Published at 17th of August 2019 8:04 am

Volume 7.5, Chapter 2: Foreign Lands

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Koutarou woke up in the thick of a forest.

“W-What happened...”

After shaking his head a couple of times he stood up.

“Owowow.”

As he moved pain began running through his body, the injuries he had gotten while fighting Clan were hurting. But thanks to that pain, Koutarou woke up completely. While grimacing in pain, Koutarou checked for injuries on his body.

I thought it would be much worse, but this isn't that bad...

Koutarou remembered suffering from several beam and laser attacks in his last charge on the Cradle. However unlike his memory, he had suffered no serious injuries. Although it hurt when moving parts of his body, they were light bruises at worst.

“Right, that's it! Clan and the Cradle!”

However, Koutarou was more concerned about something else so he forgot about his unexpectedly light injuries.

“Where's that woman and spaceship!?”

Koutarou hurriedly looked around. Clan might still be targeting him so he couldn't let his guard down.

I'm inside a forest? No, I guess this is more like in the middle of a mountain....?

That was when first noticed his surroundings. An abundance of thick trees being shone up by the evening light and the ground was at a slight incline. Based on his surroundings, Koutarou realized he was in the middle of a mountain and that he was alone.

“I wonder where Harukaze high school is.”

Koutarou searched through his memories while looking around him again.

Let's see, a mountain forest near Harukaze high school...

The last memory Koutarou had was cutting through Clan's super-space-time repulsion shell with the sword he had borrowed from Theia. The next moment, he had woken up in the middle of this mountain. He felt like he had seen a dream while he was unconscious, but he couldn't clearly remember it, and he couldn't imagine it having anything to do with his current situation. Koutarou figured that he must have been blown to a nearby mountain because of the explosion from the repulsion shell.

“The closest forest was the one right above the school...”

Kitsushou Harukaze high school was positioned halfway up a small mountain. And further up was a forest that had gone untouched. Koutarou's work site was in that surrounding area. The next mountain was several kilometers away, and he couldn't imagine having been blown that far off.

“So all I have to do is get down from here and I'll be at school again.”

If this was the forest above the school, all Koutarou had to do was climb down the mountain. Even if he didn't know where exactly he was, he would eventually reach the road. Although he had been unconscious until evening, if he didn't return to school everyone would worry. With that in mind, Koutarou began his descent.

For each step he took, he bent grass and snapped twigs.

“Geez... this is all that woman's fault. Next time I see her I'll... wait... That's!?”

Shortly after Koutarou had begun climbing down the mountain, he spotted the face of the girl he was remembering by a rocky area. It was Clan, the girl that Koutarou wanted to meet for several reasons. In the open space next to her was her spaceship, the Cradle. The spaceship was on its side and revealing the belly of its hull to Koutarou.

“Clan! Us meeting here was the end of your luck!”

Since he had a lot he wanted to say, the moment Koutarou spotted Clan he hurriedly climbed down towards the rocky area. However as he did that, Clan remained motionless with her body lying on the rocks and her eyes closed.

“Hey, Clan!”

As Koutarou reached Clan he shouted at her.

“...”

“Eh?”

However, even then Clan wouldn't move. That was when Koutarou noticed something was off and brought his face close to hers and stared at her.

“...She's unconscious.”

Clan may have been unconscious, but her complexion was fine and she was still breathing steadily. She looked so relaxed that it didn't seem like her life was in danger.

“Hey, wake up Clan! Now's not the time to be asleep!”

Koutarou began shaking Clan awake with enough force that the glasses on her face almost fell off.

“Uh, uhh...”

But even then Clan didn't wake up. All she did was let out a painful sounding groan and draw her eyebrows together. It seemed that she wouldn't wake up merely by being shaken.

“Damn, no good...”

Based on Clan's response, Koutarou gave up on trying to wake her up. Even though she might have been an enemy, he couldn't just continue shaking someone in pain.

“Now then, what to do...”

Koutarou took his hands off of Clan and began thinking. With Clan unconscious here, he couldn't just leave her behind and go to school.

Right, I should make a call first.

After thinking for a moment, Koutarou pulled out his cellphone and turned on its power.

He had decided to contact someone related first. Since Clan was related to Theia, he had decided to call her first. By doing that he hoped that she would know what to do. With the spaceship lying around nearby as well, there was a lot that Koutarou couldn't decide on.

“Huh? That's weird.”

However when he turned on his phone, Koutarou noticed that it wasn't getting any signal. Seeing that, Koutarou shook his cellphone a couple of times. There was no way any place on the mountain where Harukaze high school was at would be unable to get reception. Since the school had been designated as a shelter in the case of emergencies, extra antennas had been put up near it. Even at the top of the mountain at Koutarou's work site, he would almost always have a maxed out signal. Despite that, he wasn't getting any signal now, so Koutarou figured it was more likely that his phone had broken.

“So it won't get fixed by shaking it, huh...”

No matter how many times he shook his cellphone he couldn’t get a signal. After sighing, he put the cellphone inside his armor.

“...Guess I have to bring her with me.”

Although he was worried about leaving the spaceship like this, he couldn't just leave Clan in her current state. So Koutarou carried Clan and began climbing down the slope again.

Even though he was carrying Clan, Koutarou's footsteps were light. Since the armor was powered, it moved in accordance to him. Because of that, it was essentially the armor carrying Clan; Koutarou couldn't feel her weight at all. So Koutarou had more room to check his surroundings.

“Still, what kind of tree is this?”

As Koutarou looked at his surroundings again, he noticed that the forest was strange. He had only now just realized that he had never seen any of the types of the trees in this forest.

Koutarou then turned his eyes down to his footing, and he couldn't remember seeing any grass growing there.

“What a strange forest...”

With his head tilted, Koutarou continued climbing down the slope. He couldn't find anything that he had seen before. He felt like he was seeing a CG forest in a movie. However, his surroundings felt far more realistic than a movie.

