Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 7.5 - Chapter 2

Foreign Lands

Koutarou woke up in the thick of a forest.

“Wh-What happened...?”

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

“Owowow...”

As he moved, pain began shooting through his body. The injuries he sustained while fighting Clan had finally caught up to him. But thanks to that pain, Koutarou was wide awake now. While grimacing in pain, he took a moment to assess his wounds.

I thought I’d be a lot worse for wear, but this isn’t so bad...

Koutarou remembered taking several beam and laser shots during his last charge on the Cradle. But unlike how he remembered it, he hadn’t suffered any serious injury from it. Although it hurt to move certain parts of his body, the worst he had to show for it was light bruising.

“Wait, that’s right! Clan and the Cradle!”

Koutarou put his unexpectedly light injuries out of his mind when he remembered there was something else he should be much more worried about.

“Where’s that girl and her spaceship?!”

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

I’m in a forest? No, I guess this is more like in the mountains...?

For the first time, Koutarou really took a moment to observe his surroundings. Around him was an abundance of trees all illuminated by the light of the evening sun, and the ground beneath him was at a slight incline. Based on the scenery, he realized he must be somewhere in the mountains and that he was alone.

“I wonder which way Harukaze High School is...”

Koutarou scanned back through his memory while continuing to look around.

Let’s see. A forested mountain near school...

The last thing Koutarou could remember was cutting through Clan’s Super Space-time Repulsion Shell with the sword he’d borrowed from Theia. The next thing he knew, he’d woken up on the side of this mountain. He had the feeling he’d had a dream while he was unconscious, but in true dreamlike fashion, he couldn’t clearly remember it. He also didn’t spend too much time dwelling on it since he couldn’t imagine it had anything to do with his current situation. The best Koutarou could figure was that he must have been blown to a nearby mountain by the explosion from the repulsion shell.

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

Kisshouharukaze High School was situated halfway up a small mountain. A little farther up it was untouched forest. Koutarou’s worksite was roughly in that area. The next mountain was several kilometers away, and he couldn’t imagine that he’d been blown that far off.

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

If he was at the forest above the school, all he had to do was climb down the mountain. Even if he didn’t know where he was, he would eventually reach the road. He’d clearly been unconscious until evening, so he knew everyone would be worried if he didn’t get back as soon as he could. With that in mind, Koutarou began heading down the mountainside.

For each step he took, he bent grass and snapped twigs underfoot. The heavy armor chinked and clunked as he walked along too.

“Jeez... This is all that girl’s fault. Next time I see her, I’ll— Wait, that’s...!”

Shortly after Koutarou began his trek down the mountain, he spotted a familiar face a ways off in a rocky area. It was Clan, who Koutarou was anxious to get ahold of for several reasons. Not far from her was her spaceship, the Cradle. It was on its side, revealing the belly of its hull.

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

Koutarou was more than ready to give Clan a piece of his mind, so the moment he spotted her, he hurriedly climbed down towards the rocky area where she was. Despite his shouting, however, Clan remained motionless as she lay on the rocks with her eyes closed.

“Hey, Clan!”

Koutarou continued to yell as he made his way over to her.

“Huh?”

But Clan still wasn’t responding. She wasn’t even moving. Koutarou finally realized something was amiss and leaned down, bringing his face close to hers as he stared at her.

“...She’s unconscious.”

Clan may have been unconscious, but her complexion was fine and she was breathing calmly and steadily. It didn’t seem like her life was in any danger.

“Hey, wake up, Clan! Now’s not the time to be sleeping!”

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

“Uhn, hnngh...”

But even then, Clan didn’t wake up. All she did was let out a pained groan and wrinkle her brow. She was out cold.

“Damn, no good...”

Based on Clan’s response, or lack thereof, 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 Clan and put his mind to figuring out what to do. With Clan unconscious here, he couldn’t just leave her behind and head back to school.

Right, I should make a call first.

After thinking for a moment, Koutarou pulled out his cellphone and turned it on. He decided the best course of action now was to try and get in touch with someone. Since Clan had the most to do with Theia, he was planning on calling her first. He hoped that she would make the decision about what to do with Clan for him. With her spaceship here and everything, it wasn’t like he could figure out what to do with it on his own anyway.

“Huh? That’s weird.”

However, when he turned on his phone, it didn’t seem to be getting a signal. Seeing that, Koutarou shook it a couple of times. There was no way anywhere on this mountain so close to Harukaze High School didn’t get reception. Since the school was designated as an emergency shelter in the event of something like a natural disaster, extra antennas had been put up along the mountain. Even at the top of the mountain at Koutarou’s worksite, he still usually got full bars. And since he wasn’t picking up any now, Koutarou figured it was more likely that his phone was broken.

“I guess shaking it won’t fix it.”

No matter how many times he shook his phone, he still couldn’t get a signal. After letting out a heavy sigh, he shoved the cellphone back inside his armor.

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

Although he was worried about leaving the spaceship out in the open, he couldn’t just leave Clan in her current state. So Koutarou picked up Clan and carried her as he began climbing down the slope again.

Even though he was carrying Clan, Koutarou’s footsteps were light. Since the armor he borrowed from Theia was power-assisted, it moved according to his movements. Because of that, it was essentially like the armor was carrying Clan. Koutarou barely felt any weight from her at all. It made it easier to check out his surroundings as he continued to move down the mountain.

“What kind of tree is that?”

