Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 141

Chapter 141: My Brother Doesn’t Suit a General-Purpose Clawsolas – By Eleia
  With the resolution of various matters that had been postponed, each faction was gradually making preparations for their withdrawal. During this time, we set up a simple table at the boundary of the campsite, where boundaries were practically non-existent, and indulged in a slightly late afternoon tea.
  
  To be honest, I was merely invited, but I was enjoying the nostalgic flavor of Darjeeling tea brewed by Nina, who had connections even beyond the Eastern countries.
  
  “I’ve been drinking only herbal tea lately, so this is quite moving.”
  “Is it Fine-jouchan’s preference… or rather a logistics issue?”
  
  “It’s sad that the only port we can unload at is a small river port.”
  “It’s quite a mountainous region, easy to defend, difficult to attack, this Knight Kingdom.”
  
  If you were to compare it to the Earth before the transition, it would be near Switzerland. While it’s a transportation hub connecting neighboring countries, geographical factors haven’t allowed the water transportation industry to develop.
  
  The young lady’s deduction, as she ate a Sachertorte with her glossy cherry-colored lips, was correct. It was only natural that the distribution of luxury goods exported from the New World and the Southeast Asian coast would be limited.
  
  “Originally, this is a land where you wouldn’t be able to get North Sea salmon, so you should be grateful to me for popularizing canned food. You Japanese love fish, don’t you?”
  
  “I won’t deny it. And if I could eat sashimi, I’d cry tears of joy.”
  “Hmm, I’d rather refrain from eating raw fish. I’m scared of anisakis and such.”
  
  I was coldly dismissed, told to secure my own freezing technology and distribution channels if I wanted to eat it. With a wry smile, I looked towards the multiple Clawsolas silhouettes lying in the farmland that had been trampled during the battle at the south gate of the city.
  
  The “Mechanical Magi” Albireo, which had already had its Magic Furnace and Magic Core replaced, had been repaired to a walkable state. It had also been discovered that the Forest People could operate the single-seater “Mechanical Doll” Aeon, so those two were not included.
  
  The ones taking time to repair were the captured Clawsolas that had been entrusted to the inexperienced squires. A rush job was underway to restore the remaining Clawsolas by sacrificing the three heavily damaged Gladius units in what was called “cannibalistic maintenance.”
  
  Local engineers and alchemists, who had transported their tools by wagon from Dresden, the second largest city in the territory, were also participating.
  
  “Honestly, I don’t know how you managed it, but you’ve become friends with the Rigsia military personnel before I knew it.”
  
  “I happened to pick up the cane that the old man had in the city. I gave it to a traveling merchant from Holst who was looking for lost items, and for some reason, he introduced me to Lord Ramsey. Also, this…”
  
  I took out the personal letter that had been delivered and read about half an hour ago by the scout captain I had been acquainted with since immediately after my transition, and handed it to the suspicious Nina.
  
  The signature she quickly glanced at was written in a soft, feminine hand and read Ulrica Mayding.
  
  “The granddaughter of the deceased Senate President Aldabert… Well, the purpose and format are that of a thank-you letter, but judging by the content, it’s a love letter.”
  
  “If I brought this into the tent and Revia saw it, she’d report all sorts of things.”
  
  Apparently, the girl was quite fond of her grandfather. The parchment contained polite thanks for the return of the lost item, which she had half given up on, expressed in intelligent terms, and went on and on about the goodwill towards the decisive Knight King that she had heard from the old man.
  
  “This wolf girl, she’s just wearing sheep’s clothing. There’s something behind it. The logical consistency of the context and her tendency to fall in love with someone she’s never met don’t match up.”
  
  “It’s just social courtesy… There’s a geographical distance between here and the northern part of the Empire where she lives, and there’s no reason for the Knight Kingdom to be involved with her, so she can write whatever she wants.”
  
  While thinking that she was quite the diligent writer, I took a bite of the torte. It wasn’t the imitation I had seen a few times in Japanese cafes, but the authentic one invented in 1832 by Franz Sacher, who was 16 years old at the time.
  
  It was a bit too sweet for me, so I ate it with the unsweetened whipped cream served on the side, taking breaks to cleanse my palate.
  
  “I like how diligent Claude-dono is, not leaving any of it even though you don’t seem to like sweet things.”
  “It’s delicious if I eat it occasionally, really.”
  
  “Fufu, it doesn’t look good with your beard covered in cream.”
  
  Nina took out a handkerchief from a hidden pocket in her elegant dress and reached out her slender hand. I was obediently letting her wipe my mouth when… I heard quiet footsteps from diagonally behind me.
  
  Turning my chair around, I saw Eleia, her silver hair shining in the sunlight.
  
  “If Izana-sama’s attendant mage sees you, you’ll be dragged off to the lecture room again. The only one allowed exceptional treatment is Revia-neesama.”
  
  “I haven’t done anything wrong. More importantly, is the Begalta’s arm modification finished?”
  “Yes, now our Clawsolas can use the unique armament we found♪”
  
  With the arrival of full-fledged winter, it was highly likely that there wouldn’t be any large-scale battles for a while. However, the silver-haired, blue-eyed mage girl, who held a secret dissatisfaction with the fact that her beloved brother’s Clawsolas was nothing more than a second-generation mass-produced model, smiled gently.
  
  “Even that careless Dino-sama has a modified Clawsolas, but my brother has a ‘common, general-purpose Clawsolas.’ Even if the gods and Buddha forgive it, I won’t. You have to aim for the top…”
  
  “Saying that about my child in front of his mother, you’ve got guts. Are you still messing with the Belphegor without being satisfied?”
  
  The territorial young lady narrowed her eyes at the remark she couldn’t ignore, but the Tsukigase siblings had achieved considerable results in this expedition, so their requests couldn’t be taken lightly.
  
  Sandwiched between the cheerful Eleia and the displeased Nina, I took a sip of the slightly lukewarm tea and swallowed it along with my somewhat melancholic mood.