Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 142

Chapter 142: Since it started snowing, I’ll be returning to my country
  “It’s subtly bothering me, so I’ll ask, but where did you touch, Claude-dono?”
  
  “I just replaced the arm attachments and connected the artificial muscles and nerve nodes to the hidden shield “Thunder Spider” made by the White Fox that I picked up on the way.”
  
  The unique armament in question was an ancient Elven masterpiece unearthed from the hills outside the city of Dresden, based on information suggested by the twins from a replica modeled after the White Elf Queen. It is equipped with a first-strike capability that can be decisive in close-quarters combat.
  
  When Nina, who was hooked on the topic, showed interest, Eleia, with a smug attitude and puffing out her somewhat modest chest, explained the mechanism of the special arm shield in detail.
  
  “I see, the multiple wires that are ejected in a fan shape are difficult to evade in a hurry and seem effective. Moreover, it’s made of pure mithril and can interfere with the magic of the opponent’s Clawsolas…”
  
  “Fufu, it’s an all-in-one offensive and defensive armament that seems to be made for my brother and me who handle lightning attributes ♪ Once you’re caught in the spider’s threads, the purple lightning magic wrapped around my left arm will conduct and stiffen the opponent’s muscles.”
  
  Taking advantage of the opponent’s slowed movements, they would finish them off with a twin-sword combo. There were no particular objections, and the arm shield, containing many small devices, was attached to the Tsukigase siblings’ Begalta.
  
  ‘When I received the explanation of the found item from the twin elves, Eleia, with the eyes of a hawk targeting its prey, was checking the surroundings.’
  
  With a wry smile, I thought that no one could object to that, and as the conversation came to a close and the young ladies’ words ceased, I mentioned one of several points to confirm with Nina.
  
  “The Chief Magician back home is sending messengers disguised as travelers, telling me to come back… This morning was the third one. Are you still unable to move?”
  
  “It’s impossible. I can’t just leave Count Zeppelin, who was shot down, and it will take about another week. This is also because the Knight Kingdom has seized the workshops in Dresden.”
  
  She scoffed, saying that I had no right to complain, and lamented the current state of the Zephyrus Domain forces, whose repairs of giant knights and other equipment were lagging behind ours.
  
  Apparently, the neighboring territories and the imperial capital were not generously providing equipment to the feudal lord’s daughter, who possessed the country’s leading industrial area, for the reconstruction of the Rigsia territory, which had lost all of its Clawsolas forces.
  
  “Why do we have to go out of our way to get them from our own territory, and why are we getting the short end of the stick when we saved the city of Leipzig? It doesn’t make sense…”
  “Don’t be ridiculous… You’ve reversed the power relationship with the Imperial Faction and have also been allowed to relax the upper limit on the number of Clawsolas you can possess. And wasn’t the Spirit Gate in the central square an unexpected harvest?”
  
  When I threw some sarcasm at Lady White Fox, who had shrewdly secured valuable enemy resources in the process of exterminating the small Aberrations that had spread throughout the city, she visibly frowned.
  
  “…Yeah, that thing, it’s just a poisonous rock. It had already used up the power of the stars it had stored from the earth’s veins. Kuu, I thought I could build a flying battleship and carrier-based Clawsolas capable of high-altitude descent.”
  
  “It would be a problem if you built strategic weapons that would clearly disrupt the military balance of the surrounding countries.”
  “I feel like it would be an unnecessary source of trouble.”
  
  Ignoring little Eleia’s mutterings of “I understand why the Imperial Faction is wary of the Zephyrus Domain,” I brought the conversation back from the tangent it had gone off on.
  
  It’s been snowing on and off for the past few days, so I can’t put it off any longer.
  
  “I’m sorry, but… as soon as the repairs of the captured Clawsolas are finished, we’ll be withdrawing, even if we’re not all in sync. If the mountain roads on the border become unusable, the regular soldiers will be stranded.”
  
  “It would be unbearable for only Clawsolas pilots like us to return home first on our giant knights, and marching through the snow is out of the question.”
  
  Nina, who had been lost in thought after being pointed out by the silver-haired mage who agreed, raised her slightly lowered face and beckoned to one of the guards waiting a short distance away.
  
  She urged the young soldier who quickly approached to send messengers to the various neutral territories that would be unavoidable on the return journey.
  
  Even if they were neighboring countries in an alliance that anticipated the Hour of Ruin, they probably wouldn’t want us to move around freely within the empire on our own.
  
  “Assign either the knights who are idle because they lost their mounts to the water guides, or several soldiers from the rank of company commander or lower. Have Aynst select the candidates.”
  
  “Understood. I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”
  
  As soon as the soldier turned on his heel and left, a young maidservant gracefully approached the table and picked up a white porcelain pot, trying to refill the empty cups with tea.
  
  When I stopped her with one hand and declined, the familiar local-born Japanese girl tilted her head cutely.
  
  “I can make different kinds of tea with milk or lemon, Mr. Bushido?”
  
  “No, I feel bad making my friend’s sister stand while I relax. Thank you for the hospitality.”
  “You’re welcome… I guess we should get back to Clawsolas maintenance.”
  
  Seen off by Nina waving her hand, I stepped into our main tent, still at a loss with Miss Ulrica’s overly flattering personal letter.
  
  Early in the morning two days later, the Knight Kingdom’s expeditionary force, having completed their withdrawal preparations, set off on their return journey, led by a Zephyrus dragoon squad. After a journey of less than two weeks, they reached the vicinity of the royal capital Asia for the first time in about two months.