Volume 3, 4 - A New Threat Part 1

Volume 3, Chapter 4 – A New Threat Part 1

Galedeite’s Central Market was surrounded by a fairly short wall.

The wall had a number of gates interspersed along it, where soldiers were standing guard. Catalina handed one of them some money and received what appeared to be a wooden token in return.

“Yasuo, can you please hold on to my bag for a bit?”

“Ah, sure. Do people need to pay to gain admission to the market?”

“That’s right. I am not a resident of Galedeite, so I need to pay a tax to buy or sell anything in this market. This wooden token serves as proof that I have paid the tax, and as long as I carry this, it also means that I do not have to pay any further taxes while inside the market that are levied on residents of the town.”

“So it’s something like a consumption tax?”

“I guess so. It’s probably something like foreigners being exempt from local taxes. Yasu-kun, do you want me to hold one of those?”

“Shouko, wait.”

Seeing Yasuo carrying three large sacks all by himself, Shouko felt sorry for him and was about to take one of them from him, when both Catalina and the gate guard shot sharp looks in her direction.

“If you carry that, we’ll just have to pay even more money. Yasuo, I’m sorry, but please carry them by yourself from here on.”

“Eh? Ah, yes…”

The guard didn’t take his eyes off them while the three of them passed through the gate.

Shouko briefly wondered if the guard had seen the flames of the Shii in her eye, but after she saw Catalina give a small sigh of relief, she understood that that was not the case.

“Since there is only one person carrying the items that will be traded, we only have to pay the tax for one person — that is basically the rule here.”

“Eh?”

“If you had taken one of those sacks, Shouko, it would have counted as two people in total who were looking to do business. If that happened, we would have needed to pay four times the tax. That is the rule.”

“W-What kind of rule is that? What’s the point of such a rule…”

“This is the most efficient method to collect taxes. I’m sure the two of you understand why I, a person who is not a resident of Galedeite, have to pay a tax in order to use the market, right?”

Yasuo and Shouko looked at each other when they were asked that question.

The people of Japan had a bad habit of attempting to evade taxes where possible because it was seen as money being taken away by the government, and talking a lot about the various methods to do so and their rate of success without really trying to understand them in more detail, but Yasuo, who studied about modern society as part of his third year social studies curriculum in high school, thought about the question seriously.

Before long, he arrived at an answer.

“Maybe it is for the protection of merchants who reside inside this town that is basically fortress? So the money paid to the guard at the entrance to the market was not an entry fee, but rather the minimum amount of import tax.”

“Ah, so that’s how it is.”

In preparation for a scenario where popular goods were brought in from outside to compete with the existing items in Galedeite’s market, they were levying a tax based on the quantity of the products being brought in from outside the town.

By doing that, they could ensure that the price of such items would not differ greatly from the items already being sold in the market.

Seeing as the tax would increase dramatically if two people carried the merchandise, they probably had a separate way of calculating the tax for when items were carried in on a wagon as well.

The import tax served to dissuade merchants from flooding the market with a large number of products from outside the city.

On the other hand, making it too hard to bring in items from outside would just cause a different set of problems, so the tax was specially reduced for small businesses that only traded an amount of products that could be carried by a single person.

The truth was that the large number of various street hawkers and people like Catalina who did not conduct trade as their main source of income also greatly supported the lives of the people living in Galedeite.

Even if they reduced the taxes for each individual, they could make up for it due to the large number of such small-time businesses.

Of course, they would properly take a large amount of tax money from merchants who brought in a large number of products.

While Yasuo was talking about that to himself, Shouko also understood and accepted what he said, but there was still one thing she had a question about.

“In that case, why didn’t they just collect the import tax at the town gates? The toll we paid to enter the town wasn’t all that high, right?”

“Probably because it is an important travel hub that is sandwiched between two large world powers. The fact that this country is a republic probably has a lot to do with it as well. Moreover, I guess that the method of collecting the taxes changes all the time depending on who holds power in the parliament.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Catalina affirmed Yasuo’s hypothesis in a tone filled with admiration.

An important travel hub would usually have a toll checkpoint where they would thoroughly evaluate everything from bootlaces to every last nail on a wagon and collect the appropriate amount of tax in order to let the town prosper. However, the Gaz Commonwealth was on the verge of exhaustion after the war with Demon King Kaul, and they did not have the military resources to oppose the major world powers, Resteria and Baskelgarde.

Moreover, the Gaz Commonwealth was in a position wherein they would have to depend on either one of those countries for support in case of a crisis, and so they could not levy high taxes on them as that could lead to an increase in political pressure from both countries.

And besides, there was already a trend of reducing economic activity due to the threat from the Shii, and in such a scenario, continuing to collect the entire tax at the town gates could not really be considered to be a smart way of going about it.

