When we first departed, we thought we were heading to Doodlevalley, but apparently that’s not the case. There’s a slightly closer city called Vardzur, which is said to be the largest of the remaining cities in Durham State, and that’s where the Durham State Army headquarters is located.
Although it’s called the largest, it’s quite small compared to the Spelt state capital we just came from, but it’s said to be a symbolic city where people made their last stand and successfully defended against the monsters.
“Mr. Peaks! How much longer until we arrive?”
“Hmm? Ah~ Well, probably around noon tomorrow. It’ll be over before you know it.”
“Eh? Tomorrow?”
“Well, we’re crossing state lines, ya know. It ain’t that close.”
“I see… If possible, could we take a break somewhere for lunch?”
“Sure thing! You must be hungry too! Ha ha ha!”
He’s boisterous, yet seems easy to get along with, without any pretense. Since the car was shaking quite a bit, he agreed to stop at a good place for us to eat lunch.
The speed of the magic car seemed to be around 50 kilometers per hour. After passing through the town of Spelt, we continued along the road through the grasslands.
“If any monsters appear, blast them with some magic!”
“Eh? Will monsters appear?”
“Well, not many, but they do show up around here occasionally.”
Considering that the town was surrounded by walls, there might indeed be monsters nearby.
“When I say blast them with magic, I can’t do it myself. Sakuragi, it’s up to you!”
“Eh? Me?”
“Well, your spirit specializes in magic, right?”
“Hmm, well, yes, but Takato, you specialize in magic too, don’t you?”
“I’m more of a gentle healing type. Attack magic is a bit beyond me.”
“Boo. That makes me sound dangerous.”
“Not dangerous, just dependable!”
Rukia, the spirit protecting Sakuragi, is said to govern light-attribute magic. And Sakuragi has an excellent aptitude for light magic, able to use a spell called Shining Arrow that shoots arrows of light.
Compared to Nishina, who has the “Kendo” otherworld skill, Sakuragi, who just started learning kendo in high school, doesn’t have an otherworld skill. Nishina felt that if she were to fight alongside Sakuragi, she would naturally take on the role of the vanguard.
–But then again, I’m a healer, aren’t I?
Nishina was somewhat conflicted about this half-baked position.
Although they were tense about the possible appearance of monsters, they proceeded along the highway without incident, and the magic car entered a village. They had passed others on the way, but in this world, most transportation still relied on magic beasts. Instead of horses, magical creatures pulled the carts.
Upon entering the village, there was immediately a space for carriages and mounts, where the car was casually parked.
“Well, let’s take a break here.”
“Ah, yes. Um, Peaks-san, for lunch…”
“I’ll stop by the village eatery. You kids got packed lunches, right? Eat in the car if you want.”
“Thank you very much.”
With that, Peaks headed into the village. He also mentioned that if they wanted to do some shopping, they could go ahead. After finishing their meal, the two decided to take a short walk around the village.
“It might be inappropriate given that we’re trying to save the Sensei, but…”
“Yeah… I think I know what you mean.”
“It’s kind of exciting, isn’t it?”
A world they’ve never seen before, a village they’ve never seen before. Compared to the glimpse they had of Spelt’s state capital, it was smaller in scale, but both of their hearts were thrilled by this strange world where various races coexisted.
Ms. Miree from the Sky Temple had long, pointed ears, and the students had exclaimed, “It’s an elf!” But apparently, she was different from the elves seen in fantasy. She was said to have strong blood ties to transferees from a world called “Elvis,” different from Earth.
There were giant-like large races, races that looked just like humans, and races with beer barrel-like body shapes. They had heard that transferees came from various worlds, and the two curiously observed the diverse people passing by.
Sakuragi bought some snacks from a stall selling what looked like dried fruits. Then, they both purchased cushions at the village’s only general store.
The magic car shook much more than the cars they were used to in Japan. The seats were also a bit harder, and seeing that Peaks had put a cushion on the driver’s seat, they decided to do the same for themselves. Although that was all they did, it served as quite a good change of pace.
When they returned to the car, Peaks was already back.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No worries, no worries. Oh, ha ha ha! You bought cushions, I see!”
“Haha.”
As soon as the two got in, they set off.
The magic car continued to run, and they stayed overnight in a village they reached before sunset. In small villages without inns, they were allowed to stay at the village church, sleeping rough like vagrants.
The magic car that left early the next day finally arrived at Vardzur around noon.
Vardzur was visibly a fortress city, clearly different from the villages they had passed through. Upon arriving in the city, they got out of the car, and under Peaks’ guidance, the two walked to the state army headquarters.
“Here we are.”
It was a rugged building constructed as if it were incorporated into the city walls. Above the entrance, a large wooden board was hung with the words “Stain the homeland’s soil with monster blood” scrawled on it.
When Peaks knocked on the door, a short, bearded old man poked his face out.
“Hm? What is it?”
“It’s Peaks from the Federal Army. I’ve brought some new transferees. Is the general in?”
“Transferees, you say? …They’re just kids, are they any use?”
The bearded old man looked at us with skeptical eyes.
“They’re Holy Crowned, you know? More than just useful, I’d say.”
“Huh? H-Holy Crowned? Why on earth are they here…”
“Never mind that, just call the general. We’ll talk from there.”
The old man, who had hurriedly gone inside, soon returned and invited the three in.
