Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 59

Chapter 59: When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do
  Meanwhile, in the royal capital Asia of the Lizel Knight Kingdom, where a mage stationed in Vern, the capital of the Lichtea Principality, had sent a written request for reinforcements via a white hawk familiar… The maintenance crew was hurriedly moving between the workshop and the stables, preparing the giant knights for deployment.
  
  Several alchemy mages and blacksmiths were gathered, conducting final checks on the domestically produced knight “Svel,” which had just completed its performance evaluation test the other day. It was a white knight with black armor mixed in, and it was also slated for deployment.
  
  
  
  Ishido Kotono, dressed in a knight’s uniform so that anyone could hear her, leaked her anxieties in Japanese and looked up at her Clawsolas, which was being adjusted. Her partner, the mage Iris, was aboard, checking the status of the Magic Core and Magic Furnace.
  
  Perhaps because they were the same age, she quickly hit it off with the timid girl… However, it wouldn’t do for her to get caught up in the fighting and die alongside Kotono in the worst-case scenario.
  
  ‘No, that’s not right… Am I just trying to shift my own fear onto her?’
  
  When in doubt, she believed it was best to consult with others rather than bottling things up alone. She looked around, searching for a fellow countryman she could trust.
  
  Though she seemed like a cheerful girl, Kotono was a realist at heart and had a prioritized list of people in her mind. Even if there was no particular discrimination, she tended to prioritize fellow Japanese over the locals who categorized her as a “Rare Human.”
  
  Currently, Kurato, the Knight King, and Souichirou-jii-san, who taught her the common language of the continent, occupied a special place. Next came Lise, a girl of the same gender who had helped her in various ways, followed by Dino, who she ‘believed’ was Lise’s lover.
  
  However, even as she sat on a wooden crate and let her gaze wander, there was no suitable person in sight. Inadvertently, her eyes met with the red-haired mage, Revia, who approached her with a cheerful expression.
  
  “Hmm, what’s up?”
  “Kurato-san… I was looking for him, is he around?”
  
  When Kotono spoke in the language she was still learning, the red-haired girl responded in a friendly manner, as if wagging her tail if she had one.
  
  “If you’re looking for Claude, he’s in a meeting with the captains and the others, but I think he’ll be here soon. We have to adjust Bel-chan too.”
  
  “Bel-chan, huh…”
  
  Despite the cute nickname, the ones diligently working on the maintenance of the ominous king’s exclusive Clawsolas, bringing a high-lift work platform close to it, were the twin petite elf girls, the epitome of the fantasy world.
  
  Unlike the ruling class of white elves who were defeated in a battle against the Aberrations long ago and absorbed into the “Hour of Ruin,” the few survivors seemed to be eking out a living in hidden villages scattered throughout the land.
  
  During that time, when they were troubled by the construction of a Spirit Gate in the Great Forest, their living space, a giant knight appeared. It looked like a “Mechanical Magi,” which the white elves in their prime had devised using all their technological prowess to fight large Aberrations.
  
  The elves of this world generally loved tinkering with machines. So, the young elves of the village were excited by the advanced technology that had been lost long ago. After much discussion, the twin sisters won the right to investigate… and were promptly caught by the Lunavadis siblings on patrol after sneaking into the Clawsolas workshop.
  
  Despite the somewhat foolish circumstances, thanks to their high racial comprehension and intelligence, they quickly improved their skills and blended into the maintenance crew.
  
  “Umm, Jax-hancho, could you check the drive system a bit more?”
  “Ugh, the last mock battle… It was intense because the King’s opponent was Lloyd-san.”
  
  “They went at it pretty seriously, so please do your best.”
  “”Roger that~””
  
  Revia and Kotono watched the elf girls, their distinctive bamboo shoot-shaped ears twitching as they returned to work. Kotono felt a sense of dissonance at this image of elves, which was different from what she had imagined. Then, Kurato, accompanied by the Chief Magician, came into view.
  
  “Good work, you two.”
  “Good work, Claude and Otou-san♪”
  
  “Revi, at least call him ‘King’ sometimes…”
  “I don’t mind. More importantly, how’s the progress on the pre-deployment maintenance?”
  
  Ignoring Blaze’s slightly exasperated comment, as being addressed with such a grandiose title was only tiring, Kurato asked his partner and turned his gaze to his Clawsolas, Belphegor.
  
  “Hmm, my turn might be a little later?”
  “Mia and Mila are thorough with their maintenance…”
  
  After confirming that the unexpected find, the twin elves, were lively working on the Clawsolas, he turned back to the two girls… and noticed Kotono’s hesitant expression.
  
  He guessed it was probably related to this being her first battle and spoke to her in a way that wouldn’t cause any trouble.
  
  
  
  
  
  Observing her as she gave a wry smile, he mentioned something that might lessen her burden.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The corpses of the guards and residents of Winzard, a core city belonging to the Empire, which he had seen through the pseudo-eyeballs of his Clawsolas at the destroyed east gate, flashed through his mind, and he inadvertently showed a somewhat gloomy expression.
  
  
  
  
  He quickly changed the subject, as it would be counterproductive to make Kotono, who had been trying to cheer him up, feel down. He deliberately spoke in an optimistic tone.
  
  
  
  
  <... Hmm, I guess I've become accustomed to it without realizing it.>
  
  Inwardly shaken by his own adaptability, he unconsciously ruffled the hair of Revia, who was looking bored because she couldn’t understand the foreign language.
  
  “Whoa! Why me!? Well, I don’t mind…”
  
  Contrary to her, who didn’t seem to mind at all, her father, Blaze, the Chief Magician, had a complicated expression on his face, but Kurato decided to ignore it for now.