This balance was particularly important for fortress towns that did not have any intention of increasing the amount of available land, unless they were willing to invest in large-scale building and improvement of their walls like Galedeite.

If they were too strict, they would run into shortages of products, which would lead to black market trading growing more rampant.

This method of tax collection would would most likely be flexibly tweaked in the future as well, based on factors such as protecting the interests of craftsmen who lived inside the city, maintaining public order, and maintaining a balance with nearby towns neighboring countries.

“In fact, there are opinions that the country should raise the taxes to a more standard level and in return open up the markets more for other industries and imported goods, and thereby boost the economy within country. Right now, neither the parliament of the country nor the governance in the fortress towns are able to settle matter. It is as if every time they decide on one thing, something else breaks down.”

“It was the same with the House of the Fireflies as well, but it all seems similar to the stuff you hear about on the news in Japan. It seems you can’t escape from taxes even in a world of swords and magic.”

Neither Yasuo nor Shouko had the slightest amount of interest in settling down permanently in Ante Lande, but they were once again forced to understand how harsh the world of adults could be, even if that was in fact in a different world.

Speaking of taxes, during the middle ages on Earth, there was apparently a large tax levied on people who lived in towns for water supply. Going by that, it was not hard to imagine that the House of the Fireflies, which had a well inside the property, must be burdened with that kind of tax as well.

Despite that, the reason why they did not abandon that property and that house was because even a single water pipe would make it easier for the children to stay clean, and because of the monetary support provided by Catalina and Feigreid.

“Oh well, nothing will change even if we stand around here talking about it amongst ourselves. Let’s put the weighty considerations aside and have lunch, although it’s a little early.”

Catalina said that to cheer the two of them up, and once again started walking ahead of them.

They walked to a corner of the market where there was a shop that looked like warehouse, and once they reached it, Catalina took the bags that Yasuo was carrying and handed them over to the middle-aged shop owner.

Yasuo and Shouko couldn’t tell whether the price fetched by the three sacks of tea beans was high or low, but Catalina looked fairly satisfied with the sale.

At that moment, the sound of gentle bells echoed throughout the market, and Catalina told them that the sound signified that it was noon.

“That sound was kind of strange, though.”

Shouko looked around restlessly.

“Rather than a bell, it sounded like the chimes used in school.”

After she said that, Yasuo also felt that the sound did not come directly from a bell tower somewhere, but instead, it somewhat resembled the sound of chimes that were played over speakers throughout a school.

It sounded like an electronic tone, although in this case, it may be more accurate to say it sounded like a Magitech tone.

“Ah, that’s probably the reason you’re looking for.”

Catalina was pointing at what looked like a round object affixed to the top of a utility pole.

“The sound of the bells comes from that round thing on top of the pole. This is related to the tax collection we were speaking of earlier as well, but this town is fairly strict about being on time. However, with all the crowded buildings around here, the sound from a regular bell tower won’t reach very far, so they use Magitech engineering to transmit the sound in that way.”

Hearing that, they understood that it was basically the same thing as a school chime, except for the fact that it used sorcery to work.

“It will ring loudly once more in the evening. Once that bell rings, the market and all business except for a select few will have to close for the day, and unless they have a special permit, people will no longer be allowed to enter or leave through the town gates.”

Perhaps it was similar to the five o’clock chime[1] in Japan that urges children to return to their homes.

Apart from that fact that all the systems used mana as a power source, it looked like Ante Lande as a whole was blessed with a fairly rapid rate of technological development.

Yasuo remembered hearing from Diana that the comparatively more developed regions had escalators, and they also had the technology to record audio and video on 8mm tapes.

Thinking about it that way, perhaps the gap in technological development between Japan and Ante Lande was a lot smaller than Yasuo had originally imagined.

No, if you consider how the use of magic and sorcery had become commonplace to a certain extent, Ante Lande already surpassed Japan in some respects..

“Looking at this, I feel like I can understand how Diana-san and Khalija-san got used to living in Japan so quickly.”

Shouko said that in a low tone so that Catalina would not hear, and Yasuo agreed with her wholeheartedly.

“Right then, it’s time for lunch. The plaza over there has benches that we can use freely, so let’s secure a spot and go buy something.”

“Ah, please wait.”

Shouko stopped Catalina who seemed to be in high spirits.

“My bento will go bad if I don’t eat it by today, so I don’t need anything.”

“Bento?”

“Yes, I prepared it before we came here… I-I mean, I prepared it to eat for lunch with him.”

Shouko nearly forgot that the two of them were supposed to be lovers, and they were supposed to have been on a date before coming to this other world.

As Shouko had picked the ingredients for the bento without considering that the food would have to stay fresh for a while, she thought that she should eat it as soon as possible.

“Eh? You mean that is food from Japan!? Really!?”

