{Chapter 6} The Night Before the Battle
Part II
“Thank you for taking on the role of escort. However, this speech at the UN will change the course of this country. No, it is meant to change it. Please, lend me your strength.”
Mathew bowed his head lightly. Surprised by his attitude, Hiroto and the others shrank back. The head of a major faction of a country’s military was paying courtesy to a young boy and girls like them.
“Of course, General Mathew. The Agency has dispatched us to let you know that not every Ability User is willing to take on an assassination. We’ll do our best to prove it.”
” I see, thank you.”
“So, if possible, could you tell us what your plans are?”
“Umm. Tomorrow we’re going to a town called Minra, about fifty kilometers north of here.”
“Minra, is it?”
“Do you have a map here? If so, could you unfold it for me?”
At Mathew’s direction, Marion spread out the map on the table.
“This is where we are now, and if you head north then Minra…… here is Minra.”
Hiroto and the others followed Mathew’s direction on the map and confirmed the route they would use to get to Minra.
The map shows that Minra is a very small town and its strategic value is not clear, but as an escort, Hiroto asks why they are going to Minra. Although they are planning a strategy to intercept the enemy, they do not want to move unintentionally if possible.
“General Mathew. Why are you going to Minra?”
“Ahh, this is my hometown, actually. And I have a daughter there. When I leave for the United States to give a speech at the United Nations, I won’t be able to see my beloved daughter for a while, so I thought I’d pay her a visit before I leave. Hahahaha! I’m weak when it comes to my daughter, so I’m sorry for being such an idiot.”
When he was told that he was going back to his hometown to see his daughter at this very tense time, Hiroto’s face twitched.
He quickly looked at Teintan who was standing behind him, but he was looking the other way as if to avoid Hiroto’s eyes. This alone was enough to convey the feelings of the escort captain.
“I-Is that so, yes, I guess you would want to meet her. But ……”
“Ohh, Domori-kun, you understand! When I’m so busy every day, I can’t help but think about my daughter. And when I see Mizuho-kun and Marion-kun around her age, I want to see her even more. My daughter is as beautiful as Mizuho-kun and Marion-kun here, if I may say so myself. Hahahaha!”
“…… ahahaha.”
Mizuho and Marion had a forced smile with a look of resignation on their faces. Hiroto imagined that apparently, the same thing had happened in previous missions.
After all, he seemed to be someone who would make his escorts cry. ……
“But! Domori-kun!”
Suddenly, Mathew puts out a strong and stern military voice with sharp eyes. Hiroto was startled and straightened his back.
“Y-yes!”
“No matter how cute she is, don’t even think about attracting my daughter’s attention. She’s a tough girl, and no ordinary man will be able to take her!”
“Wha? Ha-ha-ha. …… I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Umm! Keep that in mind. Hahahaha!”
After listening to Mathew’s good-humored laughter for a while, Mizuho’s smile faded, and with a serious face, she told him about the upcoming escort work.
“General Mathew. I understand that you are moving to Minra. But as you know, there is a high possibility that the enemy will attack at this time. I would like to hear your thoughts on this. ……”
At Mizuho’s question, Mathew also had a serious look on his face as he looked at her.
“Umu, I suppose that’s true. Teintan.”
“Ha!”
As Mathew called out, the escort captain, Teintan, came to the side of the table where Hiroto and the others were sitting. He then explained the plan of travel in front of the map.
“We will use this route to travel. As Shitenji-sama said, the enemy will not miss this opportunity. So our guess is that they will attack us in this area.”
Teintan explained, pointing to the map.
(If you know you’re going to be attacked, why not move? Well, ……, but no matter where they are, there is a possibility that they will be attacked from now on, so it’s the same ……)
While thinking about this, Hiroto confirmed the expected enemy attack point.
The place that Teintan pointed to was a little closer to Minra when viewed from the starting point of Yangra. The terrain was similar to the terrain where the enemy had attacked last time, and it was surrounded by deep mountains.
