Zero and Kallen withdrew "safely." Monica had no intention of stopping them.
Her orders were to "save Cornelia." As for whether she should pursue them, no one present had the authority to order her to do so.
Besides, the covering fire Zero laid down during his retreat made it difficult for her to move.
The cockpit, with a gaping hole stabbed through it, could hardly stop bullets. If she did not keep her machine in front of Cornelia, a stray bullet could easily wound the princess gravely or kill her.
Cornelia understood this as well. She thanked Monica, then said admiringly:
"As expected, anyone chosen for the Knights of the Round is a force to be reckoned with. And this machine was specially commissioned by Ask, wasn't it? I recall that the Empire's transformable Knightmares were still in the testing phase. I never imagined their combat performance would be even better than expected."
Transformable Knightmares were special machines developed specifically for the Knights of the Round. Since they were still in the testing phase, their existence was kept secret from the public.
The only one capable of actual combat was probably the "finished product" before her.
Her younger brother had far greater resources than she had imagined!
Monica transformed her machine back into its aircraft form and replied modestly:
"No, they have actually begun seeing combat in the Empire. My Artoria isn't a finished product either. I'm simply taking advantage of this opportunity to collect some test data."
Artoria was the name of her machine. Every custom machine had its own unique name. (This is a little personal touch from the author. Artoria comes from the Fate series and is the female version of King Arthur.)
Cornelia nodded.
Her good upbringing kept her from pressing further. Any deeper, and she would be prying into the faction's "secrets."
She did not want to get involved in factional struggles, much less be "mistaken" for a member of any particular faction.
Monica fired Artoria's machine gun into the grass. After destroying the device flashing with red light, she said:
"The EMC has been destroyed, and communications have been restored. Lord Gilford will take responsibility for your safety from here. I will return to the mobile command vehicle to report to His Highness."
Ask returned to the Tokyo Settlement.
Holding a cup of hot tea, he listened to Monica's verbal report, then smiled.
"Aside from failing to capture Cornelia, we won a resounding victory on every front."
"Yes, but Britannia seems unwilling to report the truth of what happened. Instead, they've pinned all the blame on Zero. As for the battle's outcome, they have only announced the complete destruction of the Island Nation Liberation Front and lavishly praised Cornelia's achievements. They haven't said a word about anything else."
The Narita Mountains had been the Island Nation Liberation Front's last stronghold. When Major General Katase was discovered and shot dead by Cornelia's Marine Corps while preparing to flee overseas, the Liberation Front entrenched in the Island Nation was utterly destroyed.
All that remained were scattered remnants on the run, hardly worth fearing.
In addition, Kyoshiro Tohdoh, who had come to reinforce them, had stayed behind alone to cover his subordinates' retreat and been captured. He was now being held in prison.
Ask gave a quiet hum, then asked in puzzlement:
"Blame? Have they saddled Zero with some new charge?"
"It isn't a fabricated charge. Zero really did cause this." Monica paused, then continued:
"Some geological survey teams and geological technicians mining Sakuradite were stationed at the foot of the Narita Mountains. Most were civilians. This landslide was the direct cause of their heavy casualties. Their families are already protesting outside, demanding that Britannia's military hunt down the Black Knights with everything it has and publicly execute them."
"Have the reporters arrived?"
"Yes. They're covering it now."
Monica switched on the television. Several family members were sobbing themselves hoarse on-screen, denouncing the Black Knights and Zero.
Ask glanced at it, then motioned for Monica to turn it off and asked:
"What does Cornelia have to say?"
"The governor-general will hold an emergency press conference shortly to announce compensation measures and plans to deal with Zero."
"Compensation and promises. Old tricks, but effective ones."
Ask chuckled.
His mission in Area 11 was to ensure the supply of Sakuradite to his homeland. If the families of the geological technicians responsible for mining it were not placated, future mining operations would inevitably encounter obstacles. He could not simply stand by and do nothing.
"Leila, tell those reporters later that I will make a personal donation to compensate the families of the victims."
For Ask, anything that could be solved with money was as simple as it got.
As for going after Zero? That was not his job.
"Understood."
"Also, contact Tosai Munakata and have him arrange for Empress Kaguya to meet me at the usual place. Tell him no one can be allowed to discover this. If he handles it well, there will be a barony in Britannia waiting for him in the future."
Empress Kaguya was the sole surviving member and heir of the Island Nation's imperial family, as well as the public leader of the Kyoto Six Houses.
Her words, status, and bloodline still carried a certain weight and value.
"Should we do some training first?"
Leila asked.
"Training" referred to conditioning.
For two hostile parties like these, a peaceful, rational conversation was a luxury in itself. Ask had no desire to waste his breath explaining the situation or its causes to an enemy, analyzing the pros and cons, or soothing their emotions. Instead, he would have his subordinates give the other party some thorough "training" first.
Any methods were permitted. The aim was to dispense with unnecessary conversation and get straight to the point.
Ask waved a hand.
"Have Sphynx give her some suitably gentle training. She's only fifteen, after all."
"I'll see to it right away."
Baron Grimm's eldest daughter, Sphynx Grimm, was entrusted with this work partly because her loyalty had passed scrutiny, earning her a place in the core of Ask's faction, and because she was a woman. The other reason was everything she had absorbed while growing up in the Grimm Family.
Baron Grimm was an aristocrat with peculiar tastes in a certain area. He had a mature "system" of experience for conditioning unruly tigers into obedient kittens. As luck would have it, his eldest daughter had inherited this "strength" and even "improved upon it." Everyone she trained, male or female, became exceptionally obedient.
Thus, apart from a few targets for whom "training" would only backfire, such as Kallen, almost anyone from a hostile faction who wanted to meet Ask had to undergo Sphynx's "special training" first.
After Leila left, Ask turned the television back on.
The man being interviewed on-screen was General Alex's deputy, who was also a staff officer.
His name was Jaqorim.
His superior had died in this battle, and he was one of the more senior members of Alex's forces.
As a result, Staff Officer Jaqorim would take over General Alex's duties.
At that moment, he seemed to be informing the public that the press conference would take place in one hour, with Cornelia presiding in person.
Ask could not help sighing:
"You really are a busy woman, my dear sister Cornelia."
Battle in the morning, losses at noon, a conference in the afternoon, compensation in the evening.
She really had every angle covered.
Before you continue