"Heave... heave..."

My heart pounded so loudly it felt like it was going to burst.

No matter how much I breathed, my lungs still ached for air. I was drowning in sweat. My muscles and bones screamed in protest, telling me my body was at its limit.

Emma, clad in a specialized suit that covered her whole body, held her hands in a defensive stance.

"Is this the end?"

Her opponent in the ring was Marie, wearing only training gear. She had gloves on her hands, but otherwise, it was just a thin, lightweight garment. A stark contrast to Emma's bulky, shock-resistant suit.

From a certain angle, it looked like Marie was just punching a human-shaped punching bag.

But Emma held a shock sword in her hand.

Weapons were scattered around the ring, a testament to the variety of tools she had already tried.

(Oxygen is running out. My head is getting fuzzy...)

Emma was able to withstand Marie's blows thanks to her specialized suit. However, the difficulty of breathing and the weight of the suit made it hard to move freely. Emma had trained as a knight, but facing Marie was still incredibly demanding.

Marie continued to land blows, teaching Emma as she went.

"You need to ditch those polite fighting styles. Find your own style and pursue it. You'll stay a chick until you break free from your shell!"

Marie's kick slammed into Emma's abdomen, sending her flying to the corner of the ring.

As Emma collapsed, Marie sighed softly, wiping away a trickle of sweat.

"If you want to be strong, you have to abandon the fighting styles you learned at the Knights Academy. They don't suit you, a pilot of the Atalante."

"Even if you say that, I learned to handle all kinds of weapons at the Knights Academy. I chose what suited me best from that training..."

Emma gasped for air as she replied. Marie let out a deep sigh.

"It's the fault of short-term education. A knight who follows the mold is fine, but a maverick knight will be stifled."

Marie wasn't speaking to Emma, but to someone else, perhaps the person responsible for the knights' education.

She grabbed the fallen Emma, pulled her to her feet, and signaled for the training to resume.

"I'll push you to your limits until you find your own style. – Hopefully, you'll find it before you break."

Emma shuddered at Marie's sadistic grin.

Her body was at its limit, and her spirit was broken.

All she wanted was to run away, but...

"Heave... heave..."

Emma discarded her shock sword, opting for the lance-type instead.

(I want to run away... but... I want to find my own style. I want to be stronger!)

She wanted to become a stronger knight.

And training with Marie gave her a sense that she could surpass her previous self.

If that happened, then maybe, just maybe, she could be a little closer to the person she admired.

Seeing Emma's determination, Marie's lips curled upwards. It wasn't a particularly kind smile, but it revealed her good mood.

"That spirit, I appreciate it."

◇

At some point, Emma had fainted.

(Wait, wasn't I training?)

The noise of the surrounding commotion brought her back to consciousness. She found herself in the knights' lounge within the ship.

It was called a lounge, but it had a bar-like counter with alcohol. Knights were gathered at the tables, indulging in revelry.

They were making a racket, both men and women, some even getting into fights.

The scene was more chaotic and rough than the taverns she had seen as a child when she went to pick up her father.

This was an incongruous spectacle for a luxurious lounge.

Emma was too taken aback to even speak. Heydi noticed her and approached.

"You're awake, Atalante's pilot."

"Huh? Oh, yes."

Heydi, sensing Emma's confusion, explained.

"Marie brought you here after you collapsed."

"Lady Marie?"

Emma looked for Marie and found her at the counter, pouring herself a drink from a bottle instead of a glass.

Marie noticed Emma's gaze. She set down the empty bottle, picked up a fresh one, and walked over to Emma.

"You're awake. Care for a drink?"

Emma quickly shook her head, refusing the bottle.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I've never had alcohol before."

"Oh, the young ones nowadays are so well-behaved. My unruly underlings should learn from you."

The knights around them, Marie's underlings, burst into laughter at her words.

"Lady Marie being polite, you say!"

"She's the least polite of them all!"

"You're killin' me!"

Emma shivered at their disrespectful comments towards their superior.

Marie was one of the highest-ranking knights in the Banfield family.

For Emma, such disrespect towards her superior was absolutely unacceptable.

Marie turned to her underlings and said,

"I'll kill you all."

She smiled as she said it, and her underlings immediately quieted down.

"Sorry, ma'am."

"Got caught."

"Oh, good one, good one."

They responded casually.

However, Emma saw through their facade.

She could tell they respected Marie, not just as a superior, but as a knight, as a person.

