“So you want to save your bank account, Deep. Do you understand what position you're in right now?”
“To some extent.”
“At least this will speed things up. Unfreezing a bank account owned by a traitor to the Empire is no easy task. Are you aware of that?”
Account freeze.
Those who betray the Empire don't just have their lives targeted.
Their Credits are targeted too.
Once treason is confirmed, the first thing that happens is the account is frozen.
And then the related information starts getting traced.
It goes without saying, but even if the Credits in a frozen account move, they become a target for tracing.
“Of course, it's possible to extract Credits from a frozen account. But the problem is if those extracted Credits get traced to the South.”
“Is it a problem because it's the South?”
“It is.”
*Beep beep beep beep.*
A map of the South unfolded beyond the hologram.
“The South is the only region where no major friction with the Coalition occurs. That's why the Empire's surveillance network is the most thorough there.”
And that bastard smuggles knowing that?
No, is that why he smuggled from the Academy instead of the South?
“Why?”
“Because they might try to declare independence.”
The greatest powers in the South are the Empire's southern nobles and the Southern Liberation Army.
If those two powers put their minds to it, they could use Clan as a shield to effectively declare independence from the Empire.
The southern front was already under the Empire's scrutiny due to its relationship with the Liberation Army.
But if a traitor to the Empire's account ends up being traced to the South, suspicion could turn into conviction.
No, it definitely would.
“Of course, it can be remedied.”
*Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep.*
Countless red dots were marked on the map.
The signals overlapped so much that I could barely make out the letters.
Clan.
“You just need to produce results.”
On the front lines, there's only one kind of result.
“You mean I have to fight and win.”
“Now you're speaking sense.”
Sinis nodded.
“Right now, you're a traitor to the Empire, a disgrace to the Academy, and a top cadet killer. There are more epithets attached to you, but I don't need to explain them one by one, do I?”
“What?”
Wait.
“What do you mean, killer?”
Who did I kill?
“I said the top cadet's murderer. Your combat footage is being secretly circulated openly.”
Isn't it a bit strange to use 'secretly' and 'openly' in the same sentence?
Well, secrets are naturally open things anyway.
“Combat footage?”
“Yeah. There's footage of you pretending to lose to Reuban while retreating to a corner of the battlefield. After that, Reuban never returned to the Academy. The Count Luna family said he died during the operation.”
So not all combat records were filmed.
It seems the scenes of Simon riding my Titan instead of me, or me riding the White Reaper, weren't leaked.
Anyway, it's strange that Reuban failed to return.
“I didn't kill Reuban.”
“Really? Then after you lured him, the White Reaper killed him. Either way, the fact is you were involved in his death.”
“No, that's not it.”
It's not as simple as me not firing the shot.
Reuban was alive and well, with all four limbs intact.
“I destroyed his Titan, but I let Reuban escape.”
I spared him and let him go.
Honestly, it's one of my biggest regrets to this day.
No matter how much I think about it, I should have killed him then.
Or at the very least, I should have shattered both his arms so he could never pilot a Titan again.
Those regrets never cease, and they make me wonder when I'll fight Reuban again.
Come to think of it, I really should have avenged my leg.
But that's in the future.
On that battlefield, Reuban didn't die.
There's only one reason why a living Reuban wouldn't return.
Dareuka narrowed his eyes.
“The Count Luna family.”
I nodded.
Same conclusion as Dareuka.
Nothing else came to mind.
Either the Count Luna family eliminated Reuban, or they took him in.
They had reason to eliminate him, and reason to take him.
In the former case, it's possible because he witnessed the inside of the research facility.
But if they really wanted to eliminate him, they wouldn't have deployed him on the Northern subjugation operation.
Then it's the latter.
The Count Luna family took Reuban in.
There's a good reason they would.
Eilly had faked her sync rate with Reuban.
Still, at least in the simulations, she displayed a fairly high sync rate.
House Luna no longer has Eilly.
But they have Eilly's simulation data.
And now, instead of me, they have Reuban.
“Shit….”
I should have just killed him myself.
But at the same time, part of me thinks he got what he deserved.
I spared his life, yet human nature is so damn petty.
“What's wrong? You look like you're staggering.”
“No. Nothing.”
“Anyway, I'm sure you must be thinking that the Count Luna family might have removed Reuban for political reasons. But I can't fully trust your words either. You understand.”
I see.
It seems Dareuka Sinis doesn't know much about the Count Luna family's experiments either.
Should I call that a relief?
“I know.”