“To think someplace like this was so close to school...”

I'll have to tell Sanae and Yurika later, they'll love this...

While Koutarou was thinking about that, he could hear something as he had just reached the Cradle.

“Kuii, kuii.”

A large bird flew past Koutarou while crying. It must have been at least 30 centimeters large.

“W-What is that!?”

The moment he saw the bird, Koutarou's glance was fixed on it and his jaw dropped open. At first glance it seemed like a bird, but upon closer inspection, it was a reptile with the appearance of a bird.

“It looks like a lizard you'd fight in a game...”

It was almost like a monster that would appear in a game. That was an apt description of this flying reptile.

The reptile completely ignored Koutarou and continued flying. By spreading its large wings, it grabbed the air like a bird and flew far away in a short moment.

“Crap, I should have taken a picture.”

If he had found a new species, he would have earned bragging rights. Koutarou felt some regret about not taking a picture of it with the camera on his phone.

“Sheesh, all of this is her fault.”

Koutarou adjusted Clan's position as she was about to slip off his back. With his hands occupied with Clan, he couldn't possibly take a picture. So even if he spotted another one, he wouldn't be able to photograph it. That slightly irritated Koutarou.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

At that moment, Koutarou heard a woman scream from afar.

“...What's that?”

Koutarou turned his head in the direction of the scream, and he could then hear other sounds, but not as well as the scream. And since the sound was getting absorbed by the forest, he couldn't even tell what kind of noise it was.

“Aaaaaa....”

Another scream. The voice seemed more desperate than before. Despite that, it wasn't as loud as before.

“Sounds like trouble. I should go take a look.”

Koutarou swiftly made up his mind and rushed towards the Cradle.

“Looks like this is the entrance...”

Koutarou approached a hatch on the Cradle and put his hand on a nearby lever.

As he pulled it, the hatch opened by sliding to the side. Past the hatch was a lustrous passage, similar as the ones onboard Theia's ship.

“Good!”

Relieved that the hatch opened, Koutarou laid Clan down in the passage. He then returned the lever to its original position to close the hatch.

“That solves the problem with Clan for now.”

Koutarou had put Clan onboard the Cradle to keep her safe. There were unknown animals, and he had just heard a scream. Carrying her unconscious body with him might be dangerous, but he couldn't just dump her off in the wilds. Leaving her inside the Cradle was the obvious conclusion he had reached.

“Next is... uhm... what'd Ruth call it...”

Koutarou turned back towards the direction he had heard a scream and began fiddling with the armor's right arm. The right arm of the armor functioned in the same way as Theia's and Ruth's bracelets.

“It was ‘maneuver suit, activate battle mode’, wasn't it?”

After Koutarou's faltering order, he began running much faster than he had before.

Part 2

The armor Koutarou was wearing had several different modes depending on the situation. Koutarou was primarily using cruise mode and battle mode.

Cruise mode was the most convenient setting. In this mode, frequently used functions and equipment were given priority and the computer performed calculations in accordance to that. By doing that, it efficiently supported the wearer. This was the mode Koutarou normally used, or rather was being made to use.

Battle mode has the opposite settings of cruise mode. Functions, equipment and calculations regarding combat were given priority. When compared to cruise mode, it has far more power and mobility, but at the same time, dexterity and comfort were inferior. Weapon usage, defensive measures and flight abilities were kept to this mode. They were all rarely used normally, but they were necessary in emergencies.

Koutarou was currently using the battle mode. Because of that, he was now running really fast. Gravity was being controlled to reduce his weight; on top of that, the powered armor increased his leg power. Because of that, Koutarou was running through the forest like a beast made for that purpose.

“The source of the sound has been located, my lord. There is a 94% probability to be 11 people there.”

“Where is it coming from?”

Koutarou's didn't slow down despite the report from the computer in the armor. He talked to the computer while moving his legs at the same speed. He also hadn't lost his breath; this was thanks to the armor's power assist.

“Forward, in the 1:30 direction.”

“That doesn't help me.”

“A little to the right.”

“Got it.”

Heeding the computer's instructions, he changed the direction he was running a little to the right. At the same time, two 3D images entered his sight. An upside down triangle that marked the sound’s origin, and an image of heat sources.

“That's very thorough.”

“Having you praise me is an honor.”

Koutarou adjusted his direction so that the upside down triangle was right in front of him and noted the heat sources being displayed around it. There seemed to still be a distance away as the heat sources were all clumped up. But based on the way the clump was moving, it seemed certain that someone was there.

“There is a 90% probability that ten of the heat sources are chasing after one.”

“Enough with the images! Let's go!”

“As you wish, my lord.”

After ordering for the images to be removed, Koutarou started running even faster.

It seems like I've come across an even bigger problem than I thought... Now then, what to do...

Koutarou was overwhelmingly faster than the eleven in question. Because of that, Koutarou didn't have much time to think.

A few seconds later, Koutarou had caught up to the group.

Well, I don't know the circumstances...

But Koutarou didn't join up with the group right away, but rather hid in a nearby bush to watch over the situation. That was because he didn't know who had screamed or why.

The group was positioned by a vertical cliff, but Koutarou couldn't see the bottom of it from where he was. And since he couldn't see any trees from what he imagined grew at the bottom of said cliff, it must have been quite a drop.

“Hmm... they're surrounding the woman...?”

Koutarou squinted his eyes. The evening sun was level with the cliff, on the opposite side of where he was, making it hard for him to see. But it looked like a lone girl was being surrounded by the other ten men.

“To think you won't even scream or beg for your life in this situation...”

“If it's a scream you want, I gave you one earlier.”

“A scream of surprise from falling of your horse is hardly worth bragging about.”

“Then your desires won't be fulfilled.”

And they were talking about something.

It's not Japanese? What does this mean...?

