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Volume 3, Chapter 3 - The Town of Beginnings Part 2

The next morning, Yasuo and Shouko, who gratefully ate a breakfast consisting of some fairly sour bread and tea made from beans that grew in the forest, were unable to look each other in the eye other for some reason.

They had experienced an embarrassing moment when they accidentally looked into each other’s eyes after waking up… It was not like that. In actuality, both of them had forgotten about falling asleep in close proximity to each other, and when they woke up they simultaneously pulled back from each other on top of the small bed, and as a result, both of them had ended up falling out of bed.

The sound was loud enough to startle Catalina and cause her to come running to see what had happened, and the two of them found themselves in an indescribably awkward situation.

Incidentally, the black flame had returned to Shouko’s left eye at some point.

“It must be nice to be young.”

Moreover, the situation was basically equivalent to admitting that they had slept in the same bed, so the fact that Catalina had some strange misunderstanding was reflected in her words.

After the two of them underwent the baptism of using an outhouse in this other world, Catalina urged them to prepare for their departure.

After giving both of them well-used greatcoats that had attached hoods, Shouko was given two things that closely resembled cushions used to correct seating posture.

“Here, carry these.”

As for Yasuo, he was given a large sack that was packed full of something, although it wasn’t all that heavy.

Catalina herself was holding one of each in each hand.

“What are these?”

“The bags contain some things that we can exchange for money in the town. They are

important merchandise so don’t drop them, okay?” Yasuo understood what she was saying. Since they were going to be staying under her care, being given such tasks to do made him feel better as

well.

He had still not let down his guard, but as long as they were both behaving amicably towards each other, it would be better to follow the social niceties.

“As for what Shouko is carrying, we will be using them soon.”

Catalina smiled mischievously and gestured for both of them to step outside.

“Uwaah, we were in this kind of place?” Shouko saw Catalina’s workshop from the

outside for the first time.

Shouko had imagined that it was a log house with a gabled roof, but it actually looked like a solid fortress-like structure that had been built around a cave and reinforced with some material that looked a lot like concrete.

There was a strangely large space cleared around the workshop, but it did not look like it was meant for a garden or fields, as the soil had been compacted until it was fairly flat and the area was almost devoid of even weeds.

“Even I thought it was a factory or fortress when we brought you here.”

Yasuo guessed what Shouko was thinking and said that.

“I would have prefered a more charming exterior myself, but that’s not possible in this forest.”

Saying that, Catalina pulled out a silver-colored tube and put it in her mouth.

A whistle that sounded more shrill than the one used for soccer games penetrated the trees of the forest and echoed around them.

And then, they waited for about ten seconds. Suddenly, their surroundings were filled with a

flurry of wind, and Shouko inadvertently looked up and saw something that caused her to widen her eyes.

“Yasu-kun! That is—!” “That thing is—!!”

An incredibly giant creature slowly descended from the sky while flapping what looked like wings, and settled down on the ground near the three of them.

It was without a doubt the 『scelephant』 that Yasuo and Shouko had been following in the forest.

The reason why the game trail had suddenly come to an end was because the scelephant was capable of flying.

However, it was hard to believe that something so massive could fly through the air by flapping its wings.

Seen from the front, the face of the scelephant looked more like that of a round rhinoceros than an elephant.

The scaled elephant, or rather, the scaled rhinoceros that had calmly landed in front of the three of them lay down flat on top of the compacted soil.

“This is a scaled dragon. We will ride to the town on its back.”

Despite the fact that it had such a rotund body, it was apparently neither an elephant nor a rhino, but a dragon instead.

“This forest is the habitat of scaled dragons, so they occasionally land on top of my workhouse.”

If such large creatures were in the habit of landing on top of the house, then it certainly made sense to reinforce the house to that extent; if not, the people who lived inside would find it intolerable.

Most likely, the strangely compacted soil around the house was also due to these things.

“I-Is it really okay to ride on top of this?” “Despite their appearance, they are actually

quite placid creatures. A scaled dragon of this size

can carry six adults. I’ll climb up first so throw the chairs to me, okay?”

