Upon being poked lightly on the head, Karito’s consciousness finally returned.
“What is it?” He asked, not understanding the situation while stirring and twisting his pained body, trying to wake up.
When Reona’s face appeared from the side, he let out a high-pitched squeak .
“You finally woke up, huh?! Ahhh! Don’t make me worry you! You..!” She snarled, hackles rising.
“You! Stop poking my head! O-Oh, right... I guess I fainted, huh?” Karito yelped as he attempted to defend himself.
As he got up like an old man, he noticed that he, Reona, and Rina, who was sitting across Reona, were all in a carriage.
The carriage was made of some sort of wood or bamboo-like material with a covering canopy. In the corner was his HK416 and the helmet which he managed to take off before fainting.
At that moment, Rina grabbed tightly onto Karito’s arms, which had become stiff and twice as thick as before due to the bulletproof fibers of the armor. Rina approached with teary eyes, just like when they separated from him at the abandoned fortress.
“I was also worried you know?” The young girl sniffled.
“Ah, sorry. Sorry for making you worried.” He could only reply weakly in response.
It seemed that when he had fainted on the battlefield, he was carried onto the carriage, but that still left him with a lot of unanswered questions. Seeing that he wanted an explanation of the circ.u.mstances, Reona quickly opened her mouth.
“As you have instructed, after you went out, I ran the opposite direction into the forest with Rina. But, after running for a while, I was able to make contact with the soldiers who had come to scout the Alwinan Army by chance. It was the troops which my father led. After requesting desperately for them to check on you, we found the pursuers of the Alwinan army retreating hastily, leaving behind a mountain of corpses behind. It was surprising to find you fainted in the middle of it.”
On top of it all, other than not knowing how to take the armor off to check for injuries, they had a hard time loading him onto the carriage because he was heavy; Reona finished her explanation quickly.
In the end , Reona had especially came back for Karito. He didn’t know if he should be angry that she came back even after joining up with a friendly force and missing the chance to escape, or to be happy that she came back despite the risks. Karito was troubled by this thought.
It was inevitable for her to complain about the armor he was equipped with right now (Juggernaut MK3) because while the person equipping it wouldn’t feel it, but in addition to the original bomb suit which was close to 50 kg, there were also bulletproof plates and artificial muscles that add another tens of kilograms to the armour’s weight.
Right now, he was lying in the middle of the carriage with his armor still on while Reona and Rina were seated awkwardly on both sides, squeezing together in the narrow s.p.a.ce. By the reason that Karito had been laid down, and the width of the carriage wasn’t adequate, his body size right now was big enough that either his head or feet would have been sticking out of the carriage.
Since the structure of the armor was extremely different compared to the ones in this world, it was obvious for them to be unable to take it off. Rather, if they had tried to take it off by force, would it not be damaged somewhere? Karito felt uneasiness seize his heart.
“How did you even wear that by yourself? I mean, I was curious ever since the time we first met, and where did you take out such armors, weapons and food from?” Reona pestered.
“That’s a trade secret. For the time being, I will take it off.” Karito shrugged.
He took out the PDA and operated it, changing his current monstrous bomb suit into ordinary camouflage clothes. Rina and Reona were staring at him in amazement as he changed his appearance from what looked like a Daruma doll to forest camouflage clothing in an instant.
“What kind of trick is that?”
“Is it a magic item?”
The sisters demanded.
“No comment. This is probably something only I can do. Leaving that aside, my mouth feels disgusting.” Karito grumbled.
It was reasonable. After all, he vomited all he could before he fainted. A strange aftertaste was spreading inside his mouth, and it felt extremely unsettling.
He took out a PET bottle of mineral water from his item box and rinsed his mouth. As he couldn’t just spit it out inside the carriage, Karito lifted up the hood of the carriage and pushed his head out to spit out the contents in his mouth. But, he was a little surprised when he met the face of a person who was walking outside. It was a man with silver hair who gave off an intensely ferocious aura.
“Hmm? Did you wake up already?” The man asked.
“.........” Karito used some hand and body gestures to say ‘I can’t talk since there is something inside my mouth right now so please move away a little bit’, and the man with silver hair separated from the carriage obediently as he was told.
Karito spat out the water, making sure that he didn’t accidentally splash any onto the man. He looked at the silver haired man as he wiped his mouth.
When he first saw him, because they were too close, he failed to notice that the man was from the Garm Tribe, the same as Reona. His dog ears and tail were the same color as his silver hair. Aside from the chest and shoulder plates that seemed to be made from steel, he didn’t seem to be wearing any other articles of clothing, with the exception of the one that covered the back of his hand. Below his chest was a set of abs that even Karito would be jealous of.