But Koutarou couldn't understand what they were saying. He was sure they weren't speaking English, but he couldn't imagine what language this was. But even he could understand the tension in their words.

“The processed image is ready to be used.”

“Please bring it up.”

When Koutarou gave the computer the order, another 3D image appeared in his sight. It was an image of the scene in front of him, processed to remove the evening sun.

“What is...?”

The moment Koutarou saw that image, he was left perplexed.

The picture showed a girl in a dress surrounded by men wielding swords and spears. The outfits they were wearing felt familiar; they looked somewhat like the outfits Koutarou and the others were using in their play. They looked very similar to the clothes aristocrats and soldiers would wear.

“Is this a continuation of the play...? But why are they doing it in a place like this? They can't serve any guests here.”

Koutarou couldn't help but think of it as a continuation of the play in the back of the mountain Harukaze high school was on because of their outfits. But he couldn't understand why they were doing it here. Whether it was a performance or a rehearsal, he couldn't think of a reason for doing it on top of a cliff in the middle of a mountain.

At that moment, the evening sun vanished behind the cliff and Koutarou was finally able to see the faces of the people by the group that he couldn't see even with the processed image due to the strong sunlight.

“Sakuraba-senpai!?”

The face of the girl by the cliff looked just like Koutarou's senior, Sakuraba Harumi.

“N-No, that's not it!! That's not Sakuraba-senpai!!”

But Koutarou quickly realized that it wasn't Harumi. Based on the outfit and circumstances it would apt to think of it as her, but there was a fundamental difference, and that was the girl’s hair color. Harumi's hair was black, but the girl on top of the cliff had silver colored hair. The splendid silver hair fluttered in the wind and was dyed orange by the settling evening sun.

“Alert. The weapons possessed by target B group all have the ability to cause injuries. Raising threat level from 1 to 2.”

“They're real!?”

Koutarou's eyes opened wide in surprise after hearing the computer's warning.

“The probability is approximately 100%. The error in ability to confirm a weapon’s ability to injure after 28 scans is next to 0.”

The ten men were carrying a total of 28 weapons. The armor had used its sensors to examine each and every one of them. The armor had concluded that all of them were capable of letting blood. In other words, unless it had repeatedly failed 28 times in a row, the men were surrounding the girl with real weapons in hand.

“So what, this isn't a play... but is really just what it looks like!?”

Koutarou gradually understood the circumstances. It was a hard to believe coincidence, but a situation that resembled a play was occurring in front of his very eyes. There was no way a real weapon would be used for a play except for Koutarou's case, but even then there was a barrier placed on his sword.

So the previous scream was from her, and these guys were the ones that made her scream. And then they chased after her all the way to the edge of a cliff where they're now at a standstill!?

Koutarou understood the circumstances now as well, but he didn't know the reason for why this situation had occurred. It could be that the girl was an evil criminal and those men were here to capture her. Or it could be the other way around and the girl was being attacked by these villains.

What do I do!? Should I really just leave it like this!?

As Koutarou was thinking about what to do, the men's encirclement slowly shrunk. Meanwhile, the girl who had her back to the edge of a cliff stood frozen, unable to run any further.

“Looks like the long and prosperous royal bloodline ends here.”

“Blood has nothing to do with it. I only feel regret about not being able to protect the citizens.”

“A brave resolution. But don't worry, after the royal bloodline has been discontinued, his Excellency, the Minister will protect the people.”

“...The least I can do is hope for as much.”

The cliff crumbled slightly by the girl’s footstep. After taking a single step the girl closed her eyes. Falling or being cut, the girl was aware that she couldn't escape death.

“Information. Based on the situation, it is presumed that target B group's goal is the murder of target A.”

“They're trying to kill that girl!? Are you sure!?”

“There is a 92% probability of that being the case.”

Koutarou clenched his fist. Meanwhile, the men continued to close in on the girl. The girl in question could only grasp her hands in front of her chest as if to pray. The men were planning on killing her like that.

“Damn, I can't leave it like this!!”

Koutarou still didn't fully understand the situation, but if he did nothing, there was a high chance that the girl would be killed. He didn't have the time or ability to call for the police. To save the girl, Koutarou would have to go himself. And since the men definitely weren't the police, it was only right to stop them.

“Let's go! We'll stop that target B group or whatever and―”

“Setting B group as an enemy force in the IFF.”

However, what drove Koutarou to fight more than anything was that girl's face. Those eyes that held a powerful will, her sharp eyebrows, her firmly closed lips. She looked just like Harumi when she stood upon the stage. Koutarou couldn't just find it in him to abandon the girl; even if she was a criminal, he would certainly come help her.

“Select your weapons.”

“I want to go with my sword, but can you make it so it won't kill them?”

After jumping out from the bush, Koutarou ordered the computer to not kill the enemy. He still didn't understand the situation and he didn't want to kill either.

“As you wish, my lord. Coating the blade with sonic impact.”

Koutarou then pulled the sword from its sheath by his waist and charged at the ten men.

Part 3

“You guys! What kind of adults would do this to a lone girl!”

In order to turn the men's attention onto himself, Koutarou shouted loudly on purpose. And as he had hoped, the men's attention shifted from the girl to him.

“Who is that guy!?”

“What did he just say!?”

“It seems like he some kind of knight, based on the armor.”

“That doesn't matter! Kill anyone who gets in our way!”

The men turned towards Koutarou and readied their weapons. They prioritized killing Koutarou rather than the girl behind them, they were sure that the girl couldn't do anything anyways.

“I don't know what you're saying, but it seems like you want to do this...”

Already used to brawls, Koutarou could sense the men’s urge to fight. He then grabbed his sword with both hands. As he did, the sword began to faintly growl. The armor had covered it in a special barrier that created shockwaves.

“That person is...? Based on his stance it seems like he's a Forthorthe knight... but, why...?”

