Chapter 4: Leave All Hesitation Behind the Blade!
[space_man][space_man]”If it’s a small country like the one we belong to, it might have less national power than even the Zephyrus Domain alone…”
[space_man][space_man]”That’s a harsh reality.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Ugh, but there are many similar countries on the continent… That’s right, Captain!”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Ah, even among them, we are advanced enough to be able to significantly modify giant knights. I diligently flattered and curried favor with the ‘female fox’ of Zephyrus… to the point where she’s willing to lend us some of the Rare Human technicians she’s gathered.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The Rare Human currently maintaining the Clawsolas Fourth Unit, which I’m scheduled to operate, seems to be an American of immigrant descent. Perhaps some of the people who have gone missing in various places have wandered into a different world like this.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]（I’m in the midst of experiencing it firsthand, after all.）
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]If I wield the blade I’ve honed against monstrous Aberrations, it seems like I won’t have trouble making a living. However, there are injured soldiers groaning in pain all around, and there’s a risk of losing one’s life in battle.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]It’s natural to value the one life you have, but even if you cherish it dearly, you’ll just grow old and die anyway. My grandfather used to tell me, “Don’t misuse your purpose,” but could this be what he meant?
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]””Leave all hesitation behind the blade,” huh…?””
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]As long as I remain bewildered by the current situation, I’m far from reaching my ancestors’ level. I let out a heavy sigh under the sky that’s starting to turn into a sunset.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I know it’s unsettling when you can’t see what lies ahead, and since we’ll be partners, at least during the expedition, please let me know if you have any worries or troubles, okay?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I’ll rely on you, thank you.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]I thanked Revia, who showed concern despite being a little embarrassed, and tilted my head, wondering what I should do from now on.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Hmm, after the battle, it’s our important job to rest and prepare for the next one, so we should head to the tent that they set up… Ah.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Is there a problem?”
[space_man][space_man]”Well, the giant knight pilots are assigned tents in pairs…”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]In other words, it’s her and Dino’s tent, and now that he’s off the Clawsolas, its use is ambiguous. Basically, tents are expensive and bulky, not suitable for carrying around, so they’re not provided to all soldiers. It seems most of them use thick coats or trees to shelter from the wind and rain.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Anyway, the question is whether it’s okay for me to intrude on the tent assigned to the Clawsolas Fourth Unit pilot. Just as we both started to worry, someone called out to us.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I’ve moved Dino’s belongings to my and my father’s tent, so there’s no problem.”
[space_man][space_man]”Oh, really? Thank you, Fine.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”No need for thanks. Right, Otou-sama?”
[space_man][space_man]”You two, I’ll take care of that guy for a while and retrain him. Feel free to use the tent.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Captain Xenos, after slapping my back unceremoniously with his large hand, turned on his heel and headed towards the largest tent, which was also used for military conferences, accompanied by his adopted daughter.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Well then, shall we go too?”
[space_man][space_man]”Yeah.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Having said that, I hesitated at the entrance, feeling somewhat reluctant to be confined in a small tent with a pretty girl.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Hmm?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Revia, perhaps because she’s a military mage, seemed to have no such resistance. She quickly went inside and turned around, looking at me with questioning eyes.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]（”When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” huh?）
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Feeling flustered as someone slightly older when the other party isn’t particularly conscious of it felt somewhat pathetic. So, I cut away my vulgar emotions and stepped inside.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]The inside of the moss-green tent, which blended into the forest landscape, was bare, with only blankets and the like.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Thinking it was natural since we were on the march, I sat down in a corner. Revia, who had been rummaging through her luggage, took out a ceramic bottle and poured an amber liquid into two wooden mugs. Judging from the aroma, it was probably cider made from fermented apples.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]（I don’t know if they have apples here, though.）
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]While thinking it was a curious thing, I received the mug she politely offered and checked the smell before drinking.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Is this apple wine?”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Yeah, it seems that Claude’s world and this one are connected by the ‘Horizon of Causality’? So, the food and drinks are quite similar.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Grateful for this fortunate fact, I tilted the wooden mug in my hand and moistened my throat with the first liquid I’d had since arriving here, feeling relieved.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”… Um, you probably already know this, but I’m Revia Lumias, a wind and fire mage. Nice to meet you again.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”I’m Kurato Madarame. I’m sure there are many things I don’t understand, so I might cause you some trouble.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Facing each other in the narrow tent, we both bowed our heads. After that, until dinner time, I bombarded her with questions to grasp the current situation.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]”Ugh, you’re surprisingly meticulous.”
[space_man][space_man]”No, I think it’s common sense to be thorough.”
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Information, depending on its quality, expands your options the more you have. As a result of digging deep and asking detailed questions…
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Revia, holding a spoon in her hand with a bowl of vegetable and meat soup for dinner, had a slightly tired expression, not because she was giving up, but because she had a spoon in her mouth.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Thanks to her noble sacrifice, I was able to understand that the group that picked me up was the Lizel Knight Kingdom’s Knight Order, a small country close to the “Hour of Ruin”‘s territory. I also learned that their objective was to destroy the enemy’s foothold, the “Spirit Gate,” which was being built within the country.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Also, as I heard a little earlier, I became more familiar with the circumstances surrounding the giant knights. King Strauss had offered a large sum of money to Lady Nina Valer, a regional lord of the neighboring Aius Empire, and received them along with technicians as instructors.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Incidentally, it seems the young lady, whom Captain Xenos referred to as the ‘female fox,’ has been inviting useful Rare Humans to her territory as close aides, so it might be a good idea to try contacting her at some point.
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]（Well, for the time being, I have no choice but to rely on the Lizel Knight Order and contribute to the destruction of the Spirit Gate. I don’t really want to get used to the feeling of cutting through flesh and bone, though…）
[space_man][space_man]
[space_man][space_man]Despite the kill-or-be-killed situation, I admonished myself for feeling a slight thrill at the unexpected opportunity to use the battle swordsmanship I had idly honed in modern society. Thus, my first day in this strange world came to an end.