Catalina looked at Shouko’s bag with sparkling eyes.

“Ante Lande has Japanese-style food as well, you know.”

Not only Shouko, but even Yasuo had not heard about that before.

“Really!?”

“Yes. The cooking techniques of the Great Sage Madoka Sugiura who came from the same world as the Hero Hideo have spread throughout the land.”

“Pfft.”

Yasuo unintentionally let out a snort of laughter.

Now that he thought about it, he remembered hearing on some occasion that his mother’s cooking had been inherited by Resteria’s Knights Division, and that it was still quite popular.

He had also heard that his mother had single-handedly taken up the job of cooking the meals during the time when she had traveled with Hideo, Erijina, and Alexei.

However, he had not imagined that it had spread throughout the world with the label of 『Japanese-style food』.

If he told this mother that, she might feel overcome by a sense of responsibility and start to mope.

Also, he would now have to properly say what he had not been able to say earlier.

“Umm, Catalina-san… I was curious about it earlier as well, but the Madoka Sugiura you mentioned…”

“Eh? Ah, she was one of your father’s comrades, and fought against Demon King Kaul by his side—”

“That’s my mother’s name.”

“Eh?”

For some reason, Catalina’s expression suddenly stiffened.

No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that her expression twisted.

Catalina, who usually had a clever and intelligent air about her, was furrowing her eyebrows so much that even the skin on her nose was wrinkled, and her mouth was set in a twisted expression. After seeing that, Yasuo feared that he had made some sort of a blunder.

“Ah… well… I suppose that makes sense.”

However, her twisted expression that looked like one of deep resentment faded along with her sigh, and she slumped her shoulders as if she was dejected.

“I see, so it’s like that after all. I guess that’s only obvious. Fufufu…”

“C-Catalina-san?”

“Oh, it’s nothing…”

It didn’t seem like it was nothing, no matter how you looked at it. However Catalina was giving off a vibe that implied that she would not entertain any more questions on the matter.

Yasuo had expected a more surprised reaction to the fact that the Hero Hideo and The Rainbow Sage were married, so her current reaction was not quite what he had expected. However, it might have just been the case that Catalina didn’t really care too much about such things.

In any case, he had managed to raise the subject of his mother in a very natural and calm manner, so he could put that matter to rest.

“Haa… Anyway, let’s focus on lunch for now. Haa…”

Shouko also was not able to hide her confusion at Catalina’s behaviour, who was quite obviously not concentrating on lunch at all. However, Shouko still held her bento box out towards Catalina and opened the lid.

“Shouko, if you’re okay with it, can I have a taste of what real Japanese-style food tastes like? In return, I’ll treat you to some food from this market that is famous for being the most delicious.”

“That’s fine. Although this doesn’t really count as proper Japanese-style food at all.”

As Shouko’s bento had been prepared yesterday, there was quite a bit of condensation inside the box and the contents looked wilted.

However, even Yasuo, who knew nothing about cooking, could tell that the food was prepared while taking the appearance and nutritional balance into account, and she had even taken into consideration the fact that she would be eating it on the move inside the Gate Tower, despite the fact that she had made that bento for herself.

The box was double-layered, and the top compartment contained the side dishes.

They consisted of fried chicken, cherry tomatoes, and what appeared to be frozen shumai.

It had already deviated quite a bit from traditional Japanese-style food by this point, but as for what came next, there was no way to put it but to say that it was as expected of the daughter from the Restaurant Saburo.

Thick slices of tamagoyaki that still looked like they had been perfectly fried despite the fact that they were cold and a lot of time had passed since they were made, and a kinpira made from carrots, burdock, lotus roots, and konjac. Radish that looked like it had been stewed in a fairly strong stock, and ganmodoki.

The contents that were a perfect amalgamation of these gave off a slight aroma that was characteristic of bento.

“I see, so this is Japan’s cooking!”

“The lower compartment has rice balls. And this is inari sushi.”

“You’re talking about rice that has been shaped like a ball, right? We have those here as well. What is this inari sushi?”

“It is a type of food where you stuff rice into pockets of properly simmered and deep-fried tofu. This brown-colored part is the deep-fried tofu. This is undoubtedly Japanese-style food, so please try some if you would like. Do you know how to use chopsticks?”

Catalina also looked like she was accustomed to using chopsticks just like Diana and Khalija, as she effortlessly used the disposable chopsticks that Shouko handed to her and ate a small-sized inari sushi in one bite.

“……Mmm, it’s delicious. This deep-fried tofu is very nice and sweet. Is this something that can be made at home in Japan?”

“It’s certainly possible to make it yourself, but I think it would be pretty difficult. Do you have a variety of beans called soybeans here?”

“Soybeans… I’ve never heard that name before. That’s what they are called in your world, right?”

