Academy’s LOL Robot Summoner

Death.

The inevitable end that comes to all living beings.

However, perhaps because we know that end will come someday, the fantasy and fear surrounding this equal end to all life has made death an intriguing subject for humans.

Life is finite, which is why its end can shine so brilliantly.

Thus, since ancient times, people have assigned meaning to death, honored the departed, and commemorated those who have passed.

The death of a character.

This too is a cliché, utilizing the element of death, commonly found in countless works of fiction.

Awakening through the death of a cherished one.

Sacrificing oneself for a heroic finale.

Falling into despair and ruin after losing someone dear.

Defying the crisis of death dramatically.

There are countless such stories.

But Freya’s death meant little more than the start of a new chapter to AOE players.

Freya Agria.

The general of the Earth Reclamation Forces and one of the four esteemed marshals whose presence, both in-game and out, was rather faint.

And yet, there was a reason for this.

Because she—Freya Agria—was, in fact, a disposable one-off character, created solely to serve the needs of a story and then consumed by it.

In other games, such characters are often used as devices to enhance the atmosphere or escalate tension.

Hence, in the comprehensive setting book, packed with all sorts of details about AOE, she had nothing more than a brief two or three-line description accompanying her name.

Background, or mere device.

No matter how you explained it, that was all she was.

When she was mentioned at all, it was usually because of her younger sister Jenny, and only in passing.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Edu?”

“Ah, nothing.”

But the woman standing before me was shining vividly, breathing life, far too radiant to be summed up with such a paltry description.

The gap between knowledge and reality.

It creates a disparity in perception, pricking at my heart.

“…Hmm, well then, Freya. Shall we get down to the main point?”

So spoke Ryuje. In response, Freya withdrew her hand that had been stroking my head and pulled up her sleeve.

An antique pocket watch, revealed from beneath her garments.

In a world where practical smartphones have been long surpassed by advanced bio-terminal technology, this accessory, steeped in history, has little use anymore.

But due to its prevalence on Earth, my gaze instinctively turned toward it.

“Ah, is this your first time seeing a watch?”

As she said this, Freya raised her arm to show the watch; I shook my head in response.

“No, it’s not.”

“Ah, really? I thought these were rare sights nowadays. So, you must’ve seen one somewhere, Edu?”

“Yes.”

Though I may have only seen them during my time on Earth, nonetheless, it was still something I had seen—it wasn’t a lie.

While I pondered that thought, Freya, having glanced at the time, gave my head one last stroke, then stood and turned toward Ryuje.

“That’s right.”

“Hum, then Vanessa, Edu. You may return. Be more careful from now on.”

“Thank you, Chancellor. Let’s go, Edu.”

The abrupt rise of my companion signaled her bidding me to leave.

“Ah, yes. Excuse us.”

“Excuse us.”

A slight bow to the two led to Ryuje giving a nod and Freya offering a light wave.

With that, the two of us stepped out of the office.

…

“Was there something troubling you?”

“There’s been a minor incident…”

As Ryuje recounted the event to Freya, she burst into laughter.

“So, you mean you used your abilities to do something like that?”

“Exactly.”

“But as long as it was the other side who started it, you did well. If we don’t fight back, they’ll look down on us, after all.”

“That’s true, but from my position, I can’t simply take joy in it.”

Sighing like this, Ryuje’s face revealed the weight of being the Chancellor.

“That is true, isn’t it? But, isn’t it also the obligation of those who strut around with confidence to act this way?”

“I’ve never stridden proudly.”

“Neither have I.”

The two exchanged a glance in the air, and without hesitation, smiles lit up their faces.

Such a warm moment flowed smoothly.

“And now, to the main point.”

“Yes, Chancellor.”

“Are you aware that invaders breached the Academy recently?”

“Invaders?!”

Freya reacted with alarm.

“How—no, what was the composition of the enemies?”

“One Hunter Bot, and four Attack Bots.”

“A forced reconnaissance unit.”

At Ryuje’s affirmation, Freya nodded, while she recalled the incident with a short sigh, biting her lips.

“So, what did the Wall or Fangju Defense Forces do, allowing enemies inside the Academy?”

“They boarded the express elevator, the one that explorers frequently use.”

Ryuje mentioned this, to which Freya’s expression turned sour.

“Tsk, did they get caught off guard or something?”