(My squad is so different.)

Marie had many more people under her command, which must be difficult. But Emma couldn't even properly manage her three subordinates.

As Emma dwelled on her shortcomings, Heydi seemed to notice.

"What's the matter, Atalante's pilot?"

"I... The atmosphere is so different from my squad. I was just a little surprised."

"Well, it's different from you well-behaved lot."

"No, that's not what I mean. I... I can't seem to manage my squad properly."

Emma confided in Heydi about her struggles, and Heydi turned to Marie.

Marie, seated on a nearby chair, decided to offer her advice.

"Melea was originally from the Border Security Forces."

Hearing this, those around them seemed to realize something.

They listened to Emma, drinking their alcohol.

Marie asked Emma,

"So, what do you want to do, Atalante's pilot?"

"I... It's not exactly ordinary, but I want to make my squad normal."

As if to shatter Emma's hopes, Marie answered immediately.

"It's impossible. That squad won't change."

"What? But-"

"It's Melea's problem. If you're serious about fixing things, you should take command of Melea."

Emma was told to lead Melea, and instinctively shook her head.

"T-that's impossible! I'm just a knight and a lieutenant. I'm not even close to having the right rank!"

Seeing Emma's panic, Marie flashed a mischievous smile.

"It's true that you lack the rank, but in the Banfield family, your knight rank is also considered. Let's say... If you become a captain, you could command the current colonel as an equal."

"Really?!"

Emma had heard that a knight, even of a lower rank, could command a superior officer.

But she never imagined it would go this far.

Seeing Emma's confusion, Heydi added,

"There's no clear rule here. It's based on the leader's ability."

"Ability? Then I think I'd be difficult."

Seeing Emma's dejection, Marie turned serious.

"If you can't manage them, I'll disband your unit after we return. It will be better for the Banfield family if Melea and Raccoon were assigned to suitable units."

"What?!"

Emma tried to argue against Marie's decision, but the memory of their earlier battle silenced her.

Heydi interjected,

"Why should you even bother? I took a quick look, and I personally wouldn't feel like defending them."

Heydi seemed puzzled, and Emma tried to explain why she felt compelled to protect them, but no words came out.

Honestly, it seemed like the right thing to do would be to abandon them.

Marie said,

"Don't worry, you'll continue to be Atalante's pilot. If that's what he wants, we have no right to interfere. – But Melea's crew is different."

(Why is she defending them?) The gazes around her seemed to ask.

Emma couldn't answer their question. But her heart was saying...

(Maybe I just feel sorry for them.)

They were the soldiers who had supported the old Banfield family, now broken and defeated.

They were in a terrible state now, but it was true that they had protected Hydra, the Banfield family's home planet.

She wanted to save them.

"Even so, I want Melea's crew to get back on their feet."

Hearing Emma's stubborn plea, Heydi shrugged.

"You're a hard nut to crack. Anyway, I have a question."

"What is it?"

Emma tilted her head, and Heydi asked with a serious expression.

"What side are you on?"

"Huh? What side?"

"There are many sides, right? Do you have any knights you're close to?"

Thinking about it, one figure came to mind.

"If I have to say who I'm close to... It would be Professor Claudia. She recommended me for promotion."

Hearing this, the knights around them bristled.

"Claudia? Claudia Beltran?! She's a leader of the Christiana faction! You, are you a Christiana supporter!?"

"How dare you show your face in front of us!"

"You dare say that in front of Marie, you little brat!?"

The knights raged.

Emma stammered.

"No, I, well, I don't really understand all this faction stuff."

One knight pointed at her, sweating profusely, her eyes darting around.

"Don't think you can dodge the question and live to tell the tale!"

The lounge was charged with tension, and everyone seemed ready to draw their weapons.

But before anyone could move, Marie swung the bottle in her hand, smashing it against the skull of the knight who had pointed at Emma.

(What is Lady Marie doing?!)

Emma was speechless, stunned by the scene.

The bottle shattered, spilling its contents, and the knight collapsed to the floor. Then Marie glared at everyone around her.

"Do any of you have a problem with my guest? – If you do, step forward."

Her voice, sharp as a knife, demanded they step forward.

The knights, previously filled with anger, quieted down.

"N-no, ma'am."

They were as docile as kittens, quietly returning to their seats.

Ruthless scoundrels who obeyed the power of a formidable leader – that was what Emma saw in Marie and her knights.