CH 246.2

We left the Northern City and flew across the narrow plain to the spirit forest.

『Let’s go』

The external sound system voice came from the only A-class Knight leading the group.

It was hard to tell right now because it was dark, but the Knight has black colors with green undertones. Another striking feature of it was its appearance, which looks prickly rather than sharp.

In the cockpit of the A-class Knight looking up at the sky, the high elf who’s as thin as a dead tree continued.

『Why does it cloudy when it just happens to be the night of the new moon? If only the weather had changed earlier, we wouldn’t have had to wait』

This old man, the commander of the elf knight order, is planning a night raid on the Northern City.

He chose a moonless day as the date for the raid in order to approach the city unnoticed. However, he was in a bad mood because he didn’t feel that tonight’s sky was worth the wait.

『There isn’t even a starlight, so isn’t it fine?』

The high elf frowned at his subordinate’s words. Looking unamused, he spits out his next words from his distorted mouth.

『….Whatever, let’s just hurriedly took down the city and burn it along with our garbage』

Then, under the thick clouds that covered the sky, they quietly began to move south.

***

Here, the perspective shifts to the B-class Knight pilot guarding the defense line.

The young man, who was on night watch, was walking his Knight along the wall.

(The elf’s invasion, huh)

That’s what I’ve been hearing from my superior, a sexy mature woman, at every opportunity. The attack of the large magical beast that occurred the other day must be a prelude to that.

(Elf Knights are as strong as Ghost Knights they say, give me a break)

He frowned and shrugged his shoulders, remembering the words of the mature Viscountess.

He was one of the C-class pilots in the expeditionary force to Awoke and witnessed the disaster. The fear of a long range magic attack fired from a location that can’t be seen has not yet faded.

That’s why he keeps his shield pointed north when he patrols. A wall of crude stones would have protected him, but unfortunately it was no higher than the Knight’s chest.

『Aren’t they just thinking too much?』

Some of his colleagues who did not participate in the expedition said so while slacking off. But the young man’s feelings remained unchanged.

His attitude was highly evaluated by the mature Viscountess, and he had been given a B-class Knight.

(All clear)

Just as he said that, his heart suddenly felt uneasy.

(….what is this bad feeling)

A young man who trusts his instincts bends over his Knight. With only his head sticking up from the wall, he squints his eyes and looks at the spirit forest.

(I can’t see anything. Let’s try light it up)

He took out his wand from behind his shield and held it in his right hand while agonizing over it.

It was midnight. Because of that, if it turns out there was nothing, he will surely be called 『a bother』.

(That’s a small price to pay)

What came to his mind was a lesson taught by the mature Viscountess who wore a short tight skirt and walked around shaking her butt.

It was, 『Be a coward』.

(It’s only natural to be wary of someone stronger than myself)

The young man nodded and raised the wand in the Knight’s hand high in the air.

***

The point of view returns to the elven pilots.

Seeing the A-class Knight stretch out one hand to the side, all the Knights following behind him stopped.

When they saw the commander’s Knight get down on one knee and readied his rifle, they realized that they had arrived at the firing position.

(If it weren’t for that wall, we’d have closed the distance and attacked the city walls directly)

As he aimed his cane rifle, the high elf who was as thin as a dead tree, thought.

The distance was too far, even for the man who boasted the greatest firepower of the knight order. In order for his powerful magic to reach the city, he needed to get past the defense line.

(Mere humans giving me extra trouble. Be shattered along with your wall!)

B-class Knight moving on the other side of the wall. Staring at it, he bent the corner of his mouth and laughed while channeling his magic.

(It’s almost ready to fire)

Just as he thought so and deepened his smile, the B-class Knight which he had captured in the center of his vision, crouched behind a wall.

(They noticed me?!)

But with this distance. It seems very unlikely.

As he continued to watch it while frowning, the B-class Knight fired a beam of light magic into the sky.

(Wha–!?)

As he gazed in astonishment, a ball of light soared high into the sky, brightly illuminating the ground with the clouds behind it.

Without a doubt, they would have been spotted. There’s no way the figure of the Knight casting a long shadow behind it could have been missed.

(Tch!)

While he was clicking his tongue, the B-class Knight fired another ball of light. Moreover, the color was red, not the daylight color of earlier.

It was clearly a signal to warn that there is an enemy attack.

(They reacted quickly for a mere garbage)

The defense line was suddenly in an uproar. He was extremely annoyed that he couldn’t take them by surprise.

