Elle, don’t walk inside of this circle; it’s dangerous,” he warned her.
Upon standing in the center, his body was lifted up into the air. The circles were actually part of the Blue Knight’s piloting equipment. The movements he made in his armor were directly conveyed to the ship, allowing him to freely control it. Since Koutarou would be moving around in the circle, it would be dangerous for Elfaria to step inside.
“Yes,” Elfaria agreed with a nod. She knew more about the unique piloting device than anyone else, since she was the one who’d had it installed in the old Blue Knight. Even if Koutarou hadn’t said anything, she wasn’t going to step into the circles. But since he was looking out for her, she felt it would be tactless to point that out.
“Citizens of Forthorthe, this is the Blue Knight from orbit,” Elfaria announced. “We are calling out to you from far above. The Blue Knight has safely merged, and Lord Veltlion is now piloting it.”
“We can hear you clearly, Your Majesty. For starters, allow us to offer our sincerest congratulations on the completion of the new Blue Knight.”
Each part of the ship had been completed prior, but it wasn’t until now that they had all been put together. So this moment was when the Blue Knight was truly finished.
“I can hear the blessings of the people from the surface, as well as from every corner of the galaxy,” Elfaria said. “Thank you for celebrating our fresh start.”
A hologram was displaying the launching ceremony venue, as well as public viewing venues all over the galaxy, showing the people cheering. They reacted particularly strongly to Elfaria’s use of the phrase “our fresh start.” That would normally mean a fresh start for the Imperial Army and the empress who controlled it, but it could also be interpreted as a fresh start for the royal families and Koutarou. The Blue Knight’s strong connection to the royal families was well-known, so it wasn’t surprising for the people to interpret it that way.
“Layous-sama...” Since they were at a formal function, Elfaria referred to Koutarou in that fashion. Since she had often been calling him Koutarou lately, it took him a moment to react. But he quickly remembered the role given to him and spoke.
“Being able to fly aboard this ship fills me with joy. I swear not to betray the trust placed in me by the citizens and Her Majesty.”
Koutarou flew the resurrected battleship Blue Knight. Elfaria stood next to him, gently smiling. Their appearance was broadcast across the galaxy and generated a public frenzy. Many called for them to defeat the Forthorthe Liberation Army led by Ralgwin.
Elle really is amazing when it comes to this kind of thing. By holding the new Blue Knight’s launching ceremony now, she’s united the people against the Forthorthe Liberation Army. The way she uses the cards she has in hand is impressive...
Koutarou was amazed. The ceremony was being held just before raising an army to take down the Forthorthe Liberation Army, which was officially led by Ralgwin. The timing was so perfect that it was like she’d planned it from the start. Most of the opposition would be quelled. When it came to political maneuvering like this, Elfaria was a genius. Koutarou felt like he was no match for her, and he wanted to ask just how much of this had been planned.
The ceremony ended smoothly and without issue. Freed from their duties, the crew took advantage of the chance to take the ship for a test-drive. The interface was made to look as much like the old Blue Knight’s as possible, but even so, there had been plenty of changes, which meant that some practice was needed.
“It feels a little sluggish,” Koutarou muttered while moving the arms and legs. The method of control hadn’t changed, but compared to the old one, the new ship’s movements were slow. That was because it was bigger, and there was nothing they could do about it.
“Haha, please don’t say that,” Elfaria replied. “It is shockingly fast for its size.”
“I guess it’s the same reason the merging appeared slow,” Koutarou surmised.
“That’s right.”
The bigger it was, the slower it felt. In reality, even if it moved faster, it wouldn’t feel that way, since the ship was more than twice as big as before. That was the reason large battleships weren’t common.
“That is why we are here,” Nefilforan broadcast.
“Princess Nefilforan, we are in your care,” Koutarou replied in greeting.