“It could mean both, or neither.”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems like they accidentally stumbled upon a hidden facility while fleeing from encountering an invader.”

At this explanation, Freya frowned.

“Didn’t you find out anything, Chancellor?”

“Silent are the dead, and all I found was the body and the situation of those explorers.”

“Tsk, I wonder what they were thinking…”

But perhaps realizing that they only acted out of necessity to survive, Freya refrained from speaking ill of those unnamed explorers.

“So what about the casualties?”

“The students guarding the main gate suffered. A total of five.”

“?? Few indeed?”

Calm words, but considering the unexpected ambush and the presence of a Hunter Bot, it was certainly an unexpectedly low number.

“Do you recall the little girl we saw earlier?”

“Are you speaking of Edu?”

“Yes, that child and another one stopped them, sparing us from more casualties.”

“Wait, that child?”

Freya, taken aback, turned her head and stared at the door where Edu had disappeared, indicating how unexpected it was.

“That’s impressive, isn’t it? It wasn’t an easy feat.”

“Indeed, Heaven must have been on our side.”

“That’s really fortunate. So is that why you called me here?”

While this was certainly an important event, truthfully speaking, it didn’t warrant summoning her. Freya subtly conveyed this, to which Ryuje shook his head.

In fact, Ryuje himself initially thought the same and had not informed Freya. But the situation had since changed.

“Listen until the end. This weekend, that child went to the surface with some friends.”

“To the surface? Why?”

“We were told it was for training, most likely intending to develop the ability to protect themselves.”

“Respectable.”

A smile naturally surfaced on the lips, and Ryuje nodded, sharing the sentiment.

“But she also encountered something strange.”

“Something strange?”

“Invaders appeared again—moreover, armored units.”

At this, Freya’s expression hardened.

“Armored units?”

“Yes, I was told it was a large-scale force consisting of four tanks and eight armored vehicles.”

Ryuje’s continuation only deepened Freya’s solemn expression, and the atmosphere sank heavily.

“Four vehicles each for a total of twelve means a complete formation of three platoons… Doesn’t that seem excessive?”

“Yes, indeed excessive.”

“Absolutely.”

The presence of Invader’s armored divisions scattered across the Earth isn’t surprising in itself.

The issue lay in where they were encountered and the composition of the enemy force.

No matter how abundant the resources of an army or a nation, they would never commit their fully-equipped main force for reconnaissance duties in the wilderness.

Which meant that the Invaders had dispatched that strength with a specific purpose. Having reached that conclusion, Freya continued.

“Did the attack on the Academy happen before this incident?”

“Yes.”

“Is there a possibility that the enemies sent information during that event?”

“That would be impossible. I personally eliminated the enemies attempting retreat, and the Fangju’s radio jamming device outside was functioning properly.”

Ryuje shook his head as he explained.

“Hmm…”

However, rather than providing clarity, Ryuje’s statement only deepened Freya’s confusion. The forced reconnaissance unit, no information breach, yet a massive armored force deployed to the surface.

‘Did the forced reconnaissance unit hold such importance?’

This fleeting thought briefly crossed Freya’s mind, but she quickly dismissed it.

Invaders do not linger on the survival of combat units. Especially bots, which are expendable tools designed for efficient impact during battles after war starts. It’s strange to send that much force for such expendable units.

Something seemed off, yet somehow connected. Freya’s sharp intuition reacted to it.

“Definitely strange. It’s too excessive as a measure to verify the annihilation of a single unit of bots.”

“Yes, that’s my thought as well.”

“…I’ll investigate this from my side, Chancellor. Please look into it from all angles as well.”

From all angles.

Ryuje knew that these words referred to spies or traitors within the Fangju but only nodded calmly.

“Yes, understood. And how’s the situation on the surface?”

“It’s the same as before.”

Saying this with a smirk, Freya couldn’t escape Ryuje noticing her hand unconsciously stroking her ear.

A tell of her student days, a habit of Freya’s when trying to evade or lie.

“…The situation seems to be very bad.”

“Ah, did I touch my ear again?”

Freya laughed sheepishly.

That smile carried the innocent image of the young girl who once followed and learned from Ryu, a remnant of the days when she held the rank of commander or marshal.

“…But we might just manage to meet the deadline.”

“Tell me, how bad is the situation?”

“…”

Freya remained silent, lowering her head with a dark expression. As Ryuje approached and gently stroked her cheek, Freya, grasping her small hand, gently held Ryu’s hand to her cheek and closed her eyes.

