Nejimaki Seirei Senki – Tenkyou no Alderamin

After moving toward the northern boundaries, the humidity that always lingered around disappeared, the huge plants covering the dry soil were also replaced by gra.s.slands, further north they arrived at a gravel area with very few water sources spread in the wilderness, this was an area harsh even for the most prepared traveler.

The soldiers, during this long-drawn carriage travel, could only gaze at the ever-changing terrain. At the very least they reached the so called “Place with no reclamation value” and consequentially abandoned as borders.

From the last village, which was also the closest about 10 KM away from their current position, they are welcomed to the Empire’s most northern outpost.

After all personnel were accommodated into the base, the welcome speech to the neatly-lined soldiers begun.

“High Grade Military Officer Cadets as well as the training soldiers, I welcome your arrival this year as well. I feel extremely joyous for your presence at the Northern stronghold!”

The interlocutor was the supreme commander of the Northern stronghold, Lieutenant General Tamshiikushik Safida.

“Then, moving to a gloomier topic… surely everyone present knows of the collapse of the eastern region. As a fellow protector of one-fifth of the Empire’s land, I feel deep regrets. The moment the savages of Kioka ravaged our lands, if I had lead a group of soldiers to the Eastern stronghold, then it wouldn’t have ended with such results… Even now, my chest still fills up with remorse when I think about this.”

After hearing such words, not only Ikta but many felt disagreement… Even without knowing how many people his ‘a group of soldiers’ referred to, but given the scenario that even Lieutenant General Rikan, who was present there and risking his own life couldn’t do a thing, in which way would Lieutenant General Safida have overturned the situation? Furthermore, in his speech, not once has he given commemoration to the fallen officers.

“In order to avoid such re-occurrence, we have to train exhaustively every day and wholeheartedly mold an indomitable strength, technique and mindset. Because the day for the battle of revenge will come, and whether we are able to counterattack Kioka, all will depend on our soldiers’ loyalty and patriotism.”

After that, the rubbish motivational opening, which was something that would enter from one ear end exit throughout the other, continued for 20 minutes. The speaker was completely unaware of the growing boredom and the increasing annoyance among the soldiers.

“…based on the aforementioned, I hope that you, whom will be shouldering the future of the army, your patriotism shall be strong and pure! — Although brief, that was my speech.”

After the ending words, Ikta, standing at the front of the third illumination battalion, shrugged disapprovingly–Brief, huh? Where was it brief? Since it was just statement devoid of any content you should at least have the decency to end it early.

Lieutenant General Safida, while walking down and enjoying the feeling of finishing the speech, was replaced by a tall and slim looking man who is now standing on the podium.

Maybe he was feeling unwell? His complexion looked bad.

“…I’m the aide of the supreme commander… cough, cough… Major Yuskushiram Taekk. Cough…cough, cough… Sorry. Then I will herein state everyone’s treatment.”

Completely opposite to the empty speech given by the commander, Major Taekk exclusively instructed on practical and complete instruction. Such were information regarding which local troop the training troops will be incorporated, how the command system will become, where will be the living quarters of the soldiers, where is the dining room, etc.

“…That’s it, if…cough, cough… there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me questions now.”

After determining there were no more questions and ascertaining no one raised hands, Major Taekk made a salute to all present and left the podium while coughing.

While he obliviously wasn’t that old, yet his slightly curved back is giving a feeling of sadness comparable to that of an old cad.

Only now Ikta murmured something everyone present was thinking.

“… You can discern the job distribution at a glance, that man must be under a lot of psychological pressure”

A notification requesting everyone’s presence at the welcome party immediately came when they were finally taking a breath after being led to their rooms and depositing their luggage.

Since the time is now noon and this is a military facility on the border, even if it is called a welcome party, it is mainly just a plain gathering, even the location is just the big room used for conferences.

Based on the contents, Ikta and Yatori’s Imperial Segal High Grade Academy’s graduation meal was much more prosperous, but that situation was a given, and the only person who could complain about the absence of liquors would be Ikta.

“To the prosperity of the rule of his majesty and the lands protected by us soldiers– Cheers!”

Following the lead of Lieutenant General Safida, the military officers raised their cups filled with grape juice.

Next came the time of socializing, which to the High Grade Military Officer Cadets was a moment where they must accept the greetings of all senior officers.

Of course the interest of these people wouldn’t have left alone the members of the legendary ‘Order of Knights’.

“Are you the five who were bestowed knighthood together, the much antic.i.p.ated newbies?”

“Heard you guys pa.s.sed the Kioka border with her Highness the Princess? That luck is worth a toast, let’s drink!”

“Did you meet Kioka soldiers? I heard they run like beasts and eat raw meat, is it true?”

Facing the five who obtained knighthood in such special case, the att.i.tude of senior officers was displayed in a wide range. There were those who closed in by pure curiosity; also people leaking jealousy every time they spoke; and of course people who tried to get close to them thinking ahead of the time.

There were especially many people asking a description of their fight with Kioka soldiers. The reason was because most of the soldiers living in the far north had no experience in engaging battle with Kioka.

Yatori and Torway’s displayed the ability to cope with the situation, however Matthew and Haru’s puzzled look were also at the center of the spotlight. Incidentally, Her Highness Chamille, with a not so amused look while sitting at the seat of honor, was having a conversation with Lieutenant General Safida who was sitting next to her.

Since she didn’t want to intrude in the military formalities, she especially made use of her royal position to get out of the scene.

Well, talking about the only one who was left, he was already hiding around the corners of the room trying to avoid being at the center of discussion.

He had very little interest in military socializing to begin with, furthermore the only few female officials were already swarming around Torway, which made this case’s boringness rare even for Ikta’s standards.

However, when he was just about to sweep through all the food by munching silently, an officer left the group and walked towards Ikta. It was a young man with an uncleanly shaven beard and mustache. In his pouch one could see the same kind of light spirit as Ikta’s Kusu.

“–Hey, are you having fun?”

The man affectionately spoke to Ikta and readily pulled a chair to sit next to him.

“Yes, thanks to you.”