Catalina climbed up scaled dragon’s back in a practiced manner, using its leg and shoulder as handholds, and then proceeded to attach those things that looked like tatami chairs used to correct seating posture on top of the scales on its back.

So those things were basically saddles used to ride on top scaled dragons.

“It’ll take around three hours to reach Galedeite, riding on this one’s back.”

“Is it going to fly while carrying us?”

“Of course not. If we did something like that, we would get shot down by the Anti-flight Sorcery Division stationed on the town walls. We will be moving on the ground at a sedate pace.”

“Anti-flight Sorcery DIvision?”

Shouko, who had truly not heard that term before, asked for an explanation of that term, and hearing that, Catalina’s expression turned slightly pensive.

“......It looks like you’ll need to learn a few

things. We have plenty of time, so I’ll explain on the way. Come now, hurry and climb up here.”

After that,Yasuo and Shouko climbed up on the back of the scaled dragon, taking almost five times as long as Catalina did.

When the scaled dragon stood up, their vision was suddenly elevated, and, both Yasuo and Shouko let out a shout of joy.

“Amazing!!”

“Uwaah! We’re so high up!”

“I didn’t think you would find it so entertaining. Yasuo, be careful to not drop the sack.”

After giving a wry smile, Catalina once again blew on the small pipe and the scaled dragon started to move.

The movement itself seemed relaxed, but because of its giant body the length of each stride was massive and the trees in the forest that they had taken so much effort to walk past yesterday started to go by in a blur.

The weather was not clear today either, but the rain had stopped, and there were brief periods where the sunlight broke through the clouds.

Their view was also clear, and they saw some massive ferns and trees with bright blue fruit, which served to further reinforce their thoughts that this place was very different from Japan.

During their trip through the forest, Catalina gave Yasuo and Shouko a lecture on the basic facts about the world called Ante Lande.

“I suppose I should start with the war against Demon King Kaul, thirty years ago. That’s when your father and his companions defeated the

swarms of demons that appeared from the land beneath the Grand Duchy of Torjesso.”

She didn’t mention anything about what happened thirty years ago, save that the demons had been defeated by the hero from another world, Hideo. Yasuo did not get the chance to bring up the topic of his mother during this time.

Regarding the Shii, what she said was basically a rehash of what they had already heard from Diana and Khalija.

However there were a few pieces of information that they had not heard from Diana, who was a citizen of Resteria. Namely, the current position of the Gaz Commonwealth, and what kind of impression the people of the Gaz Commonwealth had about the Hero, Hideo.

The Gaz Commonwealth was located between Resteria, which was one of the major world powers, and the Baskelgarde Federation, and was apparently under constant political pressure from both of them.

The Commonwealth was a republic, but due to that there was no single authority within their borders who held absolute power, and the people who lived there were split among the pro-Resteria and pro-Baskelgarde camps.

The Gaz Commonwealth was also the place where the most battles involving the Hero Hideo

took place during the war against Demon King Kaul.

Due to that, the tendency of the people from the Gaz Commonwealth to view Hideo as a Hero was just as high, if not more than the people of Resteria, but on the other hand, it was also a fact that the Gaz Commonwealth was the area with the largest number of war casualties.

There were a lot of people who blamed that on the fact that both Resteria and Baskelgarde had used the Gaz Commonwealth as a breakwater, and while they still celebrated the actions of the Hero Hideo, they felt resentment towards Resteria and Baskelgarde for making use of them and forcing them to take unnecessary casualties.

It had only been thirty years since the war against Demon King Kaul.

There were still a lot of people around who remembered the wartime, and faced with the modern day Shii crisis, it was said that in the background, the political situation of the nation was slowly but surely starting to come apart at the seams.

“Thanks to the fact that this nation is sandwiched between two major powers that it is on friendly terms with, there is no overt loss of public order as of yet. The Knights Division, which has not forgotten the lessons learned during the

wartime, is powerful. As are the Magitech Knights, who currently hold the most power as of now. However, if something were to happen that greatly shifted the balance, if the Magitech Knights were to to be divided for some reason, this country would be in dire straits. The war refugees who were unable to find protection in Resteria and Baskelgarde also aimed to settle in the Gaz Commonwealth for the time being.”

