Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 20

Chapter 20: This Is a Half-Bell Sermon Course By Eleia
  『Certainly, it’s John Nash’s game theory, isn’t it?』
  『Game? Sounds like fun♪』
  
  Revia’s delighted voice echoed in my ears, so I mathematically explained the theory that if each individual pursues rational profit, in most cases, an equilibrium point will arise, and it will settle into a conclusion that includes some waste and loss.
  
  『… Not interesting at all!』
  『Is that so? I think it’s quite interesting…』
  
  『Ugh, trying to act smart, geez.』
  『Well, even if you say that…』
  
  Lloyd and the others didn’t show any rejection to the difficult topic, so I ended up talking eloquently, remembering my university days, and it seems I’ve upset her.
  In retrospect, Eleia, who was giving me a good response, might have actually been bored as well.
  
  （I’ll treat you to some sweets when we get to our destination…）
  
  Before we left, Fine, the Knight Captain’s adopted daughter, told me that the core city of Zephyrus Domain, Winzard, has a lot of wonderful Western-style sweets, thanks to Lady White Fox’s preferences.
  
  If they can be preserved, I’d like to buy some for her and Izana as well… but preservation technology isn’t very advanced in this world, and there are no ice magic users among the accompanying mages.
  
  Though it’s a shame for those staying behind, we’ll have to enjoy them ourselves.
  
  （Hmm, if I lure Lise with food… no, if I rush to improve my relationship with Dino, it might backfire.）
  
  While thinking about pointless things and moving the Clawsolas’ legs for a while, I eventually saw something that looked like the spire of a cathedral in the distance down the road.
  
  Before long, the landscape changed into a dairy farming area. I carefully maneuvered the Clawsolas so as not to step off the narrow road, and after another bell and a half, we reached the south gate of the city walls of the core city, Raydas.
  
  The height of the city walls here was also not designed for the Clawsolas, which have only recently begun to spread, so the pseudo eyeballs captured the bustling central market of the town and the fountain created by diverting the river.
  
  『I bet most of the city walls would crumble in an instant if we attacked with a Clawsolas…』
  『You’re paying attention to the right things… but this isn’t the place to say that.』
  
  In response to the words I muttered unintentionally, a private line telepathic message came from Lloyd’s Clawsolas, making me realize that the guards were looking at us with distrustful eyes.
  
  Thinking calmly, although the Clawsolas is designed for fighting Aberrations, if it were used in a conflict between humans, existing defense methods would become almost useless.
  
  Probably, the only thing that can counter an invasion using Clawsolas is another Clawsolas, and therefore, Zephyrus Domain, which can develop the latest Clawsolas, and Nina Valer, pose a threat to the Imperial Faction nobles.
  
  At the edge of my vision, as I realized this fact anew, Raizes, the Vice-Captain, who was completing the entry procedures into the city with the guards, grimaced at my previous statement.
  
  『This is a half-bell sermon course, Claude-sama.』
  『Please spare me…』
  
  It would be best if Eleia’s teasing chuckle and prediction were wrong, but judging from the sudden deterioration of the atmosphere on the other side, it’s probably going to be spot on.
  
  With a gloomy feeling, I knelt the Clawsolas outside the city walls as instructed, opened the chest armor with one hand, and asked Revia to remove the artificial muscles and protective coating clinging to my body.
  
  “Phew…”
  
  After taking a deep breath of fresh air, I asked the red-haired girl who was stretching in the back seat with a “Hmm” to clear up a sudden question that came to mind.
  
  “They told us to leave the Clawsolas stationed here… but is security alright?”
  “Huh, ‘security’?”
  
  She tilted her head cutely, as if she didn’t understand the meaning, so I rephrased it once more.
  
  “Well, I’m asking if it’s okay to leave it here without it being stolen or anything.”
  “It’s alright, the heart of the Fourth Clawsolas won’t work without me.”
  
  From Revia’s tone, I realized that the Clawsolas’ exclusive mage is the key to its activation, just as Eleia’s voice reached me from the Second Clawsolas, which was kneeling nearby with its chest armor open.
  
  “Unless the magic wave recorded in the heart’s Magic Core matches that of the mage, the Clawsolas won’t move by ordinary means. It’s a different story if the technicians put in the time and effort, though.”
  
  “It’s well-made.”
  “That’s why we can’t underestimate Nina Valer.”
  
  Responding to the voice from below, I looked up at Vice-Captain Raizes, who had come to the side of the Clawsolas, and quickly put my feet through the pedals of the lifting wire.
  
  I grabbed the wire I pulled out with a familiar motion with my right hand and descended, entrusting my weight to the wire that only extends at a certain speed.
  
  Revia, wrapped in a magically generated whirlwind, jumped over my head and landed first, and I followed shortly after, stepping onto the ground for the first time in several hours.
  
  Some of the soldiers were already preparing for camping outside the walls, creating a sense of urgency.
  
  Naturally, it would be difficult to accommodate our entire armed squad within the walls, so only a few of us would be allowed into the city.
  
  “Claude, regarding those who will accompany you…”
  
  In case of emergency, Lloyd, Dino, and the others who can operate the Clawsolas need to stay behind. Only Revia, the accompanying mage, Raizes, the watchdog, and a few soldiers will accompany me to the lord’s mansion.
  
  Since it would be rude to keep them waiting any longer, I left Aldo, the Cavalry Captain, and Lloyd in charge, and we headed towards the large mansion located in the center of the city.