“If you know, that's enough. Anyway, word is that a Clan subjugation operation is being planned in the South, so wait for my call.”
“A subjugation operation?”
“It seems to be an effect of the Coalition subjugation operation that took place in the North.”
The Imperial Army's great victory was influential enough, after all.
And for me, that's good news.
What moves the most during a military operation?
People? Soldiers? Titans?
“Then Credits will be moving.”
Money.
Money moves first.
“Yes. We can use this timing to move the money from your frozen account.”
The timing is impeccable.
Wait.
“Dareuka.”
Something's a bit strange.
For an idea I just came up with, it fits together too perfectly, as if it was planned from the start.
“You didn't plan to use my money in the South from the very beginning, did you?”
What if Dareuka had been after the money in my account from the very beginning?
If he used his position as bank president to divert my money to the South from the beginning, planning to recover it later?
The moment I asked, the hologram started crackling.
“Oh dear. It seems the rerouted connection is malfunctioning. I have to hang up now.”
“Excuse me?”
“Hang… ing… up. I'll con… tact… you… next… time.”
No, goddammit.
Hello?
The call cut off just like that.
Peres held my gaze for a long moment, then nodded.
“Imperial average.”
“I'm an Imperial citizen too.”
“Imperial noble average.”
I had no comeback to that.
***
There was nothing to do until Dareuka Sinis contacted me again.
So I just plopped down in the infirmary.
As I sat by Eilly's side and held her hand tight, Ian, who was next to me, clicked his tongue.
“Cut it out a little.”
“This is the first time today.”
“Once or ten times, it's the same.”
Unbelievable.
Meanwhile, Ran was stuck to Ian's side.
They were even holding hands right now.
They'd probably been restraining themselves at the Academy.
Commoner, engineer, and top cadet.
If you gathered every trait that noble-supremacist cadets who'd caught wind of House Luna's tail would hate, you'd get Ian.
If he showed any signs of dating in that environment, who knows what would happen to Ran.
Ian must have lived cautiously at the Academy in his own way.
“You're holding hands too, Ian. You've done it way more than ten times.”
“Ten times or once, it's the same.”
Goddammit.
Still, the silver lining was that none of us were severely injured.
Ran even told me not to worry, saying she didn't want someone missing a leg to worry about her.
Clemence had said his injuries weren't severe from the start and left the infirmary.
Occasionally, the sound of blues music drifted past the window.
Seemed he was taking a walk or something.
Honestly, if I were Clemence, I'd have wanted to leave the infirmary even if I weren't hurt.
Having to watch Ian and Ran flirting right next to me would be enough to send chills down my spine.
Eilly was still asleep.
They'd said that while receiving suppressants, her condition improved rapidly, but it consumed a lot of stamina instead.
It was normal for her to sleep a lot, so there was no big problem.
Still, worrying is my prerogative.
I do what I want to do.
“So, are we doing the Clan subjugation operation?”
Ian said, fiddling with Ran's hand.
“I think we'll probably do it.”
No, more precisely, we have to.
If we don't, there won't be a next Titan.
“But this bastard, he says he'll entrust me with the Titan design without even telling me?”
*Thud!*
When I came to my senses, I had a wrench in my hand.
I'd grabbed it instinctively.
Its trajectory was aimed exactly at my head.
Which was more terrifying?
I think the fact that he kept a wrench lying next to him even while lying in an infirmary bed was creepier.
By now, it wasn't even surprising when Ian brandished or threw things.
“Can't you do it?”
Ian scrunched up his face.
“Who said I can't?”
He raised his smartwatch and turned on the hologram.
Ran let out a deep sigh.
“Yesterday, I told him to get some sleep. Do you know what he said to me?”
“What did he say?”
“He said Deep would definitely tell me to build a new Titan, so he had to start designing it in advance. Do Titan freaks just understand each other or something?”
That's Ian for you.
A hologram came flying this way before stopping midway.
“Range limit. You come here.”
I pushed my chair close and approached the hologram.
The overall appearance looked similar to the original Eilly no matter how I looked at it.
The important thing was the detailed specs.
No, what was more important was the core.
I grabbed the hologram with both hands, zoomed in, and opened up the core interior.
“This is…”
One was a connection system capable of linking directly to the neural circuits of a prosthetic arm.
An interface connecting the brain and computer.
“A BCI system.”
The other was two cockpits.
Two piloting controllers.
“And a tandem system.”
A way to pilot together with Eilly even without an AI.
“The method currently used by the Southern Liberation Army's Titans.”
Both people just need to become pilots.