As he looked around more, he started to notice strange things about the forest around him. This was the first time he realized that the trees here were unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Koutarou then cast his glance downward and realized the grass growing beneath his feet didn’t look familiar either.

“What a strange forest...”

With his head tilted, Koutarou continued climbing down the slope. Everything around him—plants, scenery, and all—was completely new to him. He felt like he was walking through a CG forest from a movie, but what he was seeing was absolutely real.

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

I’ll have to tell Sanae and Yurika later. They’ll love this.

While Koutarou was thinking about that, he heard something just as he reached the open area where the Cradle was grounded.

“Cooo, cooo!”

A large bird flew past Koutarou with a shrill cry. It must have been at least thirty centimeters long.

“Wh-What is that?!”

The moment he saw it, Koutarou’s eyes locked on to it and his jaw dropped. At first glance it certainly looked like a bird, but upon closer inspection, it was a reptile with extremely birdlike features.

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

It reminded Koutarou of some low-level monster from a game, and it was an apt description of the strange flying reptile. The reptile, however, completely ignored Koutarou as it flew off. By spreading its large wings, it grabbed the air like a bird and soared away in mere moments.

“Crap, I should have taken a picture.”

Discovering a new species would be a major achievement, so Koutarou regretted not taking a picture of it with his phone.

“Sheesh, all of this is her fault.”

Koutarou adjusted Clan’s position as she was about to slip off his back. Carrying her was keeping his hands occupied, so there was no way he would have been able to react fast enough to get a picture anyway. Even if he spotted another one, he still wouldn’t be able to photograph it. That slightly irritated Koutarou, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a woman screaming in the distance.

“Kyaaaaaaaah!”

“...What was that?”

As Koutarou turned his head in the direction the scream had come from, he could hear other noises too, but nothing as clearly as the scream. The sounds were all being scattered through the forest, so he couldn’t even tell what was making them.

“Aaaaah!”

Then there was another scream. The voice seemed more desperate than before, but despite that, it wasn’t as loud as the first one had been.

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

Koutarou swiftly made up his mind and rushed towards the middle of the empty area where the Cradle was.

“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 passageway, similar to the ones on Theia’s ship.

“Good!”

Relieved that the hatch had actually opened, Koutarou laid Clan down inside the ship. He then returned the lever to its original position to close the hatch.

“That solves the Clan problem for now.”

Koutarou put Clan on board the Cradle to keep her safe. There were unknown animals about and he’d just heard screaming. Carrying her unconscious body around with him might be dangerous, but he couldn’t just dump her in the wild. Leaving her inside the Cradle seemed like the best possible option right now.

“Next is, um... What’d Ruth call it?”

Koutarou turned back towards the direction he’d heard the screams and began fiddling with the armor’s right arm, which functioned much the same way Theia and Ruth’s bracelets did.

“Activating battle mode or something, wasn’t it?”

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

The armor Koutarou was wearing had several different modes for a variety of situations. Koutarou primarily used cruise mode and battle mode.

Cruise mode was the most convenient setting. In this mode, the suit’s energy distribution prioritized frequently used functions and equipment, and the computer performed calculations and made accommodations accordingly. By doing that, it efficiently supported the wearer. This was the mode Koutarou normally used, or rather the one he was made to use.

Battle mode had the opposite settings of cruise mode. Energy distribution and power assistance gave combat functions priority. Compared to cruise mode, it had far more power and mobility, but that largely came at the expense of nimbleness and comfort. Weapon usage, defensive measures, and flight capabilities were programmed to this mode. They were rarely used in everyday situations, but were necessary in emergencies.

Koutarou was now using battle mode, which increased his running speed a great deal. Gravity was being controlled to reduce his weight, and on top of that, the power assistance supplemented his leg strength. Because of all that, Koutarou tore through the forest like some wild beast in its element.

“The source of the sound has been located, my lord. There is a 94 percent probability that there are eleven people present.”

“Whereabouts?”

Koutarou didn’t slow down even a little as the AI in the armor reported its findings to him. He conversed with it as he ran, but he wasn’t even out of breath thanks to the armor’s power assist.

“Forward at 1:30.”

“That doesn’t help me.”

“Ahead and a little to the right.”

“Got it.”

Heeding the computer’s instructions, Koutarou turned a little to the right as he ran. At the same time, two 3D images overlaid his vision. An upside-down triangle marked the sounds’ origin, and something like a filter indicated nearby heat sources.

“That’s very thorough.”

“Your praise honors me.”

Koutarou adjusted his direction so that the upside-down triangle was right in front of him, and he took a careful look at the heat sources that were registering near it. They still seemed to be some distance away. They were all clumped together, but based on the way the clump was moving, it certainly seemed to be human.

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

“That’s 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 stumbled 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, he didn’t have much time to think about what he was going to do when he caught up to them.

A few seconds later, Koutarou was already upon them.

Well, I don’t know what’s up yet...

Koutarou didn’t join up with the group right away, but rather hid in a nearby bush to watch over the situation. He still didn’t know who had screamed or why.

The group was now gathered on a sheer cliff. Koutarou couldn’t see the bottom of it from where he was, but since he couldn’t see any trees peeking up over the lip of the precipice, he assumed it was probably quite a drop.

“Hmm... They’re surrounding that woman?”

Koutarou squinted his eyes. The evening sun was level with the cliff opposite where he was now, 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 off your horse is hardly worth bragging about.”

“Then I suppose you’re out of luck.”

The people were talking among themselves.