“There’s no need to be so sarcastic…Anyway you too are a light spirit user huh?”

The man’s gaze landed at Ikta’s waist.

Ikta originally wanted to drive him away by being cynical, but after seeing no such reaction from his counterpart, he corrected his att.i.tude slightly and started a self-introduction.

“…I’m the Platoon Leader of the third illumination battalion, Warrant Officer Ikta Sorlok. This is my partner Kusu.”

“I belong to the first regiment of the Northern Region, the commander of the ninth illumination company, Lieutenant Senpa Sazaruf and this is my partner Chi, pleased to meet you”

After the greetings of their respective masters the spirits in their pouch also did the same action. Past the official introductions, a bold yet pleasant smile surfaced on Lieutenant Sazaruf’s face.

“I’ve heard before that in the legendary ‘Order of Knights’ there was a troublesome guy, as I thought it was you, right?”

“Since being there would expose my unfitness, I’m keeping my distances.”

“Hm, yeah you certainly don’t look like a Knight, that handsome guy there sure looks a lot more into the role.”

The words inadvertently spoken by Lieutenant Sazaruf cruelly stabbed in Ikta’s chest.

“Haha–hahaha, hey you really are straightforward. Hahahaha…. Haha.”

Ikta, who originally attempted to overcome the situation with an impactful laughter failed, is now frozen in place with a half smiling face…

“…UuuUuuuUuArghHhhhHh…!!”

In the end, he held his head with both hands, lowered his stance and let out a beast-like sound.

“Whoa! Wait… you’re crying just for that…? Are these the legendary Manly Tears?”

“d.a.m.nit…! Those Ikemen who can attract women even without saying a word…such odious creatures!”

“Hey Hey Hey, you really just spoke whatever pa.s.sed through your head! Your collapse as a human being is way too sudden!”

One could feel the commotion even from afar, and while Lieutenant Sazaruf was being overwhelmed by the situation, Her Highness Chamille, already feeling exhausted by the conversation with Lieutenant General, walked towards them with a disapproving expression.

“…I only took my eyes away from you for a moment… Sorlok, the banquet has just started, what are you feeling dissatisfied for?”

Instead of Ikta who was being interpolated by the Princess, it was Lieutenant Sazaruf who overreacted.

Seeing how he was standing straight while doing a formal salute, the Princess shook her head with a difficult expression.

“You can relax… No, please relax Lieutenant. As stated by the military ranks, you are actually my superior.”

“Ah, no… that would be outrageous…!”

“It seems Sorlok immediately brought you troubles. Not only he has a bad personality, his character is also an issue, but if you look deep enough there are still good parts. So, thank you for your care in the future… uhm…”

“This one belong to the first regiment of the Northern Region, Commander of the ninth illumination company, Lieutenant Senpa Sazaruf!”

Their statements made it very awkward and he was not certain of which side was better. The so-called Royals are truly an existence that creates confusion in a vertical structure– Ikta thought so, but at that right moment a loud voice reverberated.

“Hahaha! My long awaited day has finally come! Daughter of Igsem!”

With a voice loud enough to make everybody turn their head, the owner of it proudly stood at the center of the room; Yatori who was laughing with senior officers faced him with a positive att.i.tude.

The man was full of muscles, whether you looked at it vertically or horizontally, and had a lion like mane of hard red hair.

In addition to the two wooden swords in his hands, there was another strapped at his waist totaling three.

“What may I do for you?”

At Yatori’s earnest replay, the strongman forcefully stepped on the floor.

“I will say this only once so listen well! My affiliation is with the first regiment of the Northern Region, I serve as the Platoon Leader of twenty-second cuira.s.sier battalion, Deinkun Hargunska! The age is 26, rank is Warrant Officer! My reliable partner is the water spirit Niki!”

“I also shall present myself then, I’m the Platoon leader of the first training platoon of incineration division, Warrant Officer Yatorishino Igsem, my partner is Shia. Please take care of me, Warrant Officer Hargunska.”

“I was aware of your name, and now I will remember your affiliation and rank! Okay, let’s leave the rest to our sword!”

Hargunska threw the swords in his hands and Yatori received them. The other party carefully prepared a set of military saber and a short gauche. She moved her sight line upward to the seat of Lieutenant General Safida.

“I have received a duel request. Lieutenant General Safida, may we borrow some fighting s.p.a.ce?”

“Major, your heard her, what now?”

“Yes… cough, cough… the girl is the current generation of Igsem? Then, since outside is getting dark, feel free to fight here. We just need to set an area and the rules as we can’t let you break furniture. Cough…”

The Major feebly finished speaking, the Lieutenant General then fumblingly nodded, announcing to both:

“Good, you two may proceed, everyone else help moving the tableware… also it’s worth mentioning that in the whole Northern Garrison there’s no one who can match Hargunska’s sword skills. Against such fierce opponent, you can fully display the renowned reputation of the best two handed techniques of the Igsem family.”

Hearing that, Yatori instead left the short wooden gauche threw by her opponent in Haro’s custody.

Seeing this made Warrant Officer Hargunska very angry.

“Oi! What is the meaning of this?”

“Please don’t worry, I think facing an opponent wielding only one sword with two is unfair.”

Hearing those underestimating like lines made a vein pop on Hargunska’s solar plexus. He drew the large sword at his waist and held it in a frontal stance. His audacity made him look like a solid tower.

“You mean you are not taking me seriously! I sure am being underestimated!”

“Igsem’s two sword style was developed for the sake of facing many foes at once, if the opponent is a lone person, one sword is enough.”

Yatori’s casual replay made the calm officers get excited too. Without anyone saying so, the spectator moved to form a circle around the two resulting in the formation of a dueling s.p.a.ce. The sudden tension made the majority of the people happy, but there were also a few among them with a cheeky unpleased look.

“…Such a vulgar practice, Yatori’s skills are not a showpiece for people to enjoy.”

Her Highness Chamille spoke with an unhappy face.

Hearing the Royalty’s thoughts, Lieutenant Sazaruf immediately intended to intrude the duel and stop it, but before he could, someone bluntly interrupted him:

“Your idea is wrong, Igsem’s sword skill is indeed a showpiece, princess.”

