Unfortunately, the enemy clearly had no intention of letting me escape.
The spaceport was being guarded by the Duke House Knight Order. Two Humanoid Fighters, shields raised, stood firm at the front entrance. They were there to stop me, of course.
It was pathetic enough to make me weep, realizing that every one of them was likely part of the corruption. This was once a planet owned by a Duke, however far it had fallen. The Knight Order's pay couldn't have been bad. They could have lived wealthy lives without ever turning to crime.
If I were in their shoes, I would have used the distraction of someone escaping to make my own run for it in the middle of the night. Even if they managed to kill me, once Leo showed up, they would all be annihilated anyway.
It was a sad situation, but I had to survive. I couldn't let myself be killed here. I decided to break through quickly.
I’d found an old Sniper Rifle back at the Knight Order garrison. While I wasn't good enough to earn a Shooting Skill Badge, I at least knew how to use the thing. Since neither Suematsu nor Minerva seemed capable of handling it, the job fell to me.
Suematsu was our tank. Minerva was the sub-attacker. And I… well, I was covering every other role. You learned how to do everything when you were part of Leo's unit.
Since it was a plasma Sniper Rifle, it wasn't affected by the wind. However, on a machine this old, the auto-aim was too slow to be of any use. Plus, the machine itself was a manual model.
I held my breath.
Now!
I pulled the trigger, and the head of one Humanoid Heavy Machinery unit exploded. A clean headshot. The second I saw the other unit realize they were under attack, I put a bolt through its head as well.
Alarms began to scream. Well, naturally they were watching.
"Suematsu-san, keep moving with the shield. I'll follow," I commanded.
"Understood!"
Suematsu lumbered forward, struggling with the weight of the massive shield. He was a terrible pilot, but the shield was enormous. That was all I needed from him.
A rain of gunfire hammered against Suematsu—the turrets of the defense system. I sniped the turrets one by one, neutralizing them. I sprinted through the snow to catch up to him.
"Second Lieutenant Eddie! A fighter's coming!"
It turned out to be a heli. They were really serious about killing me. But I was used to this. It wasn't half as terrifying as Kevin’s drone swarm attacks, and it was certainly better than facing Nina’s tank battalions and self-propelled guns.
The heli fired its missiles. I focused. If it was the kind that accelerated after a short flight, I’d dodge it with sheer guts. If it was a homing type, I’d slip past just before the explosion.
"It's the accelerating type!"
I dodged the instant it sped up. The missile detonated, but I was already gone.
"Suematsu-san! Get behind the shield!"
"I am already doing so, gozaru!"
"Minerva!"
"I'll take them down!"
She used her rifle to pick off the missiles heading for Suematsu. While she was at it, she swatted the heli out of the sky too.
"Second Lieutenant! Dodging missiles? Are you some kind of monster?!"
"I'm only dodging because we can't shoot them all!" I shouted back.
I pressed the assault.
"Damn it! Lady Luna!"
"I’m here! I found a transport craft, Eddie-kun! I've hijacked the system, so get on board, quick!"
"Thanks!"
I burst onto the runway, heading for the transport craft Lady Luna had secured. I got Minerva and Suematsu inside first.
But that was when the final obstacle arrived.
"Devil of the Snowfield! This is where your life ends!"
What a hideous nickname.
"Are you talking to me? You moron! I'm much better at fighting in space!"
The machine that appeared was clearly a custom model—an armored warrior custom. This Knight Order really was out of control.
"Commander Suematsu! I'm ashamed of you! Siding with a brat like this!" the warrior bellowed, his external speakers cranked to the limit.
Suematsu fired back over his own speakers.
"Fool! To help the strong and crush the weak! That is the motto of my house! And this time, My Lord shall be the victor!"
Could he be any more pathetic?
"Ngh! I won't let you! My house thrived on the Duke's power! I won't hand over the mineral resources!"
Both of them were driven by pure greed. Watching them, I felt like I was practically a saint by comparison.
"A duel! If you want to leave this planet, you must defeat me!"
Fine. If that’s how he wanted it, I’d play along. I stowed my rifle and drew my sword.
"Imperial Army Second Lieutenant, Eddie Anheim."
"Vice Commander of the Watanabe Knight Order, Shozo Mimura!"
The armored warrior brandished a massive blade—a Zanbatou. By comparison, I was holding a standard sword.
"I am a recipient of the Imperial Swordsmanship Badge!" Mimura declared, raising his blade into a high guard before charging.
"What a coincidence. I was knocked out in the second round of the All-Galaxy High School Imperial Swordsmanship Tournament."
That had been my record back in my first year. Everyone else at the tournament had been so much bigger. I’d managed to win my first match against someone my own age, but the second-round opponent was an upperclassman, and I’d been overwhelmed physically. It was such a one-sided beatdown that I hadn't even felt frustrated.
This year's tournament had been canceled because of the Zork war. I didn't know how much stronger I’d become since then. But it didn't really matter. My win rate against Leo was fifty-fifty, and whenever I sparred with Piggett-san, he absolutely demolished me.
"Die!"
The armored warrior brought the Zanbatou crashing down.
"Ah… how… I… I couldn't see it…" the pilot gasped.
My sword had been faster. I’d severed both his wrists before his blade could land.
"You thought I was wide open, didn't you? Too bad for you. I left that opening on purpose."
It was a trick Leo used all the time. He’d intentionally leave a massive gap in his defense. The opponent couldn't help but go for it, which allowed him to predict exactly where their attack would come from. Then, he’d just counter. It was a dirty, fraudulent way to fight.
"Ngh… I have lost… Urgh."
I took his head. Victory was mine.
"We're leaving!"
I dove into the transport craft. The enemy, of course, had no intention of honoring the duel's outcome. They opened fire on us. We made our escape while spraying suppressing fire from our rifles.
After that, I met up with Ren, Leo, and His Majesty to pacify the various planets. There were a lot of arrests. My friends would never let me live down the "Devil of the Snowfield" nickname.
A few days later.
I was visiting a certain capital for a marriage interview. My prospective partner was the third daughter of a Marquis House—a lady from a prestigious military family.
I arrived in my military uniform. The girl's father looked like a stern man, but for some reason, he was beaming.
Beside me, my own father was even more nervous than I was.
I offered my greeting. "I am Second Lieutenant Eddie Anheim."
The young lady smiled at me.
"It has been quite some time, Second Lieutenant Eddie."
Mi—Minerva?!