Editing City Series:Volume1 Chapter 7 (section)

===Part 6===

At 3:23 PM, the Flammen Ritter was still attached to the eighth connector on the Eins’s port side.

Mayer stared into the sky from the cockpit.

“Can’t they hurry up?”

The sun would set before long and the moon’s effects would come into play. If he did not settle this before the moon came out, the Kaiserburg would almost certainly fly into space.

“I can’t believe this.”

When the Eisen Soldat had been launched, he had still been on the bridge with Oscar, so the damage to the Eins had delayed him.

…''I was careless.

The commotion below seemed to have settled for the time being.

Oscar had decided only this fighter could fight on even footing.

It would come down to a one-on-one fight.

…''He has high expectations of me.

That made him happy and he smiled bitterly when he realized how childish that was.

He was enjoying this entire situation. That meant he had hoped for something like this. At the very least, he had not been forced into it and he had not been reluctantly dragged into it.

He had wanted it himself.

…''Yes.

“That’s right.”

…''There’s something I need to do.

He closed his eyes.

He had no goal. He could not truly say how much he could do. However, he was glad he could not say that.

If he won here, he would aim even higher. If he lost, he would overcome that regret and still aim higher. He was prepared to keep doing that until the day he died.

…''How far can I go?

He opened his eyes and saw the blue sky beyond the canopy.

He suddenly reached out a hand and grabbed at the empty space with his glove-covered fingers.

…''I want to advance farther than anyone someday.

As soon as he thought that, he received a transmission from the Bladlikburg.

“Second Lieutenant Mayer, the Eins will have finished its preparations in about a minute.”

“Understood. I’m ready when you are.”

“Commander Oscar has a message. Do you want to hear it?”

“I do.”

The other man hesitated for just a moment, cleared his throat, and continued.

“Believe in yourself.”

“!”

“That is all. Please wait just a little longer.”

Mayer was so busy thinking about his commander that he completely forgot to respond.

…''He saw right through me.