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== CE 1277.

As for Ernesti, he has been taking classes about Silhouette Knights but unrelated to Knighthood ever since he enrolled in Laihiala Pilot Academy. Eru has completed all the courses in the Crafting faculty after attending their classes for three years. After satisfying his thirst for knowledge, he is now unofficially attending Pilot faculty classes.

The pilots will learn about control and manoeuvre. The craftsmen learns to construct and maintain the outer skin, as well as the inner skeleton. The alchemists train in the art of crystal tissue creation and repair. The sigilmancers focus on the preparation of the Silhouette arms. The various faculties in middle school are collectively known as the Pilot faculty in high school.

These Silhouette Knights has been repaired countless times over the long years, and each of them are used by several piloting candidates for training. The repeated usage has worn down the machine and it requires frequent maintenance checks, a heavy burden on the students, but also great experience for real world application. Organisation hiring Piloting faculty alumni comments that the fresh graduates has the ability to work on the frontlines immediately.

In the middle of the stone building, a red machine is engaged in battle with a white machine. They have blunt sword used for training spars in their hands, battling fiercely. The machine provided by the school has reinforced armour around the pilot seats, a design which focuses on the safety of the pilots. But a Silhouette Knight going all out is still very dangerous, so the equipment is nerfed to restrict its damage. Standard equipment is only used in practical training battles against Demon beast.

Most of the people present are high school students, but there is a small figure that is out of place here. Not only is the person short, he also has a cute face that is easily mistaken for a girl. That person is Ernesti. Because his stature is small, he is occupying the front seat so his vision won't be obscured by others, staring at the Silhouette Knights intensely.

In the beginning, Eru uses his cute appearance and mascot like character to gain entry. He was planning to watch quietly from the side, but he is now observing the battles and repairs up close, finding more places he can chip in. From the way he can easily keep up with the conversations of his seniors, his preparation in the last three years did not go to waste.

As a side note, there was a rumour that a guy was almost pulled into a twisted world after seeing the pretty boy, who can be mistaken for a girl, blushing while watching the Silhouette Knights with longing eyes.

Piloting faculty student... Helvi Öberg mumbles as she records the battle logs, a breeze blowing across the arena messes her short and curly hair.

"Hmm, what do you think about this battle, Eru?"

"The speed of Guyale's sword is slower than before. I think that is the reason why he missed the opportunity to score points off attacks."

"The movement of the right arm seems sluggish. I think it is because the joints or crystal tissues have been replaced."

The machine that was battling just now enters the workshop situated near the arena, and the pilots exited the Silhouette Knights.

The red Guyale is manned by Dietrich Cunitz. Unlike Edgar, he has long blonde hair, a meek and skinny man. His abilities are top notch, but he tends to get nervous and loses his head easily over small matters, his performance is inconsistent. He seemed frustrated because he lost the match.

"Oh, no wonder the movement is so rigid. Maintenance is skimping on the repairs."

"Di, that's going too far. If the arm is not functioning well, you should adopt a different style in your fight. It’s fine if you lose after trying, but your movement seems unfocused today. It is not right to blame it all on the maintenance crew."

"You only won because my machine's performance is sub-par, don't get cocky."
"The content of the spar is more important than winning. I am just saying that you should reflect on that."


"Is that so? Why don't you operate a faulty machine in our fight next time?"

"Field trip?"

"I'm sorry, I have no idea. Can you tell me what this is about?"

- In order to accumulate practical experience in fighting Demon beast, all three grades of Knighthood middle school will be participating in a field trip.

- The first years will be focusing on the basics of camping and wilderness survival skills.

"I see, it will be conducted two weeks from now."

"That's what I thought. You keep going~~ to high school right? You don’t come~~ back much anyway."

"Ady? Are you in a bad mood?"

But the way, Ady is crossing her arms and her strong tone seems to be announcing 'I am very unhappy'.

"That's right~~ you didn't do anything. You are not here most of the time anyway~~"

"We will split into teams for the field trip. Eru, which group are you joining?"

Eru glance at Ady who couldn’t hide her curiosity and said:

"Oh― we will be staying together then..."

No matter how old I am, I don't get women...

