On the other side, the Greycastle Air Knights Academy's airfield was equally bustling.
All the training aircraft had been towed out of the hangar and lined up at the end of the runway. About thirty official students held their breath, listening to the Princess Royal's instructions. Further away, the probationers who had not passed the assessment or were newly selected sat around the runway, waiting to watch the new round of flight.
"From today, your training will enter a new stage!" Tilly stood in front of a group of people taller than her, raising her head and shouting, "Think carefully about what you have learned in the past month, and then tell me loudly! Pat, start with you!"
"Pull up, Your Highness!" The student who was called out replied excitedly.
"Next."
"Circle!"
"Magic Shadow!"
"Huh?"
"No..." The respondent quickly changed his words, "I mean... anti-dizziness training, Your Highness!"
"Strange..." Finjin muttered in a low voice, "Princess Tilly's temper seems to have improved a lot in the past?"
"Really?" Heinz also lowered his voice, "Not to mention that if you make a mistake, punishment is inevitable. You just finished cleaning the toilet for a month, have you forgotten?"
"That's not what I'm talking about," Finjin looked at Goode, "What do you think?"
Goode nodded slightly, "I feel the same way." He had always felt that the Princess Royal seemed to be in a state of inexplicable anxiety and urgency, probably related to the poor performance of the Air Knight students. After the expansion, the team of about two hundred people resulted in only thirty or so who passed the assessment.
If it was just the low pass rate, it would be fine, but planes were being delivered one after another from the outside, but so far only six were available in the hangar, and the others were damaged during test flights. According to the instructor Hawk Face, a plane costs more than a sea ship, and a few thousand gold royals are gone. I'm afraid no one would be in a good mood...
However, the situation seemed to have changed recently. The Princess's teaching was still strict, but there was less of that heavy burden between her eyebrows that made people breathless.
They have been crashing planes at the same rate lately... haven't they?
"Finjin, it's your turn." Someone reminded him.
Finjin quickly stood up straight, "Discipline! Your Highness, I have learned discipline!"
"And responsibility!" Heinz shouted next.
There was a slight burst of laughter in the crowd.
"Tsk, I suggested it a long time ago, we should put these guys in the military camp for a month or two of education first."
"That's how commoners are, bear with it."
Obviously, these words came from the students selected from the army—after being punished to clean the toilet for a month, their deeds have become typical of the entire academy. However, commoner students would at most laugh along with them, and only the First Army people would despise their behavior and wish they could be sent to the North Slope Mine immediately.
Tilly didn't express much, "Next."
Goode put aside his distracting thoughts and said solemnly, "Love."
The ranks stirred again.
"Does that count as something you've learned?"
"I'm afraid he couldn't think of any other words..."
He thought the Princess Royal would express dissatisfaction or ask further questions, but her gaze only lingered for a moment before shifting to the next student.
After everyone had answered, Tilly nodded, "You haven't been flying for long, but you have learned a lot! Now integrate and connect them, and use them in the next training—whether it's skills or will!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" Everyone stood up and said.
"You will be divided into two groups, three teams on each side, for simulated confrontation! The rules are very simple, as long as you lock the opponent in the crosshairs for ten seconds without being thrown off, it counts as a successful takedown. In the past, you only practiced shooting at fixed targets on the ground, but this time, you will experience what a real aerial duel looks like!"
Everyone was immediately
excited.
"Your, Your Highness!" A student couldn't wait to raise his hand.
"Speak."
"There are no bullets in the... gun, right?"
"Fool." Finjin mocked in a low voice.
"Of course not," Tilly shook her head, "To be precise, there isn't even a gun... only a model is installed in the nose and fuselage. You don't have to worry about accidentally pulling the trigger in a panic and actually shooting down a teammate."
Everyone laughed.
"Besides, aerial shooting is much more complicated than ground simulation. It's not like you're guaranteed to hit just by locking them in the crosshairs, so even if there were bullets, you'd probably miss nine out of ten shots." She shrugged, "Any other questions?"
