Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 51

Chapter 51
  『Unfortunately… This telepathy can only convey my intentions.』
  
  
  Dino continued speaking to the Rare Human girl, who slumped her shoulders in disappointment.
  
  『Communicate your intentions with a nod or shake of your head.』
  <...>
  
  The girl’s expression returned to one of exhaustion, as if she was worn out by a sense of futility. She hung her head and gave a weak nod.
  
  In response, Dino made the Clawsolas stand up, took a step back, and hung the Gun Sword he was holding onto his sword belt. Then, returning to a stationary posture, he extended his large hand.
  
  『If you need the protection of our Knight Kingdom, get on.』
  『I’ll invite you to the royal capital, Asia.』
  
  ‘A woman’s voice?’
  
  For a moment, the girl felt a sense of doubt at the gentle voice that echoed in her mind… but there was another, bigger problem.
  
  The giant knight in front of her was about 15-16 meters tall when standing, and the surface area of its palm was less than 1 square meter. While it was large enough to sit on, considering the vibrations during movement and other factors, it could be considered quite dangerous.
  
  
  
  It was understandable that she would hesitate, but the truth was, she had no other choice.
  
  It had already been four days since she got lost in an unfamiliar land on her way home from archery practice, and her hunger had reached its limit. That being said, she couldn’t bring herself to eat the unidentified fruits growing on the trees in the wetland.
  
  Besides, dressing the small animals she had hunted with her bow and arrows was a hurdle too high for her, an ordinary high school girl.
  
  ‘Thanks to my daily practice, I was able to repel the horned rabbit, but…’
  
  If things continued like this, she would die of starvation before long. As she was lost in thought, perhaps growing impatient, she was urged on by another giant knight.
  
  『What is your answer?』
  
  
  Making up her mind, the girl nodded timidly. She cautiously approached and sat down on the right palm of the Clawsolas Guardia, clinging to one of its extended fingers.
  
  Seeing this, a moment of concern arose in the blue-haired knight, and before he could stop himself, it was transmitted to everyone through the telepathy device.
  
  『Ugh, it wouldn’t be a laughing matter if I accidentally crushed her…』
  『Hey, Dino!?』
  
  <... Maybe I should reconsider going with you...>
  
  The rescued black-haired girl muttered, and even though they didn’t understand the meaning of her words, an awkward atmosphere filled the air. His Clawsolas slowly and carefully stood up.
  
  『Rain, lead the way with the fourth Clawsolas.』
  『Understood. Leave the perimeter security to me.』
  
  The Clawsolas of Rain, who readily agreed, turned around and started to retrace the path they had taken. Dino also started to walk his Clawsolas, beginning their journey back.
  
  It took about an hour and a half to return, even more carefully than on the way there, as they couldn’t travel at their normal cruising speed to minimize vibrations during movement. They didn’t encounter any monsters comparable to the mid-sized Aberrations they had worried about, and the faint lights of the royal capital, Asia, emerged from the darkness.
  
  As they finally reached the gate of the city walls, two distinctive buildings came into view in the distance.
  
  ‘Is that tallest building the castle?’
  
  The girl, clinging tightly to her ring finger on the palm of the giant knight, thought casually. However, the tallest structure in the royal capital was the spire of Fearless Cathedral, owned by the church.
  
  Therefore, contrary to her expectations, the Clawsolas headed towards the royal castle, the second tallest structure after the cathedral spire, as it entered the city.
  
  ‘Is religion more powerful than the monarchy here?’
  
  While the girl pondered, comparing the particularly prominent large buildings, the two Clawsolas reached the Clawsolas depot within the castle walls.
  
  『I’ll let you off here for now. Be careful not to fall.』
  『…Dino, be careful, okay?』
  
  Perhaps because of Lise’s added words, the blue-haired knight, despite his gruff demeanor, gently bent one knee of his Clawsolas and slowly lowered his right arm.
  
  Before the steel palm touched the ground, the black-haired girl let out a small scream as she noticed a huge frame lying in the darkness of the depot.
  
  Lise, who had been focused on the palm for safety, sensed the situation and smiled a little proudly.
  
  『It’s a Clawsolas frame that’s been preserved with alchemy. If we connect it with artificial muscles, it’ll become a base unit.』
  
  For about a month, secretly receiving full support from the Zephyrus Domain, the revitalized Knight Kingdom had been gathering abundant resources, even deploying Clawsolas, and had already finished constructing the frames for two giant knights.
  
  Because it looked somewhat like a giant skeleton, Dino, slightly exasperated, used the telepathy device to address the girl who had been captivated by it.
  
  『Could you get off now?』
  
  
  The girl bowed her head slightly and jumped down from the Clawsolas’ palm. The eyes of the late-shift maintenance crew, who had come to greet the returning Clawsolas, were drawn to her.
  
  Not wanting to prolong the awkwardness, the blue-haired knight used the lifting wire to descend from his Clawsolas to the ground before the girl. He spotted Jax, the crew chief, and walked towards him.
  
  “Sorry, I’m late due to unforeseen circumstances.”
  “No, this is our job, so I’m not complaining.”
  
  After expressing his gratitude to the Rare Human engineer, who was about to start a light inspection, he moved to the girl’s side, who was at a loss for what to do, and waited for a bit. Lise and Rain, who had gotten off their Clawsolas later, joined them.
  
  “Well, first we need to go see Captain Xenos.”
  “We can’t keep him waiting for the report too long.”
  
  “Actually, I’m getting hungry, so I want to finish this quickly.”
  
  Looking at Johan, who gave a wry smile, Dino sighed and turned his gaze to the rescued Rare Human, thinking that his wish wouldn’t be granted.
  
  ‘This is part of the job too, huh…’
  
  Recalling the words of the maintenance crew chief he had just heard, he gestured to the black-haired girl to follow him and headed towards the Knight Captain’s office inside the castle.