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At the Banfield family's fortress-like hangar,
Liam's personal machine, Avid, was stored there.
The large, black machine remained unused due to its owner's absence.
Into this hangar came a dog.
It looked up at Avid and barked once.
In response, Avid's twin eyes glowed.
The engine started, and a magic circle appeared around it, from which arms emerged.
Three large rocket boosters were attached to Avid.
The machine, now equipped, began to move and forced open the hatch.
The dog had disappeared, and the maintenance crew, startled by Avid's sudden movement, reported to their superior.
"Hey, did anyone give Avid permission to launch!?"
"What are you talking about? Avid is Lord Liam's personal machine. No one can move it."
"But it's moving!"
"No, that's why—"
Avid entered space and used its boosters to charge into the enemy ranks.
◇
I had been targeting the enemy but got bored.
Now, I've handed over the firing to the gunners and am sitting in my seat, yawning.
The battle has been going on for a few days, and I'm surprised at how weak the enemy is.
Their counterattacks are weak too.
Somehow—weak.
Cedric spoke to me.
"Special Advisor, you seem quite relaxed."
"Isn't it almost over?"
"I think it's better not to let your guard down until the end."
Cedric, always serious, looked tense.
Meanwhile, Wallace was dozing off.
—What a difference between brothers.
It feels like I drew the short straw with Wallace as a royal.
Thinking about returning to my room, Yurisha reported to me.
"Admiral, a part of the enemy is charging towards us!"
"What?"
On the monitor, a simplified image of the battlefield showed a part of the enemy charging at my flagship.
They were heading straight for me.
Tia immediately gave orders to the allies.
"Lower the flagship! Change the formation to surround them!"
The fleet quickly formed a crane-wing formation to encircle the enemy, but the enemy's momentum seemed to be stronger.
I folded my arms.
"—It's no use. They'll reach us eventually."
I could tell from their charge that they would likely get through.
Wallace, who had been woken by the commotion, was trembling.
"W-What do we do? Can our battleship withstand such a charge!?"
Cedric restrained Wallace.
"Stop panicking! Special Advisor, you need to evacuate immediately. They're after you."
I asked Cedric.
"What about you?"
"I like this ship. It's the only good luck I've had in my otherwise unremarkable life. I'll defend it to the end."
—This guy is more useful than Wallace.
He's a different type from me—a serious one.
"Alright. Do as you please. But I don't intend to lose to this. Tia, prepare the mobile knight."
"Lord Liam!?"
When I said to prepare the machine, Tia tried to stop me.
"No, please stand down. We can't let Lord Liam launch in this situation!"
Marie agreed with me and argued with Tia.
"If Lord Liam orders it, a knight must obey. Don't impose your convenience on him!"
Tia drew her weapon.
"Fossil! If anything happens to Lord Liam, how will you take responsibility? His life is worth more than your trash!"
The two's intimidating presence made everyone around them silent.
—I'm fed up with this.
"Hey."
I approached them, grabbed their heads, and pressed them to the floor.
"L-Lord Liam!?"
"W-What are you—"
Tia and Marie, flustered, struggled but couldn't resist my strength.
With their heads pressed to the floor, they were in a position where their buttocks were sticking out.
I told them.
"How long do you plan to bicker in front of me? I don't tolerate discord among my knights."
Marie hurriedly tried to explain.
"N-No, it's not that! I'm just trying to stop this—ah!"
I pressed their heads harder into the floor—denting it.
"You're only allowed to build merit in front of me. If you do, I'll evaluate you fairly. Don't show me childish arguments anymore."
Tia looked up at me with teary eyes.
"P-Please forgive us. Please, please!"
"—I'll forgive you this time, considering your past merits. Both of you will lose your positions as head knight and deputy head knight."
Tia and Marie looked devastated, but I didn't care.
I should have disciplined them earlier.
"What's your response?"
Tia and Marie said, "Y-Yes," in weak voices, and I released them, smiling.
"Good, let's launch. Prepare the mobile knight."
Tia and Marie, their faces still on the floor, blushed and looked at me.
They must want to cry.
It's understandable.
They lost their prestigious positions, after all.
◇
After Liam left, and Marie followed, the bridge was left with Tia.
Tia was blushing and swooning.
Wallace was taken aback.
"Hey, why do you look so happy?"
Tia said, "Hmph," and explained her feelings to Wallace, who was confused.
"The strength to pin us down with one hand, and the boldness to charge into the enemy. That's Lord Liam."
For Tia, even being scolded by Liam was a reward. She was delighted to see a side of Liam she hadn't seen before.
Cedric was slumping his shoulders.
"That's all well and good, but can you give orders quickly?"
The allies were being pushed back by the enemy's charge.
Tia quickly regained her composure and started giving orders.
"Prepare the mobile knight squad! Move the ships with strong close-range capabilities to the front! Ships with armor concerns should fall back and focus on firing. Make sure they don't hit our allies."
She quickly gave orders, setting up a battlefield where the mobile knights could excel.
Yurisha, watching her, muttered.
"—Regardless of her true nature, she is competent."
The abandoned commander was praying in his seat, hoping to survive.
◇
The Berkeley family's fleet.
Dolph received a report that the enemy had launched mobile knights and immediately sent out the mobile knights he had on standby.
He also launched the special units he had prepared to counter Avid.
"Launch the special units!"