“Yes. They are a little bigger than the tea beans you sold earlier, and they are often used to as an ingredient in making condiments in Japan as well. This soup powder was made using the same beans as one of the ingredients as well.”

Saying that, Shouko pulled out a sealed packet of miso soup stock.

The actual miso powder was not visible since it was sealed in an aluminium packet, but Shouko pointed to the image of miso soup on the packaging, and Catalina looked between the image and the deep-fried tofu several times.

As they could not boil water to prepare the soup, Shouko put the packet of miso soup powder back into her bag and continued her explanation.

“The deep-fried tofu is made by squeezing soy milk out of those soybeans, coagulating it into a white, jelly-like substance using nigari made from sea salt, and then frying it several times in oil of varying temperatures.”

“I know what salt is, but I’ve never heard of nigari. We have beans that have a lot of juice in them, but I have no idea if they are the same beans you are talking about, and I’ve never heard of them being used as ingredients to make condiments either. I can’t justify purchasing oil just for the purpose of making this either, so I don’t think I will be able to cook this. That’s unfortunate.”

It goes without saying that the method to prepare tofu and deep fry it is not something high school students study about for their exams, so this was yet another thing that was only possible due to Shouko’s position as the daughter of Restaurant Saburou.

After that, Catalina received several more portions of the bento from Shouko and she looked spoke while looking very satisfied.

“You must be very lucky to have a sweetheart who is so good at cooking.”

“Ah, umm, yeah.”

This was a setting that he had created himself, but when someone else started to talk about it, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

“Oh, I’m still nowhere close to being a good cook.”

Shouko showed true humility, probably she knew just how good the real thing was.

“Even so… I think it’s still quite delicious.”

Yasuo gave his honest opinion, which caused Shouko to glare at him with a red face for some reason, and Catalina looked at him with a lukewarm gaze.

“……! Y-Yasu-kun, you’re so…”

“Oh, my.”

“Eh?”

“Geez…”

“Eh? Eh?”

Despite being confused, Yasuo realized that he had one again committed a verbal gaffe, and that he had said something that caused Catalina to take up a teasing tone.

Yasuo stuffed his cheeks with the sandwich Catalina had bought for him which had a lot of vegetables he had never seen before, and looked at the ground to preclude any further comments.

In contrast, Catalina, who was happily eating Shouko’s tamagoyaki, suddenly looked upwards and spoke in a soft voice.

“Aah… If I had gone along with them back then, would things be different now?”

“What are you talking about?”

“……It’s nothing. Yasuo, I’m sure this is something you wouldn’t like to hear about.”

“Haa… I don’t really get it…… but, the vegetables here are pretty tasty. The dressing is quite peculiar as well, it unexpectedly tastes like soy sauce.”

“Ah, I thought the same thing.”

Yasuo thought that Catalina’s reply to his question was quite strange, but he understood to some extent that she was thinking of something in the past that he might not be capable of understanding.

Perhaps Catalina had realized that Yasuo and Shouko were trying to change the subject, as she nodded slightly and then put on a mischievous smile.

“Soy sauce, huh? What if I told you that it is also something that Madoka left behind?”

“Huh!? This too!?”

Yasuo was shocked that details about his parents’ preferences had permeated so deeply even into the light meals sold in the middle of a town, but Catalina put her hand over her mouth and laughed.

“I was joking. I didn’t expect you to believe me so easily.”

Yasuo scowled when he realized that he was being teased by Catalina, but then he saw that Shouko was also laughing.

Looking at the two of them laughing like that, Yasuo felt that it would be okay to let it slide.

“Seriously, geez.”

Despite that, Yasuo still left a reluctant comment for the sake of his meagre pride, and finished off the sandwich somewhat violently.

“Right then, now that we have finished eating, it’s time to go meet Second Lieutenant Feigreid. Have the two of you had enough to eat?”

Catalina clapped her hands once and spoke, as if to dispel the previous mood.

“If anything, the really important part for you two is going to begin now, so you should eat up and regain your strength…”

It was at that moment.

They heard a faint scream from the direction of the market.

At the same time the three of them had raised their heads, they started to hear intermittent sounds of things being destroyed.

“Pack up your belongings!”

Catalina’s voice had a sharp edge to it, and both Yasuo and Shouko obeyed her without making a fuss.

Even as they were doing that, the screams gradually started to get louder.

“Ah!!”

From the corner of their eyes, they saw a street stall get blown into the air as if there had been an explosion.

The fruits and vegetables that were being sold, the baskets and crates that held them, and even the stall itself went flying through the air, and a fruit that looked like an apple fell to the ground near Yasuo’s feet and broke apart.

“W-What’s going on…!?”

“Yasu-kun, over there!”

Shouko suddenly pointed towards upwards.

