Chapter 25: Sword, Staff, and Wings

Zeldigard Minas Lestia. The Third Princess of the Knight Kingdom of Lestia and the Rank 1 [Sword Empress] at the academy. In other words, standing before the strongest female student in the academy, even I felt a jolt of nervousness. However, the Rank 1 in question wore a slightly perplexed expression. What’s up?

“Umm, you’re a new student at our academy… right?”

“I am… is something wrong?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. It’s just that you’re so small… I thought maybe you were wearing a uniform borrowed from an older sister or something.”

Damn it, again…?! I’m wearing the uniform properly, so why does everyone jump to that weird conclusion?! Hey, you there, Principal! Don’t turn your back and try to stifle your laughter!

“I’m truly sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I am Zeldigard Minas Lestia. Nice to meet you.”

“…Nice to meet you. I’m Nero Silhoueska.”

I was offended, but this happens all the time, so I can endure it. Besides, I can’t exactly pick a fight with a princess who’s Rank 1. While I was sulking, a girl with fluffy chestnut-brown wavy hair next to her was staring intently at me. What is it?

“Waaah, so cuuute~!”

“Eh, wait… guhff?!”

Suddenly hugged from the front, my face was buried into two soft objects that were quite large relative to my height, making it impossible to breathe. Su… suffocating…!

“That’s enough. Sharon-senpai, Nero-san is suffering.”

“Aww.”

“Buhaa?!”

Thanks to Zelda-senpai pinning the fluffy girl’s arms and pulling her away, I managed to avoid suffocation. I thought I was going to die from overwhelming boob pressure… This is the disparity of chest circumference society…!

“I apologize. This person is Sharon Pallerius. She has a weakness for small children and animals, making her a slightly dangerous person. She means no harm, so please forgive her.”

“Ehh? What’s with that introduction~?”

The girl named Sharon, who had her arms pinned, pouted. Her ribbon color is green. A fourth-year, huh. Wait, Sharon Pallerius…? Have I heard that somewhere…? Ah?! Is this person the Rank 3 Carrol mentioned, the [Witch of the Blue Storm], Sharon Pallerius?! Rank 1 and Rank 3 are right in front of me… What is this job? Is it really okay? I feel like I’m the only one clearly out of place here. There are a few other part-timers, but did these three girls just happen to gather today? The remaining two boys are looking at us with exasperated eyes. Or rather, why are there boys in the ‘Academy’? Their uniforms are different from ours. Could it be… Noticing my suspicious gaze, Principal Quun turned her eyes to the two boys.

“These two are students from the ‘School’. They obtained special permission to come to the Academy. They aren’t test pilots like you, just mere observers.”

So they are students from the ‘School’. The ‘Brunhild Magitech School’, which stands alongside the ‘Babylon Magitech Girls’ Academy’ as a specialized Frame Gear institution. Unlike our ‘Academy’, it’s a co-ed school. That said, girls only make up about thirty percent, so apparently, there are still way more boys. By the way, I took the entrance exam for this ‘School’ first and was rejected. Because of the marathon and weightlifting. If I could have used [Boost], it would have been an easy win!

“Umm, I’m the mere observer, Keel Suleiman. This is Kou Shirogane. We’re both fourth-years at the ‘School’.”

Smiling wryly at the Principal’s words, the blond boy introduced himself. He was tall and looked exactly like a polite knight apprentice. The black-haired boy next to him gave a small bow in time with Keel’s introduction. Black hair… Is he from Eashen? Or maybe Brunhild? The black-haired boy looks like an ordinary boy with no distinguishing features. …But, what is this? I feel like I’ve met him somewhere…? Just my imagination, I guess. Being fourth-years means they’re the same age as Sharon-senpai. Looking closely, their ties are also green. I guess that’s common across schools.

“Now that self-introductions are done, I’ll explain today’s job content. You’ll be test pilots for the prototype unit here… meaning I want you to test ride it. However, this unit is merely the base; from here, it transforms into three types of units via additional equipment. It’s the same exchangeable type as the Frame Gear ‘Waldraute’ belonging to one of the Nine Duchesses, Lady Lucia.”

Exchangeable type. A flexible machine that changes equipment according to the situation. It can adapt to various situations, but due to that characteristic, it requires external support, making solo operation difficult, wasn’t it? When Principal Quun waved her hand lightly, a screen showing three units was projected into the air.

“From the right, we have the Close Combat Specification, Magic Combat Specification, and Mobility Combat Specification. Currently, we are tentatively calling the equipped states [Swordia], [Wandia], and [Windia], respectively.”