The girl was amazed by Koutarou's appearance. He was a savior that had shown up as she had prepared for the end. And she couldn't hide her surprise at the fact that it was a knight. Many bands of knights had already become her enemy, so she couldn't imagine that a knight would come save her.

“Ah...”

Before the girl's surprise had faded, Koutarou had taken action. His movements were swift. Despite wearing a heavy, Forthorthe-style armor, he moved faster than the men in light armor. Because of that, Koutarou was able to make the first move.

“Guaaaaaahhh!!”

Having closed the distance in an instant, Koutarou swung his sword coated with the special barrier and knocked one of the men out, sending him flying several meters. The man had no time to defend himself or be surprised.

“T-This guy's good!”

“Don't go at him one at time! Altogether!”

The men determined that Koutarou was dangerous after one of their allies had been defeated. The aware men then began to work together to take him down.

“That's one!”

“The next target is six o'clock.”

“Like I said, that doesn't help me!”

Koutarou spun around and swung his sword. As he did, the sword of one of the two men charging at him from behind came into contact with his.

Koutarou's sword broke the man's sword into pieces and sent him flying. The man then collided with the second man who was right behind him and was sent rolling a long ways.

“That's two and three!”

“Emergency alert! A pincer attack incoming!”

“That's much easier to understand!”

The fourth and fifth men attacked Koutarou at the same time while armed with a sword and spear respectively. Since the weapons had different ranges, it was tricky to deal with both at the same time. But Koutarou turned to the man with the sword without panicking.

“Fool!!”

“Are you even sane!?”

By doing that, the spear approached Koutarou's defenseless back. That assured the fourth and fifth men of their victory and they sneered at Koutarou.

“Look out, sir knight!!”

Seeing that, the girl who hadn't let out a scream until now did so. She wanted to help Koutarou.

“I'll leave that to you.”

“As you wish, my lord. Emergency deployment of the barrier.”

Several translucent white hexagon tiles appeared in a beautiful order. When the tip of the spear collided with the tiles, it bounced back.

“What!?”

“Impossible!”

The men's eyes opened wide in surprise. Koutarou didn't overlook the fact that they stopped dead in their tracks and swung his sword around in a circle, attacking the enemies to his front and back at the same time.

The two men were sent flying, leaving behind a sound similar to a cannon firing.

“A magician! This guy is using magic!”

“Magic!? That's not possible!! Can't you see the heavy armor he's wearing!?”

“You saw the spear being knocked back too, didn't you captain!? What else could that be but magic!?”

Seeing that, the men suddenly began reeling. They still had their weapons pointed at Koutarou, but they remained motionless.

“What's the matter, done already?”

With Saguratin in his right hand, Koutarou causally closed in on the men. The men were being driven to the cliff by Koutarou alone.

“I didn't hear anything about someone like this...”

“Damn, we should have brought our own magicians with us! We let our guard down thinking they were just women!”

“Quit your yapping. Let's jump him all at once!”

Leaving behind a single man by the girl, four men attacked Koutarou at once. They figured that they had no chance of winning attacking Koutarou with few numbers when he used such mysterious techniques.

“If this was just a fight that choice would have been the right one, but-”

“Deploying barrier.”

This time the hexagon tiles appeared in front of Koutarou. The barrier easily caught their weapons, and the men’s face distorted. Koutarou then swung his sword in a wide arc.

“-Unfortunately, your opponent is too strong.”

The hexagon tiles opened partially to make way for his sword. After the sword passed through them, the tiles repaired themselves. Only the tip of the sword struck the enemies outside of the barrier. It was a feat only made possibly by his large amount of training with wielding a sword with the armor. If the armor hadn't remembered Koutarou's movements, it wouldn't have been able to control the barrier this precisely.

“Releasing the sonic impact energy.”

“Don't kill them.”

“As you wish, my lord.”

After coming into contact with the third man, the armor's computer released the energy stored in the sword.

That energy turned into a powerful shockwave that assaulted the men. The men got caught up in it and were helplessly blown away. And through thorough control, the shockwave merely robbed the men of their consciousness.

“That makes nine.”

Koutarou grabbed his sword with both hands and pointed the tip towards the last man. Although the was still holding his weapon, his face was white with terror and it was obvious that he had lost the will to fight.

“D-Don't come any closer!”

“So, what are you going to do?”

Koutarou approached the man who had lost any will to fight and was now shaking. As if being pushed by Koutarou, the man stepped backwards. But they were by a cliff, and the man soon reached the edge and couldn't fall back any more.

“I'm telling you not to come any closer! You monster!”

“I don't know what you're saying, but that girl didn't scream like you.”

The man swung his sword towards Koutarou in an attempt to scare him, but that desperate act didn't stop Koutarou. Desperate to find something to save him, the man looked around him and quickly spotted the girl next to him.

“T-That's right, I'll use her!”

“What!?”

The man grabbed the girl and pointed the tip of his sword at her throat. When he did that, Koutarou finally stopped moving.

“If you value this woman's life throw your weapon away and raise your hands!”

“You can't, sir knight! If you relinquish your weapon you'll be killed too!”

“...A hostage, huh. Even though you were planning on killing her...”

Although he didn't understand what the man was saying, he understood the meaning of his actions. If Koutarou got any closer or tried use his weapon, the man would pierce the girl’s throat with his sword.

“Hurry and throw it away!”

“Okay, okay, I got it.”

“Sir knight!!”

Koutarou threw away Saguratin and raised his hands.

“Fufufu, how attentive of you.”

“Don't bother with me, please pick up your sword and fight!”

The man dragged the girl with him away from Koutarou. The girl struggled to break free, but she was unable to due to their difference in strength. Instead, the girl’s sorrowful voice filled the surroundings.

If he'd just come to kill me, there would still be something that could be done... but at this rate that girl will die...