When Yasuo turned to see what she was pointing at, he saw that five people equipped with light armor had appeared on top of the wall that surrounded the market, and they flew off towards the direction in which the screams were coming from.

Those superhuman movements, and uniforms similar to the one Feigreid was wearing.

“Magitech Knights!”

It was a squad of Magitech Knights from the Gaz Commonwealth.

At the same time, a large number of people who were dressed like guards rushed into the market and urged the people there to vacate the premises.

As Yasuo and the others were still confused, the reason for the disturbance suddenly appeared before them.

A pillar of rippling black flames appeared in front of the guards who were urging people to seek shelter.

“Shii!!”

“In such a crowded place!?”

Yasuo and Shouko shouted, and Catalina suddenly turned around to look at the wall where the Magitech Knights had appeared.

“I see, so that’s why the response was was so fast…! You two, it’s time to run away. If they find Shouko here, they might kill her!”

“Eh!?”

Shouko looked taken aback when she was told that she might be killed, but Yasuo suddenly realized something.

Catalina’s fear was not exaggerated at all.

The Shii had no place in human society as they were monsters that pierced and stole the hearts of people and were hence enemies of humanity through and through.

If Shouko, who had the flames of the Shii in her left eye, was found by Magitech Knights who did not know her circumstances, there was no telling what they would do to her.

“It looks like we had better postpone our visit to the Headquarters. Due to the appearance of the Shii, it is likely that Second Lieutenant Feigreid will be at the scene of the incident as well. If we go around asking for him all of a sudden, we might put Shouko in danger.”

The two of them followed Catalina as she started to run away from the market area before they were caught up in the chaos that was gradually spreading.

“Catalina-san! In front of you!”

However, a pillar of black flame suddenly burst out of the ground directly ahead of Catalina, who was running while keeping an eye on their surroundings.

By the time Catalina looked to the front after hearing Yasuo’s warning, the Shii was brandishing a weapon that looked like a black longsword at her.

Yasuo was reflexively about to close his eyes to avoid looking at the tragic event he was sure must follow in the next second.

“Don’t close your eyes! Closing your eyes on the battlefield will get you killed!”

After hearing Catalina’s warning, Yasuo just barely managed to open his eyes again.

Catalina used her hand that was covered with light to alter the path of the sword that the Shii swung down, and the sword cut through the air and slammed into the ground.

“Oh ancient being, break through the human commandments!!”

The Shii was off balance, and when Catalina chanted that spell, a stake burst out of the ground that was paved with bricks and impaled the Shii.

“Run!”

“A-Are we just going to leave it like this?”

“In my current condition, I can’t defeat it with my magic! Let’s leave it to the Magitech Knights!”

After saying that, Catalina ran off with a force that precluded any objections from Yasuo and Shouko. They could only follow after her.

“W-Where are we running to!?”

“Haah… Haah… L-Looking at how quickly the Magitech Knights arrived, I honestly don’t know if there is a safe place where we can hide.”

“How quickly they arrived? What do you mean?”

“The Magitech Knights appeared far too quickly after we first heard the screams… The only explanation is that they were already in the field, dealing with Shii that had popped up throughout the town.”

“Throughout the town… Yasu-kun! The children at the House of the Fireflies!”

“……Ah!”

“This is bad! If the Shii appear there, Obaa-chan won’t be able to protect the children by herself!”

“……Dammit.”

Yasuo’s legs were already shaking.

Looking at Catalina’s battle strength, if they were to believe her own assessment of her ability, then she was only a little stronger than Yasuo.

Should he leave it up to Shouko and her Shii power that had ripped through the wolves in the forest?

No, there were too many uncertain factors about it to truly call it 『Shouko’s power』, and moreover, using that power had a high chance of making the Magitech Knights turn against them.

On the other hand, he himself was only barely able to release a small jolt of electricity from the palm of his hand when he was touching his opponent, so what good was he in such a fight?

The people with overwhelming fighting strength, Diana, Khalija, his father, and his mother were not around.

If they went there, both he and Shouko might get killed.

If he went there, and ran into a Shii, there was nothing he could do.

But even so.

“Goddammit!!”

When he thought of the children who had sung out of tune with him and Shouko, he could not bring himself to run away.

Yasuo turned towards the street that they had walked out of just a short time ago, and rushed back without saying a word.

“!”

Shouko followed closely behind him.

“H-Hey, you two!!”

Catalina also followed them while looking flustered.

While running, Yasuo thought about the situation optimistically on purpose to calm himself down.

So far, he had not seen more than six Shii appear in a place at the same time.

Back then, Khalija had released roughly thirty Shii within Tokorozawa.

The Shii had appeared inside the town as if aiming for the time when he was inside, but in such a large town, there was no way that the Shii would bother with the House of the Fireflies which was located deep inside the alleys and had few people nearby.