On the screen, three different types of Frame Gears were lined up. The basic body was the same, but the equipment parts were vastly different. The basic frame of the prototype feels like something between a Ritter and a Lightning. Is this also Principal Quun’s original frame? [Swordia], as befitting a Close Combat Specification, carries swords on both hips and a greatsword on its back. Not only that, but there are two daggers on the legs, spikes on the shoulders, and the armor on the arms looks like… pile bunkers? I don’t want to get close to that machine… The armor is also a bit thick, so its defensive performance looks high too. As for [Wandia], it has round shield-like objects on both shoulders, and the head is shaped just like it’s wearing a pointed hat. The shields on the shoulders have some spike-like things attached, but what are those? They aren’t just decorations, right? There’s skirt-like armor attached from the waist back, but is that a large radiator plate? I heard that continuous use of magic can cause the machine to overheat and temporarily shut down. Duchess Leen, Principal Quun’s mother, piloted the Annihilation Bombardment Type Frame Gear ‘Grimgerde’, which was like that, I believe. For [Windia], the large thrusters extending from the back stand out more than anything. Probably to increase mobility. Same as the Lightning Frame. It’s equipped with numerous verniers on various parts to maintain attitude control, a common feature of high-mobility Frame Gears. For equipment, it has a shield on the left arm and a Spell Caster on the right. No other weapons are visible. No, wait, the main body probably has head vulcans built-in. Is it a machine that wins through sheer volume of attacks? It doesn’t seem like the type to fight in close quarters, so maybe it’s meant to maintain mid-range distance and repeat hit-and-run tactics.

“I’ll have Zelda ride [Swordia], Sharon ride [Wandia], and Nero ride [Windia]. There are set missions, but first, get used to the machine. Let’s just try riding it for now.”

When Principal Quun said that, the cockpit hatch of the prototype standing on the maintenance deck opened, and someone came out. Looking up, I saw a girl wearing a jumpsuit with her orange hair in a bun waving at us.

“Synchronization with the Frame Unit is complete-su! You can start anytime-su!”

“Umm, who is she?”

Pointing at the smiling jumpsuit girl calling out to us, I asked the Principal. A mechanic?

“That is Rosetta-san. She is a High Meister involved in the development of almost all Frame Gears in the Duchy, and one of my masters.”

Eh?! Principal Quun’s master?! She looks about the same age as me, though?! Involved in the development of almost all Frame Gears… Doesn’t that make her an incredibly important person…? Wait, this person is also a daughter of the First Sovereign King! Is she a long-lived species like Principal Quun? I don’t see wings, so I don’t think she’s a Fairy. Her ears are normal, so not an Elf, and judging by her body type, probably not a Dwarf either. Maybe a Demon…?

“This way.”

Principal Quun led us to the Frame Units lined up next to the maintenance deck where the prototype stood. Unlike the Frame Units we use in ‘Academy’ classes, it wasn’t egg-shaped. It was close to a sphere, and it was transparent. It felt like the cockpit was floating inside a glass sphere. Though I doubt it’s glass. The cockpit seat wasn’t just for sitting; it was shaped to wrap around the whole body.

“Is this a Frame Unit too?”

“A state-of-the-art one. It evolved the thought-control system via magic synchronization… Well, you can just think of it as being more intuitive to move. Even ‘Gear Spells’ that can’t be used without training are set up to be easily usable if the pilot can use the magic themselves, so it expands strategic options.”

I don’t really get it, but apparently, it’s something amazing. If I told Lara, she’d probably jump for joy. Ah, but I have a confidentiality obligation, so I can’t talk about it. If the person can use the magic, it can be amplified and used by the Frame Gear too? I wonder if my [Boost] would be effective as well?

“Shall we start with Sharon for now?”

“Okaaay. I’m ready~.”

Sharon-senpai used the stairs in front of the Frame Unit to climb into the cockpit. When she sat in the seat, the surrounding frame transformed, making it look as if her body was wrapped entirely by the seat. She tilted the backrest slightly, adopting a relaxed posture.

“Basic controls haven’t changed, but screen switching and information display appear just by thinking about it. To erase them, just think that too. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask the installed pseudo-personality ‘Urd’, and it will tell you.”

“Urd?”

『Nice to meet you, Lady Sharon. I am the pseudo-personality “Urd,” here to support you. I look forward to working with you.』

“Wah! This unit can talk like a Legacy Golem~.”

Sharon-senpai is talking to the Frame Unit. Does it have a Q-Crystal, a Golem’s artificial brain, inside? Long ago, there was apparently a plan to make Golems giant, but controlling the whole machine required multiple Legacy-class Q-Crystals, so it was abandoned for being impractical—or so I heard. It seems the cost to build just one would become astronomically high. On top of that, the performance would be inferior to a Frame Gear, and since it needs to learn, it would take considerable time before it could move properly. I guess it wasn’t cost-effective. In this machine’s case, is it strictly dedicated to support? Sharon-senpai seemed to talk with ‘Urd’ for a while after that, but eventually, the preparations appeared complete, and the seat rose slightly.

“Okay then, launching [Wandia]~.”

When Sharon-senpai activated the Frame Unit, the transparent walls of the unit instantly turned dark grey. Ayaya. Can’t see inside like this.

“Let’s watch on this screen.”

Principal Quun tapped her fingers on her smartphone, and a large screen was projected into the air in front of us. The projected scene was a wasteland. [Wandia], piloted by Sharon-senpai, stood there, and in front of it, dozens of Cavalry units were lined up. Is she supposed to defeat those? Still, aren’t there a lot of them? Well then, I wonder how Sharon-senpai fights. Rank 3, [Witch of the Blue Storm]—let me see what you’ve got.