“The enemy that Kaliguda has hired is planning to assassinate General Mathew, but he does not want to leave any evidence of it out in the open. This is the most likely location, as it is the farthest point from human habitation.”
“Won’t you be sending out a dummy unit this time?”
When Hiroto asked this,
“Yes. We thought about it, but the enemy has always attacked our main force in the past. The dummy unit from last time was also successfully detected. Of course, we are careful about eavesdropping and scouting for the enemy, including the presence of spies, but the enemy is an ability user …… and there are limits. If that is the case, I thought it would be better not to disperse our forces.”
Mathew looked around Hiroto as he listened to Tientan.
“I apologize to you guys. I might not be the most honorable target for an escort. But if I’m going to be attacked no matter where I am, I don’t want to involve civilians as much as possible, you know. I’m well aware that this is selfish.”
Mizuho nodded quietly to Mathew’s statement, although she had her own thoughts about it as the person in charge of the escort.
“No, we understand. We will get the job done.”
Mathew nodded at Mizuho’s words and stood up.
“Teintan, please explain the rest. I’ll take my leave now. Once we are in the field, I will, of course, follow your lead.”
“Yes!”
Mattoo said and walked out of the room. Hiroto’s group also stood up and saw Matthew off and sat down, and Teintan turned to them and then stared at Mizuho as if to look for something.
“It’s fine. There are barriers in this room. You don’t have to worry about the other party looking at you or listening in. Any eavesdropping devices will also be blocked.”
Upon hearing this, Tientan nodded his head.
“Everyone, please forgive General Mathew. He doesn’t say much, but the reason he is visiting Minra is not just to see his daughter. But of course, I’m sure that’s part of it.”
Then he sat down and explained his reasoning.
“As the general said earlier, Minra is his hometown. At the same time, it is also an important political base for the General. Therefore, it is inevitable that we need to keep a close eye on it.”
Hiroto had a bad feeling about what Tienan was saying.
“Did something happen in Minra ?”
“Yes. Rather, it’s more of a current story. …… Actually, there is a village called Zigon next to Minra. It is a very small and poor village. But it’s also the hometown of Guaran, the prime minister of the military regime.”
“Eh ……?”
Hiroto’s group was surprised. That the number two of the enemy’s homeland was located so close by.
“This is why Guaran has begun to give priority to Zigon to give him the benefit of his career by investing government funds in his birthplace. Guarán himself is heading up the redevelopment of the city, including the construction of roads and a new market.”
Hiroto frowned, but Marion nodded approvingly at Tientan’s story.
“I see, so he’s trying to cash in on his hometown. …… Well, that sounds like something an upstart would do.”
“Yes,……. But that’s just the front.”
“What do you mean?”
Mizuho asked Tientan dubiously, and Hiroto crossed his arms in thought.
“Don’t tell me, Guaran is trying to cut down General Mathew’s foundation……. I’m sure General Mattoo’s foundation is spread out around Minra. The fact that Guaran is trying to impose a policy that could be seen as a popularity contest next to Minra is a situation that General Mathew cannot ignore. It could shake the political ground of General Mathew who is promoting democratization.”
“Ah ……”
Mizuho and Marion understood what that meant. And Tientan nodded greatly at Hiroto’s perceptiveness.
“That’s correct. So, General Mathew needs to solidify his foundation around Minra. In addition, he will soon be giving a speech at the United Nations, but what General Mathew will be doing will not end there. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that this is the beginning. Given that, it is not a matter that can be left unattended.”
On the other side of the Demon World cave called the Demon world, there are many humans as well as non-humans living there, and several nations have been formed. When Hiroto was staying there for three years, he was caught up in the political struggle between these nations, and he was sick of it.
In spite of the fact that there was a common enemy, the Demon Gods, who were against humans, there were power struggles underneath the surface, and some of these power struggles were used and manipulated by non-humans.
These experiences behind the scenes of political maneuvering are embedded in Hiroto’s thought process. A single action can often have multiple meanings.
Mizuho is not good at this kind of talk, but she has the ability to understand. She listened to what Hiroto and Tientan were saying and took a light breath.