Before such a thing could happen, that Magitech Knight called Feigreid would come running to save them for sure.

Their worries were unfounded.

“Obaa-chan!!”

However, Shouko’s scream cut through Yasuo’s optimism.

“No way…”

The three of them arrived in front of the courtyard of the House of the Fireflies at almost the same time when Director Kelly, who was standing protectively in front of the children, was slashed diagonally across her chest by a longsword-wielding Shii.

“Guh….!!”

Catalina placed her hands on the ground, and the mana she released from the palms of her hands sped towards the Shii that had slashed Director Kelly while ripping up the flagstones.

However, the distance between them was too large.

The Shii easily jumped up high to avoid the stake the burst out of the ground, and landed in a composed manner on the roof of the House of Fireflies.

Judging from its equipment and the way it moved, there was no doubt that this Shii was originally someone who was greatly skilled at fighting.

“Catalina-san!! Please try to keep it distracted somehow!!”

Yasuo ran towards Director Kelly who had been slashed, while keeping a close eye on the distance between himself and the longsword-wielding Shii.

“Yasuo! W-Wait! …Ugh, fine!!”

The Shii turned its red eyes upon Yasuo who charged in recklessly, but Catalina barely managed to distract it by shooting a small fireball at it.

“Yasuo! What are you doing!? We can no longer do anything for her! Hurry up and run away…”

“It’s okay! Yasu-kun might be able to save her! Catalina-san, please continue to keep that guy distracted!”

“Eh? Shouko, even you’re saying things like that… Hey, wait up! ”

Before Catalina could finish speaking, Shouko also ran into the courtyard as if following after Yasuo.

Shouko’s motive was clear.

She wanted to somehow help the children who were still petrified from fright in a corner of the courtyard to escape into the alleys.

However, no matter how you thought about it, that was impossible.

Most likely, Catalina’s magic would not be enough to restrain the Shii that looked like it was specialized for battle.

The ground stake and fireball she had used earlier were both uncomparably weaker than what she had been capable of back in the day, and if the Shii judged that she was harmless, it would ignore her and attack Yasuo and Shouko instead.

“I definitely… won’t let that happen!!”

Catalina desperately forced her body that was far past its prime to keep shooting fireballs at the Shii that stood on the roof.

However, she had barely shot out five or six fireballs before the Shii stopped considering her a threat.

The Shii ignored the seventh fireball that she shot out, and fixed its sight squarely on Yasuo who was on the ground beneath its feet.

“Yasuo! Shouko! Run away! There’s nothing more we can do!!”

“Please wait! It’s almost done!”

“What are you talking about!? Just hurry up and run! You’ll get yourselves killed!”

Catalina’s voice was close to a scream.

However Yasuo stubbornly refused to move from Director Kelly’s side, and instead, Shouko spoke up.

“Yasu-kun! How much longer!?”

“Probably less than two minutes!!”

“I think I can hold out for a minute or so!”

“……Sorry!”

“You’d better take responsibility for whatever happens, okay!!?”

“Hey! What are the two of you planning…!?”

Shouko’s gentle voice reached Catalina who was completely confused.

“Everyone, don’t be afraid. That Onii-chan, Catalina-san, and I will definitely protect you.”

She spoke in Japanese, a language that the children had no way of understanding.

However, strangely, the children stopped trembling.

And then.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!”

The next instant, Catalina saw something that she could scarcely believe.

A shadow leaped up from the courtyard to the roof with an explosive sound.

The hood was blown back by the pressure of the wind, and Shouko, with black flames gushing out of her eyes, wrists, ankles, and waist closed in on the the longsword-wielding Shii with the speed of a bullet.

“Shouko!?”

That was definitely Shouko.

At the same time, Catalina also realized something else.

The shape that the black flames took as they wrapped around Shouko looked familiar.

“Is that Baskelgarde’s… 『Destroyer of Armies』, Orion?”

“How dare you do that to Obaa-chaaaaaaaan!!”

Along with the force of her jump, Shouko raised her right leg.

Her abilities might have been superhuman, but her movements were too straightforward to fight against a Shii that was specialized for battle.

She was going to get killed. Catalina gulped as she thought that.

“……!”

However, for some reason, the longsword-wielding Shii stopped moving.

Although the Shii’s red, dead eyes were still turned upon Shouko, it froze in place as thought it had been paralyzed, and Shouko kicked it in its side with every iota of strength she could muster.

The longsword-wielding Shii had no way of resisting the force of that kick, and it was sent flying into the wall of the neighboring building.

“You’re not going to go down just from that, right!? Bring it on! I will be your opponent! ”

Shouko, who had landed cleanly on the roof, shouted loudly at the Shii that was embedded in the wall.