“… What did you say?” The princess stared Ikta with sharp eyes.

The young man disregarded the look Lieutenant Sazaruf sent as if saying “Have you gone mad? Who do you think you are replying to?” and continued:

“Seeing how smoothly the whole process went, I would say that nine out of ten this is a scheduled arrangement. Yatori should also have noticed it, this is common practice, it happens wherever a member of the Igsem family goes.”

“You mean even the supreme commander Safida want to watch such commotion? I really can’t understand people. Such abrupt and selfish actions clearly are ruining the order which is the basics of the military.”

Ikta gave a fleeting glance at the disagreeing princess and then moved his hand to his chin.

“… Why do you think Yatori is allowed to wield two swords?”

“If you are asking why… isn’t it because she is really strong?”

“It is not so. As princess has said it before, it is essential to maintain order in the military. Following this principle, not only soldiers but also officer should be given a standardized set of equipment, this is not something that can be changed on a personal basis. So the two wielding Yatori would be an impossible figure if you were following the normal rules.”

Seeing Ikta gushing out that speech made Lieutenant Sazaruf widen his eyes in surprise.

Since it seemed the tables have been moved, the dueling field prepared and the crowd parted to have a better look, the youth said to the princess as a prelude: “This will be a little long”

“Hundreds of years ago, when Katjvarna Empire was still in chaos, there were warlords everywhere, each advocating independence and regarding the land entrusted to them by the Emperor as their own. At that time without a strong central power, there were no military administration and the army had its own administrative unit. To be clearer it meant that in the Empire there where multiple Kings totaling dozens. In this scenario even the Emperor is but ‘one of the kings’.”

“That was common knowledge. After that, feeling a sense of looming crisis in the politically and militarily lacking Empire, from the powerful warlords, three forces stood out and crowned the Emperor as the absolute monarch. They were the Igsem, Remeon and Yurgus… the nowadays called ‘Loyal Triad’ families.”

“Yes, their objective was a central administration for political and military affairs, and putting those powers in the hands of the ‘Emperor’. This practice would reduce the risk of internal strife and create a system which could wholeheartedly fight foreign enemies.

Of course this was not an easy task since conflict could not be avoided with the selfishly proclaimed local warlords. But even so, in order to promote reforms, the loyal triad had to substantially reduce the amount of warlord clans. In other words, they used the tool called war to destroy them, but the process was not an eradication done indiscriminately and without distinction, they thought it through and made survival impossible only to hostile families. Among those who lived, there are families existing still today, the Tetdrich is one of such… them and the loyal triad are now called the old warlord families.”

“Exactly as you said…but what connection does this history have with ‘showpiece of Yatori’s swords’?”

“So, ah, the central government and the modern focus on order in the Katjvarna’s army… the one who established those foundations were no other but Yatori’s ancestor. As a descendant of the orthodox Igsem, even if she had real power, if she did not put on display, under clear view, on her waist the privilege they obtained, wouldn’t that be forfeiting history?”

“Hm, that is true… but in reality Yatori, no I should say all those related to Igsem, are allowed double swords isn’t it so?”

“Yeah. Thus those who initially got excited were not the Igsem. After the long period of chaos… at the completion of the centralization of political and military power, while the Igsem family head was reporting of those success to the Emperor, he had at his side the two blades he considered part of his soul. But in order to establish the supremacy of ‘Order’ in the newly formed national army, he first had to devoid himself of his individuality.

On the other hand, the Emperor felt puzzled. Since the Emperor put a vast amount of trust in Igsem, losing the two swords that could be called a symbol of Igsem was a very serious issue. Although the Emperor tried to persuade him with various reason, the stubbornly loyal Igsem didn’t show any will to compromise. As he was the monarch, the Emperor could simply order ‘You shalt not discard thine swords’ but giving orders with no proper reason could form cracks in their relationship. The Emperor was fret by this but in the end he did not waste efforts as he finally found an excuse.”

Hearing that her Highness the Princess suddenly remembered.

“… Is that so, this is the story about the ‘Undefeated Oath’ right?”

“Correct. To the unwilling Igsem the Emperor said ‘Although you are forfeiting your swords for the Order, your swords have already become the honor of the Empire itself. The soldier step on the battlefield encouraged by the swords, the populace trusts the blades will defend the country so they can faithfully believe in us every day. This is obliviously the truth but you still intend to discard your swords, if this is not a disruption of Order then I don’t know what is."”

“That was a really bad argument… and it shouldn’t have been generalized like that. But in those unsettling times, I guess everybody hoped there would be a Hero.”

“Igsem was touched by the speech and after reflecting on it, he said so: ‘Then, till these swords suffer a crushing defeat and fails to protect those it has to’. He swore to continue wielding the two swords until he is defeated in fight… this is also a strong declaration that he will definitely not enjoy the privilege of wielding two swords just because of his status.”

During the lengthy conversation between the two, at the center of the room the duel finally begun. Warrant Officer Hargunska attacked first, he raised the wooden sword over his head and swung it down with all his might.

“At the condition of being undefeated, the existence of Igsem’s double swords is allowed in the military, so it actually is a showpiece. It is a simple premise of incredible strength. If a Igsem want to succeed in having two swords at their waist, then they have to demonstrate to everybody the fact that they are the strongest.”

Yatori who sidestepped the enemy’s attack is for the moment only focusing on defense.

This is also a tacit understanding, if you truly are the strongest then there would be no need to rush in determining the winner.

To undertake all of enemy’s ability and then beautifully defeat the opponent. In a duel this approach is the only allowed one for an Igsem.

“Not all Igsem descendant possessed such strong spirit. Since ‘Undefeated Oath’ is renewed every generation…. the ones who could keep the two swords at waist from their coming of age to the end of their life, even if you were to count the entirety of Igsem’s family tree, could be counted on your fingers.”

Although warrant officer Hargunska successfully performed an attack, his face still showed anxiety. That was a normal reaction as Yatori who received his fierce attack did not strike back. Even so, the position of the two hardly changed from their initial standing.