“That sounds… quite troublesome. By the way, how large is this country, approximately?”

“It’s not very big. It is wholly incomparable to the size of Baskelgarde, and even comparing it to Resteria, it is probably around half the size. However, thanks to the fact that it has been an important trading point since ancient times, this country’s financial position is quite good. Due to that, this country has a long history of being a republic. Do you know what ‘republic’ means? Although, I seem to remember hearing that Japan is a republic as well.”

“Umm… It’s actually a little different, but I guess you could say there are some similarities.”

While it was certainly true that the country of Japan had some things in common with a republic, such as being based upon democratic principles wherein the power rested with the people and the elected representatives of the people were

responsible for the administration of the country, Japan was actually a constitutional monarchy due to the fact that they had an Emperor.

Also, since a democracy and a republic were not the same thing, there were cases where a nation claimed to be a republic while belonging to a federation of states, and there were also cases where a republic had a crowned ruler.

“Is there a head of the state? I think that many things would depend on which faction that person belongs to.”

“I’m not sure how to put it in your terms. Let’s see, umm… pres…. President? The President

claims to be neutral, but for all intents and purposes, he is on Resteria’s side.”

When it came to finding countermeasures against the Shii, even Resteria had a divided opinion on whether to invite the Hero Hideo to their country or not.

No doubt, countries that did not possess a cheating technique like summoning a Hero would find themselves in even deeper chaos.

“Once we get close to the town, Shouko, pull the hood down low over your eyes, okay? Since you’re accompanying me, I don’t think they will pry too deeply into your identities as long as we play a slightly higher entry toll, but there’s no disadvantage in being a little cautious.”

“Understood.”

Due to the current situation in which fear of the Shii was rampant, if a girl were to appear while bearing the flames of the Shii in her eyes, it would no doubt cause a panic.

After resting for one night, Shouko’s left eye was once again alight with a black, smoldering flame.

The flame did not burn anything that was brought close to it, but they were not able to cover it up even by wrapping a bandage around her eye, so there was no choice but to hide it from others by wearing a hood low over her eyes.

“......That reminds me.”

William had also said that his red eye was the one thing he could not conceal, did William perchance have the same nature as Shouko?

“What’s wrong, Yasu-kun?” “......No, it’s nothing.”

“If you’re worried about the flame, I don’t think anyone will notice as long as they don't get right up in my face...”

“Eh?”

Shouko said something different from what Yasuo had been thinking about, but then she took off her hood, and after hesitating for just a moment, with a small shout to pump herself up,

Shouko grabbed Yasuo’s hand while he sat beside her.

“......Ei.”

“Eh.”

When she did that, the black flames that were flickering in the wind and were big enough to reach from her forehead to her bangs suddenly reduced to the size of a cigarette lighter flame.

“Oh, my…”

Catalina looked at Shouko’s eye and the sight of them holding hands, and, she looked at Yasuo with a gaze full of some hidden meaning.

“Oh my, oh my…” “W-What is it!?”

Yasuo shouted towards her with a red face, but on the other hand he didn’t have the option of shaking off Shouko’s hand either. Meanwhile Shouko was being herself and her face was certainly a little red, but she looked like she was actually enjoying herself, so Yasuo had no idea what he should do.

“.......Hehe.”

He didn’t know the logic behind it, but it appeared that the flames of Shii grew smaller the closer Shouko was to Yasuo.

In order to erase them completely, they would have to do something like last night……

“It’s nice that the two of you get along so well.”

“Please don’t make fun of us!”

“Yeah… but doesn't this make it look like I’m really important to you or something?”

“And you too, what the heck are you saying?” Yasuo found himself being steadily cornered

into a situation that he could not endure, and both Shouko and Catalina gave contended smiles and turned to face forward once more.