In serene silence, like conducting a solemn ritual, the two paused. After sharing warmth for a while, Freya slowly opened her eyes.

“…Five days ago, the front line collapsed. The second and third are only a matter of time, I suppose.”

“…What exactly is happening?”

“The movement of Megabase isn’t normal. Plus, the aliens are moving again, and while Cryptids are still swarming as usual, it’s a small comfort.”

“…”

“Does God now turn his back on us?”

Saying so with a bitter smile, Freya made Ryu unable to return the smile.

The land fortress Megabase.

Among the five fortresses of despair, it commands overwhelming military force, possessing an uncountable number of Invaders below it. Since first stepping foot on Earth, every place Megabase’s weapons were aimed at has crumbled and disappeared.

“…Why suddenly now?”

“We don’t know, but it’s slowly moving southward, accompanied by a dark horde of Invaders.”

“Force differential?”

“Desperate. We can’t hold.”

The harsh judgment from the woman who was always leading and consoling soldiers on behalf of humanity.

Upon stating this, Freya shook her head.

“At least several thousand tanks, possibly even more armored vehicles they must have scraped up from the bottom. It could be 50 to 1, or even 100 to 1, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“…”

In the face of such desperate odds, even Ryu was speechless.

This wasn’t just a disparity in power but an overwhelming chasm that couldn’t simply be bridged.

“Come now, don’t look so grim. That’s why we’re rerouting supplies and forces back to the Fangju. It’s impossible to stand by when a natural disaster approaches, isn’t it?”

Freya answered lightly.

“True, that could be a method. However-”

But Ryu noticed that Freya had made some sort of decision within herself.

“Why are you staying behind?”

“…”

No reply came.

“Freya.”

“…Hehe, no use trying to deceive you, Chancellor. Someone has to take responsibility and stay behind, right?”

“No!!! There is no need!!”

“No, it can’t be. Megabase, that monstrous entity, wouldn’t settle for a hollow victory, would it?”

Saying this, Freya turned her left hand to her right wrist. With a clicking sound, her prosthesis detached with a small thud.

Simultaneously, the artificial arm, which had appeared ordinary until then, ceased function.

“…”

“And although I’m not privy to the Invaders’ true thoughts… moving in this period certainly indicates something. Perhaps it’s revenge for that day?”

Land Fortress Megabase.

And Freya Agria.

They had a very long-standing enmity between them.

“Then I-”

“No, Chancellor. You need to focus on the younger generation.”

“…”

“This is my duty, my task to bear alone.”

Freya stared at Ryu with unwavering determination.

But Ryu, seeing this young disciple, who he himself had nurtured, preparing for death again, felt his chest tightening.

“Is there truly no other way?”

“…It’s fine, Chancellor. And I’m sorry.”

Replied Freya with more silence, then tenderly hugged Ryu’s small frame.

In silence, the time flowed.

The old teacher and the student, who had matured through flowing time, now the student consoled the teacher’s small frame.

…

Outside the Chancellor’s Office.

There, the figures of Edu and Banetta, who had exited the room a while ago, were seen.

Banetta was restless, while Edu was silently pressed against the door.

“…”

“Hey Edu, is this okay?”

“…”

“Just a moment.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Is there no other way?”

“…”

“It’s fine, Chancellor. And…”

Heavy dialogue.

I had heard all of it, and slowly pulled my ear away from the wall.

Now I understand. That’s why the protagonist won’t meet Freya.

“…”

“Why so serious, Edu?”

“An urgent task has come up.”

“A task?”

“Yes.”

Freya Agria.

A remote figure in the context of AOE, still a stranger for now.

But she is someone who warmly treats strangers upon meeting them, Ryuje’s last disciple, and a person of integrity willing to sacrifice herself.

Not a mere disposable character defined by two or three lines, but someone who truly lives.

And isn’t it human to extend a hand when someone is in danger?

“What will you do now?”

“To save someone.”

“To save someone?”

“Yes.”

With that answer, standing up prompted Banetta to mutter an “Eh?”

“Edu, there’s something in your eyes-”

“My eyes?”

“Uh, I thought I saw something.”

“…”

Is there something that could possibly be seen in my eyes? Anyway, I’ve made up my mind, and there’s no time to waste here.

“Let’s go back first, Banetta.”

“A, yes. Okay.”

“…”

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