Koutarou was planning on doing something if the man attacked him while he was unarmed. Instead, the man gradually walked further away from him. Koutarou was certain that the man would kill the girl once he reached the bushes. So Koutarou determined that if he was going to do something, now was the time.

I think Sanae did something like this...

Koutarou focused on his left arm still in the air. On his left hand was the gauntlet that he had borrowed from Kiriha. It was a weapon that used spiritual energy as ammunition. Since Sanae had used it through Koutarou's body, he had a vague understanding of how it worked.

Following Koutarou's will, the gauntlet began producing a powerful electromagnetic field. He didn't have as much spiritual energy as Sanae, but the field produced by the gauntlet gradually grew bigger. However, that wasn't a lightning bolt or a fireball, it was just an electromagnetic field, so no one but Koutarou knew what was happening. Neither the man nor the girl had noticed it.

Go!

After gathering enough energy, Koutarou reached the field towards the man. The field then got entangled with the man's sword, just as Koutarou had planned.

“What!?”

“Caught you!!”

When the man noticed that, it was already too late. Koutarou pulled on the sword caught in the field with all his might. As he did, the sword left the man's hand and got thrown into the air.

“That's impossible!?”

The man's eyes instinctively chased the sword fluttering in the sky.

“Eii!!”

Not missing her chance, the girl drove her elbow in the man's stomach with all her might.

“Guaaah!?”

Having completely dropped his guard, the man let go off the girl after receiving that blow. Having been freed, the girl hurriedly distanced herself from the man. The man reached out towards the girl with his hand, but at that time, Koutarou was already right in front of him.

“...You're better than I thought, lady.”

Koutarou's fist buried into the man's stomach. Having lost his breath from the girl's attack, the man completely lost his consciousness from Koutarou's following blow.

“And that makes ten.”

“The enemy force has been completely neutralized. Attention, because it is feared target B group will soon regain their consciousness, relocating would be advisable.”

“I know. Thanks for the help.”

“Exiting battle mode.”

“Good work.”

Having defeated the ten men, the armor's computer determined that the battle was over and ended the battle mode.

“Phew, looks like everything worked out...”

Part 4

The battle ended and silence returned to the surrounding area. Koutarou relaxed his body and slightly lowered his shoulders. Although he had an overwhelming advantage in power thanks to his armor, he would obviously get nervous and stiff when men were jumping to kill him. He was also relieved that no one had died. After all, Koutarou wasn't a main character from some game; he was just a normal boy.

“...Thank god.... looks like this person is a normal human too...”

The girl felt relieved as she stared at Koutarou's back. She was worried that Koutarou might not be human based on the way he fought.

“Silly... that's not possible...”

The girl smiled at herself and approached Koutarou.

“Sir knight!”

The girl called out to Koutarou as he was picking up Saguratin from the ground.

“Hmm?”

Hearing a voice next to him, Koutarou remembered the girl's existence. He was spacing out from relaxing after being released from the stress of fighting ten men.

“Ah, right... I was trying to save this girl.”

“Thank you for saving me, sir knight.”

The girl grabbed the hem of her dress and nodded to Koutarou. Koutarou figured that she was thanking him based on her actions. But he still couldn't understand what she was saying.

This is a problem... I still don't understand a word of what she's saying...

Koutarou returned a nod to the girl and scratched his head thinking about what to do now. That was when the armor's computer that had been silent for a while spoke.

“Language analysis is complete.”

Having returned to cruise mode, the processing power that had been prioritizing combat functions was returned to the general work functions. One of those functions happened to be language analysis. The computer had analyzed the words the girl and men had been using and had just now reached its result.

“Translation device set to ancient Forthorthe language.”

Based on the results, the translation device in the armor was put to work. Theia and Ruth used a similar device daily.

“Sorry for my late introduction, my name is―”

Thanks to that, Koutarou was finally able to understand the girl’s words. Her translated voice reminded him of Harumi.

“My name is Alaia Kua Forthorthe. Though embarrassing as I was just chased because of my position, but I am the first princess of this country, Forthorthe.”

The girl nervously presented herself in a resolute manner. She was grateful that Koutarou had saved her, but she didn't know who he was or why he had saved her.

“...Eh?”

However, Koutarou was so shocked by her name that he didn't notice her subtle feelings.

Having heard the girl's name, Koutarou was completely confused.

Did she say Alaia Kua Forthorthe?

Koutarou still thought this was a forest near Harukaze high school. Although the forest felt slightly out of place, he couldn't imagine this being anywhere but there. In that place, he had found a girl that looked just like Harumi wearing a dress that seemed similar to the outfits in their play, she had been chased by a group of men out to kill her, and she then called herself Alaia Kua Forthorthe.

Is it really an act? No, this is the back of the mountain, it's not a stage. And those guys were serious about killing her. But she named herself as the Silver Princess in the play? But this isn't Sakuraba-senpai?

It seemed like a play, but it wasn't. Despite that, the girl had called herself Alaia. The situation left Koutarou completely confused.

“I finally found you!”

At that moment, something hit Koutarou's head as he was at a loss.

“What are you doing here, you fake Blue Knight!! Don't move around on your own!”

It was Clan's fist. Koutarou had left her in the Cradle while she had been unconscious, but she had woken up and chased him down.

“That hurts you bastard, you still wanna fight!?”

Having been hit as his enemy, Clan, appeared, Koutarou recovered from his confusion and glared at her.

“This is no time to fight!”

However, Clan was saying that she had no intention of fighting. They had been fighting fiercely just a while ago, so Koutarou couldn't believe her right away.

“You're just trying to trick me, aren't you!? I won't fall for that!!”

“I just said there's no time for that!! We have to leave this place as quickly as possible or something terrible will happen!!”

Clan shook her head and desperately appealed with Koutarou. The eyes behind her shining glasses were serious.

Could it really be some serious trouble? Something that makes us have to forget about fighting...