It’s not Japanese? What does all this mean...?

But Koutarou couldn’t understand what they were saying. He was sure that they weren’t speaking English, but he couldn’t imagine what language it might be. Despite the language barrier, however, he could hear the tension in their words.

“The processed footage is ready for viewing.”

“Please bring it up.”

When Koutarou gave the computer the order, another 3D image appeared in his field of vision. It was a recording of what he’d just seen, processed to remove the evening sun.

“What is...”

The moment Koutarou saw that footage, he was left quite perplexed. What he saw was a girl in a dress surrounded by men wielding swords and spears. The outfits they were wearing felt familiar. They looked somewhat like the costumes Koutarou and the others were using for aristocrats and soldiers in their play.

“Is this a continuation of the play? But why are they doing it in a place like this? It’s not like anyone could come see it here.”

Between the costumes and the staging in the woods by the school, Koutarou’s first thought was that this was some continuation of the play. He just didn’t understand why they were doing it here. Whether it was a performance or a rehearsal, he couldn’t think of a reason to do it on a mountain cliff.

As he tried to process this, the evening sun dipped below the cliff and Koutarou was finally able to see the faces of the people ahead of him without the assistance of the armor.

“Sakuraba-senpai?!”

The girl on the cliff looked just like Koutarou’s upperclassman Sakuraba Harumi.

“N-No, there’s no way! That’s not Sakuraba-senpai!”

But Koutarou quickly realized that it wasn’t her. Her costume and her part in the scene certainly made it seem like it was, but there was one major difference. Harumi had black hair, but the girl on top of the cliff had shining silver hair. It fluttered in the breeze, reflecting the orange glow of the fading sun.

“Alert: The weapons possessed by target group B are all capable of causing injury. Upgrading 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 near 100 percent. The chances of detecting false positives 28 consecutive times is virtually zero.”

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

“So, what? This isn’t a play... It’s exactly what it looks like?!”

Koutarou gradually came to understand what was going on. It was a remarkable coincidence, but something very close to a scene from the play was unfolding in front of his very eyes. There was no way they would use real weapons for the play without appropriate protective barriers around them like what Koutarou’s sword used.

So the scream from earlier came from her and these guys are the reason? And now they’ve cornered her on a cliff?!

Even though he knew what was happening now, Koutarou still didn’t know the reason for it or how it had escalated to this. It could be that the girl was an evil criminal and the men were here to capture her. Or it could be the other way around and the girl was being attacked by villains.

What do I do?! Should I really just be sitting here?!

As Koutarou was contemplating what to do, the men circled around the girl slowly closed ranks. The girl, who had her back to the edge of the cliff, stood frozen. There was nowhere left for her to run.

“Looks like that long-lived royal bloodline of yours ends here.”

“Blood has nothing to do with it. My only regret is not being able to protect the citizens.”

“A brave declaration. But don’t worry. After the royal bloodline has been discontinued, His Excellence the Minister will protect the people.”

“I can only hope that’s true...”

The cliff edge crumbled slightly by the girl’s feet. After taking a glance at her footing, the girl closed her eyes. Whether she fell or was cut down, she was aware that she couldn’t escape death.

“Information: Based on the situation, it is likely that target group B is intent on the murder of target A.”

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

“There is a 92 percent probability.”

Koutarou clenched his fist. Meanwhile, the men closed in on the girl. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest as if in prayer. The men were planning on killing her.

“Damn, I can’t just let this happen!”

Koutarou still didn’t fully understand the situation, but he knew if he did nothing that there was a high chance 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 do it himself. And since the men after her clearly weren’t the police or any other kind of law enforcement, it only seemed right to stop them.

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

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

However, what drove Koutarou to action more than anything was the 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 on stage. That’s why Koutarou couldn’t find it in himself to just abandon the girl to her fate. Even if she was a criminal, he still wanted to help her.

“Select your weapon.”

“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 AI in his armor to only use nonlethal force. He still didn’t fully understand the situation and he didn’t want to kill anyone.

“As you wish, my lord. Equipping the blade with a sonic impact barrier.”

Koutarou drew the sword from its sheath at his waist and rushed the ten men.

“Hey, you! What kind of adults would gang up on a lone girl like that?!”

In order to distract the men from the girl, Koutarou shouted loudly on purpose as he approached. And just as he’d hoped, the men’s attention shifted from the girl to him.

“Who is that guy?!”

“What did he just say?!”

“Based on the armor, he looks like a knight.”

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

The men turned towards Koutarou and readied their weapons. They were prioritizing killing Koutarou over the girl behind them since they were sure she was powerless to do anything against them.

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

No stranger to a fight, Koutarou could sense the bloodlust coming from all ten men. He held his sword with both hands, and as he did, it began to faintly growl. The armor’s AI had coated it in a special vibrating barrier that created shockwaves on impact.

“Who is that person? Based on his stance, it seems like he’s a Forthorthian knight, but... Why?”

The girl was amazed by Koutarou’s arrival. He was a savior that had appeared just as she was preparing for the end. Moreover, she couldn’t hide her surprise that it was a knight. She’d already made enemies of several bands of knights, so it was hard to believe a knight had come to save her.

“Ah...”

Before the girl’s surprise faded, Koutarou leaped to action. His movements were swift. Despite wearing heavy, Forthorthian-style armor, he moved faster than the ten men in light armor. Thanks to that, he got the drop on all of them.

“Guaaaaahhh!”