Large communal horse drawn carriages are parked in front of Laihiala Pilot Academy. The middle school students gets onto the carriages under the direction of the instructors.

Batson from Craftsman faculty is not participating in the field trip. The Knighthood trio walks towards the carriage after Batson bid them farewell in a nonchalant tone.

"Don't rush; the carriage won't leave without us."

After all the students are seated, the carriages set off one by one. The long caravan of carriages advanced steadily on the road.

The Silhouette Knights used by the Academy are donated from the military. After the long years of maintenance by the students with free reign, their appearance has become unique and interesting. Some have meaningless and complicated patterns engraved on its armour, while others has eerily big accessories added onto its head, and there are armours that are pieced together in a weird pattern. The machines have been customised deeply, giving a 'that's too exaggerated' kind of feeling. The exoskeleton comes in all sorts of colours, having an elegant air about it, instead of being fierce and mean.

"I thought we will have a chance to fight Demon beasts, but it turns out to be a boring trip."

"Hey, I know how you feel Di, but you can't say such things."

"Both of you take this seriously. Even if nothing happens, this is still part of our training."

"As expected from the top pilot, such high end content."

"Ah ― keep it down you two, everyone can hear you."

They are not the only ones who don’t know how to kill time.

After rocking in the carriage for about half a day, Chid is bored out of his mind. Not only Chid, the students around him are feeling the same. They are four days away from their destination, and with their transportation taken care of by the carriage, the students on board have lots of free time. They can talk freely, but they are growing tired of the cramp space on the carriage, which can't be help.

"No, the only one who is satisfied with watching the scenery is you. And you are really tenacious, how long do you plan to watch that?"

"Want to read the books I brought along? I think you can kill some time this way."

"Theories on Alchemy, volume 1."

"You are right, but there is really nothing to do here. Why not follow Ady’s example and take a nap?"

"Eh, it's a great way to kill time right?"

"The scenery here is better."

"Ah― this is still boring. But it is nicer than the inside of the cramp carriage."

"Ah, so you guys are here."

"You woke up?"

Ady made her way to Eru's side as she spoke, and lied on his thigh, getting in position to sleep.

"Sleeping is fine, but why are you using my lap as your pillow?"

As Eru was at a loss, Ady has begun her journey into dreamland. Eru couldn’t do anything about her and started reading, looking out at the scenery occasionally. Chid ponders about stuff for a while, but thinks it’s too bothersome and gave up, using a luggage as a pillow to nap.
Their leisurely journey continues at this pace. After rocking for three more days on the horse drawn carriage, the group from Laihiala Pilot Academy finally arrived at the largest city of central Fremmevira ― Jantunen.

There is a reason why Jantunen ranks amongst the top cities in the Kingdom. It lies along the route that leads to the west of Fremmevira and beyond the Aubigne Mountain Range. It is also the transit point for supplies leading to the frontline fortress to the east of Fremmevira. As an important transport hub, its defences are second only to the Capital, surrounded by siege walls and moats. On top of that, there is a large band of knights equivalent to a company (100 Silhouette Knights) garrisoned here. No matter how crucial this city is, there is too much military force for one city. But they are stationed here because of Jantunen's strategic location, allowing them to reinforce frontline cities quickly. And in practice, about thirty percent of the forces will receive patrol and escort missions outside the city.

The city wall surrounding Jantunen is colossal in scale. Because of the existence of Demon beasts, traveling long distances is difficult, so this is first time seeing another big city other than Laihiala for many of the students. Everyone is curious about this city and this is the most anticipated part for many of them.

"The enemy they have in mind are Demon beasts... or rather, the Demon beasts during the nation's founding. There are many more vicious Demon beasts during that era."

The students were elated when they saw the gate leading into the city. But the carriage did not pass through the gates, but are gathered in the open space in front of it.

"They already told us that the stop at Jantunen is only to resupply."

"Man, this is boring. It won't do any harm letting us in for a while!"

"Wait, that's not why..."

"I am interested, but going on a tour with such a large group of students can turn into a horrible mess."

The short break was over and it was time to go. The carriage left with the reluctant students on board and move towards their destination ― Cloquet's Forest.