[TL: help me to make it less gay please…..]
[ED: Nein. It shall remain gay lmao. It’s not even that gay in the first place though.]
“You are the soldier who helped Reona and Rina, isn’t it? Thank you very much for helping these two.” Karito bowed.
“No, no, you don’t need to thank me. Rather, that should be my line.” Karito was quickly stopped by the man.
“Eh?” Karito stared at him in curiosity.
“Thank you for helping my daughters. Reona and Rina are the only mementos left of my wife. On top of helping those children, you challenged the Alwina Forces alone only to let these girls go, and even came out victorious. You have my grat.i.tude from the bottom of my heart for your bravery.” Without stopping but still matching the speed of the carriage, the man who had masculine features like that of a humanized version of a wild wolf lowered his head while saying so.
[TL: d.a.m.nit onion ninja]
“You are Reona and Rina’s father?” Karito was rather taken aback.
“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself to the kind benefactor yet. I am Ordy, the platoon leader of the Citadel Defense Force from the Fortress City. Everyone here are my subordinates.” The man with silver hair, Ordy, stretched out his hand.
Karito held out his hand in reflex, and they exchanged a handshake. He had just noticed it, but there seemed to be several soldiers from the Garm tribe besides Ordy, and also several ordinary humans guarding the carriage.
The Garm tribesmen were walking on foot like Ordy, but the human soldiers were riding on horses. It seemed like it was common for the Garm tribe to not ride on a horse and just walk instead. It reminded him that Reona had told him something along this line before.
“Father is a hero who had been awarded a medal by the royal family directly because he had accrued much achievements in the war! Moreover, he is a fenrir with silver fur that is said to be born only once every few hundred years in the Garm Tribe!”
“Uoh! You surprised me!” Reona stuck her face out from behind as she leaned down onto Karito. Karito’s ears buzzed as Reona’s loud voice a.s.saulted his eardrums.
Looking at the action of his daughter, Ordy father showed an angry expression. A pair of sharp canines more developed than any ordinary man peeped out from his lips.
“Reona, what are you doing?! Be more respectful when you are in contact with the benefactor!” He lectured his daughter sternly.
“Kya!? I... I am sorry Father!” Immediately, Reona lowered her head obediently as she parted from Karito’s back.
How should he say it..? As expected of a military official? Their courteous disposition came with strict discipline.
“Sorry. My eldest daughter is overly familiar with anyone.” Ordy apologised.
“No, I didn’t mind. It feels good for me too.” Karito waved off the apology.
When she leaned over his back, there was zero distance between Reona’s b.r.e.a.s.t.s and his back. He had carelessly leaked out the second half in a small voice, but Ordy heard it clearly. It has been said before, but the Garm Tribe had superior hearing abilities.
“...Even if it is the benefactor, I will not let you get away if you make a move with such insolent thoughts towards my daughter, okay?” Ordy’s gaze bored into Karito’s frame.
“Sir! I shall engrave it into my heart, sir!” He retracted his head back into the carriage after giving a salute for no reason as he was fairly frightened by the glint in Ordy’s eyes.
However, he remembered that he hadn’t introduced himself as well, and poked his head outside again immediately.
“I am late to introduce myself too. I am Watari Karito. Watari is my surname, and Karito is my given name.” He stated.
“Is that so? It will still take some time before we reach our destination, so can you wait in the carriage with my daughters for a while? If you don’t mind, can you tell me the detailed story again when we arrive?” Ordy requested.
“Of course. I don’t mind at all. Rather, it should be me saying thank you since I was aiming to travel to towns or villages where people live. So, thank you, especially for carrying me who had fainted, and bringing me to a town.” Karito bowed.
When he retreated back again inside the carriage this time, his eyes met Reona’s, whose gaze was fixed onto me with a fascinated expression.
“Haha, as expected... You are honest despite your face.” Reona said with a smile.
“Well, sorry about that...” Karito muttered.
“But, even I feel surprised, okay? I heard a terrifying sound from the opposite side of the smoke, and when I left Rina with Father’s subordinates and came back to the fort, the fight was already over, and the corpses of the Alwinan army were lying around everywhere. And Karito, you were wearing an odd armor, fainted in the middle of the corpses. I thought that you were planning to take them down with you, and I was really fl.u.s.tered!” Reona exclaimed.
When he heard it, Karito’s expression twisted into a grimace. It was still fresh in his mind that just before he fainted, he had vomited from being unable to endure the shock of having killed an army of people, and collapsed.