“I understand very well. As I told General Mathew, we just have to do our jobs. Thank you, Mr. Tientan.”
“Thank you very much. I look forward to working with you in the future. Everyone, we will leave here early tomorrow morning, so please be ready.”
“Okay.”
Teintan bowed and left his seat to leave, but turned to face Mizuho as if he had noticed something.
“Ah, Shitenji-sama. How should we go about guarding the general during tomorrow’s transfer? Are we to continue as usual? If you have a plan, we will follow it.”
“Right. We do have a plan, but please continue as usual.”
“Ohh, so you have a plan! I understand!”
Tientan opened his eyes and responded with a joyful reaction, to which Mizuho responded with half-opened eyes.
“…… You’re reacting like there’s never been a plan before.”
“Ah! No! This is not what I meant! There’s a possibility that the enemy may have been serious about this, considering the time frame! So, …… what is your plan?”
Teintan hurriedly flailed his hands out and turned his body towards Mizuho, diverting the conversation back to the mission. The usually calm face of the escort captain could be seen sweating with a fake smile.
“Fu, well, that’s fine. It’s not really a problem. Our operation is …….”
As Mizuho was about to give a general explanation of the contents of the operation, Hiroto interrupted her with a confident smile.
“I’ve come up with a plan to have Shitenji-san and Marion-san secure the area around General Mathew while I search for the enemy. I’m confident in my speed and stamina, so I’ll do my best to search the area for anything that looks suspicious. If I detect any sign of an enemy summoner, I will immediately contact Shitenji-san for backup.”
Seeing Hiroto speaking proudly and gleefully, Mizuho and Marion’s eyes widened for a moment, but after that, they reacted coldly as they listened.
Tientan rested his right hand on his chin as he listened to Hiroto and thought.
“I see. …… The arrival of Domori-sama has increased the strength of the group. However, isn’t that too much of a burden for you?”
“Haha, that’s not true. One of the reasons why I was called in even though I am only a rank D is because of my physical strength. I will run around with all my might and make the summoner, who should be running away, panic. If I do that, the summoned demons will slow down, and I think that will give Shitenji-san and the others more time. In short, the key is the summoner who summons the demon. I’m going to locate and strike there.”
“Indeed! If we can neutralize the summoner, our future escorts will be a lot easier!”
“Yes! Leave it to me. I can run as fast as I can for a distance of about 20 kilometers!”
“Ohh, is that so! You are indeed an able user. Even in our unit, there is no one who can run at full speed for such a distance. I understand well. Tomorrow we will do our utmost to protect the general. If you need anything, please let us know.”
“I understand!”
Teintan nodded admiringly and left Hiroto’s group room.
After watching Teintan leave, Marion gave Hiroto a suspicious look.
Mizuho also looked at Hiroto with the same expression.
“Hiroto-san. Why ……?”
“That’s right, Domori Hiroto. Why did you lie to the escort captain ……?”
Hiroto replied to Mizuho and Marion with a smile on his face.
“Yes, it may be a little too cautious, but ……. I thought it would be best if we didn’t let anyone know about this operation.”
“Well, discretion is the key, but Tientan-san is the head of the convoy, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s better to reveal the plan and let him cooperate. ……”
“That’s true, but from what I’ve heard so far, the enemy has been targeting the main force precisely every time. I’m sure they have some sort of information network. We can’t deny the possibility of spies, as you said earlier, and we also can’t deny the possibility of the enemy’s abilities. This room is fine, but we don’t even know who came into this room from the outside. ……”
“……”
Mizuho and Marion listen to Hiroto’s thoughts and become serious.
“And I don’t know what the enemy is thinking, but they certainly don’t have a lot of time to spare. There is no denying the possibility that the situation will change and they will seriously attack us next time. If that happens, they will take intelligence more seriously than ever. Even more so, with the addition of an escort like me at such a time, the enemy would want to know more about our situation. ……”
Hiroto turned his head out the window. Mizuho and Marion didn’t miss his momentary but slightly disgusted expression.
