The two weeks passed far faster than expected.
Once my body was in shape to exercise properly, I could start using all sorts of gym machines.
Thanks to that, my body tired quickly, and I was able to establish a daily pattern of working out, studying, and then falling asleep.
I spent my time like that until the deployment.
The maglev train was unbelievably fast. The scenery outside shot past in an instant like bullets.
To think we could travel from the Academy to the Western Front in less than a day. Technology really was something.
“They say the Titan’s being transported ahead of us! By the time we arrive, it’ll already be at the front and handed over to the hangar?”
“Really? You’re not hiding anything else besides that, right?”
“I’m telling you, I’m not! Really, the last time was the first and last time I ever hid anything from Deep! Mm-hmm, you trust me, right?”
Ever since last time, just in case, I made sure never to forget to ask questions like this.
Basically, artificial intelligences were programmed with an obligation to answer any question they were asked.
In Ailey’s case, she said that if she didn’t answer, she felt so unbearably itchy inside that it was hard to endure, but since Ailey was a case with a more distinct personality than other AIs, I wasn’t sure about that.
It was difficult to use her as a reference for whether all other AIs were the same.
In any case, I was taking advantage of that behavioral pattern of AIs to interrogate Ailey every time, wondering if there were any secrets she hadn’t told me.
Ailey found it annoying every time, but from my perspective, it couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Ian.
I just really hated the thought of Ailey having some function I didn’t know about, or someone else tampering with her without my knowledge.
Fortunately, the function Ian added this time was one I could understand well enough.
Professor Sumeragi said it was the first time she’d seen something like this actually installed, and even I was a little flustered when I saw it, because it was such a good function.
Still, when I asked him to consult me before adding functions in the future, Ian said he understood.
“Deep, they say we’re getting off soon! I want to get off already!”
“It’s not a trip, you know.”
“Right, trips are for nobles with tons of money, aren’t they? But still, it’s my first time seeing the sea for real!”
Was there that much difference between seeing the sea through videos or photos and seeing it through image sensor lenses that weren’t real eyes?
Saying that out loud felt like it would only be rude. Before we got off, I quickly packed my things. As Ailey said, the train soon came to a stop.
The cadets rose from their seats all at once.
The moment we followed the professor outside together, the sea came into view.
“Wooowaa—mph.”
Ailey looked like she was about to cheer, so I immediately covered the smartwatch with my hand.
Of course, I felt the sea was beautiful too.
When I glanced to the side, several cadets were staring at the sea with sparkling eyes, unable to look away.
The Western Front was the only place where one could see the sea. No noble would risk their life coming to the front just to see it, so it was only natural for everyone to react like this.
“Unit, attention.”
When the professor stopped walking, the cadets hurriedly moved to align their rows and columns.
The person standing before the professor in a military uniform overlapped strangely with someone in my mind. I couldn’t remember who.
Ah, she seemed a little similar to Professor Sieg.
Like when I first saw Professor Sieg, her outfit made it hard to tell her gender properly.
But unlike Professor Sieg, who cut her hair truly short like a man’s, this person had her hair tied up in a bun. Her features were much more feminine, too.
“Cadets, salute the front commander—”
“No, well. There’s no need to be that formal. This isn’t exactly a front where standing on ceremony is useful.”
Before we could even salute, the commander waved her hand dismissively.
When the professor looked slightly flustered, the commander patted the professor on the shoulder and stepped forward.
As she examined each cadet’s face one by one, the commander met my eyes and gave a slight smile.
Does she know who I am?
After checking every cadet’s face, the commander cleared her throat.
“Everyone, welcome to the Western Front. Honestly, our front isn’t in very good shape, but that’s why I think there will be even more for you all to learn here.”
Piiiiiiiiing!
Something flew in at tremendous speed.
Startled by the sound of it tearing through the air, the cadets hurriedly raised their heads.
I didn’t bother turning my head. Even without looking, I already knew what it was.
“Th-there! It’s a drone!”
The Western Front was a coastal front, but at the same time, it was also called the drone front.
That was how many drones were used here.
Drones, far smaller and faster than Titans, penetrated the enemy’s front line at any hour, without regard for time.
The commander continued looking at the cadets as if she didn’t care at all.
“My name is Charlotte Keria. Though I’m undeserving, I command and oversee the Western Front.”
Keria.
I remembered.
She was clearly related to Alang Keria, the auxiliary-type Titan pilot from the same squad during the joint training.
So the person she overlapped with wasn’t Professor Sieg, but Alang.
Did the fact that she smiled at me earlier mean Alang had said something about me?
“Well, as you can all see right now.”
Dudududududududu!
Boom! Boom!