“Princess, you should have already seen this during the incident with Captain Ison– but it is a rare opportunity, please enjoy the spectacle… the rare incarnation of an undefeated person, the so called Igsem.”

Klang! At the ring of this crisp sound, the wooden sword in Warrant Officer Hargunska’s hand disappeared. Even if only a handful of people grasped the moment the sword flew, everyone raised their head to see the result of her action.

Chatter spread among the spectators– as the missing wooden sword is stabbed directly in the ceiling above.

“That surely can be called fort.i.tude of the sword. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to exchange blows with you Warrant Officer Hargunska.”

The winner, Yatori, started praising her opponent first. Even though it was just a step away from being considered sarcasm, Hargunska himself understood Yatori’s intentions.

Grasping the exact instant the wooden sword was about to be swung down, an upward hit carefully aimed at the hilt, such divine technique used the impact to make him lose grip. As for how far the sword would flew, it depended on how much upstream force there was. Thus by making the sword stuck on the ceiling proved not only she defeated the opponent but also the incredible strength she possessed.

“….. Brilliant, Yatorishino Igsem!”

Even with such landslide victory she has not insulting the opponent. This n.o.ble att.i.tude would make even the loser feel admiration. Warrant Officer Hargunska, without even realizing it, stretched his right hand, Yatori also replied to the handshake with a smile.

The outcome of such impeccable duel made the public very excited. People flocked toward Yatori and the circle formed to observe the match quickly dissolved.

Ikta who stayed out of the crowd murmured with a blank face to the scene:

“That’s for safeguarding the current imperial system. Because she truly believes in your capability, princess, that she risked her life protecting you.”

“………..”

“Please don’t forget this fact, princess. No matter how big your dreams are, please absolutely never forget this.”

Maybe because he couldn’t stand watching Yatori being pushed around, Ikta after concluding the conversation stood up and calmly, with little efforts, mixed together with the officers surrounding her.

The princess while thinking about the warning she just received, walked back to the seat of honor with a serious expression.

“…. I feel like the newcomers this year are all freaks.”

The ignored Lieutenant Sazaruf could only put out this thought.

“Anyway, to tell the truth you guys arrived with the perfect timing, well, you could also call it the most boring time.”

With the endless mountains as background in the north, the soldiers marched uniformly. Walking at the front of the ranks, Lieutenant Sazaruf told the young officers.

“In fact, just a while back the tension here could be cut with a knife. Because of the difficulties the Eastern front was facing, I thought they would request reinforcements from the north.”

After Torway, who thought this was way too easy even for a military exercise asked, Lieutenant Sazaruf replied with a depressed expression while shaking his head.

“It goes without saying. That was the blazing war front even that Lieutenant General Rikan couldn’t handle, who would ever volunteer to go there? In the records of this Eastern War, most of the officials handling the final retreat have perished, including Lieutenant General Rikan himself.”

“But maybe by sending out a large amount of reinforcements we could have changed the outcome of the war.”

Matthew boldly interrupted with his opinion, making Lieutenant’s lips turn up in a grin.

“Quite brave opinion you have there… incidentally, warrant officer Tetdrich, people with such brave thoughts are called ‘Soldiers from Central’ in the northern region.”

“Huh? From Central?”

“Right, according to our sayings, Warrant Officer Deinkun who had a fight with miss Igsem at the welcome party is also that kind of person. Not long ago, that guy was insisting to send reinforcements to the east. Not to say about the problems he caused to his superior officer, he later went to discuss directly with the supreme commander and even wrote a voluntary letter to the Emperor, of course he was stopped by the disciplinary committee before sending it.”

“So… the phrase ‘Soldiers from Central’ is referring to very motivated people?”

Haro’s innocent question made the Lieutenant first widen his eyes, then burst into an uncontrollable laugh.

“T-That, don’t you want to go help?”

“…Wahahaaha! Yeah, that’s basically it Warrant Officer Bekkel. But to be more precise it means ‘Those who still have motivation even after being dispatched to the North’. Maybe the situation is different at Central but here those kind of people are the minority.”

After making these youths filled with dreams and pa.s.sion widen their eyes, Lieutenant Sazaruf shifted his gaze toward the northern mountains, he then spread his arms as to embrace the scenery.

“And which mountain shall bear the responsibility!”

“…Are you referring to the Arfatra Mountains? Why is it so?”

“Do you even need to ask? Because those mountains will block the enemies in front of us.”

Lieutenant Sazaruf confidently made this a.s.sertion, but the young officers’ faces were caught in a surprised frown.

“‘Grand Arfatra is ‘G.o.d’s ladder’… In 900 years of Katjvarna Empire’s history never once as an enemy crossed those mountains to attack…so the name ‘G.o.d’s ladder’ originated because of that.”

“You are totally right Warrant Officer Remeon. It’s a shame, if I were an instructor I would draw you a flower circle.”

“Uhm… isn’t Lieutenant our standing instructor here?”

“What? Is it so? Then let’s really draw you a flower circle.”

Saying that, Lieutenant took out a pen from his breast pocket and drew a flower on Torway’s forehead.

A laughter busted around him and Torway was left with an expression hard to describe.

“Even if enemies haven’t crossed the G.o.d’s ladder, there are people living over there right?”

Yatori who was silent until not interrupted with a sharp tone.

Hearing that, Lieutenant Sazaruf wanted to draw a flower on Yatori’s forehead too but seeing how easily she dodged with an upper body movement, he quickly gave up.

“…Huhuhu, you are right. Though the northern region has the protection of the Grand Arfatra, we can’t leave all the troublesome work to the mountains. In other words, our job is–”

“Natives risk control, or the management of the situation with the natives living on the Grand Arfatra Mountains, the Shinaak Tribe.”

Lieutenant Sazaruf nodded to Torway’s answer and proceeded to draw a second flower on his forehead.

“That’s it. In the mountain range lives many, who although are considered belonging to the empire, are not thought as resident of Katjvarna, the people of Shinaak tribe. According to history we have not been harmonious with them. Even though for the last few hundred years there were no major conflict, small disputes often occur.”