The interior of the building was simply constructed without decoration. The three were shown to a large room that appeared to be a dining hall and were told to sit on chairs and wait. At a table in the back, men who looked like soldiers were eating and curiously glancing at the three.
After a while, a woman with bright red hair entered, leading several subordinates. She appeared to be around thirty, exuding an aura of a warrior and carrying the dignity of a battle-hardened soldier.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“Which one of you is the Holy Crowned?”
The woman came right up to us and asked without even a greeting.
“I-I am…”
“Hmm. And your name?”
“Ah, I’m Miki Sakuragi.”
“Hm? Not your name, the spirit’s name.”
“Oh, s-sorry. It’s Rukia.”
“Hmm, Rukia… Light… was it?”
She must be the type of woman who fights on the battlefield. She asked only the essential points brusquely. Feeling an intense aura that seemed to say not to say anything unnecessary, the two were overwhelmed.
After hearing about Sakuragi’s spirit, the woman thought for a moment, then turned to me.
“And you?”
“Eh? Ah, yes. I’m Knot.”
“Knot? Hm. Don’t know that one. What kind of spirit?”
“Yes, it seems to be a healing magic spirit.”
“Oh… that’s good. What’s the spirit’s rank?”
“I was told it’s fourth rank.”
“Oh, a high-ranking spirit, eh? You’re both quite something.”
“Th-thank you.”
“So, what’s your business?”
“Eh…”
The woman glared at the two as if they were some kind of con artists. Nishina hurriedly took out General Degree’s letter from his bag and handed it over. The woman stared at it for a while, then snatched it, tore open the seal, and started reading the letter.
“…Is this genuine?”
“It’s undoubtedly General Degree’s letter.”
“And you are?”
“I’m Peaks from the Federal Army. I brought these kids here.”
“I see. I’ll take care of these kids. You can go now.”
“Hey now, is that alright? Shouldn’t we properly–“
“If Degree says so, we have no choice but to comply, right? Leave it to me, there won’t be any problems.”
“…Alright. If the Red Oni says so–“
“Hey. Say that one more time. I’ll punch you.”
“O-okay.”
The “Red Oni” must refer to the woman. Indeed, looking at her, she had bright red hair. …And she looked scary.
Peaks stood up with a playful smile.
“Well then, young lady and young man, do your best. I’m off now.”
“Ah, yes, thank you very much.”
“Peaks-san, thank you so much.”
“Yeah, just focus on staying alive for now.”
With that, Peaks left the room. The woman called Red Oni didn’t even glance at Peaks as she plopped down on the chair in front of us.
“Gallar Blue Temple, huh…”
The woman muttered this and took out a map from her chest pocket and spread it out. It appeared to be a map of Durham State, with various handwritten notes scribbled all over it. As she opened it, she seemed to remember something and turned to her subordinate next to her.
“By the way, hasn’t Carton’s group come to Doodle Valley?”
“They have indeed come for the rank raising, but they’re not the type you can reason with.”
“Well, that’s true. Humanitarian talk is impossible with those guys…”
The two of us just listened silently. Of course, we didn’t know what they were talking about when we heard the name Carton. The woman, as if that conversation was over, returned her eyes to the map.
“This is Gallar Blue. And this is Vardzur.”
The woman suddenly started talking while pointing at the map.
“Currently, up to this Doodle Valley has been liberated. It’s a three-day ride from here on a mount.”
“I see.”
“You guys were given maps too, right?”
“Ah, yes. But the one we received is a world map and doesn’t show much detail.”
“Let me see it.”
Nishina showed her the map as instructed.
“Hmph. A rough map indeed. But well, look. This river on your map is this river here.”
Indeed, as she said, the course of the river was depicted on the world map too. That river flowed from the city of Gallar Blue right through the middle of Durham State.
“Unless they’re idiots… if they’re escaping, they’ll probably take the road along this river.”
“The river… you say?”
“On this map, the river is the only landmark leading to the city. There are several forks in the road, but normally, they’d choose the road along this river.”
“Along the river…”
“And at the end of this road along the river is this Doodle Valley.”
“…Do you think both of them can escape?”
“Hm? You believe in them, don’t you?”
“Y-yes.”
“We too believe that we can reclaim our country. Even if others call it a pipe dream.”
“…”
“The chances are low, but as long as you can believe, give it a try. We’ll help as much as we can.”
“Th-thank you very much.”
“However, once it’s over, you’ll lend us your strength. Got it?”
“Yes! Thank you very much. Um… may I ask your name?”
“Huh? Didn’t I tell you? It’s Camilla. Nice to meet you.”
After the conversation ended, Camilla ordered her subordinates to prepare a meal. Both Camilla and the soldiers, who seemed to be her subordinates, ate in the dining hall. Though a bit rough around the edges, this laid-back atmosphere felt more comfortable to Jin than a strict military setting.
As they ate, the discussion turned to how they would raise their rank. They were told that there was a training program for new recruits to handle that. Jin wanted to go out and help right away, but there was no point in rushing if they died before they could do any good.
They were told to choose armor from a pile in the warehouse. It had been left behind by fallen soldiers. For a moment, both of them hesitated, but soon they began picking out gear. This wasn’t Japan, where they could afford to always wear clean, new clothes. They understood that.
Until they raised their rank by two levels, they would start by hunting relatively low-level monsters near the outskirts of Vardal.
Though frustrated by their inability to act immediately, the two of them had no choice but to start doing what they could.
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