After closing the distance between them in an instant, Koutarou swung his sword coated in the special barrier, knocking one of the men out and sending him flying several meters. The man never even had a chance to be surprised, much less defend himself.

“Th-This guy’s good!”

“Don’t go at him one at time! All together!”

The men determined that Koutarou was dangerous after one of their own had been defeated. Now aware of what he could do, the men tried to work together to take him down.

“That’s one!”

“The next target is at six o’clock.”

“Like I said, that doesn’t help me!”

Koutarou spun around and swung his sword. As he did, he caught the sword of second man charging at him from behind. The power from Koutarou’s blow broke the man’s sword into pieces and knocked him back. He collided with another man who was right behind him, and they were both sent tumbling backwards.

“That’s two and three!”

“Emergency alert! A pincer attack incoming!”

“That’s much easier to understand!”

The fourth and fifth men attacked Koutarou from opposite sides, armed with a sword and spear respectively. Since their 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 insane?!”

By doing that, Koutarou left his back completely open for the man with the spear. The two attackers then sneered at Koutarou, confident of their victory.

“Look out, Sir Knight!”

Seeing the trouble he was in, the girl who had been quiet so far called out to Koutarou. She wanted to help him somehow.

“I’ll leave that to you.”

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

Several translucent white hexagonal tiles appeared in a beautiful pattern around Koutarou. When the tip of the spear collided with it, it bounced right off.

“What?!”

“Impossible!”

The men’s eyes opened wide in surprise, and Koutarou took full advantage of their stupor. He swung his sword around in a wide circle, striking both the enemies to his front and back at the same time. The two men were sent flying with a sound reminiscent of cannon fire.

“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 Koutarou’s handiwork, the other men suddenly began reeling. They had their weapons pointed at Koutarou but were hesitating to attack.

“What’s the matter? Done already?”

With Saguratin in his right hand, Koutarou casually walked towards the remaining men. They were being driven to the edge of the cliff by Koutarou alone.

“I didn’t hear anything about someone with this kind of power...”

“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 to guard the girl, the four other men attacked Koutarou all together. They figured that they had no real chance of winning against Koutarou and his mysterious techniques otherwise.

“If this was any ordinary fight, that would be the right choice, but...”

“Deploying barrier.”

This time, the hexagonal tiles appeared in front of Koutarou. The barrier easily deflected the incoming weapons, and the men all grimaced at the outcome. Koutarou then swung his sword wide again.

“Unfortunately, your opponent is too strong.”

The hexagonal tiles parted to make way for his sword, then moved back into place once his sword had passed. Only the tip of his sword ever left the barrier to attack. It was a feat only made possible by Koutarou’s extensive training wielding a sword with the armor. If the armor hadn’t had sufficient data on Koutarou’s movements, it wouldn’t have been able to control the barrier as 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 AI released the energy stored in the sword in the form of a powerful shockwave that assaulted the group of men. Each one that got hit by it was helplessly blown back. Through thorough control, however, the shockwave merely incapacitated them without doing any real harm.

“That makes nine.”

Koutarou readied his sword in both hands and pointed it towards the last man. Although he was holding his weapon, his face was white with terror and it was obvious that he’d lost the will to fight.

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

“So, what are you going to do?”

Koutarou approached the man who was now shaking. As if pushed by Koutarou, the man stepped backward, but it wasn’t long before he reached the edge of the cliff and could retreat no further.

“I’m telling you not to come any closer, you monster!”

“I don’t know what you’re saying, but you’re sure screaming a lot more than that girl did.”

The man swung his sword towards Koutarou in an attempt to scare him. But Koutarou was unfazed by the display. Desperate to find something to save him, the man looked around and quickly laid eyes on the girl next to him.

“Th-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 down 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 anyway...”

Although he didn’t understand what the man was saying, Koutarou understood the meaning of his actions. If Koutarou got any closer or tried to attack now, the man would cut the girl’s throat with his sword.

“What are you waiting for?! Hurry up and drop it!”

“Okay, okay, I get it.”

“Sir Knight!”

Koutarou tossed Saguratin aside and raised his hands.

“Heh, what an obedient knight.”

“Don’t bother with me! Please pick up your sword and fight!”

The man kept his eyes on Koutarou as he started to move away, dragging the girl along with him. She struggled to break free but was unable to do so. The man was just too strong. Her sorrowful voice resounded throughout the area as she begged Koutarou to reconsider.

I could have done something if he’d come at me... But at this rate, that girl’s still going to die...

Koutarou had been waiting for the man to attack him while he was unarmed, but now he was trying to get away with the girl instead. Koutarou was certain he’d kill her once they got to the bushes and he could make a break for it. Once he thought about it, 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 hand still in the air. On it was the gauntlet that he had borrowed from Kiriha. It was a weapon that used spiritual energy to attack. 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 did, but even then, the field he was producing with the gauntlet gradually grew bigger. However, it 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 willed the field towards the man. As it got closer, it ensnared the man’s sword, just as Koutarou had planned.

“What?!”

“Caught you!”

When the man realized what was happening, it was already too late. Koutarou pulled back on the field as hard as he could. As he did, the sword was yanked out of the man’s hand and thrown into the air.

“Impossible!”

The man’s eyes instinctively chased the sword that appeared to be floating in the sky.

“Take that!”

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

“Guaaah!”

The man had completely dropped his guard, so he immediately let go of the girl after taking a blow like that. Now that she was free from his grasp, the girl hurriedly distanced herself from him. The man reached out to grab her as she ran off, but by that time, Koutarou was already on top of him.