“Meaning our job is to give those mountain rednecks a lesson? It’s almost like exterminating pests.”

The muscle-brain Agra said with a sneer, the Lieutenant shrugged his shoulder with a wry smile.

“While we do exterminate pests, our past job also included dealing with the brave men who wet their pants due to the shock… but now, even that has changed.”

“Changed? Why is it so?”

“Since two years ago, incidents with the Shinaak tribe have significantly diminished. Seems like those guy have turned page and don’t want to cause troubles anymore. In the past, maybe twice per month, if unlucky, five or six times, there were even days when you had to deal with mountain thieves at the same time. But for the past six months not even the operation ‘Send Punitive Force’ happened.”

To the ‘Many Battles’ they heard before coming here, this news made disappointment appear on the majority of the motivated young warrant officers’ faces, only Yatori and Torway had a severe expression.

When the talks ended, the march resumed. Unable to tolerate the boredom, the muscle-brain Agra complained with dissatisfaction:

“Lieutenant, I know that this battalion is idle now, so what is the exercise for? Since three hours ago we have been marching along the mountains to and fro, this can’t even be considered training!”

“You are right! But we cannot stop midway through, after all we used the excuse of training to put this display of military prowess. Maybe it is precisely because we send out these subtle messages: ‘So what? We have such military strength! We are very strong! Very scary!’ that peace is maintained. Furthermore, if we were to cancel even this then we would really just become idleness idiots. We absolutely have to avoid that, but…”

Lieutenant Sazaruf suddenly turned back and stared anxiously left and right to the officers behind him.

“…Warrant Officer Sorlok, what’s up? You’re not planning to say anything? I heard you would be the first one to cut in these chit chats.”

The main reason Lieutenant Sazaruf brought a pen with him was because he wanted to draw flowers circles on Ikta’s forehead, but no traces of the rookie could be found.

The members of ‘Order of Knights’ knew it since long ago but the other officers had only now noticed it and the commotion further spread.

“Ooi~ what happened to Warrant Officer Ikta? n.o.body saw him but the third illumination platoon seems to be here…”

“…I-I have something to report, Lieutenant”

Standing directly behind the officers and managing the troops, Sergeant Suuya cautiously opened her mouth, with a surprised look Lieutenant Sazaruf turned to her.

“Sergeant Mittokalif, your report is?”

“This is a message from Warrant Officer Sorlok: Because of a violation of the military rules, I’m voluntarily confining myself in the punishment cell. The violation is abandoning the exercise without permission…”

Without any pretense or excuse, instead using directly the action as a reasoning, he went straightforward with such declaration.

Lieutenant Sazaruf finally came back to his senses after blanking out for a minute.

He, who didn’t know what reaction to show, took out the pen from his chest pocket.

“…It seems I was wrong. What I have to draw on his forehead is not a flower but a big red X”

Thus, he learned a way to deal with the problematic person named Ikta Sorlok.

“I can’t accept this!”

A female soldier shouted. Her trembling anger even propagated to the brown ribbon tied to her ponytail.

That day, some disturbance happened at the base as well. The object at the center of the dispute was the big bookshelf placed in front of the female quarters.

“It is unbearable right, PFC Kanna?”

The target of her anger— Lieutenant Talca whose main facial feature is having a squared face, is hardly even considering her protest.

He took out another book from the shelf and started appraising it, his attention is now wholly focused on this action.

“Why must all the books in our barracks be confiscated!”

On the contrary, the female soldier– this year was her third enlisted year with the wind spirit Tabb as partner, she, of the air shooter troops, Kanna Temari felt very indignant. That tomboy face was contorted to the point it could be called furious.

She was not a recruit and knew well that going against a superior officer brought no benefit. But to her, the current situation was a moment she had to talk back even fully knowing that.

“Then I ask you, why should we cram the soldiers’ sleeping place with bookshelves full of books?”

Lieutenant Talca replied with in a cold tone, after gathering all her strength, Kanna replied.

“Because the people living here read books when they are free from training! Because having a lot of books is great but they cost a lot, so everybody put their property in one place as shared property, you should understand that!”

“It is, please understand that, right? No matter how much time pa.s.ses you never learn how to be polite.”

“Guh! Don’t try… please don’t try to change to topic, we are now discussing the matter regarding these books!”

Other female soldiers also showed their face from the windows of the barrack, nervously observing the situation from the sidelines. Though sharing the same opinion as Kanna that the confiscation was unfair, they couldn’t muster the courage to go against a superior officer.

“Sigh, so you are claiming ownership of these books as your private property?”

“It can be regarded as such. Although not so much as private property, in fact it is shared property among everybody living here… and there should be no military regulation against bringing in books, right?”

Kanna, having no confidence in her memory, spoke fuzzily. Lieutenant Talca ridiculed her.

“That excuse won’t work, where are you leaving your books?”

“At the end of the corridor. We especially made a bookshelf so that everybody could easily pick a book…”

“That is the problem. PFC Kanna, you should recall the regulation told to recruits. The s.p.a.ce allocated for private property is only your room, you remember?”

“Ughh…”

“Even in the living quarters, the corridor is public s.p.a.ce. So the books left here are considered public goods of the base, in other words, they are property of the northern garrison. As the supervisor of the living quarters, whether they should be confiscated or discarded is for me to decide.”

“This… this is nitpicking! Indeed, only us put a bookshelf there, but considering the end of the corridor as common s.p.a.ce is a something that happens in every dorm!”

“Even if there is such practice, it still remains just a practice. Of course you have to consider the written rules first, finished talking? Good, take them.”

Lieutenant Talca made a gesture to the two male soldiers who, by the look of their eyes, seemed like they were forced to come. However, Kanna continued to pester the superior who unilaterally ended the argument and tried to leave.

“Even so, why did you confiscate without a warning! If the issue is occupying public s.p.a.ce, then you could just have told us to bring them back to our rooms–”

“…Tsk! Ooi! Is that the att.i.tude you should have when talking to a superior officer?”