“This is a battle, even if it is an escort work. …… There are a lot of things you have to be suspicious of. And Tientan-san is no exception to this rule. It might be just my personality that’s at fault though.”
Mizuho and Marion also understand what Hiroto is saying. They have never missed a day of training as an ability user, but this is a real battle. You also need to have skills that are not as an ability user.
In that sense, they reminded themselves that they might still be naive. And they should do everything they can to complete their mission.
Then Hiroto sighed lightly and chuckled.
“When he asked about the mission so naturally,……, it made me even more suspicious. I can’t help but be suspicious.”
“Eh, …….”
“…… No way.”
Hiroto smiled at the two who were looking serious with their thoughts.
“Well, it’s a precaution. Everything. However, I don’t like it when Shitenji-san and Marion-san get into danger without taking those precautions. ……”
“Wha!”
“Eh!”
Mizuho and Marion looked at Hiroto as he had caught them off guard again.
Hiroto sat down at the table without noticing their expressions.
“Then let’s go over the details of the operation, ……, huh? W-What’s wrong with you two? Y-Your faces are red again, aren’t they? Maybe you’re actually not feeling well?”
Seeing them blushing like this, again and again, made him worry that something might be wrong.
“It’s nothing!”
“I-It’s nothing!”
“Woah!”
Hiroto almost fell off his chair due to Mizuho and Marion’s determination.
”You’re usually so cheeky! Domori Hiroto! Who do you think I am!”
“Yes, I’m not that naive either. Please trust me more.”
“Y-yeah! Sorry! Of course, I know you’re both better than me.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
“That’s right, it’s not what I meant.”
Mizuho and Marion put their hands on the table so as to approach Hiroto. Hiroto’s eyes widened at their reaction as he turned his back and broke out in a cold sweat.
“Eh? Eh? S-Sorry! What?”
“You should rely on us more ……!”
“That’s right, rely on us!”
“Huh? U-Umm, okay.”
“……!”
“!?”
Mizuho and Marion were surprised by the words they had uttered, and …… agonized over them.
Hiroto was just a silent spectator to these two incomprehensible actions,…….
(W-What is this? Did I hurt their pride? I’ll be more careful from now on.)
The two of them were wondering, Why did I say that to Hiroto? They were angry, embarrassed, and frustrated, and didn’t know what to do.
(Why am I feeling this way about this guy?)
(Why am I saying and thinking weird …… things?)
((Uu~, what is this? This feeling is ……))[TN: Youth]
Actually, they both had a strange feeling that something was coming back to them from within. And yet, it felt like it was something very important.
At this moment, Mizuho and Marion subconsciously sensed that this was what they needed to do in order to be beside this boy. Not only during this request but in the future as well.
But the two of them were so embarrassed by their own words, which they had said on a sudden impulse, that the idea vanished.
After leaving Hiroto’s group room, Teintan returned to his own guard room to report.
But he didn’t have his cell phone or radio in his hand. He is just walking and moving his mouth.
“…… Yes, that’s right. He was a little boy who was overconfident in his own abilities and was already drunk with himself talking about how he was taking credit for a mission that wasn’t even a mission.”
Teintan just stared ahead, walking except for the movement of his mouth, but his face was unimaginably …… ugly, unlike the usual escort captain.
Tientan’s eyes turned gray and lifted one side of his mouth.
“Yes. Huhuhu, it is just a rank D with Inferior Ability. The World Ability Users Agency must have a huge talent shortage. That little bastard will be killed during the next raid on …… yes ……. Eh!?”
Teintan suddenly stopped, his eyes wide with emotion.
“Kaliguda has accepted those terms! Then! …… Yes, there is no need to stall any longer. …… Yes. I understand. …… Of course …… Mathew’s life …….”
Teintan started walking again.
“As you wish, Rokiarum-sama. All for the sake of …… the sword of Surt. ……”
Tientan’s face was already back to that of the escort captain when he said it.
–Part II end—
I will try to finish this volume by this week.
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Thanks for the translation.