Koutarou gradually swallowed the situation based on Clan's attitude. He hadn't forgotten that they were enemies, but it seemed like trouble had occurred that required them to put their differences aside. It didn't seem like her eyes were lying to him.

“Hurry and come, fake Blue Knight!! You're such trouble!!”

“H-Hey!”

Clan grabbed Koutarou's arm and forcibly pulled him towards the Cradle.

“Blue Knight...?”

The girl that had called herself Alaia followed the two with her eyes. She couldn't understand what Koutarou and Clan were saying. Clan was currently speaking in modern Forthorthe and followed what she was saying thanks to his translation device. So the only words that Alaia understood were Blue Knight.

By Blue Knight it would mean that he's some lord's vassal, but...

Alaia imagined what status Koutarou had based on the words Blue Knight.

The aristocrat system in Forthorthe was a warrior society, very similar to the samurai society of Japan. Even though he was a knight, it was very different from the knights of Britain.

The class system in imperial Forthorthe had the emperor at the top, and right below that were the royalty. Next were the high ranking knights that held regions. The high ranking knights governed the regions as lords and appointed lower class knights as vassals. The lower ranking knights served as the arms and legs of the high ranking knights and governed over various places in the region; in times of war the high ranking knights would serve as the leader of a band of knights. If compared to current age Japan, the high ranking knights would be prefectural governors and lower ranking knights would be mayors. In Forthorthe, high ranking knights were generally called holy knights and the lower ranking knights were called squires. Between those two ranks existed a large gap. Although the squires also governed over the lands, in reality it was the land of the holy knight. Moreover, the squires were on the bottom of classes of aristocrats; anyone below that was a general citizen.

By the way, the Pardomshiha family that Ruth is a part of is a holy knight family that holds a large amount of land, and she holds the highest title of Nye. Pardomshiha is a distinguished family amongst distinguished families; they're a prideful family that have protected the royal family since long ago.

And Fatra, the Blue Knight's title, was a common title amongst squires. A knight's title was determined by the one who decorated them. A specific, personal title was usually normally given to holy knights, but it was common for a squire to be given a title that corresponded to a color, plant or animal name selected by the lord they served. Amongst the names, colors seemed to be the most preferred by lords. They could color their armor by the same color, so it was the most preferred. So the words Blue Knight naturally led to imagining Koutarou being someone's squire.

When it comes to such a strong squire as him that hasn't become an enemy... It would have to be Pardomshiha or Wenranka. But I've met squires from Pardomshiha before and Wenranka don't use a color for titles... And it seems he's using magic too... Just who is that sir knight...?

Alaia understood Koutarou's title, but as a result she became even more doubtful. If Koutarou had the title of Blue Knight, there was a high chance he was an enemy based on the current situation. Despite that, he had saved her for some reason.

“Just wait, explain what's happening! I don't have a clue about what's going on!”

“Sheesh, guess I have to...”

Clan had disregarded him and hurried on at first, but since Koutarou was so persistent, she stopped after there was some distance between them and Alaia.

“You and I were just fighting. So how am I supposed to just obey when you tell me to come with you?”

“I understand. I'll explain, so I want you listen to me after you've heard the circumstances.”

“That depends on the explanation.”

“Really...”

Clan let out a small sigh and began explaining after glancing at Alaia behind Koutarou.

“...This isn't Earth.”

“What?”

“I said, this is not Earth!”

“This isn't Earth!? What's that supposed to mean!?”

Koutarou's eyes opened wide. It was hard to believe this wasn't Earth just because Clan had said so.

“Do you remember the weapon I was trying to use?”

“Yeah. That strange bomb, right?”

“That's right, the super-space-time repulsion shell. Because of that bomb, we were thrown to a different planet.”

Clan gestures an explosion with both hands.

We were thrown to a different planet!? Is that even possible!? I can't b― No, thinking about it, it just might...!!

Koutarou couldn't believe Clan's words, but at the same time it rang a familiar bell. Strange scenery, plants he had never seen before, bizarre reptiles. He didn't even understand the words the girl and men were saying.

“On top of that, it seems we've gone back in time.”

“Back in time?”

Koutarou didn't understand the meaning of what Clan had said, so he stopped thinking and stared at her face.

“Yes. Simply put, it's a time slip[1]. We've travelled to a past age.”

“A time slip!?”

Even Koutarou had heard of the term time slip before in movies or games.

“T-Then, we got caught up in the explosion of your bomb and were sent to a different planet in a different time!?”

“I'm glad you understand.”

Clan let out a loud sigh after Koutarou finally understood.

“R-Really!?”

“Is there a reason for me to lie in this situation?”

“That's...”

Koutarou and Clan were enemies, so it was strange for her to suddenly want to stop the fight.

Which means, it's probably true...

After calming down, Koutarou determined that Clan was speaking the truth. That seemed more natural, and they were the words of royalty after all. A proper scheme would be one thing, but this seemed to be too cheap a lie to buy time.

“Anyways, this is all your fault.”

“Oh, but it's also yours.”

“Mine? Why?”

“The super-space-time repulsion shell is originally a weapon that opened a hole in time and space and its target was set to outside of space. Since you cut it in half, it activated before it was ready, and this is the result.”

“Hmph, if you're about to be killed it's only obvious you'd cut it.”

To Koutarou, lettings things happen would just end with him outside of the universe so it was only natural for him to cut it. He wasn't very accepting of having the responsibility shoved on him.

“And I'd rather use that than lose.”

“...Fine, I got it.”

Koutarou raised his hands and sighed. He realized that carrying on with this emotional argument wouldn't lead anywhere and asked Clan another question. It seemed like she wasn't interested in fighting for now, and it seemed to be an emergency.

“So, where are we and when?”

“This is Forthorthe. And this is about 2,000 years in past.”

Clan gave him a blunt answer, but hearing that made Koutarou's jaw drop.

“Forthorthe!? 2,000 years ago!?”