Having gotten bigger, the Blue Knight was more likely to be hit by attacks, but it wouldn’t be too much of a problem if both sides were just shooting at each other from the front. The increased firepower meant that they would win. The threats were attacks from blind spots, which meant the rear and somewhat toward the bottom of the humanoid-shape, which had to be covered in some way.
That was where Nefilforan came in. Nefilforan from the Glendad family specialized in close combat, and her ship, Hidden Leaves, was similar in performance to an assault landing craft, excelling in maneuverability. It was that maneuverability that would cover the Blue Knight’s blind spots.
Today was just a ceremony, so there wouldn’t be much danger, but it was clear that such battles would happen from now on. Even ignoring Nefilforan’s status, she was worthy of respect.
“Rest assured, Your Excellency, we won’t let anyone lay a finger on your ship,” Nefilforan said.
“Please don’t force yourself and remember to take care of yourself as well,” Koutarou answered. He had fought alongside Nefilforan and her regiment before, so he knew their power. Although he was grateful for the offer, he was a little uncomfortable with the idea of being protected by royalty.
“I am well aware of your circumstances, Your Excellency. With that in mind, you can be at ease,” Nefilforan replied with confidence. She had likewise fought plenty of battles alongside Koutarou and knew how he was. If she was in danger, he would no doubt come to help her. So her job was to take the utmost care so that didn’t happen.
Standing next to Nefilforan on the bridge of Hidden Leaves was Nana. She’d quietly listened in on the conversation between Koutarou and Nefilforan, and once the call ended she spoke up.
“Commander, a person who is an unheroic hero, who is without a doubt a hero, can be a handful, don’t you think?” Nana said with a smile.
Koutarou was not a hero by nature. But that was why his actions had led to great results. Koutarou was without a doubt a hero. Because of that, people like Nefilforan and Nana, whose job was to guard Koutarou, had a difficult job on their hands. They would protect his mind and body, and create a path to victory. But at the same time, they had to protect themselves. Since Koutarou would never abandon them, danger for them meant that he would be in danger as well.
“You’re right,” Nefilforan agreed with a smile.
But shortly after she shook her head.
“No, only he could have protected Forthorthe. So you could say he’s heroic after all.”
“That’s true.”
Would a so-called hero have been able to protect Forthorthe? Nefilforan thought it impossible. She believed the world was protected thanks to Koutarou being himself. In that case, wasn’t he a true hero?
“Still...if His Excellency the Blue Knight had some more heroic desires, then they would be more easily fulfilled, vice commander,” Nefilforan said.
If Koutarou’s personality had been a little closer to those of the many heroes of history, then the people around him wouldn’t have to fret as much. But from what Nefilforan could see, Nana was yet another person fretting about him.
“Commander!” Nana exclaimed. Nefilforan’s judgment had been correct, and Nana’s description of Koutarou as a handful had a deeper meaning behind it. Since Nana hadn’t expected that to be exposed, she was left unusually speechless. But that only lasted for a few seconds.
“Pardon my interruption, Commander!” an officer announced. “We have received an emergency call from a frontier region that is under attack by an unidentified fleet!”
An emergency request had reached the Imperial Army. Normally, it would have been sent to Koutarou as the supreme commander, but command had been transferred to Nefilforan during the launching ceremony. As such, the initial report reached her first.
“Commander!” Nana repeated. Her restless expression from before was nowhere to be found; she was now very serious. In order to fulfill her desires, she had to be focused. She jumped into her own seat and began confirming the information.
“I know! Contact the Blue Knight! Let His Excellency know we need to hold a meeting right away!” Nefilforan was the same. Her expression wasn’t that of a troubled friend. In its place was an expression ready for battle.
I am glad it happened after the launching ceremony ended! Now we can fight back! she thought.
If the enemy had attacked before the ceremony, it would have been dangerous. The ceremony would have to have been canceled, and the fleet would have been sent without the new battleship. But with the ceremony over, the new Blue Knight could be counted as part of their force. All paperwork for its sortie had already been finished. That made a huge difference, and Nefilforan began to think about all kinds of ways to fight.