Sure enough, the Princess has changed a bit, Goode thought. If it were the former Princess, she wouldn't be able to show such a relaxed expression.
"Me, me, me—" Finjin raised his hand. After receiving permission, he glanced at the First Army students, "Your Highness, since it's a confrontation, how do we determine the winner? Even if I bite the other party so hard that they can't fight back, it doesn't mean they're willing to admit defeat."
Although the official students have never experienced air combat, the classroom has taught the basic concepts—Air Knights who want to defeat the enemy should try to point the nose of the plane at the target as much as possible. This process is called "biting." The rear seat also has a machine gun position, but the shooting angle is limited, and it is more used to assist and suppress enemy pursuit.
"I will judge this." Tilly took the hands of two women beside her—"They are guests I specially invited. Every move you make will be seen by me, so don't think about cheating."
"...It's Sylvie."
"The other one seems to be the steward of Sleeping Spell..." Goode heard the First Army students whispering behind him.
"And the apprentice formation over there is not just sitting there either." The Princess continued, "See the two-colored flags in their hands? Looking down from the sky, their formation is arranged in six numbers. After you take off, the green flag represents normal, and the red flag represents being shot down. Pay attention to your number turning red and then exit the combat area and return to the airport. Understand?"
"Understood!"
"Good, I'll divide the teams now."
Unexpectedly, the teams were not formed in order, but there was a special list. In the end, Goode and Finjin were assigned to the same team, numbered Two.
"These are the candidates for the first batch of boarding training. You decide who drives and who shoots. Fifteen minutes later, teams one to three will take off first and cannot stay in the airport airspace. The last three teams will take off five minutes later, and then the training will officially begin!" Tilly clapped her hands, "Show me everything you have learned!"
Goode couldn't help but clench his fists.
He felt his heart pounding.
"Did you notice?" Finjin leaned over.
"Ah." Goode replied. Group one and group two were not randomly selected. The first three teams were all commoner students, and the last three teams were all from the First Army.
The Princess Royal wanted to see which side was stronger!
"Heh, just what I wanted," Finjin rubbed his nose, "I've been putting up with their taunts for a long time. I admit to being punished for making mistakes, but since we're Air Knights, it still comes down to natural talent!"
Goode didn't care who won or lost, he just hoped that each flight could be longer so that he could stay in that joy for a while longer. He looked down at his hands—they were trembling slightly, as if responding to his heart. The thought of being able to grip the control stick made him feel a surge of heat all over his body.
"I'll drive the plane, you just shoot well." Finjin patted him on the shoulder.
"You know that's impossible." Goode said without hesitation.
The two stared at each other for a long time, and finally Finjin said helplessly, "Okay, same rules as always."
A simple and effective method of adjudication is popular in Neverwinter City. The specific source is unknown. Some say it is commonly used within the Witch Union, and others say it comes from His Majesty, but no matter what, it is indeed very effective.
"Rock—paper—scissors!"
"I won." Goode put away his palm.
Finjin stared at his fist for a long time before muttering with deep resentment, "Just this once, anyway, there will be many more trainings like this in the future."
The two came to where the biplanes were parked and boarded the plane in order of number.
"You... good luck!" Heinz gestured vigorously on the side of the runway—he was not on the first confrontation list, so he consciously acted as an encourager, as for the meaning of his eyes, it was self-evident.
"Hmph, we haven't been practicing for nothing." Finjin pulled down his goggles and gave the ground crew a thumbs up.
The ladder was quickly removed, and as the joystick turned rapidly, the propeller on the nose made two snapping sounds and slowly began to rotate.
When the piston started and the throttle was connected, Goode felt as if the mechanical creation under him had come to life.
"Runway clear, you can take off!" The ground crew saluted.
He raised his arm vigorously and returned a standard military salute, "Aircraft Two, sortie!"
The biplane slid onto the runway under his control, then accelerated continuously until it rushed into the blue sky against the sea breeze.