“Yes, that's right. I made sure, using the Cradle to observe the stars. This is Forthorthe 2,000 years in the past. I couldn't believe it at first either, but there's no mistaking it.”

Clan nodded with a smile when she saw Koutarou's surprise. She was happy that he had finally realized the urgency of the situation. She was relieved that they could now move onto what they had to do.

“That's how it is, so let's return to the Cradle and come up with a plan to return to the future. There's no need to risk changing the future by doing something unnecessary.”

“I see, so that's why...”

Koutarou had been surprised at first but he was now strangely satisfied as he nodded repeatedly.

“What?”

Noticing that, Clan curiously asked him, in response Koutarou pointed to the girl behind him.

“There's a girl there, right?”

“...There is.”

Clan followed Koutarou's finger and looked at the girl wearing a dress.

“I saved her as she was being attacked by some strange guys, but she called herself Alaia Kua Forthorthe.”

“Alaia Kua Forthorthe...?”

At that moment, Clan's jaw dropped.

“You s-s-saved her...?”

“She said she was being chased because of her position, so we're probably in the middle of that period.”

Ignoring Clan's reaction, Koutarou continued his explanation.

“There's been nothing but strange things happening since I woke up here, but now I finally understand. No wonder I hadn't seen anything like this, and it wasn't a play either... it finally makes sense.”

Having had all his questions answered, Koutarou repeatedly nodded with a refreshed expression. Not even 30 minutes had passed since Koutarou had woken up, but during that time he had been feeling impatient, so having questions felt really refreshing.

“W-Wait just a minute, fake Blue Knight!!”

“H-Hey, what now!?”

On the other hand, Clan didn't share his feelings. She grabbed onto Koutarou and almost broke into tears.

“Don't just light-heartedly change history!! What are you going to do if we can't return to our world!?”

“W-What are you so angry for? C-Calm down, Clan.”

Clan gripped Koutarou's armor with both hands and shook him. Koutarou tried to calm her down while shaking back and forth, but to no avail.

“As if I could calm down!! D-D-D-Do you have any idea of what you've done!?”

“What, I just saved a person in trouble.”

Koutarou couldn't find any problems in saving a girl 2,000 years in Forthorthe's past, but Clan did.

“Didn't I explain to you where we are!?”

“You did, Forthorthe, 2,000 years ago, right?”

“You don't understand a thing! Anything you do here will change Forthorthe's history!! At this rate we'll be unable to return to our own time and place!!”

“...What?”

Not being able to return to their own time and place was a big problem for Koutarou. There was something he had to do there.

“W-Wait, explain it so I can understand, Clan!”

Koutarou's expression changed to a more serious one. He hadn't fully understood what she had said, but he was starting to understand the seriousness of the situation he was in.

“The history that time and space weave is like the flow of a river! If we casually flow into a different river, we might not be able to return to the original river!”

Clan began explaining to Koutarou with a serious expression. Since this could be even more important than life and death, she was really serious. She had already forgotten about being enemies with Koutarou.

“A different river...?”

“That's right! In reality we've already entered a different flow! In the original history, someone else saved her, most likely the Blue Knight! But you just saved her! Which means what happens from now on will change!”

Koutarou began understanding what Clan was saying.

Saving Alaia from those ten men was the job of people of this period. Based on the situation, it was almost certainly the Blue Knight’s job. So even if Koutarou hadn't saved her, the Blue Knight would eventually swoop in and help. Despite that, Koutarou had saved her. Because of that the Blue Knight and Silver Princess lost their chance to meet.

“So I got in the way of the Blue Knight's and Silver Princess' meeting!?”

“That's right! At this rate history won't be able to recover!”

Clan nodded with her face turned blue. Since her skin was originally very white, it served to show just how seriously she was worried. Having understood how serious the situation was, Koutarou threw a question at Clan.

“Wait, what will happen at this rate!?”

“Like I said before, history is like the flow of a river! If we flow into a different river, a different past will be created! If we returned home in some way now, we'd return to a different world!”

The Blue Knight and Silver Princess didn't meet. So if Koutarou and Clan returned to the future now, they would return to a future with a history built upon the two never meeting. They would end up in a different world than the one they left.

“If the Blue Knight and Silver Princess don't meet, there's almost no chance of Forthorthe remaining as an empire for almost 2,000 years! And if that happens, Theiamillis-san and Pardomshiha won't come to Earth! So the time you spent with them will completely change!”

“So if we return to the future now, it'll be a world where I never meet Theia and Ruth-san!?”

As the explanation became more personal, Koutarou finally realized the position he was in. Having come the past, all of Koutarou's actions would change the future.

“That's right!!”

“That's terrible!!”

“That's what I said!! Do you have any idea of what you've done!?”

At this rate, Theia and Ruth won't be born, and Koutarou wouldn't meet them. And if they don't meet, almost everything since Koutarou enrolled in Harukaze high school would change. They wouldn't try to take over his room and there wouldn't be a mess at the sports festival. They wouldn't go to the sea and they wouldn't write manuscripts for a play. It wouldn't just affect Koutarou either. It would mean everything that happened up until now would be lost.

“What should we do!? How do we return to our own world!?”

Koutarou had something to do. If he returned to a different world, he wouldn't be able to do it. Koutarou had to return to his original time and place, no matter what.

“We have to find the real Blue Knight who has to be around here and make them meet! And as fast as possible!”

“Will that work!? Or would history change a little!?”

“It would be much better than now! We have to do what we can to raise our chances to return to our own world, all we can do after that is pray!”

While history could easily be split, it would often rejoin as well. If the split histories were almost identical, there was a high chance of them rejoining. For example, if someone went to the past and moved a grain of sand, that alone would be enough to change history. But because of the minute change, the split histories would shortly rejoin. As such there was a tolerance for change. Clan's goal was to find the Blue Knight and return to within the tolerant change.