He had felt pathetic and horrified. How could he lose his consciousness in such place? Had not it been Reona who came back but a soldier of the Alwinan army who came earlier, Karito would have been killed in his defenseless state. Above everything else, he was frightened of himself who was able to kill hundreds of people in one day.
“Karito... You look like you’re going to cry... Are you alright?” Rina asked, concerned.
“...I am just a little tired. It’s alright, there’s no problem at all.” Karito mumbled.
Despite using the same excuse that had worked in the previous world to dodge the question, Rina’s worried expression had yet to disappear. In fact, her expression turned more sorrowful, to the point where tears were about to burst out any moment.
Then, the outside light was blocked by the hood dimming illumination of the already dark carriage. To be more specific, it was only Karito’s vision that had turned dark, and sticking onto his face was something warm and soft.
Reona had embraced his head, and was burying Karito’s face into her voluptuous valley.
“You’re a strange guy. When you saved us at first, you had killed those people without any mercy.” Reona said softly.
“At that time... It was an emergency. Also, because blood had rushed to my head.” Karito stated, his words m.u.f.fled.
“By any chance, was that the first time you killed a person?” Reona inquired gently.
“...Yeah...” Karito whispered.
“Because I am not you, I can’t understand your troubles of killing a person.” Reona stated.
“......” Karito remained silent.
“But, I can tell you this at the very least. To me, what you did wasn’t wrong. Thanks to you, both Rina and I are able to live right now.” The beastwoman declared.
Karito didn’t move, and remained silently embraced by Reona.
“If you are having a hard time, I wouldn’t mind if you vented out it on me. Karito is our benefactor, and isn’t it a woman"s job to take care of a man when he’s weak?” She continued.
For a while, only the sound of wheels running on the unpaved road could be heard from inside the carriage.
Karito stayed silent, and Reona, who vaguely feels as if he was going to disappear somewhere, suddenly strengthened the power of her embrace.
After several dozens of seconds have pa.s.sed, he finally showed a reaction. He put his hand on Reona shoulder, and started to stir suddenly.
“...!.....!” m.u.f.fled, desperate-sounding words could be heard.
“O-Onee-chan? Perhaps you have used too much strength, and you’re strangling him..?”
“Eee?” Reona exclaimed and immediately let go.
When Reona released him, Karito was indeed repeatedly taking deep breaths, as if trying to devour all the oxygen available.
“I am thankful for the consolation, and was almost in tears, but I also almost died halfway!” Karito gasped, exasperated.
“Ahahaha! Sorry, sorry. Did it help you recover your spirits a bit?” Reona laughed unabashedly.
“...Yeah. I feel much better. Thank you, Reona.” Karito smiled.
“You are welcome.” Reona’s smiling face, coupled with her blonde hair and cheerfulness, was just like the dazzling early summer sun.
In just a few seconds, Karito had stared at Reona to the point he could bore a hole into her, fascinated by Reona’s smile.
“*Cough*, err, anyway, I’m already feeling alright, so, umm, I would be grateful if you could move away from me” Having returned to his senses, Karito pulled himself together when he noticed their present state.
He averted his eyes quite reluctantly from the awkward ambience. Karito was sitting down with both of his legs stretched out, and Reona was kneeling between the s.p.a.ce of his legs, her head being in a position taller than Karito. Reona was still in the same appearance even till now, her figure wrapped in tattered pieces of ragged cloth strips.
Only the top half of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were covered, so when he looked up at her, the lower area that wasn’t covered by the rags were exposed to him.
(...Ah, I think I can see the tip..!)
“You are strangely a late bloomer on certain matters, aren’t you? If you are that interested in it, I don’t mind if you want touch it or not.” Reona laughed.
“Even if you say so, I am troubled when you are being so open-minded about it! Also, I can’t do such a thing in front of your little sister!” Karito protested, completely red.
“D-Don’t mind me. If it’s Karito and onee-chan, then it can’t be helped...” Rina blushed.
“Please, don’t approve of it! And don’t pretend to cover your eyes! I can see your eyes peeking through from the gap of your finger as well!” Karito shouted.
Betrayed by an unexpected factor, Karito was thrown into great turmoil. Even if he was given permission by the person herself and the people around him, with Karito’s limited experience with women, there was no way he could handle progress beyond something he could do.
“You have the bravery to fight against hundreds of soldiers for our sakes, yet it’s so strange that you have no courage to touch a woman’s b.r.e.a.s.t.s.” Reona remarked, mystified.
“This matter and that matter are different! Plus, you shouldn’t let men touch your body when you’ve just met him for one day!” Karito scolded.