Lieutenant Talca shouted with a tone completely different from the previous indifferent att.i.tude, which scared Kanna so much that she forgot to breath.

“A mere soldier dares to be so arrogant, before talking irrationally think about your standing! The ones who broke the regulation were you, as a supervisor I have to take measures for it. In moment like this you should not be telling excuses but self-reflecting! Isn’t it so!”

Compared to looking down on people, Lieutenant Talca who is now forcing others to accept his own justice made Kanna grit her teeth as she was unable to defend herself. Shrinking when the superior officer is yelling was already a conditioned reflex instilled in soldiers.

“Moreover, reading is an entertainment of the rich, this interest to you, foot soldiers, are just not knowing your own places! Since you have time to read such stupid entertainment why don’t you increase your stamina by running laps! Really, this kind of boring stuff…”

Lieutenant Talca while speaking with disdain, took out an old looking book from the bookshelf. Seeing that cover, Kanna’s face paled.

“W-wait! Don’t be so rough!”

“Hmm, seeing your panicking expression, is this your book? ? I noticed this because the binding looked luxurious…huh? Where have I seen this author before…?”

Lieutenant Talca frowned his eyebrows in thinking, a few seconds later he breathed out with upturned eyes.

“This… isn’t this written by that ‘Blasphemer’ Anarai Khan! Not only he insulted our great G.o.d with weird experiments but then even fled to Kioka, our enemies, becoming one of the most hated defectors! PFC Kanna! To think you like books written by criminals!”

“The… the contents of a book have no correlation with its author…”

Kanna tried to argue back, but this instead only made Lieutenant Talca rage more.

“You are still making excuses! Really intolerable! Brace yourself!”

Lieutenant Talca lifted the hand holding the book, thinking she was going to get beaten, Kanna shut her eyes.

“No, no, no, this method is wrong.”

The black haired youth who moved between the two stopped the Lieutenant in the nick of time by grabbing his wrist.

“Books are not tools to beat others, furthermore a girl’s face shouldn’t be hit in the first place. I thought that was common knowledge in this world.”

“Who the h.e.l.l are you!”

“I’m an Imperial Knight who happened to pa.s.s by, my mission is to make all older women in the world never cry again.”

Ikta said those creepy lines with a straight face.

Lieutenant Talca frowned.

“Imperial Knight… so you are a member of the legendary ‘Order of Knights’? The name of the black haired black eyed guy should be Ikta Sorlok correct… you didn’t seem very conspicuous at the welcome party.”

“It’s because I’m not good at attracting attention, even though I look like this, I’m pretty humble.”

“Then, what’s the meaning of your right hand?”

Lieutenant Talca fiercely stared, Ikta then simply released the grip suppressing the other’s hand.

“I apologize for intervening without authorization in the dispute, but after hearing your conversation so far, I’m feeling quite concerned about something.”

Ikta moved to the bookshelf while saying so and looked with memorable interest at the books lined there.

“…Oh the ordering of this bookshelf is not bad at all. Fictional novels and specialized books are separated according to their genre, although there are old books none of them are in bad condition, the residents must all be careful readers.”

“So what–”

“Since the invention of letter pressing technology, compared to the past where books were handwritten, books have become an existence much closer to people. Coupled with an increase in literacy, the reading demographic spread to the general population.”

Ikta interrupted the Lieutenant with swaggerish statements while ignoring him, this thick nerved att.i.tude made Kanna speechless.

“Having said so, books are still not commodities that could be thoughtlessly purchased. It may be different in twenty years’ time, but right now the limit should be ‘spurge to buy one at a special occasion’… but since this is the case, sellers also devised various strategies.”

Ikta selected two books from the shelf and raised them with his hands.

“On the cover of this is written ‘a gift to your dearest daughter’, this has ‘given to the son who will be braver than anyone else’. One can tell with a glance alone that these lines have nothing to do with the story, it’s just propaganda to promote sales. The focus here should be ‘parents who buy book for their children’ as the main target of sales.

The important product itself is a good fit for this strategy. No matter whether it is or , the protagonist was always the kind that would make parents think ‘It would be great if my child could become someone like that’. But if you think about it calmly you will find different aspects in which they are just too perfect.”

Ikta exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulder, then continued talking.

“Within the scope of my knowledge, the pioneering books that used such strategies are these two. Then, many other works successfully adopted the same concept thus making the notion of books in the Empire become: ‘For the coming of age of their children, one must spurge in buying a pricey book’. The end result of such epidemic thinking is nowadays, the only property many youths have, is the one book their parents gifted them.”

After leading the discourse here, Ikta suddenly knocked lightly on the bookshelf while exposing a smile with deeper meanings.

“Each of these are not cheap. Although some are old, but with this many it is worth a fortune— don’t you think so, Lieutenant?”

“What…?”

Kanna abruptly moved her sight line because of the surprise, only to see Lieutenant Talca with a stiff expression.

“W-What are you talking about…?”

“Oh, you’re still playing the fool, I see. After confiscating their books, you are planning to resell them right? There’s no other reason you would do something so troublesome. At first I thought you were the kind to enjoy seeing their subordinates suffer, but contrary to that your expression wasn’t that of joy… The deciding factor was you confirming each book one by one, those were certainly the eyes of someone appraising goods.”

The female soldiers, who were waiting in their residences for the storm to pa.s.s, had some reaction to Ikta’s statement and Kanna put their doubts into actual words.

“You don’t mean… that Lieutenant wanted to earn some pocket money by taking our books…?”

“W-What nonsense! What proof do you have…!”

Subject of countless angry stares, Lieutenant Talca’s head broke in a cold sweat. At this point Ikta chased with his attacks.

“…, , , .”

“…Urgh!”

“These are the works you took out from the shelves earlier in order to ascertain their condition… it’s not like you’d want to read those, then why were you so clear about these? They are works that could be sold at high price and are popular in an old book market.”

“Haa…Argh…!”

“If my life had smoothly progressed, I was originally supposed to work as librarian at the National Library of the Capital and keep a peaceful life. If you want to earn money by selling old books, instead of the over printed popular works, one would earn much more by selling hard to get niche works to collectors. You sure are very knowledgeable about such market.”