“G-Got it. So what do we do specifically? What should I do?”

“That's right...”

Clan crossed her arms and began thinking. As she did she casually glanced at Koutarou's armor. The next moment, her eyes and expression began sparkling.

“That's right, I'll have you take the Blue Knight's place! Meanwhile I'll search for the real one and bring him here!”

The Silver Princess hadn't met with the Blue Knight. At this rate she would continue her travels defenseless. So Koutarou would stay with her to protect her until Clan found the real Blue Knight and they trade places. With that small adjustment to history they should be able to return to their own world.

“I only have to protect her, right?”

“That's right. And while pretending to be the Blue Knight. That's your forte, is it not?”

“Well that's true, but...”

Koutarou understood that Clan's plan was solid, but he couldn't hide his hesitation when it came to putting it into action.

Things have taken a strange turn...

For their performance, Koutarou ended up taking Kenji's place. And this time he had ended up taking the real Blue Knight's place. Of course, Koutarou was confused. It seemed like his several months of practicing would be useful in an unexpected way.

“Sir knight, what's the matter?”

That was when Alaia approached.

It sounded like they were talking about Forthorthe and Pardomshiha...

Alaia had been looking at Koutarou and Clan from a distance, but while the two were arguing she picked up a few words she could understand, and she became in interested in what the two were talking about.

In this age it would be... ancient Forthorthe...

Since Alaia had come up beside them, Clan sneakily activated her translation device.

“No, it's nothing, your highness.”

Koutarou responded in the same language as Alaia, what he was saying was translated through the translation device and entered Clan's ears.

“My servant and I were just talking about moving before the men I defeated wake up.”

“Servant!?”

However, the words that reached her ears were very displeasing. So Clan complained to Koutarou in a whisper.

“...What's servant supposed to mean!?”

“...What else would you be?”

“...Fine, guess it can't be avoided...”

Being called a servant was extremely displeasing to Clan. That said, she couldn't reveal her true position, and she couldn't come up with something more convincing than servant in this situation. So while dissatisfied, Clan obediently followed Koutarou's judgment.

“I see. It's true that we should hurry.”

Alaia nodded and looked behind her. There she saw ten unconscious men, some of them groaning slightly. It was obvious that they would open their eyes soon.

“I have to rejoin with my allies too.”

“I understand. Which way is it?”

Koutarou lightly nodded and indicated the forest behind her. He was ready to go as soon as she told him the direction.

“Eh...?”

Alaia showed a surprised expression.

“Will you travel with me, sir knight?”

“That's the plan. Is that a problem?”

“That's―”

Alaia hesitated to say.

She didn't know whether she could trust Koutarou or not yet. If he was an enemy, even her allies might be in danger.

I want to trust him... but there's the small chance those girls will be in danger...

She didn't want to distrust her savior, and she felt like she could personally believe Koutarou. She couldn't feel any evil intentions from his behavior or words. But her responsibilities and position she was in weakened her decision.

“Your highness, I can understand your hesitation. So let us at least move before those men open their eyes.”

Koutarou noticed Alaia's hesitation and lent a helping hand. But Koutarou hadn't noticed this on his own; instead, this is what had happened during last year’s play. So Koutarou imagined that Alaia might be hesitating.

“Move, is it...”

Koutarou had suggested to Alaia that they should move before the unconscious men woke up, but she didn't move right away. So in order for her to make up her mind, Alaia decided to ask him something. It was something that had been on her mind for a while now.

“...Before that, please tell me something, sir knight.”

“Anything you ask.”

“Why didn't you cut those men down?”

Alaia asked Koutarou why he hadn't killed the men. Regardless of whether he was her ally or foe, killing the men would have been better. If he was an enemy it would serve to fool Alaia. If he was an ally they would no longer be chased.

“That's―”

Koutarou wasn't sure what to say, that was a question that hadn't been in the manuscript. So Koutarou had to respond using his own words.

“I don't like cutting people down. And when I came to help I wasn't aware of who you were. So I couldn't just kill them without knowing who they were. That was my reasoning.”

Koutarou honestly answered the question. It wasn't something worth hiding, and he didn't want to betray the earnest look on Alaia's face.

I see... so this person is neither friend nor foe...

Having heard Koutarou's answer, Alaia felt embarrassed about her hasty self. She was so focused on whether Koutarou was an ally or enemy that she overlooked the possibility of him being neither. Koutarou had only jumped in to stop a fight in front of him.

...And there's something different about this person compared to the other knights...

Because of her position, Alaia had been acquainted with many knights. So she was well aware of what kind of people knights were. However, Koutarou’s answer differed greatly from the knights she knew.

A knight not wanting to kill his enemies... thinking about just now...

Alaia recalled Koutarou's appearance after the battle had ended. At that time he had felt relief that no one had died. He had also neither boasted nor declared his victory.

He might be from one of the band of knights that have turned against me. But... but I want to believe in the mysterious something in this person...

So Alaia put her belief in that difference. She felt like believing in the blue knight who held a surprising amount of strength, but at the same time was strangely gentle.

“Please forgive me for my rudeness, sir knight. I will believe you.”

Alaia gave Koutarou a smile full of gratitude and trust.

“I am honored, princess Alaia.”

Hearing Alaia say, with a voice very similar to Harumi's, that she believed him, filled Koutarou with a warm, fuzzy feeling. He felt as Harumi herself was saying, even though that wasn't the case, Koutarou's heart danced.

“Sir knight, please let me hear your name.”

“This was most rude of me. My name is―”

Satomi Koutarou, as he was about reply with that, Koutarou swallowed his words. He had another name he should respond with.

“My name is Reios Fatra Bertorion. I swear on this sword that I will definitely protect you.”

This was Koutarou and the Silver Princess's meeting.

Translator's Notes and References

1. ↑ A phenomenon where people travel through time via unknown means

Share