“You’re better than I thought, lady.”

Koutarou buried his fist in the man’s stomach. Since the girl had already knocked the wind out of him, Koutarou’s follow-up blow knocked him right out.

“And that makes ten.”

“The enemy force has been completely neutralized. Attention: Because it is likely that target group B will soon regain consciousness, it is advised to clear the area.”

“I know. Thanks for the help.”

“Exiting battle mode.”

“Good work.”

After defeating the ten men, the armor’s AI determined that the battle was over and switched back to cruise mode from battle mode.

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

Now that the commotion had died down, silence returned to the surrounding area. Koutarou took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. Although he had an overwhelming advantage in power thanks to his armor, it was only natural for him to get nervous and tense when people were trying to kill him. He was also relieved that no one had died. Koutarou wasn’t a main character from some game. He was just a normal boy.

“Thank god... Looks like he’s normal after all.”

The girl felt an equal sense of relief as she stared at Koutarou from a distance. She had worried that he might not be human based on the way he fought.

“Silly me... That’s not possible.”

The girl smiled to herself and approached Koutarou.

“Sir Knight.”

She called out to him as he was picking up Saguratin from the ground.

“Hmm?”

Hearing her voice, Koutarou remembered that the girl was still there. He was so relieved after the fight that he’d spaced out a little.

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

“Thank you for saving me, Sir Knight.”

The girl grabbed the hems of her dress and bowed to Koutarou. Based on her actions, Koutarou figured that she was thanking him. But he still couldn’t understand what she was saying.

This is a problem... I don’t understand a word of anything she’s said.

Koutarou responded with a small bow of his own, but scratched his head thinking about what to do next. Fortunately, that was when the armor’s AI finally spoke up again.

“Language analysis is complete.”

Having returned to cruise mode, the processing power that had been put into prioritizing combat functions was returned to general work functions. One of those functions was language analysis. The computer had analyzed the words the girl and the men had used, and had just now completed its assessment.

“Translation device set to Lower Ancient Forthorthian.”

And based on the results, the translation device in the armor was put to work. It was the same kind of device that Theia and Ruth used daily.

“Sorry for the late introduction. My name is—”

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

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

The girl cautiously 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’d intervened.

“...Huh?”

However, Koutarou was so shocked by what she’d said that he didn’t pick up on any of the finer nuances of the situation. Really, it was her name that left him completely dumbstruck.

Did she say Alaia Kua Forthorthe?

Koutarou still thought that he was in the woods near Harukaze High School. Although there was clearly something strange about the forest, he couldn’t imagine that he’d ended up anywhere else. But here he’d come across a girl that looked like Harumi dressed in something that looked like a costume. A group of men were trying to kill her, but he’d saved her. And now she declared that her name was Alaia Kua Forthorthe.

Is this really the play? No, this is the back of the mountain, not some stage. And those guys were serious about killing her. But she has the same name as the Silver Princess... Wait, this really isn’t Sakuraba-senpai?

It seemed like a play, but it wasn’t. Moreover, the girl had called herself Alaia. Things were getting more and more confusing.

“I finally found you!”

But just as he was at the height of his bewilderment, something flew at him and hit him in the head.

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

It was Clan. Koutarou had left her unconscious in the Cradle, but she’d apparently woken up and chased him down.

“That hurts, you stupid girl! You still wanna fight?!”

Being struck by an approaching enemy—Clan—was enough to snap Koutarou back to his senses.

“There’s no time to fight!”

However, Clan seemed to be declaring that she had no intention of fighting. But considering they’d been locked in mortal combat not all that long ago, Koutarou didn’t buy it.

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

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

Clan shook her head and desperately pleaded with Koutarou. The look in her eyes behind her glasses said she was serious.

Could we actually be in some kind of major trouble? Something bad enough for us to put our fight aside?

Clan’s attitude was slowly convincing Koutarou. He hadn’t forgotten that they were enemies, but it seemed that the situation they’d gotten themselves into would require them to put their differences aside. Her eyes indicated she wasn’t lying.

“Hurry and get over here, fake Blue Knight! You’re such a pain!”

“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 strangers with her eyes. She couldn’t understand what Koutarou and Clan were saying. Clan was currently speaking in Modern Forthorthian, and Koutarou was able to follow what she was saying thanks to his translation device. But the only part Alaia could pick out was “Blue Knight.”

That kind of title must mean that he’s some lord’s vassal, but...

Alaia could imagine Koutarou’s status based on a title like “Blue Knight.” The aristocracy in Forthorthe worked like a warrior society, very similar to the samurai society of feudal Japan. Even though he was a knight, it meant something rather different here than what it would in Europe.

The class system in imperial Forthorthe had the emperor at the top, and below the emperor was the rest of the royalty. Next were high-ranking knights that governed territory. They ruled over their respective territories as lords and appointed lower class knights as vassals. The lower-ranking knights served as the arms and legs of the high-ranking knights, managing smaller localities within the territory. In times of war, the high-ranking knights would bring their vassals together and act as the head of the unit, known as a band of knights.

Compared to modern Japan, the high-ranking knights would be like prefectural governors while the lower-ranking knights would be akin to mayors. In Forthorthe, high-ranking knights were generally known as established knights or lords, and the lower-ranking knights were called squires. There was a considerable gap in prestige between the two. Although the squires also governed over the land they were assigned, it was still the land of the established knight. Moreover, squires occupied the lowest rung on the ladder of the aristocracy. Anyone below them was a general citizen.