After traveling for a day from Jantunen, They reached Cloquet's Forest. The road that leads to the east of the Kingdom was badly maintained. After rocking in the carriage for the whole day, they finally reach the entrance of a thick forest.

The students started setting up tents under the command of the instructors. They have been sleeping on the carriage on their journey here, ready to escape at a moment's notice if Demon beasts attack. But they will be training for several days here and can't stay on the carriages indefinitely. So they erected tents and used this base as a camp site.

The entrance of the forest was filled with tents just like a camping zone. There are torches all around, illuminating the dark corner of the forest. As part of their training program, the second years are assigned guard and patrol duties. With so many charges, the instructors can't take care of everyone, so the students are also posted as guards, which serve as practical assignments too.

The basics are all done. I am not being lazy... ah, found it.

The ten Silhouette Knights are arranged in rows, in standby mode with one knee on the ground. Their colossal figures are partially illuminated by the camp fire. With some parts hidden in the darkness, they look more imposing at night. Normal people might feel intimidated, but Eru simply smiled as he looked at the rows of iron giants seated in a row.

There are no such terrifying families even in this world. But regretfully, no one is around to retort Eru.

After a short moment, someone called out to Eru who was immersed in a mysterious healing aura of robots. He turns back and saw the owner of Earlecumber ― Edgar.

"So it is you. Why are... I guess it is pointless to ask."

"Is senpai on standby duty?"

"No, we were deciding the order of the duty but... sigh, Di is making a scene as usual."

"Yes. Simply put, he was complaining about standby duty being a hassle. As Knight runners in their senior year of Laihiala Academy, protecting our juniors is an important mission... But as usual, his attitude is flippant."

"I don't want to hear his complains, so I decided to change the mood and see these guys."

The two of them raise their head to look at 'them'. The campfire lit up the giant knight in white armour ― Silhouette Knight Earlecumber. It was not customised and retained its original shape. Its simple design has no special features and has a gentle feel about it. With the top pilot Edgar controlling it, the two partners are known as the strongest in pilot school.

"Eh? Rather than like... they are my weapon and comrades. My mood will calm down when I am with them. When I feel frustrated, like just now or when I feel tired, I will visit them."

"I think having a reliable companion is wonderful."

And so, they bid their farewell and returned.

After watching the bright silver disappear into the darkness, Edgar mumbles to himself, and prepares to head back with the spirit of heading into battle.

A loud howl from a beast came from deep within the forest. It was probably wolves. After the first howl, howls in response can be heard from all over the forest. The students on guard duty heighten their senses and look towards the forest. The howls can be heard every now and then, so they lost interest in it after a while. But there are some who can't ignore the howls. It reminds the first timer the situation they are in. This is not a safe town for a carriage they can run away on. This is right in front of the forest where Demon beasts lurk, they are sleeping in tents that were erected here.

In Eru's team tent, Chid is shaking his head while lying down. Although he is not very affected, Chid still felt a bit uneasy and can't sleep.

The dim camp fire shines in, giving the dark tent an unsettling atmosphere. Chid suddenly wondered if Eru, sleeping besides him was uneasy like him and called out softly.

Eru was fast asleep. He was not totally unmoved, but he was a warrior on the frontlines of hell in his previous life, too. He understood the importance of rest even if he doesn’t want too, and gained the ability to be able to sleep under any circumstances.

After hearing Chid, Ady who couldn’t sleep turns and stares at Eru's sleeping face.

Chid doesn’t know what she means by cunning. Ady shifted over and pulls Eru into her arms, hugging him like a pillow. Eru woke after being hugged this way. He realised it is Ady, and he pats her head and falls asleep. Maybe Ady felt safe because of this and her breathing turns smooth after a moment. Looking at the two of them, Chid felt foolish for not being able to sleep.

That's it, he decided to not worry anymore. After a while, he enters dreamland.

The next morning, the students start getting up some time after dawn.

After the teacher had given brief instructions, the second years break into teams and headed for the depth of the forest. The prime objective of this field trip is to engage in practical battles with the Demon beast lurking in the forest, and to hunt for a certain number of them. The first years will head to the outer region of the forest, and may have to fight if necessary.

And so, this long day that all students in the Knighthood faculty will never forget begins.


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