“In any case, this should do the trick, right?” “Well, yes, but you still shouldn’t let down your

guard. The damage in Galedeite has been relatively minor, but speaking of the Gaz area as a whole, the threat from the Shii is fairly serious, after all. Due to that, there are a lot of people saying that they don't want to be used as pawns by the major powers once again, like during the war with Demon King Kaul. Because of that, there is a faction that wants to maintain a state of true independence, and they are gaining a lot of popularity.”

It might not be at the level where it could be called nationalism, but precisely because this country was a republic, it was possible for such factions to suddenly gain power.

In some ways, that was an extremely natural thing, and something that could normally be ignored as it was part of the politics of a country they were not affiliated with.

More importantly, the warmth and softness of Shouko’s hand that he was feeling with his own would normally pose a bigger problem for Yasuo.

“The faction that came up with the plan to obtain a stable form of independence were originally an organization that took care of displaced war refugees, called Carnelian of the Coal Mine……”

““.......!””

That is, if not for the fact that Catalina mentioned the name Carnelian of the Coal Mine.

“Ooh!”

The field of view suddenly got larger, and Shouko let out a shout of joy.

As soon as they left the forest, the three of them were greeted by the sight of a large, open plain, and although it was still quite far away, they saw something that looked like a citadel as well.

“Is that Galedeite?”

“That’s right. It’s the greatest fortress town in the Gaz Commonwealth. There is a cathedral belonging to the Church of the Divine King here where people worship the Hideo Holy Sword River, so this place is an important town in the Gaz Commonwealth, speaking from a religious perspective as well.”

The Church of the Diving King.

Yasuo had heard a little about that organization from Khalija.

He had heard that it was an organization that had a long history of both good and evil deeds, just like its counterpart on Earth, and it was hence a “holy place where wicked men gathered.” However, in the eyes of the general public, it probably served perfectly as the foundation for their daily prayers.

That aside, he couldn’t seem to get used to the name “Hideo Holy Sword River,” no matter how many times he heard it, but encountering the name of his father in this fashion after being separated from him gave him a very strange feeling.

“Yasuo, you should hide your face as well, just in case. I don’t think there are many people who know what Hideo looked like, but there might be a few people who remember.”

“I understand.”

Since their view had improved after leaving the forest, they could see things here and there that resembled wagons, slowly moving towards the fortress town.

Yasuo and Shouko decided that it would be better to stay alert from on onwards, and put on the hoods that were attached to their greatcoats.

Certainly, both of them were tense.

However, despite that, they weren’t able to suppress their anticipation.

To put it shortly, going to another world meant interacting with a new society.

It was a society that was not constrained by their own set of values and common sense.

Before long, they had stabled the scaled dragon outside the city walls in a stable meant for that purpose, passed through the gate without any issues in particular, and Yasuo and Shouko beheld the town of Galedeite in the other world for the first time.

“It kind of… doesn’t feel like a town at all.” It was a town with a lot of shadows.

Catalina widened her eyes at Shouko’s whispered statement.

“You can tell?”

“Well, it’s just a vague feeling. The whole place seems really dark, as if there’s not enough sunlight.”

Compared to the sunny plain they had crossed after leaving the forest, it felt like they had entered a man-made forest this time.

The buildings were tall, the alleyways looked complicated, and there weren’t many people out walking on the streets.

Unlike the back alleys of Japan, even the entrance and exits of alleys here appeared to be

perpetually shrouded in darkness.

However, the town did not appear to be dirty or dilapidated.

The alleys did not appear to be overflowing with garbage or have graffiti on the walls, and nor did they appear to be a gathering place of people who might be difficult to approach.

In any case, both Yasuo and Shouko instinctively felt that this place was completely different from any 『town』 that they knew.

“That’s right, we still have some time, so would you like to go sightseeing?”

““Sightseeing?””

Both Yasuo and Shouko looked surprised on hearing that word.

“Shouko. Don’t raise your head like that, even if you are surprised. No matter how small it is, the Shii’s flame will still attract attention.”

“Ah, s-sorry.”

Shouko panicked and pulled the hood even lower.