“Gah…!”

“You have already contacted the buyer right? Eyeing an easy tar—kah!”

A fist cruelly connected to Ikta’s stomach. With raging eyes, the lieutenant chased the youth who was stomping the ground due to pain.

“You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, don’t fiddle in other’s business… since I heard you were cherished by the third princess I wanted to resolve this peacefully… but seeing to which point you insulted me, I see no other choice…!”

Lieutenant Talca threw away the he was holding, raised the newly freed hands and slowly approached the opponent.

Ikta retreated while coughing.

“Cough cough… gosh turning to violence so easily, please listen till I finish talking.”

“You’re on your deathbed, keep saying all the bulls.h.i.t you want!”

Ikta while avoiding Lieutenant’s hands, still sprouted words.

“Yes, yes, yes, since you said so I won’t restrain myself anymore— what I really wanted Lieutenant to understand is that the value of books is not only ‘entertainment of the rich’. Now please allow me to demonstrate it to you.”

“You can prove it while I hit your face to deformity?”

“The books will teach me the strength to not fall into that predicament, anyway this a bit sudden but allow me to ask you a question Lieutenant. Do you like insects? Or do you hate them?”

“I never considered whether I liked them, since mere insects are just bugs… If I sighted any, I could just stomp on it.”

“Oyaoya that’s really forthright. But you know, in this world there are all kinds of insects, some fly in the sky, some can move really fast, some have extremely powerful venom too. Without any preparation would you be able to confront such threats?”

Even during these conversations, the lieutenant continued cornering Ikta toward the wall. Kanna thought of intruding and stopping them before blood is shed, but halted after the youth who was getting cornered sent her a rejecting look.

“One last thing. If you think the soldierly spirit is almighty, you’re going to face lots of hardships.”

“Don’t use that understanding tone to judge something you didn’t have to begin with– Die!”

Seeing his prey with the back against the wall, Lieutenant Talca, who had long awaited this opportunity, exclaimed.

At the same time Ikta jumped backward– even knowing he only had the wall behind him, he still took the initiative to hit it.

Receiving the impact, something fell from the ceiling of the dormitory. The next moment, Ikta without hesitation grabbed the thing that fell in front of him- -then proceeded to threw it to Lieutenant’s face.

“Wha…?”

His gesture could not be called a punch so Lieutenant was fearlessly facing that.

What he saw were eight hairy legs wriggling around, only two centimeters away from his eyes, constantly wriggling and making rustling sounds.

“–GyAAaAAa!”

A scream resounded from Lieutenant’s throat while he jumped back. His action was not a result of rational judgement, but instead the fear mechanism all mammals have developed that couldn’t be resisted.

The as the only one who knew the events would unfold this way, the youth chased the fleeting enemy. After reaching the lieutenant, Ikta pulled on the collar of his shirt and ripped off the top two b.u.t.tons, then taking advantage of the gap created in the shirt he, in one swift action, threw in ‘that thing’ he held in his right hand.

The lieutenant clearly saw what that was.

“GuaAaAaaaaaaAA!”

He panicked. No, it’s not enough to describe it with panic alone, he frenzied. Lieutenant Talca desperately reached into the shirt but ‘that thing’ with extreme agility avoided his hands by moving left and right. Hearing rustling sounds and feeling hairy arthropod legs crawling around your skin can make your reason disappear in an instant.

Endless screams came from the Lieutenant.

The more he tried to reach with his hands in order to get it out, the deeper it went. During the struggle, unknowingly how it did it, that thing actually went into his pants. Feeling that hairy touch, the initial fear that was meant as a defense mechanism erupted from each pore of his body. The lieutenant with painful screams continued to hit his whole body.

Facing the unreal crazed scenery, the female soldiers could only stare in astonishment at the Lieutenant’s actions.

“GuaAaAaaaaaaAA!UghaaRg!GyAAaAAa!!!”

n.o.body knew how long such battle lasted… whether it was seconds or minutes or even more.

Then when Lieutenant forfeited all resistance to his dignity as a soldier, that thing finally left the tight military uniform.

An eight legged shadow, about as big as an adult’s hand was quickly running away on the sandy road, Ikta only saluted it till it disappeared from sight.

“Good work, you successfully completed the mission Sergeant Heteropoda Venatoria… If throwing centipedes at people is be considered a prank, then the move I did earlier must be cla.s.sified as esoteric prohibition. If there’s someone not afraid of that move, they must have the name Igsem…”

Ikta looked at the Lieutenant who is already lying absent minded on the ground, and continued:

“However, if you have read the book you had just thrown away… the , you could have avoided this tragedy, after all I gave you such a big clue when I said ‘Insect’. You just had to know that during the day, they like to avoid the sun by resting on ceiling and near corners… then you would have noticed I wasn’t just running away but leading you to where ‘that thing’ was. Now you understand don’t you? The value of the books I talked about earlier was referring to this, Lieutenant.”

Even without knowing whether the other was listening, Ikta continued explaining.

This is the oblige of the winner.

“Although it possesses a scaring appearance, heteropoda venatoria is a very common animal. Since they protect the crops from harmful insects, lots of them are raised in Shinaak tribe’s barn. They are expert hunters that predates on pest, but will not harm humans and their crop. Even with that look heteropoda venatoria is definitely a useful insect. What I just did was out of emergency, good children should no imitate.”

The grabbing of a spider alone, normal people wouldn’t be able to do that… Kanna complained in her heart. In front of her she could see Ikta illumining Lieutenant Talca’s eyes with Kusu’s high beam.

“Ahhh… this is not good huh… Ooi~ you two over there, can you please bring this guy to the infirmary? You don’t have to bother with the bookshelf anymore.”

Hearing Ikta sprouting those sluggish words, the two soldiers, who were on standby observing the evolving situation, exposed a face as if saying they finally had something to do, and begun to move.

Accordingly, they were just ordered to come help and didn’t have any connection with Lieutenant Talca.

The two lifted the fainted body of the supervisor and left the living quarters from the front door.