The special units prepared by the Berkeley family were large mobile knights, like Avid.
They were outdated but the latest weapons developed by the first and second weapon factories after studying Avid.
They were essentially created to defeat Avid.
The developers, who had seen their new models destroyed by Avid, created these new models.
Dolph had twelve of them ready.
The operator shouted.
"Avid, not detected!"
"It doesn't matter! If it doesn't come out, attack the enemy flagship!"
Despite the lack of training, the Berkeley family's fleet, though greatly reduced in number, was closing in on Liam's position.
This was due to Dolph's determination and the guidance of the Guide.
The Guide, standing next to Dolph, shouted.
"There! Liam is definitely coming out! Dolph, destroy the lead unit!"
Dolph, who shouldn't have heard, suddenly realized.
"The lead unit! He's there!"
Dolph thought he was acting on instinct, but the Guide was telling him Liam's position.
The Guide spread his hands, and black smoke was absorbed into the floor.
The black smoke entered the special units designed to counter Avid.
"Riiiiam!"
The Guide, getting excited, directed the special units at the mass-produced unit Liam was riding.
◇
In the cockpit of the mass-produced unit.
It was a mobile knight like Avid, but it felt frail.
"Mass-produced units are no good."
Custom-made is what the rich prefer.
Marie, who followed me, explained about my unit.
"Lord Liam, this unit is a special early batch of the next-generation model."
"An early batch? That's just worrying."
After all, early batches can have issues.
It's just the next-generation model, not the next mass-produced model.
It might not even be adopted.
"I should have brought Avid."
I missed the luxury of the high-end seat.
As I was thinking this, mobile knights launched from the Berkeley family's fleet.
There were thousands of them, and more were still launching.
Considering the Berkeley family's fleet as the center, we were attacking from above, and the enemy was coming up.
Of course, in zero gravity, direction doesn't matter.
"Here they come!"
I stepped on the foot pedal to accelerate, but the cockpit shook a bit.
Avid wouldn't have shaken this much.
Mobile knights were coming at me one after another.
The enemy was using the latest or current mainstream models.
In the vacuum of space, I used a blade to slash and destroy a mobile knight as we passed.
I dodged the beams and bullets—missiles—and destroyed them with my sword.
"More challenging than Derrick!"
An ally mobile knight shot down an enemy trying to attack me.
"Lord Liam, I'll provide cover!"
Thanks to Marie, she took out the troublesome enemies, and I could freely destroy the enemy.
With one slash of the mobile knight's sword, five units exploded.
"Explosions in space are amazing! I wonder what the principle is!"
I overwhelmed them with my strength.
I was trying to recreate the One-Flash Style with the mobile knight, but it didn't respond as well as Avid.
The success rate was low.
Marie shot down a unit trying to get behind me.
Just by taking out the enemies in front of me, my kill count kept increasing.
"Not bad for an early batch."
As I muttered this, I noticed a much larger unit among the enemies.
Marie tried to shoot it down with her rifle, but the armor and power were different, and the bullets and beams were deflected.
"These guys! Lord Liam, stand down!"
"Idiot. I was waiting for something like this."
I moved forward and slashed at the enemy with my blade, but it deployed a barrier shield, enveloping itself in a sphere of light.
The output was very high.
If my unit was a real-type, the enemy was a super-robot type.
"I don't mind the idea, but it won't work!"
The enemy tried to grab me, so I cut off its arms.
The enemy, not knowing what happened, tried to retreat in panic.
"Fight me more!"
I charged and swung my blade, breaking through the enemy's barrier shield—only to be stopped by the armor, unable to cut it in half.
"Damn."
I spat and let go of the blade, taking a step back. Beams and bullets hit the spot where I had been, and the enemy unit exploded.
"—A bit too tough."
Looking up, I saw eleven similar large units.
Their red twin eyes glowed.
Marie moved in front of me protectively.
"Lord Liam, these are dangerous. We should surround and attack them."
"I'd like to, but the surroundings won't allow it."
The enemy battleship was aiming at me and preparing to attack, ignoring the allies who had boarded it.
I was considering retreating when—
"—Avid?"
Feeling a presence, I turned my gaze to see a unit weaving through the enemy ships and heading towards me.
Marie, receiving a communication, was confused.
"Avid on its own? Nonsense! Who's piloting it!?"
It seems Avid had launched from the Banfield family's fleet on its own.
I smiled.
"Perfect timing, Guide!"
I charged at Avid, matching our relative speed, and the enemies gathered around us.
Avid spread its arms, emitting light and destroying them.
The boosters attached to Avid were detached.
Avid caught my unit with both hands, opened the cockpit hatch, and prepared to welcome me.
"Good boy."
I lowered my helmet's visor, opened the cockpit hatch, and jumped out.
Avid reached out and caught me, throwing me into the cockpit.
Inside, there was the spacious, familiar cockpit.
I took off my helmet.
"It's been a while since I rode you."
No one was sitting in the seat.
—This must be part of the Guide's follow-up.
After all, he is reliable.
He delivered Avid at the perfect time.
"I need to thank him somehow."
Sitting in the seat and gripping the control stick, I could finally let Avid run wild again.
Bryan (´；ω；｀) "Lord Liam is mistaken and it's painful. It's not the Guide! It was the dog who delivered Avid! If you thank the Guide—huh?"
Bryan (´・ω・) "…If you want to thank, is this okay?"