The flame had reduced in size somewhat because she was walking close to Yasuo, but the two of them could not very well walk around town while constantly holding hands.

She had to stay alert at all times.

“Remember all the things I told you about this country on our way here? I think you’ll understand

why you felt uncomfortable about this place after we do a little sightseeing and see what this town is famous for, Shouko. Both of you, follow me.”

Saying that, Catalina stated walking ahead of them.

“This place is a fortress town, and during the war against Demon King Kaul, this place served as the de facto front line for this area. Also, this town is an important hub for travelers. That’s the reason why this town ended up in this way. To begin with, let’s go over there.”

What Catalina pointed at after saying that was the tallest tower in their surroundings.

“Uwaaaah!!”

Just how many times had she let out shouts of amazement since coming to this world?

Shouko, who was standing on the edge of the terrace, was struck with amazement after seeing the magnificent view that filed her whole vision, something no artist could ever hope to reproduce.

The tower was made of stone, and was approximately fifty meters tall.

The terrace on the topmost floor of that tower offered an unbroken view of Galedeite’s surroundings, and so it served as a viewing platform open to the public as well as a watchtower.

Although they had left their luggage at a guard station on the first floor, climbing the steep stone steps was quite a challenge for Yasuo, as he was a boy from the modern age who was used to things like escalators and elevators. However, the view from the top most floor immediately made him forget about his fatigue.

“A-Amazing...”

If you consider just the height of the tower, it was not something Yasuo and Shouko, who lived in a modern city close to the capital, found particularly astonishing.

However, the sheer width and depth of the view was something that people who lived in modern Japan would probably never see.

The view of the town of Galedeite below their feet was also marvelous, but what amazed the two of them the most was the vast amount of nature that surrounded the town.

Their attention was wholly occupied by the forest, the plains, the mountains in the far-off distance, and the sky.

The view from the top of the famous viewing platforms in Japan is one of an endless expanse of cities and towns, punctuated by scenic mountains.

However, from this viewing platform, the boundary between the sky and the ground was clearly visible.

“Amazing, amazing, amazing!!”

As soon as Shouko reached the topmost floor of that tower, she became incapable of saying anything except that, and the fact was that the view had such a big impact on the two of them that there was nothing else to say.

“That forest is the same one you live in, right, Catalina-san?”

Catalina nodded when Yasuo pointed his finger towards it and asked that.

“Yes. Also, you can see it from here, right? That river that is cutting through the forest and flowing into the western side of the town is the one that your father created towards the end of the battle with the Demon King, the 『Hideo Holy Sword River』.”

“Really, can’t something be done about that name?”

“There’s no point saying that to me.”

Seeing it from above, Yasuo could tell that the Hideo Holy Sword River was very wide and long.

His father had said something about the river being created due to the demon’s attacks in the middle of the battle, but it seemed to originate from a lot further away than the phrase “flash food” would imply.

The river appeared to originate far away, in the slightly hazy mountains that were on the far side

of the forest that the two of them had spent so much time wandering through yesterday.

If this river had not existed thirty years ago, just how wide-scale and bizarre must have the battle between his father and the demons been in order to create it?

If you had to replicate the same thing with a modern weapon from Earth, there was no doubt that it would have to be something off the charts.

“I think it should be clear after seeing this, but there is nothing in the vicinity of this town that would hinder an invading army. Once the enemy gets over those mountains far, far away, they just need to travel in a straight line to get here. And to the rear of the town is just a vast, open plain that is open to traffic from both Resteria and Baskelgarde. That’s why this town of Galedeite ended up in this form, like a turtle that has retreated into its shell.”

The reason why the town looked so dark was because it was fated to serve as a stronghold in times of emergency.

The town walls were tall, the buildings were crowded close to each other, and the alleys were narrow and complicated in order to confuse invaders.

Even long before the war with Demon King Kaul, this town must have weathered many attacks

due to its nature as an important checkpoint for traffic and an economic center.

“My destination is a little difficult to see from here; it’s that market over there. The sacks that Yasuo left in the guard room earlier contain the same dried beans that were used to make the tea you drank this morning. As for your destination…… considering the situation, I

suppose it would be over there.”