Behind the flames that covered both her eyes, her pupils were glowing with the same red light as the Shii.

Catalina was shocked because she had no idea what had happened to turn Shouko into such a state, but there was something happening that was even more shocking.

“Catalina-san! I’ll leave the children to you! I’ll take care of Obaa-san…”

“Eh… Eh!?”

When Catalina looked towards Yasuo, she saw that Director Kelly, who was supposed to have been slashed by the Shii, was sitting up by herself with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

“W-What is going on…!?”

Catalina, who had finally entered the courtyard while keeping an eye on the Shii that was struggling while still stuck in the wall, looked between Director Kelly, Yasuo, Shouko, and the children many times. Director Kelly herself kept looking between her body and Yasuo.

“You… Just what did you…”

Yasuo spoke concisely to the two women who were confused.

“I’m sorry, Catalina-san. The two of us were lying to you… Tatewaki-san!!”

“What!?”

“Obaa-san is fine! Can you somehow get one more hit in!?”

Yasuo said that while pointing at the Shii that had almost finished extricating itself from the wall, and Shouko lightly scratched her head.

“Is that really something you would ask a person who is supposed to be your girlfriend to do? You’re the worst!”

Shouko said that as she kicked off from the roof of the House of the Fireflies with a loud sound, and once again got close to the Shii that she had sent flying earlier.

Shouko looked into those red eyes with her own, and gave a small smile.

“Sorry, but this is something my boyfriend asked me to do.”

After saying that, she hit it in the center of its chest with so much force that it felt like her fist might pierce through.

“Ugh, that sensation doesn’t feel good at all.”

To avoid getting hit with a counterattack, Shouko spun around and jumped down to stand beside Yasuo.

Yasuo wasn’t sure if the phrase “on death’s door” applied to the Shii, but its movements had noticeably become dull. Yasuo looked up at it and took a deep breath and started singing the requiem without any hesitation.

“Yasuo… That… That song is…!”

Once the words of the requiem reached the Shii, it became completely motionless and its body started to flake off into particles of soot and disappear.

“……I’m sorry, Catalina-san. We lied to you.”

Shouko’s flames disappeared, and she started to breathe heavily with a slightly pale face.

“We weren’t sure if you were really our ally or not, Catalina-san… So we were not able to tell you. We have a general idea about what’s going on. About Ante Lande, the Shii and the things they have done, magic, and sorcery….”

“Shouko…”

“The fact is, we came to Ante Lande on our own accord to unravel the secret of the Shii that is within me. We were planning on keeping that a secret until we met the Magitech Knights in this town and asked for their protection, but…”

“It’s not something we can keep a secret at the cost of people’s lives.”

The longsword-wielding Shii that had slashed Director Kelly had disappeared without a trace, and Yasuo said that after taking a deep breath.

“I’ve fought against the Shii several times… no, that’s not quite right. I didn’t actually fight them. I was just present on the field of battle. Just like what you saw earlier, I let other people do the fighting, and the only things that I am capable of are healing magic and singing the requiem. Even so, I felt that I had to protect these children, no matter what, because there was something that I could do to help them.”

Saying that, Yasuo turned to properly face Director Kelly and Catalina.

“We are being targeted by someone who can control the Shii. There is a chance that we were the targets of this attack… even though it is strange for them to appear all over the town like this. In the beginning, I even suspected that the two of you were connected to the people who were targeting us. That’s why I felt compelled to lie… I’m sorry. However, now I understand that there is no point in suspecting you.”

The wound that Director Kelly received from the Shii was real.

If Catalina was in league with the Shii, she would not need to go to the trouble of pretending to help them escape or lend a hand in fighting against the Shii. She could have just disappeared after leaving the two of them behind at some place where the Shii would find them.

If all of this was according to the 『enemy’s』 plan, then Yasuo and Shouko already had no cards left to play.

That is why there was no point in suspecting the two of them anymore.

In that case, when faced with what had occured, the only thing he could do was to move according to his sense of justice that he had cultivated over his life so far.

“Have the two of you heard of anyone called Beatrice Heller or William Bareig?”

When Yasuo asked that question in a calm voice, Director Kelly and Catalina glanced at each other after hearing the name Beatrice.

“By Beatrice, do you mean the 『Foreman』?”

“You know her!?”

“Well, of course.”

Saying that, Catalina grimaced.

“I told you about them, didn’t I? The pro-independence faction in the Gaz Commonwealth with nationalistic views. Beatrice Heller is in essence the leader of that third faction, the 『Carnelian of the Coal Mine』, that gained prominence in the Gaz Commonwealth with the aim of achieving a more clear-cut independence.”

“She’s the one who has been sending the Shii to Japan!”

Shouko shouted that vigorously, and Director Kelly and Catalina looked even more confused.