By the way, the Pardomshiha family that Ruth came from was a family of established knights that held a considerable amount of land, and Ruth herself held the highest title of Nye. The Pardomshihas in Forthorthe were a distinguished family among distinguished families, a proud legacy that had been handed down from long ago in honor of their loyalty and service to the royal families.

And Fatra, the Blue Knight’s title, was one commonly used among squires. A knight’s title was determined by the one who decorated them. Established knights were customarily given personal titles, but it was typical for a squire to be given a title that corresponded to a color, plant, or animal selected by the lord they served. And out of all the options, lords seemed to favor giving titles based on colors so that their squires could color their armor accordingly. So a title like “Blue Knight” naturally led Alaia to think that Koutarou was the squire of some lord or another.

Such a strong knight that isn’t an enemy... He would have to be from Pardomshiha or Wenranka. But I’ve met the squires from Pardomshiha before, and Wenranka doesn’t use colors for titles... And it seems he’s using magic too. Just who is this knight?

Alaia understood Koutarou’s title, but that made her even more unsure of his identity than before. If Koutarou had a title like Blue Knight, current circumstances meant there was a high chance that he was an enemy. Despite that, he had saved her for some reason.

“Wait a minute! Explain what’s happening! I don’t have a clue about what’s going on!” Koutarou demanded that Clan explain herself.

“Sheesh, guess I have to...”

Clan had mostly ignored him as she dragged him away, but since Koutarou was so persistent, she finally stopped after getting some distance away from Alaia.

“You and I were just fighting. So why on earth would I listen to you when you tell me to stop what I’m doing and come with you?”

“Look, I get it. I’ll explain, so I want you listen to me after I tell you what’s going on.”

“Depends on your explanation.”

“Really...?”

After glancing at Alaia in the distance behind Koutarou, Clan let out a small sigh and began explaining.

“The truth is... this isn’t Earth.”

“What?”

“I said this isn’t Earth!”

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

Koutarou’s eyes opened wide. He barely trusted Clan as it was, so it was extraordinarily hard to take her at her word making a ridiculous declaration like that.

“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 blown to a different planet.”

Clan gestured an explosion with her hands.

Blown to a different planet?! Is that even possible?! I can’t b— No, thinking about it, it just might...!

Koutarou just couldn’t believe what Clan was saying, but at the same time, something about it was hitting home. The strange scenery, plants he had never seen before, bizarre reptiles. Even the strange language the people here were using.

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

“Back in time?”

This time he was so dumbfounded by what she’d said that he didn’t even try and argue. He just stared blankly into her face.

“Yes. Simply put, it’s a time slip. We’ve traveled from our own time to a past age.”

“A time slip?!”

Even Koutarou knew that term. He’d heard it before in movies and video games.

“S-So getting caught in the explosion from your bomb... we warped to a different planet and also time slipped to the past?!”

“I’m glad you understand.”

Clan let out a loud sigh after Koutarou finally seemed to process what she was telling him.

“R-Really?!”

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

“Well...”

Koutarou and Clan were enemies who had been locked in a deadly struggle just a short while ago. Clan calling it off for this... It was just too strange to be anything other than the truth.

Which means she really is serious...

After calming down some, Koutarou decided to give Clan the benefit of the doubt. It seemed like the right thing to do. These were the words of a princess, after all. A proper scheme would be one thing, but this would be far too cheap a lie just to buy time.

“Anyway, this is all your fault.”

“It’s yours too, I’ll have you know”

“Mine? How?”

“The Super Space-time Repulsion Shell was originally designed to open a hole in time and space and cast its target out of the universe. But since you cut it in half, it activated before it was ready, and now here we are.”

Clan shrugged her shoulders facetiously at Koutarou.

“Whatever. If you were staring down death, you would have done the same thing.”

To Koutarou, he was going to get caught in the blast either way, so it made far more sense to cut it in half early and try and keep it from harming everyone else. He wasn’t very receptive to the idea of having responsibility for the whole thing shoved on him.

“And I’d rather use that than lose.”

“...Fine, I get it.”

Koutarou threw his hands in the air and sighed. He realized that carrying on with an emotional argument wouldn’t lead anywhere, so he instead tried asking Clan some questions. It didn’t seem like she was interested in fighting for now. She also had said they were in an emergency situation, so it wasn’t smart to waste time.

“So then when and where are we?”

“This is Forthorthe. And we’re about two thousand years in the past.”

Clan gave him a blunt answer, but hearing it made Koutarou’s jaw drop.

“Forthorthe?! Two thousand years ago?!”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m sure of it since I used the Cradle to observe the stars. This is Forthorthe, just two thousand years in the past. I couldn’t believe it at first either, but there’s no mistaking it.”

Clan nodded with a hint of satisfaction when she saw Koutarou’s surprise. She was happy that he had finally realized the gravity of the situation. She was relieved that they could now move forward with what they needed to do.

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

“I see, so that’s why...”

Koutarou was overcome with disbelief at first, but he was now strangely satisfied and nodded repeatedly at what Clan said.

“What?”

Realizing his change in behavior, Clan curiously asked him about it. In response, Koutarou pointed to the girl behind him.

“See that girl over there?”

“...Yes.”

Clan followed Koutarou’s finger with her eyes towards the girl standing some distance off.