The place Catalina was pointing to was on the opposite side of the town from the market, and the viewing platform was located almost exactly in between the two. It was a building that was almost the same height as the viewing platform.

Unlike the other buildings in the town that were crowded together, this building had a fair amount of empty space around it.

“What is that place?”

Catalina answered Yasuo’s question nonchalantly.

“It’s the Galedeite headquarters of the Gaz Knights Division. If they learn that you are a family member of the Hero Hideo, they will likely give you a warm welcome and offer you their protection.”

“!”

Yasuo unconsciously gulped.

No matter how much he tried to control it, his body would stiffen every time she mentioned the name of his father; Yasuo wondered if she had seen through that.

Yasuo asked Catalina a question, as if to cover that up.

“Catalina-san. What kind of social position do the Knights have in this country?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if you look at the word ‘Knight’ in japanese, it basically refers to a soldier who fights from horseback, someone more extravagant than a foot soldier. However in reality they tend to be more than that, so...”

Yasuo felt annoyed that he wasn’t able to properly put it into words, but Shouko seemed to understand what he meant and continued from where he had stopped.

“The social position that accompanied the title of 『Knight』 in the world we came from differed greatly depending on the country and the era. I think what Yasu-kun is asking about is if they are akin to feudal lords who rule over a demesne, or if the title is honorary and given to people who are recognized by a ruler, or if they are career soldiers.”

Catalina seemed to understand after hearing what Shouko said.

“In this country, 『Knight』 is the name of a profession, and the post does not imply any special social position or nobility. The Knights Division Headquarters in the capital city of the commonwealth oversees the activities of all the Knights, and in essence, all the 『Knights』 are actually 『Magitech Knights』. Their work consists of maintaining public order and defending the territory. Does that answer your question?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you very much.”

In other words, if they sought protection at that place called the Galedeite Headquarters, they would not need to worry about being imprisoned by some local noble who was a Knight in name only.

While he was thinking about that, he made eye contact with Catalina, who had a serious expression on her face.

“The two of you have had some fairly high standard of schooling, correct?”

“Excuse me?”

“During the short time it took for us to come here from the forest, I understood that the two of you possess fairly good knowledge about history, politics, mathematics, and economics.”

“R-Really?”

“When I was talking to you about this country, neither of you asked me to clarify what a particular

word meant, even once. For example, even many of the people who live in this country do not know what the word 『republic』 means.”

Wasn’t she rating them too highly?

At the very least, neither Yasuo nor Shouko thought that their knowledge was particularly extensive, and any liberal arts student who took their exam preparations seriously or a student aiming to get into a national university would be able to follow a conversation of that level.

When they meekly told her the same thing, Catalina looked amazed and slumped her shoulders.

“The fact that you can say that that is normal proves what an extraordinary place the other world is. There must be children like you all over the place, right?”

““......””

Yasuo and Shouko unconsciously looked at each other.

From their perspective, both Catalina and the town of Galedeite were worthy of admiration, due to their otherworld nature.

People here could use magic as if it was the most natural thing in the world, could fly through the air, and had trained fantastic creatures to work for them.

Why would people of this world who could do such amazing things ever see Japan as a threat?

Catalina seemed to have guessed what the two of them were thinking about.

“Even if you search the length and breadth of Ante Lande, you won’t find a single country where every child is able to go to school and receive an education. Do the two of you think that all the people in Ante Lande are capable of using sorcery or magic?”

Yes, they had been thinking that.

Yasuo discovered that he had developed that misapprehension in some corner of his heart, and he was shocked.

“In Ante Lande, the number of people who can use magic, become Magitech Knights, or even go to school and receive and education are limited to a select few. You can say that ever since the war with Demon King Kaul, that trend has increased even more… This is a good opportunity, so there’s one more place I want you to see before we go to the market. Although it might be a little too depressing to be called sightseeing.”

Saying that, Catalina started to climb down from the tower.

“W-Where are we going?”

“To see a scar from thirty years ago.” Catalina’s answer was concise.

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