“Sigh… I’m so tired… Originally I didn’t want to knock him out… Today I had to solve this all by myself, maybe because of that I overdid a little…”

Ikta murmured a complain while picking up the book thrown by the lieutenant.

“Great, it wasn’t damaged…. there you go, this yours right? Take it.”

“Ah…”

Kanna reflexively grabbed the book Ikta threw to her after dusting it.

“T-thank G.o.d… Thanks. Ah… no… Thank you very much for your help, Warrant Officer.”

After panicky fixing her wording, she, with a desperate look stared at Ikta’s face.

“……Can you call me Ikkun? Ah, no, to normal people I should perhaps be more gradual…? But to be honest in the battle before I consumed all the energy that should have been put in this as well… ah, right, what is your name?”

While that was an incomprehensible request, Kanna didn’t have any reason to refuse, furthermore he was her benefactor.

“I belong to the first northern regimen PFC Kanna Temari, my partner is the wind spirit Tabb. Pleased to meet you, uhm… officer Ikkun.”

“Officer Ikkun huh… well whatever. Ah, nice to meet you, Kanna. This may sound a bit sudden but you are my fellow junior apprentice.”

“What…? Ju-Junior apprentice…?”

Without understanding the meaning Kanna tilted her head, Ikta then explained by indicating the book in her hands:

“You have read that book right? Then that makes you a ‘Disciple of Anarai’. Though you appear to be older than me, I have been a disciple for a long time thus making me your senior.”

After Ikta finished speaking, a smile full of familiarity surfaced on his lips.

With no reason at all, Kanna’s heartbeats accelerated.

“Uh…Ah… That means… Officer Ikkun was this author’s… Professor Anarai Khan’s disciple…? Ah… No… May I inquire if it is so?”

“Yes, it is so. You and I are both believers of Science.”

Also a believer of science. Though she didn’t quite understand the meaning, that remark left a deep impression in her heart.

“I say, Kanna, which part of this book you think is most interesting?”

Ikta asked in a casual tone. This kind of att.i.tude does not show normally and it made Kanna very curious. Because this is the first time she discovered someone she could discuss something like this with.

“Ah…Umm… It should be… the part regarding the study of the Alderah church.”

Ikta’s shoulder shook with surprise, this was not an answer he antic.i.p.ated.

“…The studying of the Alderah church? Not the faith the Shinaak Tribe have on the spirits?”

“Ye-Yes…That is, after studying the spirit beliefs of the Shinaak and then comparing them to the Alderah faith of the Empire, you can then find all kinds of wonderful things–”

Seeing how Kanna hesitatingly begun to explain, Ikta wanted to keep listening to her–but at that instant, his head was firmly grabbed by someone from behind.

“…Weren’t you supposed to be in voluntary confinement? Warrant Officer Sorlok.”

Ikta timidly turned back, as expected, appearing in front of him with a twisted smile was Lieutenant Sazaruf.

The youth spoke with a blue face.

“…c.r.a.p, to think I had such an oversight, I stayed here at my own leisure for too long…!”

“That statement alone is cheeky enough. Sure, there were unmotivated people among higher ups’ students, but for you to skip the exercise to flirt with a girl, you might be the first one in history.”

Without saying another word, Lieutenant Sazaruf grabbed Ikta’s collar and started dragging him to the punishment cell. Even so, the youth with no intention to reflect on his action shouted to Kanna who was staring blankly:

“Kanna, we will surely meet again! We will then continue this conversation! This is a promise!”

“Ah… Yes…?”

“Yeah, yeah, this is truly youthfulness… but I really hope you can survive till your next meeting.”

The problem child was dragged away by a deviously smiling Lieutenant Sazaruf leaving behind only a sand trail.

“…What…what just happened…”

Even after the images of the two disappeared, Kanna still kept dazing for a while. But if she didn’t hurry to put the books and the bookshelf back in the dormitory they would get damaged.

Thus she turned around to search for someone who would help carry the shelf. Right then a strong gust of wind blew laterally making the pages of the in her hands turn pages after pages. The turnings finally stopped when they reached the book’s cover, on the first page there was a sentence to the prospect reader, a message left there by the author.

–Welcome to the world of Science!

These words were like what the youth had said, enclosing an incredible warmth.

With the rough escort of the supervisor, Ikta went straight to the punishment cell located in the inner side of the base. It was no larger than three square meters, completely devoid of any light, even the monitoring window was barred, it was no different from a prison.

“Warrant Officer Sorlok. How many days have you lasted with no food or water?”

Hearing the terrifying question Lieutenant asked from over the monitoring window, Ikta seriously though about it.

“… are snacks considered food?”

“Of course, also your clever tricks won’t work in here.”

“Then, are insects considered snacks?”

“Don’t look for weird gray areas. Food means anything besides air that you can put in your mouth.”

Ikta tried to gain some time with these jokes while hard thinking– if he were to make a single mistake then it would probably result in tragedy. He must find the right amount of time, not too long nor too short, something that the other will find appropriate.

“Then around three days I guess…”

Hearing the youth’s final answer, Lieutenant Sazaruf lightly nodded.

“I see; then let’s try leaving you in here for 300 days.”

“You just multiplied it 100 fold! Won’t I starve to death whatever my answer was!?”

Ikta knocked strongly on the door with both hands, the one on the other side, Lieutenant Sazaruf, with his back against the door, sat down.

“C’mon, don’t be so agitated. You skipped the exercise without permission, you have no excuse on this. You didn’t think you would be let off with just some light punishment right?”

“Even so, I didn’t think that as a first time offender I would be given a death sentence!”

“I don’t really plan to leave you here till you die. But if I didn’t render you weak enough, who doesn’t know when to talk, from using that mouth, then don’t you think it would be hard to maintain my position as superior?”

Sigh– Lieutenant Sazaruf after heavily sighing, continued:

“…To tell you the truth, I really can’t understand. What kind of ideas brought you to your current situation?”

“Even if you ask me the ideas I had, I can’t really answer that… to be clearer, 100% of them were compelling circ.u.mstances”

“If th