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

“Alaia Kua Forthorthe...?”

Now it was Clan’s turn to pick her jaw up off the ground.

“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.

“It’s been one weird thing after another since I woke up here, but now I finally get it. No wonder I didn’t recognize this place or the plants. And that explains how it wasn’t part of the play either... It all makes sense now.”

Now that he had his answers, Koutarou repeatedly nodded with a refreshed expression. Not even thirty minutes had passed since he’d woken up, but it had been an excruciatingly long half an hour with so many questions running through his mind. Feeling on top of things was a nice change of pace.

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

“H-Hey, what now?!”

Clan, on the other hand, didn’t share his sense of relief whatsoever. She grabbed on to Koutarou and almost burst into tears.

“You can’t just lightheartedly change history! What are you going to do if we can’t return to our world?!”

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

Clan gripped Koutarou’s armor with both hands. Koutarou tried to calm her down as she shook him, but it was 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.”

He had traveled to Forthorthe some two thousand years in the past and saved a girl being attacked by a bunch of strange men. Koutarou didn’t see anything wrong with that, but Clan was freaking out.

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

“You did. Forthorthe two thousand years in the past, right?”

“Don’t you get it?! Anything you do here will change Forthorthe’s history! At this rate, we won’t be able to go home!”

“...What?”

Not being able to return home would be a big problem for Koutarou. There was something he had to do in his own world and time.

“W-Wait a minute! Explain it so I can understand, Clan!”

Koutarou’s expression turned serious. He hadn’t fully understood what Clan meant, but he was starting to grasp the gravity of the situation they were in.

“The history that time and space weave is like the flow of a river! If we casually drift into a different river, we might not ever make it back to the original one!”

Clan began explaining things to Koutarou with a grave expression on her face. Since this could be even more important than life and death, she was beyond serious. She had long put her revenge against Koutarou behind her.

“A different river...?”

“That’s right! In reality, we’ve already entered a different current! In the original timeline, someone else saved her, and it was most likely the Blue Knight! But you just saved her first, preventing that from happening! That means whatever happens from here on out will be different too!”

What Clan was saying made more sense now. Saving Alaia from the ten men should have been the job of someone from this reality. And based on the situation and what they knew, it should have been the Blue Knight. So even if Koutarou hadn’t saved her, the Blue Knight would have eventually swooped in to help. But now Koutarou had interfered, denying the Blue Knight and the Silver Princess their fated encounter.

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

“That’s exactly right! At this rate, history will never recover!”

Clan nodded. She was blue in the face. Since her skin was quite pale in the first place, it made it all the more obvious just how worried she was. Now that he’d gotten his head around how precarious their situation was, he had more questions for Clan.

“Wait, what exactly is going to happen?!”

“Like I said before, history is like the flow of a river! If we flow into a different river, we get carried away in a different direction! If we tried to go back home now, it wouldn’t be the same future anymore!”

The Blue Knight and the Silver Princess hadn’t met. So if Koutarou and Clan returned to the future now, they would return to the future that sprung from the two of them never meeting. They would end up in a world completely different from the one they’d come from.

“If the Blue Knight and the Silver Princess hadn’t met, there’s almost no chance the empire of Forthorthe would have ever lasted two thousand years! And that would mean Theiamillis-san and Pardomshiha would never go to Earth! They never would have been a part of your life!”

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

Having it explained to him in terms of how it would affect him personally really hit it all home for Koutarou. Now that he was in the past, all of his actions had consequences for the future.

“That’s right!”

“That’s terrible!”

“That’s why I asked you if you had any idea of what you’ve done!”

At this rate, Koutarou would never meet Theia and Ruth. They would never even be born. And without them, almost everything that had happened since Koutarou started high school would be different. Theia wouldn’t come to invade, and there wouldn’t be a mess at the sports festival. They wouldn’t go to the beach on summer vacation, and they wouldn’t have a manuscript for the school play. And those things didn’t just affect Koutarou either. Everything that happened between him and the other invaders up until now would be totally different.

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

Koutarou had something he had to do. Something he couldn’t do if he returned to a different world. He had to get back home—to his original time and place—no matter what.

“We have to find the real Blue Knight and make sure they still meet! He has to be somewhere around here! And we need to find him as soon as possible!”

“Will that work?! Wouldn’t that still change history a little?!”

“It would be much better than it is now! We have to do what we can to get this timeline back to the way it should be to raise our chances of returning to our own world! All we can do after that is pray that it’s within acceptable tolerance levels!”

While history could easily split, it often rejoined as well. If the split histories were almost identical, there was a high chance of them converging. For example, if someone went to the past and moved a single grain of sand, that alone would technically be enough to change history. But because the change was so minute, the split histories would shortly rejoin. As such, there was a tolerance for change in any given timeline. Clan’s goal was to find the Blue Knight and make sure this timeline still fit within that margin of error.

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

“Well...”

Clan crossed her arms and put her mind to thinking. As she did, she casually glanced at Koutarou’s armor. The next moment, her eyes went wide and began sparkling.

“That’s it! You’ll have to take the Blue Knight’s place for now! Meanwhile, I’ll search for the real one and bring him here!”

The Silver Princess hadn’t met the Blue Knight. At this rate, she would continue her travels alone and defenseless. That was dangerous and might lead to further trouble. So Clan’s plan was to have Koutarou pretend to be the Blue Knight and stay with her to keep her safe until Clan found the real Blue Knight. Then they would just switch him for Koutarou. It would still mean history had changed some, but that way they could ensure everything still panned out the way it was supposed to, meaning they should be able to return to their own world.