However, he had no intention of stopping the operation after coming this far, nor did he feel the need to do so.

(Garbage should just be garbage and burn to ashes!)

The high elf realizes that the rifle is ready to fire and pulls the trigger in his mind. Immediately after, a long red lotus arrow flies out from the rifle.

The arrow flew past the surface of the earth and crashed into the wall. At that moment, a rock with a diameter of five meters exploded.

The released heat blasted the surrounding area for several dozen meters. It also melted the gouged ground into a shallow layer, transforming it into a glassy substance.

『Gooo!』

Under the command of the commander who is a high elf, the ten B-class Knights begin their assault with hover movement.

They move in an S-shape, dodging the sword and magic attacks of the Imperial Knights, and pass through the shattered walls one after another.

(You’re too late. A mere human Knights are no match for us)

A handsome elf pilot with his hair and his collar up like a host whistles. With a feint to the left and right, he slips past the opponent who tries to block his way, and after passing him, he strikes him from behind with a magic attack.

It was too easy, without any real resistance.

(Heee… an A-class huh. That will be a perfect prey for me)

It was just a short distance to the Northern City. There, the handsome man spotted a crimson A-class Knight running toward him.

(First come first served, I’m taking this red one)

They’re definitely going to compare the battle results with each other after burning the city to the ground. Then, there’s no way he would let a rarely seen A-class Knight get away.

He licked his lips, looked through the sights of his wand and fired his magic.

(Hm? It missed?)

At that very moment, the crimson A-class Knight leaped forward diagonally.

(What a lucky guy)

The crimson A-class Knight must have dodge it by luck. But luck shouldn’t last forever.

He immediately adjusted his aim and shot another thunder arrow. However, the crimson A-class Knight avoided the magic with minimal movement, and with an unexpected leap, jumped into sword distance at once.

(Wha–?)

He quickly twisted around to dodge, but not completely in time. The sword caught his right arm that was holding the wand and cut it off from the elbow.

(Ah?)

A handsome pilot’s mind goes blank when he sees his Knight’s right arm got cut off.

Elves have a high rate of synchronization due to their superior ability to manipulate magic, and many of them feel the Knight’s damage as their own pain.

A moment later, a burning pain that he had never felt before hit him.

「Aaarrrrgggghhhhhh!!」

His own arm was unharmed, but the pain would continue as long as he did not stop controlling the Knight.

But this is a battlefield. If he broke the link with the Knight, the enemy Knight would kill him on the spot.

「Firstly, I have to make the stop」

The crimson A-class pilot mutters to herself as she looks over at the elven B-class Knight, who holds its elbow and hovers away.

Her lips are painted crimson, and her tight mini skirt is a variation of the pilot’s uniform. She is the mature Viscountess that many would like to climb into the narrow cockpit with.

「We need numbers to fight these guys」

She looked around while holding her abdomen with her left hand. Her womb sensor senses the gazes directed at it.

It was no coincidence that she avoided a series of magic attacks from the elf earlier.

(Even though the have been trained, their follow up is slow)

She immediately set out when she received the signal that the enemy was attacking, but the others were not following behind her.

As she frowned, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

『Divide into two groups and push back the enemy! C-class, concentrate on defending with your shields!』

『Understood, onee-sama!』

When she looked back, she saw the Lily Knights’ white lily squadron.

The B-class was attacking while the C-class was protecting them with their shields. With their well-coordinated movements, they are fighting against the elf’s B-class Knight without taking a step back.

(Not bad. That’s the Lily Knights for you)

The A-class Knight of the mature Viscountess attacked the distracted elf’s B-class Knight from its blind spot. The quickness of this Knight that emphasizes mobility rather than armor, far exceeds the hover speed of the elf.

Meaning, if it’s just a short distance, it can quickly get the enemy into its sword range.

(I didn’t manage to finish it off huh. Well, that’s fine)

The damaged elf’s B-class Knight begins to retreat without countering. For a powerful knight, they are surprisingly not persistent.

Because of that, she didn’t manage to do a counter attack on them, but for her right now, driving them away should come first before defeating them.

『Let’s beat them! Put your back into it!』

The mature Viscountess shouted through the external sound system at maximum volume to the Knights who had begun to arrive. Her A-class Knight presence also helps to boost the morale of her subordinates.

In this way, the war situation became chaotic, contrary to the expectations of the elves.