Depending on how one should interpret it, she could have flown into a rage, but Reona only tilted her head thoughtfully and calmly answered despite the lecture.
“I don’t mind in particular. Karito’s face isn’t that bad, and you are also our benefactor. Above all, you are strong.”
“...Strong? Me?” This time, it was Karito’s turn to tilt his head, puzzled.
If he was really strong, he would not be in this place. Because, just before he crushed the faces of those bullies, he had been continuously oppressed.
He was able to beat the Alwinan army thanks to his weapons and equipment, and even the revival medicine which brought Rina back to life was also an item from . Anyone could have used the various items from that game. Only using tools wouldn’t require any special power at all. Karito ridiculed himself .
“You saved Rina who was dying, and you were able to gain victory over several hundred soldiers and the Sky Cavalry alone. Can such a guy be a weak?” Reona asked.
“...That isn’t my power. It was all thanks to the weapons.” Karito replied sullenly.
“But, we don’t have anyone who can use such weapons. Surely that is also one of your strengths, I think.” In the dim carriage, Reona’s eyes glittered like a full moon in the dark night.
Her smile was like a succubus feeding on men’s vitality, but her eyes were like a beast that has found its prey.
Leaning over, Reona brushed the tip of her nose against Karito’s forehead. Her appearance was overflowing with a wild charm compared to her usual appearance. He couldn’t even smell any unpleasant smell from her body even though she had not cleansed herself for one night. Rather, he was intoxicated by her smell. As the feminine scent of a bittersweet fruit entered his nose, Karito felt as if his reasoning and logic had received a strong blow.
“For females, they have instincts that demand sperm from strong males. That is why you are more than welcome to put your hands on me.” Reona smiled.
[TL: Magic Bullet is not R18 novel]
Now that she mentioned it, in cla.s.s, there were always girls hanging around the bad boys…. Does this resemble that? Karito dug into his memories of the time which he wanted to seal up. It was half to escape reality.
“Even so, please don’t say something like that when there are other people around! Also, can you not speak so vividly like that in front of your little sister?!” Karito yelled, feeling aggrieved.
“Are we not of the appropriate age? Not only for us of the Garm Tribe, it is also the same everywhere. Even Rina will understand it sooner or later.” The beastwoman tilted her head to the side.
“I... I will do my best!” Rina sounded fired up.
“What do you mean do your best?!” Karito hugged his head.
“In addition, although father was devoted to mother even after mother’s death, he was often surrounded by young mistresses asking for his seed in the past.” Reona reported nonchalantly.
“Are you serious?!” Karito groaned.
“Did you call for me?” Ordy poked his head in.
“Even though I didn’t call you, but nice timing!” Karito did a thumbs up.
Under the uncommon experience of being approached by a humble yet extremely underdressed beauty (a gorgeous girl to be exact), Karito could feel the tension slowly driving him berserk.
However, Ordy’s appearance was like a helping hand for the present Karito. He wanted him to put a stern stop to his daughter here.
“...I have roughly understood the story. Karito, you!” Ordy pointed at Karito.
“Y-YES!” He saluted reflexively once more.
“I have said just a few minutes ago that ‘I will not let you get away if you make pa.s.ses at my daughter with such insolent thoughts’... However, I would like to respect my daughter’s wishes as much as possible as well.” Ordy stated.
“...Yes?” The sky suddenly became dark for Karito.
“If I could, I would like to ascertain your personality a little bit more, but judging from the conversation so far, I, too, feel that you might have good prospects for the future. This is because someone who is able to understand the limits of one’s actions without becoming conceited by power is pretty rare.” Ordy continued.
“Haa...” Karito sighed in disbelief.
“Reona, too, is already an excellent adult who has undergone the ‘Moonlight Ceremony’ several years ago. I had thought to choose a promising man from my subordinates and the village to pair up with her soon, but...” Ordy was cut off by his subordinate’s shout.
“Captain! The city is in view!”
Curious about the report, Karito rolled up the hood again and poked his neck out.
The destination that the carriage was advancing to was a city surrounded by tall and long walls, its size several times that of the fort that they had escaped into last night. This scene was clearly visible to the naked eyes from afar.
“Amazing...” Karito’s awed words fell from his lips unconsciously as he gazed at the big city surrounded by magnificently st.u.r.dy stone walls for the first time.
At the back, Reona and Rina showed their faces in succession, their eyes sparkling upon gazing at the majestic scene
“That is the fort city ‘Citadel’. Sorry, but we will continue this talk when we have the time after we arrive. Let’s discuss it slowly.” Ordy left them to their awe, and continued guarding the carriage.