“I only have to protect her, right?”

“That’s right. While pretending to be the Blue Knight, of course. But 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 sure have taken a strange turn...

For their play, Koutarou had ended up taking Kenji’s place. And this time around he ended up taking the real Blue Knight’s place. Of course, Koutarou was incredibly bemused. It seemed like his several months of practice would be useful in a most 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 watching Koutarou and Clan from a distance, but she’d heard a few words she recognized while they were arguing. That piqued her interest in their conversation.

In this age, it would be... Lower Ancient Forthorthian.

Since Alaia had walked up to them, Clan sneakily activated her translation device.

“No, it’s nothing, Your Highness.”

Koutarou responded in the same language Alaia was using. He was actually speaking Japanese; it was just translated through the translation device automatically.

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

“‘Servant’?!”

However, when Koutarou’s words reached Clan’s ears through her own translation device, she was none too pleased. Careful to whisper, she leaned in and let him have a piece of her mind.

“So I’m your servant now, am I?!”

“What else was I supposed to tell her?”

“Fine... I suppose we don’t have a choice.”

Being called a servant was extremely displeasing to Clan. That said, she couldn’t exactly reveal her true title, and she couldn’t come up with anything more convincing in this situation. In the end, she acquiesced to Koutarou’s call, albeit begrudgingly.

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

Alaia nodded and looked behind her. The ten men there were still unconscious, though some of them were starting to groan. It was pretty obvious they’d be opening their eyes soon.

“I have to rejoin with my allies too.”

“I understand. Which way shall we go?”

Koutarou lightly nodded and indicated they should move into the forest behind her. He would be ready to go as soon as she told him the direction to proceed in from there.

“Huh...?”

Alaia looked surprised. She looked up at him, trying to tell what he was thinking.

“You intend to travel with me, Sir Knight?”

“That’s the plan. Is that a problem?”

“That’s—”

Alaia hesitated to say anything. She still didn’t yet know whether she could trust Koutarou or not. If he was an enemy, her allies might be in danger if she led him back to them.

I want to trust him... but there’s a small chance I’ll be putting those girls at risk too...

She didn’t want to distrust her savior, and she personally felt like she could trust in Koutarou. She didn’t sense any evil intentions in his behavior or words, but her responsibilities and her position made her especially cautious.

“Your Highness, I can understand your hesitation, but let us at least move away before these men come to.”

Koutarou picked up on Alaia’s apprehension and lent her a helping hand. He had an unfair advantage though, because it certainly wasn’t something he would have intuited on his own. This was basically what had happened during last year’s play, so Koutarou figured that the real Alaia might be hesitating in a moment like this too.

“Yes, we should clear out...”

Koutarou had suggested to Alaia that they should leave the area before the unconscious men woke up, but she didn’t move right away. In order for her to make up her mind, Alaia decided she needed to ask him something. It was something she’d been wondering all this time.

“Before that, Sir Knight, please tell me something.”

“Anything you ask”

“Why didn’t you cut those men down?”

There was weight behind each word as Alaia asked Koutarou why he hadn’t killed the men. Regardless of whether he was her ally or enemy, killing the men would have made more sense. If he was an enemy, it would serve to fool Alaia. And if he was an ally, they could escape without worry of being pursued. Despite that, Koutarou hadn’t taken their lives and Alaia wanted to know why.

“That’s—”

Koutarou wasn’t sure what to say. That was a question that hadn’t been in the manuscript, so he had to respond with his own words.

“I don’t like cutting people down. And when I came to help, I wasn’t aware of your identity. I couldn’t just kill them without knowing who they were either. That was my reasoning.”

Koutarou decided to answer her honestly. It wasn’t something worth hiding, and he didn’t want to betray the earnest look on Alaia’s face.

I see... So this man was neither friend nor foe...

Hearing his answer, Alaia was a little embarrassed of how hasty she’d been to try and judge him. She was so focused on whether Koutarou was an ally or an enemy that she’d overlooked the possibility that he was neither. Koutarou was just a neutral bystander that jumped in to stop a fight in front of him.

And... there’s something different about him compared to the other knights.

Because of her position, Alaia was acquainted with many knights. She knew good and well what kind of men and women they usually were, but Koutarou’s answer wasn’t something she would have expected a knight to say.

A knight that doesn’t want to kill his enemies? Thinking about it, just now...

Alaia recalled Koutarou’s appearance after the skirmish had ended. He’d looked relieved. From what he said, it was probably because the encounter hadn’t proved fatal for anyone. He hadn’t even boasted of his victory.

He still might be from one of the bands of knights that have become my enemy. But... But I want to believe in this mysterious man...

Alaia decided to put her faith in him, and in what made him different. She wanted to believe this knight in blue armor who was surprisingly strong, but strangely gentle at the same time.

“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—whose voice and face were very similar to Harumi’s—say that she believed him filled Koutarou with a warm, fuzzy feeling. He felt just like Harumi was saying it herself. Even though that wasn’t the case, Koutarou’s heart danced with joy.

“Sir Knight, please do me the kindness of giving me your name.”

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

Satomi Koutarou. That’s what he was about to say, but Koutarou held his tongue. He had another name he needed to answer by now.

“My name is Layous Fatra Veltlion, and I swear on this sword that I will protect you.”

And that was how Koutarou met the Silver Princess.