As the drone dropped bombs and missiles, anti-aircraft guns poured shells upward and rapidly intercepted the bombs and missiles.
Crack!
Hit by the anti-aircraft fire, the drone began to wobble as it spewed smoke.
“Uh, uh.”
“Is that thing okay?”
The drone’s speed increased.
Straight toward where the cadets were gathered.
“The Western Front has an environment unlike any front you might be imagining.”
A holographic screen appeared, covering Charlotte Keria’s eyes.
“I-it’s coming this way!”
“Where are we supposed to dodge?!”
I could clearly see Charlotte Keria smiling.
She immediately turned around. She swung her outstretched hand backward as if swatting something away.
Crack!!!
A drone that suddenly flew in struck the drone that had been about to crash-land here, knocking it aside. The drone slammed into the ground and exploded not long after.
At the roar of the explosion, countless cadets covered their ears and hunched over.
The only ones who didn’t flinch were the Imperial Princess and Aaron.
Aside from me.
Turning back around to face us, Charlotte Keria smiled brightly.
“Welcome to the front where the Empire is under attack, cadets of the Academy.”
My heart pounded.
“Then, shall we begin with what we always do first when new recruits arrive?”
***
“Deep, with no surname, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I sat down in a chair.
The first thing we did as soon as we arrived at the front was a one-on-one interview with the commander.
Charlotte Keria’s command office was incredibly bare.
There were no luxurious items at all, nor any decorations. There wasn’t even a single object that displayed her achievements.
“I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”
“Y-yes?”
Charlotte Keria smiled faintly.
“You thought Alang told me?”
That was more or less what I had assumed.
“Actually, I looked you up myself. You were extremely interesting. Deep, Titan model number A-12. You use a high-mobility Titan, but the fact that you use different customizations every time was interesting too.”
The atmosphere was different somehow.
This absolutely couldn’t be called an interview.
“I’ll be direct. I like your skills. How about coming to the Western Front during this vacation, without needing to graduate, or after next semester ends?”
This was a scout offer.
Under the table, I clenched my fist tightly.
“I’d like to decide a-a little more carefully.”
“Hmm, why? Is it because of the drones that attacked earlier?”
“N-no.”
No matter how unfavorable the battlefield was for the Empire, did it make sense that they would miss a single drone with that many anti-aircraft guns?
If I thought about it even a little calmly, I could immediately tell that was impossible.
Charlotte Keria had simply wanted to know.
“Y-you tested the cadets as soon as we a-arrived.”
It probably wasn’t a self-orchestrated act, but she had intentionally not stopped one of the drones breaking through.
To find the cadets who could calmly analyze that incomprehensible situation.
Charlotte Keria covered her mouth with one hand, her shoulders shaking.
“They said this group of cadets was overflowing with talent, but there weren’t many who were as calm as expected. Even during the joint training, many squads employed aggressive strategies without keeping their cool.”
She wasn’t mocking us, was she?
“You’re right. I was confident I could shoot down something of that level without any variables, and that’s why I could run a test like that. I wondered if your body had frozen from tension, but it’s clear that wasn’t the case.”
I wished she would move the hand covering her face while speaking.
Charlotte Keria smiled, her eyes curving.
“As I said, I’ve heard a lot about you. Right now, you’re in a position where countless nobles, generals, and commanders are paying attention to you.”
That couldn’t be.
“I-I’m just a c-commoner.”
Tsk.
Charlotte Keria clicked her tongue behind her hand.
“A talented commoner. Some want to eliminate you, and some want to possess you, but in my case, I want to recruit you. It might be much better than other battlefields. No…”
Charlotte Keria’s other hand approached and lightly took hold of mine.
“I guarantee it. This is a front where I can clearly ensure your autonomy more than anywhere else.”
Charlotte Keria’s face was certainly pretty, but…
“I-I’ll think about it.”
An attitude like this didn’t make my heart flutter.
If anything, it just made me feel slightly unpleasant.
When my expression didn’t look very good, Charlotte Keria blinked, then quickly withdrew her hand.
“I’m usually pretty good at that.”
“I-I see.”
“Not interested?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll have to tempt you another way.”
Tap, tap.
When Charlotte Keria tapped the table, a hologram floated up above it.
It was a form I knew.
And it was a form that had no reason to appear as Charlotte Keria’s hologram.
Ailey.
It was Ailey from before she had undergone even a single customization.
“I’ve seen the Titan you’re riding on the Northern Front before.”
The smartwatch vibrated briefly.
“What?”
“If you promise to come to the Western Front after one semester, I’ll tell you what I know about your Titan. How does that sound?”
Gripping the smartwatch tightly, I slowly steadied my breathing.
“No. I d-don’t want to.”
Why should I?