“I did think that it was strange for Hideo’s son and his friend to not know about anything, but… just how much of the situation do the two of you already understand?”

“At the very least, I think we know a bunch of details that people who are living ordinary lives in Ante Lande wouldn’t know.”

Yasuo replied with a sombre expression on his face.

“It happened just recently. I received an 『official notice from the Foreman』 after many years.”

Saying that, Director Kelly hung her head with a mortified expression on her face.

“The message said to send over any information I came across regarding the Shii so that it could be used to negotiate for getting more support from the Gaz Commonwealth… so, that’s why I used the Magitech communication…”

“Wait, you told her about me…!?”

The only response Director Kelly gave in response to Shouko’s question was a groan of repentance.

However, that was enough to imagine what had happened.

After the case with Khalija, Yasuo and the others had roughly perceived that the 『Canelian of the Coal Mine』 was an organization that was tainted with evil, however the truth was that most of the people belonging to the organization were ignorant of the truth.

Just like what had happened today, Beatrice Heller was attempting sift through the information gathered from all the “clean” branches that were on the fringes of the organization to find more information about the 『Latch』, no matter how trivial it was.

Members of the organization who belonged to branches that had trouble keeping things running, such as the House of the Fireflies, would especially hand over any information without thinking too deeply about it for the sake of getting more support in the future.

To Director Kelly, the children who were dependent on the House of the Fireflies to survive were her primary concern, after all.

“……I’m sorry. If only we had properly told you about ourselves to begin with…”

“No, you don’t need to apologize. You were correct in being cautious.”

On hearing Shouko’s apology, Catalina firmly shook her head.

“In the current state of Ante Lande,『Hideo’s son』 and 『a human body in which a Shii resides』 are both sensitive topics that can cause an explosive reaction. No matter what the reason, hiding the information you knew was not the wrong decision. Well, neither of us thought that the name of the 『Foreman』 would come up directly… however, it was good that I made preparations, just in case.”

“Eh?”

“It’s nothing. However, it looks like the two of you have more experience than us when it comes to fighting against the Shii. What should we do now?”

“……!”

After looking at all the people gathered there, Yasuo spoke.

“It doesn’t matter whether they appeared spontaneously or someone is pulling the strings in the background. Now that so many Shii have appeared here, there is no such thing as a guaranteed safe place inside the town. Those things will easily appear indoors as well… however… that’s right.”

Yasuo looked surprised when he thought of something.

And despite coming up with the idea, he grimaced as if wondering if such a thing would actually be possible.

“Please wait for a while. Yasu-kun is really racking his brains at the moment.”

While silently wishing that Shouko wouldn’t say such unnecessary things, Yasuo considered the various things he had seen in Galedeite since he had arrived there.

“The bells”

“Did you think of something?”

“If we use those bells, I think we can make something of this situation. Catalina-san! Do you know where the sound of the bells that we heard before we had lunch is broadcasted from?”

“Are you talking about the sound we heard in the market? I’ve heard that they ring the bell in a watchtower that is jointly controlled by the Knights Division and the town council… but since it is important for the functioning of the whole town and maintaining public order, regular people are not told where that tower is located. That’s why, I don’t know either…”

Yasuo felt discouraged after hearing that answer from Catalina who looked perplexed.

“Everyone! Are you okay!?”

However, all the people gathered there were startled by the voice of the man who had suddenly appeared there, and they raised their heads.

On looking up, they saw Feigreid, who was white in the face, jump down from the roof of the House of the Fireflies. He confirmed that Director Kelly and the children were okay, and let out a small sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness, it looks like you’re all okay.”

“Catalina, this boy, and this girl came to protect us just in time.”

“I-I see…. Wait! That left eye is—!”

“…!!”

“P-Please wait! She isn’t a Shii…”

Yasuo panicked and tried to stop Feigreid who was startled after seeing the flames in Shouko’s left eye, but even before he could say anything, Catalina had moved to put herself in between Shouko and Feigreid.

“Second Lieutenant, there is something more important that I need to ask you to do for me.”

“Wha… Catalina-san, what is the meaning of this? Just who is that girl…”

“She a guest of mine from Japan who has come here from the other world. She is not a Shii. She is not someone your organization needs to be afraid of. More importantly, Shii have appeared within the town, correct? That’s why you came flying here, fearing that this place might have been attacked as well, right?”

“T-That’s true, but… Hang on!! From Japan!? What’s going on here!?”

“Due to the current situation, I’d like you to guide him to a certain place. He’s Yasuo Kenzaki, the son of the Hero Hideo.”

“……Eh? Huh!? The son of the Hero Hideo!?”

Feigreid opened his eyes wide in shock and spun around to see the young man who was standing behind him.

On the other hand, Yasuo too looked surprised as he had no idea what Catalina was talking about.

※